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

[Reynard]

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. A hardcover is best for reading and home use. PDFs work well when travelling and not having the lug a dozen books to the Con or store, and the use of the FG file is obvious.

With WotC finally really embracing the VTT and PDFs I wonder if there is any chance of such a thing happening, or with the general rise of the VTT it happening on, say, DTRPG -- for example, I bought Tome of Beasts for my FG game but it is not a good way to peruse the book. I am resistant to spend another $50 for a PDF or hardcover.

 

[Prism]

I think the main problem is the logistics of it. The books aren't sealed (and therefore couldn't contain a voucher), and are not sold direct from WotC (and therefore aren't associated with some sort of online account).

I could see a theoretical tie up between pdf and FG, however I'm not sure how strong that requirement is since you can run FG offline to access the content anyway, except if you want to read on an ipad or android tablet

 

[Reynard]

I could see a theoretical tie up between pdf and FG, however I'm not sure how strong that requirement is since you can run FG offline to access the content anyway, except if you want to read on an ipad or android tablet

FG isn't a very good platform for reading, unfortunately. Even with most of the information being in the FG module it is a pain to actually peruse a book.

 

[Prism]

FG isn't a very good platform for reading, unfortunately. Even with most of the information being in the FG module it is a pain to actually peruse a book.

Yeah I agree - better to look stuff up I would say but much worse as a general peruse. The fact I can't scroll with touch annoys me more than it really should

 

[Sacrosanct]

The only way I can see it happening is the FLGS giving out a PDF link when you buy the hardcopy (maybe tied to your AL registration #?).

But yeah, I would like a pdf option with the hardcover book as well. I really would like the option to print out map pages or player handouts, which is so much easier with a PDF than with a hardcover book that I don't want to destroy.

 

[LordEntrails]

I think the main problem is the logistics of it. The books aren't sealed (and therefore couldn't contain a voucher), and are not sold direct from WotC (and therefore aren't associated with some sort of online account).

I could see a theoretical tie up between pdf and FG, however I'm not sure how strong that requirement is since you can run FG offline to access the content anyway, except if you want to read on an ipad or android tablet

This (above) is the issue.

This desire has been expressed before, and discussed at length as well.

There are too many distribution channels, and too many technical and business challenges that would add a huge amount of overhead to overcome, making things even more expensive than they are now.

Also, WotC may be embracing PDFs for legacy products, but they aren't doing it for current products.

 

[Jester David]

There are ways. Such as Bits & Mortar: http://www.bits-and-mortar.com/ That allows people to buy a physical copy, and receive a digital copy for free. You can imagine WotC partnering with Wizards Play Network stores to do such a thing.

Really, the catch is that WotC seems to expect any version of the PHB to sell for the same money regardless of the source. The dead tree version costs the same as Fantasy Grounds which costs the same as Roll20. They're just not going to sell an official PDF for <$50. "Deep discounts" are not going to happen.


There's also the catch that people have already bought hard copies and FG versions. If they do a bundle now, that means thousands of people lose out on that deal.

 

[Jester David]

I think WotC really wanted to do digital books through the DungeonScape app, before that fell through. Rather than have PDFs they'd have a searchable format that didn't allowing file sharing to the same degree. Where they didn't have to worry about piracy and such.
But that requires a partner to do the programming and coding. I imagine WotC has been looking around, but they either haven't found anyone they feel comfortable working with or getting the app built is slower than anticipated.

 

[Reynard]

There's also the catch that people have already bought hard copies and FG versions. If they do a bundle now, that means thousands of people lose out on that deal.

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.

 

[bmfrosty]

I think it may have something to do with an earlier experiment that disenfranchised quite a few FLGS.