Ken Hite Re: The RPG Industry

[prosfilaes]

Hence, why board game and miniatures are so strong. You think people just found hundreds of dollars out of nowhere to buy D&D minis?

The people I know did. Of the three groups that I've played with fairly recently, two of the players had pirate books and the last the players at least had the ability to find them and may have had them, they all had every book they could possibly want at the table.

 

[Erik Mona]

And conversely, it would be an interesting idea if Dragon or Dungeon were offered in PDF only formats for download. I wonder how many subscribers would jump on this?

Me too.

--Erik

 

[Staffan]

I'm suggesting small publishers re-evaluate the value of cheap production costs. And you're telling me it doesn't work, or it might not work, I really can't tell.

Aren't Mongoose making some el-cheapo books? I think I saw an ad about those a while ago.

((looks around at the Mongoose site))

Right, the Expert Player's Guides. Two released so far, 256-page hardbacks for twenty buckaroos. Anyone know how those are working out for Mongoose?

Edit: But on the whole, I suspect that the low end of the market place is getting out-competed by cheap PDFs, at least to some degree.

 

[Hairfoot]

Such a great comment, I have to quoute it, but maybe a little harsh on the Mac.

Oh, absolutely. I once had a flatmate with a mac. I enjoyed many hours of virus-free surfing on that ergonomic beastie. But I think it's an apt analogy.

I get a bit...evangelistic about RPGs. I truly think they're an antidote to the insular, passive-aggressive egotism which has become normal in developed nations. We're used to being awed by the creative genius of others, but we refrain from being creative ourselves because to do so would mean creating a magnum opus: writing a book or screenplay worth publishing/producing. Instead, we throw up our arms and say "I'll never be as good as JK Rowling/the Wachowski brothers/Dan Brown, so it's useless to even try", and reject our creativity.

Developing a character or campaign allows us to be an author, actor, or muse who plays to an immediate and appreciative audience; one which lets us progress as artists in a supportive and (most importantly) fun environment.

Roleplaying games are quite unlike any other recreational activity on Earth, except in cases where they successfully combine several. It's tragic that they are regarded not merely with disinterest, but with scorn.

 

[Jedi_Solo]

I don't think Table Top gaming will ever completely go away. I have played a few MMORPGs myself; Ultima Online, Everquest and Final Fantasy 11. I got bored with the first two in a couple of months and got to point where I didn't have the required time to commit to FF11 to advance my character. World of Warcraft is quite popular at my workplace but the new players that are "dragged" into it aren't table top players to begin with. For most I would hazard the guess that WoW is their first RPG of any sort (other than the Cops and Robbers style).

On the PDF front; I don't that many PDFs. I've gotten a few, but not that many. I like the book style myself. I would want to print out the stuff I use. I do a lot of my reading in bed just before I go to sleep. There would be some products that I would want to get on PDF but usually only after I've gotten the hardback anyway.

 

[francisca]

Me too.

--Erik

I'd probably re-up for Dungeon and Dragon in pdf format, if it were heavilly discounted compared to the print version.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Where did you get a laptop for $300? I've been looking for one for several years that cheap (since $300 is generally about all I can scrap up) without any luck. Usually the cheapest price is $600. I almost got one at Walmart for $400, but just missed out (one of those 10 per store deals)

This is kinda OT but $425 dell laptop + wireless router. No rebates. 1.8Ghz CPU, 1GB ram, 40GB drive, CDRW/DVD, wireless. Deal probably won't last more than today or tomorrow.

http://slickdeals.net/#p7610

 

[The_Gneech]

Me too.

--Erik

I wouldn't go this route myself -- offering a discount PDF version undercuts the print sales, and for big "health of the gaming industry" reasons, I consider it vitally important that Dragon and Dungeon not only stay in print, but stay in mainstream bookstores!

-The Gneech

 

[francisca]

I consider it vitally important that Dragon and Dungeon not only stay in print, but stay in mainstream bookstores!

-The Gneech

How about if pdfs were sold somewhere like Amazon.com? Mainstream enough for you?

 

[GwydapLlew]

How about if pdfs were sold somewhere like Amazon.com? Mainstream enough for you?

I prefer having the hardcopy of the periodical. When I'm planning out adventures and campaigns, I like being able to spread my resources out in front of me and pull from them as necessary.

I prefer having .pdf backups on my computer. When I'm modifying an adventure, I tend to retype the entire adventure into a Word file and then modify. I also like being able to know that the adventure is on the laptop in case I lose my hardcopy.

I will always have the hardcopy. I would love to be able to download a .pdf copy if necessary - as a matter of fact, if I could have purchased a .pdf copy of the Dungeon I accidentally left at home two weeks ago, Paizo would have made a few dollars off me.

My preference would be having a .pdf available as a 'back-issue,' with subscribers able to freely download a copy of the issues that they were subscribed for. (I know this could be difficult to track.) If that were not an issue, I'd willing pay $3 for a .pdf download. I would not want to sacrifice the hardcopy for the .pdf, though. It's just not the same...