Spelljammer 64-page Spelljammer books?

[Reynard]

The thing people always overlook when making this argument is old books. By this same logic, if I never buy another game book ever again and simply keep using the books I already have, I will dramatically increase the value gained from those books. Further, if I only ever buy the corebook(s) for a game and never buy the modules, I will dramatically increase the value gained from those books as I will be relying solely on them. So if people actually bought into this line of reasoning, the RPG industry would collapse in short order. More likely what it is is fear of missing out combined with most gamer's natural inclinations toward collecting. It's fine that you want the book, but it's silly to try to justify that with this argument.

I have no idea why you are assuming I want the book. All I was doing was pushing back against the notion that page count is the only or primary metric of value.

 

[Parmandur]

So... honest opinion?

Three 64 page books is better than one 256 page book. But only if handled right. And I don't think they're quite handling it right.

Break it down Core Books style. Player's Guide, Monster Book, DM's book.

Most of the setting and upward facing material goes into the Player's Guide which the DM reads, too.

DM's Book expands on what is in the Player's Guide, giving the deeper background of organizations and entities, setting threads, and mechanics.

Monster Book is just monster stats, locations, and lore.

Then, the DM can hand the players the Player's Guide before the campaign starts and let them read it cover to cover. There's nothing in that book that provides them too much information or whatever. It's -just- player-facing options and setting information that is common, or common enough, knowledge. No risk of them flipping to the DM portions of the book to learn more about background stuff or stat blocks for setting NPCs or Monsters because all of that is in another book.

Then make 64 page Adventures going forward... and you've got content and a half.

It's how I was looking at organizing Sins of the Scorpion Age for release. A Player's Guide with basic information about all the important cities and stuff in the world, then a Narrator's Guide with greater depth of each of those locations and DM-facing materials. Sold together at "Book Price" or you can buy the Player's Guide separately for a little less.

Because that's another thing... getting the Player's Guide to Spelljammer into players' hands separately and at a cheaper price point would be -huge-.

Well, that seems to be what they have done here: the DMs book is the Adventure book, but judging on prior Perkins Adventure Joints, this probably includes some other stuff that can at least serve as a model or DM-only Setting info.

Perkins hinted the individual books would be available eventually.

 

[Parmandur]

One of the 3 64 page books is an adventure with "twelve episodes" in it.

I have no idea how they're going to pull that one off.

Comparing it to the Essentials Kit, which had about as many episodes with less qctual apace, pretty easily I'm sure.

 

[Parmandur]

The thing people always overlook when making this argument is old books. By this same logic, if I never buy another game book ever again and simply keep using the books I already have, I will dramatically increase the value gained from those books. Further, if I only ever buy the corebook(s) for a game and never buy the modules, I will dramatically increase the value gained from those books as I will be relying solely on them. So if people actually bought into this line of reasoning, the RPG industry would collapse in short order. More likely what it is is fear of missing out combined with most gamer's natural inclinations toward collecting. It's fine that you want the book, but it's silly to try to justify that with this argument.

That's not overlooking anything, that's a serious issue that the RPG book market has to deal with.

Hours of entertainment is the only rational basis for analyzing an entertainment purchase, but by necessity will be very subjective.

 

[darjr]

Some Spelljammer content will be available free too. Like the Monstrous Compendium and the Academy adventures.

Not to mention the stuff already out there for 2nd edition.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Spelljammer Academy is supposed to be this month too is it not?

 

[overgeeked]

That's not overlooking anything, that's a serious issue that the RPG book market has to deal with.

They don't seem to be taking it that seriously. Their solution so far is to charge dramatically more for significantly less. Not the best strategy in the world.

Hours of entertainment is the only rational basis for analyzing an entertainment purchase, but by necessity will be very subjective.

Again, then by definition things you got years ago have more value than any new thing likely ever will.

Some Spelljammer content will be available free too. Like the Monstrous Compendium and the Academy adventures.

Not to mention the stuff already out there for 2nd edition.

Exactly. The entire 2E Spelljammer collection on drivethrurpg comes to about $125. The total page count is about 2,054. Or about 16.4 pages per dollar. The 5E adaptation of Spelljammer is 192 pages total for $70. Or about 0.36 pages per dollar. And considering the layout and design choices of 5E compared to 2E, you're also getting a lot more content per page in the old stuff than you are with the new stuff. Slightly less than 2x the money for way more than 10x the content.

The original Spelljammer box came out in 1989, cost $18, and ran 192 pages. Dropping that into an inflation calculator gives me $42.43. Which is well under the new price tag. It's about a 165% increase. So you're paying more for the same number of pages...but those pages have drastically less content.

 

[Reynard]

They don't seem to be taking it that seriously. Their solution so far is to charge dramatically more for significantly less. Not the best strategy in the world.

Again, then by definition things you got years ago have more value than any new thing likely ever will.

Exactly. The entire 2E Spelljammer collection on drivethrurpg comes to about $125. The total page count is about 2,054. Or about 16.4 pages per dollar. The 5E adaptation of Spelljammer is 192 pages total for $70. Or about 0.36 pages per dollar. And considering the layout and design choices of 5E compared to 2E, you're also getting a lot more content per page in the old stuff than you are with the new stuff. Slightly less than 2x the money for way more than 10x the content.

The original Spelljammer box came out in 1989, cost $18, and ran 192 pages. Dropping that into an inflation calculator gives me $42.43. Which is well under the new price tag. It's about a 165% increase. So you're paying more for the same number of pages...but those pages have drastically less content.

I don't think it's a fair comparison, not least because that era was not TSR's most financially sound.

 

[Shardstone]

Comparing it to the Essentials Kit, which had about as many episodes with less qctual apace, pretty easily I'm sure.

Really! I've only read it online, I've never had the actual physical copy. THat's pretty impressive!

 

[overgeeked]

I don't think it's a fair comparison, not least because that era was not TSR's most financially sound.

Fair. But we have no idea how much coke Gary was sniffing.