Do we have a release day yet? Also any chance we know of any suppliers who will have copies of this IN Hibernia? Or if not then I suppose anywhere in Britannia that will be getting it and will ship????
Looks like I'm going to be buying this one. I love the fact that the actual Oath of Hermes is so short and open to interpretation compared to the modern Code.
So I heard a rumor that Ars Magica sells PdF after they sell enough hard copies. Is that true? Should I try to convince people to buy hard copies so I can get a pdf?
The old model was, apparently, that Atlas would put out a .pdf once the book's first print run was sold out. However, they appear to have moved on to a new model wherein four books are kept hardcopy only at any given time so that, for example, right now all Ars Magica books except: 'Grogs', 'Against the Darkness', 'Antagonists', and 'Tales of Power' are available as PDFs. Thus, when "Contested Isle" hits the shelves, it will replace "Grogs" on the list and Grogs which will be made available through E23 and Paizo.
Edit: Also, you should definitely encourage folks to buy TCI, just don't necessarily expect it to get your .pdf any sooner...
Huh... So I can get grogs when this comes out! Huzzah! This book is gonna be great, I can't wait! (Well I can wait, but you get the idea.)
Yep. Except It also takes Atlas about a month to put the pdf out once the new print product is out. I think. So Grogs will become available as a PDF about a month after Contested Isle hits the shelves.
I personally can't fathom why, as a pdf-only consumer, I have to be one year behind the rest of ya'll. But that seems to be the policy. On the plus side, once the NEXT ArM book is out I could purchase Transylvania. Yay ! [Sorry Grogs, nothing personal - I'm just more excited about wizardry stuff.]
Yair
I think they want to get the hardcopies sold since they sell for more. Or something. Or maybe e23 is eating a chunk of the change. But yes, PdF only customer.
The reasoning behind the change is outlined in the comments @ blog.atlas-games.com/2011/11/new ... ermes.html
Basically, it related to dwindling deadtree sales in the United States combined with an effort to minimize piracy. It makes sense too since I imagine few people would we willing to scan (and potentially wreck) their new Ars Magica book when a .pdf will be available in 12 months and once the pdf does become available, it's no longer new and hence less desirable a download for the pirates. Although I must admit I have absolutely no idea whether the policy change has had any appreciable impact on the piracy of ArM5 books...
Ah pirates the enemy of boats, intellectual property, and global warming since the Big Bang. That would make a good bit of sense. Trying to convince people to buy instead of providing the PdF. There is always scanning, but it is poor compared to the TRUE GLORY! of a Searchable PDF file. Or a book you can write notes into.
I have no data, but I doubt whether the change had a major impact on piracy. But above all - I doubt whether any policy will lower piracy by such an extent that it will be worth-while to base the strategy on that aspect rather than on providing the best service and products.
Selling pdfs immediately will increase piracy, I suppose, and I'm sure that will lower purchases; then again, I also expect selling pdfs early to increase pdf and overall sales, which will offset the costs. Will that balance be positive for Atlas overall ? I have no idea. I just know that, as an Atlas customer, I would appreciate having access to the books that, I presume, the pirates are already distributing.
Yair
A little google fu and I was able to find all the PDF'd files, sans apprentices, yet none of the newer PDF-less files. So maybe there is something to that...
Is the book nearly there yet?
It's been reported "off to press" on August 13th. Given the distribution chain I guess we can expect it late September to mid-October. Wild guesstimate though.
Amazon (US) is indicating 9/16.
Amazon has a history of just putting a date of their own in for a guess when they don't have information from the publisher.
That's true, but their guesses aren't usually too far off the mark...
Are we there yet? 
Close, according to the Atlas blog post concerning Grogs now being available in PDF (it's a good investment... go get it), it is due to arrive "imminently".
Yup, saw that and thought about posting here myself. But I guess it's better to wait for more solid news in that regard. 
Wooo Hoooo!