D&D General Ben Riggs Shares 2001 D&D 3.0 Core Book Sales.

[Zardnaar]

4e Essentials felt more like an attempt to do some sort of course correction. 3.5 can be perceived as a cash grab. The total rules update for 3.0 could have been done slowly over the life of the edition I would think. 3e seem like it had legs.

Longest lasting in print if you count Pathfinder.

B/X kinda depending on how you count it eg last product vs officially canceled or Holmes to 1996 etc.

 

[Alzrius]

Longest lasting in print if you count Pathfinder.

B/X kinda depending on how you count it eg last product vs officially canceled or Holmes to 1996 etc.

Holmes is different enough that it's its own thing by almost any measure. Now, B/X -> BECMI -> Rules Cyclopedia is much more of a matter of splitting hairs; personally I count B/X as distinct, and the Rules Cyclopedia as being just a compilation and editing of BECMI (or at least the BECM part; the "I" got its update in Wrath of the Immortals), but I'm not sure how well I could defend that view if pressed.

 

[Parmandur]

Holmes is different enough that it's its own thing by almost any measure. Now, B/X -> BECMI -> Rules Cyclopedia is much more of a matter of splitting hairs; personally I count B/X as distinct, and the Rules Cyclopedia as being just a compilation and editing of BECMI (or at least the BECM part; the "I" got its update in Wrath of the Immortals), but I'm not sure how well I could defend that view if pressed.

In standard publishing industry parlance, those are all "editions" even BeCMI to RC.

 

[Zardnaar]

Holmes is different enough that it's its own thing by almost any measure. Now, B/X -> BECMI -> Rules Cyclopedia is much more of a matter of splitting hairs; personally I count B/X as distinct, and the Rules Cyclopedia as being just a compilation and editing of BECMI (or at least the BECM part; the "I" got its update in Wrath of the Immortals), but I'm not sure how well I could defend that view if pressed.

That but 3.0, 3.5, Pathfinder similar thing.

 

[Lanefan]

Are those sales numbers in the charts showing worldwide sales, or just for the USA, or for USA-Canada combined, or ... ?

 

[GuardianLurker]

I too, am shocked at calling 1E a "cash-grab", though the explanation does fit - I would have also tagged 4E Essentials instead of 4E proper.

Thinking about it, coming from B/X I'd throw BECMI & Rules Cyclopedia into the cash grab arena, as BECMI came out so quickly on the heels of B/X (at least, in my view) that they never made the promised Companion set for B/X.

Point of Fact, I have the Companion (& Masters!) Boxed Sets (somewhere...). But somehow missed the Immortals set. As for the Rules Cyclopedia, I regarded it then (and still do) as a purely end-of-life/line product. And a very good summary of the BECM product line. (So maybe a cash grab, but a worthy one.)

 

[Zardnaar]

Point of Fact, I have the Companion (& Masters!) Boxed Sets (somewhere...). But somehow missed the Immortals set. As for the Rules Cyclopedia, I regarded it then (and still do) as a purely end-of-life/line product. And a very good summary of the BECM product line. (So maybe a cash grab, but a worthy one.)

I kind of regard RC as a compilation vs cash grab. Kinda like 3.5 Spell Compendium or whatever.

I would rather use that than 4 boxed sets.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Point of Fact, I have the Companion (& Masters!) Boxed Sets (somewhere...). But somehow missed the Immortals set.

Likewise, of my BECMI collection, the only set that's not my original one, is the Immortals set. I suspect that this is not uncommon, and is a result of the idea that Basic D&D existed as a pipeline to get players to AD&D. By the time we reached the Masters set (or earlier, depending), people started feeling ready to tackle AD&D.

 

[Parmandur]

Likewise, of my BECMI collection, the only set that's not my original one, is the Immortals set. I suspect that this is not uncommon, and is a result of the idea that Basic D&D existed as a pipeline to get players to AD&D. By the time we reached the Masters set (or earlier, depending), people started feeling ready to tackle AD&D.

Based on WotC modern data on the Levels people mostly play, it seems most tables end campaigns in Expert Levels, per the conversion document.

 

[darjr]

That thread is interesting. Posts about the binding issues in 3.0 books earily mirrors the 5e binding issues and even the 4e monster manual lay second HP doubling.