There’s no doubt that Dungeons & Dragons had an amazing year. Dungeons & Dragons 5e toped the ICv2 bestseller charts every quarter. The natural rival is Paizo Publishing’s Pathfinder, and this game also had an interesting year with the playtest for Pathfinder 2e underway. Here we find two titans of the fantasy RPG genre.
But what about the other fantasy RPGs?
To understand which other fantasy RPGs caught the attention of the hobby we need to turn to DrivethruRPG. This is the Amazon of roleplaying games and sells both PDFs and print on demand books. D&D PDFs are sold via DriveThruRPG’s sister site DMSguild.com.
Here’s the 2018 chart!
- The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG, by R. Talsorian Games Inc.
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Fourth Edition Rulebook, by Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd.
- Genesys Core Rulebook, by Fantasy Flight Games.
- Realms of Terrinoth, by Fantasy Flight Games.
- Blades in the Dark, by One Seven.
- ZWEIHÄNDER Grim and Perilous RPG – Core Book, by Grim & Perilous Studios.
- Epic Isometric Bundle, by WarDrumRPG.
- Wayfinder’s Guide to Eberron (5e), by Wizards of the Coast.
- Rangers of Shadow Deep: A Tabletop Adventure Game, by Joseph A. McCullough.
- Dungeon World, by Sage Kobold Productions.
This data is from Jan 1st to Dec 11nd so unless there’s a dramatic surge by Cubicle 7’s Warhammer 4e then The Witcher has won. That’s unlikely, and so we can safely say The Witcher takes the 2018 title.
The Witcher RPG is 2018’s best seller
We asked R. Talsorian Games Inc. why the grim and gritty roleplaying game did so well and were lucky enough to get the game’s co-author, Cody Pondsmith, to give us some answers.
Why has The Witcher sold so well?
We took years to source every detail we could find, tailor the rules to fit the Witcher setting and really transcribe the unique feel of The Witcher. A lot of people joined us on the wild ride that was development on the Witcher TRPG, and I really think they appreciate that level of passion and detail!
What is your favourite section in the product?
It’s a hard choice but personally my favorite section of The Witcher has got to be character creation! We put a lot of effort into creating a character creation system that generated fun and intriguing characters that really fit the setting. It really does me good to see everybody out there telling their own stories in one of my favorite fantasy settings!
What plans do you have for The Witcher in 2019?
If I get my way 2019 is going to be a good year for the Witcher TRPG! We are already in development on a few key supplements that I’m really excited about! We have a game master’s screen with a booklet of options for players and game masters called Lords & Lands, an adventure collection, and I’m already planning the first bestiary!
How much should you pay for a best selling fantasy RPG?
We don’t know the quantities of the fantasy RPGs that made DrivethruRPG’s top ten… we only know their placement and how much a standard (not discounted by sale) price of a book.
That tells us the average price of a best selling fantasy RPG is US$22.99. That casts The Witcher in good like as it is only a few Dollars more.
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