What makes a game a great deal?

If a game is the best game you ever played and only include a 112 card deck and a set of rules in a box is it worth $20 or more. Some people would never spend $20 on a card game saying it’s a rip off. On the other hand if you have a game with lots of nice bits that is not half as fun can you justify spending $40 or $50 on it? What makes you want to spend your money? While we are at it what is the best cheap game you own or your biggest big buck disappointment?

A low price will help me to take a chance on a game I'm uncertain of - and occasionally lead to the discovery of a game I enjoy as a result, such as with Willi and Wuehltisch. But really the variability is much moreso in my enjoyment of the game than in the price - a good deal will just cause me to be more willing to take a chance on a game I know nothing of.

For example - Medieval is often pointed to as an overpriced game. I don't disagree - but frankly, if I enjoyed the game, I wouldn't care. I didn't pay to try it, so I don't feel ripped off - but frankly it's not something I would have picked up blind unless it were much less expensive.

Joe

I think it heavily depends on the players. Some of you might be familiar with Frag from Steve Jackson Games. This game costs about $35, but only comes with a deck of cards, a couple of flimsy poster maps, and some not-even-perforated cutouts for players and counters. Is the game worth it? It's one of the funnest games my group has played. It's totally simple, quick to learn, and fun to play. I think it was a good deal, cause of the amount of fun we have with it, regardless of what came in the box.

I think most of us would agree that a game that gets a lot of good play is a good value at almost any price and a game that gets little play, particularly if it just isn't fun (as opposed to a good game you can't find anyone to play with), is a bad value at most price points. Furthermore, it's human nature that people will be more willing to take a chance purchasing a game that is less expensive. The one qualifier I would add to the discussion is that if I pay a lot of money for a game, I'm always going to be a little disappointed if the components aren't up to the standard suggested by the price, even if the game plays well.

Steve

I think it's all a question of perceived value, and that varies depending on the circumstance. Here are my two cents...

For gamers, I'm willing to bet that the perceived value lies primarily in the fun factor and the replayability. That's what lets companies like Cheap Ass Games do so well.

For people giving (or receiving) gifts, I think the value is also tied up in the "wow" factor. You want to see the person open the gift and get excited by the packaging and the components. You don't want "hmm... this looks like it might be fun", you want "wow, look at this!" That takes lots of production value.

Games that can hit both these things (Memoir from Days of Wonder, for example), can command the higher prices and no one really complains.

TruMobius, I've got a funny story about heft. At ToyFair back in February, I had a distributor pick up Ice Lake and say "sorry, it's not heavy enough to sell for $19.95." I laughed and handed him SiegeStones (a wooden board game with stone pieces). He picked it up and said "no, too heavy. The freight costs would be too high."

I tend to agree with OrlandoPat, in that it is about the preceived value. And I think that the way in which people arrive at this value differs greatly on who is assessing.

If you think about mass consumers and retailers, they take into account the eye-candy, theme and hype of a game, when buying. For the most part, the average consumer will buy a game, no matter what price if theme and hype are "right for them"(Yeah Yu-gi-oh, that is a great game, everyone is playing it, I have to play it too! for an example). I think the average consumer also takes into account the "standard" pricing for similar games. If one type of Risk cost $X, another version that cost $Y better offer me more. Better components, better theme....

When you talk about people such as here at BGDF, we set other criteria that influences our purchase a game. How does it make use of mechanics, is the game play and theme fluid, is it a german style game, does the game get me thinking about design. Not to mention, just the desire to play a mountain of different games....