Vb Wyrde I get what you are saying (I work in design, so I know all about having my work devalued), but I guess I just want to point out this:

But other creators actually hope/want/need to make a living from their craft.

One of the points made back in the old Forge days was that no one should expect to make a living from creating RPGs, arguably because virtually no one ever has.

So, I’m not saying RPGs aren’t worth paying for, I’m just saying they are in a weird space where it’s arguable that no one should expect they are worth paying for.

Let me admit that I’m on the verge of Devil’s advocacy here, and am not trying to be a dick or anything. This whole question is just thorny, and the totally fucked-up-ness seen in the history of RPG publishing just makes it even worse.