D&D General Would You Buy an RPG Product Printed on a Gutenberg Press?

[LordEntrails]

We all know Gutenberg is a heretic. But want I really want to know is if you will buy RPG books from anyone if they start using a moveable type printing presses to mass produce their books?

Please consider and discuss the following points:

1. Do you worry about the people who will lose their jobs? There are many skilled scribes that will certainly be put out of work. Where are they going to live and who is going to feed them?
2. Printing presses make it easy to print and distribute falsehoods. If anyone can create a book, who is to control the truth? Who is going to insure quality?
3. Without all books coming from WotC, they might not get all the profits and it would lessen their ability to keep D&D on the One True Way to Play.
4. If RPG books become inexpensive and players buy their own copies, how are DM's going to be ablet to tell their players "No, that's not what the rules are"?
5. Initial investment in a printing press is more costly than housing and feeding a scribe, what is going to happen to those poor business people who make such an investment and then are unable to recover their costs?

 

[MGibster]

I went with no because the price would likely be astronomical.

 

[The Firebird]

I wouldn't because I can't read. My DM tells me the rules.

 

[Gorck]

We all know Gutenberg is a heretic. But want I really want to know is if you will buy RPG books from anyone if they start using a moveable type printing presses to mass produce their books?

Please consider and discuss the following points:

1. Do you worry about the people who will lose their jobs? There are many skilled scribes that will certainly be put out of work. Where are they going to live and who is going to feed them?
2. Printing presses make it easy to print and distribute falsehoods. If anyone can create a book, who is to control the truth? Who is going to insure quality?
3. Without all books coming from WotC, they might not get all the profits and it would lessen their ability to keep D&D on the One True Way to Play.
4. If RPG books become inexpensive and players buy their own copies, how are DM's going to be ablet to tell their players "No, that's not what the rules are"?
5. Initial investment in a printing press is more costly than housing and feeding a scribe, what is going to happen to those poor business people who make such an investment and then are unable to recover their costs?

Steve Gutenberg is not a heretic. In fact, he made some delightfully entertaining movies back in the day. And recently, he was bravely aiding in evacuating residents during the California wildfires.

 

[LordEntrails]

I went with no because the price would likely be astronomical.

I think we will have to wait and see. Though I know it's expensive to buy a moveable type press. I'm told a decent printer can average 10 books per day. While a hand press takes ten days to print a single book and a Scribe takes ten months to make a single copy.

 

[Nikosandros]

Personally, I never really liked papyrus and parchment is right out. Only clay tablets for me.

 

[AlViking]

Personally, I never really liked papyrus and parchment is right out. Only clay tablets for me.

Bah, you and your fancy sticky mud. Me? Stone or nothing.

 

[aco175]

It would be cool. It could have block art with carved plates for some cool black and white interior art. Someone could do it in their basement in their spare time as a side-gig to keep costs down. Printing times might be as long as some kickstarters though.

 

[Umbran]

Because nothing fails to make a point like sarcasm.

 

[Stormonu]

For me, the loss of knowledge would be too great. Hand-copying books passes understanding as well as artfully reproducing the text. You simply cannot gain the same understanding and appreciation of the text if some machine mass-reproduces that text. Besides, Guttenberg lettering is cold and lifeless lacking the artful skill of a true scribe.

Not only would this machine put scribes out of work, but also goose-pluckers and even goose farmers as demand for their services decline!