Hello,
Will Fantasy Flight be offering PDFs for this game? I would like to play and support the game but I went digital years ago and have no need or desire for physical books. Sorry if this is the wrong forum. This is the book I really want, I couldn't search for PDFs, and none of the other forums seemed like the place to post.
Nope, but you can look around and online if you want an illegal copy, wouldn't recommend it though. PDFs are concidered electronic games and FFG doesn't have it in their Lic for that another company does, I think EA does. Want to know more? search the Edge of the Empire forum.
FFG's license does not cover the sale of digital media, so short of free releases like the minor stuff already on their product pages, FFG will not be releasing any digital versions of their books unless they revise the license
Boo, I guess I won't be playing this game then.
Don't blame FFG though, this is a relic of Lucas Arts' annoying belief that a PDF counts as a digital game, thus the license falls under the same thing as Video Games. Stupid, but FFG can't help it, nor afford it. As Disney inherited the same silly licensing language.
I believe it's actually WEG's fault for defining the terms of the licensing contract.
FFG finds some ways around the contract (for example, they released their dice roller app for iOS & Android, and they are able to offer small PDFs for free as "gaming supplements" or something like that, such as character sheets, the free adventures to follow up the Beginner Games), but the main negative impact is that they can't sell their actual products digitally.
And it's been a complaint since the EotE beta was released in 2012. I'm just glad it's not the topic of every third thread anymore.
FFG is aware of the demand from community, and I'm sure FFG would prefer to at least have the option of releasing products as PDFs. Maybe the Disney-rat will relax the interpretation or drop that clause/interpretation when the contract is renewed, though it's very difficult to say when that's going to happen.
I believe it's actually WEG's fault for defining the terms of the licensing contract.
To be fair to WEG, the their original licensing contract was developed sometime in the mid-80s (the first edition of the game was published in '87). There was little reason to think electronic distribution of documentation would have been an important concern.
Maybe the Disney-rat will relax the interpretation or drop that clause/interpretation when the contract is renewed, though it's very difficult to say when that's going to happen.
Well, it just got renewed this year, and I think they first picked it up in 2011. So if Disney didn't go for a longer deal this time, 4 more years. But I doubt they'll change the PDF thing then if they didn't change it this time around.
Maybe the Disney-rat will relax the interpretation or drop that clause/interpretation when the contract is renewed, though it's very difficult to say when that's going to happen.
Well, it just got renewed this year, and I think they first picked it up in 2011. So if Disney didn't go for a longer deal this time, 4 more years. But I doubt they'll change the PDF thing then if they didn't change it this time around.
Blargh. That's really disappointing. I didn't realize that it *just* came up for renewal this year (source?), and if this is true, then yeah, there's no reason to expect to see PDFs for sale in any reasonable amount of time.
Blargh. That's really disappointing. I didn't realize that it *just* came up for renewal this year (source?), and if this is true, then yeah, there's no reason to expect to see PDFs for sale in any reasonable amount of time.
I don't frequent them, but apparently they're pretty trustworthy.
Does FFG put out core rulebook PDFs for their other games?
Does FFG put out core rulebook PDFs for their other games?
Yes
Does FFG put out core rulebook PDFs for their other games?
Yeah, a bunch of them.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/6/Fantasy-Flight-Games
It would seem that for whatever reasons, when it came time to re-up the contract, FFG either was unwilliing or unable to pursue getting the rights to sell PDFs.
For all we know, it could be that with Electronic Arts being handed everything that LucasArts had domain over, the electronic rights went with it, and as things stand FFG woudl still need a separate license, this time thru EA, to be able to sell PDFs of their Star Wars games.
It would seem that for whatever reasons, when it came time to re-up the contract, FFG either was unwilliing or unable to pursue getting the rights to sell PDFs.
For all we know, it could be that with Electronic Arts being handed everything that LucasArts had domain over, the electronic rights went with it, and as things stand FFG woudl still need a separate license, this time thru EA, to be able to sell PDFs of their Star Wars games.
That's what I'd expect too. EA got the same old license as well, so got the PDF rights... such as it is.
Normally I'd say "What's the big deal, go sort it out" But... it's EA we're talking about...
And you know those guys would probably want a million dollars just to enter negotiations for permission to PDF some books...and then 90% of the profits and a regular fee to actually go forward.
The Mouse says...... Nooooooo........
Boo, I guess I won't be playing this game then.
Google is your friend.
Why wouldn't someone play a game when there are no pdf's?
On a side note... And I am gonna get lambasted for this... I always feel that downloading (illegal) Pdf's is not a problem when I buy the physical books... I am just saving myself the hassle of scanning everything myself.
Why wouldn't someone play a game when there are no pdf's?
Not that it matters at this point because I don't think the OP ever stuck around. Some people only prefer electronic devices to dead-tree versions. Seems anathema to an old grognard bibliophile such as myself but whatever.
Edited by mouthymercOh, so like a environmental thing? I am adverse to electronic devices at the gaming table myself so I am perhaps just as 'bad'.
On a side note... And I am gonna get lambasted for this... I always feel that downloading (illegal) Pdf's is not a problem when I buy the physical books... I am just saving myself the hassle of scanning everything myself.
I think this is a pretty big grey area. If you've purchased the books, then you've paid for the right to access the information there-in, and the method by which you access said information (e.g. physical or electronic copy) is relatively unimportant. It's like back in old days when it was technically legal for you to make a copy of software you purchased for your own personal use; it only became illegal when you distributed those copies.
Exactly as you put it, the [illegal] PDFs are just saving you the hassle of scanning the books yourself. I don't see a problem at all.
Edited by LethalDoseHere in Spain you can have a "personal copy" (cannot be sold) of digital products like books, music, movies but ONLY if you've got the original.
I feel pretty confortable with digital format by many reasons, and if ever FFG release the digital version of their products, I'll try to purchase them again (even having the paper version).
I'm pretty sure no one would have a problem with you having a digital copy if you own the physical copy. They might object to the way you obtained it, but whatever.