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Message: <blockquote data-quote="monkius" data-source="post: 1148478" data-attributes="member: 14404">What worries me is that sentiment could start a death-spiral for the industry.  Publishers are feeling the pinch with reduced sales, so they increase the price.  Gamers react to the increased price and buy less.  So publishers raise the price again, ...Now as others have said, over time the 'bad' companies will begin to die off, which may help stabilize prices.But at that point it may be too late.  Look around at most gaming stores, what do you see?  Role playing games, board games, miniatures, collectible card games, and collectible miniature games.  Role playing game publishers are in competition with those other products for the gamers' dollars.We can talk all we want about how great a value a $50 book is, but look at what the young gamer has to choose between:- $50 book- $10 starter deck + 13 ($3) booster packs of a CCG- $20 starter pack + 4 ($7) booster packs of miniaturesLet's look at how they compare:Artwork: The book has great artwork, but so do many of the card games, and the miniatures are neat as well.Ease of Entry: CCG < CMG < RPG in terms of cost.  Someone can try 5 different CCG for the price of one book.Promotion/Events: Stores gives away 'special' cards for CCG if you buy $X worth of cards.  Plus the owner is happy to dig through his box of previous promotions and give them to you.Many stores have in-house CCG and CMG events, many sponsored by the vendors with special collectible prizes.  It is easy for someone to buy a starter pack and either join in immediately or at the next event.Only some stores allow RPG groups to play there.  Unless they are using miniatures, there is not as much of a display of colorful cards / miniatures to interest people.  Even if someone is interested, the campaign may be full / can only take so many people.Closing ThoughtsSo what now?  I don't know.  I think CCG and CMG are attracting more of the younger gamers.  And if RPGs continue raising their prices, I think they will become a smaller and smaller niche, which to me would be a sad thing.Even more worrisome, if we look beyond the gaming store, at $50 computer / console games become competitors as well.  Is that a market that RPG books really want to be competing in?</blockquote>

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