Digital PDF versions of Dungeon Crawlin' Fools, On the Origin of PCs now on sale!

First: OOTS #1000 is coming later tonight. I just need to get this worked out first.

After literally years of fans telling to do so and me resisting, I am finally capitulating and releasing digital PDF versions of the Order of the Stick books. Right now, the first two books in the series are available—Dungeon Crawlin' Fools and On the Origin of PCs. You can buy them from Gumroad, a fine purveyor of ephemeral goods.

http://www.GiantITP.com/Images/gitpk...FInAcrobat.png http://www.GiantITP.com/Images/gitpk..._PDFInIPad.png
Artist's interpretation of what looking at these books on a computer screen might look like.

Here's a bulleted list of features:

• PDF format that works great on the tablet of your choice!
• Art is still in its native vector format, allowing you to zoom in with no loss of quality!
• Updated lettering to match last year's Blood Runs in the Family and current strip dialogue!
• Dungeon Crawlin' Fools includes an all-new essay, "Ten Years of Crawlin'," looking back on the old material wistfully!
• Fully bookmarked and, in the case of DCF, hyperlinked to each strip referenced in the commentaries!
• No digital rights management—just a single watermark on the front cover!
• Some typos fixed, others almost certainly introduced!
• Digital delivery allows lower prices! Just $10 for On the Origin of PCs, $15 for Dungeon Crawlin' Fools.

Expected FAQs!
I can't figure out how to buy them!
You can get to each book individually by clicking the links above or the pictures, or you can get to the Giant in the Playground profile page at Gumroad (which lists all the products we have one page) by clicking here.

Will the rest of the books be coming out?
Probably. Unless these really fail to sell at all, in which case I won't bother.

When will the rest of the books be coming out?
Uncertain, but the more demand there is, the quicker I'll release them. Converting and relettering the art is time-consuming, but not difficult—I worked on these ones on days when I wasn't feeling creative, so they don't really take away from getting new strips or Kickstarter rewards done. But still, it does take time, so I'll have to prioritize it based on response.

How do I get my PDFs?
You'll get an email with a download link a few minutes after ordering. Keep an eye on your spam folder, just in case.

What does the watermark look like?
It's on the first page (the cover), and it's a small grey ribbon-shape with the Gumroad "G" logo, next to which it says "Sold to" and then the email address that you gave when you purchased the book. So don't buy using your top secret email.

Why do the listings say that they're 76 pages and 164 pages when the print versions are 72 and 160?
The page count includes the front and back covers, inside and out.

Why did you reletter the old comics? I like Comic Sans!
For the same reason I relettered Blood Runs in the Family—because they were created on an old version of Adobe Illustrator, and updating to the new one caused them to burst their balloons slightly. Since I had to touch each one manually to fix it, I decided I might as well use the current font.

Why did you change the typography on the commentaries?
The original layout for both of these books was done in Quark Xpress 3.3—a program I don't have access to anymore, so I couldn't even open them. I needed to lay them out from scratch in Adobe InDesign, which is what I've used for the more recent books. That meant retyping the old commentaries.

Did you make any other corrections to the art?
A few really egregious errors that had slipped by, though I probably missed some yet again. Not much else. I didn't correct all the terrible mouths and crooked lines in the early strips, if that's what you're asking—except for the wavy borders, which I had already fixed for the original print Dungeon Crawlin' Fools.

Why are you using Gumroad instead of (insert name of other company)?
Because they charge the lowest commission, which means I could lower the price more. Plus, most other companies that offer a watermark service add it to every single page, which seemed like overkill to me. One page is enough.

Can't find the email with the download link?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Keltest

Word of warning for the slightly inattentive: I got an email with a download link for each, as described, however said email also began with 'You will receive an email with a download link in a few minutes."

Just make sure you look at any emails relating to his fully so you don't accidentally delete the download link!

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If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or technical difficulties, feel free to post them here (though I don't know how much help I can be with the technical stuff; we may have to wait for Gumroad customer service for that).

WHAT? This is pretty awesome! I mean, i have all the print copies that are available, but this is pretty cool for those what want the PDF ones. Also, totally blindsided on this one.

EDIT: Why not have a tweet about it also? I mean, I'm sure most people who subscribe to your twitter are also on the forum, but it's a few seconds worth of work for added publicity, which is a pretty good trade-off.

Yay! I never bought the books because I don't like material bulk, but this is awesome.

Edit to add:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Giant

Art is still in its native vector format, allowing you to zoom in with no loss of quality!

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This alone is worth the price of admission. Can't wait for the later books now.

As an International and not so wealthy fan, thank you!

You are a gentleman and a scholar, and I cannot throw my money at this fast enough! Thank you!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peelee

EDIT: Why not have a tweet about it also? I mean, I'm sure most people who subscribe to your twitter are also on the forum, but it's a few seconds worth of work for added publicity, which is a pretty good trade-off.

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There will be, but I'm doing 15 things at once right now. I wanted to be able to point people to this thread.

Word of warning for the slightly inattentive: I got an email with a download link for each, as described, however said email also began with 'You will receive an email with a download link in a few minutes."

Just make sure you look at any emails relating to his fully so you don't accidentally delete the download link!

Also, thanks for the hint on #1000! As it's 22:41 here I will stop compulsive refresh, go to sleep and prepare for the best breakfast ever (almost) :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Keltest

Word of warning for the slightly inattentive: I got an email with a download link for each, as described, however said email also began with 'You will receive an email with a download link in a few minutes."

Just make sure you look at any emails relating to his fully so you don't accidentally delete the download link!

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Ha, I did not know that. I will add this to the opening post.

Wow, #1000 and the release of two PDF books! This is quite an exciting day in the Playground!

Thanks Rich! Already have the physical books though I imagine a lot of people will really appreciate this.

Here's hoping these don't end up being torrented right away. However, I imagine your fans willing to pay to buy these will be less likely to torrent them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bubble

Thanks Rich! Already have the physical books though I imagine a lot of people will really appreciate this.

Here's hoping these don't end up being torrented right away. However, I imagine your fans willing to pay to buy these will be less likely to torrent them.

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Probably why the watermark has the email address of the purchaser. I mean, yeah, they could just cut out the front cover, but anyone who REALLY wants to will find a way, and it's a good idea.

Assuming, of course, that that is the idea.

Dammit, now I'm torn. I have the all dead trees (I'm like Durkon: I hate trees :smallwink:), but I really really really want the kickstarter stories -- especially the O'Chul one. Wait, aren't those already PDFs? Shoot, that probably means this isn't going to help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Giant

First: OOTS #1000 is coming later tonight. I just need to get this worked out first.

After literally years of fans telling to do so and me resisting, I am finally capitulating and releasing digital PDF versions of the Order of the Stick books. Right now, the first two books in the series are available—Dungeon Crawlin' Fools and On the Origin of PCs. You can buy them from Gumroad, a fine purveyor of ephemeral goods.

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Thanks. I already own the print copies of everything, but I would have preferred to have been able to do an ebook (and have bought other books from Gumroad before). If you don't mind me asking, if these sell well enough, do you plan on doing a simultaneous print and ebook release for next book (whenever it arrives), or do you see Gumroad as a way to get the books to people once physical copies from the initial printing dwindle?

Awesome!
+1 to what others said about cost, being overseas and having clutter issues
Thanks Giant

Finally, a version of On The Origins of PCs I can actually purchase! SQUEE! This is a happy, happy day for me! ^_^

Quote:

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Originally Posted by facw

Thanks. I already own the print copies of everything, but I would have preferred to have been able to do an ebook (and have bought other books from Gumroad before). If you don't mind me asking, if these sell well enough, do you plan on doing a simultaneous print and ebook release for next book (whenever it arrives), or do you see Gumroad as a way to get the books to people once physical copies from the initial printing dwindle?

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Too early to tell, really. This is all a grand experiment.

Man, I haven't been on this forum for years, but I had to go back to say - thank you, Mr. Burlew! Living on the other side of the world from the US, physical goods shipping and importing is always a pain, so I love digital. And now I can support this amazing comic and get it in sweet sweet ones and zeroes form! :smallbiggrin:

Saw this post. Bought On the Origin of PCs 5 minutes later.

Thank you!

Many thanks! I'm happy to support this with monies!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Giant

Too early to tell, really. This is all a grand experiment.

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Did somebody say Grand?

BTW I LOVE YOUR COMICS RICH! They are what started me playing DnD in the first place! My life has been vastly enriched (heh, get it?) by your contribution to my views on life, and on my friends, to my wife and child! THANK YOU!

tldr? Thanks Giant, you rock!

OMG OMG OMG OMG

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Maybe I should read past the opening line.

...

Probably not! :smallbiggrin:

Woo freakin' hoo! I own all the pre-BRITF print books from the Kickstarter but money has gotten significantly tighter since then and I need to justify my comics spending a lot more carefully. So assuming this grand experiment pans out it's how I'll be getting the other books for the foreseeable future.

And ORDERED!!! :smallcool:

Gotta say, I actually like that bookmark. Looks all nice and classy. Thumbs up on it, actually. :smallsmile:

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I already have (multiple) copies of the books. But to have easy-to-access digital versions? This is something I've wanted for YEARS.

Thank you so much, Rich!

Downloading both now. :smallsmile:

I applaud this move. Where I live, the shipping cost of a physical book would be more than the price of the book itself, and this has stopped me from buying the latest works.

(I mean, I'm fine with paying The Giant heaps of money, but I'm less fine with paying a random shipping company heaps of money... :smallamused: )

Thank you so much, Rich! No hesitation buying whatsoever!

As someone who has been following OotS for several years now with great interest, yet never saw the need to make an account, I have a somewhat tricky question to ask.

Assuming that the other books will also be made available on Gumroad in time, will we eventually be able to get a bulk discount for buying multiple PDF copies at the same time, similar to how some digital content storefronts have bundle sales from time to time? This question might come across as thrifty, but I'm just trying to get the best OotS bang for my buck.

Strip #1000 and this news?! Thank you! Sadly I'm paying dues for several vet school clubs right now but I know what I'm getting once those are out of the way!

EDIT: To add to the previous question, is there some sort of offer if we purchase a PDF of a book we already own?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Giant

Here's a bulleted list of features:

• Art is still in its native vector format, allowing you to zoom in with no loss of quality!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by blunk

Yay! I never bought the books because I don't like material bulk, but this is awesome.

Edit to add:

This alone is worth the price of admission. Can't wait for the later books now.

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I've already got Origins (and DCF just finished downloading). Oh, god, yes it is. The quality is SUPERB! :smalleek:

Get this folks. Get this RIGHT NOW!!!!

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EDIT::::

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Giant in DCF

There are also a few red boxes like this scattered throughout, because I heard you liked commentary so I commented on my commentary.

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HA! :smallcool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Porthos

I've already got Origins. Oh, god, yes it is. The quality is SUPERB! :smalleek:

Get this folks. Get this RIGHT NOW!!!!

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Get my vet school clubs to not pay $25 each in yearly dues and we have a deal. :smalltongue: But I know me, I'll probably break down and get it within the next few days to week. Especially since it's so inexpensive--thank you, Giant!