Races of Destiny available as pdf through Drivethrurpg

[Thanee]

Australia probably has some high shipping rates, but a stack of printed paper just can't compare to a decent hardcover.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Castellan]

I'll have to second the notion that you can't talk about DriveThruRpg without bringing up prices. I've only had one economics class, but I also own a business. If you charge more than most people are willing to pay, you can expect poor sales. The demand is there, but not at the current price point. I certainly won't be buying until prices are cut by at least 50%.

 

[johnsemlak]

I think some people actualy want the PDF for use on a computer. I imagine this is the customer WotC is primarily catering to by offering a product electronically.

People who actually appreciate the advantages of digital format (DRM notwithstanding), as opposed to poeple who view PDFs as a source of cheap RPG material, might be willing to pay cover price.

Just a theory. I suppose WotC is testing that theory.

 

[Cergorach]

I have absolutely no idea why I should buy an eBook, especially one, I cannot even use freely, if I could have the real book for about the same price.

You must be one of those people who hasn't seen my room... ;-)

It's stuffed, top to bottom with my stuff, most of it game books. So space is at a premium where i sleep, so something that doesn't take up any room is a very welcome addition.

While i am still buying these books as well, i am thinking of buying books that i won't use that often or aren't as visually appealing in electronic format instead of in paper form. The only reason i am considering this is because i have very good experiences with my pda (i am using ubook on WinCE) and better alternatives are showing up (Sony's Librie for example).

Even i am a bit hesitant about the price, but it's still cheaper then the physical books here. The paper book is 29.95 euro, while the electronic book is 22.79 euro, that's an almost 25% discount.

Some paper books still have their place, but i must say that an adventure for example would become more intersting in a pdf format.

While i agree that DRM sucks, it's like one of those locks designed to stop children from opening the car, adults (without an INT of 3) have no problem opening it. This is not a veiled attempt to make anyone feel inferior, it's just that if you know how, it's not that difficult to overcome. Just keep in mind that i'm 28 and don't have a drivers lisence. ;-)

 

[Castellan]

After visiting DriveThruRpg again (I rarely go anymore), I notice that their free download this week the the T20 Traveller Lite rules. Wheee! I can download that without DRM from QuickLink's web site, and have been able to do so for months and months....

DriveThruRpg's business model is not based on providing the best experience for the customer; it's based on providing a profitable revenue-stream for publishers and the distributor. Until these folks start treating their customers with respect, sales will be slower than places like RPGNow.

</rant>

 

[Mystery Man]

What does it mean "delivery to your desktop"?
Is this a file that you'll have to be able to view online (some e-libraries are like this) only or is it an actual file that once you dowload it's your forever like RPGnow? The reason I ask is that, now I'm actually curious and have not been paying attention.

 

[johnsemlak]

DriveThruRpg's business model is not based on providing the best experience for the customer; it's based on providing a profitable revenue-stream for publishers and the distributor.

How strange

 

[Cergorach]

I'll have to second the notion that you can't talk about DriveThruRpg without bringing up prices. I've only had one economics class, but I also own a business. If you charge more than most people are willing to pay, you can expect poor sales. The demand is there, but not at the current price point. I certainly won't be buying until prices are cut by at least 50%.

Let me squash the notion, you are absolutely, positively NOT allowed to discuse the price. ;-)

If you own a business, then you also know that if drop your price to a point that most people will buy your product, you might loose money. At that time most people either decide to not carry a product or raise the price so they will make money on each sale. The point WotC is obviously making is that this isn't their core business, if it in anyway endangers paper sales, then it means that they loose money. And to be honest i can see the rationale in their way of thinking, it might not be what the pdf consumer wants, but i think that the paper consumer kind of digs that the books they buy are kept at a decent price. If sales in the paper branche dropped drastically due to increased sales in the pdf market then the print runs would be smaller, and as a result the paper books would be more expensive. For a long time to come there will be more people that want paper books then pdf books and thus WotC main interest will be paper books.

Now, this whole discussion has been discussed 'ad infinitum' in other threads, nothing new has happend to change all the opinions, so if you want to discuss that, go find yourself an old thread or start a new one.

What has changed is the fact that frostburn now has a little brother, three months later. Interesting points are, why wait three months and why do another single release? Why another 'fringe' book? Will we see more and will it be another single release three months down the line?

 

[Castellan]

How strange

Actually, yes. Treating customers with some respect instead of viewing them as Buckets O' Money would seem to be the prudent choice. However, DTRPG has chosen the latter instead of the former. I won't deny them a profit, but you can't tell me that electronic distribution has a higher overhead than paper.

Strange, indeed.

 

[johnsemlak]

What has changed is the fact that frostburn now has a little brother, three months later. Interesting points are, why wait three months and why do another single release? Why another 'fringe' book? Will we see more and will it be another single release three months down the line?

Good questions.

Why were books like MMIII, the complete arcane, and Libris Mortis left out? What is WotC's strategy in choosing which books to release in PDF?

At the very least, this is a small piece of evidence that WotC are sticking with this experiment, at least for now.