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Old 11-24-2015, 05:03 PM   #631
Christopher R. Rice
 
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Originally Posted by Andrew Hackard View Post
My old, tired shoulders would much rather carry around 50 or so PDFs on a tablet than five "real" books in a backpack. It's all about what you prioritize. The problem comes when people become so resistant to change that they can't see the world passing them by.
Amen! Having to carry six milk-crates of books with me everywhere is what stopped me from running oWoD. the fact that I can carry the hardbacks I want and ALL of my library with me makes me prefer PDFs - not to mention the awesome search function.

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I have a virtual desktop (essentially, a fake monitor that I can switch to at any time) that all of my relevant PDFs are open on. The various PDFs are open in tabs in SumatraPDF (sometimes several dozen at once) and I have keyboard shortcuts that a) show me a searchable list of all open PDFs for easy switching, and b) let me easily switch between virtual desktops to bounce between that and my text editor. It's served me well for many years now.

If I desperately need to look at two PDFs simultaneously (in practice, I never do), I can set up a split-screen view of two PDFs, or a PDF and my editor.
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Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company View Post
Like Celti, I routinely have several open at once and switch back and forth between them. Faster and easier than juggling physical books, I've found. Could the problem simply be that you're using the wrong PDF app?


(Well, no, almost certainly not, but perhaps figuring out what you need to have a bunch of things open simultaneously might help.)
Strangely enough, I have four monitors + laptop screen and I STILL use a virtual box because I need screen retail. (I also was a floor spreader.) You really can't ever get enough space whether you have PDFs or hardbacks.
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Old 11-24-2015, 05:05 PM   #632
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Like Celti, I routinely have several open at once and switch back and forth between them. Faster and easier than juggling physical books, I've found. Could the problem simply be that you're using the wrong PDF app?
Or could it be less that twenty-somethings are more fond of technology, and more that they have better eyesight?
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Old 11-24-2015, 05:09 PM   #633
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That may well be true, but sometimes suffering may be unavoidable, and arguably that particular suffering started years ago in the UK.
We're not ready to trash decades of relationships with hobby game retailers, and I don't see a time when Steve Jackson Games will ever do that. Is it perfect? Not at all. That doesn't mean we don't find ways to improve our relationships with retailers and better communicate with them.
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Old 11-24-2015, 05:13 PM   #634
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Or could it be less that twenty-somethings are more fond of technology, and more that they have better eyesight?
They very well may. Damn kids.
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Old 11-24-2015, 05:27 PM   #635
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No, the problem with PDFs is reading them is such an inferior experience compared to reading a book. Flipping to the index, flipping back, keeping your finger in a page or putting some yellow sticky notes in, all of that works much better with physical books.
Not really about GURPS. But I just went back to school for a graduate degree, and a lot of the material we are assigned is PDFs. Which is fine if all you want is to read through it, but if I'm comparing something on page 5 to something on page 20 I find that paper is much better (or I go halfway and print out one of the pages and look at the other on screen).

Also, what Owen said.
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Old 11-24-2015, 06:30 PM   #636
Andrew Hackard
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You're veering towards blaming customers for not doing things the way that suits the company, Andrew.
That definitely wasn't my intent. More like "all our own data, backed up by talking to other companies in the industry, points toward the demand for electronic distribution of RPG materials continuing to grow for the foreseeable future."
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Old 11-24-2015, 06:37 PM   #637
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We're not ready to trash decades of relationships with hobby game retailers, and I don't see a time when Steve Jackson Games will ever do that.
The irony there being that the switch to PDF-based support takes GURPS out of those very shops. The Basic Set alone doesn't occupy enough shelf space to command much attention from browsers, and shops with demo space are surely unlikely to be happy if a MiB goes in and says "hey, can I demo a cool new PDF product in here?"
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Old 11-24-2015, 06:38 PM   #638
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Playing Munchkin is really no more infantile than playing any other game where one is a murder hobo, or a vampire, or whatever. It's just a game.

As for SJ Games 10 years ago - you'd prefer the company be out of business, then? That's SJ Games without Munchkin.

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Sorry, but when someone says to me "Oh, the Munchkin people" (it's happened a handful of times) I am embarrased and I suspect this shows on my face. It may be a failing of mine, but I just can't get past the stage of cringing at Munchkin and how infantile the entire thing is.

Personally I'd far rather SJ Games were like it was 10 years ago when we got new GURPS products far more often, and they were better printed as well. I know you can't wind the clock back. But it seems to me that Ever More Munchkin(TM) occupies so much of the comany's time that even if more GURPS could be produced profitably there just isn't the bandwidth or will in the company to do it.
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Old 11-24-2015, 06:42 PM   #639
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Munchkin existed ten years ago.
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Old 11-24-2015, 07:09 PM   #640
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I prefer physical books for my core books and I like PDFS of these and others because it makes adventure planning easier. The only two things I don't care about PDFS are, the fact that you can't loan a PDF and I've not found any of the tablet interfaces satisfactory for reading. The latter will be resolved eventually, not to mention, it might just be nostalgia on my part.

There are a number of solutions to the physical desire, Lulu and some office stores now print perfect bound items. I've heard only good things about the former, and I know that drivethrurpg's POD service has gotten good reviews, especially with the premium options.

That does leave me totally agreeing with Kromm's point, many don't want to pay the cost that would be required for physical books. It's evident by the fact that they don't want to pay the cost of a PDF and the cost to have Lulu print it. I think if SJGames offered books through Lulu that people would still complain about the cost.
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