Why are the AU pdfs so uneconomical???

[Vocenoctum]

It is too bad, Malhavok had the best track record of concurrent pdf and print options for getting all of their material.

I've noticed a lot of the Malhavok prices have increased. As the print books delay time has decreased. So I don't bother with teh PDF's anymore.

Ah well.

 

[dead_radish]

I'll second the idea that the primary point was that you would buy one or two pdf's, not all three - if you wanted them all, you'd get the book. If you just wanted to find out if AU was really worth it, and you were interested in, say, the magic in the book, you spent your $6, read over it, and either said "Wow! This is everything I have ever wanted in a D20 game!" or "Sheesh. I'll take 3.5, thank you very much." You were then out $6, and had the relevant section, as opposed to out $30.

As a side note, there is also information in the PDF's that is not availabe in the hardback - Monte posted it on his site - mostly story/flavor stuff.

 

[Voadam]

I'll second the idea that the primary point was that you would buy one or two pdf's, not all three - if you wanted them all, you'd get the book. If you just wanted to find out if AU was really worth it, and you were interested in, say, the magic in the book, you spent your $6, read over it, and either said "Wow! This is everything I have ever wanted in a D20 game!" or "Sheesh. I'll take 3.5, thank you very much." You were then out $6, and had the relevant section, as opposed to out $30.

As a side note, there is also information in the PDF's that is not availabe in the hardback - Monte posted it on his site - mostly story/flavor stuff.

Except that the magic section is incomplete as a useable set of add on rules without the magic class and feat section and vice versa. The classes and spells are balanced with each other in mind and are not balanced for straight addition to D&D except as a unit. For example the magister is straight out more powerful than a wizard unless the spell list is different (and the spell list is not given with the class). So to get the magic system you need to spend $13 or $14 I think. At that point you are close to the bundle or amazon prices.

Anybody who got just the magic system has to get more to use it. $6 is still an expensive incomplete preview (and I am not aware of any upgrade to the discounted bundle). I think you can get the complete BoEM for the same price.

 

[swrushing]

I know when i shop that if i buy two 1/2 pound packages of cheese i will pay more than if i buy the larger 1 lb package. (insert a gzillion other examples of buying in bulk saving over buying in part.)

So, it comes as no surprise to me taht it is uneconomical to buy the AU book piecemenal by buying the smaller bundle PDFs than it is to buy the larger complete all-in-one product.

Once you thrw in buying the smaller products from a non-discount source and the whole product from a discount source that only sells the one large product, I think of Big Lots and Sams and many other "buy in bulk and save money" discounters... and have to wonder...

EDIT - inappropriate comment deleted. -Henry

 

[Saeviomagy]

I know when i shop that if i buy two 1/2 pound packages of cheese i will pay more than if i buy the larger 1 lb package. (insert a gzillion other examples of buying in bulk saving over buying in part.)[/i]

Except this is much closer to buying a "how to make cheese" instruction leaflet for the same price as you buy the cheese for.

 

[Ender_3]

This is the first book he split, he has said after banewarrens that he got complaints on using big books in one download and the printing issue so he would consider splitting future books to reduce individual page counts.

It is too bad, Malhavok had the best track record of concurrent pdf and print options for getting all of their material.

From Monte's site...

The Arcana Unearthed electronic editions are excerpts of the larger book. While these PDFs do not present the entire contents of Arcana Unearthed, they are designed to be affordable and easily downloadable themed alternatives for d20 System players and DMs.

 

[Crothian]

Personally, I perfer having both. For me it wasn't an issue of one or the other. I have the book to refer to, but can print sections of te pdf's for the players to have as easy hand outs. Best of both worlds if you ask me.

 

[satori01]

This is a repost from an earlier thread, but I find it germaine to this discussion:

I really dont think there is any price gouging on the PDF version, despite claims made on this board. The PDF bundle is $18 for over 200 pages of crounchy goodness roughly breaking down to 11 cents a page.
Alas because PDFs are virtual pages, transmited over an internet medium, I think people underestimate how dense the AU download is.

The AU PDFs are basicaly there to allow people to buy the most portable aspects of the game, new races, classes and spells.
The bundle is a good value, the cheapest I have seen the hardbound AU for is $22 online at Barnes and Nobles, this of course does not include shipping.

Having the three components of the AU PDF bundle be available ala carte is not "gouging" but instead allows a person to buy only what they think they are going to use.

If you just want combat classes, buy the Sword PDF.

If you just want the AU spell classes w/o the AU spells,(easiest way is have the classes be spontaneous casters exactly like sorcerers and using the charts provided) then buy the Staff PDF.

If you want just the spells from AU then buy only the Grimoire PDF.

Monte wasnt trying to "gouge" people or force sales of unneeded elements, quite the opposite.

To offer some price comparisons:

The 1986 Queen of the Spiders,(the consolidated version of G1-3,D1-2, D3 and Q1) was $15 1986 dollars for 128 pages.

That Translates into $24.47 in 2002 dollar terms or around 18cents a page.

Older Modules were even worse for price per page, The Lost Caverns of Tsjocanth was around $8 dollars for 32 pages in 1982.
Today that would be $14.26 for 2002 dollars or about 44 cents a page.
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[Saeviomagy]

The 1986 Queen of the Spiders,(the consolidated version of G1-3,D1-2, D3 and Q1) was $15 1986 dollars for 128 pages.

That Translates into $24.47 in 2002 dollar terms or around 18cents a page.

Older Modules were even worse for price per page, The Lost Caverns of Tsjocanth was around $8 dollars for 32 pages in 1982.
Today that would be $14.26 for 2002 dollars or about 44 cents a page.
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Aren't those for real, print products?

If you've already produced the real, print product, and quite likely it was easily transformed into a PDF, then how can the PDF end up costing as much or more than the print edition? RPG makers are often complaining that people underestimate the price of printing, and that they make very little profit from a real book. Surely a price break is in order when that cost is missing?

 

[Sanackranib]

if price is your big concern then buy the book at amazon or wallmart, the .pdf's are god if you like books on screen but to print them out on MY printer would be more expensive then the the whole book. I agree with crothian that the best of both worlds is to have digital as well as hard copy.