Edition Bias and 4e Sales Perception

[doctorhook]

I voted pro-4E and high sales.

As for sales, I suspect it's doing ok. Nowhere near as good as 3.0 did, but I'd say the numbers are probably ok ("ok" may mean something different to Hasbro than it does to WotC though).

I realize this is discussion of people's perceptions of 4E's sales, but I thought that it was old news that 4E's first run of core books had outsold 3E's first run. Maybe I've just been taking speculation too seriously, though.

On a more rational level, the sooner 4e fails, the sooner 5e will come and the more different it will be.

I think 5E will end up being even less like 3E (mechanically) than 4E is, barring some horrible circumstance wherein the D&D license gets sold off to someone with +5 4E-bane vorpal greataxe* to grind, which would be bad because that person would likely misunderstand the positive contributions that 4E makes to D&D -- and I don't think back-pedaling D&D would improve sales in the least.

(*Note: A distinctly 3E-era magic weapon.)

 

[Serendipity]

Where's the option for "Neither know nor care how sales of 4e are going"? Why is this in any way critical or relevant to enjoying the game? Not trying to threadcrap I just really don't understand how the games sales affects ones enjoyment of same.
Oh wait, that would be the ticky box marked "curry."
(Yum Curry!)

 

[Sonny]

I just really don't understand how the games sales affects ones enjoyment of same.
Oh wait, that would be the ticky box marked "curry."
(Yum Curry!)

You got it backwards. It's how one's enjoyment (or lack thereof) of the 4th edition color one's view on how successful it is.

I think it's doing fine. And for the record, I like 4th edition. But then again, I like C&C and am anxious to see how Pathfinder turns out. I also hope that C&C will continue to grow, and I really do hope Pathfinder's a great success. Competition is a good thing. Strong sales and a healthy industry are a good thing.

I guess I just prefer to stay positive and hope whoever it is making their living creating products for my favorite hobby are successful and get all the enjoyment they should get from working at a dream job.

 

[Hairfoot]

I went with neutral, sales are good.

My recent ENworld comments make it appear that I don't like 4E - especially one yesterday where I wrote "I don't like 4E" - but in fact I believe it's a splendid, well-designed miniatures wargame which is worthy of praise and purchase. I just resent it being published as the next installment in a 35-year-old tradition of a game which it resembles only in name.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

I like 4e and suspect it's selling well.

My anectodical evidence comes from the FLGS and the best-seller lists of a rather large and exceedingly well-stocked German mail order shop.

But I think we'll have to wait one more year before the economical success of 4e will be seen. If the release schedule for 2010 will be as expected, with PHB, MM, and DMG 3, and a new campaign setting, then the sales numbers will be at least about as good as forecasted.

If, on the other hand, the production schedule changes in a significant way (MM3 only available as a DDI feature or something like that), we know that the numbers have disappointed someone.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

I'm actually amazed that they can afford the space myself. Must have been there a LONG time before prices in SF went haywire durring the dotcom era. (Or so I'm told.)

The store is like card games and "pocket" games at the sales desk area, lots of board games, and classic games, and puzzles and stuff towards the front, Game stuff towards the middle, and minis/painting stuff in the back with the tables for game play.

I prefer games of Berkeley because it's bigger, brighter, has a bigger selection, and they give you a 10% discount on al game stuff bought there. (Which at least covers the tax...)

Out of curiosity, where is it at? I assume downtown. Next to one of the MUNI stations?

This year I've been spending a lot of time at both SFSU and UC Davis (BOY WHAT A FUN TIME IT IS TRAVELLING BETWEEN THE TWO HAH HAH HAH OH GOD KILL ME) and the difference is striking - UC Davis has a full roleplaying games club that has a weekly LARP that's well attended, where SFSU has...well, a basement. Where people play card games. Actually, it's not even a basement, it's the basement to a basement.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Unfortunately due to the nature of the net and preexisting judgements, no matter what is said in terms of 4e, it's always used as a reinforcement of already existing attitudes.

 

[Derren]

My anectodical evidence comes from the FLGS and the best-seller lists of a rather large and exceedingly well-stocked German mail order shop.

I guess you mean dragonworld?
On their bestseller list the PHB2 is only 2nd place (beaten by dice), Star Wars and Exalted are in hut pursuit (3rd and 4th place). The rest is filled by dice.

The D&D bestseller list is dominated by PHB2, then P3 and place 3 to 10 goes to power cards. No Core books.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

I guess you mean dragonworld?
On their bestseller list the PHB2 is only 2nd place (beaten by dice), Star Wars and Exalted are in hut pursuit (3rd and 4th place). The rest is filled by dice.

The D&D bestseller list is dominated by PHB2, then P3 and place 3 to 10 goes to power cards. No Core books.

Yep, Dragonworld it is. So, one month after its release, P3 - an adventure - is number 10 on the list and is surpassed by only two non-D&D titles.

While the owner of the FLGS can express his satifsfaction with D&D sales on an absolute scale, the topseller list just tells me that there seems to be no competitor in the ring.

Only anecdotical, as I said, and I really wonder about these mountains of dice...

 

[avin]

I like 4E, I think it is selling ok but less than 3E.