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Cost of D&D Editions, then and now
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<blockquote data-quote="Alphastream" data-source="post: 6275561" data-attributes="member: 11365"><p>Yeah, that makes sense!</p><p></p><p>It's interesting to ponder whether an edition should aim for the 2-book model or not. I tend to think that for the second tier of RPGs (13th Age, Eclipse Phase, FATE, Numenera) a single book with rules for both DMs and players is a more compelling purchase - and that the audience needs to be compelled to sign up at a low cost. A secondary monster book becomes rather easy to add on, but then you are done... unless you like it so much you wish to buy more. Numenera is a good example. You can just pick up that core book, or the core book and monster book, or you can buy a ton of extra stuff. If a company is heavily counting on pdf revenue, then having the 2-core model can lead to more light purchases. You didn't purchase three books, you purchased two books and then a small mountain of cheap pdfs over time, creating more spread-out revenue. </p><p></p><p>On the other hand, some of the Kickstarter RPGs have added so much page count that the single book is really two. Numenera, at 416 pages, is larger than the AD&D PHB and DMG combined. I personally would rather some of these unwieldy tomes were actually two separate books. Honestly, for a game that isn't my primary RPG, I would like a quick-run booklet of about 20 pages so I could just enjoy the experience more easily. As Kickstarter matures we may see some weariness on the part of the audience. How many 300+ "maybe I'll play this once" RPGs do we need? Perhaps that will drive game publishers to consider a lighter model - single small book and then expansions. FIASCO is a good example of a great game with a small book that exactly meets what the audience needs, since it is a game most will play infrequently but want to easily pack, pick-up, and run. I've yet to run Numenera, and the size of it is the primary reason. I would have easily taken a quick-start printout to conventions and played a pick-up game if such a thing existed. I've traveled to various conventions with just FIASCO or the quick-start rules and pregens for Shadowrun or Savage Worlds, because it's so much easier. (And, with 4E, the stability of the game meant I could travel without any rule books at all, just the adventure and pregens.) </p><p></p><p>Traditionally, for D&D it made sense to use a 3-book model. It could and can count on the audience that will buy a 3-book series, sight unseen. Indeed, initial pre-orders and sales have climbed with every edition from every account I've ever read. A 3-core model is good for the bottom line, and also creates a solid foundation for everything else you release. Realistically, the intro player is still purchasing just one book, and it is simpler for not containing DM information. Has anything change in the market to make this no longer the case? I haven't seen it. If anything, Pathfinder is now at this level and could also consider a 3-book core for its next edition.</p><p></p><p>Where RPGs (including D&D) have always suffered was with supplements. After the core books, each supplement has diminishing returns. While MM2 and Ultimate Melee Classes might attract many, MM14 just doesn't have the same pull. At some point, Ultimate Complete Book of Animal Companions II isn't covering its printing costs. There are exceptions (Dark Sun was the best-selling 4E setting, even though it came later than FR or Eberron), but in general every additional release declines in revenue. For some RPGs it has been a deathknell - forcing them into bankruptcy as they struggle to find a compelling way to generate more revenue. The answer has always been to release a new edition and re-release the same subjects again in a slightly different fashion (let's call the undead book "Ultimate Necromaner's Book" this time!). Does the 3-book or 2-book model change that picture at all? I don;t think it is clear. </p><p></p><p>If anything, I would guess the 2-core or 3-core model isn't a big deal for the top tier of D&D and Pathfinder. They won't struggle to get the core book sales and nothing may change the secondary book sale issues. For those companies, the path to victory is in diversification into other more lucrative areas. Licensing, movies, board games, iOS games, Facebook games... those can add up to millions far faster than any RPG print model. You want a happy core audience of devoted RPG fans to breathe life into all the other vehicles. A couple of weeks back I was in the stands before my son's basketball practice. Another dad taps me on the shoulder. He had seen my playing Lords of Waterdeep on the iOS... and he happened to be playing as well. He's a board gamer, not an RPG guy, and yet here we are - random strangers enjoying the same thing (and providing revenue through licensing).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Alphastream, post: 6275561, member: 11365"] Yeah, that makes sense! It's interesting to ponder whether an edition should aim for the 2-book model or not. I tend to think that for the second tier of RPGs (13th Age, Eclipse Phase, FATE, Numenera) a single book with rules for both DMs and players is a more compelling purchase - and that the audience needs to be compelled to sign up at a low cost. A secondary monster book becomes rather easy to add on, but then you are done... unless you like it so much you wish to buy more. Numenera is a good example. You can just pick up that core book, or the core book and monster book, or you can buy a ton of extra stuff. If a company is heavily counting on pdf revenue, then having the 2-core model can lead to more light purchases. You didn't purchase three books, you purchased two books and then a small mountain of cheap pdfs over time, creating more spread-out revenue. On the other hand, some of the Kickstarter RPGs have added so much page count that the single book is really two. Numenera, at 416 pages, is larger than the AD&D PHB and DMG combined. I personally would rather some of these unwieldy tomes were actually two separate books. Honestly, for a game that isn't my primary RPG, I would like a quick-run booklet of about 20 pages so I could just enjoy the experience more easily. As Kickstarter matures we may see some weariness on the part of the audience. How many 300+ "maybe I'll play this once" RPGs do we need? Perhaps that will drive game publishers to consider a lighter model - single small book and then expansions. FIASCO is a good example of a great game with a small book that exactly meets what the audience needs, since it is a game most will play infrequently but want to easily pack, pick-up, and run. I've yet to run Numenera, and the size of it is the primary reason. I would have easily taken a quick-start printout to conventions and played a pick-up game if such a thing existed. I've traveled to various conventions with just FIASCO or the quick-start rules and pregens for Shadowrun or Savage Worlds, because it's so much easier. (And, with 4E, the stability of the game meant I could travel without any rule books at all, just the adventure and pregens.) Traditionally, for D&D it made sense to use a 3-book model. It could and can count on the audience that will buy a 3-book series, sight unseen. Indeed, initial pre-orders and sales have climbed with every edition from every account I've ever read. A 3-core model is good for the bottom line, and also creates a solid foundation for everything else you release. Realistically, the intro player is still purchasing just one book, and it is simpler for not containing DM information. Has anything change in the market to make this no longer the case? I haven't seen it. If anything, Pathfinder is now at this level and could also consider a 3-book core for its next edition. Where RPGs (including D&D) have always suffered was with supplements. After the core books, each supplement has diminishing returns. While MM2 and Ultimate Melee Classes might attract many, MM14 just doesn't have the same pull. At some point, Ultimate Complete Book of Animal Companions II isn't covering its printing costs. There are exceptions (Dark Sun was the best-selling 4E setting, even though it came later than FR or Eberron), but in general every additional release declines in revenue. For some RPGs it has been a deathknell - forcing them into bankruptcy as they struggle to find a compelling way to generate more revenue. The answer has always been to release a new edition and re-release the same subjects again in a slightly different fashion (let's call the undead book "Ultimate Necromaner's Book" this time!). Does the 3-book or 2-book model change that picture at all? I don;t think it is clear. If anything, I would guess the 2-core or 3-core model isn't a big deal for the top tier of D&D and Pathfinder. They won't struggle to get the core book sales and nothing may change the secondary book sale issues. For those companies, the path to victory is in diversification into other more lucrative areas. Licensing, movies, board games, iOS games, Facebook games... those can add up to millions far faster than any RPG print model. You want a happy core audience of devoted RPG fans to breathe life into all the other vehicles. A couple of weeks back I was in the stands before my son's basketball practice. Another dad taps me on the shoulder. He had seen my playing Lords of Waterdeep on the iOS... and he happened to be playing as well. He's a board gamer, not an RPG guy, and yet here we are - random strangers enjoying the same thing (and providing revenue through licensing). [/QUOTE]
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