D&D 5E (2014) 5th edition driving people back to 1st/2nd edition.

[hejtmane]

I am an old school D&D and 1e player while I like some things about 1E there are things i really like about 5E. I am staying with 5E because overall it has been great. Story arcs etc are pretty easy to convert just sub monster, characters and some gold/magic items

 

[seebs]

You talk about sales rankings but you don't go into detail as to these figures.

No, I don't. Because I don't actually care. I'm willing to accept the apparent widespread success at face value. You're the one trying to convince people that the game isn't doing well. Show your work!

You can't really rely on rankings because exactly who are they in competition with? Also, yes people have purchased the game. It's a new edition and people do have to buy it to get the full effect but who's to say they are not buying it and then deciding to go back to another edition after they've played it?

I dunno. I certainly haven't, and wouldn't under any conceivable circumstances. I'd stick with this one, it's a better game.

All new editions sell well in the beginning.

I don't think that's really true, though. My understanding is that 4e sales weren't as strong to begin with, and 5e sales have (apparently?) stayed relatively strong.

But you're the one saying it's not doing well. Where's your evidence? You handwave a lot, and I don't think I've seen a single concrete number from you in any of these threads.

 

[Jester David]

Those are games that are talked about so I'm not sure how that confirms anything beyond people are discussing these games.

People are discussing those games, but are discussing them significantly less than 5e, and people are talking about 1e less and there is no drop in 5e discussion. People are talking about OD&D far more than either 1e or 2e (almost combined).

You might want to try something else if you are trying to prove me wrong.

Well... as mentioned there's the Hot Games chart.
There's also that D&D is still at the top of the Games chart of amazon.com (and .ca), well ahead of Pathfinder. And not just the Core Rulebooks, but also Curse of Strahd. Unlike the 4e era where Pathfinder and used copies of the 3.5e books were outselling the 4e books.
Curse of Strahd was also hit pretty high on a few book sales charts.

It's been almost two years after release and 5e is still hanging atop the charts. It's sustaining its sales despite the lack of releases and continued competition from other publishers.
It's not just a hit, it's a huge hit.

Keep in mind, at this point during 3e's lifespan, WotC had already announced 3.5. And during 4e, they had announced Essentials.

While a few people in your immediate area might be trying other games (either switching or as a break), this does not seem to reflect larger, world-wide trends where 5e is doing quite well.

 

[darilon]

Our group has been playing 5e and enjoying it. Many of us are old as dirt (at least three of us started back in the 1970's with the original three books and chain mail to give you some perspective). We like the rules, although I think some of it is over simplified, the playability is great. It's more balanced than AD&D, but also lacks some of the fun quirks of it. There really aren't any 'crap' classes and none that are really overpowered (other than my halfling bard, but I'm sure that's just a wiley veteran playing his character, right?) This is really the first edition after AD&D I've thought worthy of spending the time playing a full campaign with. I do miss all the crazy house rule versions of D&D from back before AD&D though. The original rules were so poorly written you could interpret them in a lot of different and wonderful ways.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Something I've noticed in my area is that people are dropping their 5th edition games and going back to playing 1st/2nd edition games... Is this becoming a trend? .

I certainly haven't noticed anything like that.

What I've noticed is more older players at my FLGS, coming back to D&D after a long absence, or after playing old-school D&D in insular groups or at a convention once a year or the like.

5e very self-consciously calls back to TSR-era D&D, of course.

I suppose you might be seeing 1e/2e players trying out 5e for a while, then returning to 1e/2e. Afterall, as much as it is 'like' those older eds, the older eds were already there.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Wizards has gone on record to say that it was their most successful launch (of a new D&D edition) ever. They just won't give specific numbers.

In the 2014 Annual Report it was one of their lines whose success helped compensate for shortfalls in other lines. 2015 report isn't out yet.

 

[darjr]

On the contrary I see folks moving to 5e.

This also reminds me about a fairly new podcast by some old school podcasters talking about using 5e for old school gaming.

The Path of Legends

http://pathoflegends.tsrpn.com

 

[werecorpse]

Not IME.
(edit: I mean people arent moving to 1 or 2e)

I used to convert 1&2e adventures to 3e when we played that. Now I convert them to 5e.

 

[Queer Venger]

What sales?

Do you have any data to show this? All I see is an edition that has managed to have a lot less overhead because of the slow release. I don't see this as confirming anything really. Profits don't always mean something is selling well.

Really?? then what does, please educate us?

http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2015-08-09/games-and-activities/list.html

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Fantasy-Gaming/zgbs/books/16211

http://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/33911/top-5-roleplaying-games-fall-2015

 

[Maxperson]

Wizards has gone on record to say that it was their most successful launch (of a new D&D edition) ever. They just won't give specific numbers.

I wouldn't trust any corporation that doesn't give the numbers. The spin corporations use is as bad as politicians. The "most successful" could mean anything. All they have to do is set some weird criteria and if it meets it, it's the most successful ever since none of the other editions did that.

Just as an example, the 5e PHB and DMG retail for $50 each or $100 for the pair. The 3e DMG and PHB combined at $50, so one set of 5e books would be the same dollar wise as 2 sets of 3e books. 3e could have been wildly more successful in units sold (and so more players bought it), but still not be as successful in dollars brought in. Which is it? We have no idea. It could be some third, fourth or fifth criteria they came up with.