Quote from: RPGPundit;963867Well, the question here was regardless of the subject, so I guess part of the question would be "what kind of product could you imagine paying $1-2 for a 1-4 page PDF of"?

Very little.  It has to be very well produced.

Definitely if it's a dollar or two and contains sometime useful/cool/adaptable to my game at hand. Ideally with some sweet art to boot.

Quote from: RPGPundit;963437Could you theoretically see yourself paying for a very small PDF product, 1-4 pages? Even if it was just a dollar or two? I know there have been products like this on OBS, and some of them seem to have done rather well. I wonder who the audience for them would be?

Maybe.

It would have to be something that I know I would use and have outstanding production values.

The audience would be fans of the author and the occasional, dead cat. If the writer has somewhat of a name it might work. It will work better if the author plans to produce more than one, 1-4 page PDF, or the publisher/producer plans to enlist other well known authors and create a line of sorts. A sale might lead to sales.

As far as what the product would be, I have no idea. Whatever It was, it would have to be good. Nobody want's to pay $2 for four pages, and think to themselves afterward, "What was I thinking? It was only four pages!"

Though... I recently reviewed Strange Stars by Trey Causey. It's 32 pages at 10 bucks. The production value is excellent, the writing is decent, but it's a splat book, not as it is subtitled a "Setting Book." It has some good ideas and as I said very nice art, but if you bought it thinking you were going to get, or even hoped to get a setting "treatment" (given it's 32 pages and accomplishing a setting would be difficult) you might be sorely disappointed. After I read through I was compelled to give the reviews over at drivethru a read... And to my surprise most of them were very positive. I'm aware Trey has a following of sorts so yeah, In order of importance:

Author
Production Value
Content

And just to be clear, the order of this isn't what I would want it to be. In fact, you could flip the list on its head and that would be my preference.

Quote from: Snowman0147;963438Greatly depends on the writer.

This. I usually never buy without previews. I'd buy if DwD Studios published it.

I also bought all the 1PG systems from Heyoka and Deep7. I think I got the first couple during a sale after reading lots of review, and ended up buying the rest to check them out.

Quote from: RPGPundit;963437Could you theoretically see yourself paying for a very small PDF product, 1-4 pages? Even if it was just a dollar or two? I know there have been products like this on OBS, and some of them seem to have done rather well. I wonder who the audience for them would be?

I might, but looking through my purchases, you have the best odds of it happening if it was PWYW, and I considered it worth paying after reading;).

I pay for articles for the w.o.i.n. system through Patreon, a dollar an article (I max at 10 bucks a month).  They are about 1 to 4 pages each with some being larger adventures.  They tend to be small rules expansions.

No. I would not. I don't think it is worth it to a consumer to pay so much for so little.

If you look at your average big hardback game book. They just give you far more for your dollar.

Quote from: Darrin Kelley;964137No. I would not. I don't think it is worth it to a consumer to pay so much for so little.

If you look at your average big hardback game book. They just give you far more for your dollar.

That is the epitome of debatable based on the "big hardback game books" I have seen. So much gloss, so little useful content. There are surely exceptions but most seem to be chock full of nothing I will ever use, and poorly edited and organized to boot.

Quote from: Dumarest;964166That is the epitome of debatable based on the "big hardback game books" I have seen. So much gloss, so little useful content. There are surely exceptions but most seem to be chock full of nothing I will ever use, and poorly edited and organized to boot.

Not long ago. I bought the new D&D 5th Edition rulebooks. All of them in one pocketbook jarring jolt.

Every one of them has things I would use in them. Every single one of the 5 hardbacks, and the DM's Screen. And I feel my money was well spent.

This is the first time in a lot of years where I am actually excited and engaged by D&D. Of all things.

Third and Fourth Edition really didn't bring me that kind of excitement. Because of being way too bloated and overly complex.

5th Edition brings me back to what I loved about BECMI D&D. The simplicity.

And I will repeat it again: I do not believe paying a dollar for a one page PDF is reasonable. There just isn't enough information it could possibly contain that could convince me otherwise. It reeks of author entitlement to me.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;963992Very little.  It has to be very well produced.

And how would you define "well produced"? Because well-written, well-organized, good layout are all things that can be viable there, but for example if you add art to the product, it would be almost impossible (unless the art was just some kind of free piece) that it would be able to sell for under $2.

Quote from: RPGPundit;964433And how would you define "well produced"? Because well-written, well-organized, good layout are all things that can be viable there, but for example if you add art to the product, it would be almost impossible (unless the art was just some kind of free piece) that it would be able to sell for under $2.

Sadly, I'm a highly visual person, which means I'd LIKE some art, but well-written, well-organized and a good layout are mandatory if I'm spending money on a piece of writing.