D&D 5E Light release schedule: More harm than good?

[Jester David]

Where is your evidence?

Seems like it's working for Paizo so there's some evidence that debunks the "wall of books" theory.

Paizo just launched Pathfinder Society Core, a variant of their organized play that only uses the Core Rulebook explicitly to get away from the wall of books scaring new players.

So that debunks the idea Paizo is unconcerned with the issue.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Paizo just launched Pathfinder Society Core, a variant of their organized play that only uses the Core Rulebook explicitly to get away from the wall of books scaring new players.

So that debunks the idea Paizo is unconcerned with the issue.

Actually no that's incorrect.

I'm actually a member of the Pathfinder Society and the reason is the amount of options. It's easier to keep everyone on the same page for organized play when you limit the options.

Has nothing to do with "wall of books".

Nice try though.

 

[delericho]

Where is your evidence?

Seems like it's working for Paizo so there's some evidence that debunks the "wall of books" theory.

Apparently, D&D 5e's 5 products are outselling Pathfinder's 300 by 2-to-1.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Apparently, D&D 5e's 5 products are outselling Pathfinder's 300 by 2-to-1.

Interesting but in a year or two we will see how it is for a better pic.

Warmahordes outselling 40k is shocking, I know GW is having problems keeping players with their product philosophy and prices but didn't expect that. And WHFB isn't even on the list.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Apparently, D&D 5e's 5 products are outselling Pathfinder's 300 by 2-to-1.

It just came out so I would hope so. If it wasn't then there would be a big problem. Most Pathfinder customers have what they need at the moment.

Also, what are the author's sources for this data?

 

[Jester David]

Actually no that's incorrect.

I'm actually a member of the Pathfinder Society and the reason is the amount of options. It's easier to keep everyone on the same page for organized play when you limit the options.

Has nothing to do with "wall of books".

Nice try though.

So... you're saying that an overwhelming amount of options and content is completely different than the "wall of books"?

C'mon, in the announcement the even say that the reasons include "new players being overwhelmed", "concerns related to the sheer amount of information" and "a significantly lower barrier to entry."

It the same damn thing. Too much content is bad. Period. It's bad for new players, bad for casual players, bad for the long term health of the game.

And, really, if you're pro-limiting the options for organized play but pro-having lots of options at your table, then for you there's no difference between WotC releasing waves of optionsl spat books and allowing 3rd Party options. That satisfies your itch without WotC having to risk the longterm health of the game by releasing waves of new material to satisfy a small minority of the fanbase.

 

[Jester David]

It just came out so I would hope so. If it wasn't then there would be a big problem. Most Pathfinder customers have what they need at the moment.

Also, what are the author's sources for this data?

The author runs a store.

And the 2-1 includes the new Pathfinder content for all of 2014, which was a LOT.

 

[Sailor Moon]

The author runs a store.

And the 2-1 includes the new Pathfinder content for all of 2014, which was a LOT.

Okay so he runs 1 store. Does he have info for all stores out there that sell these products? Does he have the figures from Paizo's online store?

 

[chriton227]

Not sure about your gaming stores but around here everything is neatly displayed with covers of the core books facing out to give you a hint as to where you begin and they keep the various games together.

It sounds like you have a well organized FLGS, but with the increasing rarity of gaming stores in general I suspect having a well organized FLGS nearby is the exception rather than the rule for most potential consumers. I haven't been into the only gaming store in my town in several months, last time I was in there all of the Pathfinder RPG stuff was packed into a very small section of shelving. If I remember correctly, the Pathfinder Card Game actually had more shelf space dedicated to it than the entire Pathfinder RPG line. Most of the FLGS space is dedicated to miniatures games like Warhammer 40k, and my impression of the people working in the shop is their interests are more in miniatures games and CCGs than RPGs. I don't even know of a game store in the city where I work (about an hour from where I live), and it is the largest city within a couple hour drive. Most players I know locally order their RPG stuff online due to a lack of places to shop.

When I go to Amazon and search for Pathfinder RPG, the Beginner Box is the 10th entry, behind 6 other Pathfinder products and even behind the D&D 5e PHB, DMG, and MM. The Core Rulebook isn't even on the first page of results (it is on page 2, at spot 26 overall). I went to the Paizo site, and the default view on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game doesn't even list the Core Rulebook or Beginner Box first; the core rulebook is third (behind the ongoing subscription and the Bonus Bestiary) and the Beginner Box is 11th, behind a bunch of the splatbooks like the APG, Bestiary, Bestiary 2, Ultimate Magic, and Ultimate Combat. They do mention the Core Rulebook in the text at the top of the page, emphasizing that it is 576 pages and that the GM will also want the Bestiary (described as "a massive tome"), neither of which sounds very inviting to new players.

When I search for Dungeons & Dragons on Amazon, the PHB is the #1 result, and the Starter Set is #3. That is without even mentioning the edition in the search. I don't have to sift through dozens of supplements and splatbooks to find where to start.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Yeah I'd take that more seriously if he was a distributor or something.