D&D General TSR D&D sales numbers compiled by Benjamin Riggs

D&D historian Ben Riggs--author of the upcoming Slaying the Dragon, which is a history of TSR-era (not that TSR, the real one) D&D--compiled some sales figures of AD&D 1st Edition's Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide from 1979-1990.

Behold! Some actual D&D sales numbers!

While working on my book #SlayingtheDragon I got a ton of primary source documents containing sales data for D&D. With the book coming out, I've been looking for a way to get that data out into the wide world. I'm going to start making charts, and simply posting them. If people want the raw data, I can post that too, but obviously, charts are prettier.

I'm starting with AD&D 1st ed Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide. You'll notice a crash in the mid-80s, and then the sales peter out with the release of 2nd edition.

The sales point to a fact that I believe hasn't been given enough play in our hobby. Namely, TSR was in a tight spot when Lorraine Williams took over the company from Gary Gygax. If it weren't for Lorraine, D&D may have died in the mid-80s.

Just an idea for your consideration...

Oh, and if you haven't preordered my book on D&D history yet, I'll put a link in the comments.

Go get his book! It’s going to be interesting!

Slaying the Dragon - Macmillan

The secret and untold story of how TSR, the company that created Dungeons & Dragons, was driven into ruin by disastrous management decisions, then ...

read.macmillan.com

 

[darjr]

So in context, is this a smoking gun that TSR was making more money by abusing their contracts with the big book sellers vs actual sales?

I would believe it, but I don't follow your reasoning?

 

[Parmandur]

Part of the dropoff by 1984 is probably because by then most of the people who wanted a PHB and-or DMG had them, either by direct purchase or secondhand somehow.

And I don't think it's a coincidence that sales dropped again after 1985, as that's the year that UA came out; and with UA the game kinda jumped the shark somewhat.

I will say I'm truly surprised that the DMG sold about as many copies as the PH, though; in that in theory there's several players per DM and in theory (as per the marketing) each player was to have their own PH. Seems most groups might have had one or two copies of each book that were shared around the table as needed.

I think it's pretty well established by now that, in the aggregate, that theory is a bust: most books are bought by DMs, per WotC, players borrow them from their DM.

 

[Parmandur]

I don't recall ever being in a (non-online) group where everybody had a copy of the rules. It's always generally been 1-2 PHBs between us.

Same, and WotC has said as much in recent years. That's also behind their consolidated players combined with DM rules approach: a table is probably only going to buy the one book between them, may as well make Xanathar's Guide a unified package to make it easier for the sole book buyer in a group.

 

[darjr]

By 2010 there is some evidence that Paizo sales matched WotC sales.

Top 5 RPGs--Q3 2010

From 'ICv2's Internal Correspondence' #73

icv2.com

Now I'm not sure if it's because Paizo's sales grew to over come WotC sales or if WotC sales dipped below Paizo's. Likely it was a combination of the two, and if so it's a good sign, I think, that WotC sales fell a lot. I know that's a big claim, but I'll add that WotC also drastically changed tactics while Paizo stayed the course. Which seems to telegraph to me that WotC was searching to fix flagging sales while Paizo was happy with theirs but not enough to invest in more of a good thing.

I realize I could be wrong and it's just a guess, really. I'd love to know for sure. And I'm willing to abandon the whole idea.

 

[BenRiggs]

OP here! Thanks to dajr for reposting from Facebook!

FYI I have pretty much all the core books numbers for 1979 through 1999. For settings, I have flagship product numbers, but almost nothing else.
I have almost no novel numbers.

The great exception to this is Dark Sun. For Dark Sun, I have every product, and every novel's sales through '99.

With a book coming out on the 19th on TSR history, I'm planning on dropping a chart a day on D&D sales for the foreseeable future. There is no data I have that I'm planning on sitting on.

 

[darjr]

@BenRiggs

That's amazing. I must admit to being a bit giddy about it.

Also I am as interested in your journey to the discovery of this information as I am in it itself. Do you cover any of that in your new book?

Here's to discovery!

 

[darjr]

OH! the bookplate.

If you preorder by this site you'll get a signed bookplate with art by Jeff Easley.

Promo - Macmillan

Slaying the Dragon Sweepstakes

read.macmillan.com

 

[Ancalagon]

OP here! Thanks to dajr for reposting from Facebook!

FYI I have pretty much all the core books numbers for 1979 through 1999. For settings, I have flagship product numbers, but almost nothing else.
I have almost no novel numbers.

The great exception to this is Dark Sun. For Dark Sun, I have every product, and every novel's sales through '99.

With a book coming out on the 19th on TSR history, I'm planning on dropping a chart a day on D&D sales for the foreseeable future. There is no data I have that I'm planning on sitting on.

the vertical axis is number of unit sold?

 

[vecna00]

OP here! Thanks to dajr for reposting from Facebook!

FYI I have pretty much all the core books numbers for 1979 through 1999. For settings, I have flagship product numbers, but almost nothing else.
I have almost no novel numbers.

The great exception to this is Dark Sun. For Dark Sun, I have every product, and every novel's sales through '99.

With a book coming out on the 19th on TSR history, I'm planning on dropping a chart a day on D&D sales for the foreseeable future. There is no data I have that I'm planning on sitting on.

I am very much interested in all of those!

 

[Sacrosanct]

I was lucky enough to sit in on Ben's presentation at Gary Con. I highly recommend the book of you're a fan of history. Ben came across as very highly researched and thorough, with the receipts and lots of interviews with key people.