WotC Third party, DNDBeyond and potential bad side effects.

[Morrus]

Does DriveThruRPG get a cut of Kickstarters that have PDFs distributed from there? Or does the Kickstarter project have to set that up outside of the Kickstarter with DriveThruRPG?

Knowing OneBookShelf, they must get their cut.

I thought the same, but then again you can publish a PDF there with no cost so if you offer the backer a coupon code to reduce the cost to zero, what is there to take? Has anyone ran a Kickstarter and handled fulfillment through DTRPG? All mine have either gone through the publisher's storefront or used a file sharing site like DropBox.

They do not.

 

[TheSword]

I'm sorry, I simply don't understand what you're getting at here. I'm not trying to be awkward, I just don't understand it.

If a product is available on DDB, then each time a copy is sold on DDB, WotC would get a cut of that specific sale. They wouldn't get a cut off a copy sold at a convention or your own website or via Kickstarter.

Are you saying you think if I make $50K on Kickstarter, and then put that product on another platform, those platforms should all get a cut of the $50K? I'm sure I'm misunderstanding you!

Yes, I probably wasn’t clear - if DDB is acting as fulfillment of part of your Kickstarter then they should get the cut appropriate. Not a cut of things they aren’t fulfilling. My point was, how do you decide the split when the Kickstarter covers multiple things in one price… printed and electronic for instance.

Edit: Just read the previous post. Amazed that DTRPG don’t take a cut for pdf fulfillment. I get they have the infrastructure but I’m surprised they would take such a big loss leader. It seems most of the 3pp I’ve ever bought from use them as fulfillment for electronic. If they’re not charging maybe that’s why.

 

[DEFCON 1]

We know. You've made yourself extremely clear. Be in no doubt that everybody knows exactly what your position is.

I'm glad to hear it! But I'll keep repeating myself anyway because why else have these message boards if not to talk about our opinions? I figure if some posters can continue to show up and rail against 4E after more than fifteen years of it, then I can post my feelings on the Third Party situation every once in a while too.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm glad to hear it! But I'll keep repeating myself anyway because why else have these message boards if not to talk about our opinions? I figure if some posters can continue to show up and rail against 4E after more than fifteen years of it, then I can post my feelings on the Third Party situation every once in a while too.

Can I go back to regular posting of how much I don't like WotC?

Just kidding.

 

[Morrus]

But I'll keep repeating myself anyway because why else have these message boards if not to talk about our opinions?

That's very reductive and simplistic. The purpose of these--or any--message boards is more nuanced than simply 'to talk about our opinions'. There are caveats and social contracts for everything. And sometimes the social contract is to dial it down a bit, eh?

 

[Morrus]

Yes, I probably wasn’t clear - if DDB is acting as fulfillment of part of your Kickstarter then they should get the cut appropriate. Not a cut of things they aren’t fulfilling.

I don't imagine that DDB will be fulfilling your Kickstarter. At best it will simply be selling the products afterwards.

 

[TheSword]

I don't imagine that DDB will be fulfilling your Kickstarter. At best it will simply be selling the products afterwards.

I buy things from 3pp all the time and they generate a DTRPG code. Of the three kickstarters I backed (aside from yours) all three were fulfilled by DTRPG.

 

[Morrus]

I buy things from 3pp all the time and they generate a DTRPG code. Of the three kickstarters I backed (aside from yours) all three were fulfilled by DTRPG.

Yes. Notably not by DDB!

 

[TheSword]

Yes. Notably not by DDB!

Yes but that is exactly what is being suggested…

• Publishers should be able to use crowdfunding (like Kickstarter) for products intended to be published and fulfilled on the D&D Beyond storefront.

I’m not saying that wouldn’t be good. I was just asking how the cut of revenue would be shared if the suggestion above was to be implemented.

I was doubly suprised by your suggestion that DriveThru and One Bookshelf didn’t take a cut of Kickstarter revenue when they did fulfillment. That was all.

 

[Morrus]

I was doubly suprised by your suggestion that DriveThru and One Bookshelf didn’t take a cut of Kickstarter revenue when they did fulfillment. That was all.

Well I suppose technically they do—it’s just that they take 35% of zero.

I imagine their calculation is that KS creators will fulfil wherever charges nothing. And this way every KS pretty much ends up on their platform and not another one and sold there going forward.

If they started charging for that, KS creators would likely simply fulfil elsewhere, and some other platform would be the one selling all those big fancy books and PDFs.

All speculation of course. I have omission to their decision making processes.