D&D 5E I want Print-Electronic bundle options.

[Jer]

I run games at conventions, at my local game store, with my regular group and on Fantasy Grounds. I really want an option to be able to buy books as a hardcover, a PDF and a FG module all at once, preferably for a steep discount.

I doubt it. Wizards doesn't have the electronic infrastructure to set it up and manage it themselves, so they'd have to partner with someone. There goes your "steep discount" right there as the partners would need to get paid. Plus Wizards seems to remain uninterested in (or more to the point "actively against') having things that are in print also available for sale digitally - probably because of their focus on building new player bases and the role of game stores in that plan. So I don't see them having a partner who gets to sell the PDFs themselves rather than just provide the access and other gatekeeping resources to get them into the proper players hands. Which probably eliminates much of a discount at all.

Sadly, I think you're more likely to see a shift in Wizards digital publishing plans to allow PDF sales on in-print titles than a bundling. And I don't think that shift will be coming anytime in the near future.

 

[darjr]

WotC isn't against digital versions of in print books. See Roll20 and other etables. They are against PDFs of in print books. And that is probably because of retail.

 

[Jester David]

While technically true i can't imagine this is much of a concern. I mean, video game companies do it all the time with Game of the Year versions including both the base game and the DLC for a reduced price and they don't worry about the customers that bought both separately.

Comparing video games with the business model of D&D and other TTRPGs is generally comparing apples and bricks. They're incredibly different despite both being leisure activities.

We're used to bundles and cheap PDFs from other games, but they're not industry wide and not the standard for other forms of books. You can't get digital products for the FFG Star Wars games, like Edge of the Empire. I can't see a way to get a PDF of FantasyAGE or DragonAGE, let alone as a bundle. Ditto Shadowrun.

And if you're buying a digital copy of a book (for your Kindle via Amazon) you're going to pay close to the price they ask for the hardcover. And there's no bundling there either.

Paizo is the exception, and only if you have a subscription via their website prior to the book's release (or are ordering from a Pathfinder 3rd party that does bundles). You can't currently get a print +PDF of the PathfinderRPG core rulebook for example.

 

[darjr]

And I would dearly like them to have pdf

 

[Reynard]

WotC isn't against digital versions of in print books. See Roll20 and other etables. They are against PDFs of in print books. And that is probably because of retail.

Bundling for something like FG would seem to help increase player base. But then, I don't know anything about the relationship between SmiteWorks and WotC. Nor do i know how much work it takes to create those FG modules (or Roll20 -- I only reference FG because that is the one I use).

 

[Blue]

One thing to remember is WotC isn't doing this in-house. FG's business model for income stream is to either subscribe you or to have you buy new products regularly. They make nothing when your friendly FLGS (or Amazon) sells you a product.

Assuming you could work out a distribution deal, who should lose their cut when they do multi-platform discounts? WotC who made it? That is sort of killing the bird that lays the golden eggs - it's not going to increase volume sufficiently to offset. FG? They put a lot of work into coding powers, making options available to players and DMs, importing the data, etc. They aren't just tamely reselling in another format, they are doing a significant value add.