I want the sample PDF pages preview model back. This new format they're using for Unwired is decidedly inferior. In the old method, a few sample PDF pages were released, and the PDF followed quickly. In the new method, a series of small previews are dribbled out over a week or two, with no firm release date for the PDF. The small previews are remarkably uninformative, showing two pieces of art apiece, which is fine, and each repeating, essentially, that Unwired is going to be full of information on the matrix. Great, thanks for that. So what do these previews tell me? Unwired will be out sometime in the future, and it will have info on the matrix. I knew that in 2007.

What they do accomplish is raising and destroying my hopes every time I go to shadowrun4.com, see that the page has changed, and then realize that it's not the PDF release, it's just another preview. Especially with this latest preview that used the cover art.

I think they'll release a PDF preview with the streetdate, as usual. These replace the "art previews" we had with the other books.

That is indeed the case, the current blurbs provide extra context for the art previews and offer a first glimpse at the specific contents of each chapter. PDF previews will follow as soon as we have a street date to offer.

*points to thread title*
*mumbles something about raising and destroying hopes*

(I like the new process better, more informative than sample pages and possible before the TOC stands)

The new model does have me glued to my RSS reader to see if the PDF has dropped yet.

Me too - except it's probably going to be two weeks or more before the PD is released.

It gives us something to ask questions about tomorrow I suppose, given that we now know roughly whats in unwired. Even with that I imagine it will be the same questions as usual.

A: When will "book x" be released?

B: CGL does not give release dates ahead of time

or

A: What about "obscure piece of canon"?

B: Obscure piece may be referenced in a forthcoming book

or

A: Wheres SoLA/Holostreets

B: Somewhere. We'll tell you when we have more information.

How does Unwired differ from Arsenal?

Arsenal has a PDF released almost 6 weeks prior to the physical book being released

There might be foreign license news any time now...

Why do you think that it differs somehow?

PDF will gome when they have a street day for the physical book like allways.

I like the new preview form, we get a look at the art and we get info on the different chapters of the book. Whats not to like? Yeah I know already having the pdf or the book is even better ofc, but since thats not possible then this will do just fine until then imo

We've been experimenting with different timings on the previews because, guess what? We're trying to figure out ways to sell more PDFs and more books. When we released the Arsenal PDF without having posted substantial previews ... PDF sales were still really good, and when we posted the more substantial PDF previews closer to release of the print book, hey, print sales were great, too!

I've been using this analogy inside the company: our fanbase for each of our games is like a nuclear blast. There are those that are right in the "blast radius" that want information all the time. They post on Dumpshock every day, they subscribe to our RSS feed, they come to the monthly chats, they'll buy the PDFs as soon as they come out, they'll be very active discussing our games, they read our twitter feed and speculate as to which book we're talking about on any given day ... they're hardcore customers, and as long as they get a certain amount of information about our books and games, they'll probably pick them up, and generally pretty quickly after release.

Outside of the blast radius, there are more fans, but they are more casual. There are less ways to engage them and we have fewer points of contact with them ... they might read the Shadowrun LiveJournal or be on our MySpace friend list, but they might only check our web page once a month, if that. If they see a preview of a book six weeks before they can buy it in stores, by the time it's in stores, they may have already moved onto the next thing, forgotten our book, or decided that their local game store "sucks" because they didn't have Unwired in stock 5 weeks before it was supposed to be. In a similar manner, if we say "Unwired is out!" and they look at the last few posts on our web page and all of them are previews for Ghost Cartels, then they might get confused and "wait" for the Unwired previews that happened weeks ago.

I agree with the preveiw before the pdf or street date. Makes more sense to me to get teasears prior to any kind of purchase. I imagine these previews have been timed with a nearby release date and its good business to see so many people so worked up in anticipation. So release it already! ;P

Wow, I got the twitter first then came to the train wreck. Usually, it's the train wreck before commentary.

Personally, I like the art previews. There are plenty of way to read between the lines and figure out what is coming down the pipeline for rules options, or to read through previous material and pick out the favorites that are coming back. The art on the other hand, is all new. There is no easy way to figure out how Synner (or Adam, or Rob) is going to visualize a page and express it to the artist.

The art gives a better impression of how a book is going to feel when I read it than the ToC. More art please!

I know that the primary aim is to sell more books and I think that this preview model may well do that. Its just that as one of the above mentioned "blast radius" guys, I'd really like to have had the book itself yesterday .

So, this TOC release is the PDF sample pages release?

It is one of them. Others will follow right around the street date.

Twitter feed, you say? I'd follow ... if I could figure out what to follow *hint hint*

That?

That'll do.