What is more important author or company and would you pay more????
- Thread starter MEG Hal
- Start date
CRGreathouse
Community Supporter
I know a lot of people who buy based on company, but I don't. Just because an author wrote a book doesn't mean I'll buy it -- but I would be wiling to pay, say, $5 more if the right one wrote it.
BigFreekinGoblinoid
First Post
I did not vote here based on needing another option that represents me better.
Company and Author ARE highly influencing factors, but I do not buy anything strictly by those criteria. Like Crothian, it needs to be a topic I am interested in. I will gladly buy a product from a company or author I have never seen/bought before if the material seems to be done well, and I'm interested in the subject material.
- and the art/cartography has to be good ( I passed on "Minions" due to the art )
- and the layout has to be complimentary intead of distracting. I have sometimes decided not to buy a product soley based on the product having too many different font types ( and non-complimentary ones too ) on the same page... ( I ALMOST passed on Foul Locales due to this... )
- and the book must be in the range of typical page/$ ratio I am used to. ( I passed on the "Aerial Adventure Guide" because of this )
Company and Author ARE highly influencing factors, but I do not buy anything strictly by those criteria. Like Crothian, it needs to be a topic I am interested in. I will gladly buy a product from a company or author I have never seen/bought before if the material seems to be done well, and I'm interested in the subject material.
- and the art/cartography has to be good ( I passed on "Minions" due to the art )
- and the layout has to be complimentary intead of distracting. I have sometimes decided not to buy a product soley based on the product having too many different font types ( and non-complimentary ones too ) on the same page... ( I ALMOST passed on Foul Locales due to this... )
- and the book must be in the range of typical page/$ ratio I am used to. ( I passed on the "Aerial Adventure Guide" because of this )
I have definitely tracked authors and allowed their mere name to influence my purchases. I still inspect the product and see if it has anything that would fit my games, but just seeing certain names tells me about the general quality of a product.
I like Rich Baker. His style and presentation really work for me. I found him back when Birthright was listed, checked out things he did before and after BR and still liked what I saw. So when I see his name as a major contributor, I look.
If Rich is writing a product that does not fit into my game, I don't buy it just to have his name on the cover. So I do not blindly follow an author, and will buy product from people who I do not recognise, but the author helps.
Utility to my game, and overall quality count more though.
Would I pay more just to have a book by Rich Baker? Not really. Most major suppliments are $30+ these days and that's the edge of what I can buy as an adult with bills to pay and kids to feed. A book that is $30 is the same as a book that is $50 as far as my budget impact: I'm not likely to buy one every month, but will get 3 or 4 a year, in addition to less expensive items.
The company itself means little to me. While I have a fondness for certain D20 labels, I do not let that blind me at all. A good product is a good product, no matter who publishes it. I buy what looks interesting and passes my initial inspection (reading reviews, company website, etc. I love the internet).
Stores are blinded by corporate labels thoguh. I was in a store in West Dundee, IL. Saturday night. Had a freak windfall and blew $100 on gaming junk. I really wanted to get a book from Bad Axe Games (it passed my internet muster and I'm reviewing stuff for a website), but the store manager had not even heard of them.
To me, this was a failure. The store owner failed to know about a game company that is not only relatively local (greater Chicagoland) but is easy to find mention of on the largest D20 community on the 'net (um, here!). He's not informed.
Bad Axe failed as well. If I was publishing D20 I'd personally contact every gaming store within 50 miles that I could find and offer to do an autograph session or something just to ensure that they stock my books and put it in the newsletter.
I don't hate the store, or Bad Axe over this, and will go back to the store for future gaming needs, and find Bad Axe elsewhere, but it was a miss when a hit should have been easy.
I think I rambled. What was the question again?
I like Rich Baker. His style and presentation really work for me. I found him back when Birthright was listed, checked out things he did before and after BR and still liked what I saw. So when I see his name as a major contributor, I look.
If Rich is writing a product that does not fit into my game, I don't buy it just to have his name on the cover. So I do not blindly follow an author, and will buy product from people who I do not recognise, but the author helps.
Utility to my game, and overall quality count more though.
Would I pay more just to have a book by Rich Baker? Not really. Most major suppliments are $30+ these days and that's the edge of what I can buy as an adult with bills to pay and kids to feed. A book that is $30 is the same as a book that is $50 as far as my budget impact: I'm not likely to buy one every month, but will get 3 or 4 a year, in addition to less expensive items.
The company itself means little to me. While I have a fondness for certain D20 labels, I do not let that blind me at all. A good product is a good product, no matter who publishes it. I buy what looks interesting and passes my initial inspection (reading reviews, company website, etc. I love the internet).
Stores are blinded by corporate labels thoguh. I was in a store in West Dundee, IL. Saturday night. Had a freak windfall and blew $100 on gaming junk. I really wanted to get a book from Bad Axe Games (it passed my internet muster and I'm reviewing stuff for a website), but the store manager had not even heard of them.
To me, this was a failure. The store owner failed to know about a game company that is not only relatively local (greater Chicagoland) but is easy to find mention of on the largest D20 community on the 'net (um, here!). He's not informed.
Bad Axe failed as well. If I was publishing D20 I'd personally contact every gaming store within 50 miles that I could find and offer to do an autograph session or something just to ensure that they stock my books and put it in the newsletter.
I don't hate the store, or Bad Axe over this, and will go back to the store for future gaming needs, and find Bad Axe elsewhere, but it was a miss when a hit should have been easy.
I think I rambled. What was the question again?
Psion
Adventurer
None of the poll answers fit my answer.
Yes, I would say author is more important than company.
However...
I'm not willing to say there is any author I would spend $5 more for or automatically buy. There are two d20 authors I consider superior, and both of them have proven to me that they can write stuff that doesn't excite me.
But author is still a more reliable indication than company.
Yes, I would say author is more important than company.
However...
I'm not willing to say there is any author I would spend $5 more for or automatically buy. There are two d20 authors I consider superior, and both of them have proven to me that they can write stuff that doesn't excite me.
But author is still a more reliable indication than company.
I voted company...
Personally I think it is a synergy thing: You get a group of creative people together, they start throwing ideas around, some of them crazy, some not so crazy. There is a discussion about what should be included.
A sole author is hard pressed to come up with that kind consistency, time and again.
A solid company that has a group of authors working on a product is more likely to create the kind of quality that I'm looking for.
But I go on quality and content relavant to the kind of game I'm running or would like to run in the future.
Personally I think it is a synergy thing: You get a group of creative people together, they start throwing ideas around, some of them crazy, some not so crazy. There is a discussion about what should be included.
A sole author is hard pressed to come up with that kind consistency, time and again.
A solid company that has a group of authors working on a product is more likely to create the kind of quality that I'm looking for.
But I go on quality and content relavant to the kind of game I'm running or would like to run in the future.
Arnwyn
First Post
Author is more important to me, but sometimes the company is important as well (for example, I'm rather fond of Necromancer Games, and buy every adventure they produce).
Author, though, helps in many ways - not just who is good, but who is lousy. There's names from the industry that I *won't* buy from. Ever. Conversely, I'll buy anything with Ed Greenwood's name on it (even that Kalamar city book, which I inserted into my FR game).
Generally, though, regardless of author or company, I look very closely at maps/cartography. I will *not EVER* buy a product with maps that aren't gridded, and I generally avoid computer-generated maps.
I may or may not spend $5 extra on a product by a particular author - the book *must* appeal to me, and be immediately useful with a minimum of work. In other words, not likely.
Author, though, helps in many ways - not just who is good, but who is lousy. There's names from the industry that I *won't* buy from. Ever. Conversely, I'll buy anything with Ed Greenwood's name on it (even that Kalamar city book, which I inserted into my FR game).
Generally, though, regardless of author or company, I look very closely at maps/cartography. I will *not EVER* buy a product with maps that aren't gridded, and I generally avoid computer-generated maps.
I may or may not spend $5 extra on a product by a particular author - the book *must* appeal to me, and be immediately useful with a minimum of work. In other words, not likely.
