Pathfinder 1E Paizo sets price of Pathfinder RPG PDF at $9.99!!!!!

[crazy_cat]

Great pricing decision - hopefully it'll give more people a chance to try out the PF rules.

I don't think this specific pricing decision hurts LGS sales - but I suspect the Paizo subscription service does however.

I subscribe to all the Pathfinder lines direct - I'd much rather give 100% of my gaming money to the company producing the content (and get a free PDF of every book I buy) than pay a distributor and LGS to sell me the same book (without a PDF) a month later than I get it from Paizo.

LGS's need to evolve if they are to survive - mines OK, not particularly a FLGS but OK, but they don't offer any sort of value added service that is of any use or interest to me so I don't shop there. Retailers need to face facts - and a key one is the internet.

 

[Sammael]

$10 is too good to pass. I also have the hardcover pre-ordered from Amazon (my FLGS doesn't stock D&D-related 3PP books at all, this is a tiny market).

 

[lmpjr007]

WOW! Paizo in one easy move has created tons of free marketing for themselves, given people the ability to try their product at a low price making it more attractive and has offered a reasonable alternative to those who would pirate the PDF and place it up at torrent site for free. Now I am sure there are people who will pirate it any way, but they were never going to be customers so Paizo really loses nothing. Excellent business strategy and a nice thing to do for your fans. Pay attention WOTC, that is a great way to turn fans of your product into true believers willing to spend the message to others. Now they have made me rethink some ideas I might do. Excellent as always Paizo and I can't wait to support your products as a 3PP in August.

 

[Sunderstone]

Personally I couldnt care less how this impacts my LGS. I go there for Dice primarily (not very often either) and maybe a back up hardcopy of something that I dont feel like ordering and waiting for.

Usually Hardcopies of anything I get through Paizo because I want to support them. Period. I love the way they handle their business and their customers/fans. If theres any product im interested in, Id rather buy it directly through them even if I have to pay a tad more. Maybe im crazy, but they get my support regardless.

As per the "omg, save the environment" argument.... I still prefer actual physical copies and have already pre-ordered. The Free PDF version is a nice bonus though.

 

[Mournblade94]

I shop at a very reliable and well stocked Gamestore. I know how much this PDF at $10 is going to kill them... 0%. I am sure the people that want a hardcopy are going to go there and buy it. Even if they do not, my gamestore's primary focus is comics. They are well stocked on games, and keep current with the new releases, but comics keeps them in business so they can order things like Pathfinder.

I am OK with this. Good job. Unfortunately I am too into books to take advantage of this.

I pretty much forego subscriptions from Paizo, so I can buy it from my gamestore. I still get everything just about a week later. Usually I will only buy the PDF if I need something quick like AP #2's Desna write up.

 

[ki11erDM]

Considering that the side saying this hurts stores has no evidence to support it

It would be nearly impossible for people on that side to actually have that evidence, not because it does not exist but because the LGS are so dispersed and highly varied.

This is all about market segmentation; you sell your product to different groups depending on what they are willing to pay. Some people are willing to pay $10 and some are willing to pay $60. If you develop a product that can meet both groups’ needs and find a way to sell to them at the two price points you can efficiently extract the most amount of money from your market. This is a good thing.

But the real world does not always follow economic theory or there would be no cross-over and no effect on the stores. In this case we really have 3 or 4 groups not two, one group that would never pay $60 for the book but wants it (no loss to the LGS), one group that wants the book and will pay $60 (no loss unless they buy it online), one group that really wants the book but can’t afford it at $60 but will make due at the $10 price (possible loss), and one group that can afford it but is not sure they really want it (possible loss). Now I am not saying that 3rd and 4th groups are a huge number… but it is a number, and they will buy the $10 instead of saving money to buy the $60 one. And to say this has no effect is ignoring reality, it does, just very minor.

 

[Piratecat]

At $9.99 I could see buying a copy. I can't imagine going back to 3e but at that price point I can at least take a look. Who knows? If it really "wows" me, I might pick up the hardcover.

And this - right here - is why I think this move is brilliant, and will end up helping both Paizo and game stores. Assuming the quality is what I expect it to be, Pathfinder's biggest challenge is that 4e players normally wouldn't even consider it. Anonymity is the enemy. The pdf price will cause a large amount of people to check it out who wouldn't have otherwise, and some of those people will buy the print copy. By doing this, Paizo isn't cannibalizing their sales... they're expanding their potential market size. Game stores will benefit from the additional print sales this produces.

Kudos, you guys. Great decision.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

But the real world does not always follow economic theory...

Uhh, no.

The problem is that economic theory often does not follow the real world.

The real world has the advantage of being real.

 

[Piratecat]

The problem is that economic theory often does not follow the real world.

The real world has the advantage of being real.

Pedant.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Uhh, no.

The problem is that economic theory often does not follow the real world.

The real world has the advantage of being real.

Well, one could sometimes say the real world is lacking, but from a practical point of view, it's the economic theory that is lacking.