>>>
While I agree somewhat, I'm having trouble seeing everyone being so willing to pay extra
>>>
The beautiful thing is that "everyone" doesn't have to pay extra. Fewer people paying more money _might_ equal more money and higher profits if the publisher can balance the scales correctly. From a purely mercenary perspective, the complaints of someone who doesn't particularly _like_ paying more, but who proves again and again that he is _willing_ to pay more, is useless information.
No one _likes_ to pay more than they have to. Many are probably willing to pay more than they do.
>>>
-- people are complaining of 300+ page hardbacks priced at $39.95 that are full color, have quality paper, and happen to be damn sweet in content on top of it all.*
>>>
Not everyone gets to own everything they'd like.
A product that costs the manufacturer substantially more ought to cost the customer more, too. Anyone arguing that $40 is too much to pay for something with the production value of Oathbound is completely irrational.
By comparison, check out Green Ronin's "Book of the Righteous." Both products have received excellent word of mouth, and both are probably among the top 5 "talked about" third-party d20 products of the last year, at least here on EN World. It'd difficult to imagine that anyone who pays serious attention to discussions here hasn't heard of both of these books. I'd assume that many frequent posters own at least one of them. I have, but have not read, both, therefore my analysis includes only matters of production value, layout, and general appearance of "value for the money." Since most stores do not allow you to read an entire hardcover book right off the shelf, these are likely the same factors (barring "can I use this in my campaign") that consumers are likely to consider when judging whether or not to purchase the books in question.
Oathbound is 352 pages long, and is presented in full color. While some of the art and most of the cartography is not up to the standards of, say, Wizards of the Coast, the book comports itself extremely well in the graphics department, and is clearly one of the most impressive "looking" d20 products to date. Fan reaction has been almost uniformly positive, with many people suggesting that this is the type of setting they'd been waiting for from the d20 industry. I have no idea how well the book is selling, but critical and anecdotal evidence suggests that the book will do very well.
Oathbound retails for $39.95.
By contrast, Green Ronin's Book of the Righteous is 320 pages long. Art ranges from really pretty sorry to the equal of anything in WotC's stable, and is uniformly presented in black and white. Cartography is by WotC's own Todd Gamble, which doesn't come cheap (and it shows). Though black and white, Book of the Righteous has a very nice layout, though text density is lower than that of Oathbound. The lack of color sets it firmly in the upper tiers of "standard" d20 product production value, but the book's layout is crisp and clean and seems to compliment the product well. Since its release, fan reaction has been almost uniformly positive. I've seen one thread complaining about the price, but this was generally shouted down by fans of the product who rallied around the book's utility and value for the money. Again, I have no idea how the book is selling, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it will do very well for its publisher.
Book of the Righteous retails for $39.95.
Let's look at a few specific comparisons. I'll list the book with more impressive "credentials" after I list what I'm comparing. Remember that I haven't read either book, so I cannot comment on subjective concerns like the quality of the writing.
Price: Identical
Length: Oathbound
Color: Oathbound
Paper stock: Oathbound
Text Density: Oathbound
What does this tell us? Oathbound, at least insofar as "obvious" contributors to production value (probably the only thing a consumer will be able to measure while standing at the book or game store), seems to offer more than the Book of the Righteous.
My conclusion from these facts is _NOT_ that the Book of the Righteous is overpriced, but that Oathbound is _UNDER_priced.
Remember, fans seem perfectly happy with both books. While there has been grousing from some that both are expensive (they undoubtedly are, compared to other RPG books like the massively underpriced Everquest rules), recall that the general tenor of discussion regarding both books is one of satisfaction. The people who have purchased these books in general seem very happy with them.
If people are happy to pay $39.95 for Book of the Righteous, doesn't it stand to reason that Oathbound, which seems to offer a better value, should cost more?
I think it does. I think Oathbound should have been priced at at least $45.00, or should have been a shorter book with the same price point (and I hope Jim and Chris forgive me the use of their products as examples).
I don't, of course, have access to sales numbers for either book, but I'm guessing both are selling in excess of the expectations of their publishers. Both publishers (I hope) are making money from their gambles. I suspect Bastion press could be making more.
--Erik Mona
