DND PDF's the DC Comics Way? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

DND PDF's the DC Comics Way?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
wyndblade
Jun 03, 2011 16:13:44 So I am a DND Fan like most of you on this board and as a fan of 4th edition I bought every hardcover dnd book up until the essentials line came out. Now I love me my laptop and I love having pdf's of game books and rules so I can have a whole library without breaking my back. I know a lot of the dnd insider changes about online vs. offline have people still upset and truth be told I liked the offline things better as well. But I recently found an article about a recent change to the delivery method ideology with comic books.

The article: www.majorspoilers.com/digital-comics-dc-...

The article states that DC Comics has finally decided to release their digital copies of the books on the same day as the print version. Now the digital comics and the physical comics are the same price, but for an extra dollar you can buy your physical book, it comes in a bag with a code that you can then use to get a digital copy as well. Now I am guessing Time Warner the owner of DC Comics has more funds/resources than hasbro but I think this would be a great idea for WOTC to fill a void left by their dropping the PDF Sales. Especially if the online DND Tools (Char Builder, etc..., ever get released on the ipad)

I know I would like that option and while I would love to just have a straight up PDF I also wouldn't mind having the book be able to be read on the ipad or iphone/ipod for when I am out and about, even when away from the internet.

Thoughts?
#2
Damon_Tor
Jun 03, 2011 17:43:20 There are a ton of ways Wizards could sell PDFs (or a similarly structured proprietary digital format) but they've chosen not to. Instead, PDFs get made my pirates anyway, and the difference is that people who actually want to pay for them have no option to do so.

It's like if, as a solution to English "Privateers" stealing their shipments of gold, Spain decided to simply stop sending ships for the gold at all, and just let the English have it. Not exactly a solution guys.
#3
Warder17
Jun 17, 2011 16:03:25 I agree, I very much want to have my books in PDF format (or any electronic format TBH, I'm not married to PDFs).

I really do believe that if WotC will move toward digital distribution, with high production interactive books (for example, player handbook with built in character builder, or adventure with interactive maps and built in initiative tracker etc etc) not only it would make an excellent product but it will also give incentive to folks to buy them (as long as they are priced lower than printed book).

Warder
#4
dieffenbachj
Jun 18, 2011 11:40:40 I think Wizards of the Coast believes that D&DI _IS_ their digital distribution. Why publish books in PDFs, which can be pirated, when you can publish books in Character Builder updates, which are harder to pirate?

Not that I agree with the decision. Pretty much every decision Wizards of the Coast has made in the last year is one I disagree with. But nonetheless, that seems to be their logic.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 wyndblade Jun 03, 2011 16:13:44	So I am a DND Fan like most of you on this board and as a fan of 4th edition I bought every hardcover dnd book up until the essentials line came out. Now I love me my laptop and I love having pdf's of game books and rules so I can have a whole library without breaking my back. I know a lot of the dnd insider changes about online vs. offline have people still upset and truth be told I liked the offline things better as well. But I recently found an article about a recent change to the delivery method ideology with comic books. The article: www.majorspoilers.com/digital-comics-dc-... The article states that DC Comics has finally decided to release their digital copies of the books on the same day as the print version. Now the digital comics and the physical comics are the same price, but for an extra dollar you can buy your physical book, it comes in a bag with a code that you can then use to get a digital copy as well. Now I am guessing Time Warner the owner of DC Comics has more funds/resources than hasbro but I think this would be a great idea for WOTC to fill a void left by their dropping the PDF Sales. Especially if the online DND Tools (Char Builder, etc..., ever get released on the ipad) I know I would like that option and while I would love to just have a straight up PDF I also wouldn't mind having the book be able to be read on the ipad or iphone/ipod for when I am out and about, even when away from the internet. Thoughts?
#2 Damon_Tor Jun 03, 2011 17:43:20	There are a ton of ways Wizards could sell PDFs (or a similarly structured proprietary digital format) but they've chosen not to. Instead, PDFs get made my pirates anyway, and the difference is that people who actually want to pay for them have no option to do so. It's like if, as a solution to English "Privateers" stealing their shipments of gold, Spain decided to simply stop sending ships for the gold at all, and just let the English have it. Not exactly a solution guys.
#3 Warder17 Jun 17, 2011 16:03:25	I agree, I very much want to have my books in PDF format (or any electronic format TBH, I'm not married to PDFs). I really do believe that if WotC will move toward digital distribution, with high production interactive books (for example, player handbook with built in character builder, or adventure with interactive maps and built in initiative tracker etc etc) not only it would make an excellent product but it will also give incentive to folks to buy them (as long as they are priced lower than printed book). Warder
#4 dieffenbachj Jun 18, 2011 11:40:40	I think Wizards of the Coast believes that D&DI _IS_ their digital distribution. Why publish books in PDFs, which can be pirated, when you can publish books in Character Builder updates, which are harder to pirate? Not that I agree with the decision. Pretty much every decision Wizards of the Coast has made in the last year is one I disagree with. But nonetheless, that seems to be their logic.