Your opinion about very small PDFs

[zeo_evil]

I have to be honest. I don'r reallly like PDFs that much. They are quite often a pain in the ass to use and I would prefer having a book in my hand (to read on my lunch break or while relaxing in the yard with a lemonade) rather than having to jump back and forth in Acrobat.

I didn't vote because there wasn't an option for "PDFs usually, but not always, suck."

EDIT: Top of the page GET!

 

[Kanegrundar]

I don't really care about the size of the PDF as long as it's easy to read, has well-written and well-edited material, and the price is right for the size. I've bought everything from Ronin Arts' small pdfs, to large scans of huge older edition D&D books, as long as the content is there and the price is right I'm happy.

Kane

 

[DaveStebbins]

I've been playing D&D for 25 years, so I have accumulated tons of material. If I buy a large product today, chances are good that I'll only get any use out of a small portion of it. For me, small, niche, PDF products are just the ticket. I don't buy them by the bucketful, but when one hits a niche I am interested in, I am rarely disappointed.

If I spend $30 on niche PDFs, I'll probably end up with ten times the information that I'll actually use than if I used the same $30 to buy a pretty new hardcover book. There are exceptions of course; I do still purchase large books and PDFs on occasion, but those purchases require much more research and reading of reviews to make sure the product will be worthwhile than buying a small PDF does.

I'm generally a much tougher sell than I was 25 years ago.

-Dave

 

[Morte]

If a PDF is small, I'd rather the publisher reduced the price than padded it with irrelevent/inutile/inferior material.

There's enough useless waffle in the industry already.

 

[philreed]

If I spend $30 on niche PDFs, I'll probably end up with ten times the information that I'll actually use than if I used the same $30 to buy a pretty new hardcover book.

That's what I like to hear. I think a lot of people are starting to look at the shorter PDFs in that way.

I just wish there was a cost effective way to allow people to mix and match content to create their own custom books. If I could I'd have a program where someone can select $60 worth of PDFs and have it put together into a printed book for $30.

 

[reveal]

That's what I like to hear. I think a lot of people are starting to look at the shorter PDFs in that way.

I just wish there was a cost effective way to allow people to mix and match content to create their own custom books. If I could I'd have a program where someone can select $60 worth of PDFs and have it put together into a printed book for $30.

Dave Stebbins - Placating RPG publishers since Jan 2002

 

[JBowtie]

The issue I have with short PDFs is reviewing them. For example, Crothian sent me a 16-page PDF to review that contains a single prestige class. In a larger product I could find both positive and megative points worth mentioning; in a very small product I'm either going to love or hate it.

The end result is that I end up sounding way more positive or negative than I intend. I actually take 5 to 6 times longer to review a short product than a long one because I'm trying match my tone to my actual feelings.

Actually buying and using small PDFs I have no problem with, great way to round out a shopping basket at RPGNow.

Oh, and, that review will be up this weekend (really!); Next week I'm on vacation and will be spending all my time on reviewing the products on my bookshelf.

 

[philreed]

Dave Stebbins - Placating RPG publishers since Jan 2002

Somebody's gotta do it.

 

[Khairn]

Unless a small pdf is exactly what I am looking for, I pass.

I dont farm for idea's with small pdf the same way I do with those that are at least 50+ pages.

 

[Ry]

While I don't care about the size of the pdf (I have bought tiny ones before, and liked them tremendously), there are often so many that it's hard to get a proper review on one I'm considering.