Why do I feel the need to buy the new core books?

[JoeGKushner]

"What was the point of this reply? To suggest that I do have an extra 90 laying around that isn't earmarked for bills or rent or gas and car maintence?"

No, the point is that if you don't have the money, you don't have the money. No need to post. No need to talk about 'throwing' money at WoTC talking about "Not really" having it around like you do in the first post. If you go to see movies, go out to eat, buy PS2 or X-Box Games, then you've got the money.

If you don't do any of those things, stay in and eat rice and noodles, then nope, you ain't got the money and you are not WoTC target audience. I, like others, get weary of people complaing about the price of RPGs as they are one of the least expensive forms of entertainment at their core.

It's only that our wants that make us buy other books, that kicks them up in price. It's like people complaining about BESM d20 running 30 bones when it's in SRD and really crying that they want the full color 60 bone verion. RPGs are luxury items. No one forces any gamers to buy them. We buy them because we have fun. We buy newer editions because we hope that they will allow us to continue having fun.

 

[Ezrael]

I bought them. And I'm glad I did.

I burn *way* too much money on games. This isn't to say that I think they're overpriced, because I don't...a trade paperback style book can run you between $15 and $20 nowadays, a movie's floating around $8-9 bucks, a CD costs between $15-20...but I simply spend money on stuff I'll never, ever play. In the past two months alone I bought the complete 3.5 revision, Arcana Unearthed, When The Sky Falls, Ghostwalk, Manacle and Coin and Ruins of Rathess, and the Silhouette Core Rules and Core Command Players Handbook. So it's fair to say, even if I have the disposable cash to spend on this stuff, that I spend too much on it and really shouldn't.

That being said, I love RPG's. They're my main hobby now, well, that and weird old books from used book stores. I love playing in games, I love running games, I love reading through games I'll never run for ideas, I love coming upon new settings and new rulesets. I don't pretend to be as in-depth as most players get with particular systems...I've loved collecting and playing and reading games since the first edition of Gamma World came out (I'll probably buy that, too, just because I loved the original so much) and so on just that front, I bought 3.5.

Now, as a gamer, I do like 3.5 and will probably use it (after I get my Arcana Unearthed game off the ground) because they did clean it up. On a financial level, I can't argue with those who say "Wait for the SRD" because they're right that it would be cheaper.

But I wanted the books. I wanted to look at the layout, check out the new covers, have them at my disposal whenever I got the urge to look through them. I'd already had to replace my older copies of the 3.0 books once due to use, so I figured it was worth it. And I think I was right to do so, because in general I do think 3.5 is a tighter, leaner game that does clean up some glitches. I'm not thrilled with what they did to Bulls Strength, but I'll run with it a while, see if I like or dislike the effect it has. And I do think the emphasis on miniatures to be a mistake, but to be honest, in reading that chapter I didn't see anything that couldn't be done without mini's. Since I know I won't be using them, that made me happy.

I think they could have gone about this differently. Perhaps resurrected the price break from when they released 3.0, perhaps throttled back on some of the big spell changes, perhaps left the focus on mini's where it was. For my part, I like the books, I'm glad I got them, I read them all the time, I'll run them as soon as I get a chance. (My AU campaign will probably use quite a few 3.5 rules.)

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Just making a post to generate some lighthearted conversation and it was fun until you showed up. Making a joke about how I find myself wanting to buy new books that I don't need or really like. However s always have to show up and try to be themselves .



P.S. When did I complain about the prices? And all RPG stuff comes out of my "throwaway cash fund", it's my "things I don't need but would like to have" fund.

P.P.S. Please post my text that complains about pricing.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Find the original quote? Uh, how about, "but to help their cash flow" So I'm kind of mad..."
"So my anti-milk the customer sense..."
"I really don't have the cash..."

Those three statements are pretty obvious complaints about the amount of money that you have to spend.

Am I missing something? This of course doesn't go into the whole not having to actually pay $90 for the three books as many, many people have pointed out that there are several locations, including Talon, selling them for 10%-30% off. (Books a Million is my vote.)

Sorry if it came out as a negative against you personaly but like I've mentioned, especially in regards to 3.5, it's actually boring to hear people moan about the upgrade at this point. Is it for everyone? Nope.

One thing that WoTC and GOO did that is great is their SRD. I hope that Monte does the same thing with his AU.

As far as wanting the books but hating the price, I bit the bullet with Amazon. That took a little of the sting away.

1. I'm kind of in the camp that says "WOTC put these out not to help the game, but to help thier cash flow". So I'm kind of mad that there were some drastic changes simply for the sake of making it different enough to require players to get a 3.5 PHB to play in most campaigns, So my anti-milk the customer sense kicks in. I don't feel the changes are anything that I need, and I actively dislike some. Why this urge to buy them?

2. I'd kind of invalidate my Tome of Horrors purchase as I mostly use that for the demons and devil, who are quite underpowered compared to 3.5 Fiends. The same for Armies of the Abyss and Legions of Hell. Two of my favorite books that now need major reworking, or a purchase of the hardcover version that is coming out in November with 3.5 updates. That kind of sucks, the BOVD gets messed up a lot in the same regard.

3. I really don't have the throwaway cash to spend on it.


In light of this I feel this nagging desire to get the new books. What's wrong with me? Am I addicted to new D&D books? And I don't even like 3.x as much as prior editions, but I still want to throw money at WOTC.