Quote from: imaro;427914Not when you don't have a shred of evidence toback up just how popular or unpopular a tool is.

Sure we do. One, we have a decade of SRDs and their non-existent impact of book sales. Two, we have potential and current 4e publishers citing their inability to get their material into WotCs electronic tools as reason why publishing 4e has been a fruitless endeavor.

But, that aside, we all know how popular third-party materials are: not remotely as popular as official materials. Thus any character builder not made by Paizo, licensed or not, is only going to enjoy limited popularity. Moreover, the company in question charges per book. To add the latest book to your builder, you've got to play $9.95 or $14.95 - on top of apparently paying for the builder itself. Finally, it seems to me that electronic tools are the purview of WotC and 4e. As Paizo and its fans have built their identities around being different than WotC and 4e, I can only imagine there's some reluctance to tread that ground themselves...

Regarding SRDs, they've been around for a decade and aside from making saving third party publishers the work of having to re-type some rules, etc., haven't had an impact on the industry.

Consider, for example, Pathfinder. If the SRDs were really all that useful, who would buy a hard copy book? If people are willing spend money on a product they could have in another form for free, they clearly consider the expenditure to be worthwhile.

And SRDs aren't all that easy to use. Yes, you can use a Find function within the document, but that doesn't cross documents or provide you with any context.

Here's an example of a search I did on the Compendium:



As you can see, I get quite a bit of information back, across books and publications, and it's organized so I can understand the context of the entry before looking at it.

But you no doubt are a member of the Pathfinder forums. Why not post a couple of polls there. Ask folks if they've given up purchasing books in favor of just using the SRD and how many bought and use the character builder...

Quote from: imaro;427914So now you've changed your argument to rely on a subjective...

I have changed my argument, but not on the objective versus subjective axis. As I said, I didn't realize Paizo had such a complete, update SRD, thus I can't claim they don't offer information.

That claim has change to the information they offer being less useful than WotC's.

I've been thinking and I think the nature of 4e also plays an important part in people's acceptance of electronic tools versus books. I noticed by my third session of 4e that I was no longer referencing books. Everything I needed for my character was right in front of me. I no longer bring rulebooks with me to games, even the ones I run...

Quote from: imaro;427914One example I believe would be the rules for familiars...as well as those for skill powers...and are backgrounds in there now?

All in there. Where there others?

Seanchai

Quote from: RPGPundit;428083Oh, I agree. But the zinger was too good to pass up.

I figured as much - I just think the '15 minutes of fun' is a very destructive little canard and I like to remind the studio audience of that.

Quote from: Seanchai;428166One, we have a decade of SRDs and their non-existent impact of book sales.

Is this correlation or causation?

Quote from: ggroy;428174Is this correlation or causation?

Does it matter? If the latest - and probably last - SRD release hasn't changed the paradigm, is it going to change?

Seanchai

Quote from: Seanchai;428175Does it matter? If the latest - and probably last - SRD release hasn't changed the paradigm, is it going to change?

What's the causal sequence of events?

Quote from: Seanchai;428166One, we have a decade of SRDs and their non-existent impact of book sales.

Seanchai

Pssst, dumbfuck! That SRD has been used as the basis for hundreds of books by several companies that were produced and sold.

Your intellectual dishonesty is cutting off the blood to your brain.

Quote from: ggroy;428178What's the causal sequence of events?

There isn't one.

Seanchai