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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Apr 2009 : 05:21:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
So, who thinks they did this so that they can add ALL of the old-edition pdfs to their FREE downloads section? 
That would be a MAJOR PR coup for them... but it'll NEVER hapen.
I considered that... But I don't see it happening. That's a lot of cost, and considering what little they're giving their paying customers for the web content, I don't see them adding huge amounts for free.
Besides, it would have been easier for them to tell the other companies to stop charging. |
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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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2009 : 14:09:58
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This is disconcerting, I wanted to get a bunch of 2E Realms PDF's. Gotta have them all. I guess Noblenight will get my business.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Darkmeer
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2009 : 16:32:35
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I emailed the person in one of the WotC press releases, and explained my position and what I was getting ready to purchase, as I read my .pdf's before I go further with them, as in purchasing new ones.
The message I got basically said what was on the press release. They don't have a time estimate. It was a rather short response, only a couple of sentences, but at least it was a real response.
Here is the full text of my email then her reply:
"Hello,
I've fought for the Brick and Mortar stores, and now it seems that I need to fight for the online stores. Why in the world have you dropped all .pdf sales? You are punishing those that have done no wrong, had saved to make purchases, and then taken that which they had put on their wish lists (and soon to purchase list in my case) away.
In my case, I buy .pdf's of older edition products, usually through Paizo, since I have an account there and I'm comfortable with their customer service and general attitude towards their customers. This, in turn, provides Wizards of the Coast with income, not much in my case, but money nonetheless (money is good for companies, or so I'm told). I've made a number of older edition purchases, and I was getting ready to make another round of purchases, since I actually read my products before purchasing more. My problem is that because someone bought a copy of your 4e Player's Handbook 2 and shared it with the world, you decided to yank every product off of the shelves? This worries me as a consumer, as you had moved to the electronic age and you have stepped back into the stone age, so to speak. Where, by chance, do you recommend getting a copy of Well of Worlds, or, even better, Faction War for Planescape? None of my brick and mortar stores have them. I'll be lucky if NobleKnight Games has a copy, but I would rather save bookshelf space for more recent purchases than the older editions, which I prefer to be electronic. I didn't even know about the policy shift until today, about one hour ago actually, as I have other family matters to attend, and was away from my computers for 2 days.
I'll not argue with a policy I disagree with. I will ask, however, when do you plan on putting the old edition downloads back up for sale? I'd really like to purchase some, and I hope that you realize that there are more legal purchasers than illegal downloaders.
Sincerely,
Darkmeer
Central Illinois"
She replied:
"Hi Darkmeer-Thanks for your feedback. To answer your question, Wizards is exploring other options for digital distribution of our products at this time. Unfortunately there’s nothing else that I can tell you as far as timing is concerned.
Best,
Tolena" (Her signature included the title of PR Manager and had a phone number listed, which I will not post here as I think that would be wrong).
I'm glad that I got a real reply, but it's essentially saying that nothing further has been decided. Other options just sounds ominous to me, and I don't like that at all.
I really hope this helps in knowing that someone actually replied, as much as we disagree with the end results.
BTW: The fight I had before was over D&D Miniatures and where they could be sold, as I purchased from both B&M and Online secondary outlets. I argued both are viable and give WotC the same amount of money in the end. Hopefully the "you make money" argument holds true in this event as well...
Edit: I sent this at around 11:00 PM Central US time (no idea GMT) on Wednesday April 8 (shortly after I found out), and the reply came sometime yesterday.
/d |
"These people are my family, not just friends, and if you want to get to them you gotta go through ME." |
Edited by - Darkmeer on 10 Apr 2009 16:39:30 |
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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe
Germany
198 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2009 : 21:48:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
(...) - it was aimed directly at 'those no-good, traitorous customers who are sticking with older editions'. It makes me worry a great deal about the future of Candlekeep. 
"What is this? Candelkeep still supports older editions ?! Ask...no ...order them to delet that festering meeting-pit of rebellious scum! Send Vader and the Deathstar!" 
After I now (after the 24 hours) noticed I can no longer download the DnD-pdfs I paid multiple downloads of, I gave this a thought...all these conspiracy theories why WotC did it... when it is all so obvious!
The benign Wizards of the Coast of old, who rescued DnD after TSR went down, have turned to the dark arts!
They now are the "Liches of the Coast".
But I'm still unsure at what stage...was 4e the transformation into Lichdom or are they already trying to suck out the soul of the game in a bid to demilichdom? |
Edited by - Lirdolin on 10 Apr 2009 21:49:34 |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2009 : 22:50:15
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| Nice metaphor, Lirdolin, but WotC is merely the pawn... maybe it should be Puppets of the Coast... |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2009 : 23:29:36
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ENworld posted a interview about this:
As a special update, we have an exclusive interview with Wizards of the Coast's President, Greg Leeds. This interview focuses on the events of the past week, specifically the decision to withdraw PDF versions of products from sale. Special thanks goes to EN World members for suggesting questions.
1. Please tell us the reasons for the new policy on PDF sales. Is this a strategic business decision, a response to piracy, or a combination of the two?
The decision was made for both reasons. The piracy of our products was increasing at an alarming rate, and we felt that it could have a negative impact not only to Wizards of the Coast, but to the hobby industry as a whole.
2. Is online piracy a continuing annoyance for Wizards, a substantial concern, or something between the two? Are there estimates of lost sales figures that you can share?
The piracy became a substantial concern when we saw thousands of copies of our recently released Player’s Handbook 2 being downloaded illegally within hours of its release. We cannot share sales figures, but I can tell you that we conservatively estimate the ratio of illicit downloads to legally purchased copies was 10:1.
3. The decision to revoke PDFs means that Wizards no longer provides any method to acquire out-of-print books such as material from older editions. Is there any plan to resume allowing customers access to copies of these works through Wizards, or will legitimate customers have to go through out-of-print channels to acquire these products? If the latter is true, why would Wizards choose to avoid providing this access?
We do not have any plans to resume the sale of PDFs, but are actively exploring other options for the digital distribution of our content – including older editions. We understand that digital content is important to our customers.
4. Some D&D customers are frustrated because they see this sales policy as a step backwards, punishing the customers who choose to legally acquire electronic Wizards products while not significantly affecting online book piracy. What’s your opinion on this issue, and what effect do you anticipate that the new PDF sales policy will have on piracy?
While we understand that our actions will not eliminate piracy all together, we don’t want to make it easy to acquire illegally, either. We need to have a strong retail base in order to support (and grow) the hobby industry. We hope to deter future offenders – or at least slow down their path to obtaining illegal products.
5. Online retailers received notice of the new policy less than 24 hours before PDF sales were required to cease. Why wasn't the cessation of PDF sales announced with more than a few hours before the materials were no longer available?
It wasn’t our intention to have customers feel as though they weren’t receiving what they paid for. Our understanding is that both Paizo Publishing and OneBookShelf are working with their customers to make sure they receive what they paid for.
6. If you had the last few years to live over again and could completely revamp Wizards’ PDF and electronic media strategy from the ground up, what would you do differently?
I don’t know that I would try to re-do anything. The truth is that the world is changing quickly, and as a business we need to be flexible enough to adapt to that changing environment. We have and always will continue to find the best ways to be responsive to our community of fans and gamers.
7. What strategies can you share with us that you’re pursuing to further increase sales and market penetration?
We are very happy with how 4th Edition is performing. We have reprinted the 4th Edition Player’s Handbook three times, and PH2 is headed back for it’s second printing already. Ultimately our goal is to keep the hobby industry strong, and our strategy for that is to continue to create great 4th Edition products that will entice our fans to keep playing D&D. In turn, that will grow the hobby industry.
8. What’s your vision for the role of electronic media in D&D? How do you plan to get there, and how long do you suspect it might take to implement? What priority is this being given?
Electronic media will continue to play an even greater role in our D&D business as the months and years go on. Continuing to improve the D&D Insider experience for our customers and fans is one of our top priorities.
Along with the rest of the publishing industry, Wizards is also looking into new means of digital distribution. For our novels, we have recently introduced titles to Kindle and to Sony’s E-Reader and will continue to add titles to those offerings over the coming months.
9. We don’t know much about Wizards’ internal operations. Did the new PDF policy decision originate from you, from your legal team, from the brand manager and his team, or from Hasbro corporate headquarters? Generally speaking, how hands-on is your management of the D&D team and its strategic plan?
The D&D brand is critical to Wizards of the Coast’s success, and decisions such as this are not entered into lightly. We are all very hands-on, and decisions are vetted through all levels of the organization.
Edit: A quick note from WotC:
The 10:1 ratio that Greg references is for PDFs only – it has nothing to do with the physical books. For every one PDF purchased legally, there were at least 10 downloaded illegally. And yes, we can track it. |
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 11 Apr 2009 00:45:16 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 00:55:44
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I just want to add a quick note here. I'm not getting into the debate itself, but given how I've just read this interview, I get the feeling that Leeds was kinda limited in how he could respond to these types of questions.
I'm certainly not excusing the decision by any means. Though, I do think it's appropriate to acknowledge that some of these responses are just standard parts of WotC's marketing policy. And that they reflect the limitations of exactly how an individual, like Leeds, can respond.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 01:11:52
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quote:
Ultimately our goal is to keep the hobby industry strong, and our strategy for that is to continue to create great 4th Edition products that will entice our fans to keep playing D&D. In turn, that will grow the hobby industry.
How? To 'grow' the industry, Wizards needs to attract new players and DMs, and they're barely attempting to do that. The best the sell-as-many-books-as-possible-to-gamers business model can do is slow attrition. |
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 03:29:47
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After patiently waiting for this type of response all I have to say is wow,...just wow.
*Starts chiseling WotC's gravestone* |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 04:25:33
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Wow.
Wow.
The older edition PDFs have been available for YEARS before WotC even put them up for sale. I can't believe they think removing the legal downloads will curtail piracy at all. |
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 - 11 Apr 2009 : 05:12:13
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Here's a second interview from a different site:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/14726.html
Wizards of the Coast made two dramatic moves this week, filing lawsuits against eight defendants accusing them of copyright infringement of its Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook 2 (see “Wizards Sues Eight”), and ending all sales of PDF versions of its products (see “WotC Ends PDF Download Sales”). ICv2 reached out to Wizards CEO Greg Leeds with some key questions on its digital strategy.
Piracy has been part of the landscape for as long as there’s been an Internet. Why were Wizards’ actions to stop PDF sales taken now, rather than at any time in the past?
First let me say that we did not enter into this decision lightly. The piracy was increasing at an alarming rate compared to what we’ve seen in the past and we felt that it could have a negative impact on the hobby industry.
By banning PDF sales, Wizards of the Coast now has no legal way for your customers to buy your content digitally. That seems to punish those that were paying for your digital content, while doing little to stop pirates, who can still scan your books or fileshare digital copies already out there, creating a net increase in piracy. What’s your response to that line of reasoning?
We understand that our actions will not eliminate piracy all together, but we don’t want to make it easy, either. In order to better support and grow our hobby industry, we need a strong retail base. We understand that our fans have a use for PDFs, and we are actively exploring other options for digital distribution. In the mean time, we needed to protect the hobby industry.
In general, companies that sell music and video have been expanding, rather than eliminating, legal ways of selling their content. Why is Wizards going in a direction different from the one that seems to have become conventional wisdom in other media?
We are not going in a different direction – Wizards fundamentally agrees with expansion, and we’re participating in that through our Website and D&D Insider. On the novels side of our business, we have recently released titles through Kindle and Sony’s E-Reader, and will continue to add to that in the coming months. Without citing specific numbers, our content is distributed to hundreds of thousands of people, and our PDF business was small in comparison.
Some are speculating that underperformance of 4E vs. expectations has Wizards of the Coast looking for reasons, and that led to attacking pirates and banning PDFs. Since you don’t report specific line sales, we don’t know whether either perception (performance of 4E or connection to PDF policy) is correct. Can you address these perceptions?
We have done three reprints of the 4th Edition Player’s Handbook, and Player’s Handbook 2 has just gone back to press for a second printing. PH2 debuted at #4 on the Wall Street Journal’s best-sellers list, and #28 on USA Today’s list. By any measure, 4th Edition has been a great success and will continue to attract new players.
Another theory out there is that Wizards plans to sell PDFs itself, and wanted to get the entire margin, rather than sharing it with third party Websites. What’s your response to that theory?
Simply put the theory is incorrect. We don’t plan to sell PDFs at all, and are looking into other options for the digital distribution of our content.
Others think that you’re planning on making access to your digital content by subscription, rather than DTO (download-to-own). Does Wizards plan to make its D&D products available digitally as part of DnDI?
Much of our content is already available on D&D Insider through the Character Builder and Compendium. We are still looking into other options for the digital distribution of the rest of our content.
Last, if Wizards is planning to use another method of making its content available digitally (other than PDFs), why end PDFs before the alternative is ready? Doesn’t that create an environment, at least temporarily, that encourages those that were buying your digital content legally to get pirated material instead?
The scope of the piracy was such that we had to stop our digital distribution all together while we looked for another option. Within hours of its release, Player’s Handbook 2 had been illegally downloaded thousands of times. We can conservatively estimate that for every one book downloaded legally, ten were downloaded illicitly. We were concerned that this activity might start to affect brick and mortar stores, and Wizards couldn’t stand by and let that happen when there are other options for acquiring our products. |
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 |
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Baldwin Stonewood
Acolyte
34 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 05:26:10
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quote:
Originally posted by coach
why doesn't it makes sense guys?
4e is struggling more than a little, they need to take away competition, even if some of that comeptition is their own product's earlier editions
also it takes a handful of customers away from Paizo who may go there for these PDFs and "stick" as paizo 3.5 fans, no longer needing WOTC
makes perfect sense to me
I laugh out loud at the piracy excuse
This seems logical to me and when they do want to put some of the earlier editions material back into the stream of commerce doing it in house is a way better control the flow of material. Just like Disney locks their vaults of classic DVD so often. Limited releases and such. |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 06:03:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
<snip>
The scope of the piracy was such that we had to stop our digital distribution all together while we looked for another option. Within hours of its release, Player’s Handbook 2 had been illegally downloaded thousands of times. We can conservatively estimate that for every one book downloaded legally, ten were downloaded illicitly. We were concerned that this activity might start to affect brick and mortar stores, and Wizards couldn’t stand by and let that happen when there are other options for acquiring our products.
Okay, let me get this straight. The pirated copies cost them money for the digital market, but did not directly affect the hardcopy books (it debuted at #4!). But they had to pull the digital copies to protect the books sold at the 'brick and mortar' stores?
I took Logic in college. I got a A in Logic. This is NOT logical. |
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 - 11 Apr 2009 : 06:20:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
<snip>
The scope of the piracy was such that we had to stop our digital distribution all together while we looked for another option. Within hours of its release, Player’s Handbook 2 had been illegally downloaded thousands of times. We can conservatively estimate that for every one book downloaded legally, ten were downloaded illicitly. We were concerned that this activity might start to affect brick and mortar stores, and Wizards couldn’t stand by and let that happen when there are other options for acquiring our products.
Okay, let me get this straight. The pirated copies cost them money for the digital market, but did not directly affect the hardcopy books (it debuted at #4!). But they had to pull the digital copies to protect the books sold at the 'brick and mortar' stores?
I took Logic in college. I got a A in Logic. This is NOT logical.
Indeed, nothing they've said seems logical to me especially considering the printed PHB2 has now gone into a second printing.... Someone must be buying the physical books, so the excuse, my opinion there, about illegal electronic books would cause stores to lose money just doesn't seem to make any sense to me.
But hey, what do I know. :) |
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 |
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 07:26:20
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That second article was pretty much a copy and paste response like the first. Just they changed the wording around to make it "look" orginal. Well not that I'm surprised by these responses that have been given, but I think I'm just going to skip the 4e hate rant.
But I wonder, is WotC the ninjas trying to fight the pirates? And the PDFs are the items they are fighting over. Who will win this fight - ninjas or pirates? Stay tuned after these messages. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 07:59:22
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I'll repeat something I said earlier, before I deleted my post... He says they're not going to re-offer the pdfs, and that they're looking into other options...
If I have to join the DDI to get older material, I'm not buying it. I can live with it being other file formats other than pdf, so long as I get to have a copy locally on my computer. If I don't get to keep a copy on my own machine, I'm not buying it.
I know that some people will agree with me on the first point. I think that a lot of people will agree with me on the second point. Love or hate the DDI, I don't see people rushing to buy digital copies of older material if they can't keep it handy. |
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 |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 12:02:36
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| Sean K Reynolds has added PDFs from Sean K Reynolds Games to Paizo's PDFLove Sale. Since "Curse of the Moon" was recommended several times here for all interested in in-depth-coverage for Lycanthrophie, I think I should post a quick note. Here is the Link from the announcement. |
"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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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 12:20:40
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| And on a related note, it was mentioned in said thread at Paizo that apperently somenthing bigger is going on. It seems that some shops were required to re-sign contracts not to sell overseas. It must be on the same page as the link in my previous post. |
"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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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 13:09:23
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Everything that I get from DDI I can download on to my computer.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 16:00:08
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I don't necessarily agree with all he's saying (though I think of lot of y'all will), but Fat Dragon Tom, proprietor of my favorite gaming company in all the world, Fat Dragon Games, has some interesting stuff from a small businessman's point of view in this thread.
(Okay, to be perfectly honest I'm mainly linking that because it's also the announcement of their version of the "Oh Yeah? Well How 'Bout We Just Mark Ours Down, Then? Ha!" Sale that so many people are putting on--and if y'all haven't tried these cardstock models, I implore you to take the opportunity. They're easy and gorgeous and just a ton of fun to put together.)
(I am in no way affiliated with Fat Dragon Games.)
Oh, and yeah, Brimstone's right about the downloadability of most stuff from DDI--the big ones being the magazines and the Character Generator. Heck I wish the Character Generator was a purely online application so that I could use it--it being the first thing in twenty-two years of Mac use that's actually made me want to emulate Windows. But Brimstone, the Compendium's not really downloadable is it? I mean, I suppose in a copy-and-paste sense the individual rules are..
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My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 16:44:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
I don't necessarily agree with all he's saying (though I think of lot of y'all will), but Fat Dragon Tom, proprietor of my favorite gaming company in all the world, Fat Dragon Games, has some interesting stuff from a small businessman's point of view in this thread.
(Okay, to be perfectly honest I'm mainly linking that because it's also the announcement of their version of the "Oh Yeah? Well How 'Bout We Just Mark Ours Down, Then? Ha!" Sale that so many people are putting on--and if y'all haven't tried these cardstock models, I implore you to take the opportunity. They're easy and gorgeous and just a ton of fun to put together.)
(I am in no way affiliated with Fat Dragon Games.)
Oh, and yeah, Brimstone's right about the downloadability of most stuff from DDI--the big ones being the magazines and the Character Generator. Heck I wish the Character Generator was a purely online application so that I could use it--it being the first thing in twenty-two years of Mac use that's actually made me want to emulate Windows. But Brimstone, the Compendium's not really downloadable is it? I mean, I suppose in a copy-and-paste sense the individual rules are..
your link goes to a sign in for another forum, not an article or home page?? |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 16:52:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Darkmeer
Her signature included the title of PR Manager and had a phone number listed...
Of everything you said, this one thing hit me like a sack of bricks...
They actually have a PR Manager? 
Well... she must be damn good at something, becuase she's certainly not good at her job title.... 
quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
Nice metaphor, Lirdolin, but WotC is merely the pawn... maybe it should be Muppets of the Coast...
Fixed.
And commenting on the original comment - WotC was a good company until Garfield sold it to Hasbro. After that, it became an uncaring corporation that is only concerned with profit. RPGs will never be able to be properly produced by a company that has no heart.
quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
quote:
Ultimately our goal is to keep the hobby industry strong, and our strategy for that is to continue to create great 4th Edition products that will entice our fans to keep playing D&D. In turn, that will grow the hobby industry.
How? To 'grow' the industry, Wizards needs to attract new players and DMs, and they're barely attempting to do that. The best the sell-as-many-books-as-possible-to-gamers business model can do is slow attrition.
Allow me, I speak 'Corporatease' - This means "We see the future of all gaming controlled by US, and we will do whatever it takes to squash anyone and anything that may keep us from that goal."
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
Everything that I get from DDI I can download on to my computer.
Ah-HA!
So you're the guy posting those pdf's all over the internet....
Errrr... thanks?  |
"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 11 Apr 2009 16:56:44 |
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coach
Senior Scribe
USA
479 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 17:38:32
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| how much would it take for another company to buy WotC off Hasbro's hands? |
Bloodstone Lands Sage |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 18:48:41
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More then any of us have.
I onced joked that if I won Mega-Millions (which was around 150 Million at the time), I would consider buying just the FR IP off of Hasbro - I don't think 150 million is enough for WotC or even just D&D.
And, of course, I wouldn't want to spend the whole thing on "saving the Realms" anyway - I may love them, but I'm not crazy. |
"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 11 Apr 2009 18:55:12 |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 19:38:01
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I am!
Sure, $50,000 to pay off some debt, then put a million away in some account that genrates 5% annual interest ($50,000 a year) and use the rest to buy the IP. Then sell it cheap to Paizo. |
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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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 20:39:05
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The Character Generator no. The Mags yes. Still havent use the Character Generator. To busy with the mags.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 20:43:11
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Just got this from DriveThruRPG and RPGNow
quote:
WOTC DOWNLOAD RECOVERY DAY, APRIL 15TH
By now, you have probably learned that Wizards of the Coast recently decided to cease the sale of digital download versions of their books. This means that RPGNow and DriveThruRPG will no longer be able to offer you future downloads of Wizards titles you have purchased.
We are offering you a final 24-hour period in which to re-download copies of any Wizards of the Coast files you have purchased from us in the past. If there are any titles you purchased, and you need a new copy of the file for your personal archive, this is your last chance to get it.
This 24-hour period will begin at 10:00 AM EST (U.S.A. Eastern Time Zone), Wednesday, April 15th and will conclude at 10:00 AM EST on Tuesday, April 16th.
During this time you may visit DriveThruRPG or RPGNow, log in, and click the My Account link found in the upper right corner of the site. Or just visit one of these links:
DriveThruRPG http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/account.php
RPGNow http://www.rpgnow.com/account.php
For the “My Account” page you will find your order history and download links, including a handy option to view all products updated since your last download of that title (for example a file that was updated with errata since you last downloaded it). During your visit, we certainly invite you to take a look around and see all the titles we have to offer for rpg PDF fans.
As always, thank you for your continuing support of all that we do, and we welcome your feedback and any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Sean Patrick Fannon
DriveThruRPG and RPGNow
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 21:08:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
And commenting on the original comment - WotC was a good company until Garfield sold it to Hasbro.
Richard Garfield was merely the designer for Magic: The Gathering... Peter Adkinson sold the company And I'd have done the same, I mean hell, who wouldn't have sold the company for something above 300 million US$
OK, I might've taken D&D with me, but still...bushels of cash is a nice thing |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2009 : 21:18:51
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All of Wizards Share holders approved the sale.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Topic |
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WoTC/FR PDF's being pulled from Paizo.com
