From Forgotten Realms to Red Steel: Here's That Full D&D Setting Sales Chart

Whether this will end a thousand internet arguments or fuel another thousand, Ben Riggs, author of Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons, has finally published the combined chart of cumulative sales for every AD&D setting from 1979 to 1999.

Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Oriental Adventures, and Dragonlance lead the pack. The least selling setting was Red Steel in 1994. There was a clear decline in sales of all settings from 1989 onwards, so that's not necessary a comment on quality. Planescape, certainly a cult favourite, sold surprisingly few copies.

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 ...

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In order, the best-selling settings were:

1. Forgotten Realms
2. Greyhawk
3. Oriental Adventures
4. Dragonlance
5. Ravenloft
6. Dark Sun
7. Spelljammer
8. Lankhmar
9. Al-Qadim
10. Planescape
11. Birthright
12. Maztica
13. Karameikos
14. Red Steel

These stats were compiled as part of his research into his book, Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons, which you should totally buy.

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

Let's dive into some individual sales charts! Note, these are for the primary setting product, not for additional adventures, supplements, etc.

 

[Morrus]

What does it mean when a "sales" number dips below zero?

* Also, why on earth are all those charts formatted differently?

Returns, I guess? Not sure!

 

[Parmandur]

Returns, I guess? Not sure!

Yup, returns by distributors, which TSR had to pay for.

 

[Inxanity]

Yeah, it's definitely returns, but yeouch.

 

[Maxperson]

What does it mean when a "sales" number dips below zero?

* Also, why on earth are all those charts formatted differently?

Refunds?

 

[James Mishler]

Would love to see the Gazetteer sales separate from overall Basic sales to be able to compare Mystara and the other settings. But then, that's not quite measuring the same thing, as the charts only measure core boxes.

I would think the Oriental Adventures chart refers to the Kara-Tur boxed set, unless a mistake was made in sending the charts.

RE: negative sales, that might represent returns from the book and Mass market trade. Overall sales of other lines were likely broad enough that returns were less than sales for the year, but Red Steel... Probably not...

 

[robowieland]

OA isn't that surprising. It was the 80s and Japanese (and related) stuff was HOT.

 

[James Mishler]

Ah, OA from 85 indeed means they are including the related books, as the Kara-Tur boxed set was not released until later and associated with FR.

That's why the OA numbers are so high. The AD&D OA rule book was sold before 1E started to seriously decline in sales.

A more accurate measure on all of these would be simply the one, single core box set (and folio, in the case of Greyhawk) through it's various editions. After all, which books and boxes were considered "core" for these purposes?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Everyone I knew back then had a copy of OA.

I owned my store by '93 and so I've ordered and sold every D&D product made since then. I find it amusing that I don't even remember Karameikos or Red Steel even existing. (Both as a D&D fan AND as a retailer!)

 

[Sacrosanct]

I think it might be a little unfair, since OA isn't just a setting book but an actual rules manual.

So was Dragonlance then as well

I admit I had Red Steel. I also admit I only skimmed it and never used it.

 

[aco175]

I would be interested to see sales on DMsGuild on these books now they are being resold in PDF and POD. I would think that sales are only in the 1000s rather than these charts show for the time period.