ICv2's Latest Quarterly Chart: D&D Top, But PF2 Is Strong

The latest chart from ICv2 is up! This represents hobby channel sales through Summer 2019, which is May-August. ICv2 compiles these charts by interviewing retailers and distributors.

Dungeons & Dragons comes in first, followed by Pathfinder, Shadowrun 6E, Vampire 5th Edition, and then the current Star Wars RPG from FFG.

An interesting note is that core D&D books are not growing in hobby stores, because they struggle to compete with Amazon and WotC directly. Pathfinder 2E did better than expected (both of those statements came from hobby retailers). Interestingly, though it's May-August, PF2 only came out in August. I'm not sure how that affects things. You can read the full article at the link, but it's behind a paywall.

Last time (Spring 2019), Pathfinder was right at the bottom of the chart (as expected after a new edition is announced). Interestingly, Starfinder has dropped right off.

You can see all the charts in one big table going back to 2004 here.

 

[BrokenTwin]

Has it ever been on the list? Note that the sales of a game aren’t determined by whether a website chooses to cover it or not. There isn’t a conspiracy here - it’s just not a mainstream seller.

I'm just wishing it was a more popular game. Especially since I much prefer it over D&D5e. That's all.

 

[Reynard]

Much like 1st ed Alternity was for D&D, to some degree. No, Alternity was not D&D in space, but some people seemed to think it was that. Whereas Starfinder unabashedly embraces the 'D&D in space' and it's still met with middling enthusiasm.

The original Alternity was a gem. I especially loved both the Star Drive and Dark Matter settings. It's too bad it got kicked in favor of d20 Modern/Future.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I'm just wishing it was a more popular game. Especially since I much prefer it over D&D5e. That's all.

There is a long, long list of games that have never made the Top 5.

 

[Ghost2020]

The original Alternity was a gem. I especially loved both the Star Drive and Dark Matter settings. It's too bad it got kicked in favor of d20 Modern/Future.

Look into the 2nd edition, it changes some things, rolling high, but it still seems to be a solid system.

 

[Reynard]

Look into the 2nd edition, it changes some things, rolling high, but it still seems to be a solid system.

I played it at GenCon a couple years back and did not get the same sense of awesome, but that could be a combination of it still being in the playtest stage at that point, and the core setting being a pretty blatant Expanse pastiche.

 

[Ghost2020]

I played it at GenCon a couple years back and did not get the same sense of awesome, but that could be a combination of it still being in the playtest stage at that point, and the core setting being a pretty blatant Expanse pastiche.

The new settings don't exactly light me on fire either. I'm still hoping they keep pushing the system forward though. I have yet to run it, but it reads like it should be fun.

 

[unknowable]

Out of curiosity, what alterations do you make?

Ah, I would have to be at my computer to find a complete list of changes (not running it atm as I tend to cycle systems)

But I used some momentum changes (extra dice are bought for more momentum 1 for the first, 2 for the second 3 for the third). I use the RAW reading of momentum combat spends (that is combat momentum options like piercing and the like can only be spent if you generate momentum on your turn. This is RAW but not RAI, it makes the game more interesting though).

I limit the maximum TN people can have at level 1 to be 14 and use the shadows of the past character generation rules. Depending on the story/setting people may be forbidden from taking magical options without meeting a npc patron first (in game).

I did something to steely glare, I cannot remember what it was but it involved combat momentum spends for repeated use in a scene and a minor display requirement.

Zones I only occasionally use and generally use more traditional 10ft immediate, 30ft increments. This was just a speed of building combat maps thing rather than anything to do with thematics though.

Oh and I had some changes to minion/mob/squad rules that made minons less of a idle concern (although the changes to momentum spends and lower TNs helped with that).