THe RPG book you've waited for is going to be a PDF only release, do you buy?

[Yair]

Eden on their boards has posted a very interesting question. They have asked their fans to see if the much waited for Welcome to Sunnydale book for Buffy can only be a PDF release would people buy it. I want to generalize that question to be any book you've been waiting for by any company. If the book was only able to be relased as a PDF would you still buy it?

Generally, yes. If I suspected the book may be available in POD or print at a later time, I may wait to get that.

 

[Turjan]

Hmmm...I ran into something like that with some academic PDFs I've had to use in the past couple of years.

Didn't bug me at all.

It bugged me quite a bit after my first hard disk crash. It bugged me a lot more after the second. After the fifth, it will get ugly, because then it means buying the whole stuff again.

 

[GQuail]

All the PDF purchases I've made so far have been for PDF only products. Whilst I've printed them out, I still prefer a book when the choice is available: but in this example, the book isn't. SoI guess I'd answer Yes, assuming I can get my boss out the office long enough to print it. :>

However, as others have mentioned, both price and DRM are a factor I'll have to consider. No matter how much I want the product, the extra time, hassle & cost in printing and binding it up so I can use it at the table (I've tried using PDFs on a laptop at the game table, but didn't find it suited me) means I won't pay a print book price for a PDF: and whilst I understand why companies might want some sort of control over the PDF, I've got minimal patience for DRM, especially when it might mean that a computer crash would require me to buy it again. No matter how much I wanted the product, these tyhings might turn me off.

 

[Bagpuss]

If it's that or not have it at all. Then probably yes.

 

[Khairn]

I have no problem at all with PDF's and actually prefer it in some cases. From my point of view, the only knock against PDF's are DRM and when their selling price is the same as the dead-tree version. DRM is an annoyance and when the PDF and the dead-tree version are the same, that's just plain greed. Those are the times I refuse to buy PDF's.

 

[Pinotage]

Absolutely YES! I much prefer pdf to print, so it'd be ideal for me. I'm even enthused about WotC and Drivethrurpg.com, despite the price. pdf is just much more useful to me when gaming through PbP. The multiple copies thing on different PCs has its perks.

Pinotage

 

[Belen]

Eden on their boards has posted a very interesting question. They have asked their fans to see if the much waited for Welcome to Sunnydale book for Buffy can only be a PDF release would people buy it. I want to generalize that question to be any book you've been waiting for by any company. If the book was only able to be relased as a PDF would you still buy it?

No. If they had a print-on-demand option, then I would consider it, but I do not think that PDF books over 20-32 pages are worth my money and they certainly are not worth the amount of shelf space that a three-ring binder eats up.

I used to print off a lot of the free netbooks back in the day before everyone had to be a "publisher." I never used the stuff and eventually threw them all away.

PDF only books are just not worth it.

 

[francisca]

Well, yeah, that goes without saying..... right?

Some things are worth repeating, my friend.

 

[WayneLigon]

In general, no. With only a few exceptions, I'll only buy a PDF as a supplement to a print product (usually if I want to pull out parts of it to reproduce for a player handout).

 

[Nomad4life]

I voted “yes” but that’s a pretty misleading vote.

I would do it. But would NOT be happy about it.