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View Full Version : WotC Might be Uploading PDF products to Drive-Thru RPG



Libertad
2013-01-21, 08:21 PM
Keyword: might. Look at the column on the right-hand side of the webpage. (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=44)

If you scroll over the product titles, they're described as "watermarked PDFs."

mistformsquirrl
2013-01-21, 09:28 PM
This intrigues me, but much will depend on price...

nedz
2013-01-21, 10:14 PM
Rules Compendium $12.99
Manual of the Planes $11.99
Well you can check the rest out for yourself.

Grinner
2013-01-21, 10:18 PM
The prices aren't bad, actually. Some of them you could get cheaper used, but they're quite fair altogether.

Initially, they backed out of PDF distribution over piracy concerns. Guess they're not wanting to leave the ebook market unexploited anymore.

Edit: The files seem to be their removed ones, but it also says that they were updated last week.

Yora
2013-01-22, 05:15 AM
Didn't the "piracy concerns" come up at about the same time as 4th Edition?

nedz
2013-01-22, 07:11 AM
Didn't the "piracy concerns" come up at about the same time as 4th Edition?

Yes but there was no connection — none whatsoever.

Yora
2013-01-22, 07:21 AM
In the same way as there is no connection between 4th Edition being dumped and pdfs comming back.

Somehow, it seems the people in charge have commited to the goal of recreating the situation that was before the launch of 4th Edition. On the website they even list the 3.5e core books to be re-released.

JediSoth
2013-01-22, 07:48 AM
D&D Classics (http://www.dndclassics.com) went live today.

In case you don't know, it's where WotC is selling PDFs again. It's an DriveThruRPG/RPGNow affiliate, so you can use the same login information. There's PDFs available from AD&D, AD&D 2nd edition, D&D 3.X, and D&D 4E, including stuff from Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Eberron, Forgotten Realms, and Planescape. I expect they'll be adding more content in the coming weeks.

nedz
2013-01-22, 08:32 AM
In the same way as there is no connection between 4th Edition being dumped and pdfs coming back.
Yes, Exactly!

It's a case of maximising revenue, which is good business sense — their plans to take over the world having been foiled.


D&D Classics (http://www.dndclassics.com) went live today.

In case you don't know, it's where WotC is selling PDFs again. It's an DriveThruRPG/RPGNow affiliate, so you can use the same login information. There's PDFs available from AD&D, AD&D 2nd edition, D&D 3.X, and D&D 4E, including stuff from Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Eberron, Forgotten Realms, and Planescape. I expect they'll be adding more content in the coming weeks.

The banner has a ribbon which states "Every Edition Available Again" — so I guess we'll have it all available again soon.

Yora
2013-01-22, 08:41 AM
As of now, there are only 42 pdfs listed. Probably still in the progress of uploading everything. But old reviews are still retained with those that are listed.

Edit: Now it's 86, they seem to be working on it right now.

The pdfs are also available on the regular RPGNow site.

obryn
2013-01-22, 09:14 AM
Didn't the "piracy concerns" come up at about the same time as 4th Edition?
About a year after its release, actually. It was after the PHB2, when WotC actually sued a few uploaders.

-O

Yora
2013-01-22, 09:31 AM
If they only stopped selling 4th Edition pdfs it would have made some kind of sense. But with 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Edition out of print, that's rather doubious.
And also, there needs to be only a single copy to enter illegal circulation and those show up anyway, if there are legally sold ones or not. Not selling the pdfs should have zero effect on preventing piracy.
Though it could be argued that not making pdfs legally available would increase the "demand" for illegal ones.

But it seems they finally got over that and we're back to normal.

nedz
2013-01-22, 10:06 AM
I wonder if Crystal Keep will be allowed back online — no sign as yet ?
Oh, and we all know about the mirror.

obryn
2013-01-22, 10:38 AM
If they only stopped selling 4th Edition pdfs it would have made some kind of sense. But with 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Edition out of print, that's rather doubious.
Then you have never had the misfortune of working for management who overreact and/or don't think things through while trying to please the person above them.

I don't think the logic is too hard to follow ... if you assume you know next to nothing about the workings behind those the magical tubes that run between your Packard-Bell and AOL. "Pull all new PDFs" seems like you're leaving all the old ones out to be further pirated.

Ignorance and incompetence are a lot more believable than some sort of malign conspiracy.

-O

Beleriphon
2013-01-23, 10:52 AM
Ignorance and incompetence are a lot more believable than some sort of malign conspiracy.

-O

Especially when that ignorance and incompetence is being run by Hasbro.

Hopeless
2013-01-23, 12:15 PM
Much obliged there's more than a couple of these I'd love to pick up admittedly for a Mongoose Legend game but thats not going to stop me considering picking up the basic d&d book!:smallredface:

I hope my players haven't noticed well okay maybe they won't know which ones I plan on using!:smallwink: