Please stop paying full price for rulebooks.

[Vaxalon]

As an aspiring author, I hope that the prices keep going up, especially for the third-party market.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Just become more selective in what you buy. Don't buy everything that comes out. I have become very choosy since the d20 era started.

 

[jaerdaph]

How many hours of entertainment have you gotten out of Dieties and Demigods? The arms and equipment guide? Or any other book produced by a 3rd party publisher that isn't a module

If something is of limited to no use to me, most of the time I'm not going to buy it. Example: Mutants and Masterminds. Looks really cool and spiffy, the buzz says it's an excellent game, and it sounds like a lot of fun, but I know my group isn't going to want to play it, so I haven't bought it. But if the situation changes, perhaps I will one day.

RPGs are luxury items. You don't really *need* any of it, even though you may *want* it. And if you can't afford it, simply don't buy it. I am truly thankful that I am at a point in my life where I can afford to buy most of the luxury items I desire, but I still try to temper all my purchases with a little common sense.

Good luck on your quest, Don Quixote

 

[S'mon]

Right now I'm sitting at my PC with 2 gamebooks beside me - my 1e Monster Manual 2 that cost £10.99 in 1985 (well, I got it for £1.99, but y'know) and my 3e DMG that cost £12.99 in early 2001. Inflation-wise I think that's pretty good going.
Admittedly I will not get the same amount of value out of the 3e books as I got & still get out of EGG's 1e originals, but it's noticeable that RPG book prices have increased much more slowly than general book prices over the past 20 years.

 

[seankreynolds]

The truth of the matter is that I don't know any single company, whether it be the manufacturer, fulfillment houses, distributors, or even the retailers who are making money hand over fist.

Thus the joke:

Q: How do you make a smallfortune in the gaming industry?
A: Start with a large fortune....

 

[roytheodd]

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

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.

Is this a good idea?

Who's with me?

If you pay less than full price, then you're buying them online. If you're buying them online, then the game stores struggle and close. If the game stores struggle and close, then the hobby vanishes. If the hobby vanishes you'll save lots of money. I like this plan - I'm in.

 

[Mark Chance]

Re: Re: Please stop paying full price for rulebooks.

If the game stores struggle and close, then the hobby vanishes.

I'm still trying to figure this out. Let's say every game store in Houston closes tomorrow. All of a sudden, I'm not able to play D&D anymore? Why so? Disgruntled ex-game store owners are monitoring this thread, know I purchase all of my gaming books online, and are going to come to my house and confiscate all of my stuff?

 

[BigBastard]

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

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.

Is this a good idea?

Who's with me?

I got a theory, can't afford the hobby then get the hell out! Do you know how much it costs to produce a rule book? You have to pay writers, layout people, artists, and editors. These people will not work for free and the ones who do work for free do so because they lack the experience or talent to do it for a living. You are probably trying to rationalize your use of pirated game books.

 

[Psion]

Re: Re: Please stop paying full price for rulebooks.

If you pay less than full price, then you're buying them online. If you're buying them online, then the game stores struggle and close. If the game stores struggle and close, then the hobby vanishes. If the hobby vanishes you'll save lots of money.

At what step does the boogieman come in?

 

[The Little Raven]

Layoffs happen. Sad but true. And Businesses have been going under since the dawn of commerce.

And price markups have been going on since the dawn of commerce as well. A merchant would buy corn for a certain price, and sell it for a higher one. That's what business is all about. I don't spend my time, effort, and capital risk to make nothing off of it.

Most game books have a staff of at least 10 people associated with them. Authors, developers, artists, managers, editors... all included in that group. All those people need to get paid, so they can support themselves and their families. Then the company itself needs to turn a profit.

I've seen products put out by a single person... which cost very little to make... but they are trash.

You have no problem with layoffs and businesses folding, which actually sometimes KILLS people, but you have a problem with paying an additional $10 for a book?

I'm sure that people who get laid off from a dying gaming company will be all right. I have confidence that they'll figure something out. And, if they really like gaming and want to get paid for it, they'll use some brainstorming and figure out a way to do it.

Some do land on their feet, yes.

However, it's hard to write roleplaying books for a roleplaying market if that market no longer exists.

Businesses that should go under are ones that jack up prices w/o good justification. They probably WILL go under because competition will find a way to make the product cheaper but of the same quality or even better.

If a business raises the price without proper justification (an increase in quality, popularity, etc.), then the consumer will react in the most natural way possible... they will not purchase the substandard product. There is a difference between not purchasing substandard products and boycotting an entire industry.

And if you look at the high prices... look at the companies charging them... Wizards of the Coast, market share leader and #1 leader in the roleplaying hobby market... also the largest provider of quality d20 material... White Wolf... the second largest roleplaying company, and one of the few to be able to compete outside the d20 System market... another producer of quality material.

And the funny thing is that these big names are the ones that are able to produce everything cheaper than their small-time competitors... but you seem to think that small press companies, usually consisting of a couple of freelancers and their friends, can produce material for a lower cost than companies that have been around for years.

You should learn a little more about the realities of the industry (marketing, publishing, printing, contracting, etc.) before you spout off.