RPG Piracy

[Henry]

...Before relatively inexpensive and easily available broadband and CD writers, large-scale piracy was a much smaller concern.

...All of which means that while it was possible to ignore some level casual copying ten or twenty years ago, I don't think it is anymore. Which is why I expect someone in the movie, music, or software industry (probably Microsoft...) to come up with a DRM system that's very difficult to crack and lets most people do what they think they should be able to do with legal copies.

Guess what -- You've probably heard of Microsoft's .NET intiative, but have you heard of Microsoft's Palladium initiative? Both of these technologies, if come to fruition, go hand in hand. Microsoft has come to the conclusion that software piracy will ultimately kill them, if taken to its ultimate end; they are sponsoring an thrust that is almost backwards in concept -- if the critical components of the software are kept server-side, then there's nothing to pirate -- the content becomes dependent on a server-client model, a la web browsers and old-style mainframes, and is easier to control. The very same technologies that make piracy so easy, such as broadband connections, will enable companies to offer cheap subscription services to software that is always up-to-date with the latest patches each time you log in to use them.

SPECULATION: Of course, this means that software piracy will change to meet this. Instead of "Warez sites" you'll have "Rogue Server" sites, where cyber-nomads set up their tents to offer software for free -- but as they are forced to move around, their services become spotty....

...Until the cracks become available for the server suites in the first place. Then, since computers are so cheap, you will have pirated home-based networks with an inexpensive server set up with all those pirated ".NET" and "Cracked Palladium" Warez....

...and the cycle continues, in the same dance that it has for the past 20 years.

 

[Henry]

What bothers me is that some players and GMs have allowed people show up to the game table with copied materials.

I think what an earlier poster said on this has merit - "Teach good habits." And peer pressure is one method of teaching someone a lesson - whether it is a good lesson or a bad lesson. Piratecat related a story once where he personally confronted someone at a gaming table, who made mention that they were going to download a Natural 20 press book without paying for it.

Whether you believe it to be right or wrong, the standards you set for your own gaming table (pro-piracy or anti-piracy) are going to propagate at your own local level.

 

[maddman75]

1. Stealing is stealing. There is no arguement to make it right or to justify it, that is the end of the story. I don't care if your broke or a collector or any of a thousand different excuses, if you took it illegally it is stealing.

So whatever law is passed, you're okay with it. It is NOT immoral to disobey an unjust law. Not agreeing that downloading PDFs without paying for them is such a case, but there are cases where I do consider it acceptable. To replace a lost or stolen document or to obtain a convienent copy of materials I own.

They may not follow the letter of the law, but neither are thy immoral.

5. This is where it gets back around to the point. Why don't companies do something about this stuff? Well it cost alot of money to try to go after all these people out there, you better believe that every once in a while some guy who gets caught with stolen splatbooks gets taken down, but they cannot get everybody, it doesn't matter if you bought a bunch of stuff from them or not, if you stole stuff then you stole stuff, you are not considered a good customer. Who has the money to cover all the litigation and investigation work to stop everyone? This is sort of different for smaller corporations than larger corporations (I already went into that above). Small RPG companies are getting hurt because they don't get money from both sides like alot of larger companies do, if you don't buy their product then they don't make money, that is the end of the story.

Another problem is that you cannot stop a determined person from breaking whatever protections you put in place. If it displays to the screen or goes to the printer, it can be copied to another file. There may be roadblocks, but if I can get the data I can copy it.

So all you achieve is inconvienencing your paying customers. You don't stop the pirates. And there's a lot of people (like me) that won't buy the product if its in a copy restricted format. If I can't back it up there's no sense in having it on my computer.

 

[tburdett]

I do not believe that this activity can be stopped at the individual level. Any attempt to do so is a waste of valuable time and resources.

Going after the major distributors is also, in my opinion, a waste of time as it only causes a short term disruption in the activity, or no disruption at all if there are several major distributors.

Price your product to reflect these realities and make what profit you can. If your motive for releasing these products is to make a profit and you cannot do so after dealing with these realities, find something else to do that is profitable.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Price your product to reflect these realities and make what profit you can. If your motive for releasing these products is to make a profit and you cannot do so after dealing with these realities, find something else to do that is profitable.

You do realize how little revenue the RPG industry generates, right? 90% of RPG writers would be better off getting a job waiting tables or writing for local magazines.

Your advice would severely cut back the number of products released. Do you want that?

 

[tburdett]

You do realize how little revenue the RPG industry generates, right? 90% of RPG writers would be better off getting a job waiting tables or writing for local magazines.

Your advice would severely cut back the number of products released. Do you want that?

Let me start off by saying that I firmly believe in economic darwinism. Those companies that can produce the best products, at the best price point, with the least amount of overhead should survive and prosper. Monte Cook is a shining example of this.

Yes, I realize that there would be fewer products released if anyone took my comments seriously. I also realize that we do not live in the fantasy world where our gaming takes place. In the real world people have obligations to meet (bills, rent, food, children) and they need to work at something that will meet and take care of those obligations, hopefully with something left over for luxuries.

If that also means that we have to see a few of the less profitable or less than profitable companies drop out of the publishing game, then so be it. It happens and it's a natural part of the business cycle.

To keep this on topic...

Piracy exists, and is allowed to exist, because it costs more to stop piracy than it does to just ignore it.

 

[Black Omega]

Note to Posters: Please don't turn this into a pro/con piracy debate. I'm just seeking answers to the below question.

Well, you saw how well this worked...

 

[SemperJase]

Since thats the case it's basically a victimless crime. WotC doesn't lose any money (they wouldn't have had it anyway), the only difference is my quality of living rises.

Actually WotC (or any other publisher) does lose money. They spent capital to create the product. You are using the product without defraying the cost. If you wouldn't have bought it anyway, you shouldn't use it. Your using it indicates that it does have value.

If you steal a loaf of bread, you may as well say that nobody lost anything because you wouldn't have bought it anyway. After all, it may have been wheat bread when you prefer white bread.

 

[clockworkjoe]

A few devil advocate type points:

1. PDF piracy does not necessarily translate to lost sales. Many people who download rpg PDFs would not have bought the actual books anyway.

2. rpg PDF piracy is also a form of promotion and viral marketing. I'm sure many of you have heard about people expanding their musical tastes and developing new favorite bands and artists because they have heard their MP3s. This applies to rpg PDFs as well. One rpg warez fiend can send another a PDF of a book to his friends and spread the word, and eventually get many people hooked on a line of books or system.

3. PDF piracy is significantly different from music or software piracy in that the digital version of the product is almost always vastly inferior to the original because of the nature of the two mediums. Real physical books are the standard of tabletop roleplaying. You can not replicate that with a PDF. Printouts of poorly scanned pages from cheap inkjet printers are inferior and in many cases, expensive (printing out a WOTC hardcover book with lots of color interior art is going to cost a lot in ink and paper), etc. While some idiots will play with stacks of inkjet prinouts, most players will stick with real books, simply because it is a better playing experience. (I do realize that some products like collections of counters and others made to be printed out easily are not protected by this, but that can't be helped).

 

[Destil]

I should thank the whole lot of you for making me have think again, but I've really been trying to avoid it recently....