Stage 1: Basic Set information and Price! (and other D&D info from GAMA)
- Thread starter MerricB
- Start date
WayneLigon
Adventurer
I think the price might be a sticking point. I know that if I were going to try something new I'd never tried before, I'd be hesitant to plunk down $25 to do it. I'd have thought they would not bother with miniatures at all; their inclusion surprises me a great deal.
I figured 'Basic D&D' would be a manga-sized paperback maybe about the same length as the Red Box, with some simplified d20 rules, the bread-and-butter classes (Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue), Human, Elf, Halfling, Dwarf as races, about 15 pages of monsters, a simplified spell list for the two spell-casting classes (spells take up the largest chunk of the PHB; restrict the classes to, say, level 7, then average ten spells per level for the four levels of spells presented).
Hmmm. A snag. The original boxed sets broke things down by level. Originally, you might play a good six months (assuming some breaks in there, for family trips, other get-togethers, etc) to get to third or fourth or whereever that first breakpoint was. Now, that's not going to happen. So.. hmm. Maybe not break down things at all by level; the only classes that take up more space as they level are the spellcasters. What to do about that?
I figured 'Basic D&D' would be a manga-sized paperback maybe about the same length as the Red Box, with some simplified d20 rules, the bread-and-butter classes (Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue), Human, Elf, Halfling, Dwarf as races, about 15 pages of monsters, a simplified spell list for the two spell-casting classes (spells take up the largest chunk of the PHB; restrict the classes to, say, level 7, then average ten spells per level for the four levels of spells presented).
Hmmm. A snag. The original boxed sets broke things down by level. Originally, you might play a good six months (assuming some breaks in there, for family trips, other get-togethers, etc) to get to third or fourth or whereever that first breakpoint was. Now, that's not going to happen. So.. hmm. Maybe not break down things at all by level; the only classes that take up more space as they level are the spellcasters. What to do about that?
johnsemlak
First Post
One thing to remember here is that I don't think this product is typically going to be bought by a potential gamer looking to get into the hobby.
It will be bought for a child whose parents think it's a good gift item.
As long as the price is in line with other typical game/gift products, I imagine that price is not the issue. Making it widely available, in mass consumerism locations, is the key.
It will be bought for a child whose parents think it's a good gift item.
As long as the price is in line with other typical game/gift products, I imagine that price is not the issue. Making it widely available, in mass consumerism locations, is the key.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
I guess I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that first point.johnsemlak said:
Also, the other thread where they detailed the usual disposable income of a teen/tweenager today.. that did shock me a great deal. I guess $25 isn't past them. I keep forgetting how expensive video game and cartridge games usually are; that's one thing that always kept me from becoming interested in console gaming: the price was too high. Most kids don't seem to have a problem getting $30-$60 computer games and console games so I suppose a $25 game isn't pricey at all for them.
The second point is a major one. Parents are not going to go into a hobby store to find it: they're going to spot it at Wal-Mart. Thankfully most book stores now have a gaming section in them. Some don't position it correctly, though. Our B. Dalton's places the graphic novels and the gaming stuff together, facing the SF section. Barnes and Nobles does the same. Books-A-Million places the graphic novels, comics, RPG gaming and computer gaming all next to each other, then the SF and Fantasy books are all the way across the store.
I wonder which is better?
johnsemlak
First Post
Ideally, the box set would be in a special gift section, I would think (at least in a book store).
Ranger REG
Explorer
If it means more exposure to the product than what we already have, then yes It would have been nice if we could get ad space in -- dare I say it -- trendy, mainstream magazines, not just in computer/electronic gaming types.Mark said:
Let's look at some competing products
Monopoly - $14.99
Monopoly, Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition - $29.99
Risk - $22.99
Lord of the Rings: Risk: $24.99
Carcassonne - $22.99
Age of Mythology Board Game - $40
Harry Potter, Adventure through Hogwarts - $24.99
Harry Potter, Diagon Alley Board Game - $19.99
Cheers!
Monopoly - $14.99
Monopoly, Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition - $29.99
Risk - $22.99
Lord of the Rings: Risk: $24.99
Carcassonne - $22.99
Age of Mythology Board Game - $40
Harry Potter, Adventure through Hogwarts - $24.99
Harry Potter, Diagon Alley Board Game - $19.99
Cheers!
Henry said:
When I started playing (in 1984) the boxed sets (the Mentzer sets were current but Moldvay sets were still on the shelves) were $12 each. The AD&D hardbacks were also $12 each, except for the DMG which was $15. Older modules (with the solid color covers, e.g. Keep on the Borderlands) were typically $5.50 apiece, newer ones (with the bands at the top, e.g. Ravenloft) were $6 apiece. Some of the bigger ones (like S3 and S4) were a little more ($7 or $8 IIRC), but some of the smaller ones (like T1 and S2) were a little less ($5 IIRC). Other TSR games (Gamma World, Star Frontiers, Marvel Superheroes, etc.) had the same pricing structure. I don't remember any TSR roleplaying products costing $20 or more -- but note that Avalon Hill's edition of RuneQuest was also released in 1984 and carried a then-ungodly MSRP of $38!
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