Mearls says adventures are hard to sell [merged]

[Monkey King]

Wolfgang Baur beat you to the punch on that one.

True enough.

But the day Mr. Mearls offers to spend six months answering questions about his design fu, and showing off his secret tech, I will be there with $100 in hand.

 

[dcas]

Adventures have always been a hard sell

I've seen the sales figures for all of the first edition modules. You'd have to be a grade A chump to assume that "modules don't sell" based on those figures.

Obviously you can't both be right.

 

[dcas]

Ah, but... in a group where everyone GMs, how many people are going to buy any given adventure module?

I would suggest that in most cases the answer will still be 1, since the rest will either borrow that one copy, or more likely not read the adventure at all in order to not be spoiled when playing through it. Either way, the other 4 are lost to the market.

A lot of the older modules are 'open' enough (for example, B2, D3, and I6) that one can run through them more than once.

And others are just so ridiculously difficult that reading through them doesn't do a lot of good. I've read both S1 and Labyrinth of Madness multiple times, but I would not count on a character of mine being able to survive either one of them.

 

[Sir Elton]

Why are Adventures hard to sell?

Because WOTC told us that they are and backed it up with hard data. So naturally, every d20 Publisher believes them.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

So naturally, every d20 Publisher believes them.

Actually, its because all the d20 publishers used to sell them and then people stopped buying them.

 

[Sir Elton]

Actually, its because all the d20 publishers used to sell them and then people stopped buying them.

See? It's a vicious cycle. We believe they don't sell, so people stop buying them. As a result, our beliefs are vindicated.

If we change our belief that adventures are not profitable; and in fact believe that they are profitable; everyone will start buying them again.

 

[Umbran]

Obviously you can't both be right.

Sure they can. Mr. Mearls is talking about a generalization. Mr. Mona is talking about a specific company. Modules can be a hard sell in general, whle one company still has success with them.

TSR had a near-monopoly on modules for 1e, so they sold well for TSR. But how about for anyone else who tried in the same era? How about for 2e and later?

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Well that's a nice sentiment, but there are a whole raft of reasons why adventures don't sell - there have been a couple of big threads that went into heavy detail - I was being a little bit facetious (but still on target) with my initial response.

If you'd like I can try to dig up some of the old threads on the subject.

 

[philreed]

Why don't adventures sell?

1. What level would you like that adventure?
2. What campaign setting?
3. Would you like a dungeon with that?
4. . . . or maybe political intrigue?
5. How about a world-shattering plot?
6. Will a desert setting work for you?

And on and on.

And on.

 

[philreed]

Actually, its because all the d20 publishers used to sell them and then people stopped buying them.

Adventures weren't selling well before d20 existed.