D&D 5E (2014) Amazon US book sales rank.

[EthanSental]

PHB at 1193 at $41. Highest I’ve seen it for a while.

View attachment 380180

839 this morning for the 2014….2024 rank May update Tuesday since it will be a full week, just a guess on that though.

 

[mamba]

Every new edition comes with shed loads of criticism. But the only one were people followed through and jumped ship was 4e.

the polls never showed a mass rejection, there will always be people critical of it and not buying / using it however.

4e also was adopted initially and had great sales, but it was then abandoned fast and sales fell off a cliff. I am not expecting anything like that to happen with 2024 but it does show that good initial sales aren’t everything

 

[mearls]

839 this morning for the 2014….2024 rank May update Tuesday since it will be a full week, just a guess on that though.

We won't see a ranking for the 2024 PHB. I need to check with friends I have at Amazon to figure out how that happens, but the book's listing is not configured to show a sales rank.

We can infer where it is based on the number of reviews and by looking at Barnes & Noble, which does list a ranking.

At B&N, the sales ranking peaked at 12 on Wednesday, dropped to 28 on Thursday, to 32 on Friday, and is at 45 as I type this.

I think the PHB hit the same rankings at Amazon, based on the number of ratings it has received. I've tracked a few other releases from 9/17 that have sales rankings to use as comparison points.

It's also worth nothing that neither Walmart nor Target carry the new PHB. Both look like they have dropped the D&D product line. eBay prices show a little softness in demand, but nothing troubling. No one is liquidating stock, but it also doesn't command the premium of a hard to find product.

(Edit about eBay: As I was writing this, a seller who had the limited edition PH listed for $100 just dropped their price to $55. I need to do a little research and see if this is a manual update or if there are market analysis tools that vendors can use to drive pricing.)

Roll20 is the most interesting one to look at. The 2024 core rule bundle is at 6 on their top sellers list. The PHB is at 17.

Distributors and retailers are mixed. I've seen two general stories emerge. Some are doing very well with it, others have seen it lineup with a general downward trend in D&D sales over the past two years.

I track all this stuff as part of my day job, and also for clients I work with who are looking to move into TTRPGs. So, what do I think this all means?

I think TTRPGs as an overall market remains healthy. People want cool new stuff and are willing to pay good money for it. The new PHB isn't generating the wave of interest we saw in 2014, but I think that reflects WotC's poor business decisions over the past few years combined with a one-two punch of a terrible marketing campaign for 2024 pushing a nonsensical product plan.

The Roll20 ranking is the most interesting one to me, and points back to the product plan's weakness. Just what exactly are people supposed to play with the new rules? I think that alone is a huge barrier to entry.

Which is all a pity, because there is great stuff in the PHB and it deserves an audience.

 

[Parmandur]

We won't see a ranking for the 2024 PHB. I need to check with friends I have at Amazon to figure out how that happens, but the book's listing is not configured to show a sales rank.

Yeah, Paizo has done that with Pathfinder for years, for whatever reason.

Just what exactly are people supposed to play with the new rules?

I mean, same stuff as the old rules, it's all compatible.

 

[mearls]

I mean, same stuff as the old rules, it's all compatible.

You and I both know that, but I think it's more complicated than it looks.

For a lot of people, the PHB or the core rulebooks are their only purchases. Having a new adventure for retailers to sell when they come into the store helps get people playing and gives stores another product to sell.

I also think that the new options in the PHB really need a different approach to adventure design. It feels more like 4e in terms of using terrain and giving space for forced movement, more maneuverability, and so on. Ideally, a new adventure would show that stuff off. I hope the DMG tackles this.

 

[Parmandur]

You and I both know that, but I think it's more complicated than it looks.

Oh, for sure: perception can be way more powerful than anything.

Even though the designers demonstrated vompatability by releasing everything in UA, even hardcore players kept insisting online thst the compatability was just marketing speak. And stating repeatedly that everything is compatible in the middle of marketing promos won't necessarily convince anyone.

 

[mearls]

Oh, for sure: perception can be way more powerful than anything.

Even though the designers demonstrated vompatability by releasing everything in UA, even hardcore players kept insisting online thst the compatability was just marketing speak. And stating repeatedly that everything is compatible in the middle of marketing promos won't necessarily convince anyone.

I think that ties back into the marketing issues. The new PHB is very clear on how to use old subclasses with the new stuff, and it's really simple. Why not just make a video showing someone making a character with a 2014 subclass and a 2024 core class? It would be easy and clear to everyone.

 

[bedir than]

Both look like they have dropped the D&D product line.

Targets throughout King County Washington still have D&D product spaces (including compatible products). Based on the empty shelf labeled "starter set" I'm assuming they're out of the now out-of-print box

 

[EthanSental]

I searched for the PHB, 2014/2024 on target.com and neither come up to purchase right now but the 2014 DMG and MM do. Someone want to double check my search skills and verify either way?

 

[Parmandur]

I searched for the PHB, 2014/2024 on target.com and neither come up to purchase right now but the 2014 DMG and MM do. Someone want to double check my search skills and verify either way?

They could be between liquidating the older book and stocking the new one.

I checked what is available for pick-up locally at the nearby Target on the App, and it is the artbooks and such.