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PHB2 hit #4 on the WSJ Non-Fiction list...

Started by obryn, March 27, 2009, 11:45:53 PM

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Spellslinging Sellsword

#45
March 30, 2009, 02:15:25 PM
Quote from: paris80;293187What about 3.0 vs 4e? Any good data there?

Player's Handbook
Entered Top 150: 8/17/2000
Peak Position: 45
Weeks on Top 150: 3

Dungeon Master's Guide
Entered Top 150: 9/21/2000
Peak Position: 58
Weeks on Top 150: 2

Monster Manual
Entered Top 150: 10/26/2000
Peak Position: 58
Weeks on Top 150: 2

Abyssal Maw

#46
March 30, 2009, 02:30:00 PM
An interesting detail on that:

The 3.0 core books were released a month or so apart, so you couldn't get them all at once.

The original plan was to do the 3.5 books the same way, but eventually they relented and put them out all at once.

4.0 was the same way 3.5 was, everything came out at the same time.
Download Secret Santicore! (10MB). I painted the cover :)

Benoist

#47
March 30, 2009, 02:34:37 PM
Yes but, in addition to the fact 3.5 was not a new edition per se, there already was a controversy ongoing about 3.5, whether people needed it, whether it was just a quick buck for WotC, how it impacted third-party publishers, etc.

I.e., I'm not sure these sales ranks are actually comparable, all things considered.

Koltar

#48
March 30, 2009, 11:25:33 PM
AGAIN FOLKS,...Its a good thing that a D&D book is notable on a national bestseller list. It doesn't matter if you like 4th edition or not. What matters is that an RPG book is selling big numbers and being noticed by a national publication and audience.

 That is a Good Thing.

- Ed C.
The return of \'You can\'t take the Sky From me!\'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUn-eN8mkDw&feature=rec-fresh+div

This is what a really cool FANTASY RPG should be like :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-WnjVUBDbs

Still here, still alive, at least Seven years now...

jeff37923

#49
March 30, 2009, 11:26:41 PM
Quote from: Koltar;293337AGAIN FOLKS,...Its a good thing that a D&D book is notable on a national bestseller list. It doesn't matter if you like 4th edition or not. What matters is that an RPG book is selling big numbers and being noticed by a national publication and audience.

 That is a Good Thing.

- Ed C.

Unless those who bought it want their money back...
"Meh."

Koltar

#50
March 30, 2009, 11:40:47 PM
Oh - and I'm obviously NOT a D&D 4/e apologist or zealot.
Hell, just look at my user subtitle.


- Ed C.
The return of \'You can\'t take the Sky From me!\'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUn-eN8mkDw&feature=rec-fresh+div

This is what a really cool FANTASY RPG should be like :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-WnjVUBDbs

Still here, still alive, at least Seven years now...

Malleus Arianorum

#51
March 31, 2009, 04:32:19 AM
Quote from: obryn;292928Because it's pretty big news for a gaming book to be one of the top sellers, competing with both fiction and non-gaming nonfiction. Wouldn't you say so? Generally, gaming books don't even hit the charts.
A brief spike and sudden death is a typical fate for insular audiences. It represents all the fans lining up for opening day followed by a failure to engage the general audience. The Sex in the City movie is a recent example of this phenomenon.
 
QuoteAlso, there was a general feeling in some communities that the success of the 4e corebooks might not last - that is, that a great many people bought on brand name alone and that dissatisfaction was widespread. Supplement sales - particularly supplements like PHB2 - are about as good a market indicator as you can find, because (presumably) it's mainly being purchased by people who are playing or highly interested in playing a 4e game.
The corebooks are still the ones to watch for meauring the size of the playerbase -- PHB1 is essential like a video game whereas the PHB2 is supplimental like an expansion pack. Expansion packs never outsell the original videogame.
 
QuoteThis, of course, says nothing about what kind of games anyone should or shouldn't enjoy. But, for those curious about the gaming market in relation to 4e, it's a fairly telling data point. It's a positive indicator for the entire hobby, I'd say.
The PHB(1+n) books are a great from a marketing standpoint. They create buzz and are a good excuse for people to get back into the game. It's also good value for those who want more player content without collecting all the suppliments.
That\'s pretty much how post modernism works. Keep dismissing details until there is nothing left, and then declare that it meant nothing all along. --John Morrow
 
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