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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 9715505" data-attributes="member: 6796661">I have no problem paying that much or more for a TTRPG core book. But it has to be a very high-quality book to feel a desire to buy physical books. That means well-edited, professional layout, and great art. But all that makes it even more expensive to produce. I wonder if print game books are going to become more aspirational, collector items for whales, with more and more people gravitating to less expensive and more convenient digital formats.  The problem is that I would think paying for the art, good writing, professional editing and layout makes up the biggest portion of costs in producing a TTRPG, even if the people involved are not paid a living wage. And then the PDFs are easily shared, potentially meaning fewer people buy the books. I read a lot about how underpriced hardcover TTRPG books are, but I think it will be an even greater challenge to get people to pay higher prices for PDFs. Digital content for VTTs are likely even worse for publishers. A lot of time and specialized skills are needed to turn your content into a format that makes for a good VTT experience. Many publishers can't afford to do it for one platform, much less for the multiple competing platforms. Then there is strong community pressure for putting a lot of your IP into open gaming licenses. I feel like it is only getting more difficult for even publishers with a strong fan base to make profits sufficient to sustain paying creators a living wage.</blockquote>

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