Price-Sensitive Gamers

[Storminator]

I think a more applicable test would be the one I brought up earlier: Have you bought the whole line of splatbooks? If you haven't, would you buy them at 50% off?

I haven't bought any of them, even though I'm not a starving college student. I would buy some of them, I suppose, at half off. I seem to be price sensitive.

(I don't think I'd ever buy a character sheet, since I can just roll my own in HTML or Word -- and it'll take all my House Rules into account.)

LOL! Given that you're price sensitive, of course you would never buy a char sheet!

In our cases, both tests turn out the same results. You have none of the splat books, and would never buy a sheet. I have them all and own 4 sheets. It's pretty clear we fall in different camps, but we already knew that.

PS

 

[Voadam]

Storminator,

I am price sensitive and I have some but not all of the splatbooks.

At 50% off I would probably pick up MotW. I would consider picking up S&S. I might pass on DotF but it might tempt me depending on the circumstances.

I still would not pick up charachter sheets even at 50% off though.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Well first I would never spend a dime on something with Forgotten Realms on the cover. But for arguments sake. If there were two FR campaign books out and one was full color and on glossy pages at 40 bucks and the other was in a nice softcover bound edition with black and white art for 25 bucks I'd take the second one without batting an eye.

 

[Aaron L]

Borderline anime artwork has always been a selling point for me...

 

[JohnNephew]

Well first I would never spend a dime on something with Forgotten Realms on the cover. But for arguments sake. If there were two FR campaign books out and one was full color and on glossy pages at 40 bucks and the other was in a nice softcover bound edition with black and white art for 25 bucks I'd take the second one without batting an eye.

How about if they were $45-$50 and $30-$35? Splitting the run would mean the cost of production on each would be higher, as would be the retail price. And assuming the same artwork was used (just reproduced in gray in one version), its costs would still affect the price heavily.

(Our Ars Magica RPG, for example, has a softcover rulebook at $30 and a hardcover at $45. If I were to do it again, I'd do hardcover only.)

 

[Sulimo]

I can't help but think that most people prefer full-color art on glossy paper to black-and-white line art on pulp paper. (Not that black-and-white art doesn't have a place in setting, say, a gothic mood.)

I dont know about most people, but I would be more than happy to have B&W books if it reduced the price somewhat. All I really need to be colour are the covers and perhaps maps. Pretty much all the other RPG's I've played are in B&W and I certainly arent less inspired by them, or feel they are lesser games because of that factor. Its the text thats the main thing.

Then again, the value for money ratio of Sword & Fist and its sequels drove me away from any future WOTC purchases and they had completely B&W non-glossy interiors.

 

[Garmorn]

Just anohter prepective...

I don't hestigate to buy a book I want at $40-50 becuae that is just one night out at a restraunt or two at a fast food joint for may family. So it is a choice between a couple of fast food nights out or something the whole family will enjoy for several months at least buy adding to our game night.
Now I know I am in small minority in that my whole family games. That does gives me a completly different outlook in that it is a family purchase not a individual purchase. I think for people like me high end products would be wonderfull. My group is basicly two families and one to two other people so we can afford the more costly items. I believe that my situation will continue to grow as the second and third generation of D&D players begain to marry and have their own childern.

 

[Henry]

Flexor the Mighty, I have one question:

Suppose there was released a Greyhawk 3E Update, co-written by Gary Gygax, containing all-new never-before-released campaign material coming from setting notes of his original campaign. It featured all-new color artwork from the likes of Jeff Easley, Clyde Caldwell, and others, and contained 360 pages of material, including adventure scenarios using unique hooks that you could easily drop into your campaign.

It sells for $50.00.

Would you buy it?

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

So you are hitting me where I am most vulnerable! I see how this works.

"Fifty bucks is a lot for a book...but it's Gary and Greyhawk...but it's fifty bucks...but it's GYGAX...but it's FIFTY bucks...But it's REAL Greyhawk...Fifty is a lot...but we are talking about the true essense of Greyhawk...that's a lot of cash though..."

I'd probably just stand in the game shop with a copy and have that mental conversation like that for 6-10 hours. I would probably buy that. But only because it's a special situation. If the Book of Vile Darkness, which I am really psyched about, is 40 bucks I don't think I'll buy it. So I can't make a blanket statement and say I'd never pay that much for a book, I may have in the past though, but in general 30 bucks is pretty much the limit.

P.S. - If Gary is a co-author would Rob Kuntz be the other author? If so then I'd buy it for sure.

 

[mmadsen]

It sells for $50.00.

Would you buy it?

To resurrect this thread...
Although I'm quite price sensitive, I have to say that I did buy the recent Conan RPG -- but I didn't pay the full $50 cover price. Still, I paid $35 or so...