Paizo Paizo Price Increases and Sustainability Efforts

Paizo announced a new pricing structure for their entire product line. The changes will go into effect for PDF products (Bounties, Quests, and Scenarios) effective October 25, 2023, and will apply to all PDF products. No other PDF prices will be changed. The new MSRP changes go into effect in April 2024 for all print products.

The first printing of the new Pathfinder core rulebooks – Player Core, GM Core, Monster Core, and Player Core 2 – will maintain the current $59.99 MSRP for at least the first printing as “We feel these books are essential first purchases for Pathfinder players and want to hold the line on price increases as long as possible to reduce the barrier of entry for new players.”

The new pricing structure:

• Bounties/Quests1 from $4.99 to $5.99
• Scenarios2 from $5.99/$7.99 to $8.99
• Special Interactive Scenarios from $14.99 to $19.99
• Flip-Mats from $16.99 to $19.99
• Flip-Mat Multi-Pack from $24.99 to $29.99
• 96-page Adventure Paths from $26.99 to $29.99
• Pocket Editions will range from $24.99-$29.99 to $26.99-$34.99 (varies by page count)
• Hardcover Prices will vary by page count:
  • 128 Page: $44.99
  • 192 Page: $59.99
  • 256 Page: $69.99
  • 304 Page with map: $79.99
  • Special Edition covers add $20 to the retail price

1: Bounties and Quests are short, stand-alone digital adventures designed for 2-hour sessions

2: Scenarios are Pathfinder Society and Starfinder Society adventures previously priced based on play tier with higher-level adventures costing more. The prices will now be the same regardless of the level of the adventure.

Paizo also updated its current environmental and sustainability actions. The company already printed using soy-based ink that requires less ink per page with no toxic chemicals. Paizo is changing to FSC-Certified paper coming from ecologically sourced forests that prohibit deforestation and require protection of old-growth forests and biodiversity as well as protections for the rights of Indigenous peoples. Changes have also been made to shipping from the Paizo warehouse by changing shipping product partners and moving from foam packing materials to starch and cardboard. Full details are available on the Paizo Blog.

 

[Retreater]

It's more of a mix-and-match. Player Core 1 + Player Core 2 + GM Core = Core Rulebook + Advanced Player's Guide + parts of the GMG.

I don't get this part. We already had a Core book and a DMG Guide for regular old PF2E

Core - Core Rulebook (Second Edition) - PathfinderWiki
DMG - Gamemastery Guide (Second Edition) - PathfinderWiki

Of course, buying everything is going to be more expensive than just the Core Rulebook.
What I'm looking at is - what's the minimum that a new GM will be spending if they go into a game store/Barnes & Noble/etc. to play this game? To get all the basic rules necessary to run a game.
To have a fair comparison, I'm not looking at pocket editions or limited editions. Currently, it's a Core Rulebook ($60) and Bestiary ($50) - $110. The Gamemastery Guide is alternate rules - not vital to running the game. The Advanced Player Guide is extra classes and ancestries - again, not essential to running the game. Both of you seem to be assuming that the GMG and APG are essential to running the game - they absolutely are not.
Next year it's going to be Player Core 1 ($60), GM Core ($60), and Monster Core ($60) - $180. So that's an increase of a base of $70 just to play the game. AND those prices are likely going to go up after the first print run sells out.
We're looking at a 63% increase in the cost of the Core Rules.

 

[Velderan]

The most disappointing part is it does show box set prices. I need a new Beginner Box. The 2e one wasn't as good as the 1e one, (It should have went to 5th level) but still both a good products. Crossing my fingers for a 2.5 box.

I really wish they had included the adventure "Troubles in Otari" in the Beginner Box, even if they had to raise the price $5 or $10 to do so. It would have been a more complete product and handled advancing to level 5 as you said.

 

[MGibster]

I can't speak for Paizo, but for ENP we as a publisher don't mind which format somebody wishes to buy our stuff in. We provide a variety of formats in an attempt to make access to our material as easy as possible for as many people as possible. I'm delighted when somebody buys a PDF!

While I prefer books, I'll purchase a PDF when I'm not sure I'll ever play the game. I'm fortunate to be at a place in my life where the cost of gaming material is negligible, but the space in my home is limited which is why I'm picky about what I bring in. Having the PDFs available is really nice.

 

[Reynard]

ITs a good time of year to be looking for a reader with black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up. Last year I got a Fire tablet just to leave at my piano as I practice. I have taken to using it to read news at night as well. It was 50 bucks. Most tablets will do it these days. Though, if you are thinking you will be without internet/cloud and want more disc space that will likely factor.

Yeah, I just want something big and comfortable to read.

 

[Retreater]

And it doesn't help that the APG has terrible options like the Witch and Oracle. The game is worse for having them. Sometimes more options isn't better for players - especially when they're poorly balanced with options from the core game.

 

[payn]

Yeah, I just want something big and comfortable to read.

I quick searched the Fire on Amazon. They have a 10" Fire for 120 down from 150. I bet it gets even cheaper in the next few weeks.

Mine is the 8" which I thought would be too small, but you can adjust the font size on the fly and its pretty comfortable to handle.

 

[Velderan]

While I understand the need to increase prices of physical books due to forces beyond publishers' control, it unfortunately ahs the effect of requiring consumers to be much more circumspect about their purchases. The reality is, I feel like my money is better spent finding a really good tablet I enjoy reading on and moving to an all PDF library, minus the occasional "too pretty to not own" special edition book.

I'm torn on this one. My job requires me to be staring at a computer screen all day, so that's the main reason I have an aversion to wanting my TTRPG stuff in PDF format. I do appreciate the space savings though, so I do use my iPad to read some of the stuff I buy on DriveThruRPG that a print option isn't available without jumping through a bunch of hoops to get it printed on Lulu. The reality is that I don't always read the books I buy and I'd probably be better served just buying a Foundry module more often since that's where I use the material.

 

[Retreater]

I think there's always the dream of playing PF2 in person - so a Foundry module wouldn't cut it. Also PDFs and Archives of Nethys isn't ideal - at least not to my Gen Xer brain.
But yeah, I guess I don't need to get "everything" in print.

 

[Velderan]

Of course, buying everything is going to be more expensive than just the Core Rulebook.
What I'm looking at is - what's the minimum that a new GM will be spending if they go into a game store/Barnes & Noble/etc. to play this game? To get all the basic rules necessary to run a game.
To have a fair comparison, I'm not looking at pocket editions or limited editions. Currently, it's a Core Rulebook ($60) and Bestiary ($50) - $110. The Gamemastery Guide is alternate rules - not vital to running the game. The Advanced Player Guide is extra classes and ancestries - again, not essential to running the game. Both of you seem to be assuming that the GMG and APG are essential to running the game - they absolutely are not.
Next year it's going to be Player Core 1 ($60), GM Core ($60), and Monster Core ($60) - $180. So that's an increase of a base of $70 just to play the game. AND those prices are likely going to go up after the first print run sells out.
We're looking at a 63% increase in the cost of the Core Rules.

So let me ask you this: how much do you think Paizo would have to charge for the 620ish page Core Rulebook in 2023 given the prices they've listed for other products moving forward? I promise you if they weren't doing the remaster, the CRB would be seeing a sizable price bump for them to continue to print it. It's pretty much twice the size of any other book they're printing. IMO, it would easily have to be $100, same as they were charging for Kingmaker. Bestiary probably bumps up to at least $60 so the price gap isn't quite as huge as you're suggesting.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

What IS the best dedicated tablet for reading RPG PDFs?

I use the OnePlus pad and it’s really nice, very quality design and resolution, very fast processor and such. Cheaper than Apple and Samsung equivalents, too.