I keep wondering why people seem to think the three core 5E24 books were supposed to be this huge thing in the first place? As though the game begins and ends with these three books and that if someone chooses not to buy them that somehow that's a major failing and that everything is falling apart?
Because the fact is... these three books merely facilitate the continuing publishing of new books past this point. And all these upcoming books in no way require or need people to have actually bought any/all of the 5E24 core books. Every single group that had decided to remain with 5E14 are still potential customers for the next five years of WotC D&D publishing. Heck, every single group that has chosen Level Up and Tales of the Valiant are still potential customers for the next five years of WotC D&D publishing. That was the entire point of doing the 5E24 updates in the first place... merely a more in-depth hardcover printing of what would have been in the 4E-era a bunch of paper-printed errata sheets that players had to print out themselves and stuff into their PHBs and DMGs.
And the thing is... the 5E24 core books right now are probably selling in rather the same way the 5E14 books were, in that there wasn't any expectation of some sort of massive influx from either one. It took 5E14 years to reach the heights it eventually had... it wasn't this massive thing out of the gate. And the rise to those heights were only because of how low the game state was to begin with. Was 5E14 popular with the hardcore TTRPG crowd at its start? Sure, because it was a new edition of D&D. But a cultural phenomenon? Not even close. Not out the gate. It took the years of Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things and Critical Role and the rise of Actual Play streaming and celebrity interest and advertising from people like Vin Diesel / Joe Manganello / Deborah Ann Woll and the success of DDB and the additions of all the VTTs to the marketplace that took advantage of 5E's burgeoning popularity... all of that which dragged 5E14 kicking and screaming into becoming the massive hit it became.
And seeing as how 5E24 entered the marketplace of Dungeons & Dragons fandom already at a height so far above where 5E14 was when those books entered it... there no way 5E24 was going to be able to match the "appearance" of 5E14's success. Because there was little left for 5E24 to do. All 5E24 needs to do is keep the line solvent so that the next five years of publishing the new books still have an audience there to pick them up. There is zero reason why the three red-spined 5E24 books should be anything more than merely just the next three books up on WotC's publishing schedule. And if people choose not to buy them just like people might have chosen not to buy Fizban's Treasury or the Dragonlance setting book but will still pick up Dragon Delves and the Forgotten Realms setting book when those come out... then things are progressing just as they ever were. The D&D game line continues.
Because the fact is... these three books merely facilitate the continuing publishing of new books past this point. And all these upcoming books in no way require or need people to have actually bought any/all of the 5E24 core books. Every single group that had decided to remain with 5E14 are still potential customers for the next five years of WotC D&D publishing. Heck, every single group that has chosen Level Up and Tales of the Valiant are still potential customers for the next five years of WotC D&D publishing. That was the entire point of doing the 5E24 updates in the first place... merely a more in-depth hardcover printing of what would have been in the 4E-era a bunch of paper-printed errata sheets that players had to print out themselves and stuff into their PHBs and DMGs.
And the thing is... the 5E24 core books right now are probably selling in rather the same way the 5E14 books were, in that there wasn't any expectation of some sort of massive influx from either one. It took 5E14 years to reach the heights it eventually had... it wasn't this massive thing out of the gate. And the rise to those heights were only because of how low the game state was to begin with. Was 5E14 popular with the hardcore TTRPG crowd at its start? Sure, because it was a new edition of D&D. But a cultural phenomenon? Not even close. Not out the gate. It took the years of Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things and Critical Role and the rise of Actual Play streaming and celebrity interest and advertising from people like Vin Diesel / Joe Manganello / Deborah Ann Woll and the success of DDB and the additions of all the VTTs to the marketplace that took advantage of 5E's burgeoning popularity... all of that which dragged 5E14 kicking and screaming into becoming the massive hit it became.
And seeing as how 5E24 entered the marketplace of Dungeons & Dragons fandom already at a height so far above where 5E14 was when those books entered it... there no way 5E24 was going to be able to match the "appearance" of 5E14's success. Because there was little left for 5E24 to do. All 5E24 needs to do is keep the line solvent so that the next five years of publishing the new books still have an audience there to pick them up. There is zero reason why the three red-spined 5E24 books should be anything more than merely just the next three books up on WotC's publishing schedule. And if people choose not to buy them just like people might have chosen not to buy Fizban's Treasury or the Dragonlance setting book but will still pick up Dragon Delves and the Forgotten Realms setting book when those come out... then things are progressing just as they ever were. The D&D game line continues.
