Please stop paying full price for rulebooks.

[Mark Chance]

I don't pay full price as it is.

I get some books for free as part of contracted work on them.

I get others at anywhere from a 20-50% discount by just shopping around a little. I've found Amazon.Com to be a good source of good discounts. For example, I recently ordered d20 CoC for about $19 U.S.

 

[S'mon]

I agree that RPG books are noticeably cheap when compared with regular bookstore paperbacks and (especially) harbacks, this seems to be because (according to SKR's page) the retail multiplier is lower, from x2 (for WotC) to x4, rather than the x6 of publisher's price I know is standard in UK book trade. On reflection I think we're getting a relatively good deal.

 

[Xeriar]

I think rulebooks are getting waaaay to expensive. There's a difference between inflation and price gouging.

Price increase on gaming books is about 10-20% below inflation, if you start with AD&D 1e.

I have a theory. If a bunch of gamers refuse to pay full price for d20 rulebooks, the lack of demand will force prices to fall because of the amount of supply.

They'll go out of business. Most aren't even making ends meet as is. Many products are actively sold at a loss (AEG has done this a couple times - City of Lies and Otasan Uchi).

Is this a good idea?

Who's with me?

And kill the hobby?

I'm staying as far away from you as possible, I make an extra effort to support the hobby, even though it doesn't mean much.

 

[Grazzt]

Good idea but it'll never work.

First off, like 30-50% of the people who buy the books would have to stop.


DC

And lets not forget that the internet and gaming sites like this one (no matter how big it seems) only constitutes a small fraction of the entire gaming market, which means that a minority sees this thread and the majority does not.

 

[krunchyfrogg]

Go with Amazon.com

The site usually has the books priced at least 20% off.

 

[Faraer]

And,
the perception that books, any books, are too expensive is always wrong. The entire publishing industry is undercapitalized because the perceived value of books is too low. Almost no one in RPGs makes the kind of "big money" typical in a lot of real industries. There are very few cases of RPG prices increasing above inflation.

 

[Xeriar]

And,
the perception that books, any books, are too expensive is always wrong. The entire publishing industry is undercapitalized because the perceived value of books is too low. Almost no one in RPGs makes the kind of "big money" typical in a lot of real industries. There are very few cases of RPG prices increasing above inflation.

Except for college textbooks.

$%#% $80 for an 80 page book the size of a 3x5 index card...

$180 for some books, even. My first semester at SDSM&T I spent $800 (US) on books.

People that whine about the price of gaming books get no respect from me.

 

[John Crichton]

Except for college textbooks.

$%#% $80 for an 80 page book the size of a 3x5 index card...

$180 for some books, even. My first semester at SDSM&T I spent $800 (US) on books.

People that whine about the price of gaming books get no respect from me.

The main difference being that there is an assumed financial return on the textbooks. I'm not talking about selling the books, I'm talking about the education gained from them.

As for RPG books, I have said it before (as have others) and I'll say it again: The price paid for what they currently sell for is a bargain for the amount of enjoyment me and my groups get from them.

 

[Umbran]

The main difference being that there is an assumed financial return on the textbooks. I'm not talking about selling the books, I'm talking about the education gained from them.

That's a large part. There's also the fact that (in the sciences, at least), you're paying for the doctorate that allows the person to write the book. The author could have been doing grant-money research rather than write, so they must be compensated.

For higher level textbooks, there's also the expectation that you'll buy one copy of the text, and use it for life. In order to make it profitable enough to keep it around, the price must be high.

 

[John Crichton]

That's a large part. There's also the fact that (in the sciences, at least), you're paying for the doctorate that allows the person to write the book. The author could have been doing grant-money research rather than write, so they must be compensated.

For higher level textbooks, there's also the expectation that you'll buy one copy of the text, and use it for life. In order to make it profitable enough to keep it around, the price must be high.

Excellent points. Thanks for elaborating.