40 Dollar Cap?

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Ryan Dancey wasn't discussing the average gaming product creeping up to $70 via inflation; he was suggesting higher-end products. If people are willing to buy Warhammer for $70, why not something similar for an RPG? An RPG product doesn't have to be a Monster Manual clone. (Incidentally, the production values of the core books have risen dramatically over the years. Compare black-and-white line art to full-color paintings.)

But have the games gotten that much better? I look at high end books like Nobilis and wonder if people are actually going to play the game or did they buy it for looks and a read? Glossy full color photos and art isn't the only thing that makes great presentation. A good readable layout is far more important. Too bad they didn't know that when laying out the MM. To me art and flash should come way behind strong layout and solid writing. But I don't think that's the case anymore, people want "sexy*" books.

*HTF can a book be sexy?

 

[thundershot]

Sexy D&D... makes me think of Tony DiTerlizzi's Cat Lord pic from Planescape...

<ahem>

I want the whole package to be neat, easy to read, and pretty. Bastion does the best at this being the only publisher to do full color on almost everything. Mongoose's layouts are very good, and there's a lot of cheesecake pictures for those who like them (<drool> *I* love cheesecake!). Green Ronin is very careful about mechanics, and also have a good layout.

I can't really see how books can be sexy, though.

The only thing I don't like is too much fluff. I generally extract what I need from books, and books with less fluff and more crunch give ME more bang for my buck.


Chris

 

[Mobius]

I think that there is a market for high-quality releases, but that like every other elite product, the market will be smaller than that of the regular products.

I, for one, bought the limited edition of Call of Cthulu at $100CAD, along with a set of boxed LotR books for $300CAD total, so I guess I would qualify for that market. The textual content was exactly the same as the regular versions of the books, but the binding, leather cover, artwork and attention to detail was amazing in all the books I bought. I don't regret a dime I spent because I can pass these books on to my son.

Which brings me to my next point ...

Who called the PHB indestructible? I went through three of the originals before 2e came out and went through two *full* sets of 2e (DMG, MM, PHB, MMII, FF) until my money ran out... long before my loyalty did. Obviously, I either treated them worse, gamed a lot more, or the books weren't as indestructible as you remember.

 

[Ranger REG]

See? It's already starting to peer over the horizon! No one's touching the 50 mark yet, but it's climbing.

The question will now be... will it be WORTH it? Only time will tell...

That depends on your preference.

 

[Buttercup]

Heh, was just going over it today and T20 will actually be 464 pages for $44.95. The index, glossary, forms, etc. kicked it over the previously expected 448 pages once we got it layed out. (Yes we are at the FINAL stages, and expect it to go to the printer on Friday!)

You have no idea how happy this makes me! I'll be playing in a T20 game that is starting up at the end of this month, and we have all been hoping that the book would be out, though we'll go ahead w/ the lite ruleset if we have to.

 

[mmadsen]

Most new d20 games seem to put almost everything in one book, with a few important supplements. Would you buy an all-in-one Player's Handbook/DM's Guide? Or Player's Handbook/DM's Guide/Monster Manual?

Would you buy all the "splat" books in one volume? All the Forgotten Realms supplements? All the best 2E adventure modules in one book?

I can think of lots of products that might make sense at a higher price point; you just have to throw together more related stuff.