D&D 5E The Printers Can't Handle WotC's One D&D Print Runs!

One of the reasons why the three new core rulebooks next year will not be released together is because D&D is such a juggernaut that the printers can't actually handle the size of the print runs!

Jeremy Crawford told Polygon "Our print runs are pretty darn big and printers are telling us you can’t give us these three books at the same time.” And Chris Perkins added that "The print runs we’re talking about are massive. That’s been not only true of the core books, but also Tasha’s Cauldron. It’s what we call a high-end problem."

 

[Micah Sweet]

It is also important to remember that WotC is not planning on only printing books in the next couple/few years. They are branching out into media, VTT, and so on. Those are costly and risky ventures.

Raising prices on the books can maintain a bit of buffer against that risk.

Ah, that runs into a personal issue I have. I don't care at all about WotC's media and VTT plans. I have only ever used DDB to get material that was available no where else and store it offline, and I have no intention to do anything else.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Posts here are not telling WotC.

Posts here are a way to express yourself and vent, maybe. But this site is not a legitimate channel of communications with WotC. If you have a message for WotC, as a publisher, posting here is not a reliable way to deliver it. Please take your gripes with WotC to WotC directly.

The other way to "tell" WoTC that their prices are too high (if, in fact, they are too high) is ... to not purchase the product.

Actual behavior, in terms of revealed preferences, will be seen soon enough. When any company raises prices on anything, people complain (what, you think most people are like, "I WANT TO PAY MORE! LET ME THROW MORE MONEY AT YOU!"). But in the end, the issue is whether they are willing to pay for the product.

I feel like this is covered somewhere ... supply .... demand ... something like that.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Buying 2e books was not contributing to the health of TSR. When a company is selling books at a loss, buying books from them actually puts them further in the hole.

Fair enough. It doesn't change anything. We'll never know what would have happened. All we know is that for many years TSR put out a lot of great content, to me particularly in their last decade of operation. I loved (loved loved) a great deal of that content, as it came out during a formative period of my life and formed great memories for me, and am glad it exists. That's my point of view.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Posts here are not telling WotC.

Posts here are a way to express yourself and vent, maybe. But this site is not a legitimate channel of communications with WotC. If you have a message for WotC, as a publisher, posting here is not a reliable way to deliver it. Please take your gripes with WotC to WotC directly.

I wasn't lodging a formal complaint, I was just saying I think it is fair for people to express their view about prices being too high. I mean if people can use this thread to defend the new prices, surely people can also weigh in against the new prices here too. I am sure we all understand anyone who wants to communicate their dissatisfaction directly with a company ought to contact them through their website contact page. I see this more as a discussion about these issues more broadly among fans and publishers.

 

[Bedrockgames]

The other way to "tell" WoTC that their prices are too high (if, in fact, they are too high) is ... to not purchase the product.

Actual behavior, in terms of revealed preferences, will be seen soon enough. When any company raises prices on anything, people complain (what, you think most people are like, "I WANT TO PAY MORE! LET ME THROW MORE MONEY AT YOU!"). But in the end, the issue is whether they are willing to pay for the product.

I feel like this is covered somewhere ... supply .... demand ... something like that.

I think this is true but you also probably do need both. Companies can't read minds and sales can decline for all sorts of reasons (they won't know if books sales are low because of something like the cover price or something as unexpected as people didn't like the cover art). So I think giving direct feedback is always a good way to convey a concern over cover price. By the same token, it is useful to tell companies when they are setting prices reasonably and giving you value. With WOTC of course, a big issue is they probably get tons and tons of feedback so it is likely difficult to sift through. But with smaller companies like mine, I see every message as long as the spam filter doesn't pick it up. So I do find it helpful getting both the negative and the positive feedback (and if it is something highly specific, like "I didn't buy your book for reason X" that is especially useful).

 

[Oofta]

Not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that right now there is no indication that WotC is suffering financially, due to printing costs or any other reason. In fact I would say they're doing very, very well in that department. Which makes me question using printing costs going up (as true as that is) as an excuse to raise prices.

Why are so many people here so sanguine about this? Is WotC's stuff so good that you wish they would charge you more for it?

Because most people accept that inflation is a reality of life and the base price for books hasn't increased in nearly a decade. Throw in the turmoil in the printer industry on top of everything else. Nobody likes inflation, but I accept it. If I didn't I'd be outraged that the can of Mountain Dew I used to buy at a vending machine used to cost 25 cents now costs far more. I wish it still cost a quarter, I accept that it does not. Life is too short to get upset and/or rant about things that I can't change.

If you think the books are too expensive, don't buy them. Which, from what I recall you weren't planning on doing anyway.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Because most people accept that inflation is a reality of life and the base price for books hasn't increased in nearly a decade. Throw in the turmoil in the printer industry on top of everything else. Nobody likes inflation, but I accept it. If I didn't I'd be outraged that the can of Mountain Dew I used to buy at a vending machine used to cost 25 cents now costs far more. I wish it still cost a quarter, I accept that it does not. Life is too short to get upset and/or rant about things that I can't change.

If you think the books are too expensive, don't buy them. Which, from what I recall you weren't planning on doing anyway.

So you're saying that most people buy the inflation reason, even though there's no reason to believe it's a major factor in WotC's particular case? Ok, got it.

 

[Oofta]

So you're saying that most people buy the inflation reason, even though there's no reason to believe it's a major factor in WotC's particular case? Ok, got it.

They haven't increased prices in a decade. They're now raising prices to a point that does not even match inflation. I don't see an issue even if other people feel the need to stoke the rage machine.

 

[Micah Sweet]

They haven't increased prices in a decade. They're now raising prices to a point that does not even match inflation. I don't see an issue even if other people feel the need to stoke the rage machine.

Our divergent views are quite clear, yes.

 

[Reef]

So you're saying that most people buy the inflation reason, even though there's no reason to believe it's a major factor in WotC's particular case? Ok, got it.

Yes. Inflation is affecting all industries. The printing industry has been under pressure for years due to closures and the pandemic (there’s no shortage of stories about that). There’s ample reason to believe the inflation reason. What reason do you have to doubt it, other than your intense dislike of WOTC? What reason is there that they’d be exempt from the pressures affecting practically every other company right now?