D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 Edition Reprints

avin · Jun 25, 2012

I'm siding Wotc in reprinting former editions.

You know, some people around isn't tied to playing only one edition. Around here we like to grab a system/edition and run one shots or short campaigns for fun.

I still have my 3.5 books... but if Wotc wants my money it's just reprint Planescape

johnsemlak · Jun 25, 2012

mach1.9pants said:
The potential issue that occurs: we've been assuming WotC own the full rights to all the old material lock, stock and barrel. But we also know from the days of the Dragon Archive that this isn't certain. A lot of the work done for TSR was done on custom contracts, and in many cases those contracts no longer exist. We don't know whether that applies only to the magazine content, or to everything (WotC may, of course).

God, I hope this is not true as I really want WotC to do some reprints of some of the classic stuff, and I maintain perhaps futile hope of a return to the sale of PDFs.

Still, assuming that your speculation is correct, it seems like WotC was selling or allowing the sale of PDFs for a long time before they stopped it, around 10 years I believe, all of it well after the Dragon Magazine CD and the fallout. It would be odd that it took them so long to spot the potential danger. And Dragon Magazine was a far more complex beast in terms of IP rights than individual TSR products, surely. Finally, if this was the reason PDFs of classic products were pulled, it doesn't explain why current product PDFs were also pulled at the same time.

If there are potential issues of rights ownership, wouldn't it most likely be with artwork, which could be left out of (or substititued) the reprints? (It could even be taken out of PDF versions).

Aberzanzorax · Jun 25, 2012

I was easily able to choose (at least) 3 products for each. I mainly went with things I thought should be in print over personal favorites (e.g. I loves me some Lords of Madness and The two Fiend books...but went with things like the magic item compendium and such).

My one comment was regarding that I didn't see adventures on there. "Not available to vote upon were classic adventures (Return to the Temple of Element Evil, Red Hand of Doom, etc). I'd be as likely to buy that as any monster book (except MM1)."

UngeheuerLich · Jun 25, 2012

delericho said:
I will be extremely surprised if we see anything from 3e beyond the core rulebooks reprinted. Virtually everything else is easily available on eBay, and in many cases the business case for publishing those items in the first place was borderline; doing a second printing at this point seems unlikely.

But attached there is a poll asking you what your favourite books and rule elements are...

I could perfectly see some "best of" products coming...

Dice4Hire · Jun 25, 2012

This is a very positive development, even though I have all the 3.5 stuff I need.

Dice4Hire · Jun 25, 2012

I see that also.

And am not unhappy about it. I hope things are broken into different books though, not jsut reprinting books as they originally came out.

I would like to see a basic rules book including combat, exploation and gameplay

A classes book

A prestige classes book

A monster book

And some classic adventures

Kralin Thornberry · Jun 25, 2012

And while I fully support them in doing business and selling reprints of older edition materials, my question is, have they almost completely stopped supporting 4th Edition on the web site? It's almost all "ads" for reprints or them shilling DnD Next.

delericho · Jun 25, 2012

johnsemlak said:
God, I hope...

First up, the text you quoted is from me. Just wanted to note that - don't want some other guy getting the blame for my mistakes.

God, I hope this is not true as I really want WotC to do some reprints of some of the classic stuff, and I maintain perhaps futile hope of a return to the sale of PDFs.

Honestly, so do I. I would very much like a copy of the "Rules Cyclopedia" and, especially, that compilation of classic modules I mentioned.

Still, assuming that your speculation is correct, it seems like WotC was selling or allowing the sale of PDFs for a long time before they stopped it, around 10 years I believe, all of it well after the Dragon Magazine CD and the fallout. It would be odd that it took them so long to spot the potential danger.

That is the big flaw in my logic, and certainly gives major cause to doubt it. Still, stranger things have happened.

Finally, if this was the reason PDFs of classic products were pulled, it doesn't explain why current product PDFs were also pulled at the same time.

Safer to pull everything and cite "piracy concerns" than to pull only the old stuff and note "IP rights issues" - the latter would seem to be hanging out a "please sue us" sign.

If there are potential issues of rights ownership, wouldn't it most likely be with artwork, which could be left out of (or substititued) the reprints? (It could even be taken out of PDF versions).

I agree on all counts. Unfortunately, without the original contracts, WotC couldn't assume ownership of anything. I believe anything by Gygax and Arneson should be safe (since that always went with TSR), but beyond that it may get tricky. And it would appear that exact reprints (possibly with new cover art) are always safe. But this is definitely getting into stuff I don't know about.

Certainly, if they own the text but not the artwork, they should be able to do new versions with different artwork. The only problem there is cost - each time you have to make any change, that cost goes up.

Again, though - I agree with you, and hope my supposition is dead wrong.

UngeheuerLich said:
But attached there is a poll asking you what your favourite books and rule elements are...

I could perfectly see some "best of" products coming...

I would very much like to see an "Encyclopedia Version" of 3.5e. Despite owning so many books, I'd almost certainly buy that. Or, at the very least, a compilation of all the monsters - they could perhaps call it the "Monstrous Compendium"?

delericho · Jun 25, 2012

Kralin Thornberry said:
And while I fully support them in doing business and selling reprints of older edition materials, my question is, have they almost completely stopped supporting 4th Edition on the web site? It's almost all "ads" for reprints or them shilling DnD Next.

Don't the e-mags still support 4e?

Beyond that, I don't think I'd expect much - there aren't many (any?) new books coming out, so there won't be any hype about those, the Character and Monster Builders are likely in, or close to, their final forms... what else is there?

If that's not enough, perhaps you should check out EN Publishing's new Adventure Paths? Or perhaps Fourth Party?

Kralin Thornberry · Jun 25, 2012

delericho said:
Don't the e-mags still support 4e?

Beyond that, I don't think I'd expect much - there aren't many (any?) new books coming out, so there won't be any hype about those, the Character and Monster Builders are likely in, or close to, their final forms... what else is there?

If that's not enough, perhaps you should check out EN Publishing's new Adventure Paths? Or perhaps Fourth Party?

No, not really. It's more a bunch of "ads" for 1st Ed reprints, some cartoons, schilling DnD Next, and now 3.x reprints, with the occasional 4E article put in.

I don't use the current character builder and monster whatever you want to call it (it sure isn't a builder!). I would still like to see some sort of support for the "unsupported" 4E classes (not fighter, cleric, rogue, etc) that they kept saying would be put out, but never really was.