Selling RPG Books (and Books in a Series)

Here in the Philippines, RPG books like Dungeons & Dragons have baffled bookstores (and even some comic and gaming shops). Even as a gamer myself, I have problems pinning down exactly what category RPGs should fall under. Are they fiction? Well, some parts of an RPG book might have fiction but by no means is there a huge narrative, just excerpts. Is it nonfiction? Well, depends on your expectations. If you expect RPG books to be accurately historical based on the real world, they’re not. But they do have histories and geographical notes of fictional worlds. In many ways, they’re also meta as they address the reader and often distinguish between the real world and its make-believe setting.

Now for most bookstores and retailers, books are units that need to be moved. The only distinction they’ll make between The Da Vinci Code and Neuromancer is that the former sells more (in the Philippines) in comparison to the latter and attempt to acquire books more like the former in hopes of moving stock. Which isn’t necessarily wrong mind you but can become finicky when it comes to novels that are serials or part of a series.

When I mention books that are serials or part of a series, I’m really talking about two kinds of books. One are stand-alone books. Harry Potter is an example of one. It has seven books in the series yet I can honestly read any book in any order (although of course to maximize understand and enjoyment, you read them in a specific order) nor do I need to have read the previous book in order to grasp the current story. In this case, whether the bookstore stocks book one or book seven of the series doesn’t really matter—as far as the bookstore is concerned, they think it’ll sell. If you see bookstores stocking the entire series of Harry Potter, I don’t think (but obviously this is a presumption as I am not privy to any bookstore’s strategies) it’s because they think readers will be baffled if you read book seven without reading book one but rather because they can sell you books one to seven instead of just a single book. In many ways, books in a series can be simpler than say, a stand-alone novel like The Da Vinci code because it has a built-in system as to what are other “similar” books.

Of course the series system of books isn’t perfect. Trips to the local bookstore show that every SF&F section has a Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance section. Now as much as literary fans might bash those two derivative series’, the fact of the matter is that those kinds of books sell. Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance are really popular, at least to the mainstream SF&F crowd. The mistake of bookstores however is that while they know the series is popular, they don’t know which specific books in the series are popular. Because as much as there’s good, fun novels in those series, there’s also a ton of mediocre and bad ones. I’d also like to point out that the number of books in both series is almost approaching two hundred. I can probably say that a reading fan’s preference will probably be only an eighth of that number and that’s a kind estimate. To be fair, that observation is a generalization on my part. I’ve seen National Bookstore blindly acquire Dragonlance titles that are horrible and didn’t stock any of the good ones. On the other hand, I’ve seen what I presume to be is the manager of A Different Bookstore in Eastwood give a prospective customer an entire lecture on R.A. Salvatore’s Forgotten Realms novels so there are exceptions to the norm. (And I think it’s the independent bookstores who’ve managed to distinguish between their customer’s tastes, something that will eventually be lost in bigger bookstore chains unless they have a diligent book buyer or passionate customer service department.)

The other type of series is those that hinge upon books that have preceded and succeeded it. Basically, it’s the novels that leave you hanging. A couple of “recommended reading” in SF&F are these kinds of books and it’s not immediately obvious that these books have sequels. At least that was what I felt when I read Neuromancer and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. It made me wonder whether I was just stupid (a fact) or if there was something I just missed (apparently, I missed out that “hey, I have sequels and you need to read them”). Epic fantasy is also symptomatic of this. I think book one of the Wheel of Time could stand well on its own but not so for the rest of the books. Either that or it simply has a weird, non-traditional pacing. In other words, these books not only lack a satisfying ending if read independently but they also don’t have a cohesive beginning. The best way to read Lord of the Rings for example is by going through Fellowship of the Ring first followed by The Two Towers and finally Return of the King. Anything else will leave you bored or flabbergasted. So common sense would dictate that bookstores should stock the entire series, not just one book in the series arbitrarily (and not even the first book at that). But I’ve seen it happen—The Two Towers gets stocked at National Bookstore with none of its two companions in sight. Return of the King only shows up six months later and by then, The Two Towers is gone. Or how many times have you visited the bookstore hoping to get into a new series such as The Song of Ice and Fire only to find out that book one is missing? Thankfully these days, bookstores are slightly smarter about it (the movies help, not just in encouraging them to stock the books but to actually research on them; I also think healthy competition is another factor) but that’s not always case. And the fact of the matter is, they don’t need to be—such a method will still sell. I’ve heard stories of bibliophiles buying The Two Towers anyway even if the bookstore isn’t stocking Fellowship of the Ring. They’ll either wait for it to pop up some place else or borrow from a friend or library. And in many ways, that’s what’s fun about book shopping here in this country—they’re hard to collect and it gives you a sense of accomplishment when you’ve actually accomplished it, especially when you’re ransacking different bookstores or buying them pre-owned. My Thomas Covenant books were independent purchases at Book Sale over the course of a few months but hey, I got the series didn’t I? Bibliophiles aren’t always interested in just the literature, sometimes they answer a natural human impulse: the art of collecting (which is evident not just in stamp collecting but in fetishes or more addictive pastimes such as trading cards and Collectible Card Games). The other, less-benevolent reason is that sometimes, people buy them simply because they’re there and no alternative is in sight. I remember back before independent bookstores started popping up, I ended up owning five dozen Dragonlance books simply because those were the only fantasy material being stocked in the bookstore and I was desperate for fantasy reading.

Now let me return to RPG books: neither method will really satisfy RPG book buyers. I’ve seen National Bookstore stock a D&D adventure and that’s the only D&D book they had. Obviously, it won’t sell because that adventure book doesn’t have the rules on how to run the game. For that, you need The Player’s Handbook, The Dungeon Master’s Guide, and The Monster’s Manual. The first teaches players how to play the game while the latter two are for game masters, the people who run the game (they pretty much act like the computer, giving the game its narrative and form and challenge). The publisher, Wizards of the Coast, knows this. In fact, these three books are their best-selling merchandise. Yet they continue to release supplements month after month. What most bookstores and retailers don’t realize is that these supplements and adventures aren’t just there to sell, they’re there to plug the three books needed to play the game. I buy almost every D&D supplement that comes out but I’m the exception rather than the norm. Most people will selectively buy supplements. The only consistent books they bought are the three I mentioned. And that’s the heart of the problem I think. Bookstores are working on a different paradigm. They think that by stocking the latest supplements, they’ll sell D&D books when that’s not really the case. The supplements are there to drive up the sales of the big three but unfortunately, the big three aren’t always being stocked.

When it comes to RPG books, I think the paradigm that they should be operating is more like a console system and games. Console systems are game machines like the X-Box 360, the Sony Playstation 3, and the Nintendo Wii. When a third party game publisher produces a game, their maximum quantity will be the number of units sold of the console system. Nintendo for example won’t be selling 1 million units of the game Wii Sports if they only sold half as many Nintendo Wii’s. Wii Sports at best should stock as many Nintendo Wii’s sold (thankfully for the company, the latter is a really, really high number). I'm not saying that's a hard and fast rule but it's really no surprise that one of the reasons Atari eventually crashed in the 80's was because it produced more games than consoles sold. D&D books operate on a similar level: you won’t sell more supplements than the number of Player’s Handbook you’ve sold for example. And that fact is an entirely different business paradigm, at least one that most bookstores aren't used to.

Why People Game at Your Table

I'll make this brief and short. I love game systems. I love fictional settings. But at the end of the day, I think gaming groups game together not because their GM is the best storyteller in the world, or because they're playing a kick-ass game system, or because they're using a popular setting, but because they're friends and buddies and colleagues. I've gamed with non-friends and they eventually became friends but there's no compelling reason to come back and game with them once the campaign is over (assuming you actually have gaming options). I've seen games where it's been run by a whacked-out GM, a sub-optimal game system, and players ignorant of the rules but they're having fun. That I think is what's most important and they're having fun not necessarily because of the strengths of the GM or of the game system or even the ambiance but rather because they're all friends and gaming is one of the best ways to bond.

World Building

The concept of world building usually comes into play in science-fiction and fantasy because well, most world building in realist stories are based on the real world (that's not to say realist writers don't have to do some world building... they do, they just don't have to describe what an automobile is when they mention it in their stories for example). Of course having said that, I think as a reader, I don't want to see world building in novels. I'm there for the stories after all.

Now let me clarify that statement. When I say I don't want to see world building in stories, I don't mean there's no world building at all. What that simply means is that the world building happens in the background, not shoved down our throats. For example, Lord of the Rings has world building but it takes place as part of the story. The same goes for the Belgariad and the Mallorean. The Silmarillion and the Rivan Codex, on the other hand, are books about the world (and in the case of the latter, more or less the series's bible). They don't make interesting reading in themselves, unless you're a fan of their respective series. I don't think anyone would enjoy reading Rivan Codex for example without reading the Belgariad first (of course like all things, there will be exceptions). As a writer however, I'm curious about these kinds of stuff, but at the end of the day, world building isn't something I'd give to a typical reader (even a genre reader). The most world-building I've read in an actual novel is probably the first chapter in The Stars My Destination. The rest of the book quickly shifts to the actual narrative after that, however, so I'm okay with it.

Now RPG books, on the other hand, are different. There are basically two reasons why people buy RPG books: they either buy it for the game system, or they buy it for the world building. I mean I used to have the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting at home and currently the Eberron Campaign Setting and a good chunk of the books are about histories and geographical descriptions and cultures of fictitious worlds. When I bought those books, I knew this was what I was buying. And while I derive pleasure from reading these fictional facts, it's only because I know they're a means to an end and that I'll subvert them for my own narrative or campaign. The closest thing I have to a narrative in those books are the histories but everything else, I'm thinking "how do I use this in my game?" and it's because of those kinds of thoughts that I find them interesting and useful.

At the end of the day, it's about finding the right tool for the right job. World building in fiction? Not so much. World building in gaming? Bring it on!

Keeping Track of Your Spells

If you've ever tried playing a spellcaster in D&D, it's a lot of bookkeeping. It really tempts you to computerize everything and stick with MMORPGs, at least when it comes to spellcasting (when you're a Fighter, nothing beats rolling that d20!). So, how do we solve that problem?

Well, honestly, short of creating a computer program for yourself (and somehow lug around your laptop with you to your games), there is no "perfect" solution. But there are some not-so-perfect options available to you. Some I remember reading from various message boards and some I came up with myself (although I wouldn't be surprised if some people came up with the same solution). So here they are, ready to be pirated for your game.

Psionics:

Psionic magic is perhaps the easiest of the magic systems since it uses numbers to keep track of your power points. For a high level game, just keep a piece of paper ready and you can jot down how many power points you've expended: 3 pp the first round, 5 pp the second, another 5 the third, etc. Unfortunately, you'll also have to do some mental math adding up all those power points. Another less bookkeeping method is to give yourself counters or chips or tokens. At the start of the day, give yourself an amount of counters equal to your power points. And then when you spend them, discard them into a pool. When you rest, get your tokens back again from the pool. This works for low-level games but not so good at high level ones, especially when your power points rise to three digits (alternatively, at that point, you can probably use Monopoly play money).

Vancian Magic:

Paladins and Rangers don't have much spells to keep track of but that's not the case with Clerics, Druids, and Wizards. So how do you keep track of your spells? Well, one solution is to write them on cards, index cards, or use your spare CCG cards as proxy cards for them. Then your spells memorized per day is easily the cards in your hand and then discard them when you've spent them (as suggested from Book of Nine Swords: Tome of Battle for Maneuvers). This is good for low- to mid-level games but can be problematic at high levels. I mean at level 20, without accounting for bonus spells, a Wizard has 40 spells per day! 40 cards in your hand isn't a hand, it's a deck!

Spontaneous Spellcasters:

Bards and Sorcerers are easier to take care of compared to to Clerics, Druids, and Wizards. Personally, I just list their spells known and write down a number beside the appropriate spell-level. If you want to shy away from the pencil, one method you can use is to gather different colored counters or chips or tokens (or even spare change). Red chips could represent your 0-level spells, green chips your 1st-level spells, etc. Just keep stock of your chips and throw them into a pool once you've expended them. The only problem here is that you need to remember which color goes with which spell level and at high level games, you need ten different-colored chips. Well, for the latter, you can mix and match your chips with tokens. For example, a red chip might represent 0-level spells while a red token represent 5th-level spells. If you're not so color-coordinated, spare change might be your best answer: the lower the denomination, the lower the spell level. Or Monopoly play money again is a good solution but poker chips and game tokens has always had better appeal than paper.

Sleeping Pill

I just got Monster Manual V, fresh from the stocks of Comic Quest. It's beautiful and gorgeous but my one complaint with D&D books in general is that for some strange reason, I get sleepy reading them. More so when reading books like Spell Compedium and Magic Item Compedium. As much as I love crunch, those books have that text book feel. I don't know if I'm using my brain too much (too much cheesing!) or books without a story are simply dull, making me fall asleep.

Dungeon Tiles!

While Neutral Grounds started stocking D&D books again, they didn't get everything (no Complete Champion but there was Drow of the Underdark for example). One find at A Different Bookstore's Serendra branch was Dungeon Tiles, although someone should seriously talk to them about which items to get and not get. I mean aside from Dungeon Tiles, the only other D&D product they had was Dungeon Master's Guide II and while I appreciate the bookstore stocking D&D books, in my opinion they've been stocking the wrong D&D books. Just like the first and only time National Bookstore stocked D&D gaming books was the adventure Speaker in Dreams (no PHB, DMG, or MM).

Anyway, so I got to use them last weekend, although I didn't really use any elaborate terrain. Still, they were quite fun and sturdy, and complemented the miniatures well. It's easily one of those products that you want to buy a lot of (since you could always use more tiles), and surprisingly they still worked even without lines. Previously, I was using the D&D Miniatures maps and tiles and while they were good, didn't give me as much flexibility.

Shaping A Different Bookstore's Book Buying Habits

I had this "wonderful" essay about book buying, but I'm still waiting for Tin to publish it, so right now, all you need to know is that book buyers determine what books bookstores order and in what quantities, and isn't far off from what a comic book retailer does when he or she isn't manning the counter.

For big bookstore chains like National Bookstore or Fully Booked, it was highly unlikely that regular customers could influence what books they stocked. Sure, you could place orders on specific books, but when that book actually arrives, you're the only one who receives a copy of that book.

My experience with A Different Bookstore was different. At the time, I was making good use of their book ordering system. Ordering books from A Different Bookstore isn't any more expensive than ordering books from, say, Powerbooks, but what I liked about it is that the books arrived faster. It averages out to waiting for a month for regular books to arrive (more if it's a "rare" or hard-to-find book) but there was a time when a book order arrived in just two weeks. (Of course knowing when their new stocks arrived also helped me "place my order" at the optimum time frame.)

Because I had similar tastes when it came to the kind of books they ordered (i.e. the fantasy/sci-fi genre), it shouldn't be surprising that they were learning from me as I was benefiting from them. Some of the books I ordered made it to their shelves instead of simply the lone copy of the book I ordered. An example I think was Jeffrey Ford's The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories. Now I'm a big Jeffrey Ford fan but his books aren't exactly mainstream. In the five years since I last read about him, there are only two other bookstores that stocked his books in at least one point in time, and they're both independent bookstores (Aeon Books and Booktopia). So when I ordered two copies of the book, A Different Bookstore didn't just order two copies. I saw around three other copies at their Glorietta branch and at least one more in their Podium branch. (And thankfully, all those copies sold out.) It's always possible that they ordered it out of their own volition, but I find it coincidental for them to stock a non-mainstream title (especially when their fantasy selection comprised of authors like Margaret Weis, Raymond E. Feist, Robert Jordan) at the same time my order arrived.

This was all possible, however, because A Different Bookstore back then was operating as an independent bookstore (albeit one with bookstore chain book-buying habits--what you see in one bookstore, you'll see in another branch).

Of course being an independent bookstore similarly allows you to take a risk and learn. When it comes to D&D RPG booksfor example, I don't think anyone (not even the gaming shops) really mastered the optimum way to place orders until it was too late. Simply put, bookstore book buyers don't know which RPG books to order and in what quantities. Of course of all the bookstores, I think A Different Bookstore fared best (especially when they stuck to the formula of ordering The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster's Manual instead of the other supplements or -gasp- adventures). It's only when they drifted from this formula that things started to fall apart and books like Shining South, a $30 hardcover, ended up selling for $2 at the book fair.

Freeing Up Some Space

More than a month ago, I found a nearby shop that was disposing of its old AD&D stock. Books were going for around $1.20 (it's amazing how the peso appreciates in the span of one month) and here's a picture to give you a visual image of much of the stuff was there:

Anyway, long story short, found three interested parties at EnWorld who wanted some of the stuff, and one guy who wanted everything. As cheaply as they were selling the stuff, I don't have the money (or the actual strength to carry them) to purchase everything. So I settled for the three parties who wanted the books and brought nearly a hundred modules home.

Anyway, two of the interested parties finally got their books. I'm still waiting word from the third. It's just a relief though to get the books out of the room. These were modules that were more than a decade old. And while shrink wraps protects the modules from getting dirty, it doesn't prevent dust clinging to my room.

Oh, and carrying books that's half my body weight (me being underweight doesn't help) isn't good for the body, even if they're just paper.

In Gaming News

Over the 3-day weekend, I went out in search of a Player's Handbook 3.5. No such luck however, unless you're counting the leather bound collector's edition (uh, sorry, that's way out of my budget... might as well buy myself a Nintendo Wii at that point). The best I could come up with was a Player's Handbook 3.0.

Anyway, what I found interesting was that Neutral Grounds, "distributor" of all things Wizards of the Coast here in the Philippines, lowered their exchange rate for RPG products. Right now a $30.00 book costs P1,500.00 instead of their previous P1,800.00 cover price. It was also surprising to see Magic Item Compedium on the rack, but alas, I already have two of those.

Focusing more on the international scene, Wizards of the Coast suddenly unleased Gleemax. I don't think this is the Digital Initiative, and I sure hope not. Of course I don't know what to make of it. From its pitch, it sounds like a gaming MySpace. But obviously it isn't and in the end, links back to sites which I do visit (the forums of Wizards of the Coast, Flickr).

Their poll tickles me however:

An alien species plans to invade earth. They have the ability to eradicate all of earth's experts in one field of expertise. Eliminating which type of expert would make the alien invasion the easiest?

• Scientist
• Military/Strategist
• Farmer
• Pilot
• Physician
• Politician

I voted for Physician. If D&D taught me anything, it's to kill the Clerics first!

Seriously though, as there's no real right of wrong answer (unless you're the aliens), here's my line of thought:

The scientists might have the answers but no one will listen to them (i.e. Global Warming). That and I <3 Vern who's a chemist. =)

The military/strategist won't necessarily know how to react and will probably blame the catastrophe on another nation (i.e. the recent Iraq war).

The farmers are a long-term viable strategy but in the short term, people will still have food. And a percent of the population is on the Atkins diet, so they'll survive the lack of wheat/bread/rice. Also in history, it's also the farmers who are first affected by war, and yet that fact doesn't win every battle.

Why would I need to eliminate pilots? Germ warfare, nuclear missiles, etc. don't need pilots! Unless they're kamikaze pilots, in which case they're going to die anyway.

Keep the politicians! They'll bicker and blame someone else. Honestly, politicians are a great diversion for populace hate. A politician might be troublesome but throw several of 'em in a room and they'll slaughter themselves.

Getting into D&D

As a kid, I heard about Dungeons & Dragons but I didn't know how to get into the game. I had no books, I had no dice, and I had no one to play with.

Back then, I was into video games. I saw an ad for this Dungeons & Dragons starter set in GamePro magazine and I knew I had to have one. It was entitled First Quest and came with an audio CD and a map to run adventures with. It had a quick write-up about the world of Mystara and character cards with illustrations from Dragonlance (as I would later find out). Perhaps best of all, it would also be my first introduction to what is the Player's Handbook and Monster's Manual (albeit a simplified and revised one). It also contained books for spells the Wizard and the Cleric could know (1st- and 2nd-level spells). It was all really basic stuff.

Unfortunately, I had no one to play with so I ended up being the GM and getting two other people to try out the game. Because the audio CD provided all the narration, all I had to do was play the right tracks. Anyway, I can't remember the specifics of the game except that my two friends did manage to survive a fight of two. And then the boxed set was tucked away and we never played that game again.

A few years later, I'd finally meet a gaming group at school. The GM ran Temple of Elemental Evil and I wanted to play. Of course I didn't know the rules as my previous experience with the game was little. Everyone in the gaming group, however, was helpful and did all the math for me. All I had to do was roll the dice and dictate what I wanted my character to do. I even remember my character goal back then--to own Frostbrand, a magical greatsword that gave its wielder limited protection from fire.

We didn't really get to finish Temple of Elemental Evil (the GM moving on to college and the rest of us were stuck in high school) but one of my fellow players ran a game. I was eager to play the game but unfortunately my lack of knowledge about oozes resulted in a TPK (total party kill).

A year later, Third Edition came out. I was hanging out at the gaming store and luckily, I got to befriend one of the people who bought a Player's Handbook. It was then that I started to learn the rules of the game. I borrowed the book for a few days and read it from cover to cover. (The spells section made me sleepy.) Back then, the two other companion books, the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster's Manual, hadn't been released yet. It seemed like one month's too long a wait for those other books! But that didn't stop us from running a game. Unfortunately, it would only last one session.

It wasn't until my second year in college that I'd find a gaming group and stick with them. Of course thankfully, by then, I was familiar with the rules of the game. When I was rolling the dice, I knew what I was rolling for. I bring this up earlier today, I tried to teach a friend about Dungeons & Dragons. Now I'm not the best teacher for the game considering it's a game with many variables and elements. The best I could do was provide him the tools for gaming. Which remind me, there should be an easier way of acquiring copies of The Player's Handbook. The local shops don't stock them anymore. Unfortunately, the one thing you can't teach is the gaming group atmosphere. They'll have to discover that for themselves.

RPG Books Make Me Happy

Comic Quest managed to get a hold of Complete Divine and Drow of the Underdark yesterday and I quickly nabbed it, savings be damned.

In the meantime, I'm trying to hunt down for a copy of Maxim's May issue, not for the girls but because there's a really, really short feature on me there (for my D&D collection).

Bulette!

Thankfully, my collection of miniatures is being put into good use as our GM last Saturday sent a Bulette (a.k.a. "land shark") against the party and lo and behold--we had the right miniature.

Unfortunately, the advanced Bulette did not last the round--the concept of the GM was that of a "Rogue's Guild" and he made the characters, giving everyone at least a level of Rogue. The Bulette didn't survive the onslaught of Sneak Attacks, despite its advanced nature.

WoAdWriMo

You can read about World Adventure Writing Month, the goal of which is to write a 32-page adventure for RPGs.

From: Jeff's Gameblog

D&D Query

According to my tracker, there's a link from the WotC Boards to my blog entry on WotC's Digital Initiative. Anyone know where that thread is?

Neutral Grounds Sale (and some interesting RPG info on the Philippines)

Neutral Grounds Robinsons Galleria is currently on a moving sale (don't fret, they're simply moving to the next week). RPG books are like 50% off while the cash-cow items (i.e. miniatures) are going for 10% off.

Just talked with the owner and I confirmed my suspicions: RPG supplements aren't selling (or rather certain supplements do sell... it's simply hard to predict which will and which won't). The Core D&D books have been doing well but they've essentially stopped importing supplements. D&D Miniatures, on the other hand, are a different matter. So it's come to the point where they've stopped importing D&D books but keep on acquiring D&D Miniatures. Which isn't really a surprise to me. What is, however, is the fact that they haven't been cashing in on WotC's other cash cow: Dungeon Tiles (at least according to my theory). Have no fear however as Neutral Grounds will be giving the product a shot.

Thoughts on WotC's Digital Initiative

Taken from my D&D blog:

My initial thoughts on the end of Dragon and Dungeon's print run can be found here. It's only now however that I've extensively thought about Wizards of the Coast's (WotC) Digital Initiative and what could possibly be done with it (pretty much like any disclaimer you've seen in most blogs, this is a musing rather than a "things-that-will-be" or "insider information"). And if WotC has been silent about the matter and appear to be uncertain at what their final product will be, I think that's a good thing as they can still make some changes (and hopefully read this blog) -- that's one of the benefits of going digital: I work for a magazine and I know how much lead time it takes to work on printed material. (And in a way, that's the same problem D&D Miniatures faces -- it adjusts to the metagame two expansions in advance rather than in the succeeding set.)

Interface

A big chunk of the complaints and rants stems down to interface. A lot of fans want a printed product. The Digital Initiative simply isn't that, at least not at first glance. Personally, I think it boils down to people's ability to adapt. eBooks for example haven't caught on but that's not to say the medium is completely hopeless. And a lot of RPG products out there are being distributed as PDFs including one of my favorites, Malhavoc Press. As I previously stated, it boils down to whether you're wiling to adapt or not. iPod screens aren't optimum for watching videos but hey, people do so. I'm not comfortable reading eBooks on the computer but I find reading it on a PDA not much of a problem (unfortunately I don't own a PDA).

Yes, the Digital Initiative ain't Paizo's Dragon or Dungeon any more than Pathfinder is an exact equivalent: they're new products in different mediums, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Of course it's starting to be a pet peeve when people complain on an online message board that they have difficulty reading something online. I mean you're posting on a message board! Doesn't that necessitate the use of a computer and a monitor? If you've adapted to posting on message boards, you'll adapt to online delivery (in whatever form it may be). And if you're somehow handicapped (nearly blind, color blind, etc.), there's a better chance that you'll find a solution thanks to the fact that the document is online. I mean I don't see Paizo releasing a Dragon Magazine: Braille Edition anytime soon, but programs that reads out text out loud or magnify text size isn't unreasonable.

Lastly, unless there's some nifty electronic protection involved, you can print it (even if it involves using the Print Screen button for PC users or Command + Shift + 3 for Mac users). Better yet, you don't need to print everything. I mean if people hate ads or what they consider "unnecessary material" in magazines, this is the perfect solution: you get to print only what you need.

Format

There's several ways to go with online delivery, each with its pros and cons. Right now what springs to mind is either they go web-based (using html, dhtml, xml--whatever as long as it can be viewed with a regular web browser) or PDF-based. Irregardless of what method they'll use, however, it'll have the benefit of coming out on time. Irregardless if I'm residing in the US, in Australia, in Germany, or in the Philippines, the publication will come out on time, simultaneously. I'll never need to worry about shipping, whether that means waiting for the package to be delivered to my door step or going through the hassle of picking it up at the post office.

1) Some people complain that they can't "collect" something that's not in print. Not true--if the Digital Initiative is released as a PDF, they're just as collectible. It's simply a different medium: they're called files. I mean I collect the web enhancements that's currently availble now. I save it in my hard drive and in my flash drive. I can port it over to another computer. It still counts as collecting. If it goes web-based, however, the complaint is understandable. I'll need online access and it'll appear as "one huge package" instead of the "monthlies" we're used to. That's not to say collecting "issues" will be impossible, it's just more difficult. I can only click "save us" so many times. If you want "collectability" PDF is the way to go and it's easily transportable to other machines/devices. If you want to print the product, PDF also seems like the likely answer. Lastly, if you want something that you can use once your subscription expires, again, PDF is a good answer. But PDF is not by any means the perfect solution as you'll see in my next points.

2) By going web-based, I don't have the restrictions of a paper medium. What I mean by constraints is that an article only needs to be long as it needs to be (or as short as it needs to be). There's less need for unnecessary material just to make it appear that the page is "filled up". Normally in a magazine, this takes the form of ads, additional illustrations, or simply statements in the article that is repeated and has a bigger size for emphasis. The problem with going PDF is you're essentially still reproducing a printed product without the printing costs. Eventually you'll need to layout the product as if it were a printed magazine which again means empty spaces and/or fillers. And because it's web-based, there's little need to cut out "necessary" material because of page limitations. Of course going web-based isn't without its disadvantages. Anyone who's done web design and layout knows how mutable the format is. What might look good on my computer might look horrible on someone else's computer. A lot of variables are involved, everything from web browser to resolution size to the OS you're using. If you're using a computer that's old enough, the web page might not even load at all. But this mutability could be a good thing as well -- one could easily design a product so that depending on which country I'm from, I could get a product that's in Japanese if I'm a Japanese-speaker, in English if I'm an English-speaker (or braille if I'm blind).

3) I think the biggest valaue for the format is instant errata. Will there be mistakes in the product? We're only human. But the good thing about going web-based is that corrections can be made once it's spotted or mentioned. As a web-based product, this is an optimal advantage. As a PDF, it's trickier. If this is to be implemented, we'll be having issues like Digital Initiative #100 version 1.0, followed with a release the next day with Digital Initiative #100 version 1.1 and so forth.

Of course while this is all possible, it only matters if the guys and gals at WotC makes use of it. Just because a DVD can have this and that feature doesn't mean all DVDs have additional features in them. Having said that, what I mentioned is merely the top of the iceberg. Here's some suggestions for maximizing the medium:

Things I'd Like to See in Digital Initiative:

1) An online product and not simply a printed product placed on the web -- there's a lot of things that can be done with online products and we've barely scratched the surface. It's not just about interactive programs such as a tile mapper or a character generator, there's simply more that can be done with an online magazine than with a printed one. For example, interviews don't need to be simply read (although a transcript is always helpful): it could be presented via mp3 (a Podcast) or video. I mean there'll be nuances and body language that can never be captured in a transcript. There could even be some animation going on in the "ecology" articles. Or simply an image gallery where it was limited to one or two pictures of each NPC/monster/magic item.

2) Maps -- I loved Dungeon magazine and if it's going online, I think a point for improvement are the maps. WotC can give me maps in various resolutions (hi-res and lo-res, the former if I'm printing them, the second if I'm viewing/projecting them from the computer) and in various sizes (either to fit the screen/printed paper or on a 1:1 scale). I can also get maps with various information on them: in player friendly format (without revealing where the secret doors, traps, and monsters are) and in DM-only format (where all the details are included). They can even do something creative and give it to me from a different angle, such as a first-person perspective. And since they don't have to print it, they can give it to me in a lot of formats that would have otherwise taken up valuable page space. I mean that's my complaint about Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: the maps are great for the GM, but it's not as good when running an actual game for the players. I can't use the maps as visuals because a) they're too small and b) they give too much away. With this online format, I get the best of both worlds, especially if the Digital Initiative is going to give me adventures and adventure paths.

3) Updates on Monsters -- I'm currently playing 3.5 and a lot of 3.0 monsters (or even AD&D ones) haven't been converted. This is the perfect place to update them. And even if they were already updated to 3.5, it's a good place to use the new stat block (which I find to be easier to utilize) and include the results for their respective Knowledge checks. I mean some people were complaining about rehashing old monsters in Monster Manual IV and slapping class levels on them -- this is the perfect place to feature them. Better yet, it's the perfect partner to the "Ecology of..." articles Dragon was publishing. Throw in NPCs as well for that matter.

So far, those are the "general" things I want. I mean fans will most likely want to include their favorite campaign setting into the mix, etc. The great thing about online content is that it's actually viable now without having to worry about page count (although WotC still needs to worry about paying freelancers).

But like all things, it's a wait-and-see. Just because "it can be done" doesn't mean "it will be done".

If I Were To Make a D&D Home Video...

As I mentioned in my D&D blog, a shop near where I live was selling old D&D modules and boxed sets. Because some people wanted them, I managed to purchase a lot of them and they're just lying in my room gathering dust (don't worry, they're shrink-wrapped). While I'm waiting for money to come in so that I can ship them, I'm occasionally tempted to make a home video using those modules.

I'm not particularly attached to 1st Ed. D&D or AD&D. There's some videos circulating around of people wrecking new-fangled devices, everything from iPods to PS3's. I'm tempted to create a D&D horror video with me opening up a module and then tearing them page by page... and then feeding them slowly to a shredding machine (alas, we don't have one at home). Or maybe drowning those modules in water or something. Or feed them to a dog. Or use them as fodder for a camp fire.

To non-D&D fans, what would be the most horrifying way of "killing" a book?

Bizarre Strategies

The Philippines, I think, is in a unique position when it comes to manga. I mean sure, we're near Japan and Hong Kong (or Taiwan) so it's theoretically cheaper for us to acquire manga (be it in Japanese or in Chinese). Unfortunately, we aren't really fluent with either language. So if the majority is interested in legitimately reading manga, it should come from the US.

In terms of popularity, I think Viz right now is the king when it comes to English-translated manga. When it comes to quality, however, I think Dark Horse is easily a good runner-up. There's one thing wrong with them however--they don't seem to be aggressive in getting their titles out. And it's just not in the case of the Philippines. But locally, the status of Dark Horse manga is that the supplier doesn't really export those titles unless you happen to own a comic store in the US. These days, I only see them in either Fully Booked or at Comic Odyssey.

Of course Dark Horse isn't the only one to adopt this policy. Lately I can't get my D&D books for the same reason. The supplier only gives it out to the licensed distributor, which is all well and good except for one fact: the licensed distributor hasn't been releasing those D&D books in the past eight months. As to the reasons why I can only speculate. But lately it seems that I'm the only person missing them so it might not be such a bad business decision.

In other news, I'll be saying farewell to Dragon and Dungeon issues at the end of the year as Paizo wasn't able to renew their license. Makes me wonder what Wizards of the Coast has in store for D&D.

D&D Video Games

To prepare myself for the long Holy Week (stores and malls are closed for two whole days and the other two days are the busiest days even if they're open for half the day), I got two games for my PC. It was only last week that I remembered hey, my computer's not the ancient PC I was using four years ago. I could actually play games with it!

Since I was staving off my D&D addiction (I couldn't find the latest books locally!), I decided to try out two D&D PC games: Temple of Elemental Evil and Dragonshard.

The first is your straight-out RPG from the now-defunct Troika, the same people that gave you Arcanum. It uses the same engine as Arcanum albeit heavily modified to suit the 3.0/3.5 rules of D&D. While the game started slow, I soon got engrosed a few hours into the game. Honestly, Temple of Elemental Evil is based on one of the early modules of D&D. Don't expect much plot or complexity compared to Arcanum. It's a pure hack-and-slash complete with seemingly inane quests: it's an old-school game. I was surprised, however, how much the game was faithful to the original module. Oh, and the game's a great port of the pen-and-paper rules (not perfect but you're almost there).

Of course it's probably foolish of me to be playing a game that's nearly four years old. For one thing, there was a bug because of Windows XP Service Pack 2 that prevented me from picking up loot (a fan-patch fixed this). The other problem was that it kept on prompting me to insert the original CD of the game because of a Securom error. Unfortunately, despite this country of ours where pirated games are prolific, I did insert the original CD-ROM (I even argued with the salesladies at Datablitz how come the game was so expensive when it was several years old). Oh, and I wish the game had grids so that I actually knew if I was taking a five-foot step, flanking the guy, and other tactical judgments that I actually make in the pen-and-paper game without having to always use the radial menu. It's otherwise a great game.

Dragonshard, a.k.a. the RTS that was panned by critics, was the other game I played (it's available locally in two prices, P900+ and twice that amount although both are original and the latter's edge seems to be better packaging). Many D&D fans were compaining it was too modern, with gears and such--unnecessarily bells and whistles that was probably taxing the computer and a far cry from your typical D&D setting (mainly because it was using the Eberron setting which is a semi-modern/pulp take on D&D). It was a ho-hum complaint of mine--didn't love it but similarly not that big a deal (it's Eberron after all and not Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms). The other complaint was that it wasn't faithful to D&D. And I think when you're converting something like D&D into an RTS, you need some leeway. D&D after all isn't necessarily about armies fighting each other but rather small parties saving the world.

I think Dragonshard did manage to convert the party dynamic into an RTS. I mean I can't use simplified strategies of simply building just one kind of unit (i.e. the Zealot/Zergling rush in Starcraft), I actually have to use a plurality of units to succeed in the game. There were also a lot of interesting experimental game elements such as extremely finite random resources, structure enhancements and limitations, and micromanaging two minimaps at the same time. In the end, I didn't spend much time playing it. One thing bit it for me and I think is essential for an RTS game--any RTS game: user interface. Let me say this flat-out straight, each unit in the game has special abilities. However, aside from attack, stop, and control groups, the game doesn't have any other hotkeys. Which becomes a big pain in the ass when you're commanding several units, each with unique special abilities (since the game emphasizes mixed groups). It's one thing to have a bad game. It's another to have a semi-decent game but not play it because of horrible controls. This is one of them and it's honestly a problem that could have been fixed.

Oh well, more of the RPG and less of the RTS...

Order of the Stick Interview

Sequential Tart has an interview with Rich Burlew, the man behind the Order of the Stick web comic (and a few RPG books).