Is TTRPGing an "Expensive Hobby"

[Maxperson]

Most players don't buy anything, and don't need to for the most part. The financial burden (all the burdens, really) has always been on the GM.

I have yet to meet a regular player who didn't at least own a PHB. Most owned multiple books. Perhaps Los Angeles is just a huge outlier, though.

 

[Velderan]

I have yet to meet a regular player who didn't at least own a PHB. Most owned multiple books. Perhaps Los Angeles is just a huge outlier, though.

In the 90s during the 2e days, I had a couple players who couldn't afford a PHB so they just borrowed one when they needed to look something up. It was never an issue to us really.

 

[R_J_K75]

I have yet to meet a regular player who didn't at least own a PHB. Most owned multiple books. Perhaps Los Angeles is just a huge outlier, though.

IME, most players I've gamed with bought a PHB at the very least. The only exceptions are the players who truly couldn't afford one, and that has been few and far between. As someone who has primarily DM'd more than played over the last 25 years, and have hosted games at my house more often than not, I usually buy an extra PHB for the table to use.

 

[Maxperson]

In the 90s during the 2e days, I had a couple players who couldn't afford a PHB so they just borrowed one when they needed to look something up. It was never an issue to us really.

Yeah. I've seen a few folks like that. If they stuck around to play long term, though, the groups I was in would just give them a used one and buy a new one if necessary.

 

[CleverNickName]

Suggest that for your next D&D 5E game. See how well it goes over.

What’s technically the minimum isn’t really the minimum.

Don't threaten me with a good time. My regular 5E D&D group had an absolute blast playing "Pumpkin Spice Season," written by our own @Gradine, and "The Spice Must Flow," by the impeccable @Snarf Zagyg, for my "Pumpkin Spice RPG Contest" last year. Totally free--unless you count the sheets of paper we printed them on.

 

[innerdude]

Pretty much agree with most of the sentiment so far.

• It's only as expensive as you want it to be.
• At its "minimum viable baseline" of a PHB and a set of dice for a player, the cost-per-hour of entertainment value is massive.
• Despite having more discretionary income now than I've ever had in my life (and frankly dreamed), RPG purchases are still just that --- highly discretionary. It's the kind of thing where if I really want some particular gaming product, I can generally drop the $60 for it without too much angst . . . but I'm also wise enough to know that a $60 opportunity cost is a real thing. That $60 gone means I don't have $60 for concert tickets . . . or a new video game . . . or restringing my tennis racket . . . or . . . .

 

[TheSword]

One thing that’s also not being taken into account is how well RPG products hold their value or even appreciate if things go out of print.

For many periods of my life the hobby was self funding when I sold older stuff to pay for new acquisitions. You can sell a D&D campaign book like Tomb of Annihilation for 2/3 it’s retail value on eBay very quickly.

 

[R_J_K75]

That $60 gone means I don't have $60 for concert tickets

$60 concert ticket in 2024, what's that? Good luck finding one of those. I was looking at Primus tickets yesterday and the cheapest lawn seats were $75 before tax. The service fees are just ridiculous these days.

 

[Distracted DM]

Again, two grand buys EVERY SINGLE 5e WotC publication, twice. Actually, that's a lie. It buys it damn near three times.

The existence of premium options does not make gaming expensive.

You don't NEED to buy All The Things to play or run TTRPGs. But you CAN. And some of us DO.
It doesn't NEED to be expensive for the core experience. It CAN be expensive if you spends thousands of dollars on miniatures, like me.

Heck, you don't have to spend anything! You could use online dice rollers, and the free SRDs or free systems out there- there are diceless systems! You can play D&D for free using the free content. You won't have all the classes etc. but you probably don't need them- or use free 3pp content.

But yeah, BEFORE I started pro GMing I spent thousands on the TTRPG hobby. So can it be expensive? Yes.

 

[innerdude]

$60 concert ticket in 2024, what's that? Good luck finding one of those. I was looking at Primus tickets yesterday and the cheapest lawn seats were $75 before tax. The service fees are just ridiculous these days.

I live near Seattle. I can occasionally find decent deals on smaller venues for that price.

For example, just looked it up, you can get general admission tickets for $35 to see They Might Be Giants in Chicago later this summer.

But for bigger name artists, yeah, the days of a $60 ticket are long gone.