Man $30.00 plus $10.00 is just to much.

$30 is far too much. Even if the book were available on the U.S. Amazon site with free shipping, it would be too much. I've never paid more than $20 for a trade paperback (which I assume this is) anywhere, online or even at a brick and mortar store. With a 220-odd page count, it seems to me the price point should be more like $13 - $15. Maybe the book market is a lot different in Europe.

Serleran wrote:The chapter headings are somewhat confusing. I imagine people are thinking "6th edition?"

Anyway, I'm considering a purchase... just not sure if I need the book or not.

Are the "Classic" D&D editions actually numbered this way (i.e., does the Rules Cyclopedia actually indicate the book is the "5th edition" on the copyright page)? The Moldvay Basic rulebook certainly doesn't advertise itself as "3rd edition", nor the Holmes Basic as "2nd" (these are the only D&D rules I own other than the white box).

I question the wisdom of constructing an artificial edition scheme for the game. It's already difficult enough to keep track of all the versions, and it makes it unclear that Advanced D&D isn't even touched upon in the book. As someone who went the AD&D way when the games split, I have no real use for Hunters of Dragons (plus I have a copy of Heroic Worlds). I'm sure the Gygax, etc. essays are interesting, but just not enough to justify paying $40+.

guerret wrote:
… said the guy who has several 1000-dollar modules…

sssshhhhh  don't you know my wife reads these boards

Alexander1968 wrote:I respect your opinions but I beg to differ. Books may have a bewildering range of subjects, markets and most importantly print runs. The price for a 100,000 copies 220 pages book will never, ever be the same for one 220 pages book printed in 1,000 copies. Just look at the university presses and their prices. This is not an European thing, this is a market thing: less units = higher unit cost.

All completely understandable and correct. What Blackmoor is trying to point out is that it does not offer value for money, being priced comparatively in the US as a "coffee table book" or luxury item, on the surface it does not match with expectation at that pice point. This is the issue resellers will have if they try to sell this in shops. It won't sell because it is priced 2 or 3 times higher than it should be. I'm sure Blackmoor understands the math of why it is priced there, but he's pointing out that it makes it very hard to justify buying.

If I stuck 10 of them on eBay over a period of three months at 99p on an open auction, I would be able to estimate the actual core value of the book in the UK in the current market. I suspect it is between £5 and £8, which is pretty much what Blackmoor is saying. As the author/sole distributor, you have the opportunity to control and manage supply and therefor dictate price, but you risk sitting on boxloads of dead stock for a long time to come.

Alexander1968 wrote:Well, I can't argue with personal preferences, I abide to them. But I find  strange reading that it's 'unclear' that AD&D is not touched when the book clearly states 'Original D&D Collecting Guide' on the cover. It seems to me crystal clear.

Lost in translation I guess, but "Original  D&D Collecting Guide" is ambiguous and open to interpretation in English, as the word "Original" has many meanings. Also, given your interpretation of the term "Original", you have then further extended the scope of the work to include Classic D&D also, so it is understandable where the confusion arises.

They will sell at the current price, but only if the author controls flow of product to market, and is happy with return in dribs and drabs. Badmike faced the same issue with Tabletop last year. But as the only owner of stock in the world, he could control it's flow and maintain its rarity by sitting on stock vs. offloading them at $10 a shot over a month or two.

In the same situation, I'd have a tendancy to sit on stock and try to move them at the price that's set and just see if people will buy it as a luxury indulgence when they feel flush, vs. trying to sell as a regular everyday product aimed at the mass market.

A lot will depend on the quality, depth and perceived impartiality of the first full review. At the moment prospective buyers are making their own judgements based on sketchy perceptions and leaked info to-date. If a full review supports the possibility of an over-valued product, sales will not come. If a review skirts the issues it will contribute to lack of confidence, but if it tells of a quality well presented product, sales may well come on the back of it.

That is why, having received my copy of Lamentations of the Flame Princess, I felt the need to review it with pictures. Having harped on about how much 'polish' is needed to make a OD&D Retro Clone a success, I felt Raggi actually managed to pull it off very well.

I think what Blackmoor and others are saying re. price, is that the product is 'speciallist' and priced accordingly, and as a collector of rare D&D books, it does not fall within the scope of the types of products they collect, and therefor is not worth the cover price to them. I suspect the other products you mentioned do not sell either, and can be picked up sooner or later below $10 on eBay. They are also not the sorts of books resellers or games stores would stock as they just do not sell.

You do have control over the stock, and therefor also over the pricing, so stick to your guns as long as you can. Those who want to pay $10-$15 will buy when they hit eBay second hand, or they will buy if/when you offer them cheaper on seasonal sales.

At 220+ pages, you also don't need to worry about someone scanning it and sticking it on the internet. The only observation is that your potential market at that price point is very small. And I wouldn't believe anything a publisher told me. If your arrangement with them is a conventional one, their only purpose is to get you to sign a print order, which they achieved. Publishers rarely have their author's best interests at heart, and rarely have an accurate perception of the industries they are publishing for. By their very nature, they are insular and say what they need to say to close a deal.

mbassoc2003 wrote:I think what Blackmoor and others are saying re. price, is that the product is 'speciallist' and priced accordingly, and as a collector of rare D&D books, it does not fall within the scope of the types of products they collect, and therefor is not worth the cover price to them. I suspect the other products you mentioned do not sell either, and can be picked up sooner or later below $10 on eBay. They are also not the sorts of books resellers or games stores would stock as they just do not sell.

You do have control over the stock, and therefor also over the pricing, so stick to your guns as long as you can. Those who want to pay $10-$15 will buy when they hit eBay second hand, or they will buy if/when you offer them cheaper on seasonal sales.

At 220+ pages, you also don't need to worry about someone scanning it and sticking it on the internet. The only observation is that your potential market at that price point is very small. And I wouldn't believe anything a publisher told me. If your arrangement with them is a conventional one, their only purpose is to get you to sign a print order, which they achieved. Publishers rarely have their author's best interests at heart, and rarely have an accurate perception of the industries they are publishing for. By their very nature, they are insular and say what they need to say to close a deal.

Opinions are not facts, including mine and yours. As you could guess, I disagree with you and I have trust in my publisher    Let the market decide...  

For Guerret: not yet. My own sales (eBay and off eBay) are quite good however    I have finished my stock  

I want to point out that 'I disagree' does NOT mean 'your comments are crap': many points were very well made and I mulled about them, but I could not agree with them. Getting feedback was great anyway!