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

[diaglo]

no grandma unsafe way

edit: imho, computers are the worst means of storage. virus, worm, corruption, crash. pdf gone. transfer to disc. scratch, magnet, change in temp, heavy object on time, misplaced. pdf gone.

print it out yourself... why not just buy a proper book.

book mang.

pdfs are the pits to me.

edit2: they take up space on your computer. they aren't compatible in a few years or months depending on upgrades and other programs.

 

[thompgc]

I voted yes but agree w/SteveC

 

[Pyrex]

Mabye.

Determining factors would be Cost (Must be <=66% of printed cost) and DRM (the more DRM the less I'd be willing to pay).

If it were something I was *really* excited to get my hands on, it would tip the scales toward yes.

 

[Crothian]

Mabye.

Determining factors would be Cost (Must be <=66% of printed cost) and DRM (the more DRM the less I'd be willing to pay).

If it were something I was *really* excited to get my hands on, it would tip the scales toward yes.

I understand that cost is an issue, but in my hypothetical the book is not coming out in print so no print price to compaire too. Thanks.

 

[pogre]

I am somewhat of a PDF convert. I do find that it depends on the product though. A setting or adventure product really needs to be printed out, too -- I can't really read and digest a lot of text reading from the screen. If it's more of a reference work (lots of little chunks that can be read in any order) then PDF works fine for me. So, ultimately -- sure, I'd buy it in PDF if that were the only format.

I too am a PDF convert, but I find the opposite. I really like adventures in pdf. I can print out as many maps as I want - make player maps, treasure maps, etc. I can also cut the art out to show the players. I can cut apart the strat blocks if they are in the back of the product and make a little screen, etc. For rules supplements I actually prefer books, but I do not mind PDFs.

 

[Mystery Man]

Yep. I have access to a duplexing printer so if I need to print something out I can and do.

 

[Turjan]

I understand that cost is an issue, but in my hypothetical the book is not coming out in print so no print price to compaire too. Thanks.

Still, I can compare it with a similar release in print, and I will obviously do so. No matter how you look at it, price is an issue. That's why I cannot simply vote "yes" or "no".

 

[cybertalus]

What Diaglo said. Plus, even if you do print it out yourself, there's no elegant way to bind it.

It could be Ed Greenwood's Super Secret Hush Hush Never Before Published Tub O' Ultracool Realmslore and if it was PDF only, I wouldn't buy it.

 

[trancejeremy]

No. I simply can't read PDFs on a computer, it gives me a headache. And I have an old inkjet printer which makes printing it out not terribly cost effective or attractive. I also don't live near a Kinkos or the like, and I'm on dialup so I can't really use a service like Print Fu which will print your a pdf uploaded to them.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

DRM is a bit of a factor for me. I don't mind it for computing viewing, but I love being able to hold a product in my hands. Printing DRM is ridiculous, as it screws it up a bit. So, maybe.