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

[Turjan]

Where are you buying PDFs that you can't get replacement copies? I thought every site had a system in place to allow you to download files if you've previously purchased them.

That was a specific DRM problem the discussion went on about.

I buy most pdf's at RPGnow, which doesn't use DRM anyway and has, like ENGS, a very easy replacement policy in place.

 

[woodelf]

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?

Can't answer a binary poll. It depends on so many factors. As a general rule, if the book was originally designed for print, and is not going to be altered for PDF, my answer would be 'no'. I use as my examples of this problem Arcana Evolved and the Star Trek RPG Mirror Universe supplement. In both cases, the resultant PDF cannot be practically printed at home, unless you have a duplexing color laser printer, and are willing to spend a small fortune on toner. And, even then, readability will suffer (color laser printers don't do as well with light text on dark background, or light-colored text on white, as a printing press does), you'll have ugly white edges interrupting the full bleeds, and it'll be spiral bound (or whatever). I only bought Arcana Evolved because (1) i already owned Arcana Unearthed, (2) i wanted to be able to cut-n-paste OGC, rather than retype it, and (3) it was on sale. I suspected what the Mirror Universe supplement would look like, but bought it anyway because (1) i'd been waiting for that book for 6+yrs, and had bought multiple Star Trek RPG books solely in the hopes of seeing that one--with the exception of the mirror universe and DS9, i really don't like 'Trek; (2) had been waiting for a detailed treatment of the 'Trek Mirror Universe since, oh, as long as i've known it existed--or at least since the first DS9 crossover episode; and (3) knew there was no other way i was going to get it,

Now, OTOH, if you're talking the same content, but re-designed to facillitate home printing, then, yeah, sure, why not? I buy PDF RPG books all the time. I generally prefer hardcopy, but if i have to choose between PDF and not having it, i'll usually choose PDF. And for a small subset of RPG books, which i don't ever intend to use in their entirety, and just plan to mine a few ideas from (most D&D3E & D20 System books fall into this category for me), the cost savings of PDF are ideal--plus, it's easier to cut-n-paste from the PDF than to scan or retype from the hardcopy.

So, in summation, if you're gonna sell PDF, whether in addition to or instead of hardcopy, make it home-printer friendly, as well as screen-friendly. This means ditch the color, no white-on-black, no full bleeds, and maybe cut down on the artwork a bit, too. If you were planning on print, and decide you can't afford it, spend a bit of time and money to reformat for these concerns.

 

[Darkwolf445]

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.

Hmm, wonder who you mean?

I prefer PDF, especially with price difference. I'll print what I want out of the book and put it into page protectors/folders, that why my dogs, coffee, players don't screw them up. I wish everyone would make pdf versions of their product, except WotC. They can stop now. Really.