Game book pricing

[Arnwyn]

I just hope it doesn't result in the collapse of the market entirely, which--given its size--is actually possible. (Not saying probable, but certainly possible.)

Sure, it's possible. But, for the most part, it'll likely be temporary as long as there is a demand for the product. Sure, the industry will be vastly different from what we have now, but if people are interested in RPGs, somebody will supply it and people will consume it.

And, if it collapses, it will be the consumer's (implicit) decision - they refuse to buy RPG books as they are currently being produced.

 

[GMSkarka]

Generally, it's not the consumers duty to inform themselves of production cost. It could be very expensive and in the end, still be more than a consumer is willing to pay, despite being 'fairly' priced (all things objective.) The market works as the market works.

True.

Personally, though: I think that if people are going to hold forth an opinion on a topic, then they should actually know what they're talking about.

I'm wacky that way.

Generally speaking, my experience has been that the gamers most likely to grouse about pricing are the ones least likely to know what constitutes a reasonable price.

It usually comes down to what Phil called "unresearched dreams and faint nostalgia," for the most part. Which gets kinda old, when you're on the receiving end of the umpteenth "d00D! G4M3Z R 2 XP3ns1v3!!!!" harangue.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Content & Quality: the new RPG!

What may eventually happen to RPG books is they'll look like the booklets to wargames.

Instead of getting a beautiful hardcover tome that has beautiful art, you'll get a softcover with some cover art or embossing and page after page of nothing but rules and explanations...and there's nothing at all wrong with that.

I loved Task Force Games' Starfire and StarFleet Battles, and their rulebooks are what I'm thinking about. Almost all of the art in their game books were devoted to explaining game situations, and were black-and-white. Everything was compact and the rules were even given section numbers, so you could easily find something by its code- even if the edition changed or there was a second printing! Supplemental rules were given codes that let you know EXACTLY where a particular rule fit in the system... Supplemental Rule 2.0.4 came before rule 2.1 and after 2.0.3. 5 years later, a supplement comes around with Rule 2.0.4a, and you KNOW what's going on immediately.

Instead of spending $30 on the first fancy rulebook of 3, you got a softcover, maps, and (cardboard) counters for the same money- and that was all you needed. Sure, expansions followed, but they were similarly value-priced.

So, instead of increasingly elaborate and expensive rulebooks, what about a return to the boxed set.

Imagine, the DMG, PHB, and MM#1 as TFG-style softcovers, with a module, gameworld maps, a set of die, and a set of plastic minis (one for each of the archetypal PCs in the PHB- like Krusk, Jozan, Mialee, etc.) all in one $50-65 box. Each of the books would be available seperately for $15, of course, for those among us who need extras. (Wear and tear, accidents, and casual players without their own copies make me buy extra copies- I'm a nice guy.)

With a smaller but more legible typeface unobscured by artistic touches like fake sepia-tone antiquing, the books could even be printed in digest size (4.5"x 6").

Or maybe everything winds up on a CD-ROM in Word or PDF format, and we either use it from the computer or take it to Kinko's to get printed. (BTW: I heartily reccomend spiral binding for that- I use it when I get my sheet-music rebound at Kinkos- it lies flat and holds up.) Maybe the CD-ROM is even part of the Box set.

Heck- they could even keep making the hardcovers with the high production values and thus, the higher costs.

But I bet that box set would sell like mad.

 

[Ranger REG]

I loved Task Force Games' Starfire and StarFleet Battles, and their rulebooks are what I'm thinking about. Almost all of the art in their game books were devoted to explaining game situations, and were black-and-white. Everything was compact and the rules were even given section numbers, so you could easily find something by its code- even if the edition changed or there was a second printing! Supplemental rules were given codes that let you know EXACTLY where a particular rule fit in the system... Supplemental Rule 2.0.4 came before rule 2.1 and after 2.0.3. 5 years later, a supplement comes around with Rule 2.0.4a, and you KNOW what's going on immediately.

As much as I love Star Fleet Battles, I doubt this kind of format would go well with devoted roleplayers. They are going to be intimidated by a book that almost look like it comes out of a law library. This is not something I would choose for an entry-level game that is D&D.

That and we should avoid the use of binders. We know how that went with the 2e Monstrous Compendium.

 

[diaglo]

As much as I love Star Fleet Battles,

when are we playing? i haven't had a chance since Gen Con '86

 

[JoeGKushner]

Sure, nobody's obligated to pay for anything they don't want.

I just hope it doesn't result in the collapse of the market entirely, which--given its size--is actually possible. (Not saying probable, but certainly possible.)

OMG! The SKY IS FALLING!

 

[Mouseferatu]

OMG! The SKY IS FALLING!

OMG! MY POSTS ARE BEING MISINTERPRETED!

C'mon, Joe. I said possible, not likely or probable. I'm not running around shouting that this is the end of RPGs as we know them. I don't have enough inside knowledge--or enough clairvoyance--to predict the future. If I had to guess, I'd say it's likely that the industry will survive, albeit on a narrower scale.

But it's possible that it won't (and I don't mean possible as in "possible only on a statistical scale," I mean possible), and if you can't see that possibility, it's clear we haven't seen the same info.

If I was running around screaming "THIS IS THE END!" then the sky falling bit might have some relevance. But I'm not, and it really does't.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I wouldn't expect people to assume that a company has their best interests at heart. But neither is it appropriate to assume that every move they make is designed to screw over their customers.

Games Workshop...

 

[Cergorach]

I'm curious what europeans think of this topic. To be honest, the last five years have seen the creation of the euro, and that has changed a lot of things (around here). First it made everything more expensive, then it totaly screwed up the former pricing 'balance' between 'life essential' and 'luxury' goods (the former getting relatively more expensive, the later relatively cheaper). After that we see the plumetting dollar, so in the end i'm not really sure if RPG books 'feel' more expensive or not. Not to mention that in the last five years i've been getting better and better paid...

Price/utility/size of a book don't equal 'value' in my opinion, it's also presentation (layout and illustration) and the feel of the book. For example, i gladly paid $50 for the SG-1 book, that i'll probably never use. On the other hand i sometimes wonder why i paid the $35 for Strongholds & Dynasties which i'll end up using more often then the SG-1 book. The SG-1 book was just more attractive/appealing to me.

 

[Ranger REG]

when are we playing?

You're joking, right?