...so it looks like it's selling pretty darn well!  IIRC, the success of this book was one of the proposed tests to see if 4e is holding up.  And, based on this evidence, it's doing pretty remarkably well.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123812427656154713.html

FWIW, it also hit #28 on the USA Today list.

http://content.usatoday.com/life/books/booksdatabase/default.aspx


(Also, does WSJ putting it on the non-fiction list make the game simulationist?)  

I kid, I kid...

-O

Obryn, you have only proved that 4e is a total failure.

If 4e was truly a success, it would be at #1.   The fourth spot is clearly only for a game that no one actually plays except maybe Abyssal Maw and a few scattered RPGA members who aren't intelligent enough to grasp the greatness of [insert grognard favorite here] and have just fallen for Hasbro's marketing hype.     But what can we expect from an overly complex Candyland not made by true craftsmen?

Either that or the horrifying reign of Fun's cruel Tyranny has only begun!

Quote from: Spinachcat;292902Obryn, you have only proved that 4e is a total failure.

If 4e was truly a success, it would be at #1.   The fourth spot is clearly only for a game that no one actually plays except maybe Abyssal Maw and a few scattered RPGA members who aren't intelligent enough to grasp the greatness of [insert grognard favorite here] and have just fallen for Hasbro's marketing hype.     But what can we expect from an overly complex Candyland not made by true craftsmen?

Either that or the horrifying reign of Fun's cruel Tyranny has only begun!

No, I think it clearly shows that nobody was happy with the first PHB, and everyone needs the material in PHB2 for it to be a complete game.  So the success of PHB2 is a sure sign of 4e's overall failure.



-O

4e's success or failure will not change my negative opinions of it.

Quote from: jswa;2929124e's success or failure will not change my negative opinions of it.

Nor mine.

Plus it is interesting to note that on Amazon.com while the 4E PHB2 is rated at number 1, the 3.5 PHB is rated at number 8. In fact, all three D&D 3.5 Core Rulebooks are still in the Top 50, which is noteworthy since they have all been out since 2003 and are now OOP.

Quote from: jswa;2929124e's success or failure will not change my negative opinions of it.

See, now this is the kind of anti-4e zealotry that I've been complaining about in this thread.  It's like a knee-jerk reaction.  "Someone said something positive about 4e.  I must say something denigrating!"

Quote from: jeff37923Plus it is interesting to note that on Amazon.com while the 4E PHB2 is rated at number 1, the 3.5 PHB is rated at number 8. In fact, all three D&D 3.5 Core Rulebooks are still in the Top 50, which is noteworthy since they have all been out since 2003 and are now OOP.

I'm not too surprised.  The RPG field is fairly narrow, and D&D is a big fish in a small pond.  3.5 is still one of the most popular games being played today, so I'm not surprised Amazon's rankings are reflecting book sales.  I mean, the flip side of this coin is that someone has to sell their 3.5 books in order for someone else to buy them, but it's still movement in the market.

I felt the 4e PHB2's sales were notable, however, since both WSJ and USA Today's rankings are national, rather than comparisons among the narrow field of RPG books.  It's up there with pretty major sellers, outselling the Last Lecture and that Miley Cyrus biography - as well as outselling some top fiction on the USA Today listing.

A lot of this is likely pre-order, but still, it shows there's a real demand for new 4e material.

-O

Quote from: obryn;292922See, now this is the kind of anti-4e zealotry that I've been complaining about in this thread.  It's like a knee-jerk reaction.  "Someone said something positive about 4e.  I must say something denigrating!"

-O

Um, so why did you create a thread about PHB2 rankings anyways?

I think it just shows fanboys are desperate to demonstrate 4E's success.
I wonder how insecure they might feel...

Quote from: jeff37923;292923Um, so why did you create a thread about PHB2 rankings anyways?

Because 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.

Also, 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.

This, 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.

Quote from: Benoist;292925I think it just shows fanboys are desperate to demonstrate 4E's success.
I wonder how insecure they might feel...

Welcome to another fun little Catch-22!  If you post positive news, it must be because you're desperate.  Only negative news shows a lack of desparation!  Your statement is a good example of the kind of zealotry that's harming online gaming discussion.

-O

Quote from: obryn;292928Welcome to another fun little Catch-22!

Absolutely. Which demonstrates how dumb your post was in the first place. If you really realized that people who do not like 4E would not react well to your post, then what reason was there to post it in the first place?

My guess? You just want to "show" how people who happen to disagree with you are stupid, and in so doing, all you're achieving is to show what kind of vengeful, tight-assed person you are.

Quote from: Benoist;292930Absolutely. Which demonstrates how dumb your post was in the first place. If you really realized that people who do not like 4E would not react well to your post, then what reason was there to post it in the first place?

My guess? You just want to "show" how people who happen to disagree with you are stupid, and in so doing, all you're achieving is to show what kind of vengeful, tight-assed person you are.

What?  So nobody on the entire board would be happy to know about it?  Really?  I know there are at least a few who'd be glad to know 4e is selling well - including several people who might not like 4e, but will see it as a positive sign for the hobby.

It's big news, period, whether or not you happen to like the game.

And are you saying I should never post anything that anyone might not like?  Is this the same rule you post by?  You know how silly that is, right?  I was posting some news I found important.  I certainly didn't ask the anti-4e zealots to hop in and threadcrap - they took that duty on themselves.

-O

Quote from: obryn;292931I know there are at least a few who'd be glad to know 4e is selling well - including several people who might not like 4e, but will see it as a positive sign for the hobby.

Sounds good to me. But then I'm a mole inserted by Forge HQ to ensure the destruction of roleplaying as we know it.

There's no question that the success of the PHBII is a major indicator of how successful 4e is overall.  If it ends up resulting that the PHBII sold well, it will be very hard to continue to argue that 4e as a product line is not successful.

RPGPundit

Quote from: obryn;292899...so it looks like it's selling pretty darn well!  IIRC, the success of this book was one of the proposed tests to see if 4e is holding up.  And, based on this evidence, it's doing pretty remarkably well.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123812427656154713.html

FWIW, it also hit #28 on the USA Today list.

http://content.usatoday.com/life/books/booksdatabase/default.aspx


(Also, does WSJ putting it on the non-fiction list make the game simulationist?)  

I kid, I kid...

-O

Cool.

Yay, this hopefully means more RPGs in bookstores again!