From Forgotten Realms to Red Steel: Here's That Full D&D Setting Sales Chart

Whether this will end a thousand internet arguments or fuel another thousand, Ben Riggs, author of Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons, has finally published the combined chart of cumulative sales for every AD&D setting from 1979 to 1999.

Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Oriental Adventures, and Dragonlance lead the pack. The least selling setting was Red Steel in 1994. There was a clear decline in sales of all settings from 1989 onwards, so that's not necessary a comment on quality. Planescape, certainly a cult favourite, sold surprisingly few copies.

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

In order, the best-selling settings were:

1. Forgotten Realms
2. Greyhawk
3. Oriental Adventures
4. Dragonlance
5. Ravenloft
6. Dark Sun
7. Spelljammer
8. Lankhmar
9. Al-Qadim
10. Planescape
11. Birthright
12. Maztica
13. Karameikos
14. Red Steel

These stats were compiled as part of his research into his book, Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons, which you should totally buy.

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

Let's dive into some individual sales charts! Note, these are for the primary setting product, not for additional adventures, supplements, etc.

 

[Sacrosanct]

No Dragonlance was a setting with rules for its specific classics and priests. .

So did OA. It was a setting that has new class and race rules. Exactly like Dragonlance.

 

[ART!]

I'm not well-versed in these things, but I'm surprised how relatively close in sales Greyhawk did compared to FR. GH had the advantage of being the first setting, and FR had the advantage of coming out at the height of AD&D, when D&D had become very popular.

Oriental Adventures came out in that same period, and I remember how exciting it was, opening up a whole new world of possibilities.

 

[Mannahnin]

So did OA. It was a setting that has new class and race rules. Exactly like Dragonlance.

I would say that OA goes a bit further, as it basically replaces the existing AD&D classes entirely, whereas DA supplements them.

That being said, I agree that they're pretty similar. Both had a lot of mechanical content, in addition to being setting books.

 

[Jer]

I'm not well-versed in these things, but I'm surprised how relatively close in sales Greyhawk did compared to FR. GH had the advantage of being the first setting, and FR had the advantage of coming out at the height of AD&D, when D&D had become very popular.

One of the major Greyhawk products - the Greyhawk Folio - is missing and would have pushed Greyhawk even higher if it were included.

But FR didn't come out at AD&D's height - at least sales wise. These numbers suggest that AD&D's height of sales was between 1980 and 1984 - with the Greyhawk boxed set coming out at the end of AD&D's biggest sales era. Another reason to think that if the Greyhawk Folio numbers were known they'd likely be very high since it was published in 1980 just as AD&D coming out and entering that 80-84 high sales period.

 

[Bedrockgames]

i remember playing Shogun in 86 when it came out. i never made the connection until now. 80's were also big with people buying throwing stars and other weapons of that market

There was a huge boom in this stuff at that time. The shotgun (edit: SHOGUN lol) miniseries is one of the shows I have my first memories of watching (think it aired in like 81). I am pretty sure that helped kick off a lot of interest. There was a ton of interest in karate, samurai, and ninja (the whole ninja craze thing was in full swing). I remember seeing a bunch of ninja movies like Pray for Death in the mid 80s. The Karate Kid was 84. And like you say there were throwing stars and other weapons at flee markets and stores (I remember kids making paper throwing stars being a big thing). Ninja costumes were pretty common at Halloween.

And in general the 80s pop culture was filled with an interest in traditional martial arts. Even a movie like Commando you see Arnold doing forms with his daughter at the beginning (not to mention any random Chuck Norris or Van Damme movie). Even Taekwondo had Best of the Best

 

[Reynard]

One of the major Greyhawk products - the Greyhawk Folio - is missing and would have pushed Greyhawk even higher if it were included.

But FR didn't come out at AD&D's height - at least sales wise. These numbers suggest that AD&D's height of sales was between 1980 and 1984 - with the Greyhawk boxed set coming out at the end of AD&D's biggest sales era. Another reason to think that if the Greyhawk Folio numbers were known they'd likely be very high since it was published in 1980 just as AD&D coming out and entering that 80-84 high sales period.

At the same time, we can see that Greyhawk never regained its position -- probably because of the situation with gygax and Williams and that whole mess. I think folks that are clamoring for a Greyhawk resurgence are mostly a loud minority and don't imagine a modern Greyhawk book would a) be a particularly strong seller compared to FR or Eberron, or b) make many old fans happy given how much would likely be changed.

 

[LoganRan]

I think it might be a little unfair, since OA isn't just a setting book but an actual rules manual.

True but IIRC Dragonlance Advnentures was also a source book with a lot of new rules (I think I had that product). Personally, I attribute OA's popularity (I did NOT own OA) to the fact that it seemed like Kung Fu and Ninjas were very much a "thing" at that time.

 

[Jer]

don't imagine a modern Greyhawk book would... make many old fans happy given how much would likely be changed.

This is why I keep thinking that even though the 50th anniversary is a good point for Wizards to do a Greyhawk thing, it's also impossible for me to think of a Greyhawk thing they could do that wouldn't make older fans angry while also bringing new people to the setting who have never cared about it and also being a meaningful anniversary celebration thing. Anything they do is likely going to either be like poking a bear or fall flat - it seems impossible that they'd be able to thread that needle.

 

[darjr]

Darksun Novel Sales

D&D General - Darksun novel sales! From Ben Riggs.

I have my Darksun novels sitting in the bookshelf right next to me now. Just took them out again, may read them. Actual! Dark Sun novel! Sales numbers! TSR alumni are cultural treasures and gaming icons. One point that a lot of TSR alumni have been making on my posts is that while setting sales...

www.enworld.org

 

[Mark Craddock]

Oriental Adventures at #3 was surprising to me. It was published before I got into 2E so I had no frame of reference.