D&D 5E D&D Beyond: No More À La Carte Purchases But US Customers Can Buy Physical Books

OB1 · May 1, 2024

FrogReaver said:
So like 100 instead of 120?

$70 for the bundle $90 separately ($60 book, $30 digital).

FrogReaver · May 1, 2024

DarkCrisis said:
60 for a book, 30 (or was it 40?) for digital. Bundle is 70.

Ohhh. I didn’t realize they were discounting digital to that extent. That’s really close to what I’d have liked to see! I recall a few years ago it seemed pretty unlikely for steep digital/physical bundle discount.

OB1 · May 1, 2024

FrogReaver said:
Ohhh. I didn’t realize they were discounting digital to that extent. That’s really close to what I’d have liked to see! I recall a few years ago it seemed pretty unlikely for steep digital/physical bundle discount.

Yeah, I think ultimately it let's them compete with Amazon on the final price. If Amazon discounts the book to $40, and you buy the digital on DDB for $30, it's the same total price. If Amazon only discounts the book to $45 or $50, you win by buying both from DDB.

FrogReaver · May 1, 2024

OB1 said:
Yeah, I think ultimately it lets them compete with Amazon on the final price. If Amazon discounts the book to $40, and you buy the digital on DDB for $30, it's the same total price. If Amazon only discounts the book to $45 or $50, you win by buying both from DDB.

Cool. If I decide to buy 2024 d&d stuff I’ll probably buy it that way.

Whizbang Dustyboots · May 1, 2024

DEFCON 1 said:
WotC will merely have to wait a few months or so to find out whether a la carte purchasing increases or decreases sales of their products and then will be able to decide whether or not their action was a mistake. And if it was, then they'll put al la carte purchases back in. But they'll never know how many a la carte purchasers actually will become full book purchasers until the try it.

This new policy has been in place since the beginning of the year with their only book published so far in 2024, the Book of Many Things, and they've steadfastly refused to answer questions about what's going on.

So, they're at least four months into this experiment. But I suspect this isn't an experiment so much as the latest galaxy brain move from the brains behind the OGL crisis -- i.e. someone who doesn't particularly understand D&D gamers but, damn it, they've got an important title and they will be listened to.

I used the a la carte functions extensively, buying player-facing content and individual adventures out of compilations. The idea that I would spend $30 for all of Bigby's Big Book of Giants, rather than $5 or whatever it was for the player-facing content, when I was disappointed by Fizban's (yes, yes, I know other people loved both books) is pretty optimistic on WotC's part. Are there people who will make the bigger purchase instead? Probably, but I suspect folks who don't care about the $25 difference weren't their big a la carte purchasers to begin with.

As a PR move, this doesn't really rise to the self-owns of 2023 -- I suspect lots of people won't notice nor care about this change -- but it certainly doesn't endear me to WotC during their anniversary year.

Whizbang Dustyboots · May 1, 2024

Reynard said:
I'm not one to defend WotC generally, but this seems like a strange criticism. I can't think of any other companies that sell their RPG content a la carte.

Not the RPG industry -- which is not some special snowflake, it should be noted -- but most of the larger entertainment industry has decided it's fine to sell individual songs off of albums or individual episodes of TV shows. I don't believe folks in Redmond are better at business than the biggest names in traditional entertainment.

Reynard · May 1, 2024

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
Not the RPG industry -- which is not some special snowflake, it should be noted -- but most of the larger entertainment industry has decided it's fine to sell individual songs off of albums or individual episodes of TV shows. I don't believe folks in Redmond are better at business than the biggest names in traditional entertainment.

Fine. So why aren't we also mad at everyone else for not doing it?

Whizbang Dustyboots · May 1, 2024

Reynard said:
Fine. So why aren't we also mad at everyone else for not doing it?

Why am I responsible for other people's emotions?

mamba · May 1, 2024

Mistwell said:
Some want to hear reviews and see actual-play stuff before deciding to buy. Now they can get the bundles at the point they decide to buy.

so it was only for preorders then? because that is what I was asking…

Mistwell said:
I get this is not something you're interested in.

no, and I told you why, it’s basic math

Mistwell said:
You get your interests are not universal, right?

you do understand that my issues with it are universal, right? I do not get charged more for the books or a slower shipping than anyone else

If you want to pay more for inferior service for the bragging right to have bought straight from WotC, knock yourself out. I doubt people are lining up for this however

Reynard · May 1, 2024

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
Why am I responsible for other people's emotions?

You're not, but you are (apparently) making an argument that WotC is in the wrong for not providing a la carte material, and I am curious why only WotC is held to this standard?

D&D 5E D&D Beyond: No More À La Carte Purchases But US Customers Can Buy Physical Books

OB1

Jedi Master

FrogReaver

As long as i get to be the frog

OB1

Jedi Master

FrogReaver

As long as i get to be the frog

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

Reynard

Legend

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

mamba

Legend

Reynard

Legend

Similar Threads

Related Articles