D&D 5E (2014) The cost of D&D 5E (it ain't so bad!)

[Mistwell]

So now that Amazon has lowered the price to $30/ea for the PHB, and $12.66 for the starter set, are people feeling any better about the pricing?

 

[Tovec]

So now that Amazon has lowered the price to $30/ea for the PHB, and $12.66 for the starter set, are people feeling any better about the pricing?

Feeling better in general as in more likely to buy that product? Yes. Like I said last time, even 40 bucks per book is more reasonable so 60 dollars less is certainly a good selling point.

The problem with everyone jumping aboard this ray of sunshine is that it doesn't change WotC's prices one bit. Yes one distributor has managed to charge less for the product and that is great, but it doesn't mean the prices weren't too high to start with.

Plus, as already covered, it means nothing for brick and mortar stores or really anyone who isn't Amazon. It also doesn't help international exchange rates for those who can't use amazon.com. In Canada the price is down to 35 bucks instead of the 57 (171 total) that it started at. That is pretty near what I got my 3.5 Core 3 for and so I'm much happier at that.

But honestly, everyone who is now saying "Yay! Look at Amazon." should be themselves saying "Hey wait, they can charge 2/3 the price they started at? What up with that?"

So, step in the right direction? Yes, certainly. Feeling better in general? Yes as well. Feeling better about WotC's bonehead decision? Not even a little bit.

 

[Mistwell]

Feeling better in general as in more likely to buy that product? Yes. Like I said last time, even 40 bucks per book is more reasonable so 60 dollars less is certainly a good selling point.

The problem with everyone jumping aboard this ray of sunshine is that it doesn't change WotC's prices one bit. Yes one distributor has managed to charge less for the product and that is great, but it doesn't mean the prices weren't too high to start with.

Plus, as already covered, it means nothing for brick and mortar stores or really anyone who isn't Amazon. It also doesn't help international exchange rates for those who can't use amazon.com. In Canada the price is down to 35 bucks instead of the 57 (171 total) that it started at. That is pretty near what I got my 3.5 Core 3 for and so I'm much happier at that.

But honestly, everyone who is now saying "Yay! Look at Amazon." should be themselves saying "Hey wait, they can charge 2/3 the price they started at? What up with that?"

So, step in the right direction? Yes, certainly. Feeling better in general? Yes as well. Feeling better about WotC's bonehead decision? Not even a little bit.

Given all the responses from people which overwhelmingly said "I am fine with the $50 price, maybe a tad taken back but I will pay it anyway", I don't see why you think it was a boneheaded decision.

 

[Wulfgar76]

So now that Amazon has lowered the price to $30/ea for the PHB, and $12.66 for the starter set, are people feeling any better about the pricing?

Truly.

Now that the PHB is $30, what deal-breakers are left to be upset about?

 

[Wulfgar76]

Feeling better about WotC's bonehead decision? Not even a little bit.

What bonehead decision? To release 5e at all?

 

[Tovec]

Given all the responses from people which overwhelmingly said "I am fine with the $50 price, maybe a tad taken back but I will pay it anyway", I don't see why you think it was a boneheaded decision.

To someone already going to buy the game, a 50 dollar price tag may be perceived as steep but they're still more likely to get the product.
To someone who was never going to buy it, it doesn't matter what the price is. WotC isn't going to get these people no matter what.
But to someone on the fence, a 50 dollar price tag may be perceived as too high of a tag and then be dissuaded from trying the game.

To all three groups; 30 dollars is a more attractive offer than 50 dollars. So group 1 is going to like having less money to spend, it gives group 2 one less reason not to buy it, and it gets certain people to jump into the WotC side of the yard by being that much cheaper.

So, I guess I don't know what your point is Mistwell. I think that WotC's boneheaded decision was to release it at so much higher than they realistically had to. I don't know why they would want bad press about a 50 dollar price tag. Yes I'm glad more people will get the product at the lower price. I'm even glad I am potentially more able to afford it too. I'm glad all the things Amazon has done to attract people to the game. But Amazon's price change doesn't reflect the 57 dollar price tag I saw as a Canadian for a new edition of a game I was already tentative about. A price tag that is still what I'm seeing from the official price from WotC at any place other than Amazon.com.

What bonehead decision? To release 5e at all?

What? No. I never said anything like this.

Let me ask you this.

Say someone through their own stupidity cut off their own appendage, let's say a foot. And someone else through sheer cunning was able to salvage and reattach that foot. Would I then praise the idiot for losing it or the cunning man for reattaching it? I'm thinking the person who saved the idiot from their incompetence is more worthy of my praise.

 

[billd91]

Truly.

Now that the PHB is $30, what deal-breakers are left to be upset about?

Content, of course. People can object to that at any price.

 

[Kinak]

Content, of course. People can object to that at any price.

It's true. Even free games can be bad.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Phoenix8008]

Content, of course. People can object to that at any price.

As long as people actually wait to see what the actual content is before complaining about it, instead of engaging in the rampant, unfounded, wild speculation that has been going on here for the last several days. Then I may be able to stomach continuing to come here to find the occasional bit of actual new info over the next few months instead of avoiding the place like the plague. I've just about had enough of the crazy speculative bombardment I've read lately. But, what else is new. Seems quite a bit like it was before 4E and before 3E. So many screaming about how the sky is falling and we should all just drink this kool-aid now and put ourselves out of our misery before the apocalypse arrives.

 

[Mistwell]

I think that WotC's boneheaded decision was to release it at so much higher than they realistically had to.

Pricing is not based on what a company "has" to do, it's based on their best analysis of what they should price it at. And given the responses I've seen, overwhelmingly it looks like they picked a decent price and there is nothing boneheaded about it. I really don't think the number of people driven away from the game because of the price outweighs the additional money they will make because of that price - which is the entire point of pricing. Particularly since we now know retail stores will be able to keep a decent chunk of change from each sale, which makes them more loyal to the product line and more likely to enthusiastically support it. This is all a series of businesses after all.