AD&D Settings Sales Comparison 79-98

I know there have been a lot of these threads, and I'm holding off on any kind of overarching summary/compilation article until they're all in, but this one in particular jumped out at me. Again, this is from Ben Riggs, author of Slaying the Dragon, a history of TSR-era D&D, going out next month.

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

This graph shows a number of legacy settings and the total sales of their core setting product. Forgotten Realms is, of course, the top one. Interestingly, the other two settings that WotC has revisited in 5E -- Ravenloft and Spelljammer -- are near the bottom of the chart.

Ben says he will be providing the remaining settings tomorrow, and I'll update this post with those when he does.

1. Forgotten Realms
2. Greyhawk
3. Dragonlance
4. Ravenloft
5. Dark Sun
6. Spelljammer

 

[Parmandur]

Ah. Ok. But my question still applies to core products. From the ashes is not included? FR 1e or 2e? RL had 2 core boxes over the decade and one setting book. And it's still not controlled by time. Just saying maybe DS would fare better taking the confusor variables into account. I would love to have a look at the data.

Which books are counted has been included in each posting. Greyhawk includes From the Ashes (which bombed), Greyhawk Adventures, and and original box set (but not the Folio). Forgotten Realms includes the Grey Box, FR Adventures, and the revised 2E box set.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

EDIT: Okay, here's one variable I overlooked: time. Sales of all settings seem to have tanked in the mid or late 80s and into the 90s, so some of these might be just victims of a down market.

Thread on sales trends through the years

This was my first thought, while a rising tide lifts all boats, as the tide goes out, so do sales... (or something)

 

[Mannahnin]

All of the rules sets included Mystara setting material. The Rules Cyclopedia had a whole chapter about Mystara.

The Basic sets had zero setting info, right? I also don't remember much of anything in my copies of Companion, Master, or Immortals, and even Expert is just really the setting map.

If the RC has a whole chapter, I think you've got a much better case there.

 

[Reynard]

The Basic sets had zero setting info, right? I also don't remember much of anything in my copies of Companion, Master, or Immortals, and even Expert is just really the setting map.

If the RC has a whole chapter, I think you've got a much better case there.

I just flipped through my Expert rulebook. it has a couple pages on threshold, plus a larger map. If I recall, The Isle of Dread that came with also had a couple pages. But there is significantly more information in the RC.

 

[darjr]

I dint think you can include Basic set sales as Mystara sales. Some of those were before Mystara existed as a thing.

And if that were the case then the 1e core books would count as Greyhawk and Blackmoor, so would the grey, white and Holmes editions.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

I dint think you can include Basic set sales as Mystara sales. Some of those were before Mystara existed as a thing.

And if that were the case then the 1e core books would count as Greyhawk and Blackmoor, so would the grey, white and Holmes editions.

Only Holmes Basic was before Mystara/Known World.

 

[Reynard]

Only Holmes Basic was before Mystara/Known World.

That doesn't change the fact that neither Basic nor Expert book was a campaign setting.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

The Basic sets had zero setting info, right? I also don't remember much of anything in my copies of Companion, Master, or Immortals, and even Expert is just really the setting map.

If the RC has a whole chapter, I think you've got a much better case there.

Moldvay Basic had the Haunted Keep, which was placed in Karameikos. Mentzer Basic had the Caves west of town and Castle Mistamere, both of which were located in Karameikos. And the later print runs of Modules B1 and B2 were set in Karameikos.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

That doesn't change the fact that neither Basic nor Expert book was a campaign setting.

The Expert boxed sets did include a campaign setting: Threshold, Karameikos, and the D&D Continent (aka the Known World). Just not as many pages of setting as the WOG or FR set.

And the Basic sets featured locales from that campaign setting.

 

[Reynard]

The Expert boxed sets did include a campaign setting: Threshold, Karameikos, and the D&D Continent (aka the Known World). Just not as many pages of setting as the WOG or FR set.

And the Basic sets featured locales from that campaign setting.

I get that you like the setting but it seems weird to want to literally change the definition of "campaign setting" as a product type just to give your favorite a boost.