> From: Joe Crow [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> So, how does this relate to your argument that most if not all d20 > supplements are radically underpriced? Consider: The OGL makes >game rules< a commodity. (In fact, it drops the cost of using a certain set of game rules (the contents of the SRD) to $0 across a large portion of the market). So, if game rules become a commodity, what becomes more valuable? The brand. Brands in gaming are complements to rules. Why can WotC charge $40 for the FRCS without blinking an eye? Because the brand of the Realms is >enhanced< by its link to a commodity game system. (Remember, that book was solicited and sold into the channel before anyone had gotten a good look at it. Most distributors and retailers had to bet on their ability to sell a $40SRP Forgotten Realms product sight unseen. It might be easy to go back after the fact and say that it was obvious the book was worth it, but a heck of a lot of money was wagered on its potential rather than its actual appearance. That's the value of brand equity.) In fact, D&D itself is linked to a commodity game system, which is why WotC could (and should) charge higher prices for D&D branded products. (The D&D core books are not necessarily in the same situation, because most purchasers of the core books are not vested players until after they have done so. Buying the core D&D books is often the transition point. The commodity status of the rule! s system is irrelevant to someone to whom those rules are not yet a commodity.) If all you are doing is excersizing the rules without building brand equity, you will not necessarily be able to claim a higher price point for your work than the price of the lowest priced substitute (which is the trap of the commoditized 32 page adventure market). On the other hand, if you build a brand using the commodity rules system, you create the potential to charge a price premium for that brand equity (see: Scarred Lands, Freeport, etc.) Ryan _______________________________________________ Ogf-l mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l
