D&D 5E The cost of D&D 5E (it ain't so bad!)

[Morrus]

So buy a soccer ball (or football if you live in the states) then. Same amount of potential fun and even less expensive. If bar or cinema visits are a valid comparisons to the D&D core books, this one is too.

Plenty of people do own soccer or footballs, or basketballs. Are you under the impression that they don't? They're extremely common, popular items.

And cheap enough that you can buy one as well as a D&D book. If you like that sort of thing. Some folks don't find footballs fun, but they do find RPG books fun.

 

[Mistwell]

I *believe* AD&D was $10 for each of the hardcover books, perhaps $15 for the DMG.

DelRicho posted this earlier:

With the reveal that the 5e PHB is likely to cost $50, there has been a lot of discussion on several threads about how much books cost, and what that means in terms of inflation. Since the data is getting scattered, and since I have most of it handy (and don't want to have to track it down again in another few months), I thought I'd gather it here.
For reference, the inflation calculator I've used is here.
1st Edition: The Monster Manual was $9.95 in 1977 (Dragon 11). The PHB was published in 1978 (an advert appears in Dragon 18) but no price has been confirmed. The DMG was $15 in 1979 (Dragon 33, Sage Advice). This equates to $38.41 for the MM and $48.33 for the DMG today.
(My best guess for the PHB price would be $10, the same as the MM, which would be $35.88 today. This would give a total of approx $123 for the set. But please note that this is a guess!)
2nd Ed: PHB $20, DMG $18, MC1 $18, 1989. Prices taken from the back covers of the book, except the MC which came from Dragon's Previews from that time. This equates to $37.73 + $33.96 + $33.96 = approx $106 today. (Note that this gives a fairly narrow selection of monsters. To get a set comparable to any other edition, albeit a little more than the 1st Ed MM, you would also need MC2, adding $15 ($28.30) to the price.)
2nd Ed "Black Cover": PHB $25, DMG $20, MM $25, 1995. Prices taken from back covers of the book, except the DMG which came from Dragon's Previews from that time. This equates to $38.37 + $30.70 + $38.37 = approx $108 today.
3e: PHB $30, DMG $30, MM $30, 2000. Prices are for the second printing onwards - the first printing was $20 each, but this was a nefarious plot by WotC to give us an especially good deal. This equates to 3 x $40.75 = approx $122 today.
3.5e: PHB, DMG, MM $30, 2003. Prices are taken from the back cover of the books. This equates to 3 x $38.14 = approx $116 today.
4e: PHB, DMG, MM $35, 2008. Prices are taken from the back cover of the books. This equates to 3 x $38.03 = approx $116 today.
Essentials: One of two "Heroes of..." books, $20, "DM's Kit" $40, and "Monster Vault", $30, 2010. That equates to $21.45 + $42.91 + £32.18 = approx $96.50 today. (Note, however, that this gives a very narrow selection of classes. To get a set comparable to any previous PHB you would need the second "Heroes of..." book, adding a further $20 to the cost.)
Just for completeness, and I know it's not really an edition of D&D:
Pathfinder: Core Rulebook $50, Bestiary $40, 2009. Prices are taken from the back cover of the books. This equates to $54.52 + $43.61 = approx $98 today.
Some notes:
- I don't really have any agenda here, except to share some facts. Well, that and to gather the information so I don't need to track it down again at some future time.
- I'm pretty sure those books are all priced as at release, so these figures should be accurate. It is, of course, possible I've made a mistake somewhere along the line.
- I haven't included the 1st Ed "orange spine" reprints here, because I don't have accurate data for those books.
I hope this is of at least a little use (or maybe interest) to someone!

 

[Halivar]

So buy a soccer ball (or football if you live in the states) then. Same amount of potential fun and even less expensive. If bar or cinema visits are a valid comparisons to the D&D core books, this one is too.

Movies and D&D are comparable for me because I enjoy them both. Soccer, not so much. Now, if you are REALLY into soccer, you're going to buy cleats, shorts, and an overpriced team shirt of your choice, so I suspect the cost of truly investing in the hobby is likely more comparable than you think.

The $20 starter set is the functional equivalent of just buying the ball to kick around.

 

[WizarDru]

I *believe* AD&D was $10 for each of the hardcover books, perhaps $15 for the DMG.
2e AD&D was $20 per book
3.0 starters were $20 each
3.5 made the jump to $30
4e D&D manuals were $35 apiece (I think all three)
5e are $50 each

Of course we used to get everything for just $10 and a wood box too, but I guess inflation is at work here.

Correct: in 1977 the PHB could be had for $10, the MM was the same. The DMG was $15 when it came out in 1979. Correcting for inflation, that makes the DMG cost in 2014 dollars....$48.98.
The 2E AD&D book were $20 in 1987 which, when corrected for inflation is worth $41 in 2014.
3.0 PHB was $20, but iirc that was a loss leader. The later books were $30, I thought. That's $27 and $41, respectively.
4E, at $35 apiece, translates into: $38.54.

So while The books have certainly increased in price, that increase is not nearly as dramatic as it first appears, once you factor in inflation. And for that you're getting a full-color high-glossy book that is twice the size of the original AD&D books. In a world where paper costs have soared in the last decade. That's not the worst value in the world, IMHO.

To contextualize for those too young to appreciate the numbers, consider this: the average cost of a gallon of gas in 1979 (1st DMG) was 0.86. That's eight-six cents, yes. And that's following the OPEC crisis and a 20 cent rise from two years earlier when the PHB came out. In 1987, the average cost of a gallon of gas was 0.95. In 2000, that gallon was $1.17. (Of course, after that, things went a bit crazy).

Another comparison: average movie ticket prices:
1979 (DMG): $2.50
1987 (2E): $4.00
2000 (3E): $5.50
2003 (3.5E): $6.00
2008 (4E): $7.10
2014: (5E) $8.34

 

[Morrus]

I refer again to our previous threat on this, which is identical, almost word for word, to this one, down to the cinema pricing comparisons and the inflation-adjusted price lists.

Plus I made a graph in it!

 

[Zaukrie]

No one going to Amazon.com or to a store is going to do an inflation calculation before buying this for their child.

 

[Derren]

No one going to Amazon.com or to a store is going to do an inflation calculation before buying this for their child.

That seems to be WotC plan.
Jack up the price because with all the hype people will buy it anyway, even when overpriced.

 

[Gamgee]

150 for one nights entertainment? Sounds like you could give me some cash easily no doubt.

Not everyone has the same amount of wealth.

Nitpick: the Pathfinder Core Rulebook doesn't include monsters; you need the Bestiary ($40) as well. I don't know about 13th Age.

However, Paizo do three things that are very nice, and WotC may want to at least consider one or all of them:

- A free PDF along with the physical copy, if you're a subscriber to the product line.
- A low-cost ($10) PDF of the Core Rulebook for those people who weren't subscribers to the product line.
- An online SRD that includes pretty much all the rules material. So, in fact, in order to play Pathfinder you actually have a minimum buy-in of $0.

I sure wish 5th would have a good SRD, guess not.

 

[WizarDru]

No one going to Amazon.com or to a store is going to do an inflation calculation before buying this for their child.

It's quite likely that no one going to Amazon.com is going to pay $49.95, either. It's very likely that places like comic books/game stores will offer their regulars a 10% discount, if past is prologue. As for purchasing for one's kids? I merely need point you to the cost of any AAA video game or home system. A Nintendo 3DS XL is currently $180 on Amazon or $213 with a copy of Pokemon. That would be the unit that has shipped 15 million so far, as the second iteration of the 3DS hardware platform. The idea that $50 is a bridge too far for a purchase for one's kids doesn't seem terribly strong to me in a world where Call of Duty and Super Mario 3D World sell in the millions of copies.

 

[Gilwen]

can't say I'm to worried about the pricing since I have never had to pay MSRP for any book I've ever wanted. Right now BN has the listing for ~$38. If I can get a copy at Gen Con then they'll ding me for full price there most likely but not for the other books.