Reply To: Why do all our wargames rules have to cost the bomb?

[grabnutzParticipant 994xp 5]

Maybe I can answer this from the point of view of a small independent.
The simple answer is that we do this to be able to compete in a market where all the big companies invest heavily in presentation.
I think that it began in the RPG market, and with Games Workshop, where people were buying the setting as well as the rules.
For us wargamers it started with rules like Fire & Fury which was, for the time, jam packed with beautiful photos and a full colour layout. Those of us of a certain age can remember seeing these for the first time at shows, sitting next to drab WRG books and going ‘wow!’.
If we look at most wargames publications today, many are still packed from cover to cover with actual useful content, but the standard of presentation has improved immeasurably.
As for those booklets, the entire Osprey Wargames series is small format, 64 page ‘booklets’, with a low entry point of around £15. Other companies also publish their rules digitally at about half the printed cost.
Finally, we need these glossy publications to keep the hobby alive. B&W card cover rules may still attract old beggars like myself, but younger players are not attracted to them as they look amateurish in comparison to what the rest of the market is producing.