RPGNow and the competition . . .

[mythusmage]

Those involved with the project say that; 1. the announcement was quite premature, and done only because they sort of forced their own hand. 2. That the project will open when it is ready. Evil Stevie would rather it be late and working than early and fraught with errors.

(In other words, Steve is a fussbudget.)

BTW, I have heard there are about 50 items already slated for sale through e23, but which 50 is being kept a closely guarded secret.

Other tidbits: Quality is being emphasized. The PDFs will be done from original files, or from high quality scans if the files are not available. No DRM (Evil Stevie considers the very idea an insult to his customers), and no exclusive sales agreements.

When I have more I shall pass it on.

 

[Iceflame55]

Steve considers it an insult (rightly) because DRM guards against piracy by targeting people that don't make Piracy their hobby; essentually getting in the face of the ones who are honest enough to PAY for the product, and screaming at the top of the lungs DO NOT BE A PIRATE.

As I said above, there is more than a few good Ideas about doing the EXACT same thing floating around that DTRPG would have practically tripped over if they had of LOOKED; I'm assuming that because Adobe got to them first though, they decided to try Adobe's DRM. If it wasn't such a blasted hassle to time, I'd try and get to the nearest good Bookstore I know of and try to dig up the printed versions; as it is I'm reduced to looking wistfully at the mercandise and pass on by.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I've used DriveThroughRPG in the past, when I downloaded 2300AD from it - an article that's available nowhere else. And when the download (a whopping 38 MB) crashed shortly before it was complete, their customer service immediately reactivated my download link - even though the product's "freebie week" was over. And I think I'll buy more 2300AD supplements in the future, so they at least get further business from me.

Some publishers won't consider publishing ebooks unless they are DRM-protected. We might wish that this was otherwise, but it is ultimately their decision to make. And as long as this is the case, DriveThroughRPG will have its own market niche, and cater to different publishers than RPGNow.

When (if) I publish Urbis, I will do so at both RPGNow, DriveThroughRPG, and any other ebook publisher (such as e23) that will carry it - at least, that's the current plan. I'm also considering selling it slightly cheaper at DriveThrough. This way, the customer gets to choose - is he comfortable with using DRM-protected files, or will he pay a bit more for the unprotected version?

 

[reanjr]

Competition is a good thing. If things went as I wanted, there would be two or three sites out there similar to RPGNow operating at the same fees and providing similar services.

Sadly, this isn't so.

If another company appeared who offered non-DRM PDFs, would there be a market for it? Or would RPGNow suck up all of the sales?

What would you like to see in a PDF shop? (I'm afraid I never thought the cost of PDFs was cheap enough for good quality stuff for purchasing. I've only made about 2 PDF purchases, other than the old TSR products).

Would a site more targeted to RPG books (rather than software, how-tos, etc. as RPGNow has) maybe fill its own little niche?

What kind of percentage do you think is appropriate?

What about a model based on file-size?

Is there anything you have ever thought should be better at RPGNow?

What do you like about RPGNow? (besides the products and non-DRM)

I'm interested in as many responses as I can get.

 

[reanjr]

Steve considers it an insult (rightly) because DRM guards against piracy by targeting people that don't make Piracy their hobby; essentually getting in the face of the ones who are honest enough to PAY for the product, and screaming at the top of the lungs DO NOT BE A PIRATE.

The average person is not even remotely aware that purhcasing a $5000 piece of software and making a copy for their friend or everybody at work is illegal. Do you really think people who buy PDFs know that it is illegal to copy them and give them to friends?

You are very naive, if that is the case.

 

[reanjr]

Is it in bad taste to create a "Customer Education" document on PDFs and DRM? Is it in worse taste to encourage as many PDF publishers as possible to host copies of the PDF and to direct fans' attention to it?

No, but unfortunately DRM is more of a religious discussion than a comparison of service and publisher IP security. Any "Customer Education" document is likely going to fall into one of two categories:

1. A single-sided argument supporting the writer's beliefs on the subject
2. A balanced argument for the pros and cons of DRM and non-DRM that will alienate anyone who already has an opinion on the topic to the extent that they will ignore the entire document.

 

[Roudi]

When (if) I publish Urbis, I will do so at both RPGNow, DriveThroughRPG, and any other ebook publisher (such as e23) that will carry it - at least, that's the current plan. I'm also considering selling it slightly cheaper at DriveThrough. This way, the customer gets to choose - is he comfortable with using DRM-protected files, or will he pay a bit more for the unprotected version?

I felt it worthwhile to note that, under the current form of DTRPG contract, you cannot do this.

From this thread on RPGHost:

We do require publishers to sell products on DriveThru for the same "best" price as on their own or any other website.

Essentially this means that the price you sell it for on DTRPG is the price you sell it for everywhere else. So while your scheme has merit, DTRPG would not allow it.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Essentially this means that the price you sell it for on DTRPG is the price you sell it for everywhere else. So while your scheme has merit, DTRPG would not allow it.

Doesn't the "best price" bit mean that you can't sell it cheaper on other places than on DTRPG?

 

[Roudi]

It means that you have to sell your product for the same price you're selling it on DTRPG. That policy bit was posted in response to vendors wanting to sell their products for higher prices on DTRPG and lower prices elsewhere - I don't know if they'd be willing to reconsider their policy if you tried to work it in reverse, but you never know.

Anyhow, as it is worded above, whatever price your product is sold for on DTRPG must be the price its sold for everywhere else, or you'd be in breach of their contract.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

My difficulty with DRM is the portability issue. The computer at work has a much nicer printer than the one I use at home, however it has no modem. Contrary to a previous statement on another topic you do need an internet connection to use DRM, if only to activate the ability to read DRM files on your copy of Adobe. You may not need an internet connection active in order to use the files, but you do need one to activate the Reader in the first place, at least once.

I understand why some publishers want the security of DRM, but that does not mean that I will purchase items that use it. (Free ones yes, though I limit the freebies I pick up to ones that I am considering in print, or already have in print. If I like the PDF I am considering I purchase the print version, otherwise I clear up some hard drive space by deleting it. It would just feel dishonest otherwise.)

Pricing issues involving some of the publishers who charge as much for the PDFs as for their print products I handle exactly the same way anybody does when it comes to deciding what to buy - if it costs too much I don't buy it.

But I am glad to see that DTRPG is dropping the exclusivity clause.

The Auld Grump