ICV2 numbers from GAMA are interesting

[mamba]

If Crooked Moon is only Kickstarter results, that is pretty bad news for retailers, since that was only like 21k backers. I think it is fairly likely that it has a strong shelf presence after a strong Kickstart.

I don’t know, Matt Coleville does not even bother getting into retail shelves because those sales are so minimal that it is not worth it, and based on his statements he thinks that this is / should be true for basically any TTRPG. D&D (and maybe one or two others) being likely exceptions to the rule

 

[Parmandur]

I don’t know, Matt Coleville does not even bother getting into retail shelves because those sales are so minimal that it is not worth it, and based on his statements he thinks that this is / should be true for basically any TTRPG. D&D (and maybe one or two others) being likely exceptions to the rule

Right, Draw Steel didn't even make this list, even including crowdfunding.

 

[zakael19]

Yeah, I'm not really sure how valid that table is for anything but "comparing within GAMA's focus area and survey." For instance, as you note DS! doesnt chart (because they relied on survey responses from retailers mainly and its KS was 2024 I guess?). The DS! Kickstarter likely performed about as well as Free League did in total 2025 sales, certainly more than either of those games they have on the list.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, I'm not really sure how valid that table is for anything but "comparing within GAMA's focus area and survey." For instance, as you note DS! doesnt chart (because they relied on survey responses from retailers mainly and its KS was 2024 I guess?). The DS! Kickstarter likely performed about as well as Free League did in total 2025 sales, certainly more than either of those games they have on the list.

Draw Steel! had about 30k backers, to Crooked Moon's 21k. Given DS has no retail presence, and Crooked Moon is 5E, not hard to imagine Crooked Moon gas out sold it. Nor Pathfinder, nor Daggerheart.

 

[mamba]

Right, Draw Steel didn't even make this list, even including crowdfunding.

it’s been out a while, so that fulfillment would not show up in this quarter, no idea if it did back then

 

[Parmandur]

it’s been out a while, so that fulfillment would not show up in this quarter, no idea if it did back then

Maybe, maybe not. Doing well in crowdfunding and we'll in retail are not mutually exclusive, and this Crooked Moon supplement does seem very cool, and I honestly hadn't heard of it before this list so it wouldn't surprise me if people picked it up at a store, took a look...and bought it.

 

[Parmandur]

@FitzTheRuke hope you don't mind me summoning you...as someone owning and operating a FLGS, do you have any opinion on how this sort of tracking historically correlates with your local experience?

 

[zakael19]

it’s been out a while, so that fulfillment would not show up in this quarter, no idea if it did back then

DS! started shipping physical fulfillment in end of Q3 '25 afaik. Most of that was the direct sales from the KS/Backerkit, so existing sales from '24. I think it's started to hit the distribution channel in either Q1 '26 (is this calendar year or FY style where October 1 is a new year?) or Q4 '25.