Starfleet Operations book announced (with cover shot)

[erhershman]

Originally posted by C5
Now, is that T'Pol on the cover ? Strange for a StarFleet Ops book...

Well I suppose so... but what other book are they going to put her on the front of, "Supermodel Sourcebook?"

[Balok]

Hardcover books also hold up better. And this seems like a book that will get a lot of use. Narrator's will refer to Aliens and Starships when writing adventures, and perhaps infrequently during adventures. But the two rulebooks and this one are liable to get a lot of use at every phase from adventure design right through play.

A quick way to get a bad reputation is to publish a book that's heavily used and doesn't hold up. Look at WoTC and their second printing of the Player's Handbook. And that's only a recent example; there have been numerous others throughout the years.

[Ineti]

I echo everything Don said.

I'd buy a hardcover over a paperback any day. Hardbacks are generally more durable, look great spined out on the bookshelf, and are IMO, just nicer to hold and flip through.

My hope is that Decipher makes the majority of their supplements hardcover.

Full color would be nice too.

[erhershman]

Originally posted by Ineti
I echo everything Don said.

I'd buy a hardcover over a paperback any day. Hardbacks are generally more durable, look great spined out on the bookshelf, and are IMO, just nicer to hold and flip through.

My hope is that Decipher makes the majority of their supplements hardcover.

Full color would be nice too.

Me too. I'd rather pay $30 for a hardcover that will last a really long time than $20 for a softcover that will get bruised and smashed and bent up the first time I have to take it anywhere.

[FDor]

I too rather buy a hardcover book over softcover.

Vesku

[Jesse Heinig]

I wasn't around when the decision was made to go hardcover on this, but I presume it's because hardcovers hold up better, retain better quality, and have a much better tendency to protect your investment when they're in full color on the inside.
Plus, like someone said, it's kinda the "third core book."

J.H.

Originally posted by PGoodman13
::makes a pointed effort not to get involved with some of the griping::

What I'm wondering has nothing to do with shipping times. It's this: Why put a 96-page book in hardcover? What's the point of putting a book that small (comparatively speaking) in boards? Jesse, could you explain the logic behind that one to me, if in fact you were privy to the discussion?

[Gabriel]

To put forth a dissenting opinion. I'm not too fond of hardcovers nowadays.

I don't see any improvement in durability in them. In fact, most softcovers I own hold up better than the hardcovers. For example, my moderately used BESM2r is still entirely intact and my heavily used, 15 year old Robotech books are still well bound and secure. On the other hand, my little used Icon DS9 corebook has the cover separating from the book. My similarly little used D&D3 books are losing pages for no reason whatsoever. And I won't get into what my barely used 7th Sea books are like. Just about any hardcover book of recent vintage that I stored upright with the spine showing has lost pages, had the cover separate, or had the spine completely give out.

I haven't had any problems yet with the Decipher books, but I figure it's only a matter of time.

Because of this, I also dislike having to pay extra for something that doesn't really improve the value of the book. If the book is gonna fall apart ten times quicker as a hardcover, then why do I need to pay $5 extra for it?

That's just my opinion and my experiences. Please don't flame the crap outta me.

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

My Decipher books are holding up quite well. I have used them all through the summer constantly and then right up through this winter. They are still in very good condition as far as bindings. My D&D 3e books are still holding up well too.

[Capt Daniel Hunter]

Hmm, well my hardcover books are all still in pretty good condition. Be it ICON Trek, CODA Trek, or my old copy of D&D.

Of course, all my old FASA softcovers are in pretty good conodition as well, so maybe it's just me

Anyway, Hardcover's fine with me. I'd rather have hardcover in fact, since it sits better on my shelf, and will go nicely with my other CODA core books.

[Phantom]

Originally posted by Gabriel
To put forth a dissenting opinion. I'm not too fond of hardcovers nowadays.

I don't see any improvement in durability in them. In fact, most softcovers I own hold up better than the hardcovers. For example, my moderately used BESM2r is still entirely intact and my heavily used, 15 year old Robotech books are still well bound and secure. On the other hand, my little used Icon DS9 corebook has the cover separating from the book. My similarly little used D&D3 books are losing pages for no reason whatsoever. And I won't get into what my barely used 7th Sea books are like. Just about any hardcover book of recent vintage that I stored upright with the spine showing has lost pages, had the cover separate, or had the spine completely give out.

I haven't had any problems yet with the Decipher books, but I figure it's only a matter of time.

Because of this, I also dislike having to pay extra for something that doesn't really improve the value of the book. If the book is gonna fall apart ten times quicker as a hardcover, then why do I need to pay $5 extra for it?

That's just my opinion and my experiences. Please don't flame the crap outta me.

I completly agree with this position. It seems to me that I have to work harder at keeping my HC books in one piece then I do the SC ones I have. I see no reason to pay extra for nothing. Also, as above this is strictly my opinion.

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

It probably costs too much money but I would love to see all books in a SC and HC format. That gives the ultimate choice but again probably too expensive.

[qerlin]

Don't mind the hardcover, though it sems a bit thin for it. I think they hold up better, but I'm priggish about the care of my books in general. HC or SC -- doesn't really matter to me. If I'm going to buy the product, I'll buy either format.

[PGoodman13]

Originally posted by Don Mappin
In the hobby and games industry hardcover books tend to sell better than softcover ones. You can guess as to the reasons as well as I but the general consensus is that hardcover books are perceived as more "valuable"--hence they sell more copies, even after one considers the price differential. Oh, also, the manufacturing cost to do a hardcover versus a softcover is negligible; however the publisher can mark up the MSRP by $5 simply because it is a hardcover. Sell more units with a greater markup--easy business decision to make.

Oh, I'm not questioning it from a business standpoint, really; I know that their margin is a little higher with a HC book vs a SC book, and as you said, that makes it an easy business decision if the binding costs aren't appreciably higher.

It's more a personal, pragmatic thing to me; it doesn't seem worth the effort if the book is less than, say, 128 pages (it takes at least another couple of signatures to make it thick enough to warrant boards, in my own personal opinion). Ninety-six pages just seems kind of...slim, to me. The question was mostly seeking enlightenment on the reasoning, not questioning their sense or anything. I was, truly, just curious.

Besides, it helps us fat and lazy gamers get in better shape lugging all these books around.

Well, yeah, there is that.... ::hopes his new exercise routine will do something about his pizza gut sooner rather than later::