Pox Harbinger Sale

Octopi just announced a Pox Harbinger "sale" through the month of September and maybe through October, as long as it takes to sell thousands of Harbingers. I am really let down by the way this sale has been implemented. It began on Friday 9/5/08, and apparently only four Harbingers of each faction were stocked in the Rune Store. By the time I got home from work, only the SP Harbinger was in stock, at a cost of $96 each.

First of all, let me say that I already own two SP Pox Harbingers from a previous sale. I don't use them that often, but they are nice. Not exactly game-winning runes, but they are fun to play and fairly powerful. So you are not hearing the complaining voice of a bitter have-not...

I would like two more Harbingers, one each for two other factions that I play. But I work during the week, and Octopi does not work on the weekends. That have already stated that they will restock Harbingers every Friday. Why Friday, when most people who can afford a Harbinger are at work, not playing Pox Nora? Because it artificially inflates demand for the weekend. If they restock four Harbingers per faction every Friday, and they start at say, $50 each, after a few sell on Friday, the remaining runes will be $100 for the weekend, when more people will log in to play and or buy runes. If they restocked twenty Harbingers each time, there would be enough that on Saturday you could buy one for maybe $60 which is more affordable. Octopi does not intend for everyone to have a Pox Harbinger, and they want as much money as possible, so this sale works well for them.

Octopi is really treading a fine line between pleasing its customers, financing its active game development, angering customers, and outright greed.

Unfortunately, Octopi's use of artificial supply and demand will cause pricing to be very high for the Harbingers. Maybe after weeks of being on sale, demand will slack off and they will be available at or below $50. But this is still a ton of money for one virtual rune among 600 others in a game with active development where new units are generally better or more powerful than the old.

$50 still buys you a lot these days - another computer game for example, like the Half-Life 2: Orange Box which you would be hard-pressed to argue is not a better value by far and in the long run than a single Pox Harbinger rune. Even in the game of Pox Nora, some good exotic champions cost only $10, like Kilzik, a Jakei Elder, or a Draksar Lord. Is a single Harbinger worth 4-5 of these runes? As for me, I think the maximum value of the Pox Harbinger is $50, and I would not pay more.

Some Pro's and Con's of Octopi's Pox Harbinger Sale methodology:

Pro's:

- Harbingers available for sale again in large numbers.
- Contest to give away one Harbinger / faction / week based on expansion rune pack purchases.
- New players can purchase Harbingers, once the elite runes of original players only.

Cons:

- Extremely limited restocking of 4 Harbingers per faction per week introduces massive artificial demand due to virtual short-supply.
- Restocking every Friday ensures short supply by Saturday and Sunday, prime shopping hours for consumers who work or go to school weekdays, thus ensuring high cost for Harbingers.
- High cost of rune ($50+) is cost-prohibitive for many players.
- Power creep of new expansion runes (more archers, titans, ranged counters) make Harbingers less powerful than originally.
- Estimating a minimal cost of $50 for Harbingers, this single rune costs $4-5 times more than other good exotics and is not 4-5 times better, only rarer.
- Collectible nature of the game is somewhat suspect since it is a digital medium that expires forever the day Octopi ends support for the game, unlike physical collectibles like AD&D, Magic: The Gathering, or Warhammer figures which may be enjoyed forever even after the company goes out of business. The value in the collectible aspect of the game just isn't what it could be.
- Previous players who amassed early Harbingers which skyrocketed in value due to scarcity will be miffed to see their valuable $500-$2500 (estimated) runes drop to a $50 rune with thousands being restocked according to Octopi.
- Changing rune availability, artificially controlling supply, and power creep lead to extremely diminishing returns on rune investments, which is not good for long term collecting.
- No limited edition numbered print runs - unlike art prints, Steiff teddy bears, Hummels, or any other collectible available in a limited print run - Octopi continues to refuse customers requests (many threads in the forums) for numbered print runes on LE runes. This is a smoke and mirrors approach that does not inspire confidence and trust from consumers whose investments become devalued when an unavailable rune (like the Pox Harbinger) becomes available again.
Other companies "destroy the mold" or completely stop production on limited editions, preserving a customer's investment, respecting the "limited edition" premise upon which their sales are based, and add value for the consumer by creating investment quality collectibles.

Update (9/10/08): Octopi restocked the Harbingers on Sunday 9/7/08, allowing for some lucky weekend players to purchase one without paying the inflated pre-weekend prices. This is a step in a positive direction, but for the last few days no additional restock has occurred, leaving one to wonder whether Octopi intends to sell or just taunt customers with out of stock runes.