WotC to Release 1st Edition Premium Core Rulebooks Reprints

Matt James · Jan 22, 2012

JohnRTroy said:
Gary Did More. Simple as that.

Quoted for truth. Gary took the game and made it an international success. Without Gary, this website and debate would not exist.

FitzTheRuke · Jan 22, 2012

I haven't played 1e since 2e came out - I'm always moving forward, for good or ill - but this could be cool.

Jeffrey · Jan 22, 2012

Okay, don't jump all over me here, I am just thinking out loud.

The owner of my local game store has told me that he is worried that WotC will soon be discontinuing support for the Encounters program in stores. He's going to the convention in a week or so and will know more.

It just occurs to me that if this is so, the fact that WotC has gone to great pains to limit the distribution of the books to only game stores could be something that has been done to soften the blow over the loss of Encounters.

I'd like to be able to discount this thought just on general business principles, but I've got to admit that I've long since given up trying to figure out this business.

FitzTheRuke · Jan 22, 2012

Jeffrey said:
Okay, don't jump all over me here, I am just thinking out loud.

The owner of my local game store has told me that he is worried that WotC will soon be discontinuing support for the Encounters program in stores. He's going to the convention in a week or so and will know more.

It just occurs to me that if this is so, the fact that WotC has gone to great pains to limit the distribution of the books to only game stores could be something that has been done to soften the blow over the loss of Encounters.

I'd like to be able to discount this thought just on general business principles, but I've got to admit that I've long since given up trying to figure out this business.

I own an LGS and out of all my many concerns, this is not one of them. WotC seems to understand at this point that getting the game played in stores is important to their growth. We may see 5e playtesting taking the current Encounter's program's timeslot for awhile, but I don't see how that equates to discontinued support.

Henry · Jan 25, 2012

While it's totally my opinion only, discontinuing encounters would not be a smart move for them -- at least this year, anyway. Also, when 5E is eventually introduced, they're going to want as many demos of it as possible to get people exposed to it.

Dice4Hire · Jan 27, 2012

Hmm I just looking through my storage for my original 1E books and cannot find them

These just moved several steps op on the want list

Zustiur · Feb 2, 2012

dagger said:
Now give me a reprint of the UA, because that book has the worst binding in the history of book making.

Really? I find that hard to believe. My copy of the Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition rulebook fell apart within about 2 hours of opening. Is UA that bad?

w_earle_wheeler · Feb 5, 2012

Zustiur said:
Really? I find that hard to believe. My copy of the Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition rulebook fell apart within about 2 hours of opening. Is UA that bad?

I don't know about how it compared to all RPG books in general, but among the hardbacks for the 1e era, the UA was notorious for its poor binding.

MerricB · Feb 8, 2012

w_earle_wheeler said:
I don't know about how it compared to all RPG books in general, but among the hardbacks for the 1e era, the UA was notorious for its poor binding.

Both Unearthed Arcana and Oriental Adventures have terribly poor bindings; my copy of UA fell apart within days and had to be rebound (thankfully my father knew a book-binder).

Cheers!