The guy who leaked the Core Books was a:

[aboyd]

Here's another bullet in your theory that this was marketing: the Monster Manual is the wrong file, was still full of errors, and has stuff that never made it to final print.

Scott, I was being a bit silly when I suggested earlier in this thread that WotC had put the PDFs out there on purpose. There's no need to shoot down a goofy conspiracy theory. However, I'm curious to know if you would also shoot down the poll (elsewhere in this forum) which shows a net gain of purchases from the leak. It appears that for every 10 people who canceled orders because of the PDFs, another 45 people placed new orders because of the PDFs. That's a net gain of 35 sales per 450 votes.

Can you see day-to-day orders on Amazon or in your own processing systems? Do you see a slight uptick? Or did sales just bottom out?

 

[Incenjucar]

I imagine the results would have been at least as good the moment people hit the book store. The bogeyman of New is less scary when you have it in your hands.

 

[evillives]

The guy that leaked is...a paid Wizard's stooge.

If you intend to play the game around your gaming table, you'll want those sexy books with their cool smell and the way geek books feel in your hands, and the pdf's just make you anticipate the real thing even more. Wizards win.

If you were on the fence about 4th, the pdfs will push you one way or another. If you like what you see in the pdf's you probably buy the books. Wizards win.

If you hate the idea of 4th, the pdfs probably won't change your opinion, but even if 1% of the players who fit this description do change their minds and buy, then Wizards win.

My two cents.

 

[Xyl]

Where is the option for "Heroic douchebag"?
Seriously. I'd pick it.

 

[Cirex]

Clearly an A$%&*le. He leaked early, screwing up the ramp-up in promos right at its highest time. He leaked the worst possible thing to leak. Clearly not good behavior.

The worst possible thing to leak, really? I think that leaking the economical information of every single citizen would be worse. I may be wrong.

Douchebag seems closest.

Whoever he is, he's a thief who should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law so that future employers will know that he cannot be trusted with proprietary information. People like this make me physically ill.

If he makes you physically ill, what do you feel about blood criminals? Demagogues?


The guy (or girl) who did it is a probably a thief, but that's something the judice system has to determinate, not us.

 

[Xyl]

Here's another bullet in your theory that this was marketing: the Monster Manual is the wrong file, was still full of errors, and has stuff that never made it to final print.

blam.

Is there another dead horse I can beat around here?

You mean I'll have to wait for my preordered books and then double check everything before I can run the adventure I've put together? Bah. I wanna play NOW!

If this is true, the person who leaked them is clearly a douchebag for leaking the wrong version.

 

[evillives]

Here's another bullet in your theory that this was marketing: the Monster Manual is the wrong file, was still full of errors, and has stuff that never made it to final print.

blam.

Is there another dead horse I can beat around here?

Teach me to post without reading all of the thread....

 

[Alnag]

For me he is a hero. I have preorder in March, yet I will have to wait at least two weeks after everybody here will have their books home till my books make it over the ocean. Now we can be even...

 

[Ardulac]

People who make it a bad idea to trust others with creative material simply deny more open access to said material. Really, in the long run, what is this going to do? Quite possibly make WotC more tight-lipped and less trusting with their materials, which could mean fewer playtesters and reviews for future products.

So WotC will shoot itself in the foot to get back at us thievin' pirates? Their level of tight-lippedness was already questioned heavily up until just recently. That alone made it significantly harder for me to sell my friends on converting. And I certainly hope I don't have to explain how less playtesting and reviews will hurt the system. Honestly, I think if they can maintain this level of quality then they shouldn't have anything to worry about as far as piracy goes. On the other hand, if they start shooting out shovelware then I certainly hope they start to fail.

As long as you're reading the thread anyway, thank you Mr. Rouse for your contributions to this great new edition. Though we may disagree on the issue of piracy, I think we all would like to see what is best for the game.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

no matter what anyone thinks at WotC, they must condemn piracy.

Even if those pdfs were leaked on purpose. Maybe to help FLGS who were somehow cheated by sellers who sold too early...

so he is somekind of a hero...