Nook/Kindle And Hero. Cheap PDF Hero System Books Without Trouble?

[steriaca]

I'm thinking of getting one of the two above devices for reading e-books (the cheepest version) with my tax refund. My question is, are the PDF files easy to find in each company's online store? More importently, are Hero Games stuff easy to find on the online store. I would rather pay $100 for a reader than pay $300 to have to go directly to the Hero Store because Amazon or B&N dosen't carry Hero. (In fact, it would be imposable with the cheeper priced devices, or so I was told).

[Derek Hiemforth]

I'm not certain exactly what you're trying to ask, but if you're asking whether there are Nook-specific or Kindle-specific versions of the Hero books available, the answer is "no." There are just the PDF versions.

However, I believe most e-readers these days can display PDFs, albeit with varying levels of elegance/quality. So while the cheapest possible device might display them (not 100% sure, but I think they can), you probably wouldn't be too happy with the quality of it. The consensus I've heard from most people is that PDFs don't start looking good on such devices until you get beyond the bargain-basement-level machines.

[Tasha]

I don't think that Amazon or Barnes and Noble carry the Hero System PDF's. It's easy to check. Just go to each store and search "hero" and see what comes up. I don't think that the Hero PDF's are any cheaper in another online store than they are here. Also, I would ask other people here on the boards what their experiences are with PDF's and the 2 readers you are looking at.

The older Kindle (inc the DX) would display PDF's but was VERY slow in rendering pages. The First Nook did a great job of mangling PDF's layout. The Nook IS much better at loading outside content, you just mount the reader like a hard drive and put the files in the proper folder. the Kindle you must jump through some hoops (ie uploading the file to a special converter website and or emailing it to the reader or something like that).

So perhaps we can get some opinions on what ebook reader renders PDF's best. At the top end of the market, the iPad does a really good job of rendering PDF's and even the iPad1 is fast enough to do it without any annoyances.

Tasha

[Laundry Knight]

I have three of the PDF's on my Nook. I can read them, but there are issues due to formatting. Sometimes, I will be reading a paragraph of main text and the next paragraph might be from a sidebar or a completely different section entirely and the tables don't work right either, but it does do well enough if you are just doing your first read through and are just trying to get the feel for the system, but for actual game usage, having the PDF's stored on a laptop would probably be handier.

[Matthew Martin]

My Kindle Fire handles the HERO PDFs just fine, aside from screen size and ratio.

EDIT: And Tasha, there are actually a handful of PDFs that are cheaper on DriveThruRPG than they are in the HERO Store. The Ultimate Base is still at the 50% level, for example. I was actually coming over here to ask if DOJ was aware of this.

[Tasha]

My Kindle Fire handles the HERO PDFs just fine, aside from screen size and ratio.

EDIT: And Tasha, there are actually a handful of PDFs that are cheaper on DriveThruRPG than they are in the HERO Store. The Ultimate Base is still at the 50% level, for example. I was actually coming over here to ask if DOJ was aware of this.

Granted, but I was talking about Amazon and Barnes and Noble's book stores. I most of the 5e stuff is still on sale on the HS store. Though you are right about The Ultimate Base.

[Ndreare]

I use kindle fire, without major issue. Although the HERO preferred format with the side bars requires moving the page with my thumb rather than just taping like a normal book. All is all it is okay, I read The Book of the Destroyer on Kindle fire in normal time.

PS: Kindle does not remember your page number for pdfs.

[Michael Hopcroft]

This seems to be sort of what I'm seeing in the thread I started (which is not quite as tied to Hero PDFs as opposed to all others).

In my case, the problem is very much money. I just can't see myself being able to save for a tablet unless I get more stable work. Skimping on groceries to get technology may not be the best idea....

[steriaca]

OK. Then, in my mind, it is setteled. I'll just buy the hard copys of some books this year, and think about Kindel or Nook at a later date.

Thanks to eveyone for there $0.02.

[bigbywolfe]

PS: Kindle does not remember your page number for pdfs.

Strange, the Nook does. Though I have an older Nook and there are formatting issues.

[Matthew Martin]

I use kindle fire, without major issue. Although the HERO preferred format with the side bars requires moving the page with my thumb rather than just taping like a normal book. All is all it is okay, I read The Book of the Destroyer on Kindle fire in normal time.

PS: Kindle does not remember your page number for pdfs.

Strange. I was reading The Book of the Destroyer on my Kindle Fire yesterday, and it was restoring the document to where I left off whenever I brought it up. Did you mean something different?

[Ndreare]

No that is odd. Same book and same model. Everytime I went back to BOTD it would open to the cover page.

I wonder if it matters were I placed it. I save my pdfs in documents were do you save yours?

[steriaca]

Strange. I was reading The Book of the Destroyer on my Kindle Fire yesterday, and it was restoring the document to where I left off whenever I brought it up. Did you mean something different?

He proably ment Kindle other than Fire.

[Ndreare]

He proably ment Kindle other than Fire.

I have kindle fire (Christmas gift).

[Matthew Martin]

No that is odd. Same book and same model. Everytime I went back to BOTD it would open to the cover page.

I wonder if it matters were I placed it. I save my pdfs in documents were do you save yours?

I've got mine in Documents, transferred by sending it to my Kindle's e-mail address. I haven't yet transferred any Hero PDFs through the Send to Kindle program I downloaded to my laptop, or downloaded any directly onto the Kindle.