Has the age of the big book arrived?

[Wulf Ratbane]

We've been walking this road for a while. First the age of the hardbound books and now they arte getting bigger.

It's an economic thing.

Hardcovers sell better.

And it's cheaper to just increase the inner pages of a hardcover than to print a second book.

It's cheaper to advertise a single product than multiple products.

It's easier to sell a single book into distribution than multiple books.

All things considered it's just a smart move for publishers.

 

[Sado]

The initial consumer reaction is going to be positive when they see a 500-pager at $50 vs a 128 pager at $20, I think. Something about the bulk makes it seem worth more.

I disagree, at least from my personal experience. I balk at spending $50 in one shot, no matter how good a deal, yet I have no problem blowing $10-20 in four or five different stores.

And my fiance would kill me if I spent $50 on one book, but dropping $20 here and there I can get away with.

 

[Psion]

The initial consumer reaction is going to be positive when they see a 500-pager at $50 vs a 128 pager at $20, I think.

From what I have seen, 500 pagers are going for $40. In color, even.

Which, if you do the math, is a pretty sweet price per page ratio. Even a few years ago, that was pretty competitive for black-and-white.

Of course, it increases initial investment where these books head up a line, but it was getting up there anyways. And if you collect multiple titles from a line, this is way more economical than buying the corresponding number of supplemental books.

 

[solomoncane]

I disagree, at least from my personal experience. I balk at spending $50 in one shot, No matter how good a deal, yet I have no problem blowing $10-20 in four or five different stores.

And my fiance would kill me if I spent $50 on one book, but dropping $20 here and there I can get away with.

I agree at the escalating price being a problem unless the game is more or less complete within the grand $50 book. Although I don't plan on buying it, Spycraft 2.0 seems to fulfill this criteria. And you can usually always get a book for less than MSRP online.

 

[solomoncane]

It's an economic thing.

Hardcovers sell better.

And it's cheaper to just increase the inner pages of a hardcover than to print a second book.

It's cheaper to advertise a single product than multiple products.

It's easier to sell a single book into distribution than multiple books.

All things considered it's just a smart move for publishers.

I'm looking forward to Grim Tales Evolved!

 

[DaveMage]

Big books are fine with me.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[Belen]

From what I have seen, 500 pagers are going for $40. In color, even.

Which, if you do the math, is a pretty sweet price per page ratio. Even a few years ago, that was pretty competitive for black-and-white.

Of course, it increases initial investment where these books head up a line, but it was getting up there anyways. And if you collect multiple titles from a line, this is way more economical than buying the corresponding number of supplemental books.

No. They are $50. Both Midnight and AE were $50.

One thing I have noticed is that game stores are balking at buying these expensive books. I asked my friends why they did not order Shackled City from Paizo. They said that they were afraid that such an expensive book would sit on the shelf and not sell, and they could spend the same amount of money on two smaller books for the store with prices that may sell.

The big books are great for discounters who can sell them for $35, but a lot of people balk at the $50 price tag in the stores.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

I love my big new Shackled City book from Paizo, list $59.95, I got at only 15% off.

My other recent favorite was the IKWG from Privateer. I love big books like this as they are a far better value for the money, even if it is an expensive individual purchase. I also bought AE, and I'm sure it's a good value for those who will use and appreciate the content.

I'll still buy the occasional $20 book ( The Game Mechanics/Green Ronin "Quarter" books come to mind ) but I'm all for the big book trend.

GO BIG OR GO HOME! I love big books and I do not lie!

 

[Andre]

Someone likened Spycraft 2.0 to a "game line in a book".

Which makes me wonder if this will backfire a bit. I may be willing to try out a new system, or variant, or setting, or whatever, if I can fit it into my time. Reading a 500+ page book is going to look pretty darn intimidating, vs a 256 pager. The extra money (say $40+ vs. $25+) is a minor disincentive, IMO, compared to the sheer size of these things.

A related question: are books so large because:
we, the consumer, demand so much from them
or because publishers include certain "expected" material
or because of editing and layout
or because the system's are so detailed
or what?

I remember the days when a 64 page rulebook was considered pretty big. Now 400+ pages is normal, and the 3E core books are 900+ pages. What happened?

 

[francisca]

I'm of a mixed mind on this.

Hand #1 (one hand): I don't have the time/patience/inclination to wade through 400+ pages for a game. I mean, it's something I do for fun, it isn't a lifestyle. I don't really need/want that many rules or settings detail.

Hand #2 (other hand): It depends on what it is, I guess, and what purpose it serves. Conan d20 weighs in at 356 pages, ~50 of which is pure setting. It does what the PHB, DMG, and MM do (provide a complete set of classes, magic system, monster, all the rules, etc..) plus 50 pages of setting material. That's actually a pretty good deal, and would have been an excellent deal if it would have been $40 instead of $50. Sure, there are supplements, but if you want to game in Koth, Ophir, Aquillonia, etc..., that book, dice, and pencil & paper are all you need for years of gaming.

Hand #3 (other other hand): I look at things like The New Argonauts. 64 pages. Fun, solid, very playable game. Sure you may need to pull in a bit from the SRD to round it out, and you may run out of options in the book in short order if you go at it hard, but if you're a competent DM, you could probably extend it yourself with less effort than trudging through 500+ pages of something else.

Hand #4 (other other other hand): Gamma World 1e. 56 pages. Tons of fun. Enough said.

Hand #5 (other other other other hand): Hackmaster. Dude. **Eight* 128 page monster books, plus a 9th? Seriously? Wouldn't a pair of 256 page books been enough? I mean I like HM, Kenzerco, Jolly and the guys, but c'mon!