Ken Hite Re: The RPG Industry

[Aesthetic Monk]

Try and quit.

I've no doubt this is a problem, but in my case SFBC unceremoniously dropped me without any advance warning after about 12, 15 years of being a member and without any effort to recruit me back into it. Maybe I'm just off the grid! Oops. Now I'm not ...

The model will change, the hobby will survive. Me, though? The book club model would be a tough sell. I already feel enough "completionist" pressure (which I ignore) without someone popping into my inbox each month. But the model does have some potential advantages--going straight to the consumer, identifying/going to the most loyal customer.

 

[Darkwolf445]

I just purchased a Laptop for the sole purpose of using it to hold characters for games and to make GMing easier by no longer needing to bring books. Now instead of 97 books at a weight of 600 pounds, I bring a single laptop and plug it in wherever I go.

I love it. $300 for the laptop, by the by. Its the year 2006, and yes, I'm old, but not so old I cannot adapt. Times are a changing, I mean to change with them.

Agreed. Most of my purchases are PDF now. I have many bookshelves in my house filled with books that would require a truck to haul, whereas my laptop holds almost everything I need in one small package.

Most of my purchases are PDF, with the exception of items that are not available in PDF format. The savings are great and I don't have to worry about someone/thing destroying my hardcopy. If I want a hardcopy I print it up. The major exception here would be WotC, which I order through Amazon, and Ptolus (my one hypocrasy here) because I want a book for my game that is big enough to derail a train (and I may eventually get it in PDF as well, anyway).

 

[catsclaw227]

Agreed. Most of my purchases are PDF now. I have many bookshelves in my house filled with books that would require a truck to haul, whereas my laptop holds almost everything I need in one small package.

Ditto here too. Also if you've ever used a program like DM Genie, then you know how incredibly easy it makes managing all the details.

I wonder how I survived without it!

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Isn't this more a function of pace of releases and setting development?

Tha Arcanis line is developing at a good pace. It started with a specific story arc to take it through the first six years and has focused on costumer service. It's fan base is devoted and knows that their actions have consequences on the world. Arcanis will continue to grow and thrive because the setting is supported by about a hundred adventures available for free through the RPGA. I believe this is the key to the long term health of any single setting. How does the publisher support it.

I think even then most players will eventually jump ship to the Next Best Thing. The campaign settings for all RPGs that have proven really enduring probably number less than a dozen. Sure, there are some others who are being sporadically supported by their publishers - but that isn't the same as being a "healthy" line...

 

[bento]

I'd guess Mr. Hite is on to something. Our FLGS (along with our FLCS) is under pressures that the big box chains don't have. FLGS just don't have the size to buy in massive quantites, negotiate lower discounts or spread losses across more profitable ventures.

Although I like to think of myself as a defender of the local shop, I find myself more and more purchasing from pdf retailers like RPGNow. Echoing some prior posters, pdfs and a laptop PC cut down on the pounds I'm already lugging on game night.

So where does this leave publishers? For publishers I'd be making more free samples (like the ToC) available online for people to get a peak at their products. Focus on selling through the GM first and reformat materials they can then "sell" to the players. I've heard Plotus has done this with their free Players Guide.

The FLGS? I'd work even harder to build up the local gaming community. Provide a online schedule of upcoming event nights. Reach out to more organizations like local colleges and high schools. Offer small (5%) discounts with student IDs. Anything to keep driving people in house. One other thing I'd do is have regular sales of close-out items. It really bugs me when I go to an FLGS and see games that haven't moved in several years. It's better to get some cash to invest in product that moves than wait 18 months for that one person to come in and pay full price.

 

[Arnwyn]

How right is he?

Sounds reasonable to me - at least for the insignificant publishers (as he made great pains to remove "Dungeons & Dragons" [read: WotC] from the equation).

Of course, it also partly explains why my RPG purchases have plummeted the past couple of years or so. Electronic books? that.

 

[Corinth]

The model will change when D&D changes its model, and no sooner. Until then, all you'll see are more companies either closing shop or retooling away from TRPGs to something else, like boardgames.

 

[trancejeremy]

I just purchased a Laptop for the sole purpose of using it to hold characters for games and to make GMing easier by no longer needing to bring books. Now instead of 97 books at a weight of 600 pounds, I bring a single laptop and plug it in wherever I go.

I love it. $300 for the laptop, by the by. Its the year 2006, and yes, I'm old, but not so old I cannot adapt. Times are a changing, I mean to change with them.

Where did you get a laptop for $300? I've been looking for one for several years that cheap (since $300 is generally about all I can scrap up) without any luck. Usually the cheapest price is $600. I almost got one at Walmart for $400, but just missed out (one of those 10 per store deals)

 

[bento]

I've seen several ads for laptops under $500, but they usually require several mail-in rebates before you get to that amount. Check Fry's, dell.com or Best Buy.

Of course with something that low priced don't expect a lot, such as no Microsoft Office. You may not be able to run MS's next operating system (Vista) without some pricey upgrades.

-bento

 

[scourger]

As a consumer, I don't want to be "retrained". I already look at most RPG book purchases as entertainment expenditures. The most I will get out of most books is a good read. For actual play, I look at it as the amount of dirt I have to pan through to get a fleck of gold. I have to read a lot of books to find one that actually gets played. If I'm really lucky, it's a nugget of gold that can be played many times. So, I try to influence the market by buying the things that are known quality and support the way I want to play. The best marketer of new material to me right now is Pinnacle/Great White Games. I really like the two book method of Savage Worlds. I don't have the time or the inclination to learn a new game every time I turn around. So, I don't want to be in the book-a-month club; unless it's like Dungeon, which I enjoyed for years. A serialized or living game with concise but powerful rules and periodic adventure modules would be most appealing. I had it with my core 2e game using Dungeon, but those days are over now. I get other stuff on the used market to mine for ideas so that my new retail dollars send the right message.