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Apex
Learned Scribe
USA
229 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 13:40:01
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| Well, I can't exactly boycott WOTC, since I haven't bought anything new of theirs since they came out with 3rd edition. But I do find it odd to pull legal pdf's, as getting illegal ones is so easy and all the material is already out there all this does is stop any chance they had of getting legal sales of old product. I have a feeling that 4e sales are junk and this is a move to stave off cuts from Hasbro (WOTC mgmt will claim that pdf's are killing 4e, not the crap content). We have no way of knowing what 4e sales are because D&D is not broken out on Hasbro's financial statements, but an easy guess is in this economy at $40/book it can't be good. |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 13:48:01
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quote:
I have a feeling that 4e sales are junk and this is a move to stave off cuts from Hasbro (WOTC mgmt will claim that pdf's are killing 4e, not the crap content). We have no way of knowing what 4e sales are because D&D is not broken out on Hasbro's financial statements, but an easy guess is in this economy at $40/book it can't be good.
Even this doesn't make sense at all, because they also canceled all 4e pdfs. Now they will make even less money with 4e. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
Edited by - Ayunken-vanzan on 07 Apr 2009 13:48:28 |
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Zanan
Senior Scribe
Germany
942 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 13:50:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan
quote:
I have a feeling that 4e sales are junk and this is a move to stave off cuts from Hasbro (WOTC mgmt will claim that pdf's are killing 4e, not the crap content). We have no way of knowing what 4e sales are because D&D is not broken out on Hasbro's financial statements, but an easy guess is in this economy at $40/book it can't be good.
Even this doesn't make sense at all, because they also canceled all 4e pdfs. Now they will make even less money with 4e.
Over at the German boards one guy posted this statement, which I think has been linked to above too:
quote:
Wizards of the Coast LLC today filed three lawsuits in US
District Court for the Western District of Washington against eight individuals, including named defendants located in the United States, Poland and the Philippines, for copyright infringement of its recently-released Dungeons & Dragons® Player¹s Handbook® 2. The lawsuits allege that the defendants illegally distributed the Player¹s Handbook 2 via free file-sharing websites and that these illicit uploads resulted in a substantial number of lost sales and lost revenue to Wizards of the Coast.
"Violations of our copyrights and piracy of our products hurt not only Wizards of the Coast¹s financial health but also the health of whole gaming community including retailers and players,² said Greg Leeds, President of Wizards of the Coast. ³We have brought these suits to stop the illegal activities of these defendants, and to deter future unauthorized and unlawful file-sharing."
The complaint alleges, among other things, that one or more of the defendants purchased digital copies of Player¹s Handbook 2 and then illegally posted the copies onto popular file-sharing sites for free access and download by the general public."
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Cave quid dicis, quando et cui!
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel!
In memory of Alura Durshavin.
Visit my "Homepage" to find A Guide to the Drow NPCs of Faerûn, Drow and non-Drow PrC and much more. |
Edited by - Zanan on 07 Apr 2009 13:51:47 |
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 14:02:59
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Well, here is to WotC, long may it rest in history with TSR for pulling yet another bone-head decision like the one before it.
Cheers |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 14:07:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I find it quite irksome that after tomorrow, we can no longer download files we have already paid for. 
And now I won't have a chance to get any. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 14:36:33
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Learned of this about 40 minutes before final curtain, rushed in to order a number of "had-to-haves" (and found, to my great relief, that there were not all that many left), ordered 'bout 50, order going through about 10 minutes before cut-off, and then rushed to get them all downloaded before I headed off to work.
I am not sure how this decision makes sense - the PDF copies are out there now, and they can forever be distributed. At least honest (well, OK, relatively honest) buyers like me would net them the occasional couple of bucks per copy purchased.
WotC is pulling them from all distributors - RPGnow got the same message. Did not check Nobleknight.
I am a bit miffed about no longer being able to download purchased copies, though. That was part of the terms of the sale, so by ordering Paizo to pull everything (including downloads of previously copies items), they may have forced Paizo to renege on its own terms.
Ach vell. Order, counter-order, disorder  |
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Rabiesbunny
Seeker
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 15:38:04
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This is really a very bad idea. Taking the legal copies of PDFs 2 editions old off the markey. What will people, who cannot afford to buy a copy of a 20 year old book off of ebay, do now?
Pirate the PDF. That is what people who can't afford a hard copy will be made to do.
Either way, ebay or pirating, WotC gains NO profit. What's the logic here? o_o? |
"Then I was right. Jobe has all his children killed, and Michael Bay gets to keep making his movies. There is no god." |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:02:03
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I know they say one doesn't have to do with the other, and I know that copyrights don't have to be actively protected the way trademarks do, but I still can't help but wonder if this might be something the legal team on the anti-piracy cases want them to do to show some kind of due diligence or something. Probably just part of some kind of broader anti-piracy initiative, though.
It's an interesting time. For awhile there, it looked like the cat was forever out of the bag and Corey Doctorow and company were going to unleash intellectual property from the evil clutches of creators and distributors. Shutting down sites didn't work, suing downloaders didn't work, DRM didn't work (mostly, not for the stuff most folks download anyway). So, hey, paradigm shift.
But it turns out corporate rights holders really do have a lot of muscle--there's a lot of stuff happening at the Disney and Microsoft level that may lead to changes in the way the internet itself works. Which is a terrible prospect, because free and easy access to information improves lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, when the mechanism for that access gets turned into a theft ring by amoral scanners and downloaders, then everybody suffers.
Anyway, this is a tough one, but if there's a bad guy here, it's hard for me to understand how it's the entity that's clearly acting within its legal and ethical rights, instead of the creeps who made that entity's stakeholders feel like this move was necessary. Will it work in combatting piracy? I doubt it. Does that mean they're wrong to do it? I don't think so, because I think there's a lot of factors. And as somebody who makes his living off of creating intellectual property himself, but more importantly as somebody who takes a great deal of joy from this particular pool of intellectual property, my (almost certainly temporary inconvenience) in not having access to those downloads doesn't mean that I'm on firm ground complaining that a product has been withdrawn from the market.
Hey, look on the bright side! Maybe this means the Kindle 3 will have a color screen!  |
My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:07:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Zanan
[quote]Wizards of the Coast LLC today filed three lawsuits in US
District Court for the Western District of Washington against eight individuals, including named defendants located in the United States, Poland and the Philippines, for copyright infringement of its recently-released Dungeons & Dragons® Player¹s Handbook® 2. The lawsuits allege that the defendants illegally distributed the Player¹s Handbook 2 via free file-sharing websites and that these illicit uploads resulted in a substantial number of lost sales and lost revenue to Wizards of the Coast.
I think we all agree that WotC can't stand by while people are distributing free versions of current releases. The PHB2 hasn't been out long.
Yet the question remains why put a halt to legitimate trading of pdf's? Music companies didn't halt sales of CD's because of Napster. |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:19:00
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| Unfortunately, logic does not seem to be WotC's strong point ever since their marketing campaign telling all of us who played earlier editions that they were stupid (at least that is how I and my closest RPG playing friends interpreted this). |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
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* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:29:21
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Ironically, the caught and are suing people responsible for the illegal distribution of pdfs.
Wizards Sues 8
So, the question again is why remove the only sources for legal pdfs from the web?
The answer, of course, is because they want to cut out the 'distribution fees' that Paizo and DTRPG are charging them. I predict that within the next month you'll see a 'Super-Cool-Announcement!' on the Wizards sites that subscribers to DDi will now be able to purchase PDFs of all their rulebooks at 33% off the cover price. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:39:28
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My guess is their motivation is to severely restrict the means of obtaining an easily-pirated version of their books.
It's possible that someone will purchase a hard copy of a book, and then go to the trouble of doing the 160+ pages worth of scans to then upload the material to a file-sharing service, which people will then download (and complain about the scan quality, lack of text functionality, etc.). But it's not as likely as when you can simply purchase a copy online.
Now, given the unreliabity of the WotC website and its services, I positively do not expect full-version PDFs to be available on their website in the near future. They might go with a Paizo-style watermark on their PDF releases, and sell only through their individually-selected vendors, but in the end, I'm doubtful that will solve the problem they're trying to address.
As for a 33% discount from the cover price, I am a DDi subscriber, but I can already get that discount from Amazon... and get a hard copy of the book out of the deal. :P |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:53:43
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See, I can understand and fully condone them doing what it takes to protect 4E material. If this move was limited to just that, then I'd not even shrug my shoulders about it. What I don't understand is why they did that for older material, too. For that stuff, the only source of revenue was the legal download sites. By issuing an across-the-board proclamation like that, they're denying themselves a revenue stream. Not a large one, certainly, but a revenue stream that was fixed and had no costs after the initial deals were cut, since the files weren't even coming from their servers.
A lot of recent moves by WotC haven't made sense, but this one is even worse than the rest. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:54:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
WotC_Trevor comments on the reasons over at ENworld: "Hey all. I wanted to step in and shine a mote of light on the subject. First off, this cesation of PDF sales has absolutely nothing to do with the Internet Sales Policy. I know it's the 6th of April and I can definitely see how the two would appear linked, but the truth is, this is a completely seperate matter.
Unfortunately, due to recent findings of illegal copying and online distribution (piracy) of our products, Wizards of the Coast has decided to cease the sales of online PDFs. We are exploring other options for digitial distribution of our content and as soon as we have any more information I'll get it to you."
What's the connection with the date? |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 16:58:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
The answer, of course, is because they want to cut out the 'distribution fees' that Paizo and DTRPG are charging them. I predict that within the next month you'll see a 'Super-Cool-Announcement!' on the Wizards sites that subscribers to DDi will now be able to purchase PDFs of all their rulebooks at 33% off the cover price.
If they do that for older material, they won't sell a lot of it. Particularly the 2E material -- because most of it can be obtained for less than $10, even if the cover price was over $20. Only the most rare things would sell well, under that arrangement. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 17:28:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
WotC_Trevor comments on the reasons over at ENworld: "Hey all. I wanted to step in and shine a mote of light on the subject. First off, this cesation of PDF sales has absolutely nothing to do with the Internet Sales Policy. I know it's the 6th of April and I can definitely see how the two would appear linked, but the truth is, this is a completely seperate matter.
Unfortunately, due to recent findings of illegal copying and online distribution (piracy) of our products, Wizards of the Coast has decided to cease the sales of online PDFs. We are exploring other options for digitial distribution of our content and as soon as we have any more information I'll get it to you."
What's the connection with the date?
Wizards of the Coast Announces Retailer Rewards and New Internet Sales Policy |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 17:30:56
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| The funny thing is, I have bought quite a few pre-3E digital pdfs. And most of them are NOT good quality compared to recent releases. Remember, they do not have Electronic Copies of these products, so the only method they had for creating PDFs is the same one the pirates are using. Which results in non-OCR, non-searchable scanned images. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 17:33:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
WotC_Trevor comments on the reasons over at ENworld: "Hey all. I wanted to step in and shine a mote of light on the subject. First off, this cesation of PDF sales has absolutely nothing to do with the Internet Sales Policy. I know it's the 6th of April and I can definitely see how the two would appear linked, but the truth is, this is a completely seperate matter.
Unfortunately, due to recent findings of illegal copying and online distribution (piracy) of our products, Wizards of the Coast has decided to cease the sales of online PDFs. We are exploring other options for digitial distribution of our content and as soon as we have any more information I'll get it to you."
What's the connection with the date?
The connection with the date is that Wizards was releasing that other new policy about net sales. I suppose Trevor wanted to make it clear that the two weren't connected.
It's this link:
http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Press/?doc=20090306
Edit: Ashe wrote it at the same time. :) |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 07 Apr 2009 17:34:39 |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 18:44:17
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Hmmm...not to sound all doomsdayee, but what if this is the initial step of the new online policy? If they want to stop all sorts of "illegal" activity and copyright infringement...wouldn't things like the Candlekeep Compendium also fall under this topic?
I'm afraid WotC is doing more and more stuff to piss off old customers etc... |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 18:48:27
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| Way back when I tried to start an online retail site, I looked into selling WW and WotC books, and they said that they would only do business with me if I had a "brick and mortar store." I can kind of understand that for their physical product, but why limit their "Authorized Internet Retailers" to brick and mortar stores (see Item 3 in this link)? |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:13:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
Hmmm...not to sound all doomsdayee, but what if this is the initial step of the new online policy? If they want to stop all sorts of "illegal" activity and copyright infringement...wouldn't things like the Candlekeep Compendium also fall under this topic?
I'm more inclined to think this is similar to what they did with Dragon and Dungeon, and some of their IPs like Ravenloft: pull everything back to them, to get the money themselves.
That said, it's still rather odd that they did it so abruptly. Giving people -- and license holders -- mere hours to act is not good for anyone. They're forcing the former licensees to renege on agreements (now I can no longer continue to download files I've already paid for from Paizo, and now I no longer have multiple downloads remaining at DriveThruRPG), which could open them up to class action lawsuits. And by unexpectedly pulling the licenses, they can open themselves up to lawsuits from the former license-holders -- unless they thought to include a "we're out when we want out, no penalties" clause, like they did with the first version of the 4E GSL. Considering that those licenses go back much further than that, to when 3E was still going strong, I doubt they included those clauses. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:17:47
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I think the problem here was that if people wanted to know just about anything about FR, they needed to consult older sources (the newer-ones being less-then-enlightening), so they were forced to go to places like Paizo and buy their older edition books.
I am not just assuming this point - I see it every day over at WotC; people ask "where can I find out about such-and-such?", and they are answered by us older fans with a "in the 1e/2e/3e <insert name> source". Then they say they don't have access to the older sources, and they are immediately given an address to go and get a pdf of the source in question (and many of them do).
Now... that means tons of new D&D players are going over to Paizo and buying their old-edition downloads... and also seeing Paizo's offerings (including their incredibly pretty Golarion Map). The fact that they offer free downloads to introduce you to the world and their rules is a great incentive... and one I'm sure many lore-hungry newbs are eating-up.
The problem, as I see it, is that they just want to stop-up the customer-leakage that is occurring. The thing is, if it wasn't affecting them at all, they wouldn't have bothered to do this. I think this is very telling - it almost appears to be an act of desperation.
quote:
Originally posted by Uzzy
Of course, if WoTC did develop an in house system for selling PDF's, does anyone really think they'd do it for old edition games/settings?
Absolutely... they will offer ALL of those downloads... at about twice the price Paizo had them for... and just slap-on some 4e stats to everything.
Its a completely thought-free way to generate extra income - they probably realized that the older stuff is still raking in just as much cash-flow as their new material, and they just want to jack-up the price and gouge the new 4e fans... with as little effort as possible on their part. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 07 Apr 2009 19:37:14 |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:25:50
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When you think they couldn't get any worse
I think, partially this was done to hurt Paizo's income, when their products are so much superior right now, anything to spite them, typical evil corporation
oh well, I liked supporting the hobby this way, even when some of the pdfs were unsearchable
no one can stop piracy, only way to fight it is to get your customers respect, similar situation is in music with the underground artists
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:41:44
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Of course, Monte says it best:
Monte's blog
quote:
Thanks
Thanks to everyone who's ever purchased a pdf product from Malhavoc Press. We appreciate your business, and look forward to making this fast and convenient format available to you for years to come. As somebody said about eight years ago, PDFs are the future. And it's been the future now for a while.
If you like the format, why not try a pdf product from a publisher you've never tried before at drivethrurpg.com, rpgnow.com, paizo, or elsewhere? Go browse around. I bet you'll find something cool.
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I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:45:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I think the problem here was that if people wanted to know just about anything about FR, they needed to consult older sources (the newer-ones being less-then-enlightening), so they were forced to go to places like Paizo and buy their older edition books.
I am not just assuming this point - I see it every day over at WotC; people ask "where can I find out about such-and-such?", and they are answered by us older fans with a "in the 1e/2e/3e <insert name> source". Then they say they don't have access to the older sources, and they are immediately given an address to go and get a pdf of the source in question (and many of them do).
If the problem is FR-specific, then why are all digital files gone? Ravenloft, original D&D, 1E setting-neutral stuff like the core books, and all FR stuff -- it's all gone. I doubt they were losing money to people wanting the 1E DMG, but it's part of what's now gone.
So I doubt it's anything to do with any one setting in particular. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:47:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
Of course, Monte says it best:
Monte's blog
quote:
Thanks
Thanks to everyone who's ever purchased a pdf product from Malhavoc Press. We appreciate your business, and look forward to making this fast and convenient format available to you for years to come. As somebody said about eight years ago, PDFs are the future. And it's been the future now for a while.
If you like the format, why not try a pdf product from a publisher you've never tried before at drivethrurpg.com, rpgnow.com, paizo, or elsewhere? Go browse around. I bet you'll find something cool.
I have a lot of 3rd party stuff now, and a good chunk of it is in pdf format.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:50:37
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In the respective thread at Paizo posts someone who also sells pdfs through other companies. He doubts that WotC canceled their pdf-sales because they want to make more profit by selling them in their own shop. These are his reasons:
1. WotC was making a profit with sales through 3pp. These other companies did not get all the profit, WotC earned some money, too.
2. By selling the pdfs in their own shop, they wouldn't have to pay other companies, but now they have costs by paying Paypal/Credit Card companies (which were paid by 3pp in the past) and by having to contribute server space and network capacity and the like.
So, the margins the would get by selling pdfs would be much shorter - they would have to compensate with much higher prices. And that would be not very inviting ...
Sadly, they Paizo forums are down right now (probably because many want to download their pdfs before they will be shut down), so cannot link to the posts. I think he is right with his assumption and it is unlikely that WotC will sell pdfs any time soon. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 19:59:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan
<snip>
2. By selling the pdfs in their own shop, they wouldn't have to pay other companies, but now they have costs by paying Paypal/Credit Card companies (which were paid by 3pp in the past) and by having to contribute server space and network capacity and the like.<snip>
Ah, but they are already paying those fees for D&DInsider. Which goes back to my post suggesting that only 'Insiders' will be able to purchase PDFs from WotC. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2009 : 20:06:02
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| Good point. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
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WoTC/FR PDF's being pulled from Paizo.com
