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The sharp-eyed among you will have noticed some changes to blacklibrary.com today.
We're now delighted to announce that we will be joined by our pals from Games Workshop: Digital Editions.

This means you'll now have access to their brand new range of publications, available in the same formats as Black Library eBooks and using your existing Black Library account.

The first titles will go on sale this coming Monday.

Follow the link to download a free preview and see what you can look forward to from Games Workshop: Digital Editions.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/digital-editions-preview.html

GAMES WORKSHOP DIGITAL EDITIONS

Coming June 10th 2013
Available for Android, Kindle and iBooks

Over the coming months, you’ll be able to collect a wide variety of different digital publications; some from the forgotten archives of the past, and some venturing anew into the depths of the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes.

Download this preview, and you’ll find samples of the first installments in three new series: Warlords of the Dark Millennium, Munitorum and Index Astartes.
Just click on one of the buttons below, and find out what you can expect from Games Workshop Digital Editions.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/digital-editions-FAQ.html

Will all the codexes and army books be available as Digital Editions?
Yes, eventually. However we have a large backlist so this will take time, please bear with us.

When can we expect the Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000 rulebook as a Digital Edition?
Soon! We’re working really hard to get these ready for both iBooks and other formats.

For a moment there I thought we're getting Android codex releases.

Nope, carry on as you were.

What is Index Astartes?

It sounds to me like we are. Just not immediately.

LOL after the thread about Android getting closed earlier for being posted in by Necromancers

They where always going to do it. There are plenty of pirated BL books on the web anyway. Thy may as well make money from the Honest folk with Androids and kindles.

Excellent. Thanks for sharing!

I've been very sad not to be able to get some of the pubs, now I will.

 kronk wrote:
What is Index Astartes?

Index Astartes was a series of White Dwarf Articles focussing on individual space marine chapters/legions. Mostly they were fluff, but often would include rules for playing those specific chapters. For example, the Relictors Index Astartes had a few new items of wargear that fit thier fluff, and the Thousand Sons IA had alternate FOC.

 kronk wrote:
What is Index Astartes?

''The Codex Astartes describes the organisation, tactical operation and countless other aspects of SM doctrine. Subjects as diverse as spiritual instruction and strategic supply are all covered in great detail within it's thousands of pages. Over the following pages, we will look at the origins of this ancient tome and also how it states a SM chapter should be organised.''
They're going to be doing Index Chaotica, Xenos and Imperialis as well.

Ooooh. Digital reprint of Index Astartes? NICE!

 His Master's Voice wrote:
For a moment there I thought we're getting Android codex releases.

Nope, carry on as you were.

When can we expect the Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000 rulebook as a Digital Edition?
Soon! We’re working really hard to get these ready for both iBooks and other formats.

I think this is actually the closest we have ever been to a confirmation of codex' on Android. So don't just carry on as you were, but run into the streets and start a impromptu celebration or, at least just think "yay". One of those...

Sweet.

It'll be interesting to see what this is like come next monday, hopefully the content is priced reasonably

gilljoy wrote:
hopefully the content is priced reasonably

And I thought I was the optimist!

 pretre wrote:

gilljoy wrote:
hopefully the content is priced reasonably

And I thought I was the optimist!

I never normally am with anything GW.

Though there short stories aren't too badly priced, i.e the new GK one is £1.50

other formats

Yay!

Can you read ibooks or andriod digital books (ie the codex's) on Windows?

Ye, but you need to the license on your pc to read an ibook.

 gianlucafiorentini123 wrote:

 kronk wrote:
What is Index Astartes?

''The Codex Astartes describes the organisation, tactical operation and countless other aspects of SM doctrine. Subjects as diverse as spiritual instruction and strategic supply are all covered in great detail within it's thousands of pages. Over the following pages, we will look at the origins of this ancient tome and also how it states a SM chapter should be organised.''
They're going to be doing Index Chaotica, Xenos and Imperialis as well.

This is great news!

We're finally going to get a copy of the CODEX ASTARTES, in its thousands of pages of glory!

Right?

Here's the FAQ - it answers quite a few of the questions that 'Droid snobs have been demanding...!



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also - there are plenty of program's that will read .epub or .mobi that you can download for free.

Kindle is free isn't it?

Kindle app runs on all my Windows 8 devices.

Heck, even the iPad can run Kindle... so all those long neglected Apple users can have these wonderful Digital Editions.

Honestly, it's nice to see GW getting a clue every once in a while. I doubt I'll be buying any digital rulebooks unless they come at a significant discount (which they won't,) but some of the small splash things might be fun to get.

Okay, that's nice to hear.

Will give GW a pat on the back once it actually happens.

GW have done well by me today. First they sole the problem of what colour a Sergeant of the Imperial Reavers helmet would be in WD daily, now he news that IA is coming back?! I am a happy man.

 kronk wrote:
What is Index Astartes?

Was wondering that myself.

I'm assuming it's a digital version of
http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/Insignium-Astartes-Print-On-Demand.html

which is an old product. And pretty crappy to be frank.

Might be something else though.

 reds8n wrote:

 kronk wrote:
What is Index Astartes?

Was wondering that myself.

I'm assuming it's a digital version of
http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/Insignium-Astartes-Print-On-Demand.html

which is an old product. And pretty crappy to be frank.

Might be something else though.

Hoping for a reprint of the old White Dwarf / bundled into four issues range of books detailing the first founding chapters. These:



I still have all four and while they're far from ideal, I still love them.

The actual samples available for download are both confusing and terrible. A one page description of a shuriken catapult? Who's going to buy a book about shuriken catapults?

Dropping the current Apple exclusivity for codexes and army books is certainly welcome, but epubs and mobis are not many steps above text files in terms of complexity, so if they plan on charging anything near full codex prices they'll do nothing to curb piracy. If they take a proper swing at winning back the pirates by offering competitively priced basic ebook releases, I will doff my hat to them. I'm not holding my breath.

Pretty awesome. Not that I'll actually get one for my android phone, but if the price comes down a bit I might.

Or at the very least, the option of paying an extra £5 when I buy an actual codex for the android version. But I'll never pay full price just for the android version, especially since you don't get the quick links.

First good idea from GW in years and one that has been asked for along time. People pirate pdfs regardless on all sorts of devices. This allows GW to sell versions to those android users who always wanted to give them money all along.

Just an interesting note:
Yesterday there was a "digital editions" section on Forge World's site, but it is now gone. It was up for quite awhile but when I tried the link it gave a general error message about being unable to find it.

.PDF versions of Imperial Armour? Cha-chiiiiiiiiiiiing!

Oooh, I would be so all over that!

Chances are, they'll be given that same Forge World price as the rest of the range.

 Lansirill wrote:
Heck, even the iPad can run Kindle... so all those long neglected Apple users can have these wonderful Digital Editions.

Honestly, it's nice to see GW getting a clue every once in a while. I doubt I'll be buying any digital rulebooks unless they come at a significant discount (which they won't,) but some of the small splash things might be fun to get.

Nice that they "get a clue?"

Give me a break. All the research bears out that Android users spend significantly less on Google Play, etc than iOS users do on iTunes. Releasing the e-codexes as iOS only at first made plenty of sense.

 cincydooley wrote:

 Lansirill wrote:
Heck, even the iPad can run Kindle... so all those long neglected Apple users can have these wonderful Digital Editions.

Honestly, it's nice to see GW getting a clue every once in a while. I doubt I'll be buying any digital rulebooks unless they come at a significant discount (which they won't,) but some of the small splash things might be fun to get.

Nice that they "get a clue?"

Give me a break. All the research bears out that Android users spend significantly less on Google Play, etc than iOS users do on iTunes. Releasing the e-codexes as iOS only at first made plenty of sense.

You do realise this is because many apps are free on Android and ad supported right?

Even things like Angry Birds are paid apps on IOS and free to download on Android.

 cincydooley wrote:

Nice that they "get a clue?"

Give me a break. All the research bears out that Android users spend significantly less on Google Play, etc than iOS users do on iTunes. Releasing the e-codexes as iOS only at first made plenty of sense.

Unfortunately none of those studies show us whether those users even play table top games and would buy digital GW offerings. That alone will heavily skew the result. Moreover, your summary of those studies neglects to mention that many purchases on iTunes are free on the Android side.

No, I realize that, but it still bears out in in-app purchases as well. Android is catching up in regards to in app purchasing, but I think the last data I saw had it at still around 20% lower than on iOS, which is great progress considering less than a year ago it was well over a 50% difference.

With all that in mind, it has always made sense for app publishers to release to iOS first.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here. This is a pretty good infographic that runs some recent data down:

http://blog.appannie.com/game-of-phones/


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And then of course there's this, which sort of shoots down your claim that "well, they're free on android:"

http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/28/in-app-purchase-revenue-hits-record-high-accounts-for-76-of-u-s-iphone-app-revenue-90-in-asian-markets/


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Listen, I have no problem with Android and all of my overbearing friends that insist their RAZR HD is better than my iPhone because they can do more stuff with it, but to claim that GW was 'stupid' for dropping an app product on iOS first is simply foolish.

Its June 10th. the new additional are out and avaliable for download. I have to say I wasn't exactly impressed. I was inclined to buy the DA chapter master to see what additional info I can gain from Black libarary. But I am now skeptical because the cost is $4.99 CAD and length listed as '14 pages'. There are 3 sample pages and they are just pictures I already have from my codex. I'm wondering if this publication aren't just copy/paste material I already own through my codex.

Suddenly, I'm a lot less excited for these.

And a hell of a lot less likely to buy them!

I swear they are doing this so they can later say, well we made digital products and they didn't sell, so why make more now??

The problem is that the trash they are making has no use and no one want this garbage anyway. This is stuff we should be getting in White Dwarf, not paying for as separate items.

Ridiculous.

So what are they? Is it just fluff?

Very cool.

 BryllCream wrote:
So what are they? Is it just fluff?

I'd like to know too.

Another poster on another forum has said that these are a poor imitation of the old Index Astartes. Very little is interesting in them. He had the Index Astartes: Codex Astartes, Dreadnought and Warlord: Azrael.

They're about 60 tablet pages each, so 25-30 full pages each. That's about all I can say without copy/pasting someone else's post without permission.

For $5 each, I guess they're thinking that's 'good enough'.

I was thinking about this yesterday as I was reading through the new Eldar Codex - there's a ton of information that was in previous versions of the Eldar codices that is now only hinted at in the latest version.

I can see GW recycling all of this old material into digital books like this. While they're relatively useless for old timers like me and others, for folks new to the hobby and the 40k 'verse, they might actually provide some insight.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/games-workshop-digital-editions

Grand Master Azrael

Azrael is the Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels Chapter, the Keeper of Truth and bearer of the Lion Helm. Armed with the Sword of Secrets and Lion’s Wraith, Azrael guards the ancient lore of his Chapter and leads their hunt for the mysterious Fallen.

The galaxy burns with the fires of countless wars and conflicts, heroes and villains leading their armies in endless battle against their foes. Warlords of the Dark Millennium explores the history, wargear and fighting styles of some of the galaxy’s most powerful warriors.

June 2013 •

eBook, digital download – available in ‘epub’ and ‘mobi' formats.
Estimated length: 14 pages.
• ISBN 9781782531425

The Codex Astartes details the doctrine of the Space Marine Chapters, compiled and written by the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman. While not every Chapter follows the Codex completely, it lays the foundation for their organisation and tactics.

About This Series:

The Adeptus Astartes are genetically engineered warriors, created by the Emperor of Mankind and tempered by centuries of bloody warfare. The Index Astartes series explores in detail the many elements of the Space Marines armies on and off the battlefield, from the newly inducted Scouts to the vast battle-barges that carry them to war.

June 2013 •

eBook, digital download – available in ‘epub’ and ‘mobi' formats.

Estimated length: 19 pages.

Dreadnoughts are powerful fighting machines piloted by the entombed remains of great Space Marine heroes. Often used in shock assaults or boarding actions, Dreadnoughts are capable of using heavy weapons with deadly and brutal proficiency.

About This Series:

The Adeptus Astartes are genetically engineered warriors, created by the Emperor of Mankind and tempered by centuries of bloody warfare. The Index Astartes series explores in detail the many elements of the Space Marines armies on and off the battlefield, from the newly inducted Scouts to the vast battle-barges that carry them to war.

June 2013 •

eBook, digital download – available in ‘epub’ and ‘mobi' formats.

Estimated length: 14 pages.

• ISBN 9781782531395

The shuriken catapult is the preferred weapon of the Eldar and uses solid-state ammunition carved into monofilament discs, which are propelled into the enemy. Reliable and deadly Eldar Guardians use these weapons to great effect where their ‘shurikens’ cut easily through enemy armour and flesh.

About This Series:

Weapons are the tools of war, and with them and other wargear, soldiers ply their bloody trade on countless worlds across the galaxy. Every race favours its own methods of dealing death to their foes, each one tailored to the brutal genius of its creators and the relentless needs of battle.

June 2013 •

eBook, digital download – available in ‘epub’ and ‘mobi' formats.

Estimated length: 7 pages.

Long rifles are used almost exclusively by Eldar Rangers and Pathfinders. A peerless sniper weapon, the long rifle can cut down an enemy at extreme ranges, its unerring beam finding the weak points in even the most heavily armoured of foes.

About This Series:

Weapons are the tools of war, and with them and other wargear, soldiers ply their bloody trade on countless worlds across the galaxy. Every race favours its own methods of dealing death to their foes, each one tailored to the brutal genius of its creators and the relentless needs of battle.

June 2013 •

eBook, digital download – available in ‘epub’ and ‘mobi' formats.

Estimated length: 7 pages.

First three are $4.99, last two are $1.99.

They're expecting people to pay $2 for 7 pages on the Skuriken Catapult and the Long Rifle?!?

Yeah...

I'm not understanding this one, either. PASS!

 Alpharius wrote:
They're expecting people to pay $2 for 7 pages on the Skuriken Catapult and the Long Rifle?!?

That could be a riveting seven pages.

 pretre wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:
They're expecting people to pay $2 for 7 pages on the Skuriken Catapult and the Long Rifle?!?

That could be a riveting seven pages.

For 2 bucks I want those seven pages to explain to me life, the universe, and everything.

And how the feth my missus can undo a bar strap with one hand in half a second when all ten of my fat digits have been fiddling with them for nigh on twenty years and it still takes me ten minutes.

I think you meant bra strap. However, knowing your colorful past, perhaps there is an English pub device with which I'm unaware...

OK, formats that can used on PC/laptop - GOOD!

Somewhat dodgy prices for content - Not So Good

Did anyone else catch this?

Warlords of the Dark Millennium is an in-depth look at some of the most famous heroes (and villains) of the Warhammer 40,000 universe and features an extended background for each character, a detailed look at their wargear (featuring new artwork) and rules for using them in games.

(emphasis mine)

Now, this seems a bit odd. I mean, for a warlord like Azrael who has his rules in the DA Codex, it just means a reprint of his codex rules. But this opens the door to other warlords who haven't had their rules printed yet. GW too lazy to write full Legion rules? Give them each a warlord that manipulates the FOC and adds a couple rules to your armylist - BAM. Cheap solution. (Which likely would satisfy no one, but I can see GW trying a dodgy fix like that!)

 Alpharius wrote:
Suddenly, I'm a lot less excited for these.

And a hell of a lot less likely to buy them!

Remember that BL has been infected of late with the same stupid that infests GW-proper. It's destroyed the method in which the Horus Heresy books were been done, and now it's come to the electronic book side of things. They're just taking existing bits of a bigger book and selling them separately, and when combined it'll probably be more than the cost of the original book (or books). It's no different to selling individual chapters, or even taking 10 Dire Avengers and splitting them in two without reducing the price.

And the a whole little eBook on ShuriCats? That's just crazy. I hope we get a whole book dedicated to Nemesis DOOOOM Fists.

I am not suggesting for a moment it would happen, but imagine a 6 pg, £2 "Shuriken Catapult" e-book, that when produced at the gaming table and presented to your opponent gives those weapons in your army increased range or some other funky ability. Online 'Pay to Play' brought to the tabletop.

Oh the hilarity!

As to the general thrust of this thread I love the main e-book range, and codex/rules going electronic is fantastic, but these flimsy pamphlets are ridiculous.

I'm sure "Codex-Frag Grenades" will be a riveting page turner.

 Muddypaw wrote:
I'm sure "Codex-Frag Grenades" will be a riveting page turner.

I dunno man. The books on Pulse Pistols and Blood Fists are apparently real page turners.

Is there a reason why we need this thread and the other BL thread?

I'm thinking "No" unless I'm missing something?

Looks like the Dreadnought article is the same one published years ago in the WD under the Index Astartes banner, laaaaaaame.

Ios Vs Android don't start it up xD. back on topic this is great news... not really liking these prices tho :/

Well, if they put a few articles like that in every issue of White Dwarf I might consider it worth buying again and this does work out cheaper than that, so in principle, I'm OK with the idea.

Not that impressed by what they are offering so far, but in time they might get around to doing some original material that deals with things I actually find interesting.

I made the mistake of buying codex astartes

It is just a 12 page or so brief explanation of what a space marine is.

Really really awful product.

 sweetdaddyg wrote:
I made the mistake of buying codex astartes

It is just a 12 page or so brief explanation of what a space marine is.

Really really awful product.

So, it's not even a reprint of the original index astartes stuff??? Super lame and very much a terrible money grab by GW. The title alone lends one to believe its an ebook version of the prior title. Very sad. If I were you I would contact apple ASAP and complain and demand a refunds for the product as it is a misleading title and info.

Well this was unexpected.

Eldar codex up on BL, for android ios and kindle

http://www.blacklibrary.com/games-workshop-digital-editions/codex-eldar.html

yeah,
What's unexpected is that the elda codex is cheaper from black library than it is on iBook!!
Super Special Reverse iPad Whining commencing in 5... 4 ... ..

Panic...

I doff my hat to GW for the first time in many years. It had to be cheaper than the flashy iPad version - the ebook format is very basic.

 Panic wrote:
yeah,
What's unexpected is that the elda codex is cheaper from black library than it is on iBook!!
Super Special Reverse iPad Whining commencing in 5... 4 ... ..

Panic...

Not really, remember the ipad codex is an interactive ebook; and the only way to have than on an ipad is to use Apples ibooks data format, which you can only sell through Itunes.
Since BL says this will also work on a iPad; I think the BL digital codex will be a strait up "port" of the print codex and not the fully interactive version the ipad has.
Also remember that Apple takes a 30% cut of anything sold though the iTunes store, So that $50 iPad digital codex brings GW about $35... and BL is charging $32.99. So GW is getting about the same amount of money.

I'm sure they're watching the sales (and the visible piracy rates)

The android crew have moaned about iPad exclusivity, but will they actually pay for the codex

If this is not reasonably success full I wonder if GW will bother releasing any other ebook codex versions

Black Library wrote:
There will be plenty more on the way for Android and Kindle very soon.

on a comment/thread on their FB page.

 Temujin wrote:
I doff my hat to GW for the first time in many years. It had to be cheaper than the flashy iPad version - the ebook format is very basic.

That is a good point. I had attributed it to piracy concerns but pricing the book according to its actual utility is a good reason... which is surprising as GW isn't exactly known for commonly using "good reasons" in determining prices.

No whining from this iPad owner. I'll gladly pay the full price for the links and all the extras I get from the iBook.

Love this move from GW btw. Wow. Very surprised.

Looks horrid to me. I own an iPad and I've still yet to see anything that makes me want to buy either these or the iBooks codex. Also the think about this version being ipad compatible is because there's a kindle app for the ipad (and possibly other ereaders too). I'll reserve judgement on the price when I see the lower price point become regular. This smacks of an introductory price for the new format.

Bloodwin wrote:
Looks horrid to me. I own an iPad and I've still yet to see anything that makes me want to buy either these or the iBooks codex. Also the think about this version being ipad compatible is because there's a kindle app for the ipad (and possibly other ereaders too). I'll reserve judgement on the price when I see the lower price point become regular. This smacks of an introductory price for the new format.

What the hell are you talking about?

It's a reduced price from the printed coded price of $50. It's the PDF version EVERYONE has been clamoring about since they first released the iBooks.

If you own an iPad and you don't see the benefit of having your codecies on the iPad in the first place, then you probably won't ever "get" it.

Additionally, this has nothing to do with the Kindle app. Android devices can read .ePub, just like the iPad can.

Honestly, your post reeks of bitching for bitchings sake.

I'm having trouble seeing how this isn't a positive move in every aspect for GW codex publishing.

It's cheaper because it's half the product the IOS version is.

No interactive features, such as the rule quick reference.

No updating with new FAQs and removed errata

Lot's of piracy for GW to deal with - they may well stop releases if it gets out of control (and it will).

 cincydooley wrote:

Bloodwin wrote:
Looks horrid to me. I own an iPad and I've still yet to see anything that makes me want to buy either these or the iBooks codex. Also the think about this version being ipad compatible is because there's a kindle app for the ipad (and possibly other ereaders too). I'll reserve judgement on the price when I see the lower price point become regular. This smacks of an introductory price for the new format.

What the hell are you talking about?

It's a reduced price from the printed coded price of $50. It's the PDF version EVERYONE has been clamoring about since they first released the iBooks.

If you own an iPad and you don't see the benefit of having your codecies on the iPad in the first place, then you probably won't ever "get" it.

Additionally, this has nothing to do with the Kindle app. Android devices can read .ePub, just like the iPad can.

Honestly, your post reeks of bitching for bitchings sake.

I'm having trouble seeing how this isn't a positive move in every aspect for GW codex publishing.

First of all... lol and well said. Second of all. I'm happy to FINALLY see this out on for the other tablets and a cheaper price! I personally own an iPad and enjoy when you get in the iBook, but that said $50 is a lot and it's hard for me to justify buying every codex now with the price.

 Deacis657 wrote:

First of all... lol and well said. Second of all. I'm happy to FINALLY see this out on for the other tablets and a cheaper price! I personally own an iPad and enjoy when you get in the eBook, but that said $50 is a lot and it's hard for me to justify buying every codex now with the price.

Yes. I used to buy every codex as they came out, but $50 has put a stop to that. It is a bit better that they are at $41.00 now for the epub, I can impulse buy at this level
We will see if people buy this or not. I won't because I already have the Eldar codex in iBook format, but it is nice to know that we are not tied to the iPad format from here on out.

Tetsugaku wrote:
It's cheaper because it's half the product the IOS version is.

No interactive features, such as the rule quick reference.

No updating with new FAQs and removed errata

Lot's of piracy for GW to deal with - they may well stop releases if it gets out of control (and it will).

All of these "missing features" describes something that GW already sells at for 50 bucks, it's call the physical book version of the Codex...

It's cheaper than the dead tree format of the codex, which is all I care about. They can shove fancy links, pop up rules, 360 no-scopes of models, but at the end of the day I'm paying for a rulebook, and 1 out of 2 rulebooks I need to play the game. 32.99 is more in line with what I would want to pay for a Codex, and if it means I have to go digital, then so be it.

Unfortunately it is $41.00 in the US, not 32.99

I call bull, I'm looking at it right now, and it clearly states 32.99.

 Alfndrate wrote:
I call bull, I'm looking at it right now, and it clearly states 32.99.

Sorry, you are right.
I had clicked on the link for the full 'collection' including the three short stories.
So $32.99 for just the codex.

 Alfndrate wrote:


All of these "missing features" describes something that GW already sells at for 50 bucks, it's call the physical book version of the Codex...

It's cheaper than the dead tree format of the codex, which is all I care about. They can shove fancy links, pop up rules, 360 no-scopes of models, but at the end of the day I'm paying for a rulebook, and 1 out of 2 rulebooks I need to play the game. 32.99 is more in line with what I would want to pay for a Codex, and if it means I have to go digital, then so be it.

No doubt - it still makes the IOS version better, which is why it costs more. I'd much rather have the most up to date rule book rather than chasing through multiple versions of FAQ PDFs and errata releases - I'd rather just tap a phrase than leaf through a paper book for 30 seconds to find a clarification of a rule. How valuable is your time? Surely a lot more than £10?

Tetsugaku wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
All of these "missing features" describes something that GW already sells at for 50 bucks, it's call the physical book version of the Codex...

It's cheaper than the dead tree format of the codex, which is all I care about. They can shove fancy links, pop up rules, 360 no-scopes of models, but at the end of the day I'm paying for a rulebook, and 1 out of 2 rulebooks I need to play the game. 32.99 is more in line with what I would want to pay for a Codex, and if it means I have to go digital, then so be it.

No doubt - it still makes the IOS version better, which is why it costs more. I'd much rather have the most up to date rule book rather than chasing through multiple versions of FAQ PDFs and errata releases - I'd rather just tap a phrase than leaf through a paper book for 30 seconds to find a clarification of a rule. How valuable is your time? Surely a lot more than £10?

Downloading the latest errata to my Kindle Fire from the GW website takes just as much time and preparation as it does for you to update your iBook release, and I can put my ebook file on my phone, my Kindle Fire, and my iPod with a single purchase, and get exactly what I need, the rules. If I need to download the errata and FAQs before an event, I check the night before to ensure what I have printed off/downloaded is what they have on their site, if not I redownload or print off new copies. The iOS version is not "saving me time" because I would still need to update the file.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but by doing distro through this, you need to simply know your Black Library account information to re-download it on a device, with Apple, you have to have your apple account AND you have to be an authorized device yes?

Edit: In the end, this can only be a good thing because getting digital copies of products to a wider market base is only going to help GW in the long run you can have your fancy iBooks codex with all of the features that aren't needed (though the added fixes for errata, etc... is nice), and I'll have my easy to use eBook version that will let me play the game in an affordable manner... Also I don't need a $400 product to display the book.

 vitki wrote:
Unfortunately it is $41.00 in the US, not 32.99

When I go to BL website im seeing it's $32.99 not $41.00 for the US

Android users aren't willing to pay for anything.

I know this for a fact, I make mobile games, publish to all tablets, and Android is the *only* platform where I have to just give up and make the games free and plastered with ads, because almost no-one who owns an android product is willing to pay for anything.

I imagine most people who asked for an android version will be looking to pirate, same as usual.

I don't see it mentioned in this thread, but along with the Eldar codex going up on black library, 3 new Eldar short stories went up.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/the-eldar-collection

I'm downloading them now and will be reading them soonish, though I don't recognize the author. I apologize for originally making another thread for this topic, not too familiar with this forum.

 scarletsquig wrote:
Android users aren't willing to pay for anything.

I know this for a fact, I make mobile games, publish to all tablets, and Android is the *only* platform where I have to just give up and make the games free and plastered with ads, because almost no-one who owns an android product is willing to pay for anything.

I imagine most people who asked for an android version will be looking to pirate, same as usual.

This is a fact I forgot, I use to own an android. : (... But it's still nice to see a cheaper price.

 Alfndrate wrote:


Downloading the latest errata to my Kindle Fire from the GW website takes just as much time and preparation as it does for you to update your iBook release, and I can put my ebook file on my phone, my Kindle Fire, and my iPod with a single purchase, and get exactly what I need, the rules. If I need to download the errata and FAQs before an event, I check the night before to ensure what I have printed off/downloaded is what they have on their site, if not I redownload or print off new copies. The iOS version is not "saving me time" because I would still need to update the file.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but by doing distro through this, you need to simply know your Black Library account information to re-download it on a device, with Apple, you have to have your apple account AND you have to be an authorized device yes?

Edit: In the end, this can only be a good thing because getting digital copies of products to a wider market base is only going to help GW in the long run you can have your fancy iBooks codex with all of the features that aren't needed (though the added fixes for errata, etc... is nice), and I'll have my easy to use eBook version that will let me play the game in an affordable manner... Also I don't need a $400 product to display the book.

I'm not trying to start an argument here but how on earth does the process you describe save you time over my process, which is quite literally hitting a single button marked "Update All", on any of my devices laptop, phone, or ipad? I never need to check anything, a little red number appears and tells me there are updates available, I don't even look at what they are any more I just hit go. No ID's required, no passwords, no nothing, just a button.

I share my itunes account across my house and we've yet to run out of authorised devices, I think the limit is 10.

I suppose you'd be right if I only used my £700 ipad to access ebooks but of course I use it for far, far more than that.

 tanuvein wrote:
I don't see it mentioned in this thread, but along with the Eldar codex going up on black library, 3 new Eldar short stories went up.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/the-eldar-collection

I'm downloading them now and will be reading them soonish, though I don't recognize the author. I apologize for originally making another thread for this topic, not too familiar with this forum.

No problem, it's an easy mistake to make

(and I hadn't spotted the short stories so thanks for that )

Tetsugaku wrote:
I'm not trying to start an argument here but how on earth does the process you describe save you time over my process, which is quite literally hitting a single button marked "Update All", on any of my devices laptop, phone, or ipad? I never need to check anything, a little red number appears and tells me there are updates available, I don't even look at what they are any more I just hit go. No ID's required, no passwords, no nothing, just a button.

Whenever I update an app on my iPod, I have to enter my iTunes account password, and as for saving time... Bookmarks are a great thing, click the GW errata page bookmark, see my army's update and when it was last updated, bam! 30 seconds and I'm done, 90 seconds if I have to actually download something, and even then I can set my phone or Kindle down, same as you. Or I could just bookmark the pdf page and download it whenever I visit that page.

But this is a debate for another thread, the point here is you're arguing that you are more than happy to pay more for literally the ability to "update" your codex, pop up rules, links, and 360 rotation of the models, all limited to a single style of device. I'm curious as to what might happen if GW cuts their ties with iBooks and Apple, especially if this takes off.

 Alfndrate wrote:

Tetsugaku wrote:
I'm not trying to start an argument here but how on earth does the process you describe save you time over my process, which is quite literally hitting a single button marked "Update All", on any of my devices laptop, phone, or ipad? I never need to check anything, a little red number appears and tells me there are updates available, I don't even look at what they are any more I just hit go. No ID's required, no passwords, no nothing, just a button.

Whenever I update an app on my iPod, I have to enter my iTunes account password, and as for saving time... Bookmarks are a great thing, click the GW errata page bookmark, see my army's update and when it was last updated, bam! 30 seconds and I'm done, 90 seconds if I have to actually download something, and even then I can set my phone or Kindle down, same as you. Or I could just bookmark the pdf page and download it whenever I visit that page.

But this is a debate for another thread, the point here is you're arguing that you are more than happy to pay more for literally the ability to "update" your codex, pop up rules, links, and 360 rotation of the models, all limited to a single style of device. I'm curious as to what might happen if GW cuts their ties with iBooks and Apple, especially if this takes off.

Not to like, be THAT guy, but all that updating will be gone in about 2 months when iOS7 hits.

I'd happily pay the extra price for the quick links and the pop up rules.

I don't need GW to get a PDF copy of a rule book and i don't need a special app to use PDFs on my android devices.
The Only reason to buy a digital codex from GW would be easy and convenient FAQ updates.
Considering that there will be no updates for these PDFs I dont see a reason to bother picking them up.
The ibook version is over priced , but at least it offers the customer something they cant get else where.

I didn't drool over the Apple presentation where they announced iOS7, because I was busy having a life Wanna PM me wtf you're talking about?

I guess never having been on "that" side of the codex line, I can't fathom what makes quick links and pop up rules all that useful... And is it really almost 20 dollars useful?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Spazz wrote:
I don't need GW to get a PDF copy of a rule book and i don't need a special app to use PDFs on my android devices.
The Only reason to buy a digital codex from GW would be easy and convenient FAQ updates.
Considering that there will be no updates for these PDFs I dont see a reason to bother picking them up.
The ibook version is over priced , but at least it offers the customer something they cant get else where.

You may need GW, but we are still talking about people that operate within the lines of Piracy and are willing to pay for a product that they want in a form that they want. Like I said a few posts ago, everyone has their own preferred method, I prefer a physical copy of a book, but if the digital codex is cheaper, I'll gladly pay that price for it.

 Spazz wrote:
I don't need GW to get a PDF copy of a rule book and i don't need a special app to use PDFs on my android devices.
The Only reason to buy a digital codex from GW would be easy and convenient FAQ updates.
Considering that there will be no updates for these PDFs I dont see a reason to bother picking them up.
The ibook version is over priced , but at least it offers the customer something they cant get else where.

Some of us actually prefer to purchase official copies of the codecies, especially since they're being made available.

The iBook version is only overpriced to you.

 cincydooley wrote:

 Spazz wrote:
I don't need GW to get a PDF copy of a rule book and i don't need a special app to use PDFs on my android devices.
The Only reason to buy a digital codex from GW would be easy and convenient FAQ updates.
Considering that there will be no updates for these PDFs I dont see a reason to bother picking them up.
The ibook version is over priced , but at least it offers the customer something they cant get else where.

Some of us actually prefer to purchase official copies of the codecies, especially since they're being made available.

The iBook version is only overpriced to you.

It's overpriced to me too but I'm fine with buying a copy of the codex

Tetsugaku wrote:
Lot's of piracy for GW to deal with - they may well stop releases if it gets out of control (and it will).

The format that GW chooses to use makes absolutely zero difference to piracy, since people have been sharing PDF scans of the print codexes since well before eBooks were even a thing. What the ePub format does do is give those people who want digital codexes without resorting to illegal downloads or breaking the spines of their books on their scanner the chance to actually obtain them.

 scarletsquig wrote:
Android users aren't willing to pay for anything.

I'm an Andriod user, and I'm more than happy to pay a reasonable price for eBooks.

Android users are unwilling to pay for aps simply because there are so many free alternatives. eBooks are a whole different kettle of squig.



So, kudos to GW, both for finally realising that not everyone has an iPad, and for releasing the eBook codex at an almost realistic price. It's still more expensive for Oz customers than it should be compared to the UK price, but it's a step in the right direction.

Insaniak, can you not purchase from the English site where prices are in pounds?

It's the same site. It charges depending on where in the world you are.

Which is why I don't buy Black Library eBooks. I would like to... but they want to charge me twice as much as a customer elsewhere in the world, for no good reason.

 insaniak wrote:
It's the same site. It charges depending on where in the world you are.

Which is why I don't buy Black Library eBooks. I would like to... but they want to charge me twice as much as a customer elsewhere in the world, for no good reason.

I thought that was the way it worked but wasn't sure, quite stupid sadly :-\

Got the three Carnac books. Finished the first... fortunately they are all by different authors.

Joe Parrino, horrible, writes like this, loves wordnouns, first Carnac book is ungoodbad.

 tanuvein wrote:
Got the three Carnac books. Finished the first... fortunately they are all by different authors.

Joe Parrino, horrible, writes like this, loves wordnouns, first Carnac book is ungoodbad.

I actually disagree.

It's not bad simply because be uses compound sentences. I though the style fit the Eldar well.

I'm glad you like it. I do like the story, I just hate the writing style. Especially just coming off of reading all the Path of the Eldar and Dark Eldar books as well as Masque of Vyle, I feel it doesn't pull me in as well. I may be a little harsh, though. I see what you mean with it suiting their style, as Gav Thorpe did something similar with the Exarchs, but I don't think the entire story being written that way works as well.

Just to add support as another Android user who's happy to pay for these codexes as ePub. I honestly don't think it'll make much of a difference to piracy - it's always been pretty easy to find PDFs of codexes online for those willing to go look for them.

If I had an iDevice then I wouldn't mind paying the extra for the fancy versions, but I've no intention of changing all my stuff to Apple so it's great to have pdf's available on Android a bit cheaper. It's almost as a price where I'd impulse but for armies I don't own but am interested in the fluff and rules for.

Dundas wrote:

Just to add support as another Android user who's happy to pay for these codexes as ePub. I honestly don't think it'll make much of a difference to piracy - it's always been pretty easy to find PDFs of codexes online for those willing to go look for them.

If I had an iDevice then I wouldn't mind paying the extra for the fancy versions, but I've no intention of changing all my stuff to Apple so it's great to have pdf's available on Android a bit cheaper. It's almost as a price where I'd impulse but for armies I don't own but am interested in the fluff and rules for.

Going to be interesting how they track their sales on these, as they don't really have any way of determing what OS the ePubs are going to be used on.

Anyone DL one yet that can attest to the file size? That's the only drawback for me on the iBooks so far, in that they're all very content rich and rather large.

@Tanuvein - I can see where the style wouldn't fit everyone; I was just trying to say it wasn't 'bad.' I agree there are places in the prose where he could remove a comma or two, but it isn't egregious to me. Like you said, however, the story is really well done so far. I only DLed Nightspear and after being pleasantly surprised (by both content and length) I'll be getting the next two to read tonight.

I might be picking up the eBook Eldar Codex this weekend... idk though.

 Alfndrate wrote:
I might be picking up the eBook Eldar Codex this weekend... idk though.

Let us all know the file size if you do! Anxious to see it.

FYI, the eldar codex in general is really fantastic! It reads really, really well.

 cincydooley wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
I might be picking up the eBook Eldar Codex this weekend... idk though.

Let us all know the file size if you do! Anxious to see it.

FYI, the eldar codex in general is really fantastic! It reads really, really well.

It mostly depends on whether or not I want to pick up Eldar, I love the look of the models and I like what I've seen so far, but everyone in my play group plays them :-\

 insaniak wrote:
It's the same site. It charges depending on where in the world you are.

I thought it charged based on where your credit card was from. It might be possible to get a pre-paid debit card from some other country and you can switch your account over.

I picked up a copy. The epub is 282mb. The mobi version in excess of 400mb.

It's the print codex reformatted to a simpler layout. However they did the bare minimum work required to format it, and there are numerous instances of a page containing only 2 or 3 lines. They could have easily put a little bit more work in and made the unit entries in the list fit on one page a piece, but instead most of the aspect squads spread two pages with the second containing little more than the option to buy a serpent.

But as a cheap(er), legal, digital equivalent to the codex it suits my needs fine and I'll likely be buying them in place of hard copies from now on.

Chrysis wrote:
I picked up a copy. The epub is 282mb. The mobi version in excess of 400mb.

It's the print codex reformatted to a simpler layout. However they did the bare minimum work required to format it, and there are numerous instances of a page containing only 2 or 3 lines. They could have easily put a little bit more work in and made the unit entries in the list fit on one page a piece, but instead most of the aspect squads spread two pages with the second containing little more than the option to buy a serpent.

But as a cheap(er), legal, digital equivalent to the codex it suits my needs fine and I'll likely be buying them in place of hard copies from now on.

Do they have any sample photos of this new layout?

Chrysis wrote:

It's the print codex reformatted to a simpler layout. However they did the bare minimum work required to format it, and there are numerous instances of a page containing only 2 or 3 lines. They could have easily put a little bit more work in and made the unit entries in the list fit on one page a piece, but instead most of the aspect squads spread two pages with the second containing little more than the option to buy a serpent.

There really isn't much that BL/GW can do about that with epub & mobi. These formats have very little in the way of formatting control. That is left to the displaying device, so if you want them to fit on one page; tell your eReader application to use a smaller font.

Why oh why couldn't they simply have used pdf????

 jlong05 wrote:
Why oh why couldn't they simply have used pdf????

Why would you want PDF over the epub or mobi? Takes a ton longer to loan and they're often times much larger files since it's all imaged.

and pdf's suck on e-readers,

the main previous complaint has been iPad only, so it would have been very annoying to just open stuff up to tablets

 cincydooley wrote:

 jlong05 wrote:
Why oh why couldn't they simply have used pdf????

Why would you want PDF over the epub or mobi? Takes a ton longer to loan and they're often times much larger files since it's all imaged.

Because, as listed in previous comments, having it load single lines of text or partial units and upgrades to me is a waste. While I understand the need for this on true ereaders, having them create the files in mobi, epub, and pdf would have been more ideal as it would have opened better for all devices.

Personally I have an iPad, and have the Tau codex version, but if they had done a pdf of Eldar I would have gone with that as the epub/mobi formatting would annoy me to no end. I like knowing that I can find specific rules on specific pages, and the mobi/epub(hell, even special iPad) versions do not match pages up to print codexes. A true PDF would have.

Also the file size of an optimized pdf is like 25 megs, versus that 300-400 listed above for sizes.

More feedback on the 3 new Eldar short stories?

 Breotan wrote:

 insaniak wrote:
It's the same site. It charges depending on where in the world you are.

I thought it charged based on where your credit card was from. It might be possible to get a pre-paid debit card from some other country and you can switch your account over.

Possible, but not worth the effort. If the Black Library doesn't want me to buy their product, there are plenty of other books out there that I can read instead.

I'll read the 2nd and 3rd tonight Kroot, and let you know.

 cincydooley wrote:

Chrysis wrote:
I picked up a copy. The epub is 282mb. The mobi version in excess of 400mb.

It's the print codex reformatted to a simpler layout. However they did the bare minimum work required to format it, and there are numerous instances of a page containing only 2 or 3 lines. They could have easily put a little bit more work in and made the unit entries in the list fit on one page a piece, but instead most of the aspect squads spread two pages with the second containing little more than the option to buy a serpent.

But as a cheap(er), legal, digital equivalent to the codex it suits my needs fine and I'll likely be buying them in place of hard copies from now on.

Do they have any sample photos of this new layout?

They have a sample pic of the Avatar's unit entry. There's a lot of wasted white-space that could have been better utilized to get all the entries on one page, including line spacing. I assume the reason they haven't is so that it is usable by people on smartphones.

It's not a huge issue, it's just one of those minor irritations. Although I'd hate to see what a unit entry like Chosen looks like.

Just finished Sky Hunter, the second Carnac campaign book. It was really good. I liked the writing a lot more than the first (though I'm growing more fond of the first as I reflect on it), though the story itself wasn't quite as good. It's shaping up to be an excellent series. I'm quite glad it was released and that I managed to notice it.

I like that it has an appearance from Thirianna from the Path of the Eldar series. Makes it feel a little more connected to me.

Edit: My only complaint with the second story is the ridiculous names. It's more of a nitpick than anything, but they are pretty bad.

 tanuvein wrote:
Just finished Sky Hunter, the second Carnac campaign book. It was really good. I liked the writing a lot more than the first (though I'm growing more fond of the first as I reflect on it), though the story itself wasn't quite as good. It's shaping up to be an excellent series. I'm quite glad it was released and that I managed to notice it.

I like that it has an appearance from Thirianna from the Path of the Eldar series. Makes it feel a little more connected to me.

Edit: My only complaint with the second story is the ridiculous names. It's more of a nitpick than anything, but they are pretty bad.

Who's the writer on it? Haven't DLed it yet :-)

Graeme Lyon. First story I've read by this person.

 tanuvein wrote:
Graeme Lyon. First story I've read by this person.

That seems to be how they try new authors out. I like it a lot.

Not sure if this was posted, but you can see the Eldar Codex on something other than an iPad: http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/the-eldar-collection

POsted two pages ago. Hence the ensuing discussion...

I'd be down for digital codex editions if purchasing the physical book meant I could get the digital edition for a small upgrade fee, but I'm not paying £20 on top of the hardback price.

I would be tempted to switch completely to digital for FW books due to a) the big books are not that convenient to use at club/event gaming tables and b) being left with large redundant FW books as FW release new editions makes me sad.

Indeed, frankly the price the codexes are at now they should come with a digital copy for free (I'd even accept a small charge because you know GW) Same with Black Library books.

I'm really curious to hear more from anyone who has purchased the Eldar epub/mobi about their thoughts about how easy it is to navigate in real-world use (i.e. in-game) when you have to jump around to find rules or wargear on different pages because of the way GW splits up its books.

I've bought the ibooks version of the codexes up to this point I do find that the rules pop-ups are in many ways much easier to read and play with than actual physical codexes, because you can basically 'live' in the army list section and then just use the rules pop-ups (or glossary if need be) to check out specific rules text.

I also have PDFs of codexes that I've scanned from my personal collection previously and have always bookmarked them so that I can jump to specific pages and points, but overall I do find the ibook format to be slightly faster within an individual codex (although if you have to switch between different codexes, the ibook format takes FOREVER, relatively, to switch).

So I'm tempted to buy this new version just to try it out and see how it goes, but I really don't want to dump $32 just to buy something I already own in the ibook format...

So, the more commentary someone can break down on how they find it to be, the better, please!

Maybe even a little mini 'review' or something like I did when the first SM ibook codex came out?

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/yakface_Reviews_the_Digital_Ultramarines_Codex

It was only 2 months ago that GW customer services replied to an email that they had no plans to do this.

I've bought the codex for the Android. I have the hardback book, but having it to hand anywhere is good, too.

Does anyone have suggestions on apps to view it best? I'm trying the HTC one, Google's Play Book and Nook.

 yakface wrote:

I'm really curious to hear more from anyone who has purchased the Eldar epub/mobi about their thoughts about how easy it is to navigate in real-world use (i.e. in-game) when you have to jump around to find rules or wargear on different pages because of the way GW splits up its books.

I've bought the ibooks version of the codexes up to this point I do find that the rules pop-ups are in many ways much easier to read and play with than actual physical codexes, because you can basically 'live' in the army list section and then just use the rules pop-ups (or glossary if need be) to check out specific rules text.

I also have PDFs of codexes that I've scanned from my personal collection previously and have always bookmarked them so that I can jump to specific pages and points, but overall I do find the ibook format to be slightly faster within an individual codex (although if you have to switch between different codexes, the ibook format takes FOREVER, relatively, to switch).

So I'm tempted to buy this new version just to try it out and see how it goes, but I really don't want to dump $32 just to buy something I already own in the ibook format...

So, the more commentary someone can break down on how they find it to be, the better, please!

Maybe even a little mini 'review' or something like I did when the first SM ibook codex came out?

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/yakface_Reviews_the_Digital_Ultramarines_Codex

Realistically it's not going to be any harder than the home made PDFs to use, as it comes with a table of contents built in that will get you close to where you need to be. If you only use the built in contents you'll probably have to swipe through a few extraneous fluff pages to get to the rules you want, but not a huge imposition usually. You can almost certainly add your own bookmarks as well to any frequently accessed pages and bypass the extra swiping.

The Bestiary section basically goes: 1 or 2 pages of fluff, 1 page of picture, 1 or 2 pages of rules. The contents entry points to the first page of fluff obviously. The "Forge of Vaul" section takes up a stupid number of pages, but they have been nice enough to reproduce the codex specific special rules for each weapon category that uses them. So at least you don't have to go searching for the Shuriken weapons section to find out what Bladestorm does on your Scorpion Claw.

So not as convenient as I imagine the iBook versions to be, nor as convenient as print with it's greater information density per page. But the difference is pretty negligible or manageable provided the hardware is responsive and your chosen eReader app has basic Table of Contents and Bookmarking functionality (which I imagine all do).

 insaniak wrote:

Tetsugaku wrote:
Lot's of piracy for GW to deal with - they may well stop releases if it gets out of control (and it will).

The format that GW chooses to use makes absolutely zero difference to piracy, since people have been sharing PDF scans of the print codexes since well before eBooks were even a thing. What the ePub format does do is give those people who want digital codexes without resorting to illegal downloads or breaking the spines of their books on their scanner the chance to actually obtain them.

 scarletsquig wrote:
Android users aren't willing to pay for anything.

I'm an Andriod user, and I'm more than happy to pay a reasonable price for eBooks.

Android users are unwilling to pay for aps simply because there are so many free alternatives. eBooks are a whole different kettle of squig.



So, kudos to GW, both for finally realising that not everyone has an iPad, and for releasing the eBook codex at an almost realistic price. It's still more expensive for Oz customers than it should be compared to the UK price, but it's a step in the right direction.

For me personally it will bean ease of use. I downloaded the pdf of the rule book on y phone to use when i was out and about for games but it wasn't that convenient if truth be old. To quickly find something. So I still bought the paperback vengeance book from somebody so it is easy to flick and find a page.

I have a kindle and i do have a pdf of my Imperial Guard codex (I have the hard copy too) as I work away so saves me carrying the book about. Even on the kindle though PDFs with columns aren't that easy o navigate. So my hope is this makes it easier to browse electronically through my codexes. A big plus for me, and ill reserve judgement to see how it compares to the paper version.

So far, the Nook app shows the part-pages better than the HTC or Google's Book app. When turned, the summary tables are spread over 3 pages, and sometimes the last few entries get lots off the bottom. The Nook app shows more of the table.
What I don't remember seeing from the hardback Codex was weapon profiles for power weapons. These are in the epub version.

Oh, and there is a 'free copy' of Munitorium: Shuriken Catapults at the end.

I'm really excited for the digital codices, especially since it looks like the codex supplements are going to be a thing. I love physical books, but being able to cart around every book I need for my armies in my pocket sounds a lot easier, and considering I already have my tablet with me for BattleScribe, it's a no brainer.

 shamikebab wrote:
Indeed, frankly the price the codexes are at now they should come with a digital copy for free (I'd even accept a small charge because you know GW) Same with Black Library books.

Why should they come for free? The digitial copies rarely come for free with blurays; they typically cost an extra $3-$5 over the 'bare bones' edition.

An upgrade fee would be fine and would fall in line with pretty much every other industy precedent.

Comic books come with a free digital edition (at least my Marvel comics did) But I'm with Cincy, I don't think they should come for free (for the most part), I think the codices are currently too expensive for their size and page count, but if they were like 39.99 normal and 50 for the "Digital Weapon" Version which would come with a pdf code, I wouldn't be opposed to that.

 Skinnereal wrote:
It was only 2 months ago that GW customer services replied to an email that they had no plans to do this.

If you had e-mailed them later in the day, they would have given a different answer. CS never knows what is going on from a strategy standpoint.

 Alfndrate wrote:
Comic books come with a free digital edition (at least my Marvel comics did) But I'm with Cincy, I don't think they should come for free (for the most part), I think the codices are currently too expensive for their size and page count, but if they were like 39.99 normal and 50 for the "Digital Weapon" Version which would come with a pdf code, I wouldn't be opposed to that.

Do they do this with every issue now?

 cincydooley wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
Comic books come with a free digital edition (at least my Marvel comics did) But I'm with Cincy, I don't think they should come for free (for the most part), I think the codices are currently too expensive for their size and page count, but if they were like 39.99 normal and 50 for the "Digital Weapon" Version which would come with a pdf code, I wouldn't be opposed to that.

Do they do this with every issue now?

Yes

 Alfndrate wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
Comic books come with a free digital edition (at least my Marvel comics did) But I'm with Cincy, I don't think they should come for free (for the most part), I think the codices are currently too expensive for their size and page count, but if they were like 39.99 normal and 50 for the "Digital Weapon" Version which would come with a pdf code, I wouldn't be opposed to that.

Do they do this with every issue now?

Yes

Well how about that. I knew they were piloting it before on some of the "larger" issues.

I mean, don't get me wrong; I think if you own a physical copy you should be allowed to have the digital copy as well (and I think you're protected under the law for this?) but that doesn't mean they have to provide it for you free of charge.

July releases:

Apocalypse in three separate releases:
1.) Rules
2.) Datasheets
3.) Warzone Armageddon (backrgound, rules and scenarios for Third Armageddon War)

Farsight - A Codex Tau Empire supplement !

 Kroothawk wrote:
July releases:

Apocalypse in three separate releases:
1.) Rules
2.) Datasheets
3.) Warzone Armageddon (backrgound, rules and scenarios for Third Armageddon War)

Farsight - A Codex Tau Empire supplement !

Will this be in relation to the White Dwarf stuff for July?

 Kroothawk wrote:
July releases:

Apocalypse in three separate releases:
1.) Rules
2.) Datasheets
3.) Warzone Armageddon (backrgound, rules and scenarios for Third Armageddon War)

Farsight - A Codex Tau Empire supplement !

Is that on the Black Library page?

 cincydooley wrote:
; I think if you own a physical copy you should be allowed to have the digital copy as well (and I think you're protected under the law for this?) but that doesn't mean they have to provide it for you free of charge.

It's a good policy for companies worried about the perception of the quality of their product. Going by GW's oft-stated idea that inferior pictures of their product damage perception of the quality of that product, if copies are going to get out onto the internet (and they will) it would seem to be better for them to be good-quality, professionally done copies rather than dodgy scans...

The release is announced in the WD.

 insaniak wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:
; I think if you own a physical copy you should be allowed to have the digital copy as well (and I think you're protected under the law for this?) but that doesn't mean they have to provide it for you free of charge.

It's a good policy for companies worried about the perception of the quality of their product. Going by GW's oft-stated idea that inferior pictures of their product damage perception of the quality of that product, if copies are going to get out onto the internet (and they will) it would seem to be better for them to be good-quality, professionally done copies rather than dodgy scans...

I understand what you're saying, but I don't agree with it. So because people are going to pirate copies anyways we may as well give a good scan for free so the pirated copies at least look good?

Just got the preview, and this is going to be the only way I'll be going with codexes for the future. I got the preview on my Nook Tablet (so the epub on a 7" android device) and was surprised with how nice the format is. People suggesting this is the same as a pirated PDF are out of their minds-- there's no comparison between this format and any PDF I've used. I did turn the text size all the way down, so that I can get a whole entry on a single page, but it's still 100% readable.

The only downside I can see is file size: my Nook only has 8GB for actual use because B&N wants to force you to buy crap from them. 400-600MB files would kill that, much less the memory on a smaller Kindle e-reader. It means that I'll be loading all my content before I go to a tournament, because otherwise I'd have no room for anything else. Obviously that's not really an issue with the codex though, since there's nothing GW can do about B&N trying to push selling their drek.

In short, I'm 100% happy with this development, and plan on actually going back to buying every codex and army book on this format from now on, versus just getting the book for the army I am currently playing in hardback.

 cincydooley wrote:
So because people are going to pirate copies anyways we may as well give a good scan for free so the pirated copies at least look good?

It's a matter of pragmatism.

If you accept that copies of your printed material are going to be distributed on the internet regardless of what you do to stop it (and frankly, while not endorsing[/i the dispersal of copyright-infringing material, in this day and age anyone producing printed material needs to accept that this will happen) and[i]- if - you are concerned that people seeing dodgy scans will form a lesser view of your product as a result, then it's in your best interests to give them something prettier to look at.

Piracy is going to happen. People are going to scan the books, or take screen shots of every page of an iPad codex, so releasing ePub and Mobi versions at a cheaper price at least gives the incentive to pay less for the same material.

The iPad version, imo, should be the same price as the eBooks, and the eBooks should be considerably cheaper. The only way to stop piracy is to make paying for the thing look more appealing. Unfortunately for GW, hard cover books aren't enough.

Matney X wrote:
. Unfortunately for GW, hard cover books aren't enough.

Entirely the opposite, for some of us. Hardcovers are ok if you're gaming at home, but if you have to take them anywhere, it's just extra weight.

I would still love to see GW release a softcover version of their codexes in the same small format as the starter set rulebook.

Matney X wrote:
.

The iPad version, imo, should be the same price as the eBooks, and the eBooks should be considerably cheaper. The only way to stop piracy is to make paying for the thing look more appealing. Unfortunately for GW, hard cover books aren't enough.

People still pirate the hell out of music and its rare for an album to cost more than $14. People pirate ebooks already and they typically cost $10 or less. Reducing the price isn't going to reduce the piracy. People that are going to pirate them are going to do so regardless of price.

Also, I COMPLETELY disagree that they iBook should cost the same as ebooks. The iBooks have a considerable amount more production and interactivity to them. Additionally, I think the eBooks are quite fairly priced considering the cost of the hardcovers. And yes, I'm sure you think the hardcovers are overpriced but that's not the topic at hand.

 cincydooley wrote:
People still pirate the hell out of music and its rare for an album to cost more than $14. People pirate ebooks already and they typically cost $10 or less. Reducing the price isn't going to reduce the piracy. People that are going to pirate them are going to do so regardless of price. .

Some people are going to pirate regardless of the price. Some people only pirate because they feel the price is too high.

It's a fairly straightword equation to assume that those who only pirate because of high prices would be a smaller group if the prices were lower.

Codex's are the kind of thing people won't pirate first thing imo, it's a bit awkward showing up with tourneys with printed out rules that are clearly pirated. And GW stores in particularly have a reason not to allow such things (though they probably wouldn't want you gaming there in the first place these days).

The obscene prices of these codex's are what is hiking piracy rates up imo, they really need to go back to softcover black and white

 insaniak wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:
People still pirate the hell out of music and its rare for an album to cost more than $14. People pirate ebooks already and they typically cost $10 or less. Reducing the price isn't going to reduce the piracy. People that are going to pirate them are going to do so regardless of price. .

Some people are going to pirate regardless of the price. Some people only pirate because they feel the price is too high.

It's a fairly straightword equation to assume that those who only pirate because of high prices would be a smaller group if the prices were lower.

Some people are going to steal regardless. Some people are only going to steal things they can't or don't want to afford. How is that better?

And I'm sorry, how can you make that assumption? Do you have anything to substantiate that claim?

Also, going back to gakky black and white codices is going to make just as many people unhappy as happier.

 insaniak wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:
People still pirate the hell out of music and its rare for an album to cost more than $14. People pirate ebooks already and they typically cost $10 or less. Reducing the price isn't going to reduce the piracy. People that are going to pirate them are going to do so regardless of price. .

Some people are going to pirate regardless of the price. Some people only pirate because they feel the price is too high.

It's a fairly straightword equation to assume that those who only pirate because of high prices would be a smaller group if the prices were lower.

Agreed. Some people will always pirate regardless but at least those who wanted ubiquitous use digital copies of the books have a legal and official outlet to get them instead of resorting to piracy. I'm still hoping to instead get a physical book via a swap shop trade despite my dislike of the hardcovers but I'd change my mind personally if they offered it at $20 USD via a sale. Does BL ever have sales on digital products?

I mean, the complaining here basically amounts to "We'll I don't want to pay that much".

Forget that they answered all the requests for a non-iOS digital version.

Forget that they are offering a basic and discounted version of the codex.

feth, at this point they'd be better off had they never released a digital copy for any OS.

 cincydooley wrote:
Some people are going to steal regardless. Some people are only going to steal things they can't or don't want to afford. How is that better?

Better than what? I don't understand what you're asking.

And I'm sorry, how can you make that assumption? Do you have anything to substantiate that claim?

I make that assumption the same way I assume that if I eat a cookie, then I will have eaten a cookie.

If someone has one reason for doing something, and you remove that reason... it's not too hard to extrapolate what might happen.

Also, going back to gakky black and white codices is going to make just as many people unhappy as happier.

I would be curious as to the stats on that, actually. Do the people who would be unhappy with a return to softcover, black and white codexes actually outnumber the people who are unhappy with the current codex price? Guess we'll never know.

The thing is, both of those groups could be satisfied with the release of cheaper codexes in the same style as the starter set rulebook alongside the spiffy, full-colour hardbacks.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 cincydooley wrote:
I mean, the complaining here basically amounts to "We'll I don't want to pay that much".

Forget that they answered all the requests for a non-iOS digital version.

Forget that they are offering a basic and discounted version of the codex.

Nobody is forgetting that. It's down to personal preference as to whether or not the product being offered is worth the price.

If a company releases something that you have been asking for, but does so at a price that is higher than you would prefer to pay, you're not under any obligation to be happy about it just because they 'listened' to you. Offering a product that customers want, at a price the customer is happy to pay is how retail works.

feth, at this point they'd be better off had they never released a digital copy for any OS.

Well, yes, because 'no sales' is always a better option than 'some sales'...

That's a false assumption. You're assuming that if the price was lower people wouldn't pirate. Well, where is that bar? What is the price at which someone will no longer pirate the codex? $40? $30? $20? How much do you think the codecies should cost?

I obviously don't have any stats regarding people being unhappy with a black and white codex. I can tell you the 3 friends asked and myself prefer the hardcovers. They're more durable. I've yet to have one fall apart like the soft covers (and I have to flip thru my ogres one a lot). And for a collector, they look nicer on a shelf. Again, that's purely anecdotal, but its a start.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Sure that's how retail "works" but no one is entitled or obligated to purchase or own a single thing.

If you don't like the price, don't buy it. But there are obviously enough people buying the books to justify that the market will bear the price.

I'm sure plenty of people would like to drive a BMW. Should BMW lower their prices so more people can buy them? No. Of course not.

Griping about prices is the consumer's right. People will buy or not buy and just a few people whinging on an internet board does not equate to the entire market (though you apparently think so by your reaction).

GW moving to other formats was inevitable since I hardly think they would ignore greater than 1/2 of the tablet market by sticking to iOS only. I know that here in the US, there is a love affair with all things Apple but this is not necessarily so for the rest of the world.

Finished the third Carnac book. Did a more thorough review of the series in the background section of the forum. I think that was the right place:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/536375.page#5784975

 cincydooley wrote:
That's a false assumption. You're assuming that if the price was lower people wouldn't pirate

No, I'm assuming that if the price was lower, fewer people who pirate because the price is too high would pirate.

. Well, where is that bar? What is the price at which someone will no longer pirate the codex? $40? $30? $20? How much do you think the codecies should cost?

What I thnk the codex should cost has no bearing on how much someone who pirates the codex because they think it is too expensive thinks it should cost. And yes, that ideal price is going to be different for different people. I'm really nt sure what point you are trying to make here.

If a codex is $40, and someone refuses to buy it becuase they think it should be $30, and then the price is dropped to $30, that person is going to be more likely to buy the codex than they were when the codex was $40.

I obviously don't have any stats regarding people being unhappy with a black and white codex. I can tell you the 3 friends asked and myself prefer the hardcovers. They're more durable. I've yet to have one fall apart like the soft covers (and I have to flip thru my ogres one a lot). And for a collector, they look nicer on a shelf. Again, that's purely anecdotal, but its a start.

Sure. But, again, it doesn't have to be one or the other.

But there are obviously enough people buying the books to justify that the market will bear the price.

I'm sure there are. I would love to see the sales figures on codexes since the switch to hardcover, though. I know for myself, that switch (and the corresponding price hike) has resulted in my going from being someone who buys every codex (and has done since 2nd edition) to only buying one of the 6th ed codexes so far. I might pick up the Space Wolves codex if and when they do it, but if I'm still largely playing at home I probably won't bother, and will just stick with my current codex instead. And I won't be buying any others so long as they stick with the over-priced hardcover.

And while that's anecdotal, I'm a long way from being the only person in that boat. I've spoken to quite a few people who have gone the same way - from buying every codex, to only buying the books they really need.

 cincydooley wrote:
Sure that's how retail "works" but no one is entitled or obligated to purchase or own a single thing.

If you don't like the price, don't buy it. But there are obviously enough people buying the books to justify that the market will bear the price.

I'm sure plenty of people would like to drive a BMW. Should BMW lower their prices so more people can buy them? No. Of course not.

If you were talking about adding exclusivity as a result of prestige associated with first-degree price discrimination of a product/service then I would agree, but it's reached the point where it's not becoming profitable because they're exceeding their customers' reservation price by such a degree that they're seeing reduced profitability due to lower volume not balancing the rising contribution margin (difference between sale price and variable cost of production) to exceed fixed costs by the desired percentage. On top of their third-degree price discrimination, they're seeing lots of reduced volume (regardless of what they might do to artificially boost demand by limiting their supply to other retailers) from overseas.

You're also confusing whether people want to buy it with whether people can buy it. GW could sell it's products for a pittance and they would still see people who could afford it unwilling to do so. There's also some confusion over whether the quality [added value] is equal or greater than the added markup...which is highly subjective but nonetheless becoming increasingly hard to justify.

It's like if BMW suddenly cut all of it's entry-level vehicles (something which GW no longer has [the only exception being the DV box, which is still friggin' expensive]): lower cash flow, greater possibility of reduced profitability, all that jazz.

BUT: back on topic

I would be interested to see more reviews about the quality of the product and the rate at which it is updated. There's very little use for a product which does get automatically updated if they return to their old bi-annual FAQ model.

So in the Apoc thread it has just been posted that next months WD mentions a Codex: Farsight in the digital release section.

So are the epub/mobi codex going to get faq updates or not ...or has the question not been answered?

 Spazz wrote:
So are the epub/mobi codex going to get faq updates or not ...or has the question not been answered?

Given the current version isn't up to date with even the current FAQ, the one released even before the codex, I wouldn't bet on it.

Mobi's bought through the Amazon store can auto-update, but Black Library uses its own storefront with manual downloads, so automatic updating would be impossible. Manual updates would certainly be possible, but I suspect we won't find out until the next Eldar FAQ comes out.

Edit: Or not. I guess that settles it. Disappointing.

Difficult to predict.... on the one hand some people might view "no so it matches the printed Codex" as an expected or sensible answer, others will say that as the iCodex auto-updates all e-Codices should be brought inline with the latest ruling.

I'd prefer e-Codices to all be "living", but there needs to be a consistent version control across all versions.

 Temujin wrote:
Mobi's bought through the Amazon store can auto-update, but Black Library uses its own storefront with manual downloads, so automatic updating would be impossible. Manual updates would certainly be possible, but I suspect we won't find out until the next Eldar FAQ comes out.

Edit: Or not. I guess that settles it. Disappointing.

I was surprised to find that you can also purchase the ePub codecies through the iBooks store as well for that same $32 pricepoint. This would also be able to accept an auto update if they chose to do so.

So at this point it looks like the only ones auto updating are the iBook versions.

As I explained before about ePub and Mobi, and how digital products are updated (by iTunes / Google / Amazon replacing the complete file with the newly updated file -- not simply by changing a few lines of text), and that there's no way for the books you get through BL to phone home and see if they need replaced... they will not be updated, ever. At least, not automatically -- and I wouldn't put money on GW ever updating the digital versions on their side, either.

As for the price of iBooks vs. Hardcover.. For both, you're paying for the authors' times, the art, and someone to typeset per platform.
With iBooks you're paying an additional developer cost for someone to program the functionality into the iBooks (but, if they were smart, they programmed the engine once and simply add new content to the engine) for server space and bandwidth (a miniscule cost, comparitively), their yearly dev license with Apple, and that's about it.
For hardbound books, you're paying a printing fee and materials cost PER BOOK, plus physical storage space (one physical book takes up the same space as one hundred thousand iBooks, if I'm gonna throw one out into the ballpark) and shipping costs from the printer to storage,.
The initial investment of iBooks (the additional developer) is greater than dead tree books, but once they're done being developed they probably cost less than a dime for GW to get to us.

So, yeah, I absolutely say iBooks should cost less, regardless of functionality, because GWs cost for iBooks is notably less (from the start of production to getting it into my hands) than paper books. And then eBooks should cost less than that because they don't have the added functionality.

Oh, and just so people can say I'm simply complaining about the cost of GW products... GW COSTS TOO MUCH! (But I still try to cram my dollars down their throats, so, am I really complaining?)

And for the "piracy will always happen, so why try to stop it," argument -- yeah, it's going to happen. If it's not leaked PDFs, it's scans, and before that it was photocopies made by someone who had a friend who worked at a print shop. I'll keep saying it -- the only way to discourage piracy is to make it more appealing to buy the product than it is to steal it.

As somebody with friends working in the publishing industry I can say this is not true

ebooks are not cheaper to develop/sell and then paper versions

the costs to the publisher are about the same (some books will cost the pulisher slightly more for the paper version, another for the ebook version)

You may imagine that printing/distributing costs a lot, that simply isn't true (the numbers he's given me are as low as 6% for a text only paperback to as high as 15% for a colour art book on fancy paper)

you can (and should) debate whether codices in general are value for money but please don't pretent that digital versions 'probably cost less than a dime for GW to get to us'

I don't have friends working in publishing, but I do have friends working in game development. It may be different, but digital distribution for games is "close to free" cheap.

I also have friends working in the printing industry, and I know printing doesn't cost a lot. It does cost more than bandwidth and server space, though.

We can argue about this all day -- I stand by my knowledge and feelings, you stand by yours, and somewhere in the middle we're both wrong.

Let's get back on topic... It looks like the Tau supplement will be the next major digital release, and unlike everything before it, it will come before the paper release. I'm skeptical on that, both because GW's been awful at adapting to digital, and because it seems interesting that we've heard about Space Marine and Tyranid supplements (for codices that doesn't exist yet), and are only learning about this two or three weeks before release.

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
As somebody with friends working in the publishing industry I can say this is not true

ebooks are not cheaper to develop/sell and then paper versions

the costs to the publisher are about the same (some books will cost the pulisher slightly more for the paper version, another for the ebook version)

You may imagine that printing/distributing costs a lot, that simply isn't true (the numbers he's given me are as low as 6% for a text only paperback to as high as 15% for a colour art book on fancy paper)

you can (and should) debate whether codices in general are value for money but please don't pretent that digital versions 'probably cost less than a dime for GW to get to us'

6-15% additional margin is huge for any business I've worked with (telecom contracting) Remember that saved money is 100% profit, so if you're making 10% on a object and reduce production costs by 15%, you've increased your per unit profit margin by 250%. Considering GW's making money selling physical books at 60% of retail, they're really making money selling e-books at 66% of retail directly. Moving to a lower cost middleman or becoming a low cost middleman yourself allows you to be a lot more competitive with your price to consumers.

I'm not saying this in an anti-GW way at all. I'm not a fan of the FLGS, so I'd much rather not pay for his overhead (inefficiency) when I want to purchase books and figs. I'm very happy that GW is finally letting me do this without all the retailer pandering that normally seems to go on with many digital releases.

What's a good reader to use on Android for these? I tried the Eldar preview on Aldiko and the images wouldn't scale down properly, and on Moon+ the spacing between everything was far too much.

Those are the two I would ave recommended, so I'm interested to hear what others might suggest.

Try Nook, as I had better results with the reference tables on that.

I had okay results with Kindle, but better results with Google Play Books.

It's serviceable on the three platforms I've tested it on - phone, laptop, tablet. Would I prefer the iPad version? Absolutely. I'd even be happy to pay more for it. Despite that, I can't bring myself to pick up an iPad that will solely be used as a codex viewing device.

 Skinnereal wrote:
So far, the Nook app shows the part-pages better than the HTC or Google's Book app. When turned, the summary tables are spread over 3 pages, and sometimes the last few entries get lots off the bottom. The Nook app shows more of the table.
What I don't remember seeing from the hardback Codex was weapon profiles for power weapons. These are in the epub version.

Oh, and there is a 'free copy' of Munitorium: Shuriken Catapults at the end.

Mantano Reader is by far the best imho. I've looked long and hard and just bought the full version last night. I thought the free version was great, but the full version is just amazing. Check it out and the pro features. It's very customizable as well. Aldiko is also very nice.