Update: Malhavoc PDFs no longer available at RPGnow (merged)

[The Voice of Reason]

I'm often on the lookout for a good deal, but deals that are too good, that seem to pull out every method of sweeting the bargain and increasing its appeal, tend to turn me off.

I begin to wonder why someone's trying so hard. There is a balance between the cost of a thing and its value -- and if the value seems much greater than the cost, I look for hidden clauses in the contract.

This new company is going to great lengths to make themselves look appealing, even giving out a free book every week. That makes me suspicious. What's so wrong with what they're offerring that they can't permit it to speak for itself? Heavy promotion often suggests that something isn't good enough to drum up positive word-of-mouth.

 

[francisca]

You know, the other good thing about RPGnow is that you can get the download link for a product you purchased anytime, so loss of product does not harm you. Now, if my PC crashed etc, then I will have to buy the book again! I am sure that DriveThru will not recognize prior purchase of the book (not that I want to buy using the Nazi restrictions). Heck, I'll bet that you cannot get the download link again after the fact at the new place, I have never known WW to be that nice.

They explicitly spell it out that they will not replace deleted/lost e-books, yo uhave to buy them again.

Sure, you can use the backup function of My Bookshelf to backup an e-book, but that represents something I have to do above and beyond my normal back procedure, which lessens the value of a DRM protected even more to me. (If possible)

Kinda ironic that you can't move your PORTABLE document format file from one machine to another without lighting the hoops on fire and jumping through.

 

[Belen]

They explicitly spell it out that they will not replace deleted/lost e-books, yo uhave to buy them again.

Sure, you can use the backup function of My Bookshelf to backup an e-book, but that represents something I have to do above and beyond my normal back procedure, which lessens the value of a DRM protected even more to me. (If possible)

Kinda ironic that you can't move your PORTABLE document format file from one machine to another without lighting the hoops on fire and jumping through.

I figured, but thanks for the confirmation.

I still find it hard to believe that Monte would do this. For someone who was a real pioneer in the RPG PDF format, this feels like a slap in the face.

 

[wedgeski]

This new company is going to great lengths to make themselves look appealing, even giving out a free book every week. That makes me suspicious. What's so wrong with what they're offerring that they can't permit it to speak for itself? Heavy promotion often suggests that something isn't good enough to drum up positive word-of-mouth.

That's a bit harsh! As a startup, they're bound to be pulling out all the stops to attract visitors.

 

[Belen]

From the ongoing thread about DriveThruRPG:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1583464&postcount=10

Malhavoc has ended their relationship with RPGnow to go exclusive with DriveThruRPG. DriveThruRPG distributes digital rights managed PDFs exclusively. If you have considered picking up some Malhavoc PDFs and have been putting it off, now is probably the time. Otherwise, your only option will to be jumping through hoops to use your files on different computers, or even to print them if you use some avenue like a print shop or a university printing service to print your PDFs, and you are even limited in how much you can copy to the clipboard in a given period, for those who might be using PDFs for their house rules or OGL projects.

Too late. I just check RPGnow and there are no products listed for Malhavoc.

 

[johnsemlak]

BTW, Monte Cook's latest Line of Site talks about Drivethru RPG and the DRM files

 

[ikazuchi]

1) I have bought every Malhavoc Press book (some twice over cause the format patches wouldn't apply).

2) Software theft (a.k.a. Software Piracy) sucks. I download alot of RPG books from newsgroups, flip through them, then either order the print version or delete the files. I don't have access to a decent FLGS around me, so how else am I supposed to browse?

3) Malhavoc (and every other exclusive vendor of DriveThru) has just told me I can't do business with them for the following reason: I use Linux. There is NO Acrobat 6 for linux. There is no way for me to USE the products I would buy.

This really annoys me. I have been awaiting the new MP stuff (and hell, I'd probably bankrupt myself on DriveThru if it wasn't for their DRM keeping me from doing business with them) but now, everything that made PDF attractive (y'know, actually being able to USE it) has been taken away from me.

I realise that I'm a small minority of those who purchase products from MP and other RPG publishers, but like DriveThru says, its not like RPG publishers are making a mint. All I see is that MP (and any other publisher who utilizes this DRM scheme) have lost my business. And it hasn't been my choice. It hasn't been a 'DRM sucks, I'm not doing busniess with them' thing from me. This is entirely the publisher saying 'Thanks for spend over a hundred dollars on my products. I'd love to do more business with you, but, you see, I can't. Your one of those LINUX people'.

I have no issue with publishers wanting to protect the IP. I understand that most publishers wouldn't even touch the PDF market without DriveThru and Adobe's DRM. That still makes it no easier to have the ability to order their products in my prefered (and usually, cheaper) format removed from me. For the publishers on DriveThru, to me, its the same as them not selling PDFs at all.

No, I take that back. Its worse, cause I know they exist but I can't use them.

Monte, exactly what was your reason for going exclusively with DriveThru? Was it to prod other publishers to using them, and hence grow the PDF market? Why drop a distribution path that (I thought until now) was doing great for you?

Sorry, I can no longer do business with you....

 

[DanMcS]

Malhavoc has been releasing PITA, crippled OGL products for a long time. Now they're just releasing PITA, crippled products, period. I'm not surprised.

 

[Belen]

From the ongoing thread about DriveThruRPG:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1583464&postcount=10

Malhavoc has ended their relationship with RPGnow to go exclusive with DriveThruRPG. DriveThruRPG distributes digital rights managed PDFs exclusively. If you have considered picking up some Malhavoc PDFs and have been putting it off, now is probably the time. Otherwise, your only option will to be jumping through hoops to use your files on different computers, or even to print them if you use some avenue like a print shop or a university printing service to print your PDFs, and you are even limited in how much you can copy to the clipboard in a given period, for those who might be using PDFs for their house rules or OGL projects.

Too late. I just check RPGnow and there are no products listed for Malhavoc.

 

[francisca]

I figured, but thanks for the confirmation.

I still find it hard to believe that Monte would do this. For someone who was a real pioneer in the RPG PDF format, this feels like a slap in the face.

Yeah, FWIW, I keep trying to post a link to where I found that statement, but I've been waitng an hour for the FAQ to load.

EDIT:

Here it is, finally. After the lengthy wait, scroll down to the "How do I backup my eBooks?" entry.