How much is too much?, Book Pricing. Options

[Paul]

Much of what goes into a book is probably unnoticed by me, but it seems lately that the price of quality hard cover books has significantly increased-which has me wondering how much is too much for you? I won't lie, I tend to buy on the second hand market so I rarely pay list price for a book. (Generally speaking I tend to buy at half to a third of the list price.) But what seems like a fair range for a core book to you? Why?

I've tried using PDF's more, and more-but they currently lack portability for me. (I can't bring things to work, or access computers at work.) Until then I'm all about the dead tree, which I can take various places with me. (The loo, the gym, etc...)

[CanadianWolverin...]

Well, I know for myself, given the amount of actual gaming use I am getting out of my old SR4 and new SR4A, the price is fine, I just won't buy more of the books unless I win the lottery. *shrug* If I had a regular game session, I might consider more books but even then, I think I am in the range of $10 - $30 for a book, dead tree or pdf. I tend to be the same amount for my PC gaming as well, only rarely picking something up at $50.

[Tanegar]

I noticed today that the price on Seattle 2072 is $45, which seems pretty high for as slim a book as it is.

[BlueMax]

Speaking of Price, detail, and Seattle 2072, can we get books printed without images behind the text? More art good, hard to read bad.

Costly to make it hard to read , confusing.

BlueMax

[Freejack]

I really don't have a limit on book price other than my wife's threshold (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Considering Arkham Horror or Wings of War where a set might be $340 or more, $45 for a book isn't too far out of line. With no kids and being older gives me more spending money though.

Carl

[StealthSigma]

I tend to base my pricing for books on the content.

For most books I won't buy them if their price meets or exceeds to core book price.

IE, if SR4 costs $45, I wouldn't have bought Arsenal, Augmentation, or any other other books if they cost $45 or more. Especially since these books utilize black and white art instead of full color.

I make excepts based on the content. Typically if the book is -heavily- specialized I will tolerate a higher price. A good example is the Draconomicon for D&D 3.5. The book itself was $45, but it was content that explicitly was targeted at dragons and provided -significant- improvements for utilizing dragons and using them in campaigns more often. Another good example is the Tome of Battle and Tome of Magic. Both of those books made significant changes for making magic or melee characters.

Other books like Complete Warrior, I wouldn't tolerate over $35, which I believe is where it was. The book is fairly generalized, albeit for a group role. It wasn't significant changes to how you would play the "warrior" role, just more options and flavors.

[ravensmuse]

I used to not give a crap how much I spent on things before I started building a life with my gf, but now I have to be a little bit more fiscally responsible with my money. So now I follow the adage, "how much would I spend for X, and am I willing to wait for it to reach that price?" This follows for my other hobbies as well; I only recently started building a Ps3 library now that the games are (very slowly [I'm sorry, launch titles are still =>30$? Up yours, Sony / Gamestop / used game sellers]) coming down in price.

There is no shame in buying second hand. Eliminate that thought from your head. This year's Gencon, I spent in the range of 150$ on books, and I got a huge collection of them, with SR4A being the only book I bought completely new. Everything else was either on sale or used, and for what I spent, I felt completely satisfied. I frequent my (not-so) local gaming store with a very wide selection of used stuff, and though most of it is oWoD or old DnD stuff, I walk out of there with at least three or four books a time I'm through. Garage sales / flea markets are good to find used items in too; you should see how much my NES / SNES collection has exploded from the beginning of the summer.

In short, yes, things are more expensive, but don't feel that you need to buy things right now. If you're willing to wait, the price will go down.

[TBRMInsanity]

Personally I find the price of the books to be reasonable but the price of the PDFs to be pricey. I think that softcover books should be in the $15-$40 range (based on size of course) and hard covers add an additional $10-$20 on top. PDFs should be priced in what my friend calls the "Why not" price. That is they should be priced slightly above market cost (so your still making money) but low enough that anyone buying the PDF would say "why shouldn't I buy this PDF?" Steam sometimes has 80% off sales on their games and a study came out that showed when the price dropped to the "Why not" level, the company's profits sky-rocketed (not their sales, but their profits). This is because demand went through the roof. PDFs are going to be copied and redistributed for free anyway, if you price them so cheap that people couldn't be bothered to obtain them illegally then they are going to sell and you will find your profits will go up.

[nezumi]

For a core book, I won't go over $30. For a supplemental book, unless it's a super cool one and big one, I won't go over $20. Yes, I'm a cheapskate.

[Tech_Rat]

Any of the SR4 books[except SR4A] I won't spend a dime over $35. [tax being the exception]. Seriously.Seattle 2072? No thanks. I'll wait for the overpriced sourcebook to drop in price. Heck, my [not-so] local gaming store has all of the older books[pre SR4] on sale for 50%. The rulebooks, I won't bother too much. The sourcebooks on the other hand...

[etherial]

I will say, as Wanker Editions go, SR4A is priced to move. Good call, there.

[ravensmuse]

"Wanker Editions"? You're going to have to explain this one.

[Warlordtheft]

Any of the SR4 books[except SR4A] I won't spend a dime over $35. [tax being the exception]. Seriously.Seattle 2072? No thanks. I'll wait for the overpriced sourcebook to drop in price. Heck, my [not-so] local gaming store has all of the older books[pre SR4] on sale for 50%. The rulebooks, I won't bother too much. The sourcebooks on the other hand...

If seattle was just a softcover, yeah the $45 might be tough to swallow. But it is full color, lots of good info and in Hardback. A little short, as I was hoping for a floor by floor for the ACHE, and Aztech Pyramid like in the original. But all told, woth the price paid.

[Kagetenshi]

"Wanker Editions"? You're going to have to explain this one.

Presumably the class of editions that includes D&D3.5, SR4A, and other similar editions.

~J

[ravensmuse]

Oh, you mean, "here's the corebooks plus all current errata plus new artwork plus a little better editing that doesn't invalidate the books that you own now at all but are going to be the books we're publishing from here on now?"

People complain too much.

[Kagetenshi]

I don't mean anything of the kind, I'm just the interpreter. I've no interest in either of the mentioned systems, and the one time something like that was pulled with SR3 (*cough*Rigger 3 Revised*cough*) I ate it right up.

~J

[ravensmuse]

Didn't mean to imply that you were. Simply that that was what an interpertation of "wanker edition" could mean (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Myself, SR4A was the only book I was desperate to pick up at Gencon and the only book I paid full price for.

[etherial]

Oh, you mean, "here's the corebooks plus all current errata plus new artwork plus a little better editing that doesn't invalidate the books that you own now at all but are going to be the books we're publishing from here on now?"

People complain too much.

You forgot the bookmark ribbon, embossed leather cover, and cardboard slipcase. It's the wanker edition - for people who need the newest shiniest copies of RPG books.


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(People like me)

[Wesley Street]

Books are worth what people will pay for them. Seriously. Visit a book fair some time. There's no science behind what the "value" of a first edition or whatever is collectible. It just is what it is.

If you think a book is too expensive, don't buy it new. Wait awhile and go second hand. Or purchase a PDF. I was really intrigued by Anima: Beyond Fantasy but I wasn't $50 intrigued; especially when it was something I could replicate using a system I already own, like D&D.

My evaluation process for purchasing an RPG book is thus:

1) will this enhance my game/how much will this enhance my game?
2) are there alternative sources I could use?
3) will I have buyer's remorse?
4) how much information can I wring out of this source?

and, to a lesser degree,

5) what do the critics say about this book?

[ravensmuse]

Hey, Wes is still around. Sup Wes? Where you been?

@etherial: At least you can laugh at yourself! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Though I've only got the semi-wanker edition: no cardboard box for me!

(Sorry if I came off as snippy. Veteran of DnD edition flamewars)

[Wesley Street]

I took a sabbatical from SR for awhile to focus on D&D. That and the Interwebs were starting to drive me a bit crazy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[ravensmuse]

They'll do that, I'll give you.