FGJustice,
> I don’t understand why copy protection would stop sales.
Players can buy the book, PDF, or both. Main reasons I can think of to buy the PDF are (1) to allow copy-pasting into electronic systems and (2) to have at your table (tablet or laptop) or for online gaming (PC). Maybe getting it early is a reason for some, but that won’t remain once the books are in print. With copy disabling in place, the first reason is moot as one might as well type while reading a book as a copy disabled PDF. The second also becomes questionable. If one enjoys the convenience of having a PDF on a tablet or computer while gaming… one is probably using something other than a dumb character sheet on the tablet or computer and the first reason is going to be an issue for you.
A copy disabled PDF is just another book. Its only main benefit is weight for those who already had a tablet at the table. With cut-and-paste PDFs do offer a substantive benefit over just owning the book.
>… but you type it once and then you’re done
Try stepping back and considering how computers/tables are used in RPGs in 2018. We have moved a long way to just dumb ‘fill in everything’ characters sheets which were primarily printed. We have smart PDFs, Word, and Excel sheets. We have online tools. We have dedicated programs such as HeroLab, PCGen, and others. Most households now own a tablet. We also have online gaming with Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. People create modules and adventures in Word, Google Docs, or other programs. All of which require (or at least strongly encourage) you for having descriptions for spells, racial traits, feats, etc. We know none of these tools are likely to support Arcanis built-in, nor are their online rules you can cut-and-paste from. Combine all these with a generation used to such tools.
> how much did you really want it in the first place?
Since I wasn’t informed it was copy disabled prior to purchase… I can’t answer that. My group won’t start playing until the manual are out, so… probably not. I don’t see its benefit over just the book. I can say with the previous product I purchased the book and then the PDF. The PDF was terrific and clearly added value for me in being able to cut-and-paste.
Thanks, Brett
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