[UPDATED] WotC & Goodman Games Partner To Reprint Classic Modules for 5E

At Gary Con, Goodman Games and WotC announced a partnership, as reported by Brett B over on Google+. They'll be reprinting classic modules, including B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 The Keep on the Borderlands in a hardcover with both the original adventures and 5th Edition information. More information if and when I hear it!

Photo by Brett B

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UPDATE! There's now a press release from Goodman Games.

Classic D&D Module Collector’s Editions!

Very exciting news from the “What’s New With Goodman Games?” seminar at Gary Con this weekend: Goodman Games has partnered with Wizards of the Coast to produce hardcover Collector’s Editions of classic D&D modules! These editions will include the adventures as orginally printed, complete conversions of the modules to the 5E ruleset, new 5E content, and behind-the-scenes historical content!

Present at the announcement were B1 author and industry legend Mike Carr, D&D lead designer Mike Mearls, and Chris Doyle who will be doing the 5E conversion.

Here is the full press release:

Jump into Classic Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Modules with Collector’s Editions from Goodman Games

First Volume Contains B1 and B2 Converted to Fifth Edition, Plus Insider Commentary, and Original Art

Goodman Games is pleased to announce a partnership with Dungeons & Dragons to publish deluxe collector’s editions of classic D&D adventure modules! These commemorative editions will appeal to fans of Dungeons & Dragons across multiple editions. Each volume will include digitally restored, high-quality scans of the original 1970’s-era adventure modules, presented in their original published form. In addition, each volume will include a conversion of that original adventure to the fifth edition rules set. This format allows nostalgic gamers to re-live the adventures of their youth, and play those adventures again in a modern rules set! For gamers with families and children ready to receive the torch of gaming, this volume is the perfect format to share fond adventures with the next generation playing the Dungeon & Dragons fifth edition rules.

The first hardcover collector’s edition will include B1: In Search of the Unknown and B2: The Keep on the Borderlands. These classic adventure modules were played by millions of gamers in their original editions. Among other things, the book includes:

• Commentary by gaming luminaries on the history and development of these modules, including gaming legends such as Frank Mentzer and Luke Gygax who were “on the inside” when these modules exploded in popularity.
• A new interview with gaming legend Mike Carr, author of B1: In Search of the Unknown and early gaming pioneer.
• Digitally restored scans of both B1 and B2, including multiple printings of B2: The Keep on the Borderlands. B2 went through nine printings in its original form, and there are material differences between the first three printings and subsequent editions. These include changes in monster stats and significant differences in interior art. Two printings are presented in their entirety to highlight these differences. The historical material also includes the true story behind the cover art of B1, which was the only cover image TSR ever published that featured the signatures of both David Trampier and David Sutherland.
• A thorough and complete conversion of both B1 and B2 to the 5E rules set, fully playable with the original maps.
• New 5E content providing additional detail on the areas surrounding the Caves of Chaos, including, at long last, the Cave of the Unknown.
• Additional material for playing B1: In Search of the Unknown, including several completed monster and treasure assortments ready for play.
• A variety of additional essays, commentary, and other material for play.

The deluxe hardcover volume is anticipated to be available at Gen Con with general release in September 2017. For additional information, visit Goodman Games online at www.goodman-games.com.

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[Kabouter Games]

As the industry leader, WotC doesn't accept unsolicited pitches from freelancers. They call the freelancers they work with not the other way around. There's too much riding on their products being delivered at an acceptable quality and on time to trust to an unknown party. Freelancers are expected to have built a reputation and catalogue of work doing stuff for other 3rd Parties and established RPG companies. The magazines used to be the place to break in, but those don't exist anymore.

WotC likely can't even read unsolicited work samples. It's a legal liability.

Here's Goodman's call for 5e writers:
http://goodman-games.com/blog/2016/12/30/5e-writers-needed/

I can have no argument with any of that. Thank you for the link!

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Prakriti]

WotC likely can't even read unsolicited work samples. It's a legal liability.

Yep. This is how it works in the television industry, last I heard. Writers write scripts for existing shows, then send them off as part of their resume. But they're always scripts for OTHER shows, not the one they're applying to work at. If a writer wanted to work for The Simpsons, they'd send scripts for South Park, Family Guy, King of the Hill, etc. Even if they wrote the funniest Simpsons episode of all time, the Simpsons writers couldn't read it for liability reasons.

 

[Azzy]

That is quite amusing in the thread where Goodman Games is just retreading the past.

But hey, it is not retreading the past - now it is in a hardback! With Interviews! Totally different.

Context is everything.

 

[Brujoloco]

For my part I am quite happy the guys at Goodman Games are doing something of this caliber. Their work is top notch and for an indy publisher they really churn out AAA quality material. As a candid confession it was them that brought me back into RPGs when I discovered the whole retro clone movement and landed my greedy paws on Dungeon Crawl Classics and some of their adventures (specially Mr. Stroh´s work) plus all the amazing weird pulp content being pumped out by the community, fact is I might even play 5E because of these products. So a big kudos to them!

 

[mangamuscle]

Huh!? When I read the title I thought "So WotC is going to adapt some GG material to 5e". But it is the other way around? Since when WotC is so strapped of cash that they need a 3pp to do a print run of one hardcover? ;

 

[BookBarbarian]

Huh!? When I read the title I thought "So WotC is going to adapt some GG material to 5e". But it is the other way around? Since when WotC is so strapped of cash that they need a 3pp to do a print run of one hardcover? ;

I've never thought of it like that. I would assume it went something like this, someone at WotC(or GG) talked to someone at GG(or WotC) and said "hey I have this idea that could make money" and the other guy was like "I love money." There may have been High Fives and Fistbumps, I don't really know, I'm not a businessman.

 

[darjr]

I could take undue credit and say I was trying to get GG o do 5e content via the AL CCC program. But I'm just aforum poster and really I doubt that had anything to do with it. But that's the story I'm telling.

 

[bmfrosty]

I backed "How to write adventures that don't suck". If you want to have an idea about the interviews they're going to have, read the interviews in the updates to that kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...dventure-modules-that-dont-suck/posts/1792993

 

[Olive]

I've never thought of it like that. I would assume it went something like this, someone at WotC(or GG) talked to someone at GG(or WotC) and said "hey I have this idea that could make money" and the other guy was like "I love money." There may have been High Fives and Fistbumps, I don't really know, I'm not a businessman.

Yeah, it was probably like that but with a little more nuance like

GG: Do you have any plans around B1 and B2?
WotC: Well, maybe. Why do you ask?
GG: I was wondering if we could pay you a license fee and we'd make them into a reprint with original stats and 5e stats and some historical info.
WotC: Ok, that sounds like a cool project that would appeal to a niche group. I can't see it would compete with something we'd do. Let's discuss terms.

 

[NascragMan]

You can pick up the originals at the GenCon auction (or on Ebay) for a dollar or two, used. The conversion isn't that hard. The question becomes what other value or quality is being added.