WOTC is requesting scans of classic material that they are not yet offering for sale. Holmes Basic appears to be on the list (as "1001 Basic Set"). The process seems off, however, as there doesn't seem to be a way to ensure that someone else is not also making a scan of the same item.
http://support.dmsguild.com/hc/en-us/articles/216504408
Scanner gets $50, and WOTC sells them for, what, $9.99 each? Something is wrong here.
ReplyDeleteA scanner darkly.
ReplyDeleteAnd also the bonus of: Chop up your book for us. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Holmes itself, there already exist at least two fairly good quality scans of a couple of printings. Hopefully someone will send these. After all, if WotC can't scan them themselves....at LEAST they could perhaps 'clean them up' enough to release them. Right? They can't be SO lazy as to not at least do that? Right? Right?!? RIGHT?!?!??!?
ReplyDeleteJust playing devil's advocate, but how much do people think WOTC should be paying for this service?
ReplyDeleteI can see the sense of it for the more obscure material where they might not be sure of the sales, but a lot of the stuff on that list will surely pay for itself very quickly even if professionally scanned. Holmes? I'm certain they would sell more than 5 copies in the first day ...
ReplyDeleteTo get the Holmes pdf out I would gladly chop up an extra 3rd edition print I have and do the scanning for free if I could insure that (1) no one else was also doing the work, and (2) my flatbed scanner would be sufficient (I don't have a feed-in scanner).
ReplyDeleteI just inventoried my rulebooks. The 3rd edition print I was thinking of has coloring in some of the pages so that won't work.
ReplyDeleteEric Norred WOTC themselves used to sell the Holmes pdf. I wonder if someone could submit their own pdf back to them. : )
ReplyDelete(It may not be of high enough quality).
Gordon Cooper If WOTC and DriveThruRPG are going to earn ongoing profits from the scanned item, then the reward should be ongoing, even if it's something relatively small. $50 - $100 flat plus a couple of free PDFs a year? It's the thought that counts. But hey, that's just one guy's opinion.
ReplyDelete