D&D 5E Phandelver Pregen PDF's or Scanns? And the state of the online Support.

[Mark CMG]

I bought several of the maps so I could make some playouts for my game. I don't need the GM versions, as those are in the booklets, but a number of the player versions are useful. Having them without the GM info is a time saver when scaling up sections to use as battlemaps.

http://www.creativemountaingames.com/2014/07/the-friday-grab-bag-my-5e-d-starter-set.html

 

[Nikosandros]

Bear in mind the Starter Set only had its general release date like two days ago. Depending on WotC's digital strategy, they may still post stuff free online soon without being late.

Definitely, although the cost for the lot is enough to make me seriously reconsider. I understand the artist wasn't able to sustain his work at a lower price though, according to a blog post he wrote.

FWIW, some of the maps available on his site are versions that don't appear in the Starter Set, namely the unmarked player versions.

I like the maps and I bought some. I just wish that the player versions were bundled with the normal ones. After all, they are the same map with just one layer removed.

 

[Jake Johnson]

Yikes, $17 for the whole lot? I don't think I'm prepared to stretch to that.

I'm going to pay, even though the price is higher than the cost of the Starter Set plus shipping. The map quality is fantastic, and I do believe they will enhance the playing experience.

 

[Klaus]

Excellent, thanks.

Edit: Yikes, $17 for the whole lot? I don't think I'm prepared to stretch to that.

I bought all four unkeyed dungeon maps for US$5. It's a bargain, plus it helps the artist!

 

[wedgeski]

I bought all four unkeyed dungeon maps for US$5. It's a bargain, plus it helps the artist!

Yeah, having thought about it, they're all I need and it's only a couple of UKP. A not unreasonable additional outlay.

 

[Gargoyle]

I bought all four unkeyed dungeon maps for US$5. It's a bargain, plus it helps the artist!

I got sticker shock looking at the total price, but the unkeyed ones are the ones I want, so yeah, it's a good bargain and I will probably buy them. Good to see artists getting another revenue stream.

One factor with fantasy art cartographers is that they are fairly specialized, and so they can probably negotiate more deals like this. I remember the last GenCon seminar I attended several years ago the Wotc guys were saying "if you're an artist, please contact us, blah blah blah...if you're a cartographer, meet us outside the door as soon as this is over."

 

[Baumi]

I'm sorry but I don't share the positive Attitude about this. If I buy an Adventure than I expect to get everything that can help me GM it, including easy to use Pregens and Player-Maps if possible (like PDF's). After all I pay money for Adventures to make my life as easy as possible.

This has the bad aftertaste of the Videogaming Industry where nowadays you buy a Product and then they hold content in front of your nose ... "Buy this if you want the FULL experience".

 

[Nemio]

I'm sorry but I don't share the positive Attitude about this. If I buy an Adventure than I expect to get everything that can help me GM it, including easy to use Pregens and Player-Maps if possible (like PDF's). After all I pay money for Adventures to make my life as easy as possible.

This has the bad aftertaste of the Videogaming Industry where nowadays you buy a Product and then they hold content in front of your nose ... "Buy this if you want the FULL experience".

Well, they are promoting Theater of The Mind play so you don't really need all the extra maps.
I understand their approach. They provide a low cost Basic set that is enough to play for most.

If you feel that you want miniatures, battle grid, extra maps, etc. to enhance the experience then you can pay some extra for that.

On topic of the maps, I think it's fine that they give the artist permission to sell the maps seperately.
Especially if you read that said talented artist wouldn't be making enough money from it otherwise.

 

[doctorhook]

When it comes to Mike Schley's maps, I'm not willing to pay what he's asking for the full suite of hi-res maps. So, I have two choices: either I change my expectations, or I go without Mike's maps. (Mike also has a similar set of two choices, but I can't make his decisions.) Ultimately, like several other posters here, I opted to change my expectations by only purchasing some of the maps. Do I like paying for digital maps that used to be available as free downloads from WotC? Obviously not...but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to pay for a few of them.

The only takeaway here for WotC and Mike is that my unwillingness to pay for the full bundle and my discomfort about the price of the ones I did buy are both indicators that the price of these maps is approaching the limits of my willingness to pay for these products. (In other words, my demand for these products is highly elastic at this price-point.) Any increase in the price of these maps at this point is likely to lose me as a consumer. Depending on how typical my demand for digital maps is compared to other consumers of digital maps, this could be a sign that WotC or Mike should consider either lowering the price or increasing the value of each bundle. (I'd be a lot happier with the option to just buy a 10%-off discounted bundle of all the unlabeled/player maps.)

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

When it comes to Mike Schley's maps, I'm not willing to pay what he's asking for the full suite of hi-res maps. So, I have two choices: either I change my expectations, or I go without Mike's maps. (Mike also has a similar set of two choices, but I can't make his decisions.) Ultimately, like several other posters here, I opted to change my expectations by only purchasing some of the maps. Do I like paying for digital maps that used to be available as free downloads from WotC? Obviously not...but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to pay for a few of them.

The only takeaway here for WotC and Mike is that my unwillingness to pay for the full bundle and my discomfort about the price of the ones I did buy are both indicators that the price of these maps is approaching the limits of my willingness to pay for these products. (In other words, my demand for these products is highly elastic at this price-point.) Any increase in the price of these maps at this point is likely to lose me as a consumer. Depending on how typical my demand for digital maps is compared to other consumers of digital maps, this could be a sign that WotC or Mike should consider either lowering the price or increasing the value of each bundle. (I'd be a lot happier with the option to just buy a 10%-off discounted bundle of all the unlabeled/player maps.)

I generally agree with this. My first instinct is that these maps should be free downloads from the WotC website. But, if it can help the artists, I'm okay with a model where the artist can sell me high res versions. But the price is too high. The entire pack should be $4.99 to $9.99. At the same time, WotC should promote the availability of these maps to help increase the customer base.