WotC: Re-issue older editions.

[Votan]

If Wizards did this, it would be a limited run "Collector's Edition" at a much higher price price point, leading to more complaints against them. They probably won't do is because RPGs are already a niche market, and doing so would be to try to appeal to a niche market within a niche market.

On the other hand, the Marvel and DC comics companies release some pretty expensive collectors items and fans seem to enjoy them. The market for a premium Superman statue, for example, is thin but I can't recall other fans complaining about the existence of a premium collectors item.

The bigger question would be whether this would be worth the Opportunity cost to develop and market this edition.

 

[Treebore]

Like I posted in the other thread Print on Demand, and doing only print on demand, and not offering PDF's, would also solve the piracy issue WOTC claims to be so afraid of. My old modules are getting pretty beat up looking, so if they don't mark up the price too much I would be all over buying new POD copies of my modules.

How many sales will they get? Maybe a 1,000, maybe more, but it would not only be some money, but it would be good customer service, and increase good will. Something WOTC does need.

 

[Lanefan]

Like I posted in the other thread Print on Demand, and doing only print on demand, and not offering PDF's, would also solve the piracy issue WOTC claims to be so afraid of.

So explain to me what Print-On-Demand is.

Does this mean I order a book, they print it and send it to me?

Or does it mean I order a book, they send me a digital file and I have to print it myself?

Lanefan

 

[Reynard]

So explain to me what Print-On-Demand is.

Does this mean I order a book, they print it and send it to me?

Or does it mean I order a book, they send me a digital file and I have to print it myself?

Lanefan

The former.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Print on Demand would be brilliant.


I also think that there is reticence to buy old materials on ebay because they're either of dubious condition OR highly priced because they are in good condition.

So, print copies of reasonably priced older material could be wonderful, and I don't think it's quite fair to judge that market based upon ebay...except to say that, yes, there clearly is at least SOME market given the prices at which items sell. (WotC, or someone here could even do a search of which items had sold, how many, and for how much).

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I'll also add that the opportunity to buy "sets" of items (e.g. all the planescape materials) makes this idea even more appealing. Heck, a resurgence in AD&D might draw people to play that again...AND MAY EVEN DRAW PEOPLE TO START PLAYING THAT EDITION WHO ARE NOT PLAYING AT ALL.

Imagine, suddenly second edition D&D becomes popular again to a degree...or even if not popular, just plain available. Someone who stopped playing 10 years ago might hear about this and get a group together. Then, after playing a few games, they just might want to check out what the "current" D&D is...and buy/switch to the latest edition.

WotC says they want to bring lapsed players back...give lapsed players their old game again!

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This line of thought gave me another idea...why not advertise 4e in the back of the print on demand books? I'm not a huge fan of this idea, but what about, even better, including a pamphlet, super rules lite version of 4e along with sales? Something along the lines of "here's your x edition product, if you're curious about 4e, here's a taste".

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One final thought. As has been suggested in other threads, WotC maybe, potentially, could go to "pure" digital format...no print books. What if they did so for 5e, but also provided new 5e print on demand books?

And to follow that to it's logical conclusion...what if they released their ENTIRE catalog, from 1974 to present, all through PoD? Could/would they make good money off of the current and future edtions?

 

[MichaelSomething]

Why should WOTC do it when there are plenty of retro clones out there that can do it better?

 

[Treebore]

Why should WOTC do it when there are plenty of retro clones out there that can do it better?

Thats easy, because the retro clone movement cannot sell me exact copies of the materials I want to replace. Such as my collection of modules. Or my long lost collection of Dungeon mags I lost in my house fire in 2003.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Thats easy, because the retro clone movement cannot sell me exact copies of the materials I want to replace. Such as my collection of modules. Or my long lost collection of Dungeon mags I lost in my house fire in 2003.

Assuming that reissuing old stuff is profitable (which I'm don't it is, but that's not the point right now), could WOTC do it even if they wanted to? Don't you need good records of all that past stuff? If they even have it, is it good enough for printing?

 

[Alzrius]

Assuming that reissuing old stuff is profitable (which I'm don't it is, but that's not the point right now), could WOTC do it even if they wanted to? Don't you need good records of all that past stuff? If they even have it, is it good enough for printing?

That may be difficult, but it's a far cry from impossible.

I don't know the specifics of how print-on-demand works, but I feel pretty confident in saying that so long as physical copies of given materials exist, and WotC is able to acquire them, they can somehow derive the necessary files for POD format from those.

Now, that may not be a quick process, and the setup costs might be not-inconsiderable, but they'd be one-time costs. At some point, the POD product would sell enough to recoup that investment (unless a given item was so unpopular that it NEVER, over any length of time, sold enough to become profitable) and everything after that would be pure profit.

It's what's known as the long tail.

 

[Dausuul]

I cannot imagine this being remotely worth WotC's time.

For the print-on-demand option: Total nonstarter. Any such project will have a considerable start-up cost. You've got to find a print-on-demand provider; hammer out a deal; digitize anything you haven't already got in digital form; get the files to said PoD provider; publicize the new offering; and maintain the relationship. All of this, so that you can put out books for $20+ (PoD is expensive) that anyone can get used on eBay for $10? Sell old issues of Dragon where any given issue has maybe 3-4 people interested in buying it?

In a world without eBay, it's conceivable you might be able to scrape a few pennies' profit. In this world--not a chance.

For the .PDF option: Piracy issues aside, this might be able to turn a small profit. But Erik Mona posted in another thread about opportunity cost; it's highly applicable here. When you're deciding how your employees should spend their time, it's not enough for a given project simply to be profitable in an absolute sense. It has to be more profitable than all the other ways that employee could be spending his or her time. Otherwise you're leaving money on the table, and right now I don't think WotC has any to spare.

If you want stuff from old editions, that's why we have eBay and the like. Every so often I get a hankering to read one of the old books again, and I've never had trouble finding them.