Why Indie TTRPG Expansions Don’t Sell
Today I released The Arenmist Forest, the first expansion for Riftbreakers 2e. Riftbreakers was crowdfunded in 2025, and it did fairly well, at least for my standards. It also sold well after release, slowly but surely positioning itself as my third most-successful game (after Ker Nethalas and Across a Thousand Dead Worlds). I was of course really happy about it, and immediately started working on the aforementioned expansion.
And today was the day. To be honest, I've been dreading its release. Not because I don't think it's a fantastic book (it really is, the art is incredibly good and Richard Kelly, the author that often helps me, wrote most of the text and killed it as usual), but because I went a little bit overboard and spent way too much on this 80 pages long book. Hiring a writer isn't cheap (at least if you want to pay them livable wages, not the shameful amount authors are paid in the indie RPG scene as a norm, but that's a whole different post...), and art, as we all know, is not really cheap either. And that's fine, I don't think they should be. People spend years honing their respective crafts and they should be compensated for it. The problem is, I am a one-man operation, one that exists largely thanks to the success of Ker Nethalas, so when I spend too much on a game (and I really went over-budget with The Arenmist Forest), it's truly a gamble. Recently, I had done basically the same thing: Choir of Flesh, another quite successful crowdfunded game, had its first expansion released (Apocrypha), one that I spent on more than I should have, and months after its released I've barely sold any copies.
This brings me to what I want to discuss today: expansions very rarely sell enough to make them worth the effort (be it financial, personal, and in time). And this is not something I am experiencing as a failed RPG author/publisher or something like that; as a matter of fact, Ker Nethalas and its expansions sell pretty well, and Across a Thousand Dead Worlds has done well too with its couple of expansions. I've been living out of publishing RPGs for the last almost three years, exclusively, so I am certainly one of the few very, very lucky ones that "makes it".
Across the entire tabletop industry—from tiny itch.io designers to major publishers—the same rule holds: everyone buys the core book, but only a fraction buy anything else. Even in the broader TTRPG market, supplements make up a minority of total revenue (28%, according to WorldMetrics). For indie creators, the drop‑off is even sharper. Despite the landscape being fragmented and comprised of mostly authors doing this as a hobby or a part-time job, the reasons are structural, not personal. So even if it's easy for me to take it personally and think I'm doing something wrong when my expansions rarely even sell a small fraction of my core book numbers, that’s not a failure... it’s the baseline.
So why does this happen? The way I see it, there are several reasons:
Player drop-off happens, fast: Most groups don’t stick with a single indie system long enough to need more content. They play a few sessions, enjoy it, and move on. I feel this is actually exacerbated in the solo RPG scene. I see it in myself, the eagerness to try new systems and being able to do so alone pushes me to jump from one game to another.
Content overload is real: Players are drowning in systems, settings, and splatbooks. Expansions feel optional because they are optional.
Indie Culture Rewards Novelty: The indie scene thrives on experimentation. Players want the next weird, clever, beautifully designed game, not the fifth supplement for a system they played last year.
So with this in mind, why the hell do I keep trying? Well, to be honest, it is mostly because I actually love the games I write, and I want more for them. Unless the signs are really, painfully clear (looking at you, Ruthless Heavens, Boundless Fate), I tend to take a risk and release expansions for my games because I always have more to add to a game. I am in the privileged position of being able to do this thanks to the success of Ker Nethalas; every successful Ker Nethalas book finances another game's expansion. There's also always the hope that a game will suddenly click with people, and that the expansions will sell enough for me to keep writing them. This appears to be the case with Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse, although it's still early to see (I'm optimistic about the game's future, though!).
Unless it's really a kind of sunken cost fallacy type of situation, I like to support my games because I think it shows that I care, and that I believe in my own work. If I'm not willing to take risks, who will? And yes, most of the time I end up feeling sad and with my pockets much more emptier than when I started, but you never know when I'm going to find myself with a second Ker Nethalas in my hands!
All this is to say: If a game I release sells enough, I'm willing to take the risk and release an expansion. I did it with Choir of Flesh, and now with Riftbreakers 2e. If the expansion sells enough (and when I say enough I simply mean it covers production costs), I then release a new one. That's it, that's the decision process I use to see whether I should continue working on a game line or not.
I'd love to hear other authors' opinions on this, and to learn why they choose to move on with new games instead of pushing forward with the same one, but I can't imagine they are any different from the ones I've listed here.
So my question for you today is: do you tend to support a game and buy all its expansions, or do you prefer to collect new core books?
Comments (35)
For me the reason I didnt buy it till recently is that I didnt know it was a expansion from looking at the Title/Cover. I will buy expansions for systems I like, but i also like to get new core books if a system interests me.
Makes sense!
A lot of expansions are more like zines, which are neat, cool, but when you have a bunch of them and you're at a table and you want to play it's logistically difficult. "where's that table again?". It's easier with the core books and omnibus or larger expansions which don't override existing mechanics or rules. So me, I tend to look at what's available, I don't mind if there aren't any supplements provided the core rulebook is of good quality. However, I will buy expansions like book of masteries etc for the games I like. Unfortunately it's not like I can peruse the book in a bookstore to make a better judgement and it's not like we can refund PDFs. I think that plays a factor. I'd rather a revision of the core rulebook be released with the zines merged in, and get it again and have everything in one place. But I do prefer zone or setting expansions to be standalone, as well as gear, bestiary and classes. IF you release more CoF expansions, I'll likely get them because I really love the game. Same for KN, but I don't tend to do that out the gate with a game I didn't try, or didn't physically skim through the book to make a better judgement about whether or not I'll enjoy it.
Makes a lot of sense, thanks for the feedback!
I read this post over on Reddit. I came here to share some thoughts with you. First, I have been following your work since AATDW. Been a Patreon member since that kickstarter. I hzve made it a point to go find and buy everything I can in print and everything I cant in pdf formats. You are the only author I can say that I have at least tried to play, not just read, but play every system that has been released from Earthjumpers to the redone Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse. Some of these games have changed how I play and look at RPGs. I know that sinking personal effort and time along with money and resources into a product that does not sell as well as you would like, or even enough to recoup its costs quickly is an issue. I feel like Ruthless Heavens, Boundless Fate is an example; however, you are putting those products out there into existence to be discovered. And these expansions are adding value to an existing rule-set, but at just one player at a time. I think your thoughts of - if a ruleset does well enough and you are passionate about doing an expansion; you should do it.
A bit of both for me…but I prefer expansions that deepen core procedural rules with additional content that is injected into the game in an “emergent” fashion via tables and dice rolls as opposed to a themed separate adventure (as those tend to feel too CYOA to me…but that is just my personal preference and playing style as I know they are also very popular…) The Ker Nethalas Codex were great for me due to things like themed domains, unique rooms, enemy modifiers, combat variants etc…If I really like a game, I will always support additional tables for it to enhance and add variety to my core gaming experience…Books like the upcoming Book of Horrors will be an instabuy for me…The same will hold true for any expansions for Warlord Ascendant, AATDW and most likely Machine Gods and if there is a new Broken Shores version…so many great games !
I also prefer additional tools and procedures, but adventures and prewritten, playable content is always at the top of the list of people's interest. I appreciate your support! And keep your eyes open for Broken Shores...
I don't buy a lot of game. My purchase are always well thought. So I buy a game and the expansions.
Makes sense!
Oh and please don’t stop making Machine Gods expansions anytime soon :)
As long as people keep buying them, I'll keep making them. It's not like I'm going to run out of ideas any time soon, there's so much I want to explore...
Difficult to answer categorically....I don't want to collect core books in sense of compulsive buying( I can't afford this and that is not satisfactory), Though l always want to try and experiment new products that seem to match and make sense for me. But the time I can spend on playing is not extendable neither.....So tend to give them time of maturation(severals on my list, yours and a few other ones!)...while if I enjoy a game and its system I know I want it all...but again can't always afford to buy all expansions at once. So matter of priority... and feeling also of course, always! So, sorry, that's still a bit vague!...
No, it makes sense! I understand.
I will be picking up a physical copy next budget period. Though I do agree with your take on the market and what people tend to do.
I appreciate it!
I own about five of your games and have bought every expansion available for them. For me, it's the charts and generation systems; when you expand the lore, those additions feel like they fundamentally open up the game by injecting new variables. Ker Nethalas: Codex didn't feel like 'extra content,' but like a deeper layer of the core game. That said, I’m also guilty of the 'homebrew' side of things. For games like Warlord Ascendant 2e, I’ve already started adding my own monsters and house rules because the base system is so easy to tinker with. I keep buying because I enjoy these worlds and want to see how you continue to evolve those story-building tools and mechanics. I’m definitely a collector of your work.
Homebrewing is a core RPG experience, and the fact that anyone homebrews content for my games is the most awesome thing in the world! I really appreciate the support!
In my humble opinion, solo RPG games become an alternative for people like me, who don't find appeal in video games anymore. The problem today is an overwhelming choice and time commitment games require to even check if its your cup of tea. If it is too similar to what you have played before, why bother if there is no genuine joy from playing? Everyone is looking for a unique experience that will reignite the spark of interest and leave you wanting more. To your point, Alex, Ker Nethalas is a brilliant system and the fact you keep polishing it and publishing content, contributes to its continued success. To use video game analogy, if devs stop issuing updates and DLCs, the game is considered abandoned and it is enough to deter any new players. I recall someone complained to you that you do not support your games (it was not me), but perhaps that person was worried that after initial investment in core book there won't be any new content as you have moved on other or completely new systems. Apart from Ker Nethalas, the ATDW is your another game, which I insta-bought all additional content for. If something is exceptionally good you want it to last and have everything that adds variety. There is also a collector aspect to it and fear of missing out , therefore I would rather have everything for one system I really enjoy playing than move on and start investing in the other. To wrap this long monologue up, the quality of your works has never been a problem as it is exceptional, the only problem, I think is with solo RPG still being a niche TTRPG category and if you add player preferences regarding world setting and mechanics, including dice used, this makes potential target audience even smaller, which translates to small volume of sales.
I agree with your post, and the only finished game is one that has been abandoned. But unfortunately, I have to run Blackoath as a business, at least sometimes, which does indeed mean abandoning projects that are simply not working. Making financial decisions really sucks, but if I want to keep going, I must do so now and then. And yes, I'm working in a niche within a niche, so the fact that I can make a living out of this is an absolute miracle, haha.
I think I can take snippets from most people's comments on here....firstly I just ordered the expansion on DTRPG, so thats something. I haven't got Apocrypha yet but will be getting it. I was also looking forward to the Array Thicket if it hadn't gone the way of the Borg...pity. I am a collector so my brain is wired to get the expansion, but not to the point of buying it if the core book had not connected for me in the first place. I also find myself supporting more of your games than anyone else's in this genre (I'm a board gamer mostly), because of the solo nature you allow for. It makes it so accessible for me to immerse myself in, and Riftbreakers is such a good example of a world I love getting lost inside. If anything I'd like you to write less expansions as I'd have more money in my wallet!!! Heh!! Only joking...don't do that!
haha I appreciate it!
I think there are two main reasons. People buy more systems than they have time to play (or they come back to the same system again and again). And then don't need additional content because they never really played it in the first place. Or thy do play it, but the nature of ttrpg makes it so that with a bit of imagination, you can play for decades with just the core rules.
haha you are totally right!
Well, they do sometimes because I just ordered it 😂
haha I appreciate it!
I’m not sure if this is TTRPG specific, but I recall some designers/publishers of larger games that I play (maybe it was from someone at Fantasy Flight Games) had talked about how most of the sales are from their core products and then some subset of that group then purchases the first expansion and then only a subset of that second group purchases the following one so the further along in the expansion cycle they go, the fewer there are of buyers of the new material. I think this is just the way it is with the hobby and each person is going to have a different habit and take on this. For me personally, I love to collect so I have a hard time separating what I actually need to get a game to the table and what I don’t need. I probably have more possible games in my collections (digital and table top) than I have enough lifetimes to even play but I’m starting slowly to work on trimming my collecting and only investing in specific titles. Too many games to play and too little time.
Yes, that certainly seems to be the case, every expansion sells diffrently from each other but never as well as the core rulebook. And that's fine; like I said, as long as I cover expenses and my overall income allows me to keep going, I'll keep releasing expansions for my games.
In my case, if I like a game, I like to get the expansions for it. It's like getting to extract more juice from that orange that I like. Also because I'm more of a collector, and I like to have complete sets. Specially with things like RPGs that can be played at any time, no matter if it's now or in 20 years.
I'm the same, if I like it, I'll collect everything I see for it, haha.
I feel as though you nailed it with your analysis as to why supplements don't thrive like core books. But if I really love a game, setting, or system I definitely buy at least a couple of the supplements and expansions to add to the overall experience. And I can definitely say that Apocrypha adds to the Choir of Flesh experience! I highly suggest anybody who has Choir of Flesh to add to the world and lore with Apocrypha! Sending good vibes and good luck for the Arenmist as well. And I literally started talking about Ruthless Heavens, Boundless Fate this weekend at a get together when someone brought up the topic of LitRPG. It really is so good and I'm still hoping it gets discovered by a larger audience for the gem that it is.
Thank you for your kind words and support!
If it's a game I enjoy, then yes, I buy all its expansions... my gaming ocd demands it so. :D While I know I am in the minority, I do know I'm not the only one.
I am the same, even for games that I haven't played, if I like it, I must have them all...
I think you're spot-on with most of your analysis in terms of why people don't buy expansions. I think most people back RPGs aspirationally and may never even get it tabled or find a group to play with, so buying an expansion would just be putting good money after bad. Every new RPG, you're able to convince yourself that this time you're going to be able to table this one. Although I'm not sure if I agree with your assessment on solo games. Speaking personally, because it's much harder to table a group game and solo that disappears. I believe the primary expansion I've bought of your games was for Broken Shores, which is the one that I most intended to solo. I may be an outlier, but one among the reasons I follow and support you is your support of the solo style of gameplay. I wonder if releasing expansions that support different modes of play, or, for example, solo, might help. Also, I'm not sure how much capacity you have to do sort of focus testing or surveys as a small operation, but it might be really good to ask people what they feel like is lacking in the core product or what they would like to see expanded. The natural course forward of more content for that world makes sense on the surface, but, as you say, there are a lot of reasons that sadly there might not always be demand for that. I really hope this doesn't stop you from making expansions and just feeling like you constantly need to turn out new books. Though, Alex, as I absolutely love the worlds you create, speaking personally, as you say, there are so many RPG experiences to try to table, and I personally would engage with them more if they had more structured solo content, like structured adventures and stuff like that. I would snap them up in an instant.
Thanks for the feedback! I've done those sorts of questionnaires in the past, and the problem is that the people replying to them are usually the ones who want to see new content, so the results are not very reliable. I don't think it's a matter of releasing expansions that people think aren't interesting, it's simply that if they have to choose between and expansion or a new game, they'll most likely pick the new game. And don't worry, I'll keep releasing expansions for my games following the release formula I mentioned on my post: as long as I cover expenses, I'll work on something more.