Book Prices...

[evildmguy]

I got the PH for Christmas back in the day, so didn't pay for that. I had tons of paper and pencils from school, so didn't need to get those.

I do remember buying a pack of modules, something like 4 of them for $15 or so at Toys R Us. I was so excited! I read them all and loved them. I think I was disappointed when the other set was gone by the time I could get back as I would have liked more.

In general, the prices didn't seem that bad. Up through High School, I got most stuff because I was stupid with money and didn't save much for college. I didn't get figs but I got most books.

In re: value, I think that every new iteration of DND has inspired me. When I got 1E, the books were awesome and all of it (art, text, etc.) was good stuff. However, each new version made the older version less shiny. By the middle of 2E, I didn't keep or feel I needed to keep 1E PHs and DMGs. (I had quite a few of them by that time thanks to my mom and garage sales.) I still kept modules but not the "core rules" of the system. When 3E came out, I was burned out on 2E, but not role playing, and got rid of 2E "core books" much sooner. I burned out on 3E and was playing other games but came back to it late '07. Now, as I read 4E, I find that thrill again of enjoying DND again and enjoying what I am reading.

In general, though, what I have also found is that my gaming style has evolved and changed a lot from the 1E days. I could play a game with a "good" group using any version of DND. However, based on the rules themselves, I don't like any previous version. (And, 4E isn't perfect, either, but I do like what I have so far. My biggest complaint is not enough stuff but that will happen in time.) But, looking at the 1E now is very tough to do. Sure, there is nostalgia about it but as far as game rules go, blech. The tables of the 1E DMG make me cringe today but again my style has evolved from what it was back then.

Somewhat back on topic, I do find books that approach $40 to be a bit expensive nowadays. The $35 and less aren't so bad. I support Amazon and their big discount! I also don't get the "big" DND/d20 things, like Wilderness boxed set, Ptolus or WLD. I would never have used them myself. So, those are definitely too expensive.

That's just my opinion. YMMV

edg

 

[Mercule]

You must have gotten a different run than I did. I still have my first set of 1e AD&D core books, but they are nigh-unusable as the binding wore away. I usually had to replace my core 1e books every two years or so. Maybe it was that I was living in Africa at the time and it was really humid, I don't know.

My 1e DMG ended up being stripped down and put into a three-ring binder. The original binding lasted about five years. It's been in the three-ring binder for about 20.

Of course, it had an orange original binding.

 

[carmachu]

Wow... So for those of you who bought books back in the 1e era... did they seem expensive?

I know when I got stuff in the 2e era things didn't seem overly expensive... They seemed right on the cusp... I guess that was because they hadn't really raised the prices to meet inflation though huh?

$20 For a game book wasnt really a deal breaker. It seemed reasonable then.

Now? Even though for inflation, the above $35 price tag seems too much, and $40 is way to much. Even $30 in third edition for the core didnt seem exactly worth it. Even Monte's Arcane unearth or arcana evolved didnt quite seem worth the sticker price.

But I easily shelled out $119 for a Ptolus.

But thats just me.

 

[Storm Raven]

My 1e DMG ended up being stripped down and put into a three-ring binder. The original binding lasted about five years. It's been in the three-ring binder for about 20.

Of course, it had an orange original binding.

I have 1e books with the original binding, and some with the orange binding (remember, I did have to replace my books every few years). Oddly, the ones with the original binding are frayed to unusability, and the ones I have with the orange binding are mostly okay.

 

[Storm Raven]

That's actually not close at all. It's off by more than 10%. 10% may not sound like a lot, but if I told you that you were getting a 10% pay cut, I'm guessing you'd need to re-assess a few things.

It is off, but it is also fairly close. Couple that with the required increase in the minimum wage in 2009, and we have a minimum wage that is almost exactly the same as it was in 1979 adjusted for inflation.

 

[Storm Raven]

One thing I always wonder is with the inflation calculators and stuff do they take into account new costs added into the cost of living? (By this I mean not just costs going up, but entirely new things that didn't exist before.)

A well-designed cost of living calculation system will account for this sort of thing. Of course, people can disagree about what is put into the calculation - at what point does cable/satellite television become so routine that it must be put into the calculation? How do you break down the categories? Is a cell phone a new expense, or is it just another part of the telephone expenses we've tracked all along? And so on. But the good ones will generally cluster together in their assumptions, and give a good idea of how much typical day-to-day expenses cost.

 

[Umbran]

A well-designed cost of living calculation system will account for this sort of thing.

Yeah, but to a certain degree, that's saying "if it is good it is good". Unless they show us a detailed description of the accounting, and we understand what they are doing in detail, we don't know.

Cost of living comparisons, while simple in principle, are dreadfully complicated in the details. Heck, you have to do some handwaving just to come up with a single number for today - it isn't like it costs the same to live in West Virginia as it does to live in NYC.

 

[Treebore]

Hey, I found out why my earlier quoted source didn't match up with the department of labor. The Dept. of Labor doesn't track "contract" workers or illegals. So the additional 6 million people come from people in jobs that are "sub contractors" and illegals. Most of that number comes from "sub contractors".

 

[Faraer]

This is the first 'price of RPG books' thread I recall where most people acknowledge inflation and that they aren't 'much more expensive' than they used to be.