Tell me about these older edition products [old list]

[Knightfall]

Back in the day, I owned a lot of 2e products... and I mean a lot. I had almost everything for Dark Sun and Forgotten Realms and Planescape. I also collected tons of Mystara (2e)/Known World (1e), Ravenloft, and Spelljammer products as well as a few Birthright products. However, I fell on hard times in 1999 and had to sell off almost everything. (It was very painful.)

Now, I'm beginning to build/rebuild my 1e/2e library and I've even started looking at finding BECMI products as well. (My "10 modules" polls are clear indication of that.) I'm being "A LOT" more careful about which 1e/2e references I reacquire and I know which ones, of the books I used to own, that I really want to get again.

I've gotten most of the Dark Sun books I want, but I've struggled to find Planescape stuff, which is par for the course. I don't need to reacquire all the 2e FR stuff because so much of it is available on WotC's web site in the free classic downloads section.

There are books like Creative Campaigning that I am determined to find again, and I know I should have hung on to my City of Greyhawk boxed set. I should never have let that one go. I've reacquired From the Ashes (which I actually like) and the revised 2e campaign box for the Forgotten Realms.

I'm still a huge fan of Spelljammer so I'm likely to reacquire a few of the secondary books for that setting. I hung on to the main box and Rock of Bral, which I won't give up under any circumstance.

I was just never into Birthright. Ravenloft never really grabbed me either; although, I liked the original Van Ritchen guides.

Mystara interests me more for what it brings to my homebrewed campaign world. Karameikos exists on Kulan (but with a different name and altered history). I like the 2e version of the Known World better than the 1e version.

Anyway, the point to all this is that I'm now looking at those old 1e/2e products I never had before. Books that I've heard a lot about but that I have dismissed up until now because either they just weren't on my radar before or I considered them too old/outdated to be useful. (The old school modules that I've been asking about in my polls are the best examples of these older references.)

Now, I'm learning that there is a lot of game history to be learned from owning older edition books. Therefore, I'm determined to look closely at the these older references and pick the best ones to add to my gaming library. Here's a list of some older references that I'm interested in learning more about.

AC1 The Shady Dragon Inn
AC4 The Book of Marvelous Magic
AC9 Creature Catalogue
AC10 Bestiary of Dragons and Giants
AC11 The Book of Wondrous Inventions
Apocalypse Stone, the
D&D Rules Cyclopedia
Die Vecna Die!
Dungeon Master's Guide [1e] (got it!)
Fiend Folio [1e]
Gates of Firestorm Peak, the
GREYHAWK Vecna Lives!
PLANESCAPE Fires of Dis
PLANESCAPE Tales from the Infinite Staircase
RAVENLOFT Domains of Dread (got it!)
Reverse Dungeon
Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry
TOMES Adventure: Axe of the Dwarvish Lord
TSR Jam 1999

It's important to note that I started playing D&D during 2nd Edition, so I only had a few of the 1e hardcovers: Oriental Adventures, Manual of the Planes, and Greyhawk Adventures (*). (I really wish I'd kept my copy of Oriental Adventures; I sold it when I bought the 3e OA. Stupid!) *I'll likely get the Greyhawk hardcover again but it's not my first priority. I recently got a copy of Legends & Lores for 1e for $1.

I've never owned any of the OD&D or BECMI rulebooks or boxed sets.

Cheers!

Knightfall

__________________________________________​

[sblock=The Master List]Pre-1993
AC4 The Book of Marvelous Magic (*) (on my "to get" list)
AC1 The Shady Dragon Inn (on my "to get" list)
AC9 Creature Catalogue
AC10 Bestiary of Dragons and Giants
AC11 The Book of Wondrous Inventions
AD&D BATTLE SYSTEM Fantasy Combat Supplement [1e] [red box version] (*) (CAN $25)
Assault on Raven's Ruin (on my "to get" list)
CHALLENGER SERIES Wrath of the Immortals (on my "to get" list)
D&D Rules Cyclopedia (on my "to get" list)
D&D Set 1: Basic Rules [purple box version] (got it!)
D&D Set 2: Expert Rules (*) (maybe)
DRAGONLANCE Dragon Knight [DLA2] (on my "to get" list)
DRAGONLANCE Otherlands
DRAGONLANCE Tales of the Lance (*) (CAN $40) (on my "to get" list)
Dungeon Master's Guide [1e] (got it!)
Fiend Folio [1e] (on my "to get" list)
FORGOTTEN REALMS Bloodstone Lands [FR9] (maybe)
FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Set (*) (on my "to get" list)
FORGOTTEN REALMS City System (*) (unsure)
FORGOTTEN REALMS Dreams of the Red Wizards [FR6] (*) (on my "to get" list)
GREYHAWK Vecna Lives!
LNA1 Thieves of Lankhmar
LNR1 Wonders of Lankhmar (on my "to get' list)
LNQ1 Slayers of Lankhmar
Nehwon (*) (on my "to get' list)
Quest for the Silver Sword
RAVENLOFT Islands of Terror [RR4] (on my "to get" list)
SPELLJAMMER Lost Ships [SJR1] (on my "to get" list)
SPELLJAMMER Skull & Crossbows [SJA2] (maybe)
Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry
Sword and Shield
X13 Crown of Ancient Glory

1993
AD&D CARDMASTER Adventure Design Deck (*)
CHALLENGER SERIES Creature Catalog (on my "to get" list)
CHALLENGER SERIES Dungeon Master Screen (on my "to get" list)
DARK SUN Dragon's Crown (on my "to get" list)
DARK SUN The Ivory Triangle (*) (CAN $30) (on my "to get" list)
DRAGONLANCE Dwarven Kingdoms of Krynn (on my "to get" list)
GA1 The Murky Deep (*)
GA2 Swamplight (got it!)
GA3 Tales of Enchantment
GREYHAWK Border Watch [WGM1]
GREYHAWK Iuz the Evil [WGR5] (on my "to get" list)
GREYHAWK The City of Skulls [WGR6]
In the Phantom's Wake (on my "to get" list)
PG1 The Player's Guide to the DRAGONLANCE Campaign
PG2 The Player's Guide to the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign
RAVENLOFT Castles Forlorn (on my "to get" list)
RAVENLOFT Dark of the Moon [RM4]
RAVENLOFT House of Strahd [RM3] (on my "to get" list)
RAVENLOFT Web of Illusion [RM2] (maybe)
SPELLJAMMER Space Lairs [SJR8]
The Knight of Newts (on my "to get" list)
The Rage of the Rakasta (on my "to get" list)

1994
CHALLENGER SERIES The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game [1106] (unsure)
DARK SUN Black Spine (maybe)
FORGOTTEN REALMS Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast (maybe)
MYSTARA Night of the Vampire [CD adventure] (unsure)
PLANESCAPE The Well of Worlds
Temple, Tower & Tomb (on my "to get" list)
Treasure Chest

1995
AD&D Country Sites (unsure)
Avengers of Lankhmar
Cutthroats of Lankhmar (on my "to get" list)
PLANESCAPE Fires of Dis (maybe)
RAVENLOFT A Light in the Belfry (WK has this!) (CAN $25) (on my "to get" list)
RAVENLOFT Circle of Darkness
RAVENLOFT The Nightmare Lands (on my "to get" list)
RAVENLOFT When the Black Roses Bloom
RAVENLOFT Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani
S5 Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga, the
S6 Labyrinth of Madness (It turns out I did own this one at one point.)

1996
A Hero's Tale
Gates of Firestorm Peak, the (maybe)
PLANESCAPE Doors to the Unknown
RAVENLOFT Bleak House (unsure)
RAVENLOFT Forged of Darkness
RAVENLOFT Requiem: The Grim Harvest (on my "to get" list)
TOMES Adventure: The Rod of Seven Parts (*) (CAN $60) (maybe)
Treasure Tales

1997 (RPGA)
Star of Kolhapur, the [RPGA]

1998 (TSR/WotC)
AL-QADIM Reunion (*) (unsure)
A Paladin in Hell
BIRTHRIGHT Campaign Setting [hardcover version]
Dungeon Crawl: Lost Shrine of Bundushatur, the (maybe)
FORGOTTEN REALMS Kidnapped [RPGA]
GREYHAWK Lost Tombs 1: Star Cairns, the (*) (on my "to get" list)
GREYHAWK Lost Tombs 2: Crypt of Lyzandred
GREYHAWK Lost Tombs 3: The Doomgrinder
JAKANDOR Island of War! (maybe)
JAKANDOR Isle of Destiny (maybe)
JAKANDOR Land of Legend (maybe)
Moonlight Madness
PLANESCAPE Tales from the Infinite Staircase
RAVENLOFT Champions of the Mist (on my "to get" list)
RAVENLOFT Domains of Dread (got it!)
RAVENLOFT The Shadow Rift (on my "to get" list)
RAVENLOFT Vecna Reborn

1999 (TSR/WotC)
Die Vecna Die!
GREYHAWK Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff
GREYHAWK Return to the Keep on the Borderlands
GREYHAWK Return to White Plume Mountain
Bastion of Faith (maybe)
Dungeons of Despair [DUNGEON Magazine anthology]
FORGOTTEN REALMS Skullport
FORGOTTEN REALMS Wyrmskull Throne
RAVENLOFT Carnival (on my "to get" list)
Road to Danger [DUNGEON Magazine anthology]
TOMES Adventure: Axe of the Dwarvish Lord (*) (maybe)
TSR Jam 1999
Wand of Archeal [RPGA]

2000 (WotC)
Apocalypse Stone, the
GREYHAWK Fright at Tristor, the [RPGA]
Reverse Dungeon
The Vortex of Madness and Other Planar Perils (maybe)

"WK" refers to a FLGS in Edmonton (called Whyte Knight) that buys/sells used gaming products. Any product marked with an asterisk (*) is something that I know that Whyte Knight has available.[/sblock]

 

[Darkness]

I like Die Vecna Die (it's German for The Vecna The). It's a sick, nasty, epic meatgrinder. However, not everyone likes meatgrinders and I should also point out that the module... takes certain liberties with... the Ravenloft and Planescape settings.

 

[Ulrick]

I'll take a crack at describing the ones I own on that list.
There will be SPOILERS, of course!

The Apocalypse Stone
Warning! This adventure will end your campaign and destroy your world!
--page 3

After what appears to be an ordinary qwest for an artifact "The Stone of Corbinet", the PCs discover that they triggered the End of Days. They themselves removed the Stone that kept the world in alignment with the other planes of existence. The world becomes isolated from other realms and slowly destroys itself. Ancient prophecies come true. Clerics loose their spells. The weather becomes unstable. The tarrasque rises again.

Its a good read, chock full of advise and cool encounters for running an Apocalypse. Players might be a little frustrated at the deception toward the beginning of the module, but overall this module should terrify PCs. The module also gives the DM the option to not have the world end--only change drastically.

 

[Ulrick]

Axe of the Dwarvish Lords
This high level adventure focuses on retrieving the "Axe of the Dwarvish Lords." It's a long adventure featuring goblins, goblins, and more goblins. The adventure starts with a disrupted wedding and soon becomes a vast dungeon crawl through a huge dwarven fortress.

I've never finished reading it. The module just isn't a good read. And I think players will get bored hacking up low-level goblins despite the advise given to make them tougher (by varying tactics, etcs.)

Die Vecna Die!
Another campaign-ender. But yes, it is a meatgrinder, and characters seem to have little control over whether or not Vecna succeeds in breaking himself free. The PCs seem to be more or less along for the ride until the very end--I'm not sure if PCs would like that. The adventure is more or less a show case for the worlds of Greyhawk, Ravenloft, and Planescape--without really adhering to the flavor of each world.

D&D Rules Cyclopedia
For once, D&D has all the rules in one book (instead of 3 books or series of booklets). This book is a compilation, clarification, and expansion of the earlier D&D rulebooks. Its worth getting as a "rules lite" system or for the DM who wants to mine ideas from it.

Creature Catalogue
This book features 150 alternative monsters not found in the Rules Cyclopedia. There are some neat monsters in here that I've used such as the Gray Philosopher, Magens--construct-like creatures found in the Amberville module, and the water weird.

 

[Crothian]

Axe of the Dwarvish Lords
This high level adventure focuses on retrieving the "Axe of the Dwarvish Lords." It's a long adventure featuring goblins, goblins, and more goblins. The adventure starts with a disrupted wedding and soon becomes a vast dungeon crawl through a huge dwarven fortress.

It's got one thing that makes it better then most dungeon crawls though. There is a riddle or song or something (don't remember what it is exactly) that gives hints and leads the players through the complex. Without it the group would have gotten bored with the adventure but following the clues kept them interested and made it very fun for us.

 

[Ulrick]

The Dungeon Masters Guide 1e
It may not be worth much now when compared to the 4e DMG, but its still a classic. Features include: a random dungeon generator, disease charts, random monster tables, a "+2 backscratcher," the combat tables NOT FOUND in the 1e PHB!, Gygazian Prose, and poor organization of subject matter (especially went compared to later books).

Just get it.

The Fiend Folio 1e
This tome has the flumph, the only LG monster in the entire book. If you manage to kill a PC with a flumph, the player will never live it down. Other classic monsters like the Githzerai and Githyanki originate from this book. Since the book was compiled from a bunch of monster design submissions, the quality of monsters varies. You get outstanding monsters like the Death Knight to lame monsters like the Flail Snail and the Tirapheg (what the hell is that?)

 

[Ulrick]

The Fires of Dis
I thoroughly enjoyed running the Planescape adventure. A paladin's holy sword has been stolen and must be retrieved. The PCs must explore Dispater's tower in the Iron City of Hell to find clues to its whereabouts--this part has the most screwed up but interesting encounters I've ever read. At one point, the PCs come to a balcony over looking the City of Dis. They have a chance of going insane because they can see the city all at once, even though the city is infinite. They even get to meet Dispater himself--but can he be trusted to keep his word? All he wants is an eyelash as restitution for the PCs breaking into his home!

Other encounters include sneaking through Tiamat's lair, a polymorphing pit-fiend, and a possessed paladin.

Domains of Dread
This book attempted to make Ravenloft a campaign setting--as opposed to a prison that the PCs must escape from. Domains of Dread compiled rules from earlier sources and features revised systems for Fear, Horror, and Madness checks. Four new character classes are introduced: the avenger, the anchorite, the gypsy, and the arcanist. The book is set after the Grand Conjunction and the formation of the Shadow Rift. Realms and darklords are detailed. Players should only have access to the appendices for character creation.

Back when I ran 2e, I used rules from this book in my homebrew campaign. So it is useful for ideas.

Eldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry introduces druids, psionics, demons, more spells, artifacts and relics (THE WAND OF ORCUS makes its first appearance!). And the artwork on the front cover depicts a naked chick on an altar--so you know its got to be good, right?

Well, a lot of the material is rehashed and clarified in AD&D. The only reason I own Eldritch Wizardry is for its nostalgia factor--I've never used it.



-----
That's it. I hope I've been of help. I've been in your shoes Knightfall. Hard times hit and you have to sell stuff to make ends meet. And then you regret it later.

Like now: I thought I owned "The Gates of Firestorm Peak" but it had been awhile since I looked at it. So, when I was going to give you information about it, I checked my D&D library and discovered it was gone! Then I remembered that I had sold it a couple years ago.

 

[Knightfall]

I like Die Vecna Die (it's German for The Vecna The). It's a sick, nasty, epic meatgrinder. However, not everyone likes meatgrinders and I should also point out that the module... takes certain liberties with... the Ravenloft and Planescape settings.

Die Vecna Die!
Another campaign-ender. But yes, it is a meatgrinder, and characters seem to have little control over whether or not Vecna succeeds in breaking himself free. The PCs seem to be more or less along for the ride until the very end--I'm not sure if PCs would like that. The adventure is more or less a show case for the worlds of Greyhawk, Ravenloft, and Planescape--without really adhering to the flavor of each world.

I had heard the Die Vecna Die! took liberties with those settings, which is why I've avoided it. Plus, I don't like campaign-ender adventures. Still, I'm curious to find out how much it and Vecna Lives! can be used to learn more about Vecna, one of my favorite Greyhawk deities. What do those two adventures have in them about the history and canon of Vecna?

 

[Knightfall]

Axe of the Dwarvish Lords
This high level adventure focuses on retrieving the "Axe of the Dwarvish Lords." It's a long adventure featuring goblins, goblins, and more goblins. The adventure starts with a disrupted wedding and soon becomes a vast dungeon crawl through a huge dwarven fortress.

I've never finished reading it. The module just isn't a good read. And I think players will get bored hacking up low-level goblins despite the advise given to make them tougher (by varying tactics, etcs.)

It's got one thing that makes it better then most dungeon crawls though. There is a riddle or song or something (don't remember what it is exactly) that gives hints and leads the players through the complex. Without it the group would have gotten bored with the adventure but following the clues kept them interested and made it very fun for us.

This is one I've been seriously considering. I assume it takes place mainly underground, right?

 

[Knightfall]

D&D Rules Cyclopedia
For once, D&D has all the rules in one book (instead of 3 books or series of booklets). This book is a compilation, clarification, and expansion of the earlier D&D rulebooks. Its worth getting as a "rules lite" system or for the DM who wants to mine ideas from it.

Creature Catalogue
This book features 150 alternative monsters not found in the Rules Cyclopedia. There are some neat monsters in here that I've used such as the Gray Philosopher, Magens--construct-like creatures found in the Amberville module, and the water weird.

So, with these two books I'll get pretty much everything I'll need for truly understanding how OD&D works? I'm not looking to run an OD&D campaign, but I could see myself playing it online.