Will you be purchasing PDFs from DriveThruRPG?

[Zappo]

Ok, I've given this a try with a free product (Exalted):

Downloading acrobat 6, installing it, trying to get passport to work on Netscape, giving up, registering on adobe.com using IE, activating DRM: 20 minutes of full attention, plus some spam in the future.

Creating a non-DRMed version of the Exalted PDF: 30 seconds of full attention, plus five minutes of background work.

Draw your conclusions.

BTW, they could at least have placed bookmarks on the PDF.

 

[Bagpuss]

Greg Benage said on RPGnet it was their explicit intent not to compete with their print sales.

IOW, it is their explicit intent that it not appeal to you any more than the books, and perhaps much less.

Then what's the point in even selling them? They could drop the price to 50% and it still wouldn't be decent competition with print products. Most gamers I know prefer to own a book of anything they are likely to use even if they have a PDF copy, plus the majority of gamers don't use PDF products at all. So electronic versions aren't really in direct competion anyway.

If they think electronic copies are already in competion with their print products, then surely free illegal scans on Peer to peer networks would be more of a worry.

 

[enrious]

Bought plenty of pdfs from RPGNow and am happy with them.

Plus that DTRPG talking point in the press releases about being the "first professional pdf site" strikes me as more than a little juvenile. I have no desire to reward such behaviour.

Plus it seems that the unholy symbiosis of Charles Rice (Vigilance) and RPG Objects are staying with RPGNow, giving me further reason to want to stick with 'em.

And yes, I hate DRM. I think I hate exclusive, invitation-only pdf sites more.

 

[tenkar]

I'll download the freebies, I might download some out of print games, but not going to touch anything new that isnt free.

Not happy about the restrictions being put on property that I am purchasing.

Besides, having spent over $220 at RPG now over the years I have a small sense of loyalty to the underdog

 

[Psion]

Then what's the point in even selling them? They could drop the price to 50% and it still wouldn't be decent competition with print products. Most gamers I know prefer to own a book of anything they are likely to use even if they have a PDF copy, plus the majority of gamers don't use PDF products at all. So electronic versions aren't really in direct competion anyway.

I understand and agree with that. Obviously, I am not in charge at FFG, though.

Some of the publishers who have chosen to distribute their products at near full price have expressed they only do so to make them available to those who do not have access to the print products. So you (and I) aren't the target audience.

For some of us who like having both, or aren't pulled in at full price but can be tempted to take a looksie at a product at a reduced price and eventually buy the print product if we like it, this pricing model obviously doesn't work. Those publishers who have chosen to price their products in this way either aren't aware of those with this buying pattern or are unconvinced that it will be profitable for them, or are convinced they will cultivate ill will with brick and mortar stores out of proportion with any gains they will make through this path.

I would like to think that ignoring my particular buying patterns in their buying decisions would be the unwise thing to do, but alas, I do not know that it is. FFG may be perfectly right that pricing their products too low would cheese off FLGS's too much to be worth the risk.

However, one fellow who apparently does research into this sort of market factor for a living (Steve Conan Trustam) who also has some involvement in the game industry has suggested that considering the prices that exist on DTRPG, it is apparent that little or no market research was done. Judging from statements by folks at FFG and NG, and Steve Weick, it appears that each participant was allowed to set their own prices as they saw fit.

Really, there is no point in stomping ones feet about it. Put your money where your mouth is. Buy -- or don't buy -- as you feel is appropriate. The market will take care of the rest.

 

[EricNoah]

If it is true that you have to activate MS Passport, then I am 99% sure I won't be buying this type of PDF. I am not a huge PDF buyer in general; this takes it at least one step further away from buying a given PDF.

 

[Dimwhit]

Well, I haven't checked out all the publishers on DTRPG, but the two PDFs I bought were from Malhavec Press. I got the Book of Eldritch Might and Demon God's Fane. Both were $6, which I thought was VERY cheap. In addition, Monte made the PDFs VERY print friendly. Other than the front and back cover and a couple ad pages at the end, the pages had a lot of white space and not too many graphics.

So when people complain that the prices are too high and the PDFs not print friendly, I think that's a function of the publisher as much, if not more, than DTRPG.

I honestly don't buy many pdfs. When I go, I'll buy from DTRPG or RPGNow. Whichever is cheaper (or whichever carries that particular publisher). I really think people are making way too big a deal of DRM. I've been dealing with it for a while with iTunes (granted, a very different animal). But I can live with the so-called restrictions. Maybe I'm lucky and my usage habits just don't conflict with the DRM.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

If it is true that you have to activate MS Passport, then I am 99% sure I won't be buying this type of PDF. I am not a huge PDF buyer in general; this takes it at least one step further away from buying a given PDF.

Though I can't test this myself (the site never loaded for me), several posters in another thread have said that MS Passport is strongly encouraged on their site, but not required.

 

[Dimwhit]

If it is true that you have to activate MS Passport, then I am 99% sure I won't be buying this type of PDF. I am not a huge PDF buyer in general; this takes it at least one step further away from buying a given PDF.

I don't think that's right. You CAN use MS Passport, or you can just set up an Adobe ID, which isn't much more than creating a message board ID. That's all I had to do.

 

[Sigurd]

Games should be fun DRM is not.

Won't buy.

DRM significantly detracts from my enjoyment of a PDF. I have never pirated a PDF in my life but I will not buy from a DRM pusher.