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While Paizo may have copyright problems with putting Dragon or Dungeon into .pdf thanks to its contract with WotC, does this extend to products like Shackled City? If not, how about making it available for the same price as the hardbound in .pdf, BUT with a MASSIVE discount if someone has already purchased the hardbound, e.g., $10. If there are copyright issues with WotC, what's the possibility of renegotiating the contract to allow for special sales of .pdfs products?
I already have the entire Shackled City in my Dungeon Collection. I am interested in the Shackled City, but it isn't on my priority list. However, I would be much more interested if, along with the book, a .pdf version was available.
As suggested, I've brought this up before with regards to your magazines and was informed that the problem is with WotC's copyright restrictions. So I know that the same may apply here, too. Still, it never hurts to bring it up.
Why do I want both?
I find that the hardbound supplements are great to read, tab and have available for games in my house's den. (Along with the massive stack of other books I own.)
But when I travel and when I'm away at other people's houses, trying to lug all those books around is a bear of a task. Having .pdfs allows you to carry your library in your laptop. Plus, if the .pdfs are bookmarked, I find that they can be just as easy to reference as a tabbed book.
Moreover, I play a lot of internet gaming, too. Being able to simply cut and paste a paragraph from a .pdf into an e-mail or .jpeg makes gaming so much more manageable.
In the end, hardbounds and .pdfs have their purpose and don't overlap in service. Rather, they complement one another. So, I pose the question again - copy of book and .pdf? (Heck, I'd be willing to pay an extra $10 for a .pdf!)
I could DEFINATELY use one. Especially if it is indexed.
Moreover, I play a lot of internet gaming, too. Being able to simply cut and paste a paragraph from a .pdf into an e-mail or .jpeg makes gaming so much more manageable.
I'd love one too. I don't think it will happen any time soon, though. Especially if cracked versions of the book end up on peer to peer networks. They would end up hurting book sales rather than support them.
A PDF with some of the maps, pictures and stats... now that might just work...
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I'd love one too. I don't think it will happen any time soon, though. Especially if cracked versions of the book end up on peer to peer networks. They would end up hurting book sales rather than support them.
Of course, the point here is counterintuitive. The reality is that people are scanning their own copies of books into .pdf form and releasing them over the internet for free. One of the primary ways of removing criminal behavior is to remove the incentive. How to do that here? Make .pdfs available at a reasonable price. I bet a large collection of people searching for such downloads over the internet would turn to a legitimate source. In so doing, Paizo wins .. twice over.
Chief Technical Officer
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While Paizo may have copyright problems with putting Dragon or Dungeon into .pdf thanks to its contract with WotC, does this extend to products like Shackled City? ... If there are copyright issues with WotC, what's the possibility of renegotiating the contract to allow for special sales of .pdfs products?
The Shackled City (and all other D&D products) are published under license from Wizards of the Coast. You are correct that it would take negotiating a contract amendment to obtain the rights to publish the Shackled City in PDF form.
You might note that Wizards does not currently sell PDFs of any of their own 3rd Edition books - not even the ones that are out of print.
-Vic.
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The Shackled City (and all other D&D products) are published under license from Wizards of the Coast. You are correct that it would take negotiating a contract amendment to obtain the rights to publish the Shackled City in PDF form.
You might note that Wizards does not currently sell PDFs of any of their own 3rd Edition books - not even the ones that are out of print.
-Vic.
Yes, that's correct. WotC has an agreement with a third party to sell .pdfs. Don't know why they worked it out that way. Seems odd, seeing that they could have probably done it in house and stood to gain more profit than using an intermediary. But hey, I'm no fly on the wall.
Yes, that's correct. WotC has an agreement with a third party to sell .pdfs. Don't know why they worked it out that way. Seems odd, seeing that they could have probably done it in house and stood to gain more profit than using an intermediary. But hey, I'm no fly on the wall.
The process is long and arduous, and the more practice someone has the better they are at it. WOTC would have had to hire around 10 people to get things done at the speed they were doing them (trust me, I did one for them).
Sean Mahoney
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Chief Technical Officer
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Yes, that's correct. WotC has an agreement with a third party to sell .pdfs.
My point wasn't that they don't sell PDFs directly (I'm well aware of that, since we're one of the third parties that is allowed to sell them)—it's that they haven't thus far allowed any 3rd Edition books to be sold in PDF form.
-Vic.
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Yes, that's correct. WotC has an agreement with a third party to sell .pdfs.My point wasn't that they don't sell PDFs directly (I'm well aware of that, since we're one of the third parties that is allowed to sell them)—it's that they haven't thus far allowed any 3rd Edition books to be sold in PDF form.
-Vic.
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Vic,
They have seven books available in PDF. Such as Frostburn, two "Complete" books, and the Fiend Folio. Just thought I would point it out. Honestly, they released these few and then just stopped. I think they probably found it to be undesirable for their business model.
- Neomorte
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Chief Technical Officer
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Vic,
They have seven books available in PDF. Such as Frostburn, two "Complete" books, and the Fiend Folio. Just thought I would point it out. Honestly, they released these few and then just stopped. I think they probably found it to be undesirable for their business model.
Odd - those weren't on any lists or discs that they gave us. Thanks for letting me know they exist.
-Vic.
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Odd - those weren't on any lists or discs that they gave us. Thanks for letting me know they exist.
-Vic.
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They are available at DriveThruRPG.com