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<blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 9446256" data-attributes="member: 7035894"><p>I just need the VTT to be intuitive to use. It's all about the user interface and tutorials, for me.</p><p></p><p>I was thinking more about "predatory" pricing and, given the examples of MtG cards and blind boxes, what that could mean.</p><p></p><p>I'll start by declining the analogy of MtG cards, or other collectible card games. Those are pay to win: if you get the right cards, you have better chances. Miniatures and terrain don't offer any mechanical advantages in D&D; they're just for fun.</p><p></p><p>The blind boxes are a more interesting comparison. I don't see these as predatory. The price per miniature is typically reasonable: about $20-25 for four pre-painted miniatures, one of which is large or huge-sized. If you compare to the price of unpainted miniatures, say from the Nolzur's line or by Reaper, that's reasonable. A little pricey if it's a large miniature, kind of cheap if it's a huge one. And that's comparing to unpainted miniatures. So I don't think this is price gouging.</p><p></p><p>As for it being random: buying blind boxes is a way of paying less. You can buy a collector's set if you just want to get one of each, or get what you need off the secondary market, but those options are much more expensive in terms of price per miniature. Buying blind boxes is good if you can use a lot of extras, though, so if it's a set that has a lot of appealing miniatures they can be a great option (I bought lots of the Boneyard blind boxes, for example, and have zero regrets). But this just seems like an individual call. Though if there's one particular miniature that you want, then it can be expensive if it is highly coveted.</p><p></p><p>I have sometimes considered Wizkids pricing on high end miniatures like Tiamat ($300!) to be sketchy, as to me they do potentially prey on the collector's "gotta have 'em all" mentality, and Wizkids is a subsidiary of NECA, after all (NECA specializes in collectibles). But the converse of that is it creates a market so that we get miniatures for a lot of characters and monsters that seldom, if ever, got made in the past.</p><p></p><p>FOMO can also be an issue with something like Dwarven Forge kickstarter, where the prices are still quite high but they have traditionally kept so little in their shop, especially of non-standard pieces, that you are incentivized to pay more to guarantee access.</p><p></p><p>However, I don't see any of those things happening with the VTT. It's not like physical terrain, which requires very expensive molds so that there is a high cost up front that needs to be covered. They could manipulate rarity to raise prices, but there's nothing like the incentive to do that as there is with a game like MtG, so I think it's unlikely.</p><p></p><p>Ultimately, I trust people to make their own decisions with their own money. I think for the VTT to be a success, it will have to offer good design and good value. You don't need it to play the game, so if WotC drops the ball it will be easy enough for consumers to say, "nah."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Clint_L, post: 9446256, member: 7035894"] I just need the VTT to be intuitive to use. It's all about the user interface and tutorials, for me. I was thinking more about "predatory" pricing and, given the examples of MtG cards and blind boxes, what that could mean. I'll start by declining the analogy of MtG cards, or other collectible card games. Those are pay to win: if you get the right cards, you have better chances. Miniatures and terrain don't offer any mechanical advantages in D&D; they're just for fun. The blind boxes are a more interesting comparison. I don't see these as predatory. The price per miniature is typically reasonable: about $20-25 for four pre-painted miniatures, one of which is large or huge-sized. If you compare to the price of unpainted miniatures, say from the Nolzur's line or by Reaper, that's reasonable. A little pricey if it's a large miniature, kind of cheap if it's a huge one. And that's comparing to unpainted miniatures. So I don't think this is price gouging. As for it being random: buying blind boxes is a way of paying less. You can buy a collector's set if you just want to get one of each, or get what you need off the secondary market, but those options are much more expensive in terms of price per miniature. Buying blind boxes is good if you can use a lot of extras, though, so if it's a set that has a lot of appealing miniatures they can be a great option (I bought lots of the Boneyard blind boxes, for example, and have zero regrets). But this just seems like an individual call. Though if there's one particular miniature that you want, then it can be expensive if it is highly coveted. I have sometimes considered Wizkids pricing on high end miniatures like Tiamat ($300!) to be sketchy, as to me they do potentially prey on the collector's "gotta have 'em all" mentality, and Wizkids is a subsidiary of NECA, after all (NECA specializes in collectibles). But the converse of that is it creates a market so that we get miniatures for a lot of characters and monsters that seldom, if ever, got made in the past. FOMO can also be an issue with something like Dwarven Forge kickstarter, where the prices are still quite high but they have traditionally kept so little in their shop, especially of non-standard pieces, that you are incentivized to pay more to guarantee access. However, I don't see any of those things happening with the VTT. It's not like physical terrain, which requires very expensive molds so that there is a high cost up front that needs to be covered. They could manipulate rarity to raise prices, but there's nothing like the incentive to do that as there is with a game like MtG, so I think it's unlikely. Ultimately, I trust people to make their own decisions with their own money. I think for the VTT to be a success, it will have to offer good design and good value. You don't need it to play the game, so if WotC drops the ball it will be easy enough for consumers to say, "nah." [/QUOTE]
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