How popular are RPGs today compared to the 80s?

[diaglo]

i still remember the radio ads with Morley the Wizard.

 

[francisca]

i still remember the radio ads with Morley the Wizard.

Stop

making

me

feel

old!!!

 

[johnsemlak]

Speaking of TV/film references of D&D, anyone remember the boy Chip reading the Monster Manual in the TV show Kate and Allie?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Morley the Wizard...

I'll mention that to Dave Dimery, the chap who was in charge of TSR's advertising back then. Dave was the originator of the concept, and he'll be very happy to learn that Morley is still remembered.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Ah, Morley.

I kind of miss him. He put a very friendly face (voice) on TSR.

 

[Storminator]

Actually the 50% number for 2E referres to pre-orders and follow-on sales. The market for 2E was half the size of that for OAD&D, and thus the spate of products publoshed for the revised game as TSR sought to make up for a smaller market size by selling more titles into it. Economy of scale dropped, and resistance to new titles grew, of course.

FWIW, I have been informed that sales of 3.5E have followed the 1E/2E pattern, BTW.

In short, it's easy to say

Cheers,
Gary

No, no. I wasn't questioning that 2e had 50% of OAD&D sales. It's the "3E has twice the sales of 2E" part that is unclear. Which point in the sales cycle are the 3e and 2e numbers refering to...

If you have other numbers to base the point on fine, I was just cautioning against making inferences from that one quote.

PS

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Speaking of TV/film references of D&D, anyone remember the boy Chip reading the Monster Manual in the TV show Kate and Allie?

Darn!

I missed that one

The Dexter's Laboratory allusions to D&D are still fun for me, though!

Cheers,
Gary

 

[WizarDru]

Speaking of TV/film references of D&D, anyone remember the boy Chip reading the Monster Manual in the TV show Kate and Allie?

I try not to remember Kate and Allie at all.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

No, no. I wasn't questioning that 2e had 50% of OAD&D sales. It's the "3E has twice the sales of 2E" part that is unclear. Which point in the sales cycle are the 3e and 2e numbers refering to...

If you have other numbers to base the point on fine, I was just cautioning against making inferences from that one quote.

PS

Sure

Some shooting in the relative dark is necessarily prone to inaccuracy.

What I meant was that the inferrence from the statement about 3E having twice the sales of 2E meant that 3E was selling initial numbers comparable to those of OADED. There, for example, the initial print run of MM was 50K, and those sold out with initial orders, so a s aecond run was in process even as the first shipment was going out the door at 723 Wiliams Street.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Psion]

FWIW, I have been informed that sales of 3.5E have followed the 1E/2E pattern, BTW.

Unsurprising since the scope of the revisions follows the 1e/2e pattern.