T20 News
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hunter
Ancient - Absent Friend
Overall, we make more on the PDF vs. normal distribution. There are no printing costs involved which saves a ton, and because they are sold directly by us we don't have the distribution costs either. Our costs for the PDF are writing, artwork, layout, and online bandwidth.
Honestly the PDF version is an experiment. I don't think any other major publisher has tried releasing a full copy of their rules via PDF. I don't expect the PDF version to outsell the print version, but we hope it will serve as a nice supplemental income. The biggest risk of course is that an unscrupulous person might make it available via Usenet or a pirate website. Of course, this will likely happen anyway so we decided to give it a try.
Hunter
Simon Jester
SOC-12
You're _THAT_ excited about the T20 book, eh?
Well, I guess that's one way to gain inspiration.Simon Jester
(gd&r)
bozzutoman
SOC-12
You never know....
Hunter[/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]Yes that's true and it's part of the problem. I have no real interest in buying deadtree reprints of the old materials (well, I might get the volume with TTB & TTA if it's in hardcover) but I would love to see all of the older versions available in PDF. But there isn't any indication if something like that might ever be available or not.
If the T20 pdf is an toe in the water, great. But it would be nice to have a better idea of future plans.
The other issue is that even within Acrobat there are significant differences in the versions that are available for different systems. I am hoping that you will seriously consider using no features that require anything newer than version 3. I have several places I would want to be able to use my copy that can't do more than that.
Thanks,
William
Simon Jester
SOC-12
Whenever you're up for it.
Simon Jester
(Bad Simon, no more powdered sugar donuts with Jolt cola shooters for you.)
RabidVargr
SOC-13
Allright, allright, I'll buy the freakin book you dirty cat! Ya wore me down. Where do you want the reviews posted when I get them written?
RV
RabidVargr
SOC-13
Oh yeah, and speakin of the price:
1) How many of you play video games?
2) How much do you spend per video game?
3) How long does that game last after you
beat it? (Replay value)
(Doesn't count you software pirates out there)
4) How often do you know 90% sure the game has
no or few bugs and that it plays like you
think it will?
$36.00 is 8 bucks cheaper than most new computer games and a hardback book allowing you to design adventure after adventure (i.e. replay value) keeps the value up there. Plus it's easier to convert dungeon crawlers into planet destroying fiends when it's close to a gaming system they know.
RV
1) How many of you play video games?
2) How much do you spend per video game?
3) How long does that game last after you
beat it? (Replay value)
(Doesn't count you software pirates out there)
4) How often do you know 90% sure the game has
no or few bugs and that it plays like you
think it will?
$36.00 is 8 bucks cheaper than most new computer games and a hardback book allowing you to design adventure after adventure (i.e. replay value) keeps the value up there. Plus it's easier to convert dungeon crawlers into planet destroying fiends when it's close to a gaming system they know.
RV
RabidVargr
SOC-13
(oh yeah, psssssst! Hunter! Is the check in the mail?)
RV
RV
Having RUN T20, it is as much a workhorse as MT; MT is still my favorite, but now I'll be integrating some bits of T20. Plenty of background material, too.
The split, which was almost settled on by Hunter (Thank you for changing your mind!) would have nutted the books either way it was split.
And I picked up 5th Ed Hero System $44.95, HUGE. Just like HS5E, T20 will be more playability right off the shelf than prior editions. (Really, you don't NEED the 3E rulebook if you know how to generate a 3E character.) And it provides good stuff which can augment Dragonstar, Fading Suns, or other Sci-Fantasy games, too. And even a few to pull for my 3E games.
As a GM, I found it easy to run, and suffering only from a few trivial issues, issues which were not corrected solely for D20 system compatability.
Oh, yeah, MT was mere pennies less expensive for less complete rules (assuming you didn't buy the box), 3 "Core books" at 14.95, and the second half off the GM's book (The Referee's companion) at another 14.95...
ProtoTraveller
SOC-5
As one of those people who are balking at the price (more so over the value than over the amount), I can answer your qquestions quite easily.
Since my answer to the first question is No, the rest do not really matter. I've never been a big video/computer game player, so I could not use that as a valid comparison.
My major concern regarding the cost of the game is what sort of value am I getting for my purchase. What makes this version so much better than what I am playing now (CT) that I would want to go out and buy it? The main thing that might interest me is more setting information, but is that a major part of the book, or is most of it involving game mechanics that I may or may not be interested in? If I knew these answers, perhaps I might buy it. I guess I will have to see it first and pay the higher price before deciding.
