RPGNow's (and YGN's) Hot Seller List(s)

Zachary The First · January 09, 2008, 12:46:14 AM

According to RPGNow, this is the list of pdf products there that have sold the most on average over time. Interesting mix, and I thought it might be interesting to post over here for discussion or viewing, since it has a few surprises on it, too.

It's worth noting that breaking the list can be done with newer product; FtA! did, and got as high as 18th, I think. It's maintaining sales after the initial rush that's the trick, so you can take release date into factoring for this as well. It's also why this may not be the best indicator for the long-term popularity of a product without a bit more digging. Fun to browse, is all.

The Top 20, just FYI:

1. Starmada: Admiralty Edition
2. True 20 Adventure Roleplaying
3. Fractal Mapper 7.0
4. Buy The Numbers
5. Fractal Mapper 8.0
6. ePublisher Guide
7. Random Fantasy Adventure Generator
8. e-Adventure Tiles: Volcanic Caves, Vol. 1
9. World on Fire (Spycraft)
10. Medieval Landscapes: Peasant House
11. Complete Spel Cards: Updated
12. Fantasy Grounds: Full License
13. Stan! Presents Kaiju
14. The Imperial Age: London
15. Iron Age (M&M)
16. Tournaments, Fairs, and Taverns
17. D&D, Original Ed.
18. Fractal Mapper 8.0 UPGRADE
19. d20 Status Cards
20. Future Armada: Invictus

Just for fun, here's the Top 10 at Your Games Now, which XRP pretty much is cleaning up on:

1. A Magical Medieval Society: Western European Warfare

2. A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe

3. Phrenic Creations: Memory Crystals

4. Fractal Mapper v8.0

5. 1 on 1 Adventures #1: Gambler's Quest

6. A Magical Society: Silk Road

7. A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture

8. Covert Forces Redux

9. Evil Genius #2: Crime & Punishment

10. Advanced Adventures #3: The Curse of the Witch Head

Caesar Slaad · January 09, 2008, 08:39:33 AM

Starmada? :confused:

It's a boardgame, and the once-boardgamer in me thinks it looks interesting, but I still have never heard of this and have no idea why it would be #1.

Last night when I looked at the hottest seller list, World on Fire was on top. It seems like this list is log averaged over time or something.

Zachary The First · January 09, 2008, 08:44:17 AM

Quote from: Caesar SlaadStarmada? :confused:

It's a boardgame, and the once-boardgamer in me thinks it looks interesting, but I still have never heard of this and have no idea why it would be #1.

Last night when I looked at the hottest seller list, World on Fire was on top. It seems like this list is log averaged over time or something.

Kinda a surprise to me, too. And yeah, it's an average over time, meaning my new shiny Product X might have kickass sales for the first two weeks and shoot up there, only to drop completely off when I average 1 sale a month for the next year.

BASHMAN · January 10, 2008, 03:13:36 AM

Alas! I see BASH! Sci-Fi was bumped from the list.

It is updated every month. Last Month we were in the top 10-- so that confirms that new product (because of its front page exposure) tends to make the top of the list. I was kinda upset on the day that BASH! SF went to launch that rpgnow was down for like 14 hours--- essentially costing me a valuable day on the front page that the people who uploaded the next day got to have...

However, front page exposure is not the end-all be-all of sales. There have been times when BASH! (the original supers game) has appeared back on the top 10 sellers over a year after it was first released (and I am unsure as to why, as I don't spend tons of $ on advertising).

Caesar Slaad · January 10, 2008, 09:08:05 AM

Waitaminnit!

Here's what I saw. For whatever reason, the Drivethrurpg site's hottest list seems to be tracked separately from RPGNow:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/top_100.php

01.   World on Fire
02.   Winter Masques
03.   Adamantine Arrow
04.   Requiem for Rome
05.   World of Darkness: Changing Breeds
06.   Books of Sorcery IV: Roll of Glorious Divinity: Gods & Elementals
07.   Starmada: The Admiralty Edition Core Rulebook
08.   The Imperfect Lotus
09.   Changeling: The Lost
10.   Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereals

For whatever reason, World on Fire is on top there (probably because that's what's linked from the Crafty page.)

Zachary The First · January 10, 2008, 09:29:36 AM

Huh. Little bit different, innit?

Nicephorus · January 10, 2008, 10:17:48 AM

One thing that I've noticed before is that accessories usable by multiple games tend to do decently. Stuff like software, tiles, cardboard figs, and generic addons. Apparently some people are happy with the rulebooks they're using and just want to add to their existing game.

Zachary The First · January 10, 2008, 10:45:36 AM

Quote from: NicephorusOne thing that I've noticed before is that accessories usable by multiple games tend to do decently. Stuff like software, tiles, cardboard figs, and generic addons. Apparently some people are happy with the rulebooks they're using and just want to add to their existing game.

That's been to a large extent noticable in my purchasing habits as of late.

brettmb2 · January 10, 2008, 02:19:12 PM

The list doesn't really tell you much. I've been watching it for years now. It basically shows darlings that tend to sell a ton all at once or REALLY popular mainstream products that sell steadily in high numbers. So while it could gauge popularity, it doesn't account for long-term sales. It's an average over a very short span of time (like a month or so), so new releases tend to be on the list when OBS is the only source (or only promoted source) for that product.