D&D 5E PDFs and Next

[Leatherhead]

PDFs are great for copying info to a character sheet, but I would like some kind of phone app to look up the rules.


Even if my group would hate me for using a phone in mid session after yelling at them for doing the same.

 

[Dice4Hire]

D&D may be forgettable to most Hasbro execs, but one is in charge of WotC and I'm sure it's not forgettable to him.

You're just a stepping stone ?

 

[Stormonu]

If 5E doesn't have PDFs, it won't be a dealbreaker for me, but it will be extremely annoying. DDI just isn't a real replacement.

Besides, I always can fall back to my Printer/Scanner/Copier at home - even if there are PDF versions, I always like to have a paper copy for those places where lugging an electronic copy isn't feasible or desirable. Most especially since I tend to run my game from my iPad while my laptop plays mood music.

 

[Jester David]

In a sense, Hasbro has been very much involved with WotC. The CEO of WotC is an experienced Hasbro man. He probably got his current job because Hasbro could count on him to have his views aligned with the parent company's. It's possible he could have gone native after being exposed to WotC's culture, but my understanding is that WotC's culture is what shifted to be in more accord with Hasbro's since the acquisition. So, little chance of that.

D&D may be forgettable to most Hasbro execs, but one is in charge of WotC and I'm sure it's not forgettable to him.

I hadn't known Greg Leeds' background with Hasbro before but checking a couple websites you're right. As the previous 2 or so CEOs of WOtC had been old players I had assumed he was as well, but he really has no history with the game or the industry.
Unsettling.
Looking at his history, he was in marketing before becoming the General Manager of Hasbro's Boys Toys Division. Aka the General Manager of Hasbro's biggest seller, a very plum position. From there he was made CEO of his own company, but he was made CEO of WotC, a fairly small subsidiary with some under-performing brands at a time when Hasbro's stock was dipping. I wonder if this was a demotion disguised as a promotion.

I always felt he didn't sound like he knew or cared about the game in interviews. I didn't know it was just a job to him.
This really might explain the reluctance to embrace tech.

 

[Umbran]

From there he was made CEO of his own company, but he was made CEO of WotC, a fairly small subsidiary with some under-performing brands at a time when Hasbro's stock was dipping. I wonder if this was a demotion disguised as a promotion.

WotC may have some under-performing brands, but my understanding is that Magic: the Gathering still sells extraordinarily well - sales apparently hit an all-time high in 2011.

You think they'd "promote" a man into a position where he could ruin a major cash cow?

 

[am181d]

If there are no PDFs, the odds of me buying the core books drops to about 50% and the odds of me buying anything past that drop to 0%.

 

[Jester David]

WotC may have some under-performing brands, but my understanding is that Magic: the Gathering still sells extraordinarily well - sales apparently hit an all-time high in 2011.

You think they'd "promote" a man into a position where he could ruin a major cash cow?

I am likely drifting into speculation and he is much more active regarding Magic.
But he was transferred away from the Boy Division, which includes Trasformers, GIJoe, and the like. Transformers alone is a billion dollar brand.
M:tG might be doing very well, but Hasbro owns such big subsidiaries as Tonka, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Playskool, and Kenner. WotC is small potatoes in comparison.

Still, it's better to rule in hell, and CEO positions likely don't open up every day.

 

[BobTheNob]

PDF is pretty important for me.

Honestly, being able to access the rules on a tablet with proper indexing and searching facilities is just priceless.

The whole idea of not distributing PDF's is a bit rediculous to me. If they dont distribute PDF's, someone is just going to torrent a scanned version of the doc's anyway. They are better off distributing PDF's and finding a way to turn that into a profitable distribution model.

 

[drothgery]

PDF is pretty important for me.

An electronic version of the rules is important to me. PDF -- which is a print format and therefore not very well suited to electronic devices with vary widely in resolution (not to mention having problems with e-ink devices) -- is not.

 

[El Mahdi]

I was curious if WotC has dropped any information on whether they will be bringing back PDFs of their books. I completely stopped purchasing from WotC after they abandoned digital distribution. I don't understand how someone in this business can be so ignorant as to think stopping digital distribution helps fight piracy, but I can guarantee it kills legitimate revenue.

I did too, and I vowed to never again buy a WotC product until downloadable and ownable versions of all WotC products (previous and current editions) were made available again. (Doesn't have to be pdf's for me; but it does need to be ownable-not just rented or available to read only on DDI, use a common software reader, be usable on iPad, and be cut-and-paste-able.)

I'm liking what I'm seeing and hearing so far with 5E. And I am participating in the playtest to be a part of making it a game I will like. But I still won't buy it or any other WotC product (minis, cards, accessories, etc.) until ownable electronic versions of their books are made available again. Period.