D&D 5E Xanathar's Guide #1 non-fiction bestseller this week

[darjr]

Within the fandom there are a ton of different kinds of products. Some will do well and many won't, and thus not end up being sold by companies.

Many folks who like player content books wan't more of them and are inclined to be curious how well they are doing.

Other than that there are folks who are fascinated by how well the business or hobby is doing. Knowing how well wotc is doing, the 800lbs gorilla, is a key to understanding both.

 

[pogre]

I agree it is does not have much effect on my home game or what I prefer in RPGs. However, for some strange reason, I do find the numbers interesting. So, I cannot explain the fascination with numbers, but I am guilty of it.

 

[CM]

It can be heartening to find out that a thing you like is well-received by others, I suppose?

Wanting to be part of a group is human instinct.

 

[happyhermit]

No, it’s not an economic analysis of the likelihood of more of your fandom being made. Your fandom will continue to be made if its profitable for somebody to make it. The underlying connotation is always about one’s fandom “beating” someone else’s.
...

Nah, that connotation isn't always there, you must be reading it in. Some people just find stuff like this interesting. I got pretty interested in how many board games sold at one point, and there was nothing to "beat" they were just becoming more popular (I suppose theoretically at the cost of something but that wasn't the interesting part) and the numbers weren't easily available. I certainly wouldn't argue that the most popular board games are "better" than ones I like, same goes for TTRPGs.

If anything the ICV2 charts and rankings you have done are closer to a "who's fun is beating who's" (though that certainly isn't why I find them interesting and I wouldn't ascribe that motivation to others) than talking about how many copies a book sells in relation to non game books or similar books from the past or just the total number of people who bought the book. I find it interesting in many ways and none of them are "nyah nyah my game is better".

 

[Parmandur]

Nah, that connotation isn't always there, you must be reading it in. Some people just find stuff like this interesting. I got pretty interested in how many board games sold at one point, and there was nothing to "beat" they were just becoming more popular (I suppose theoretically at the cost of something but that wasn't the interesting part) and the numbers weren't easily available. I certainly wouldn't argue that the most popular board games are "better" than ones I like, same goes for TTRPGs.

If anything the ICV2 charts and rankings you have done are closer to a "who's fun is beating who's" (though that certainly isn't why I find them interesting and I wouldn't ascribe that motivation to others) than talking about how many copies a book sells in relation to non game books or similar books from the past or just the total number of people who bought the book. I find it interesting in many ways and none of them are "nyah nyah my game is better".

Exactly.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I'm worried about the fact that it's non-fiction. Is there something we should know?

Shhhhh! Don't let Xanathar know he's fictional, or bad things might happen!

"No, no, Mr Xanathar! You most certainly are a real beholder! I never meant to imply...."

<ZAP>

 

[darjr]

Who else in the rpg business publishes how many books they sell? Maybe we can work backwords to the various rankings and nail down a few things.

 

[Nikosandros]

No, it’s not an economic analysis of the likelihood of more of your fandom being made. Your fandom will continue to be made if its profitable for somebody to make it. The underlying connotation is always about one’s fandom “beating” someone else’s.

See IPhone vs Android; DC vs Marvel; D&D vs ... eh, all other games. There is no danger that any of these things will stop being made.

I'm interested in those kind of numbers. I have no interest in some fandom beating another.... I'm not even a huge 5e fan (I find it a nice game, but I'm not crazy about it). I find it fascinating that it is selling so well (this comparison is not to other RPGs, but to books in general) and I find it a worthwhile topic. A few other seem to agree, many others do not and, luckily, there are plenty of other more interesting threads for them...

 

[MoonSong]

I have a different reason to care about those numbers. I like the book, I like the content, I want to use it in play. The more people buying it, the more players I can potentially play it with...

 

[Nikosandros]

I will also add that this result for Xanathar is only one of the many indicators that we're getting and they all point in the same direction: 5e is doing extremely well and is actively attracting new players. THis in not only interesting, it's also very good for the hobby in general and not only for WotC's bottom line.