So earlier this week, the Print Master PDF’s for the 4e Core Books (Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual) were leaked to the Internet.  Within hours, it was seeded in Torrents, and being downloaded over and over.  No one may ever know if the leaking of these books were done by accident, for malicious intent, or done as a calculating move by WoTC.  Regardless of how it happened, the PDF’s are out there.  The question is, will the leak be harmful or helpful to WoTC?

According to WoTC the leak is harmful, and may have a negative impact in sales.  I disagree.  I think that this leak may be a winfall for WoTC.  Here is what I am thinking…

The Lovers and the Haters

First off, the leaking of the PDF is not going to sway the 4e haters, those hardcore 3.5 players that have flooded ENworld with rants about their love for all things 3.5.  Those guys were never going to buy 4e core books, they have already put in pre-orders for Pathfinder; no loss of customers there.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, the 4e early adopters already pre-ordered their 4e Box Sets from Amazon (I know I did).  The release of the PDF is not going to eliminate those pre-orders.  If anything, it gives them a head start in getting the rules read, and start playing, and buying more supplements.

The Undecided

Somewhere between the Haters and Lovers are the Undecided.  Those players that are being cautious, waiting to see what 4e has to offer before they decide if they are going to jump in, or not.  These people are likely the best targets for the leaked PDF’s.  By being able to preview the rules, and see how the book is laid out, the artwork, it has the potential to win over those people.

Some will argue that having the PDF’s means that people won’t need to buy the books.  I think that argument holds up better, when you are talking about music, than books.  Without any formal polling, ever player I have talked to, prefers to have a physical book in hand when it comes to learning rules.  There is something about holding a book, that reading a PDF on a computer monitor will never replace.  So I theorize that those players that are swayed by the 4e PDF’s will lead to people buying the actual books.

Silencing The Doomsayers

Speculation about the mechanics of 4e have been raging on various blogs and discussion boards for months.  And with the speculation, come the Doomsayers, those posters who have nothing positive to say about the game, and are strengthened by the fact that no one has the rules to punch holes in their “end of role playing, as we know it” ramblings.  All this doomsaying has led to a dark cloud hanging over the release.  The leaking of the PDF, now allows people to make informed decisions about the rules, and can finally put these Doomsayers to rest.

So only time will tell if there is an effect on the release of the 4e PDF’s.  Personally, I think that it will have done more good than bad.  Personally I could not be more excited for 4e to be released, and for that Amazon.com box to show up on my doorstep.