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Unseelie: The complaint you seem to be identifying is "If all 5 of my characters want to use a spell from Unlimited Magic, the DM and the Character have to each spend the $5 to use the spell from Ulimited Magic"
I get the argument, if You buy the Unlimited Magic sourcebook from Paizo (or go to the SRD online) you've got all the information in Umlimited Magic, meaning for the $40 cost of the book, all 6 people in your campaign (5 players and the DM) all have access to that information. Your complaint is that with the Hero Labs method, all of you have to buy all of the data packages to be able to maintain your characters OR you the DM have to buy all of the packages and maintain your character's data.
The "Work" you are talking about, to my understanding, is that you are attempting to re-create everything that your players are using out of alternate source materials by hand from scratch on all 5 of the alternate copies of Hero Labs that each of your players are using. So if all 5 of your players want to use a given spell from Unlimited Magic, you're having to go into all 5 copies of Hero Labs your players are using and create that spell from scratch.
If I am correct in the above you are, in essence, complaining that you cannot easily copy the work of the Hero Labs development staff to allow you to easily provide your paid for source data on your friend's Hero Labs installations where that source data has not been paid for.
While I don't work for Hero Labs, I'd have to say that this is...just to make a guess...intentional since the payment model for Hero Labs is that each player using Hero Labs requires a paid for copy of each source data package sold by WolfLair. By re-creating that data on your friends copies you are, in essence, pirating that data and then complaining it's not being made easier by Wolf Lair for you to do so.
This isn't an intent to slam you in any way, I get your point with the SRD being out there and the fact that with the physical books, one single copy provides all of your players all of the source information you need usable by everyone.
That, however, simply isn't the payment model for Hero Labs and it's data files. Wolf Lair believes that the work they put into "labsifying" all of the released source data and rules from each released pathfinder (and other) resource provides an additional benefit to you over just reading and hand-implementing the rules out of a sourcebook or SRD.
And obviously it does...you are chosing to use Hero Lab over just creating paper character sheets...there must be a benefit / convenience to doing so.
If your comment is "Having to pay for all the data multiple times isn't worth the cost of using your product" I believe that WolfLair would say "That's your choice, we believe the convenience of having all of the rules applied for you and all the data at your fingertips to be worth the cost, but that's obviously your choice."
RE-creating all of that data machine to machine, installation to installation SHOULD be a pain in the *** simply because that's how they keep you from pirating their work.
I'm unsure what WolfLair's policy/EULA would say about this, keep in mind that you do get 2 installations of HeroLabs for free and 2 more alternate licenses for a discounted price...and all of those licenses share your expansion data purchases. While I"m not sure if it's legal for you to supply alternate license copies to each of your friends, as you said, you've purchased HeroLabs for each of your 5 players...perhaps your solution would be to obtain all 3 "Alternate" licenses for one of your master licenses (that would be 4) purchase all of the data packages you need, and then install the alternate licenses on your friend's copies. Obviously you'd need to do this twice (for the 5th player) but it's certainly a less expensive option than purchasing all of the data packages for all 5 of the machines.
Again, you'll want to talk with WolfLair/read the EULA to see if this breaks their licensing terms. Obviously if this is against licensing terms you shouldn't do this. As well, perhaps if you contact Wolf Lair and explain your situation (assuming you've already purchased 5 copies of HeroLabs/pathfinder at $30 each) they may be able to work something out with you...or not, depending upon their sales force.
One more suggestion if none of this works...why does each of your players need a copy of Hero Labs themselves? WOuld it be possible to take an hour break for character upgrade periodicaly, pass your copy of hero labs around on your laptop and let everyone upgrade their own characters? That way you still only need 1 set of licenses and, just like with the books, you are using that resource in a shared method. Print a set of character sheets for each player for table top play and let them make the changes they mark to their characters at the end of each session on the master Hero Labs copy.
--Illydth
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