Torn Between Subscriptions and Supporting my FLGS


Paizo General Discussion

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ChuckSC6568 wrote:
I'm not big on the idea of the PDF'S anyway. I have to wonder how much money has been lost to Paizo AND local hobby shops because people have simply made copies for their friends.

One would assume that Paizo has taken this into consideration, since they continue to sell them, year after year.

One could also assume, based on the above assumption, that the measures Paizo have taken to prevent copyright violation have a high level of success and the sales they make of PDFs (or increased subscription rate due to the PDF bonus) outweighs or negates any possible loss due to copyright violation.

ChuckSC6568 wrote:
Buy from your local brick and mortar store if you have one in your area. These are the people who gave this hobby we enjoy life to begin with AND it's money into your local economy.

As much as I wish there were more local shops (I don't currently have one), and as much as I'd like to support them, they're not providing a value-add for me.

When the choice comes up between paying them full-retail (nearly 100% markup) for a product, or paying Paizo a discounted rate, getting the PDF, and having the product shipped to my door? I'll choose the subscription.


All it really comes down to is this, and I believe Paizo has said this before, do what is best for YOU. The main thing they want is for us to buy and enjoy their products. I am sure they would much rather everyone have a subscription as this would be the best for their profit margin.

The Exchange

houstonderek wrote:
The thing I like about Paizo? dude took that much time out of his day to explain their reason, and didn't just say "because we said so" like 99% of any kind of company would do.

Heck yeah.

This is one of the things I always mention when I'm pimping Pathfinder at the FLGSs.

One other point -when you buy Paizo @ the FLGS, the owner makes money.
If Paizo stuff makes him lots of money, he'll probably carry more of it.
If he carries more of it on the shelf, that increases Paizo's exposure to new potential customers. ]

Then Paizo makes more money, too and we have more potential folks to game with. Good for everybody.


I agree it doesn't make good business sense for Paizo to offer subscriptions through a FLGS as it cuts into their bottom line. That said, on the issue of getting a PDF to go with your hardcopy of a book, couldn't Paizo make something available to FLGS/comic stores/mom and pop businesses where the customer could get a free PDF or discounted PDF when they buy a physical book from the store, or alternately just get the PDF from the store?

I see this kind of like buying gift cards at the super market for other stores like Best Buy or Kohls or buying cards for iTunes or Xbox Live. Maybe Paizo sells a book of coupons to the FLGS for whatever Paizo product you want. Let's say I'm looking at a PDF that normally sells for $5 from Paizo. Paizo sells a book of 25 PDF coupons to the FLGS at $4 each for $100. The customer buys the coupon from the FLGS for the same $5 as they could online (although I suppose with sales tax added if applicable) and it gets activated at the register. The customer then takes their now activated coupon and when they go to Paizo's site, they enter the code and now they can download their PDF.

Paizo could also sell PDF companion coupons to the FLGS that they could either activate for free or a small charge at the register when the customer buys the corresponding physical book.

In either case, other than buying the coupons from Paizo and activating them when sold at the register the game store doesn't deal with downloading anything from Paizo or managing the product. The customer deals with that.

It seems with this approach:
- the customer gets to support their FLGS for the same or comparable price of getting the PDF directly from Paizo, with the main difference being they have to go to the store first.
- the FLGS gets the ability to sell the online product, so potentially have some added sales with just having to stock these coupons
- Paizo helps fans support their FLGS, but possibly has a smaller profit on their PDF sales, or breaks even depending on how it is structured.

Now, there definitely sounds like there needs to be something more here to make it better all around and I'm not entirely sure what that is. For me for instance, if I wanted the PDF I'd just go to Paizo and be done with it and wouldn't really care if the FLGS offered PDF sales. Also, if I wanted all of the books they come out with for a given line, I'd probably go to Paizo and subscribe myself.

The coupon method would make it easy for a fellow gamer or friend to pickup a PDF gift for someone for their birthday or Christmas. The key overall might be in either the pricing or maybe in some special feature only available in the FLGS version (or vice versa, the standard Paizo version has value added over buying from your FLGS).

L

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Legendarius wrote:
That said, on the issue of getting a PDF to go with your hardcopy of a book, couldn't Paizo make something available to FLGS/comic stores/mom and pop businesses where the customer could get a free PDF or discounted PDF when they buy a physical book from the store, or alternately just get the PDF from the store?

We don't even offer that option to people who purchase individual print editions here at paizo.com. Free PDFs are the main perk—and, in some cases, the *only* perk—of several of our subscription lines; offering that to anybody else would thus diminish the value of the subscription. And if there's one thing you should take away from my responses in this thread, it's that keeping up our subscription numbers is a key strategy for staying in business.

Shadow Lodge

Vic,

Is there any way you can find a middle ground?

I (obviously) subscribe to a lot of your products, but the absolute main reason I do so is for the free PDF. So I can absolutely see the folly with bundling the free PDF with any other offer. There was a time though where carrying this many subscriptions was a burden financially. In those times, the loss of the PDF was pretty significant, especially since they are not always cheap, but in the grand scheme of things, I just couldn't afford to subscribe to all your products. Sure, as I become more fiscally secure, I can go back and buy some of my favorites in PDF form, but some of those products I've just lived without the PDF, even now years later and really I do kind of loathe buying the product twice.

Now if you had offered some kind of discount code (not a freebie) with your products for the PDF, during that time where I couldn't afford to carry a subscription, I would have been willing to drop a few dollars on the cheaper PDF. I know there are logistical issues behind this as well, but hey, that's why you guys make the big bucks. ;-)

You know the financial details behind the decisions far better than any of us could, so I understand absolutely why it doesn't make sense, but if you could find some kind of system which would still allow local vendors to make their sale, while selling to that "lost" group of customers who would love a PDF but can't subscribe and won't be a member of your stable bottom line until they can somehow afford to do so, I think you might be able to find an alternative that satisfies the community desire for PDFs with products, but still maintain some brick-and-mortar happiness. Of course, I could be completely wrong.


I stand corrected. For some reason, I thought the PDF was thrown in with the purchase of Paizo physical books bought through the web site as a matter of course (bonus to buy from Paizo vs. Amazon or another discounted online retailer) and that the main perks of having the subscription were:
a) a discount on the products by paying for multiple products up front (cheaper than buying each separately) and
b) the convenience of placing one order and then getting everything automatically sent to your house.

With that in mind, going back to my last post, scratch the idea of tossing in a free/cheap PDF coupon when you buy the physical book from the game store. Just have coupons to buy a PDF at the store at normal price to help the store with sales they'd lose to Paizo online.

So, user has option of:
1) subscribe from paizo, discount(?), free PDF, product shipped to door
- convenient and cheaper for customer, store gets nothing
2) buy book and PDF at store, both full price
- customer gets book in hand but pays more and still has to download PDF after the sale
- store gets sale

The only real advantage I can see for option two from Paizo's perspective is they help support an FLGS culture/locations where people can see and learn about their products. It seems option two still only really works for them if they have some sort of metrics to be sure that there's some bang for their buck losing subscribers in order to have those customers buy their products via the brick & mortar retailer.

L


Vic Wertz wrote:
Legendarius wrote:
That said, on the issue of getting a PDF to go with your hardcopy of a book, couldn't Paizo make something available to FLGS/comic stores/mom and pop businesses where the customer could get a free PDF or discounted PDF when they buy a physical book from the store, or alternately just get the PDF from the store?
We don't even offer that option to people who purchase individual print editions here at paizo.com. Free PDFs are the main perk—and, in some cases, the *only* perk—of several of our subscription lines; offering that to anybody else would thus diminish the value of the subscription. And if there's one thing you should take away from my responses in this thread, it's that keeping up our subscription numbers is a key strategy for staying in business.

My issue is that for international buyer that is no point in signing up to subscription because the postage costs from US make it prohibitive. Therefore no perk at all.

I buy from Amazon UK or my FLGS and they have to carry the import costs, which they can do because they (or their supplier) are doing so in bulk.

This is especially problematic if the subscription line that you want to follow is minis, pawns or hardcovers. More bulk, more cost, less incentive.

Example: Core Rule Book. From Paizo: $50, shipping to UK $52 = $102. From Amazon UK £26.25 ($42 @ £1 = $1.60), and free shipping. That's a difference of $60 on one book! Now multiply this over the lifetime of a subscription.

However if Paizo were to sell (via Amazon UK or FLGS) a "Deluxe International Edition" (i.e. exactly the same book but with PDF download voucher) for an additional cost I'd have bought that.
Lets not kid ourselves here - there's a big elephant in the room - most people reading this can find a less than legitimate copy of the PDF if they look hard enough.

All the discussion previously only applies to America. I'd like to give Paizo more of my money, in exchange for PDFs. I ideally want both media but if I can only have only I'll take the physical copy, bought on my local continent.

If there is one the that Paizo should take from this thread is that the subscription is no use to the international buyer.


bullgod wrote:
If there is one the that Paizo should take from this thread is that the subscription is no use to the international buyer.

I take your point that it doesnt suit you, but it's enormously valuable to me (as another international buyer), so it's not universal.

.
I pay about the same, for one item, as if I buy it from my FLGS and I pay considerably more than if I'd bought it from Amazon. What I'm paying for is the early access and the certainty of not missing anything. My FLGS doesnt get everything in and there are always issues with Amazon when a book is released.

Another time it can prove valuable is if you subscribe to multiple lines (especially if those dont include hardcovers in some given month). Then you can pool shipping, have cheaper options than just USPS priority mail and can benefit from the Pathfinder Advantage.

For people looking to buy just one book though (especially one that has already been released) there is pretty much no personal advantage in buying it directly from Paizo.


Steve Geddes wrote:

What I'm paying for is the early access and the certainty of not missing anything. My FLGS doesnt get everything in and there are always issues with Amazon when a book is released.

Ok, I would contend that you are paying for completism and early access but only because you seem to have little alternative.

That's is valid enough reason if that's your experience. Although I wonder if there any point in early access if they are only going to by bundled up and put on a slow boat?

I'm not a completist, and there are other [legitimate] ways to get early access which I won't go into here. I've never had an issue with Amazon selling Paizo or any of the other online retainers are available in UK which are just as cheap.

So I amend my earlier remark to their is little point to subscription for international buyers if there is a reliable alternative, especially for bulky items.

But Paizo claim that the free PDFs are there to keep the subscribers happy.

You are apparently already happy because you see it as reliable and timely. It would be interesting to know if the absence of the free PDFs would cause you to stop your subscription. That is the contention from Paizo.

I'm unhappy because I have to buy everything I want twice. I can't imagine I'm alone. Thus there is a market here that Paizo are not servicing, and we know what happens then.


bullgod wrote:

But Paizo claim that the free PDFs are there to keep the subscribers happy.

You are apparently already happy because you see it as reliable and timely. It would be interesting to know if the absence of the free PDFs would cause you to stop your subscription. That is the contention from Paizo.

I'm unhappy because I have to buy everything I want twice. I can't imagine I'm alone. Thus there is a market here that Paizo are not servicing, and we know what happens then.

If I didn't receive the PDF's with the subscriptions, yes I would stop subscribing to most lines, and pick up what I really wanted here and there. The free PDF is the ONLY perk for most of the subscription lines I have.

If they removed this perk, I would be much more likely to cancel a subscription line and pick and choose their offerings. There are a number of items I have gotten simply because they were in a subscription line, even though I had little interest in that type of content.

You're unhappy because you think you have to buy everything you want twice. The trick is, you don't. You don't HAVE to buy the PDF and you don't HAVE to buy the book. You can choose to buy one or the other (or none at all), from any and all of their lines. Also, the one example you give is the Core Rulebook. You've shown the difference in what it costs you to buy it from Paizo, and what it costs you to buy from Amazon UK. It's more than the cost of the PDF for the rule book ($9.99), so even if you DO buy both you are spending less than those who shop through Paizo directly. What incentive would it be for Paizo to GIVE you the PDF for free on such a purchase, so that more of their customers would go through a secondary market, such as Amazon, where they make substantially less money per unit sold?

The stable base subscription sales for a line gives Paizo a baseline to order print runs for their product lines. The main (and sometimes only) perk to keeping a subscription is a free PDF on current releases for these lines. It's not hard to imagine that removing the only tangible perk from subscribers will have an effect on subscription numbers. And yes, this comes up repeatedly on the forums, so no you're not alone.


bullgod wrote:
Steve Geddes wrote:

What I'm paying for is the early access and the certainty of not missing anything. My FLGS doesnt get everything in and there are always issues with Amazon when a book is released.

Ok, I would contend that you are paying for completism and early access but only because you seem to have little alternative.

That's is valid enough reason if that's your experience. Although I wonder if there any point in early access if they are only going to by bundled up and put on a slow boat?

I'm not a completist, and there are other [legitimate] ways to get early access which I won't go into here. I've never had an issue with Amazon selling Paizo or any of the other online retainers are available in UK which are just as cheap.

So I amend my earlier remark to their is little point to subscription for international buyers if there is a reliable alternative, especially for bulky items.

But Paizo claim that the free PDFs are there to keep the subscribers happy.

You are apparently already happy because you see it as reliable and timely. It would be interesting to know if the absence of the free PDFs would cause you to stop your subscription. That is the contention from Paizo.

I'm unhappy because I have to buy everything I want twice. I can't imagine I'm alone. Thus there is a market here that Paizo are not servicing, and we know what happens then.

Oh I think there are far more people who subscribe for the PDFs than for my reasons - they're clearly valuable to many people. I was just pointing out that it wasn't a universal thing (I'd subscribe without the PDFs and even if there were no discount, as it happens - the early access and guarantee I'll get the items is what matters to me).

I don't see purchasing a PDF and a book as "buying the same thing twice" anymore than going to the movies and buying a blu ray is the same. There's more to the item than the information - one you can hold, one you can cut and paste. At least in my opinion.


bullgod wrote:

But Paizo claim that the free PDFs are there to keep the subscribers happy.

I'm unhappy because I have to buy everything I want twice. I can't imagine I'm alone. Thus there is a market here that Paizo are not servicing, and we know what happens then.

I am a Charter Subscriber, which means that I have been here since Day 1 of the Pathfinder line. And as Sniggevert says, there have been some APs that I would not have gotten if I had not been a Charter Subscriber.

Specifically:
Council of Thieves and Skulls & Shackes

If the free PDF goes away, so goes the AP subscription for me. I use *both* the book and the PDF extensively for running my home game. The PDF mostly as prep and to have pictures of the people in the AP, as well as the Bestiary(s) to show the critters. The book at the table, supplemented by the PDF.

I pay $20.19 for an AP issue, including shipping, so that is 20 cents more than the cover price. However, I then save $7.79 + 8.25% tax on the PDF. Living in New York state, USA, they will hunt you down if you don't pay the yearly tax on things you buy over the net, so taxes on physical product are a wash.

-- david
Papa.DRB


bullgod wrote:


But Paizo claim that the free PDFs are there to keep the subscribers happy.

You are apparently already happy because you see it as reliable and timely. It would be interesting to know if the absence of the free PDFs would cause you to stop your subscription. That is the contention from Paizo.

I'm unhappy because I have to buy everything I want twice. I can't imagine I'm alone. Thus there is a market here that Paizo are not servicing, and we know what happens then.

Those PDf's sure do keep me happy that's why I'm still a subscriber.

They stop with the PDF's I stop with the subscription. And here's the other thing, honestly? If I didnt have the subscription I probably would have stopped buying the AP's a while ago. I dont knnow If I would have bought Legacy of Fire or Serpent's Skull or jade Regent or Skull and Shackles. With a stretch of AP's that on first look I had no interest in I dont know if I would have continued to purchase them. I'm glad I have them. I'm glad that I have the PDF's of them as well. I was able to read them and appreciate them even though I might not play or run them (not whole hog anyway...)

The same thing with my RPG sub. I didnt really care about the Advanced Race Guide or Ultimate Equipment when they were announced, but HOLY CRAP I'm glad I do have them especially Ultimate Equipment. Advanced Race Guide was a pleasant surprise not so much for the race building part but for the options and details put into the standard and not so standard races. BUt if I didnt have my subscription? I would have walked into my LGS flipped through it and probably put it back on the shelf.

As long as Paizo doesnt put out a real clunker or my financial situation doesnt change I'll keep my subscription because it keeps me involved in thier stuff and I love the PDf's.

I gotta say I've runn gaming sessions right from my iPad before and it's better than lugging around 4 or 5 hardcover books to a session. I dont miss that part of it at all.

Anyway yeah I value the PDF's to the point that if it were taken away or given to everyone there'd be no reason to subscribe anymore.

With subscriptions in place, they have me locked in @ $19 (or less with the discount?) a month. and two times a year theyre getting at least $40 out of me for the RPG HC.

Without subscriptions MAYBE I'll buy the AP's monthly? I might pick up the latest HC? Less so honestly because the hardcopies lack the utility I needed to help me prep my game easier and quicker.

Hardcopy, I'm copying everything I want by hand, I'm flipping through pages, possibly getting sidetracked by other material I'm flipping by.

PDF,copy, paste into a document. Edit. Bam. done.

PDF = Win. No = PDF. not so much with the winning.


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bullgod wrote:


But Paizo claim that the free PDFs are there to keep the subscribers happy.

You are apparently already happy because you see it as reliable and timely. It would be interesting to know if the absence of the free PDFs would cause you to stop your subscription. That is the contention from Paizo.

As other people are pointing out, do not knock the value of the free PDF with the subscription. It's an excellent inducement to keep subscribing to at least a couple of lines - the RPG, module, and AP lines (notice - the 3 lines I still subscribe to - I stopped subscribing to the campaign setting and Companion lines to give my wallet a break and support my FLGS for items I decide to get). I can copy and paste the stat blocks from these PDFs and modify them in my word processor very easily. I also use them to run games from my iPad.

So why not just buy the PDFs? I prefer to read physical books. So I do a lot of reading and reviewing from the printed books, running and copying prep from the PDFs. Having both is a fantastic combination for me.

Paizo Employee CEO

I also want to point out that we have quite a LOT of international subscribers. Also, Paizo wants people to buy their products how they please. We offer the free PDF to subscribers as a perk, but if you want to buy from somewhere else, we are happy with that decision. Everyone has to balance to pro's and con's of different venues for delivery of our gaming products. And, yes, there are pro's and con's to each method. Some have more expensive shipping, some get regular delays and product arrives weeks or even months past the release schedule, and some methods don't get free PDFs. Some you have to pay taxes and tariffs and other fees, and others you don't. Again, each person has to weigh the pro's and con's and decide which method offers them the best value for their money.

-Lisa


Bill Dunn wrote:


As other people are pointing out, do not knock the value of the free PDF with the subscription.

I'm not. If you are in the States it's great.

Neither am I knocking the value of the PDFs. I appreciate the joy of having electronic copies.

I don't value early access of completeness or reliability subscription grants. This is either not important or not an issue for me. I appropriate others do care about these factors.

But is the UK these "free" PDFs would cost me 3 times the price.

Forgive me if I'm a little cheesed of to think that US subscribers get a better deal than I can.

If there were insurmountable reasons for this then I'd suck it up just like the old days, but I see other markets changing: managing to ship physical media around the globe and supply electronic copies as part of the package and wonder why Paizo don't. Especially when in most every other area they've been so progressive.


I've just started an AP subscription, which I intend to keep active for at least the duration of Shattered Star. The only other APs I've bought start to finish, I did purchase via an FLGS that unfortunately isn't so "F" any more - and sadly, it's the only one in the area that carries individual AP volumes.

I might save a buck or two buying locally over ordering direct from Paizo via AP Sub, but I don't believe in rewarding bad behavior. And getting the free PDFs as soon as my credit card is charged sure doesn't hurt. =]

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

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bullgod wrote:
... I see other markets changing: managing to ship physical media around the globe and supply electronic copies as part of the package and wonder why Paizo don't. Especially when in most every other area they've been so progressive.

But we do exactly that with our subscriptions—we ship physical media and supply electronic copies. Yes, the shipping cost is higher than you or I would like, but we don't have any control over that.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Bill Dunn wrote:

As other people are pointing out, do not knock the value of the free PDF with the subscription. It's an excellent inducement to keep subscribing to at least a couple of lines - the RPG, module, and AP lines (notice - the 3 lines I still subscribe to - I stopped subscribing to the campaign setting and Companion lines to give my wallet a break and support my FLGS for items I decide to get). I can copy and paste the stat blocks from these PDFs and modify them in my word processor very easily. I also use them to run games from my iPad.

So why not just buy the PDFs? I prefer to read physical books. So I do a lot of reading and reviewing from the printed books, running and copying prep from the PDFs. Having both is a fantastic combination for me.

I subscribe for much the same reason. I like physical books at the games. But when I prep during the week I find the search function of PDF's to be more useful. Also like you I copy and paste stat blocks, hand outs, etc and print them out as well.

With out the free PDF I wouldn't subscribe to anything but the AP line since I get a discount there.

Silver Crusade

OK, Paizo is making this harder than it actually is. I appreciate that big companies do not like to change. However....If you want to keep your local stores viable change is necessary.

I quilt as well as play in RPGs. I purchase a lot of quilt books, some of which have patterns that need to be printed out. What do they do? Each book is accompanied by one of two things.

Either a disk which has a code to be entered and verified online by the company, who then registers the user to that number so no one else can use it.

Or a verification number of purchase sealed in a non-see through tiny envelope that the purchaser goes on-line to the company's web site, enters the number into the purchase system. The company can charge the fee for the down-load or if they want to include it in the price of the book the fee is $0.

It is then registered to that purchaser and she has the ability to down load the book or patterns any time (since it is registered to her and put in her purchases file, she is the only one who can re-download with that number. There is no having to track what the store sells as it is pasted into the back of the book that is purchased.

Simple to create, simple to use. And, best of all, it keeps users and local stores happy! What is the big deal with keeping up with the electronic world?

Silver Crusade

OK, So I am a ditz. I didn't realize that Paizo had already changed the policy and allows you to purchase the pdf on line. Thank you for doing that. I did actually think you had to purchase the book on line to get the pdf. Again. Than you.


I commend the OP. I have found that many times gamers can be such leeches. They take and take and do not always contribute back to the LGS. Heck, sometimes they cannot even buy a drink or a candybar.

Once we formed a guild at the LGS. If people wanted to play they would be charged a minimal amount of money, I think like $3 each session. That money was collected to buy books and other materials like maps from the LGS.

Lantern Lodge Customer Service Manager

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RoseAngel wrote:

...I appreciate that big companies do not like to change. ....

Glad you figured out the PDF issue. I did just want to point out, Paizo is not a big company. We are actually a small business with about 40 employees.

Dark Archive

Sara Marie wrote:
RoseAngel wrote:

...I appreciate that big companies do not like to change. ....

Glad you figured out the PDF issue. I did just want to point out, Paizo is not a big company. We are actually a small business with about 40 employees.

Small but mighty...or is it Mythic now :)

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16

Vic Wertz wrote:
Free PDFs are the main perk—and, in some cases, the *only* perk—of several of our subscription lines; offering that to anybody else would thus diminish the value of the subscription.

Personally, I consider the main perk of subscribing to timing: getting it as soon as it's available.

If people purchase a book at a retail store, and were to get a free PDF with it, they're still getting it a month after I do. Which keeps me subscribing.

Shadow Lodge

So far I have only picked up one subscription, as I JUST started playing pathfinder. Having worked at a FLGS for over six years during college and after, I bought cases of cards online because it was so much cheaper (Even with employee discounts), however, I would buy all starters and make a point to run booster drafts for the store.

With this, I have not decided which books I will feel the need to MUST have every one of, but I LOVE the companions, as does my wife, so they were the first one I signed up for. Usually I buy a new set of dice for every character that I play (which has gotten out of hand and my wife won't let me anymore...with good reason), but now I make sure to make one small purchase each time I go to the shop and I always buy beer while we play (I love that the new FLGS has beer taps) and snacks while we play. I also always buy my gm a drink, as a thank you.

Honestly, snacks are the way to give them your money, they have a great mark-up. I'm just glad there are enough little side items involved with PF/PFS that I can snag.

Scarab Sages

Sara Marie wrote:
RoseAngel wrote:

...I appreciate that big companies do not like to change. ....

Glad you figured out the PDF issue. I did just want to point out, Paizo is not a big company. We are actually a small business with about 40 employees.

That's like someone ranting at Green Ronin that they're "the man"... *snerk*

It's easy for gamers to get an unrealistic idea of how big most tabletop game companies are.


Reading this thread has taught me a few things... I never knew the subscribers got a free PDF. I might have subscribed once upon a time if I'd known. I sorta wish I had a local game store, but I don't. Even when there's been one inside a 30 minute drive, they've rarely-if-ever hit the "friendly" bar, and typically around here they're dedicated far more to comics and cards or to wargaming, and there's basically no RPGs. I was shocked to see someone running 5e at a game store in a mall I worked at (an hour and a half away, unfortunately).

I typically buy from Paizo, and I'm looking into subscriptions for the Adventure Card Game. I don't play much if any pregen stuff, so the AP subscription is out, and after a few particular releases I'm too iffy of first printings to subscribe to the main PFRPG line. However.... I often find myself wishing I had a Pathfinder Player Companion, almost every time I click a feat on the PFSRD and it brings me to another Player Companion I don't have. I think this thread has won Paizo at least one new sub. Getting the PDFs free will make it so worth it for me.


Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Excellent answer for a question I wanted answered too.

However, since I'm on the "I want the free Starfinder subscriber PDF but I live in Europe"-train I was wondering is there any hope of getting a partner around here so every time my subscription ships I would not need to handle customs and pay toll fees for the books. It still is a bit cheaper to get them from you than to just buy a pdf here and book locally but I hate the (paperless) "paperwork" needed every time.

Scarab Sages

rixu wrote:

Excellent answer for a question I wanted answered too.

However, since I'm on the "I want the free Starfinder subscriber PDF but I live in Europe"-train I was wondering is there any hope of getting a partner around here so every time my subscription ships I would not need to handle customs and pay toll fees for the books. It still is a bit cheaper to get them from you than to just buy a pdf here and book locally but I hate the (paperless) "paperwork" needed every time.

You might be better off asking this in a new thread over in the Starfinder forums, since this is an old necro'd thread and Starfinder might have some different stuff going on with it.


rixu wrote:
However, since I'm on the "I want the free Starfinder subscriber PDF but I live in Europe"-train I was wondering is there any hope of getting a partner around here so every time my subscription ships I would not need to handle customs and pay toll fees for the books. It still is a bit cheaper to get them from you than to just buy a pdf here and book locally but I hate the (paperless) "paperwork" needed every time.

Back in the Dungeon and Dragon magazine days, Paizo had a European distributor, and they had so many issues, complaints, and delays related to it that they decided not to enter into such a business relationship again.

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