[URBIS] PDF draft or not?

[Jürgen Hubert]

Various people (including here on ENWorld) have been asking me if I plan to create a PDF file for Urbis so that they could download the entire text and print it out instead of navigating through the website all the time. But while creating a PDF is the ultimate goal (I want to sell it once it is finished after all - whenever that might be), so far I have resisted doing that. After all, Urbis is far from finished at this stage - there are plenty of "blank spots" that need to be filled out.

And it is much easier to simply update the website when I add new material than to maintain all the texts in two formats - creating a PDF and making sure that it has the right format is a lot of work, after all.

But since so many people have been asking for it, I am considering creating a PDF with all currently existing material anyway. But only under one condition: Some gaming group, somewhere, would have to use this material to actually playtest Urbis and tell me of their experiences with it. I could really use some more feedback for the setting, but creating a PDF is a lot of effort, and I'd rather not spend all this time if the PDF is only going to end up on some hard disc anyway - for this, the current website would be enough.


So, would anyone be interested? Or should I remain focused on the website instead?

 

[MonsterMash]

Personally I'd say leave it with the website, unless you want to make the pdf distribution email only to users with a clear usage agreement specifying for playtest purposes only, and that feedback was mandatory (though not with specified times, e.g. 'By requesting this pdf you agree to provide comment and feedback from your use of the material contained', but no rider in that sentence of 'by x weeks from reciept').

 

[jdrakeh]

But since so many people have been asking for it, I am considering creating a PDF with all currently existing material anyway. But only under one condition: Some gaming group, somewhere, would have to use this material to actually playtest Urbis and tell me of their experiences with it. I could really use some more feedback for the setting, but creating a PDF is a lot of effort, and I'd rather not spend all this time if the PDF is only going to end up on some hard disc anyway - for this, the current website would be enough.

Note that a draft copy of Urbis neither has to look good or concern itself with typos (every playtest copy of a product that I've ever been involved with was a pitiful thing typeset in 12 pt. Times New Roman with no artwork, little formatting, and a lot of highlighted text).

Also, I'd love to give you some kind of guarantee that I can run an Urbis campaign, but I have to pull teeth just to get people to look at non-WotC products (to say nothing of settings) around here, so I'm guessing that it'll be a hard sell for The Usual Suspects.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Personally I'd say leave it with the website, unless you want to make the pdf distribution email only to users with a clear usage agreement specifying for playtest purposes only, and that feedback was mandatory (though not with specified times, e.g. 'By requesting this pdf you agree to provide comment and feedback from your use of the material contained', but no rider in that sentence of 'by x weeks from reciept').

Frankly, I don't want to bother with all that legalese at this moment, especially since I don't have the money to hire a lawyer at the moment.

And if I do make a PDF file, I would make it publically available on the website - after all, I want to get the word out for Urbis, and since I made the PDF anyway, I might as well put it into wider distribution. But I need some sort of assurance that the effort would be worth it for me - I mean, the feedback I get at the moment is rather limited...

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

Me and my group will be starting a new campaign in about one month's time.

I've already told them that the game will be a lot more 'natural consequences of magic' than they (and myself) are used to.
Urbis has been my inspiration to the feel I would seek to provide.

Guess what I'm saying is that I would love to have the pdf with Urbis. I can't gurantee that we would use the setting as is, though, which might defeat the purpose of playtesting it :\

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Me and my group will be starting a new campaign in about one month's time.

I've already told them that the game will be a lot more 'natural consequences of magic' than they (and myself) are used to.
Urbis has been my inspiration to the feel I would seek to provide.

Guess what I'm saying is that I would love to have the pdf with Urbis. I can't gurantee that we would use the setting as is, though, which might defeat the purpose of playtesting it :\

Well, every DM makes a setting "his own" merely by running a campaign in it. It depends on just how much you want to diverge from the setting. Do you already have any specific plans?

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Freak yes! A PDF would rock!

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Freak yes! A PDF would rock!

So would you playtest it?

I've been hearing some comments about how some people really like the setting, but I got almost nothing in the way of constructive feedback, and I have to admit that I sometimes feel a little frustrated.

If I knew that some group out there was actually playing a campaign set in Urbis and regularly told me about their experiences, I would probably be much more motivated to add new stuff to the setting.

Hint, hint.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

I haven't looked at Urbis for a while, but like I said, it's my inspiration (amongst others) for the campaign I'm setting up.

Let me get home so I don't have to fear the boss looking over my shoulder and I'll tell you my immediate plans, should I chose to set the campaign in Urbis.
Approx. one hour from now. Deal?

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Let me get home so I don't have to fear the boss looking over my shoulder and I'll tell you my immediate plans, should I chose to set the campaign in Urbis.
Approx. one hour from now. Deal?

Deal. I'm looking forward to it (and I will go home from work soon, too...).