Publishing on CD

[Mekgames]

My friend and I have created a role playing game. It needs some polishing and a whole lot of art, but the game and setting are completely written out. Here is our dilema. While we are agreed that the main book should be an actual hard copy, we are toyiing with the idea of having the supplements be CD. I am wondering what level of work other people put into their CDs and if anyone has had any success selling CDs with game content. Note all the work we are planning on doing witih be extremely interactive multimedia involved. We will include voice work and everything will be accesed through a Flash navigation interface. We will also include HTML of portions which people may want to print, but the main interface would be through flash. Tell me what you think.

[Zweihander]

I question the ability of RPG e-books to succeed unless they are in a printable format. I would buy a supplement like that, with a fast friendly interface and multimedia, if I had a notebook computer and thereby make it portable to the table top, but I don't and not too many people do yet. The fact that you would have a printable format for important info is what will make it sellable IMHO. Price is the other consideration as well.

If/When notebook style computers become cheaper and have a wider ownership I think RPG e-books will become the next thing, the likely heir to the fragile non-drink/pizza/constant flipping for 'Table C'-proof book. For now though this format is kinda risky.

[roog]

Well, I personaly use notebook so I find RPG suplements on CDs very usefull. But only suplements. It is very comfortable, when I've got a lot of time preparing the adventure. The specific info (stats or so) which I need from suplement I just write down and thats all. I do not need the whole suplement to run the game.
Another thing is the game manual - I need it all the time during the game session...

best

roog

PS. Oh, yes, one more thing in favour of paper RPGs: printed manuals smell so good :-)