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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheAuldGrump" data-source="post: 5713682" data-attributes="member: 6957">I will admit that I am not sure about the 'casual gamer' either - I am going to use my Tweens 'n' Teens Pathfinder game as an example here. Six players, age 12-15 (soon to be 12-16, then just a Teens game). All but one are second generation gamers.All six kids have the Core book - though it took over a year for this to become the case. All had access to the books, two of the players shared their parents' books.Four have both Advanced Players Guide and Ultimate Magic. Two others are sharing their parents' copies of each. All have access to the books.One has Ultimate Combat, and two share their parents' copies. So, half the group has access.For what it is worth, the two players that share their parents' books are also the most into the game - one plays a paladin, and is hoping to get the Ultimate Combat Book in a few weeks for his birthday.I would have said that this group would count as 'casual', but at between $50 and $40 SRP for the books I would have to say that they are anything but.Half either run their own games, play in each others games, or are planning to run games. One has a younger brother that plays 4e. He was willing to play Pathfinder but only because it wasn't 3e or 3.5. (Don't ask, that doesn't make any sense to me.)The kids are willing to either wait or save up for a month or three before making a purchase, but they are either getting or receiving the books.I think that the money is in the folks that want more than the core book - while the $50 Core is a big investment, if the player buys two of the $40 supplements then they have more than doubled that investment, and, I think, are that much more likely to buy a third, fourth, or fifth book.I also think that having major (expensive) releases separated by a few months is better than trying to release a hardcover every month.The adventures, Adventure Paths, and subsidiary expansions (Hobblegobbles of Deepwood Vale: a Player's Guide or what have you) are either a subscription model or an incidental purchase, almost an impulse buy.I suspect that the model is similar between Pathfinder and 4e, in that regard at the least.The Auld Grump*EDIT* At this afternoon's game the party was out hunting a giant. After some time spent searching they heard a deep voice going 'Fee Fi Fo Fum'. Most of the players started laughing, but the paladin's response was a word that paladin shouldn't say and him telling the spell casters to get ready and start buffing with every spell they could. 'This isn't just a giant. This thing is legend!' What can I say? He was right - a hill giant with two templates out of Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary....</blockquote>

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