The big D20 question

[Jamie Herbert]

I have been curious as that there is quite a lot of hype still surrounding D20. and as every gamer seems to clamor around it there seem to be just as many who have problems with using the old D&D system for damn near everything. so my question is for the retailers out there. Do D20 products actually sell better? Now granted I can see why modules and suppliments might but I am talking about rulebooks. Did D20 games like Star Wars,Wheel of Time Spycraft, or Call of Cthulhu do any better marketwise than game like Gear Krieg, BESM 2nd, or 7th sea? and if so is it enough of a market upshoot to make you wish to see more D20 and less original gaming rules content? again this is purely a question of curiosity. thanks for you responses

Jamie L Herbert

[Chris Aylott]

Based on previous initial game releases (Alderac's in particular), my guess is that I've sold 3 times as many copies of Spycraft as I would have if it had not been a D20 game.

Fading Suns D20 and Deadlands D20 have sold much better than the original games. Call of Cthulhu D20 seems to be going down the same path. All three of these releases have taken off faster than Gear Krieg, 7th Sea, or BESM. (Sailor Moon did as well as the D20s have, but that was an unexpected intersection of pop culture and an atypical customer base.)

I'm always thrilled to see a new and interesting system that matches the subject. Godlike's off to a good start here for that reason. In general, though, I'd rather see a strong setting that makes good use of open gaming content. It is much easier for me to sell a game when I can show a customer that he is already familiar with most of the rules.

yours,