One Year Later: D&D 5E PHB & MM Still On NYT Bestseller Lists

It's been year since D&D 5th Edition hit our store shelves (if we're counting the Starter Set); or since August 2014 since the Player's Handbook released. The D&D 5th Edition Monster Manual is hanging in at #7 on the "Games & Activities" bestsellers list at the New York Times, while the Player's Handbook is #3. Although it seems Minecraft has books, which are kicking both their asses. Who knew? (Lots of people, apparently!)

You can see the current list here. A snapshot is below.

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[BryonD]

Amazon is a bit of a double edged sword in this case.

Would these books be selling so well if they were being sold for full price or even full price plus free shipping?

One of the big sellers was the cheap price that Amazon had them down to. It was basically a "if I don't really like it then I haven't lost much in the way of money".

Who cares? The fact that a lot of people are buying shows interest in the TTRPG. That is great.

Seriously, I fully respect that WotC cares. But I still think that "interest in the game" is the key.
If WotC cares about profits on their RPG books, then I'm sure they have accounted for %revenue through online sales in their plans. If WotC just cares about supporting the brand so they can sell action figures and novels, then a unit moved is a unit moved.

They win either way.

 

[delericho]

On the other hand, the classics are really what I want out of the game: Conan, Harry Potter, Batman, Elvis Presley and Gimli descending into Moria.

Sure, and I'd agree that it was absolutely right that 5e included those elements in the core. They're the foundation of the game, and needed to be represented.

But D&D is more than that, now, and the settings that most interest me these days are Eberron, Dark Sun and (some way behind) Spelljammer. So, yeah, I want more. But, of course, YMMV - hopefully, we can both get what we want, when the time is right.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure, and I'd agree that it was absolutely right that 5e included those elements in the core. They're the foundation of the game, and needed to be represented.



But D&D is more than that, now, and the settings that most interest me these days are Eberron, Dark Sun and (some way behind) Spelljammer. So, yeah, I want more. But, of course, YMMV - hopefully, we can both get what we want, when the time is right.

I'll drink to that!

 

[DaveMage]

As TwoSix says, new content doesn't really help with gaining new players (and may actually be counter-productive), but it helps with retaining existing players.

Case in point: I found myself bored with 5e by the time I was halfway through reading the PHB. It's a perfectly fine game, don't get me wrong, and in many ways is just what I'm looking for in a new edition of D&D. But it's a reversion back to the classics again: elves and dwarves, fighters and wizards. Problem is, I was doing all that twenty five years ago with 2nd Ed, I did all that for years with 3e, and it's all a bit old hat by now. Some expanded options would be hugely beneficial; without them, I can't see myself running more than a single 5e campaign.

Yeah, I think it's an issue for long-time players that have loved option-rich editions like 2E and 3E. I haven't played 5E, but I think it's a good game. However, when I read the books, I want to see more. The sorcerer options, for example, are extremely limited. One Monster Manual? Not enough.