The budget is almost done for the Advent Calendar and it looks like it costs too much for what I would like to sell it for. I suppose that’s not a huge surprise but I guess I did not reckon for how much too much it was going to be. What to do? The first thing that springs to mind is that I should write my way out of trouble by publishing a module or two and some short stories or even the full novel about Shrugg. Of course, the flaw in that plan is that writing does not pay. Crime pays better than writing.
So I need to cut costs or increase the price or both, just like a real businessman. I guess I could leave out all the good parts of the calendar and just sell a little box with a few trinkets and a nice picture. Oh wait, someone is already doing that. The whole point of my advent calendar is that I want to make it myself because I can not find one I like enough to buy it for my own children. I need to make mine worth more so people will pay more.
OK, well, what differentiates it from other fantasy-themed calendars is the writing. There is a serial story. There are character descriptions playable in role-playing games. There are three minigames. There are polyhedral dice. Spoiler alert: there is a bonus module. Those things don’t cost too much. What costs a lot are minifigures, especially painted minifigures. I mean, it might be cheaper to hire actors to visit your house dressed as the characters than to produce painted minifigures. Even unpainted minifigures cost a lot.
But you see, the calendars that cost $40 and have pictures of beautifully painted minifigures that turn out to be not what was advertised are what I don’t want to buy for my own family. I want to deliver a quality product that actually has in it what it says it has in it, that has what is shown in the picture. I have determined that people will probably be willing to pay $125 US for that. The target demographic is families of people who already have all the other stuff for their role-playing game. The family can buy them something they are certain not to have already. That’s worth quite a bit. The gamers have to like it, though. Cutting costs and corners will lead to gamers getting a present they don’t like, with all the false smiles and thank-yous and awkward finding of presents in the garbage that goes along with that scenario.
So the figures stay. It has been suggested that instead of including painted figures, I include unpainted figures, some paint and a few paint brushes. Once again, I picture the gamer receiving the gift and thinking to themselves, “Some assembly required.” That’s not what this is about. It has to be usable right out of the box. So…
So I guess I will look for ways to modify the box and the minigames so they can still look good and be useable without costing a fortune. I will have to hold my nose and include unpainted figures and hope that’s good enough to satisfy the gamers out there. They already buy figures that are unpainted if they buy figures at all, or print them on a 3D printer so once again they end up with an unpainted figure. Maybe it will be OK. I will just have to make sure that my marketing does not lie about it and show little painted guys when that is not what is inside. Damn you, business decisions! Why do I have to make you? I just want to make fun stories and games to surprise and delight rather than surprise and disappoint.
Maybe there is another way. I could look for cheaper manufacturing. I could try to make everything myself at home. I could do the art and design myself. But you know, that will result in a product that is home made, obviously home made, and people will only be willing to pay $40 for it, if that.
If you have read this far, kudos to you. I’d love to hear your suggestions. Writing it down is helpful for me as well. It helps me to order my thoughts. But if someone out there knows what I need, please let me know as well. I would love to hear your ideas.
Be well.