Re: Chipco's Fantasy Rules! 3rd Edition Release

On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 00:07:11 GMT, Allan Goodall
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

(snip)

>I'm not saying that Chipco's pricing is smart. Obviously from this thread
>there are a lot of people who feel it's over priced. Still, this hobby is
>small. It's entirely possible that it's _impossible_ to make a living at it.
>Selling 10,000 copies of a rule set is considered quite good (if you aren't
>Games Workshop). If they expect to sell 5,000 copies of FR! over the next 3
>years that's only $60,000 per year. That's not a lot if it's your flagship
>product, you have an office to maintain, and there's more than one person to
>pay.
>
>There's something else to consider when someone sells a PDF: piracy. How many
>people will buy a copy and then print out rules for their group or club? So in
>the past a club got by with a single copy of the rules, now they feel they
>aren't harming anyone by printing out multiples (except they forget that every
>now and again someone else buys another copy of the rules used by the club,
>and that sale is now lost). If you think you can sell 10,000 hardcopies, you
>have to figure that you'll lose maybe half that to piracy. Suddenly the profit
>margin on a PDF drops substantially.
>
>That being said, there's a limit to what people will pay when they have to
>print it themselves. Not only do you have to pay for your own expendables
>(paper, ink, etc.) you end up with an inferior product. It will end up in a
>binder or duotang type folder, not perfect bound with a laminated cover. It
>simply won't look as good as other rules purchased for $30.

(snip)

>Allan Goodall                  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>http://www.hyperbear.com
>
>"The only normal people are the ones you don't know 
>well!" - Joe Ancis


You are probably right Allan.  I think selling things over the web via
PDF files is going to become more common.  I don't really have a
problem with it.  I do think the price is a problem.  There are some
very finished rules that go for $30 U.S.

The problem of piracy is going to be there.  If a small group of
gamers decides to play Fantasy Rules!, they certainly don't need to
buy more than one copy.  As long as they don't sell copies over the
web, it would be pretty much impossible to catch them.  

I have no problem with someone making money off this hobby.  That
being said, this also cuts into the sales of the local hobby shops.  

Chipco is forging some new ground here, and I personally hope it truns
out well for them.  I really think right now the problem is that
someone can go to the store, look at the pretty picture on the cover,
fondle the rules, and get instant gratification buy buying something
they can go home and read.  Chipco needs to come up with some way to
get people to look at reading a description on the web and having that
same urge to buy.

I think that web based sales are going to have to come up with ways of
making it seem more like seeing something in a store.  Perhaps more
solid information on the game, downloadable army lists and scenarios,
etc.  They need to come up with some way of selling the sizzle, since
we can't smell the steak.

I think you must be the Allan Goodall that used to beat the snot out
of me at Steel Panthers by email several years ago.  :)

Bill