Boxed sets - love em or hate em

[Desdichado]

Green Ronin's also doing a Hamunaptra boxed set; kinda D&D in mythic Egypt rather than mythic Europe. I think that's due out sometime this fall.

I don't know; maybe if boxed sets have a market and can make their price points, we'll see them make a comeback.

 

[Arnwyn]

Love box sets, just love them. Loads of information, poster maps, and other items that can increase the utility of gaming material (such as card sheets). For this DM, it's the preferred format (and far superior to hardcover books, which most often lack poster maps). Certainly never had a problem having the boxes fall apart or losing things.

Sure, they're expensive to produce, but I don't give two s about that - speaking purely as a consumer, box sets are fantastic.

 

[trancejeremy]

I think it was Ryan Dancey, when WOTC first bought out TSR, who mentioned that Box Sets were a problem. Because they weren't profitable.

 

[Desdichado]

That doesn't address the fundamental question, though. Are they not profitable because it's a poor business model, or because the boxed sets TSR were producing near the end of their tenure were crappy? The data is being used to support causality here that isn't obvious.

 

[Desdichado]

That doesn't address the fundamental question, though. Are they not profitable because it's a poor business model, or because the boxed sets TSR were producing near the end of their tenure were crappy? The data is being used to support causality here that isn't obvious.

 

[Ranger REG]

That doesn't address the fundamental question, though. Are they not profitable because it's a poor business model, or because the boxed sets TSR were producing near the end of their tenure were crappy? The data is being used to support causality here that isn't obvious.

It didn't sell well enough to exceed the expense of making them. They could go back to the early model (FR gray box, D&D boxed sets), but customers have complained that the material used for the box are too flimsier and easier to break. To produce box similar to the Forgotten Realms gold boxed set (for 2nd edition) and Tales of the Lance, the material was too costly.

In the end, the consumers favor hardbound and perfectbound products.

As for the box's secondary purpose (a valid place to roll dice without rolling off the table), it's best to find something more sturdier such as a dice box (either plastic or wood with padded surface inside) or a cardBOARD cover (from fileboxes that you can buy from a local office supply store, or comic book boxes)

Personally, like the Monstrous Compendium binder, boxed set packaging was a good idea on paper.

 

[DragonLancer]

Not a big fan of box sets myself. I prefre to have books. Books take up less space on the shelf, don't succumb to wear so easily, and last a lot longer.

 

[Maliki]

I personally like boxed sets, if they were good, the extra's were nice, maps player handouts ect. If the product wasn't up to par I don't believe it was because it was a box set, Iv'e seen plenty of hard bound books that were of little use and others which rapidly fell apart due to poor bindings.

 

[sellars]

Oh man! I love boxed sets!

I love the maps, posters, booklets, books, designs, everything! and they line up so nicely on your bookshelf! the Al-qadim boxes with the AlQadim boxes, the Ravenloft with Ravenloft etc.

I'm a sucker for boxed sets!

 

[Ranger REG]

I'm a sucker for boxed sets!

I got a Forgotten Realms boxed set full of condoms.

Honestly, if you're gonna publish boxed sets, I prefer corrugated cardboard material. But since that is too costly, and I'd rather you stay in business longer, WotC, then don't do it.

As everyone have said, unless you're anal enough to maintain the highest care, boxed sets (of past and current material) don't last longer than hardbound books.