Really lackluster performance this time around. Not sure if the problem was the topic or the location or what.

I went to a farmer’s market where a guy had a SquareUp attached to his iPhone. He was selling fresh veggies – but what was interesting to me was that he was also direct selling an eBook he wrote. The book was available on Kindle, Nook, etc – but with his SquareUp attachment he was able to sell the eBooks direct to the buyers in person. The eBooks were automagically emailed to them in both Kindle and ePub formats right after the transaction. I immediately thought – wow… too bad FLGS stores couldn’t set something like that up too. (perhaps a few do that already, but my local shop is still stuck in the 80′s). I was impressed enough that I got a SquareUp attachment for NMP for the (rare) times we are at Cons.

https://squareup.com/

Unfortunately, there’s no simply way to put a code in a book that isn’t easily ripped off in the modern age of high-quality camera phones (even scratch off codes or shrink wrapped books are easy to abuse in any sizeable or inattentive store.)

However, to avoid upsetting hobby shops by bypassing them and selling E-books online that’ll bypass this traditional and supportive channel for Dungeons and Dragons, I’d like to see WotC give hobby stores the chance to sell E-book “gift cards”.

Stores would order the cards – complete with scratch off codes, and keep them behind the counter. Customers come in, pay the cost of an E-book (or maybe 10 – 20% than buying the Ebook online) and they’re handed a plastic scratch-off card they can redeem online for their digital copy of the book.

Stores are still in the loop on sales, customers can get the digital editions they want – and even be incentivized to buy them FROM the local game store, and everyone wins.

Let stores offer them in a bundle (buy the pysical book and get the E-book for half price!) and the winning goes even further.

There’s a company that does Murder Myster parties that uses this system through my FLGS, and I think it would lend itself to Dungeons and Dragons quite well.

4E’s not for everyone, just like 3.5E’s not for everyone, but to claim that you can’t roleplay in 4E just beggars belief.

It makes me happy that it’s here, but sad that the answer was so easily given away.

I’ll need to read this story in it’s entirety later, from the short bits that I have read, it’s a very good read.

Narrative Structure in Trans­Reality Role­ Playing Games: Integrating Story Construction from Live Action, Table Top and Computer­Based Role­Playing Games

Rock on \m/

Good work Dave!

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