Pirating RPGs. (And were not talking "arggg" pirate stuff here.)

[Mark CMG]

Information does not have an inherent value.

Tell me that when you're up to your elbow in the garbage disposal and I'm asking which one is the switch for the light...

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

Tell me that when you're up to your elbow in the garbage disposal and I'm asking which one is the switch for the light...

LMAO!

Yes, but you still can't put a price on that information. To me that information will have nearly infinite value. To you, probably less value, but some. To some person unaware of the situation that information will have practically zero value. However, if we publish that information on the Internet we have in no way reduced it's nearly infinite value to me nor have we increased it's value to an uninterested party.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

THat's not what's wrong with this. DRM would not have stopped this as he seems to thing or idcate. And why these might not be lost sales, it is a bunch of people who have the product and did not pay for it. It doesn't matter if they would have bought it or not, all that matters is they stole it here.

Agreed. A quick google is all it takes to learn how to remove DRM. It's actually a bigger pain in the ass to manually remove watermarks than it is to crack a DRM-protected file.

 

[trancejeremy]

A lot of the arguments about this are beating a dead horse and probably don't have an actual answer. (lost sales vs. people just browsing , theft vs. copying, etc).

But look at the music industry. It faced a similar problem. Even more so than RPGs, because a person can turn a download into a cd with pretty much the same exact quality as the original for pretty much nothing (as blank cds are cheap), while it is probably more expensive to print out a RPG than to buy a copy at a store (unless you work at a printer or something). Digital Music selling sites like iTunes are making money, and many are springing up.



How can the RPG industry duplicate the success of digital music? That's a more productive discussion, IMHO.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Y'know, I do the same thing with DVDs - steal 'em off the store shelves, watch 'em a couple of times to see if they're worth keeping, and then go back to the store and buy them if I think they'll be a good addition to my collection.

Not.

Just a thought...

Allow me to fix this:

Y'know, I do the same thing with DVDs - rent them from the video place, watch 'em a couple of times to see if they're worth keeping, and then go back to the store and buy them if I think they'll be a good addition to my collection.

 

[Mark CMG]

LMAO!

Yes, but you still can't put a price on that information. To me that information will have nearly infinite value. To you, probably less value, but some. To some person unaware of the situation that information will have practically zero value. However, if we publish that information on the Internet we have in no way reduced it's nearly infinite value to me nor have we increased it's value to an uninterested party.

I would have thought the price to be obvious; 50% off of an arm and a leg...

 

[Shining Dragon]

I firmly believe that people that discover/create information can be fully compensated for their efforts even if the information they create/discover is made available at no direct cost. See above.

How to you guarantee this? Apply this to roleplaying games.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

LMAO!

Yes, but you still can't put a price on that information. To me that information will have nearly infinite value. To you, probably less value, but some. To some person unaware of the situation that information will have practically zero value. However, if we publish that information on the Internet we have in no way reduced it's nearly infinite value to me nor have we increased it's value to an uninterested party.

No, but it has quite effectively reduced it's value to Mark. Whereas before he could have charged you an arm and a leg, so to speak, for the information he put effort into gathering, now he can charge you nothing. You've been enriched at his expense.

 

[Banshee16]

Doesn't matter what they would blink at. The PDF market is new, and Eden has books that are in categories others do not have. Therefore one can't judge what the market is.

Well, since the book isn't selling at $28, apparently, then the market won't bear paying $28 for that book. Pretty simple equation.

I've had several books that there was no way I'd have purchased them at the price initially asked for them...but when I saw them on special (like last Christmas, when publishers were practically giving stuff away), or when I had a big bonus and hence spare cash floating around, I was more willing to part with the cash on books I'd passed on originally.

But in no way would I ever spend $28 on a PDF book, personally. Regardless of what the intellectual copyright or worth is, there's no physical backup or product. If my computer gets wiped, I've lost the file. If it gets corrupted, then I get to spend the money purchasing it again. And before somebody comes out and eagerly points out that a book could get damaged, I'll do them the favour of admitting that I've had far more files lost due to computer issues over the years, than physical books getting damaged. Only one book ever did...the Midnight Campaign Setting v.1, in about 14-15 years of gaming.

Banshee

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

Sorry, dude, I don't have one.


In all honesty, I have never downloaded any music, software or written works illegally. The current deterrent system is enough to stop me. I have enough money to buy what I really want, and I won't risk my freedom or wealth to illegally acquire something I can buy. So, I guess I'm just a loud-mouthed advocate for a cause I won't directly support.




Have you ever heard of open source software (one of many examples: http://sourceforge.net/)? Software developers regularly make pretty significant discoveries and advances in the realm of software development and publish those findings at no charge. Many of these developers accept donations for their projects, and some rare, talented individuals make a good living publishing, at no direct cost, open source software.

I think that any realm of information discovery/creation could flourish under such a system.


Hey, check this out: http://www.panicstruckpro.com/revelations/

It's a 45 min. movie set in the Star Wars universe that is available free of charge over the Internet.

I agree completely that if they attempted to sell this movie they would be in a fight with Lucas's lawyers. They would likely lose that fight. That still doesn't make them wrong. Just because an act is illegal doesn't mean that act is wrong.

.

I believe Lucas is aware of that movie, and actually supports it. I remember reading an article somewhere. But I belief that support only lasts so long as they don't try to profit from it.

Banshee