D&D 4E So why does the 4e DMG costs the same as PHB?

[dmccoy1693]

I also think its something of a sacred cow.

Exactly how much steak has WotC dined on due to the slaughter of all the other sacred cows?

IMO, The three core book are being priced relatively low, page count wise, when compared to other products they will be selling. Dungeon Survival Guide: 96 page, $20, with recycled art. I expect a trend like this to continue.

 

[broghammerj]

It's fairly simple economics.

Lower number of sales, since you need one DMG per group, and several PHBs, means that to recoup their investment they have to charge more.

Does this really happen? In every group I have played with almost everyone has a DMG. Perhaps this is because we rotate DM roles at different times. The only people who didn't own DMGs were the ones who owned a copy and trashed it through use. There were enough copies at the table that they weren't motivated to buy a new one. The other scenario is a player new to DnD bought a PHB to try the game out but didn't want a large investment until they decided they liked the game.

 

[Nikosandros]

I don't believe so. Amazon guessed at a price, though. Could that be what you're thinking of?

Quite possibly. I think that someone preordered right away and got a sweet deal...

 

[Lord Xtheth]

It's almost 100 pages shorter than the PHB.

Why does it cost the same?

Because WoTC knows people will pay whatever price they throw on things to play their game.

But yes, I do agree that content should be what we're paying for... not (employee's income)x(hours worked)x(inflation amount)/3

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Knowing something of printing from various contacts in the industry (both printing and RPG), I'll throw in a bit of info. Of course, WotC might not be following this philosophy (and I'm sure The Rouse can correct me if I'm wrong) but...

Most entry-level products (for D&D, the PHB...but not the DMG or MM) for RPGs are considered "loss leaders." What this means is they actually take a hit on profit (in some cases, actually losing money per book sold) for that product in the hopes that people will spend money later on, where the real profit is (sourcebooks). This is why said entry-level products are considerably more economical than other products in the line.

(Incidentally, it works similarly in the video gaming industry; most manufacturers take a hit on the console itself because the sale of the games more than makes up for it)

Also, somewhat related is the fact that (most) printers charge per unit (I forget the exact name). Each unit = 16 pages. This is why most of your books' page counts are divisible by 16. (320 pages = 20 units; 224 pages = 14 units and so on) If, say, the DMG were 230 pages, the printer sould still charge the 240 page rate. (PoD might break this pricing structure) That's why you hear about books that are sometimes cut for space reasons; if they can't fill up 16 more pages worth of material, then it's not very economical for the publishers to include that info.

 

[Werebat]

It's almost 100 pages shorter than the PHB.

Why does it cost the same?

Because market research indicates that enough people will pay that cost that profits will be maximized.

It's just that simple.

- Ron ^*^

 

[Fifth Element]

Does this really happen? In every group I have played with almost everyone has a DMG. Perhaps this is because we rotate DM roles at different times.

It must be. In every group I have ever played with, at most 2 people have DMGs: the DM, and me (since I also DM). This assumes I'm a player in the game, not a DM.

In the game I'm currently DMing, I'm the only one who has a DMG.

So yes, it really does happen. Quite a lot, I expect.

 

[Erekose]

Weren't the 3.0E core rulebooks sold at a discount? I seem to remember WotC using it as a strategy to get people to be more willing to make the move from 1E or 2E.

If so, is it significant that this approach isn't being taken for 4.0E?

Could it be because WotC believe 4.0E is so much better that they don't need to incentivise the switch?

Or could it be because the focus of 4.0E is on new players?

Both? Neither? Something else?

 

[ThirdWizard]

Weren't the 3.0E core rulebooks sold at a discount? I seem to remember WotC using it as a strategy to get people to be more willing to make the move from 1E or 2E.

If so, is it significant that this approach isn't being taken for 4.0E?

Kind of. It didn't help for 3e back in 2000, because they didn't end up selling more books that way, and they just ended up making less money.

 

[teitan]

It's fairly simple economics.

Lower number of sales, since you need one DMG per group, and several PHBs, means that to recoup their investment they have to charge more.

Everybody in my group and my previous 2 groups owned a DMG and Monster Manual. These sorts of answers just don't work.