Games Workshop going digital

[Raider4]

Is there a re-sell value? If I have a book, I can re-sell it if I decide I don't need it anymore. Can I do this with an e-book?

Is there an option to print out some or all of it?

A minor pain I have with nearly all rulebooks (not just GW) is that at the table I just need the rules for the game, and the rules for whichever army I'm using. Don't need painting or modelling guides. Don't need the 'fluff'. Don't need the army selectors for the other forty eight factions available. This is true whether it's a paper book or on a tablet.

That's why I'm looking forward to Coldwar Commander becoming available as a PDF - hopefilly I can print out the rules section and bind that up nicely, and then print out the army list & rules just for the ones I'm using at the time.

I don't (yet) have a tablet of any description, but I would also worry about using it in a 'normal' gaming environment. Spilt tea, coffee, cola or alcohol will presumably not do one much good . . .  ?

Cheers, Martyn
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[i_am_win]

Is there a re-sell value? If I have a book, I can re-sell it if I decide I don't need it anymore. Can I do this with an e-book?

Is there an option to print out some or all of it?

A minor pain I have with nearly all rulebooks (not just GW) is that at the table I just need the rules for the game, and the rules for whichever army I'm using. Don't need painting or modelling guides. Don't need the 'fluff'. Don't need the army selectors for the other forty eight factions available. This is true whether it's a paper book or on a tablet.

That's why I'm looking forward to Coldwar Commander becoming available as a PDF - hopefilly I can print out the rules section and bind that up nicely, and then print out the army list & rules just for the ones I'm using at the time.

I don't (yet) have a tablet of any description, but I would also worry about using it in a 'normal' gaming environment. Spilt tea, coffee, cola or alcohol will presumably not do one much good . . .  ?

Cheers, Martyn
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To resell an ebook,you need the resale rights for it,it can be duplicated if its a PDF or similar, then you can literally make thousands of them, and I dont reckon GW (or any other company who has spent time producing any rules on file) would be too pleased 
I imagine they would probably give permission to print out a copy as you hold some ownership of the print to some degree, but only for personal use only. You can hold back up copies of the file/disk/book etc as long as you own a copy legally.
Selling the program/file might not be allowed either unless you had a hard copy (on an original disk) but if you had any copies of it stored or printed you would no longer have the rights to own a personal back up or any copies.

I think it something pretty much like that, usually pdfs say somewhere in them what you can or can't do, but GW are A-holes and would get their legal guys onto anyone who might be seen ng thier stuff..

[Rubicon]

I'm just surprised that the Evil Empire haven't released a themed tablet of their own and charged the gullible throng , sorry customer, an inflated price for that too....

[Techno]

It'll be on the way....
Cheers - Phil.

[nikharwood]

...moulded in resin & called a Fine-Pad no doubt 

[goat major]

I can tell you, the spikes on that Chaos iPad hurt like buggery when you accidentally sit on it

[Luddite]

...moulded in resin & called a Fine-Pad no doubt 

Released with Liquid Greenpad to patch it up and make it function.

[Nosher]

Question:

If GW go completely online/virtual, what will all those spotty, unhygenic, pre-pubescent store staff go onto do?

[Luddite]

Apple store Geniuses?

[robert]

As Henry Hyde has pointed out in his blogs - no-one HAS to buy this stuff - please don't complain about scam prices or rip-offs - they are upfront about it.

They cannot force you to buy them and GW do research markets rather well.

If someone wants to pay that kind of money for ebooks - let them - it's a free country - for sellers as well as buyers.

[Luddite]

As Henry Hyde has pointed out in his blogs - no-one HAS to buy this stuff - please don't complain about scam prices or rip-offs - they are upfront about it.

They cannot force you to buy them and GW do research markets rather well.

If someone wants to pay that kind of money for ebooks - let them - it's a free country - for sellers as well as buyers.

That's all well and good except that the vast majority of GWs 'customers' are actually parents buying for their kids.  I've stopped buying GWs overpriced plastic (now failcast) years ago, except bargains on ebay.  I doubt a parent subject ot pester power has that option.

As for GWs 'market research' i seem to remember reading an article a while ago which said that GW considers that it is competing with the like sof Playstation and Xbox rather than other tabletop games manufacturers and so it pitches its 'buy in' costs along the line sof a console + starter games, and its add ons at '1 video game' prices.  That makes sense why they price a box of 5 figures at £40 i suppose.

Why do we all get upset and rag on GW though, since as you say Robert, we're not forced to buy this stuff?

I think its because older gamers look at GW, and look at what else is available and KNOW the kids who buy GW are getting ripped off (and £20 for 1 'resin' 28mm figure is pretty much the dictionary definition of that).  Personally i don't like to see anyone get ripped off...

[lentulus]

if you have a look around at what the RPG world are doing with digital media - and the price they're doing it at -

Do you have some examples?  I think miniatures gamers are not yet looking properly at what can be done with these tools yet; I'm curious about what others are up to.

[Raider4]

Do you have some examples?  I think miniatures gamers are not yet looking properly at what can be done with these tools yet; I'm curious about what others are up to.

Well, I don't know about the RPG world, but certainly the publishers of the Blitzkrieg/Coldwar/Futurewar Commander series have just released PDF's of their rulebooks at £12, compared to £20 for the print version.

Cheers, Martyn
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[i_am_win]

As Henry Hyde has pointed out in his blogs - no-one HAS to buy this stuff - please don't complain about scam prices or rip-offs - they are upfront about it.

They cannot force you to buy them and GW do research markets rather well.

If someone wants to pay that kind of money for ebooks - let them - it's a free country - for sellers as well as buyers.

Hey don't get me wrong, I grew up with GW stuff, I still play thier stuff with my kids and my mates, but the GW of today are a different beast of the GW I was used to moons ago.
My eldest agrees that the prices are not right and prefers other companies over them due to his monthly mini's budget (thank god, or I would be totally skint) but still he buys the odd bit here and there. We find ebay is a better and cheaper alternative to getting GW stuff from them rather than going into one of thier stores.
This overpricing of Ebooks is a step too far, I mean given that once the application has been developed (and I don't doubt that it takes some talented people to create such a digital publication) they will be able to churn copies out digitally either the cost of the disk its on , or for nothing if its a download or app etc. I wouldn't be so against it if they were not so over the top for the $$$$, but thats what they are about now, cash is king. Its a shame the new gen can't see it.
Also as a consumer of GW products (and a loyal one, once) I feel I do have a right to moan about prices, being that like I said, we play quite a few GW games. Yes I feel they are ripping people off left right and centre, lets face it there is a global recession on, some people I know are totally broke from day to day. GW seem to think that its a good idea to raise prices sky high so that as luddite said, it hammers parents who ultimately have to pay for the privilage lining GW fat cats pockets.
You see its not a case of you dont have to buy cos no ones forcing you because for some parents, yes someone is forcing you (kids do that) or even you dont have to buy coz its so expensive and you cant afford it. GW can be upfront about the price of stuff because they have legions of gribbly fan boys willing to sell a kidney for the latest "thing" they are marketing and selling, not because they have excellent marketing. The fact is IMHO is that they are just marketing to the vast amounts of young uns' that know nothing other than GW, somehow I can't see the general public being asked if the stuff is pricey or not, or if anyone really needs what they make.
They seem to think that historical is a no go (since discontinuing the warhammer historical range, which I'm getting into at the mo, which is much more like the old GW I would say) but did they ask the hordes of historical wargamers I see from convention to convention, probably not, as other companies do a better job at serving them than them, and at a better and more reasonable price too.
Lots of people complain about GW, thats because there is something just plain wrong and GW is nothing more now than a souless corporate machine that has lost its heart.

[Raider4]

As Henry Hyde has pointed out in his blogs - no-one HAS to buy this stuff - please don't complain about scam prices or rip-offs - they are upfront about it.

They cannot force you to buy them and GW do research markets rather well.

If someone wants to pay that kind of money for ebooks - let them - it's a free country - for sellers as well as buyers.

So . . . . because it's not an absolute neccessity, no one's allowed to voice an opinion about it?

Excuse me while I don't subscribe to that philosophy.

Cheers, Martyn
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