ICV2 numbers from GAMA are interesting

[darjr]

Rank	Title	Publisher
1	Dungeons and Dragons	Wizards of the Coast
2	Cosmere	Brotherwise
3	Starfinder	Paizo Press
4	Crooked Moon	Avantris
5	Daggerheart	Darrington Press
6	Pathfinder	Paizo Press
7	Vampire: The Masquerade	Renegade Press
8	Alien RPG	Free League
9	Cyberpunk RED	R. Talsorian
10	Mork Borg	Free League

https://bsky.app/profile/jgraygaming.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3mgvwiij2i224

 

[darjr]

@Morrus

 

[mamba]

What is being measured here? How is Cosmere #2 in Fall 2025, was that even out? According to a quick search it released Mid-November, so at best it barely made it in

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

Well, if it was released mid-quarter, and still made #2. then it apparently had very strong sales.

Doesn't iCV2 measure sales in actual stores - or do I misremember that?

 

[mamba]

Well, if it was released mid-quarter, and still made #2. then it apparently had very strong sales.

Depends on when your Fall and Winter quarters are… would the KS backers count towards that, kinda like preorders? If so, it is not much of a surprise, without that it very much is (to me at least)

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

I don't think KS backers count. They get direct deliveries, and are not sold via stores. I agree though, if the KS backers would figure into this, it's no surprise.

 

[Parmandur]

Depends on when your Fall and Winter quarters are… would the KS backers count towards that, kinda like preorders? If so, it is not much of a surprise, without that it very much is (to me at least)

Nope, these are purely FLGS numbers, so it does not include the Kickstarter, Barnes & Noble, nor Amazon sales. However, these are based on surveys of ICV2 member retailers, not hard numbers, but historically we have taken these fairly seriously (such as in 2013 when Pathfinder ranked number one for a while).

ICV2 is a games retailer trade association information broker, so it is all member FLGS info, mostly about board games and card games.

So what this tells us is that the Stormlight RPG has sold very well in local FLGS stores in the initial release. That is not too surprising, as the backers of the Kickstarter are a pretty small fraction of Sanderson's Fandom, and a lot of people were probably waiting for reviews or the ability to flip through it at a local business. And since the final product is both a great game and a great art object...that crowd probably bought a lot.

 

[Parmandur]

For some context, here are some historical numbers from this:

Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present

This is a compilation of the [URL='http://www.icv2.com']icv2.com[/URL] retailer surveys of Top Five Roleplaying Games. They are generally compiled quarterly (with some exceptions). ICv2 notes that "the chart [are] based on interviews with retailers, distributors, and manufacturers." Also see...

www.enworld.org

Worth noting thst FFG Warhammer & Star Wars plus their generic Genysis system were frequently high up...and the Cosmere RPG is from a lot of he same designers, with a lot of rules influences from FFG.

 

[cranberry]

I think it depends on the timing of release. People are always going to gravitate to the shiny new toy (a newly released game). As a result, a new game will enjoy temporary attention, which may explain why Starfinder was rated above Pathfinder, and Cosmere was number 2.

IMO, games shouldn't be considered until they've been out for a full year. So many new games receive a lot of hype, and then slide into obscurity.

 

[mamba]

IMO, games shouldn't be considered until they've been out for a full year. So many new games receive a lot of hype, and then slide into obscurity.

it should definitely be included in the report, but drawing conclusions from how popular it will end up being is premature.

It will also drastically undercount games like Draw Steel that do not even attempt to get into stores and rather sell directly, which at this point is D&D’s trend too, they are just so big that it does not change their #1 spot (and they still do sell into the channels, they just prefer direct sales)