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You paid HOW MUCH!?!

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Thu, 01/19/2006 - 21:55
d3nial
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Joined: 07/30/2008

I'm keen to hear from people here what their expectations are when it comes to the price of games and in particular premium priced games.

To make comparisons easier, can someone also give an indication of what some games cost in the USA, such as Monopoly, M:TG Starter pack, RISK, A Game of Thrones (although I guess I could look these up on Amazon).

So tell me, how much would you be willing to pay for a game like this: an Oriental themed trading game on a large rice-paper & silk scroll map board (which lies flat guaranteed), with pewter playing pieces (1 per player plus about 6 board elements), about 100 playing cards and several dice. Playing time is 1 - 3 hours.

The artwork would by a fine-arts student in Beijing, done in traditional chinese style with inks and watercolours.

Thanks in advance.

daniel

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Thu, 01/19/2006 - 23:53
#1
IngredientX
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Joined: 07/26/2008
Re: You paid HOW MUCH!?!

Here are a few points of reference that I hope will help...

Mass-market board games (Monopoly, Cranium, etc.) generally run from US$20 to US$30. Designer board games (Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico) generally run from US$30 to US$50.

From what I see, the games that are commonly sold for large wads of cash are out-of-print games with strong word-of-mouth recommendation. I've personally paid US$75 for a copy of Ra several years ago when it was OOP, and we just got Die Macher for US$100. Games like Outpost and McMulti seem to have a market value of over US$200 each.

I doubt it if nice components alone will be enough for your game to justify a high price. I've seen several games released with goregous components (Dread Pirate, Master Thieves, Saturn) that don't seem to have taken off. I don't think that even Mayfair's deluxe edition of Settlers of Catan is doing that well.

My thought is that if you charge over US$50 for a game that doesn't have much word-of-mouth regarding its gameplay (as is the case with most new games, compared to the revered "classics" spoken of in hushed tones), people are going to think of it more as a collector's item than a game. At that point, they can get two cheaper games that may be just as fun.

Best of luck!

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Fri, 01/20/2006 - 01:18
#2
Rick-Holzgrafe
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Joined: 07/22/2008
You paid HOW MUCH!?!

IngredientX is correct about the average price of designer board games in the US. However "epic" games, such as War of the Ring and Twilight Imperium, will sell for higher prices. They have more pieces, more artwork (usually very good artwork), long and immersive play, and are excellent games to boot.

A Game of Thrones, since you asked about it, costs about $50 in the US. Its expansion A Clash of Kings costs another $50, so the whole thing is about $100. A very high price, but a very good game!

So there's a key point: the game has to be good. Your product sounds like a fine work of art and might sell as such; but if you're trying to sell specifically to gamers, it will have to be a lot of fun to play. People would have to be willing to pay $40 or $50 for the usual nicely-done cardboard-and-wood version before they'd consider shelling out considerably more for a fine art version.

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Fri, 01/20/2006 - 10:04
#3
jwieringo
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Joined: 12/31/1969
You paid HOW MUCH!?!

Quote:
A Game of Thrones, since you asked about it, costs about $50 in the US. Its expansion A Clash of Kings costs another $50, so the whole thing is about $100. A very high price, but a very good game!

True, A Game of Thrones, and A Clash of Kings usually run 50 dollars at a game store, but if you check the internet stores you can usually find them much cheaper. Time Well Spent has A Game of Thrones for $31.95 and A Clash of Kings for $22.50. So I usually take the ladder of the two and buy my board games off the internet from a trust worthy source.

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