The real problem with trying to apply this to core books and modules is that
modules simply are not commodities. It's a square peg/round hole kind of
problem.
A commodity is something where you get pretty much the same thing,
regardless of who you get it from. For the most part, oil is oil, corn is
corn, beef is beef, etc. It doesn't really matter if I buy a gallon of gas
from Shell or Amoco, it's still a gallon of gas.
Also, a commodity needs to be pretty much the same as all other items of its
type. The first gallon of gas out of the pump is pretty much the same as
the next. One ear of corn is pretty much the same as the next. One bar of
gold is pretty much the same as the next.
Modules don't work that way. First, the producer really does matter.
WotC's modules differ in quality from those of S&SS, which are different
from both AEG and Troll Lord (just examples--not saying anything good or bad
about any of these companies). They are not all the same between
manufacturers. Also, they are not even all the same within manufacturers.
Every module is a different type of adventure (mystery, combat, exploration)
and set for a different party level. "Sunless Citadel" is not just the same
as Lord of the "Iron Fortress". Therefore, not only does it matter who you
buy from, but which specific one you buy.
Modules just don't follow the rules of commodities. Interesting discussion,
but it just doesn't fit.
>In reality, at least according to my manager and his spiffy new BS in
>Bussiness Economics, is that if WotC can make modules into a commodity,
>they
>can use that to leverage the price of the core handbooks up (and sell more
>of them at the same time.) As WotC sells more handbooks, it (in theory)
>will create an increased demand for modules -- which in theory should cause
>the cost of that commodity to rise.
>
>But there is a problem with the theory, when put into practice here.
>People
>generally never buy the same module twice - thus the market demand for any
>one piece of this commodity never really increases. But then this is
>something everyone already in the RPG market knows, a new {specific}
>product
>has a limited life span -- unless d20 became like Pokemon -- so any
>particular products life span is only 6-18mo.
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