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Message: <blockquote data-quote="raniE" data-source="post: 8911915" data-attributes="member: 6950907">I don't agree at all. The core rulebooks are still the things that sell the most, even for companies known more for their adventures than for any other content. With more "casual" players, a focus on the PHB is even more important, because that's the extent of what many will buy. That's why it's always been the top seller. And core rulebooks were never the only major product sold. TSR, including TSR under WotC was selling settings, adventures, player option books etc. None of them sold as well as the PHB. The same is true for other game companies that sell core books and adventures, setting books etc. The core books are always the best sellers.Dancey wasn't only talking about lifetime gamers either, he was talking about getting new players and locking them in the D&D/D20 bubble. To get someone into the bubble to buy a core book, you need network effects. You need other people to play the game, so the person has people to play with, because RPGs are social games (despite the occasional foray into single player stuff). So, to get the person who buys only a core book playing, you need the people who buy nothing at all and rely on someone else owning the books, and the whales who buy a lot of stuff. Third party content keeps whales interested, whales having all these books keep the players who buy nothing in the game, and thus you have a group which our potential new player can join, and then he can buy his PHB. Without the third party stuff, the whale has an easier time getting out of the bubble to other games. Then he starts buying those instead of, or in addition to, the D&D stuff. The player who doesn't buy any books follows the whale to whatever game he decides to play, and now our potential customer for the PHB has one less possible D&D group to join, and one more possible non-D&D group to join.</blockquote>

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