Coming Soon - Man, Myth & Magic (Classic Reprint)

I never played Man, Myth & Magic when it released, but I do remember the advertisements in Dragon magazine and I was intrigued. I just never had the funds.

Precis Intermedia has announced they will be reprinting Man, Myth & Magic and I'm kinda excited. I don't expect I'll ever play the rules, but I'm looking forward to owning and reading them.

Anyone play Man, Myth & Magic back in the day? What was your experience?

Your journey has been long and arduous, but you and the rest of your party finally camp within the great stone ring of Salisbury plain to spend an anxious night waiting for the golden glow of the midsummer day's dawn. Your thoughts are not of the mad emperor, Caligula, who sent you on this maniacal quest. Nor do you dwell upon the evil clans of Black Druids, who stood between you and this night. Rather, you ponder the unknown, mystical dangers that lurk within these very stone megaliths, as well as the hazards and powers that will be unleashed as sure as the sun will rise. Obsessed with this premonition of danger, you have not the slightest inkling that you will be irresistibly pulled into a series of events of such magnitude that they not only dwarf Caligula and Rome, but form the greatest adventure in human history. You have not the slightest suspicion that tomorrow's dawn will throw you into danger and intrigue, leading you to discover... the riddle of Stonehenge... the secrets of the pyramids... the mysteries of the ancient world.  

Man, Myth & Magic is a fantasy roleplaying game set in the ancient world. A world seen not from our modern historical perception, but rather through the eyes of the people who lived it. A world filled with magic and sorcery, demons and monsters, and incredible powers and forces that hold the key to the domination of all mankind. Reincarnate as an Egyptian Sorceror, British Druid, or even as an Irish Leprechaun to face the might and mysteries of the ancient world. 

New In Print - Gamma World First Edition (POD)

Wow. I'm surprised how excited I am to see that Gamma World First Edition has gone Print on Demand. Gamma World was the first gaming product I bought with my own money. I bought it at The Complete Strategist in Manhattan. It was also one of my few times I rode the subway, and certainly the first time I rode without my parents. So, I put my token in the turnstile and pushed the turnstile, yet failed to walk through the turnstile. Yep, I had to yop the turnstile I had already paid for.

In any case, I still remember trying to wrap my head around hit points being rolled based directly on Constitution instead of character level. I mean, it looked just like AD&D, but then it so obviously wasn't. Then there were those flow charts! Perfect for understanding physics in high school ;)

I still have my original boxed set of Gamma World 1e, but the box has taken a beating over the years.

The PDF is 9.99, Print is 19.99 and Print plus PDF is 21.99

Can you survive in a world gone mad? A world where civilization as we know it has been destroyed in a cataclysmic holocaust? What is left in this world? Find out and encounter such bizarre things as mutated plants and animals more terrible than you can imagine, radiation wastelands that stretch as far as the eye can see, and fearless machines gone uncontrollably beserk . . . 

This is the setting for a GAMMA WORLD™ campaign, with players taking on the persona of an individual character somewhere in this forbidding locale. In a quest for survival and in search of a better future, the players adventure across the land, enduring hardships and encountering dangerous obstacles and mysterious foes - never knowing quite what to expect. The result is a game which can go in many directions, but which will be challenging and fascinating no matter what the outcome. 

The GAMMA WORLD™ Set includes all the basics needed to set up your own "world": game booklet (packed with terrible mutants, as well as guidelines for creating additional ones of your own), a large campaign map (designed to be easily modified by individual gamemasters), and a full set of polyhedra dice. The only other things necessary are a good imagination and a spirit of adventure! The GAMMA WORLD™ rules are also suitable for use with the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTM rules. 

The GAMMA WORLD challenge awaits you - are you ready? 

This digital edition includes the PDF version of the book, and a ZIP file containing printable JPGs of the campaign map. 

Note on the print edition: The maps and other elements have been added as bonus pages in the print book. If you plan on using the map at your table it is recommended that you purchase the "Multiple File Formats + Softcover Color Book" combo and print the digital version.

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Slightly Older News - Goodman Announces Classic Collectors Reprint / 5e Conversion of X1: The Isle of Dread

Goodman is just now emailing out their Gen Con announcements, so for those that hadn't yet heard about the X1 - Isle of Dread announcement:

The first big news is the announcement of the second volume in our Original Adventures Reincarnated line. The first volume, Into the Borderlands, was the biggest release in the history of Goodman Games. The reception to it continues to amaze us, and we are thrilled beyond belief. And we are very proud to announce that the second volume in the series is…drum roll please…X1: The Isle of Dread! OAR 2: The Isle of Dread will contain scans of the two original TSR publications of Isle of Dread (orange cover and blue cover editions), plus a 5E conversion, as well as interviews with original creators and other special features! We’ve also updated the mapping style of the 5E edition, so it will now feature illustrated hand-drawn maps that bring back memories of the original TSR style. Lead writer Chris Doyle and editor Tim Wadzinski return to the project after doing such a great job on OAR 1: Into the Borderlands. Into the Borderlands is back in print and available, by the way, so check your FLGS or our online store for your copy today! And Original Adventures Reincarnated 2: Isle of Dread is currently scheduled to release in November of this year! We’ll be sure to keep you updated with news about it as it gets closer.

Just some observations on my part:

The Bordlerlands reprint was less than I hoped for. The book was huge but the paper quality was fairly poor - probably an attempt to keep the price down.

November means Gamehole release.

Turn around means this deal was inked well before the Borderlands reprint hit the market.

Eh, I'll probably still pick it up...

Holy Sh!t!!! WotC Brings Back TSR Era Modules as Print on Demand!

Huge thanks to Jeff C for bringing this to my attention this morning.

This is amazing news.

WotC is bringing back TSR Era Modules as Print on Demand. I holy fuck kid you not!

edit - direct link to the list of TSR POD

I'm stunned. I'm ecstatic. The aftermarket on the originals is going to tank but that's okay. I collect for collecting sake.

The prices are reasonable too. Dragonlance Adventures for 18 bucks. Hollow World Campaign Setting for 20. Wow.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Edit - If you were a member of The Tavern's Facebook Community, you would have seen the following comment from OneBookShelf:

OD&D Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes - $4.99 in PDF

and now the circle is complete.

white box and tan covers.

three plus four ends the tour.


Yeah, my poetry sucks. Thank the gods no one comes to The Tavern to read my poetry.

OD&D Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes (0e) is available in PDF for $4.99 at RPGNow. Sure, you can snag a poor quality scan off of a torrent or two (as has been mentioned ad nauseam by the same commenter) or you can grab a legit and cleaned up scan from RPGNow for about the cost of a large / grande / tall / wtf they call a large coffee at Starbucks these days. Wait, they may add in a stale cookie for that price.

Note: the Melnibonean and Hyborian mythos have been removed due to copyright issues.

AD&D 1e Dungeon Master's Guide - Released in PDF for $9.99

The holy trilogy of AD&D 1e core books is now complete in official PDF releases - please welcome the Dungeon Master's Guide to your virtual collection.

It's $9.99 in a PDF that replicates the remastered reprint edition, including the new cover. As I've said with the other two releases, I much prefer the original covers. Still, I've heard good reports about the previous two PDF releases (Player's Handbook and Monster Manual) and it would be nice to have a clean PDF copy for my tablet.

AD&D 1e Monster Manual Releases in PDF at RPGNow

I really don't like the new covers they used on the reprints, but other than that WotC did a fine job with them.

I think I'd get more use out of the AD&D 1e Monster Manual at the gaming table these days than any other 1e book - with the potential exception of the Fiend Folio.

In any case, the Monster Manual is 10 bucks in PDF at RPGNow.

I Know That the OD&D Reprint Box is in the Wild, But Amazon Has Yet to Fill My Pre-order - Anyone Else?

Amazon advertised the OD&D Reprint Box at about 40% of retail, so I preordered back in August. Sure, I hate the cover art on the new books, but I figured it would give me actual reading copies without needing to break out my Original Collector's Edition box.

Let's see - the said the release date was Dec 17, 2013 with the end of October update.

They repeated that release date with the end of November update.

Then my Christmas gift from Amazon was this email:

We're still trying to obtain the following item[s] you ordered on August 04, 2013 (Order# 002-37xxxxx-81xxxxx). 

Wizards RPG Team "Premium Original Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game (D&D Boxed Game)" 

Still want it? We'll keep on trying. To keep your order for this item open, please click the link below. Otherwise, we'll cancel your order on January 24, 2014, if we haven't located it by then.

Oh, and it shows out of stock on Amazon - was it ever "in stock"?

I know folks have copies - +Timothy Brannan has pictures on his blog today.

Anyone else have an unfulfilled order?

More WotC "Sneak Peeks" of the Original D&D Boxed Set Reprint Art - What is With The Damn "Flames"?

Is this something I've missed in recent fantasy gaming art? Flames or smoke effects on every piece? If so, it's about as annoying as sitcoms with laugh tracks IMHO.

Anyhow, the first piece, replacing the classic art for Monsters & Treasure isn't to my liking, but does a decent job of evoking the pose of the original - it's the fucking flames that are killing it for me:

WTF happened with the cover of The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures? It went from some winged horse creature that was NOT a Pegasus to a Roc on steroids - with flames of course. There isn't even an attempt to replicate the first cover - the horse had hooves - this eagle from hell has talons.

I really don't get this new art for a classic, iconic reprint. They could have found an artist that could have redone these pieces and still retained an "old school" feel, but it seems that WotC doesn't want to entice old school gamers to pick this up, and new school gamers are going to be disappointed as all hell by the contents. There is no "truth in advertising" left with these covers.

Damn shame.

WotC "Sneak Peeks" the Original D&D Boxed Set Reprint Art - Why Mess With a Classic?

I know you don't want someone inadvertently buying the reprint and thinking they bought an original, but the new cover DOES NOT reflect on the content of the book in my humble opinion.

They could have done new art reminiscent of the original art, but instead we get... hell, I don't know what it is, but I don't like it...

Dungeons of Dread - S1 to S4 for AD&D 1e in Hand

True confessions here.

Although S1 - Tomb of Horrors, was one of the first adventures I ever bought (along with A1 and G1-3), it was years before I owned S2, -White Plume Mountain. I borrowed a copy of S3 years ago because my players wanted me to run it - lasers and robots sounded cool, so they went on an Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.

As far as I know, this is my first time looking at S4 - The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.

Damn, it would kill me to cut out the visuals for S1 from this book ;)

Looks well put together at quick perusal - I need to spend more time with it to say more than that at the moment. Well, there's lots of art. More than I expected. Pretty cool actually.

Somehow I Missed Yesterday's Release of the Unearthed Arcana Premium Reprint

Is it just me, or does this cover look pretty uninviting?

Yep, I dropped the ball on this one. Yesterday, February 19th was the release of the Premium 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Unearthed Arcana (at least that's how Amazon calls it).

I picked up the core 3 AD&D reprints, so why did this fly under my radar (I'm sure I mentioned it months ago when it was announced)? Probably because the mixed reviews it had at the time it was released and the poor feedback I've read over the years.

Me? I still use Weapon Specialization and the new spells, but forget about the new classes and races. Talk about unbalancing. Hmmm, interesting referring to "new classes and races" in a book 28 years old ;)

Anyhow, it's a $49.99 suggested retail. No mention on whether or nor part of the proceeds get donated to the Gygax Memorial Fund - but then I don't think we know how much the first 3 books raised for the fund either. Amazon has it for $31.44 with free shipping. Not a bad deal, if only I needed it.

I don't.

Reprint or Originals? Where Will Your Money Go?

With WotC reprinting the Original Dungeons & Dragons Boxed Set (in a real wooden box, not just a wood-grained finish) the question seems to be (at least for those interested in the material being reprinted):

Buy a used version of the original, at a higher price -

or

Buy a new version of the original, at a high price (but no where near as high as the original) -

or

Buy and own both -

or

Settle on a cloned version.

I guess all the above is a valid answer too, as I have the originals and the clones, all in nice white boxes.

Lord knows i don't need this latest cash grab by WotC, especially with the new cover art (what were they thinking?). Not saying I won't pick it up, but I certainly don't need it.

What are your thoughts?

Original Edition Dungeons & Dragons Premium Reprint - In a Real Wooden Box

Thanks to +Jason Paul McCartan for bringing this to my attention.

WotC has decided to go with a "premium" reprint of the 3 LBBs and the four supplements (from the site - a mere $149.99 with a release date of November 19, 2013):


A premium, deluxe edition of the Original D&D "White Box"!

The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974 and was the very first roleplaying game, introducing concepts that have persisted throughout later editions. It included three small rules booklets in a white box.

This deluxe, premium reprint of the original "White Box" features new packaging and includes the following seven booklets:

Volume 1: Men & Magic
Volume 2: Monsters & Treasure
Volume 3: Underworld & Wilderness Adventures
Supplement I: Greyhawk
Supplement II: Blackmoor
Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry
Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes
Each booklet features new cover art but is otherwise a faithful reproduction of the original, including original interior art.

AD&D 2e Is the Next Round of WotC Reprints - The Funding of 5e on the Reprints of Earlier Editions Continues

It look like WotC has listed the core 3 books from AD&D 2e for the next round of Premium Reprints at $50 a pop.

Player's Handbook, DMG and the Monstrous Manual.

I spent most of my younger years playing AD&D 2e. I remember picking the books up on the day of release and bringing it to the game session that evening. Back then, if TSR put it out, it was golden. We actually thought that way until the Complete Handbook series jumped the shark with the Complete Book of Elves. Even in those heady days of gaming we could see how unbalanced Bladesingers were ;)

With the exception of my Player's Handbook with it's peeling spine and my Monstrous Compendium with the inserts falling out, most of my 2e stuff has held up to the test of time.

I do find it very interesting to watch WotC relying on reprints of previous editions (and soon PDFs) to fund their development of 5e. I wonder how much of their future customer base they'll lose to the reprints? I doubt it's much, but there will be some bleed.

I'm still curious how much money from the AD&D 1e reprints actually went to the Gygax Memorial Fund...

More TSR Era Reprints on the Way - I'm Guessing These Proceeds Won't be Going the the Gygax Memorial Fund This Time

Grognardia, The Greyhawk Grognard and Bat in the Attic all have posts about the upcoming latest round of reprints from the TSR days.

Now, the AD&D 1e reprints were marketed as giving part of the proceeds to the Gygax Memorial Fund. AD&D 2e was an attempt to remove Gygax's name from the AD&D line. Well, that and the good ole' "New Edition means more money!"

So, I think it's safe to assume there will be no trickle down to the Gygax Memorial Fund from the 2e sales as the books were "Gygax Free".

The A series and the S series in hardcover is damn interesting. I think there's more of a market for the modules than the rules but I could be wrong. Guess we'll know next spring.

At least we know how WotC is weathering the storm between editions. Reprint cash cow is in effect ;)

Poll - What Would You Like to See WotC Reprint Next?

Unearthed Arcana is the next reprint to be coming from WotC. The Player's Handbook, DMG and MM for AD&D 1E have already been released.

What else would you like to see WotC reprint from the classic years of Dungeons & Dragons?

The above poll will be live through 10/1 (next monday morning).

If something isn't in the list, add it to the comments above.

(this blog gets views from Renton and Seattle, so maybe the powers that be will hear your voices ;)

What's the Next Classic D&D Reprint You Want to See From WotC?

They've already released the core 3 AD&D 1e books back in July. The 3.5e books should be hitting shelves now as the release date was September 18. Unearthed Arcana looks to be next it line. WotC is doing a fine job milking the reprint cash cow, but what should be next?

Foe me, I'd like to see the D&D OCE Boxed Set reprinted. I already have a copy, but a reprint would be nice. Maybe the Moldvay Basic Set. These are pieces of gaming history, and it would be nice to see them re-released.

They should be played, not collected and gathering dust (like most of the surviving original copies)

What would you like to see?

Unearthed Arcana Reprint Coming in February '13 (Hat tip to Joe Browning)

Joseph Browning of Expeditious Retreat posted that Amazon lists a release date of 2/19/12 for the Unearthed Arcana Premium Reprint. I'm happy to see that it looks like the rest of the AD&D core books will see a reprint at this rate, I can't help but be cynical to see this as a cash grab by WotC.

I thought (I could be wrong) that D&D Next was to release at Gen Con 2013 (although that might have changed). Can putting more reprinted AD&D books on the market actually help D&D Next sales? I doubt it.

Instead, this is an attempt to fill in the gap left by the gelding of D&D 4e after the announcement of D&D Next. WotC needs sales to show daddy Hasbro that D&D is still viable, and reprints seem to be the way they are doing it. Additionally, the 3.5 reprints have / are released this month. Another pure cash grab.

I'm surprised they haven't reprinted the original D&D Boxed Set and Supplements.

What happens at WotC when the reprint sales dry up and Next isn't ready to go out the door?