D&D General Ben Riggs Shares 2001 D&D 3.0 Core Book Sales.

[Zardnaar]

But 2e was done to screw Gygax out of royalties, if I remember correctly.

And 2e barely even changed the rules. The other three edition changes were vast, dramatic shifts in the ruleset, but not 1e to 2e.

2E came out a decade after 1E. Fairly good run and 1E was kept in printvextra year.

 

[Voadam]

But 2e was done to screw Gygax out of royalties, if I remember correctly.

And 2e barely even changed the rules. The other three edition changes were vast, dramatic shifts in the ruleset, but not 1e to 2e.

1e to 2e was a lot like B/X to BECMI to RC, and 3.0 to 3.5, and 4e to 4e Essentials. Same fairly compatible core with a few minor/significant changes (depending on your perspective, for AD&D it was mostly initiative and xp, for Basic it was thieves and weapon mastery and skills, for 3.0 it was details throughout, for 4e it was AEDU to more encounter focus).

 

[Parmandur]

1e to 2e was a lot like B/X to BECMI to RC, and 3.0 to 3.5, and 4e to 4e Essentials. Same fairly compatible core with a few minor/significant changes (depending on your perspective, for AD&D it was mostly initiative and xp, for Basic it was thieves and weapon mastery and skills, for 3.0 it was details throughout, for 4e it was AEDU to more encounter focus).

Yeah, the variation in how big a jump is indicated by an "Edition" for D&D is a major aspect of why WotC has abandoned the term.

 

[GreyLord]

I believe they printed 1 million core rulebooks in the initial print runs for 3.0 which sold out rather quickly overall. (I think that's 1 million total...for all 3...but it's been over 20 years, my memory could be mistaken...older age does that).

As for the MM being sold at a very quick pace...if I could only choose two books I'd almost always go with the PHB and the MM. Those would probably always be my top two picks before the DMG. Unless the DMG also has monsters, those two provide the top two things I'm after in WotC version. After that I can worry about the DMG as it's also important, just not as important to me as the PHB or MM.

 

[Parmandur]

I believe they printed 1 million core rulebooks in the initial print runs for 3.0 which sold out rather quickly overall. (I think that's 1 million total...for all 3...but it's been over 20 years, my memory could be mistaken...older age does that).

As for the MM being sold at a very quick pace...if I could only choose two books I'd almost always go with the PHB and the MM. Those would probably always be my top two picks before the DMG. Unless the DMG also has monsters, those two provide the top two things I'm after in WotC version. After that I can worry about the DMG as it's also important, just not as important to me as the PHB or MM.

Fr he DMG versus MM thing is interesting in that all the available numbers for 5E, 1E and 2E show the opposite: the DMG outselling the MM or equivalent.

 

[el-remmen]

My 3.0 books are still in fine shape and I used them a lot. This also holds true of my many 2E books (except for the Monstrous Compendium, since the binder was crushed after about three trips in my backpack and the hole-punched pages tore so quickly I ran out of reinforcements).

What I had the biggest issue with were the later printings of 1E books. Both my second cover 1E PHB and my UA fell part and I had to punch holes in the pages and put them in a binder within a year or so of getting them new back then. Putting UA in a binder was a godsend though because there was so much errata I punched holes in copies and kept it in the same binder. Eventually I put both books in the recycling bin around 2000 when 3E came out. I literally just replaced my 1E PHB yesterday (a 6th printing from 1980 that still has the original cover art)

 

[Voadam]

Fr he DMG versus MM thing is interesting in that all the available numbers for 5E, 1E and 2E show the opposite: the DMG outselling the MM or equivalent.

I know that for me, I was really glad to have the 1e DMG during the 1e era, but then skipped getting the DMG in 2e, 3e, and 3.5 while I picked up a 3.0 MM and used that and the srd heavily in 3e and 3.5 for monsters. After getting my feet as a DM I was fine skipping the DM advice in most later edition DMGs as I transitioned editions but I definitely wanted monster stats for direct use in every new edition.

 

[Stormonu]

2E was mostly a clean-up and reorganization - not so much trying to change things as to put them in a more orderly fashion. As well as dump anything related to the Satanic Panic or perception of "being evil" (half-orcs, assassins), of course. While we got specialist wizards and clerics of specific mythos, I do mourn many (UA) things that were lost in the carry-over.

However, after a recent reread, I think the 2E DMG is the weakest DMG of the various versions. It covers a lot of rules areas (with what I would consider bad advice these days), but doesn't cover how to be a DM or even give any guidance on creating adventures (or campaigns) - just on handling the rules during an adventure. And my God, is it stuck on trying to make D&D into a historical reenactment instead of a fantasy environment.