Print on Demand is expensive as hell. I wanted a copy of a CJ Cherryh book. Paperback retailed new for about $5. POD was $20.
As someone who has read books that can't be viewed/understood electronically (in one case you literally have to hold some pages up to light to see the symbols printed on the other side, interact with imagery on the side you're reading) I find the attitude of "electronic or bust" to be bafflingly limited. Also, a good quarter to one third of the rules queries we see in this game would be sorted if people actually had a print version of the rules rather than rely on the wiki, as the layouts of the pages and sections are key to understanding the interactions.
Have you tried lulu.com ? Dunno if it's still working, frankly, but I got some books printed years ago using that platform and it was quite good. Also, a lot of rulebooks are better printed with no bindings, so you can bind them with a spiral thingie, for easy reference during the game... The PDF is a digital version of the printed book, so the problem is that they never read the book to begin with XD I'm all about digital reading... because I have no physical space to store it all, frankly, and because with a commuting time of nearly 90 minutes, I prefer to carry a light 7' tablet rather than several books. I suffered carrying D&D 3.5 books back in the day for GMing, and it gets old fast... specially when I can simply use the search function in the digital rulebook. And frankly, once I have the digital version, the book needs to be extremely good to justify me buying a dead tree version as well. Some Gibson, some Varley, everything Shirow in Spain, Gunm, and little more. Heck, reading Third Offensive and Daedalus' Fall was a chore mostly because I had to haul the books around instead of reading them in the tablet...
I haven't found it anywhere else, and it seems it's not possible to watch it again on Twitch. @Koni : is there a plan to add the seminar on the Youtube channel please? (I don't know if it's even possible)
QFT! Don't get me started on WotC's love affair with hardback books and end/needless hardback supplements... I've got a 15 minute walk to work, and I work in a secure facility where unsanctioned electronics are forbidden (with some scary sensitive detection capabilities). My e-reader is for home and holidays only; hell I don't even bother bringing my smartphone to work, it'd only sit, switched off, in a locker in the foyer of my office. (Technically the printers are monitored, but in practice I've got full-colour versions of everything CB have put in their downloads section)
Oh, man. I've got bad news for PanO. You're all getting sepsitorized, because I really like that Helot box and I don't want to have to deal with you all being a human faction.
Waaaaait.... It's not two pistols, it's with and without holster. He has everything. At least no matter the profile, the weapons will be visible!
I love Hardback books. I have a shelf in my attic that has all my D&D 1e, 2e, 3e, 4e, and Pathfinder books. My 5e books are downstairs where I use them. I'm good with the PDF rules, but keep that juicy fluff in Hardback!
I can see a main rule book being digital with some smaller form rules or quick start guides for new players being included in future operations boxes or some type of starter packs
Matters of opinion and preferences, but I much prefer a well-made physical book over a pdf anyday. Don't get me wrong pdf has its advantages, but I find physical books quicker and easier to use. If I am reading for pleasure, it has got to be a physical book.
When I was still in the Navy, our color printer was in the Communication Officer's office. He grumped at me printing off gaming things, until I found the Joke Classified Materials Cover Sheets. Those ripped through the office so fast that I had to email the entire command (OK, it was only like 20 people) the pdf. All was forgiven after that.
I like it. The model gives me an idea for a nice conversion. Now to find a suitable Morat head for the job. You can simply buy the box and use them as proxies if you so wish. No need to go to that level of extreme.
