D&D General D&D Book Prices Are Going Up

WotC announced today that D&D books will be increasing in price this year.

Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants will be $59.99 as a preorder and $69.99 thereafter. These will apparently come as physical and digital bundles, so you won’t need to buy the D&D Beyond version separately.

This space is dedicated to communicating clearly and transparently with our players- even when the topic isn’t particularly fun. Since the release of the 2014 D&D core rulebooks, we’ve kept book prices stable. Unfortunately, with the cost of goods and shipping continually increasing, we’ve finally had to make the decision to increase the price of our new release print books. We're committed to creating high-quality products that deliver great value to our players and must increase our prices to accomplish that.

This will go into effect starting with Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants and new releases after Glory of the Giants. Digital pricing is unaffected by this MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) increase, as digital products don’t need to be printed or shipped. The increase also doesn’t impact backlist titles. While we can’t promise that there will never be a change to the prices of digital products and backlist titles, we have no plans to increase either.

Players who purchase the Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants digital-physical bundle through Dungeons & Dragons store can get the bundle for $59.95 for the entire preorder window, which is consistent with our current digital-physical bundle pricing. After the preorder window closes, digital-physical bundle prices will go to $69.95.

 

[Parmandur]

People keep saying “inflation”, but just like with groceries, I’m convinced most of the cause is corporate greed.

Well, ultimately perhaps, but getting our entire society to change to a strict adherence to a gold or silver standard is probably outside of Hasbro's control. With a fiat currency system, inflation is inevitable unless things are going really, really, really badly.

 

[Parmandur]

And where are you paying $20 bucks for a burrito??? That’s insane.

Out of curiosity, I have done some local market research, and I can at several local restaurants get a rice and bean burrito for $8-9, but ordering a burrito with actual fillings is $11.50-$15. Mostly, I get Burritos from food trucks at work, and those run $12-15, maybe more if they have the good stuff.

 

[Mistwell]

People keep saying “inflation”, but just like with groceries, I’m convinced most of the cause is corporate greed.

I promise you, as someone who runs a small business, ALL my costs have gone up. Everything. And when all my costs go up, I have to charge more or go bankrupt. There is zero greed involved - my margins are thin and identical to what they were before. And I am buying things which corporations big or small buys.

 

[ad_hoc]

I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

I'm personally okay with spending an extra $20/year on D&D.

Where I am grocery prices went up over 10% in a single year. Now that hurts.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

I'm personally okay with spending an extra $20/year on D&D.

Where I am grocery prices went up over 10% in a single year. Now that hurts.

Yeah, I am more worried about milk and bread than D&D books. I can see being worried about those costs reducing luxury spending, but it is what it is. Everyone along the supply chain has to pay their grocery bills, too.

 

[cbwjm]

People keep saying “inflation”, but just like with groceries, I’m convinced most of the cause is corporate greed.

The thing is, where in the chain does the corporate greed begin. It could be a result of increasing costs for printing the books and other items which has a flow-on effect, not to say they aren't increasing the costs because they feel the need to have ever increasing profits every year like every other business, but it could be as a result of other factors.

 

[Greg K]

People keep saying “inflation”, but just like with groceries, I’m convinced most of the cause is corporate greed.

You may not be wrong according to a recent Forbes article on a report by the investment bank Societe Generale.

‘We may be looking at the end of capitalism’: One of the world’s oldest and largest investment banks warns ‘Greedflation’ has gone too far

Albert Edwards, an economist at the 159-year-old investment bank Société Générale, says corporate greed may call for the unthinkable: Price controls.

fortune.com

 

[UngeheuerLich]

"If you don't want to pay it, don't buy the book".

Sorry, I thought that was clear.

Why should WotC tell you that?
I think everyone knows that. Or should...

 

[WageMage]

If the cost seems a lot to some, give other games a try!

For $70 dollars, you can buy a physical "indie" book (such as Monster of the Week, Blades in the Dark or EZD6) and with the money left over...buy at least 5 more (pdf only) games off DriveThruRPG.

When 5e came out, my friend purchased the 3 core books. With the same money, I bought books upon books of rpgs!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

That's definitely behind the bundle sale price, but yeah, the price increase is inflation.

Honestly, while in some ways it would be better if they increased prices more slowly over a longer period of time, it's not like people wouldn't complain about a $2 increase every 2 years just as much.

There's a difference between complaining and changing your buying habits. A gradual increase leads to complaining; a drastic increase leads to cutting back; quitting entirely; pirating; and sometimes (lucky for WotC) switching to digital.