Anyone else think Hasbro's demand to remove all legal sources of PDFs for ALL versions of D&D is an attempt to squash old-school renaissance, the 3.x community, and others? If they really care about "pirating" of 4ed (which ain't that big a deal cause their business model is to sell mini's and online subscriptions, not books which aren't that nearly as profitable.) why did they shut down ALL previous versions? Also, if 4ed is so awesomelly better than anything that came before why the need to shut down ALL previous versions.
Just like the MPAA's and RIAA's whines about "piracy" this had nothing to do with copyright infringment or lost sales and everything to do with control. Hasbro doesn't want you to play the old versions cause they don't make Hasbro enough money.
Just like the MPAA and RIAA their pathetic thrashings only hurt their image, galvenize the community against them and are doomed to fail. Hasbro is even more screwed cause of the OGL and that it's hard to copyright mechanics.
Instead of making a product people wanted Hasbro created a product to maximize their profits and have been convincing gamers it's what they want (some do). Gamers are flocking to PathFinder, retro clones, and the like. We have all the rules, supplements, adventures we will ever need and in all styles/flavors we want. And if we run out or get bored with the monstrously huge hoard that has been produced over past 30 years, we can make more. We don't need Hasbro.
Keep playing, keep sharing.
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Meh. Somewhere down the line I'm sure it's about financial choices... but IMO the whole nerd-rage that gets tossed around about this is a tempest in a barbie's teacup. Part of me doubts that the old school renaissance is even big enough for the corporate entity of Hasbro to actually notice....
ReplyDeleteI don't know that there are hard numbers to support a claim of "Flocking" to anything, much less free retro clones. You can lay a claim to it with Pathfinder, but have to keep in mind a free Beta download isn't necessarily indicative of how many people will buy the game in the end. And retro clones? Maybe if you consider the blogging community as representative of the whole of gaming. But I don't, really, think it is.
I agree that their attempts at policing pirate pdfs will fail. And I agree that for the online community this is a particularly galvanizing sore spot... but there are plenty of people who don't care.
And BTW, something about your page is freaking out my FireFox and I had to load up IE to actually type this out.
It's true that the revenue gained/lost for pdfs for the prior editions were probably nothing more than rounding error on their balance sheet, but that's not the way to look at it. It didn't require a meeting of the board to kill the entire program, which was basically the brainchild of one former WotC employee who did the scans in the first place. It just takes he decision of one suit in middle management to say "We're about selling 4e; yank the licenses by the end of business today." If anyone even mentioned the goodwill of fans to him, I'm sure he just said people who buy those aren't our target market.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe that gamer are "flocking" to old school games; downloads are not a measurement. I've downloaded all the clones and pathfinder just to check them out, since they are free. I have no plans to ever play them or spend money on them, no offense to any who disagree.
ReplyDeleteI think the OSR is an online aberration, and hardly a blip on Hasbro's radar.
Now regarding piracy of PDFs, yes I agree WOTC's claim is BS. This was more likely a move to bring profits from digital distribution in house.
I'd be surprised if WotC or Hasbro gave a flying fuck about the "old-school renaissance", and I have never seen any convincing numbers to back up the wild-bearded idea that gamers are "flocking to pathfinder and retro-clones". Wanting something to be true does not make it so.
ReplyDeleteThe official pdf explanation is BS, of course. Pirated pdf's remain as ubiquitous and available as before, should you want such a thing. Taking down the licensing is about money and centralizing their online initiatives. Why allow others to sell something that you can sell yourself?
Are the many free old school modules still up on their site? Last I checked they were.
ReplyDeleteKilling old school, in my mind, would mean pulling those down too.
@Dar
ReplyDeleteI can't find them. Only thing listed under Classic Downloads is 2.x -> 3.x conversion manual
Still have 3.x FAQs up http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/faq and this http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archives
Ah, found'm http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads
So, good point! Maybe head doesn't know what hands are doing and/or their really gearing up to do their own digital distribution in house like Tom suggested. I'm sure given their track record with online endeavors that will be a winner.
Nice! Their idea of D&D "community" is their Gleemax forums and their staff blogs.
Regarding threat of alternatives to WotC D&D. Goodman Games, a huge publisher has released several old school products and is licensing DCC series for release as 1ed AD&D modules.
Fight On! being number 1 Lulu item in March. One of two old school print mags, how many does 4ed have? C&C is in it's 4th printing. Old ass titles Judges Guild, Arduin are being resurrected. Several other publishers commercially releasing old-school stuff. didn't one of the retro clones get in game store distribution deal.
In fact so much old-school commercialization going on it's depressing me (money == beginning of end as far as I'm concerned).
Green Ronin, previous publisher of metric tons of D&D stuff. Don't see a lot of 4ed from them. Instead I see a lot of highly praised alternatives True20, Songs of Fire and Ice, M&M with S&S adaption.
And Pazio, previous publisher of Dragon and Dungeon including hugely popular pathfinder adventures, creating a game under same name. Nah, I'm sure totally under Hasbro's radar.
Unless, Hasbro correct's course I predict 4ed will be viewed as the start of the end of WotC's dominance of the Fantasy RPG Industry.