D&D 5E Will you pay $50.00 for the "standard" PHB?

[Gamgee]

Over here in the UK it will be 30-something pounds, about the price of a sandwich.

Canada really gets on with its prices on books. Just absolutely devastated. I don't know if its some sort of trade sanctions or companies just being s. Or the store owners jacking up prices because they can. All I know is books like this tend to be expensive. The more popular a book the closer it is to being identical in price to a book from the states. A sandwich here is about... 10-25 depending on what your getting and where. Add tax to that and it gives you an idea. Boy you guys really get crapped on in terms of prices. At least we got some upsides to it all. I can go out the back door and down one street and be in the middle of the wild and go hunt some local game if I so choose (and sometimes do).

50 dollars for a sandwich. That's ridiculous. Unless your sandwich is not what our sandwich is. If they're the same thing then our most expensive sandwhich is only 13.47 pounds.

I've almost had to stop ordering game books and board games locally. It's stupid as hell.

 

[Steely Dan]

50 dollars for a sandwich. That's ridiculous.

I was just making a joke about how expensive it is in the UK (absurdly so), especially where I live (London).

 

[delericho]

Even if they don't release a .pdf, what's the over-under for how long until someone who doesn't respect IP or product creators will scan it in and post it for all the world to download anyway?

If it goes the same way as 4e, the answer to that is "before release".

 

[delericho]

50 dollars for a sandwich. That's ridiculous. Unless your sandwich is not what our sandwich is. If they're the same thing then our most expensive sandwhich is only 13.47 pounds.

Fortunately, SD was exaggerating, at least a bit.

I've almost had to stop ordering game books and board games locally. It's stupid as hell.

A few years ago (back when I moved to a town with no FLGS), I found that the cheapest way to get RPG books was to order from Amazon US and have them shipped. It meant waiting a couple of weeks, but saved a fair chunk of money. (IIRC, it only worked if I bought a whole bunch together to save on shipping.)

I think Amazon now do a better job of coordinating their discounts across markets, and I don't think the exchange rate is as favourable now, so I doubt it would be the same today. But for a time there, the discounts were really quite nice.

 

[Gundark]

50 dollars per book. Canadian markup of 5 dollars per book. The store will factor in shipping in the cost of all the books. So this will add another 10 or more to each one. On top of this they need to make a profit and they add anywhere from 10-20 dollars extra. It averages out to be at least 75 dollars a book. Then you add tax and it reaches 80 dollars minimum. No ing way. Wizards is crazy.

75 bucks a book! I think you need to find a new store. Amazon will have a significant decrease and free shipping.

Honestly the store that you're dealing with sounds like they are being greedy/dishonest. I'd be shopping elsewhere

 

[Gamgee]

75 bucks a book! I think you need to find a new store. Amazon will have a significant decrease and free shipping.

Honestly the store that you're dealing with sounds like they are being greedy/dishonest. I'd be shopping elsewhere

Amazon is just as bad or worse. I'll find the exact same price or worse. I'm not making this up when I say we get shafted on prices. I usually buy my books from ebay or smaller websites that offer big discounts or low shipping costs.

I ing hate amazon. It's only redeeming quality is its vast selection. You have to be ready to pay the premium with them. Their Canadian shipping rates are insane. I once had to pay 25 dollars for shipping an rpg book from US Amazon. It was the cheapest shipping available and took months. Then the Canadian Amazon lacks the selection of the US one. Even then shipping rates are still a little on the pricey side.

No I have to use independent and smaller websites to hunt for my RPG books. I usually only use Amazon as the exception when no other alternative exists. The last time I did that was years ago, I've never needed it for an rpg book since. Hell I didn't even need it then. I got fed up with the insane prices.

 

[frogimus]

Not sure about their shipping cost to Canada, but miniaturemarket and thewarstore (both are dot com) usually have decent discount rates.

 

[Mistwell]

Amazon is just as bad or worse. I'll find the exact same price or worse. I'm not making this up when I say we get shafted on prices. I usually buy my books from ebay or smaller websites that offer big discounts or low shipping costs.

I ing hate amazon. It's only redeeming quality is its vast selection. You have to be ready to pay the premium with them. Their Canadian shipping rates are insane. I once had to pay 25 dollars for shipping an rpg book from US Amazon. It was the cheapest shipping available and took months. Then the Canadian Amazon lacks the selection of the US one. Even then shipping rates are still a little on the pricey side.

No I have to use independent and smaller websites to hunt for my RPG books. I usually only use Amazon as the exception when no other alternative exists. The last time I did that was years ago, I've never needed it for an rpg book since. Hell I didn't even need it then. I got fed up with the insane prices.

I think your assumptions are off base. Amazon Canada lists the Pathfinder Core Book at 32.92. That's discounted from 62.50. It's also with free shipping. That's a good example of how it does not work the way you think it works.

 

[amerigoV]

When I think back to my group's aborted foray into 4e, I do not look at this as a $50 question but a $1,000 group question. Everyone had 2 books (4e had been out for a bit before we tried it) to ensure they got the classes/races they wanted. Since we have a group of 6, that's 12 books right there (PHB + some other PC option book). We have 3 GM types, so 6 more books (presuming the old 3 core book format - DMG and MM to each). So our outlay with in a year or so is likely 18 books. If $50 is the new norm, that is $900 spread across the group (unevenly). All that ignored DDI.

This group has been together a long time, so I do not think of it as an individual purchase for the system. Now does EVERYONE need a PHB or a second "expansion" book? No. We are all career/family people such that while we could afford it if we decided to, its not a no-brainer either. For that kind of investment, it needs to be really awesome and it has to blow way our current system of choice (Savage Worlds - $10 a piece for the complete core game plus some extras that the GMs inevitably pick up). If the group were willing to pitch in on $1,000 for gaming I would be more tempted to purchase a flat screen or two and change the tabletop environment at this point.

 

[Gamgee]

I think your assumptions are off base. Amazon Canada lists the Pathfinder Core Book at 32.92. That's discounted from 62.50. It's also with free shipping. That's a good example of how it does not work the way you think it works.

Pathfinder be so mainstream I can find it on a mainstream book site, it's definitely an exception. At my store the core would be 50. It is. I bought one there. Look up the KOTOR campaign guide now for Saga Edition. Not even listed it's extremely expensive on the US site. Found it on ebay sealed and new for only 80 dollars buyout. A lot of RPG's I play aren't listed. The Deathwatch Core rules is at an 87 dollar price point. I have bought it at other online stores for 60 with shipping.

Now if 5th is popular enough it could drive the price down to be closer with the states. Could being the key word there. Even if it reaches parity that's 55 dollars and shipping would add 5 or so. 60 a book. 180 for the entire three. Could still just get Pathfinder + Bestiary for much cheaper as has been shown.