Will gaming companies ever go 100% digital?

[Hussar]

I'm not sure that home printing should even be a priority to be honest. Sure, the option should be there, but, IMO, it should be a very low priority. Making sure that the file (whatever the format) gives me the maximum flexibility, using the tools that are available in the medium should be the prime consideration.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I'm not sure that home printing should even be a priority to be honest. Sure, the option should be there, but, IMO, it should be a very low priority. Making sure that the file (whatever the format) gives me the maximum flexibility, using the tools that are available in the medium should be the prime consideration.

Not sure, a lot really depends on the quality and cheapness of the readers.
At current tech levels I would want to print modules and monster though the monster app is plenty good enough.
That is because I scirbble notes on the printouts during hte game.
Or even before.

 

[Umbran]

I'm not sure that home printing should even be a priority to be honest. Sure, the option should be there, but, IMO, it should be a very low priority.

Home printing, no. But "haul a thumb drive down to Kinko's" probably ought to be high on the list of priorities for the short to medium term, if only to handle that large section of the market that isn't yet using computers at the table.

 

[Fiery James]

Isn't White Wolf 100% digital now? I believe they've been supporting their WoD in PDF form for the past year, and panels at GenCon seemed to indicate that this was the plan go-forward as well.

Correct me if I'm misinformed. (The internet's primary function, as I understand it)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Home printing, no. But "haul a thumb drive down to Kinko's" probably ought to be high on the list of priorities for the short to medium term, if only to handle that large section of the market that isn't yet using computers at the table.

That will only help up to a point- many printers like Kinko's (at least on a store-by-store comparison) still have only the flimsiest grasp of copyright law and balk at printing such material.

I had problems a few years ago getting them to print something for an academic presentation on copyright infringement...and I'm an entertainment attorney.

Isn't White Wolf 100% digital now? I believe they've been supporting their WoD in PDF form for the past year, and panels at GenCon seemed to indicate that this was the plan go-forward as well.

While they may have all of their products online, I think Kzach was using "100% digital" to mean producing no physical product at all, and WW still produces physical game books.

 

[Fiery James]

While they may have all of their products online, I think Kzach was using "100% digital" to mean producing no physical product at all, and WW still produces physical game books.

There's my goof: I thought they had confirmed at GenCon that they were no longer printing books, but I wasn't in the room and may have misunderstood. I leave that to bigger brains than I.

 

[Nifft]

There's my goof: I thought they had confirmed at GenCon that they were no longer printing books, but I wasn't in the room and may have misunderstood. I leave that to bigger brains than I.

Their most recent product that I care about (Return of the Scarlet Empress) is available in dead tree, and their print schedule ( print schedule ) has plenty more print products through 2011.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Herschel]

Lord I hope not. I won't take or leave my laptop in the bathroom for easy reading access.

 

[Aeolius]

Lord I hope not. I won't take or leave my laptop in the bathroom for easy reading access.

That's what the iPad is for. Granted, if you're going to play Tap Tap Radiation in there, please turn down the volume.

 

[Dungeoneer]

Are we talking about Wotc and D&D going all-digital or simply any game company going all-digital?

WotC won't be going that route any time soon, I expect. They're too wedded to the traditional tabletop experience. But if you are saying will a company release an all-digital 'tabletop' RPG then the answer is yes, likely within the next year if it hasn't happened already.

Will it be limited to small, indie efforts? Yeah, probably at first. But a big institution like Wizards of the Coast needs to be very careful that this doesn't catch them on the hop. I could imagine some little digital-RPG experiment hitting all the right notes and really blowing up big all of a sudden, leaving traditional tabletop games scrambling to catch up.

I'm not 100% sure that all digital RPGs will need big, elaborate VTTs but I am 100% sure that the first company that does do a fully-featured, fully-supported VTT will make a killing.