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View Full Version : Price point for a new game?



afilter
02-05-2010, 09:05
This topic was generated because of discussion on the new forum for the upcoming game, Leviatans,

I am curious what people are willing to spend on a new game? What do you think is a good price that a game producer should try to target when introducing a new game?

I was browsing the shelf at the LGS and I have noticed that prices have really shot up. Many titles are $60 and more.

Myself, I consider anything $40 and under subject to an impulse buy if it looks good. If something is $50 or more it will require me to have some first hand knowledge of the game or be part of a true and tried system I already enjoy.

As I look at the games I currently own there are several that I have hundreds $ invested in over time, but the single most expensive game I own is AA50 at $100. I own several other A&A tiltes and had to have this edition.

Of the games I that I have invested the most in (AAM, W@S, and Wings of War) all of them the base game was $30 and under.

I am sure I am missing out on some great titles because the price point of the initial offerings are just more than I am willing to experiment with on a new game. Unfortunately, I do not live in an area with a strong gaming community, so I do not get a chance to see some of these titles in action. If not for forums like these I would not be playing at least one game (Tide of Iron) as I would have never considered it at the retail price of $80-90. Now I own just about everything there is to have for ToI.

So, I guess the question is...What is the most you will spend on a game that looks good, but you really know nothing about?

For me that is about $40. Maybe a little more if it has been recommended by a gamer with similar interests as mine.

Scoop
02-05-2010, 09:42
That sounds like a poll ;)

Anyway, I would never buy a game I know nothing about it. I need to see the contents and I'd like to read some reviews first or talk to my local dealer.

afilter
02-05-2010, 10:08
That sounds like a poll ;)

Anyway, I would never buy a game I know nothing about it. I need to see the contents and I'd like to read some reviews first or talk to my local dealer.


Good idea on the poll!

Just to clarify...if I am going to drop $40 on a game I know little about as an impulse it is going to be about a topic that is near and dear to me.

For example if I ran across a ACW title on "Iron Brigade" with great graphics and game components I would snap it up same with something like "Attack on Pearl Harbor" that looked good. ;)

I had never played WoW before I bought my first boxed set....then I came back for more and more......and more....:)

sparty
02-05-2010, 12:18
Yeah it's all about how much you'd see yourself playing it. Topic matters. "Chrome" matters to some degree. It's really a value judgement. I paid $80 for my copy of Flying Colors (GMT Age of Sail game) because it models a topic I love and it's probably the best one out there. So even though it was out of print, when I found out about it...I bought it!

Lowell Throttle
02-05-2010, 15:30
I think $30 and under is a good price for a new game
It there needs to be more in the box than just maps/rules/counters and dice.
to go for $40-$60.
An "add-on" to a game system, shoudn't be the same as the original game in price
if all it adds are a few more componenets to the mix.

Rant on.....

-The idea of games as "collectible" and "limited edition" is silly -

but that's what marketeers are for, to wring more money out of buyers by implying
a lower availablility and that the product is somehow of a higher value because of this.

I like to play games - not collect them - and if I have to have a curtain limited edition, rare or other contrived adjective in order to play (have a chance to win at) a game, I'll pass.

Rant off....

sparty
02-05-2010, 16:26
I've found that all games are "collectible." Everything goes out of print at some point. If the game is good, demand isn't going to wane to the point where interest has totally dried up.

For example, I had some lousy Civil War boardgames I wasn't a huge fan of that I picked up in college. I then found out that they were collector's items (Great Campaigns of the American Civil War Series). I managed to sell them for huge profits over what I had originally paid.

Look at the Richthofen miniature value. It's only sold out for a few months and it's already doubled in value.

Lowell Throttle
02-05-2010, 16:58
Collecting:

Rule #1

It's only worth what someone is willing to give you for it.

I'm glad you made a nice sum on the Civil war games. :)
Ebay - the world's garage sale!