OD&D November 2013--Deluxe OD&D Reprint (White Box + Supplements I-IV)

[MerricB]

I don't think so. There wasn't enough time between the announcement of the premium reprints and the previews of the RotRL books.

Wizards produced the collector edition versions of the 3.5E books - faux-leather and ribbon - back in 2004.

 

[delericho]

They also did reprints of some classic modules for the 25th anniversary, way back in 1999. That set also included the "Blue Book" version of D&D, which I believe is the Holmes version of BD&D - the 'B' of B/X. (Though I might be wrong about that last.)

 

[TerraDave]

The set had the holmes rules, reprints of Keep on the Borderlands, Ravenloft, the G modules, as well a previously unreleased AD&D adventure and a history of TSR.

Great, great product.

 

[M.L. Martin]

They also did reprints of some classic modules for the 25th anniversary, way back in 1999. That set also included the "Blue Book" version of D&D, which I believe is the Holmes version of BD&D - the 'B' of B/X. (Though I might be wrong about that last.)

Holmes is actually the version of Basic that predates B/X, and as I understand, it's an odd offshoot in the evolution of D&D.

Reprinting vintage material goes all the way back to G1-3, from a certain point of view. Premium products have included the 1999 Silver Anniversary box, the 2004 or so Deluxe Editions of the 3.5 core books, and the late 2008 releases of the 4E core rulebooks, as well as the stuff WotC's using to maintain their presence in the market while they prepare 5E/Next/Daisy/Ouroboros.

 

[Nikosandros]

They also did reprints of some classic modules for the 25th anniversary, way back in 1999. That set also included the "Blue Book" version of D&D, which I believe is the Holmes version of BD&D - the 'B' of B/X. (Though I might be wrong about that last.)

The B of B/X is actually Moldvay. Holmes is a curious beast and was seen as sort of introduction to D&D.

 

[Nikosandros]

The set had the holmes rules, reprints of Keep on the Borderlands, Ravenloft, the G modules, as well a previously unreleased AD&D adventure and a history of TSR.

Great, great product.

Awesome product. The adventure was L3, sequel to L1 and L2. However, from what I know, the original manuscript by Len Lakofka was lost and the published version was recreated.

 

[Jester David]

I suspect you're wrong about this. My strong suspicion is that the printing costs for all the reprints are actually very high (relative to 'normal' supplements), because the print runs are actually very small. That is, while a normal supplement might have a print run of 10,000 units, a reprint might have a print run of 1,000.

WotC are able to justify doing these print runs partly because of the much higher price point, and largely because they know that they'll sell out.

Unfortunately, not only does the OD&D set suffer from economies of scale because it will have a fairly small print run, but worse still it has seven small print runs.

It certainly would be nice having the two options. But given the print runs, that 'affordable' version may well not be - you could well be talking $80 for the set.

Ultimately, you can bet that WotC have had people do the math on this one. I wouldn't be surprised if they had determined that this was the only way it was practical to offer this product - an exceptionally high price, but with a premium product to go with it.

(One other thought: one of the things that will result from this is that WotC will have to generate a set of new files for the product. That being the case, they should be in prime position to offer the OD&D books in PDF format, after the reprint has had its day. So the 'budget' option is likely to be coming in time... but it will take the form of PDFs and/or PoD.)

I can see an affordable OD&D reprint product selling better than the 1e and 3e versions just because so many people will want to see the original rules and get a copy. Except for the $200 price tag, which will likely knock sales down. A cheaper packaging version would have offset the price of the the big collector's edition, by increasing the total sales of the books and reducing the per-unit cost.
But, despite being seven small print runs, the production of these books would still be cheaper than most stitched and bound hardcover books. Folded paper and a staple is dirt cheap.

 

[Jester David]

Wizards produced the collector edition versions of the 3.5E books - faux-leather and ribbon - back in 2004.

And since then they've made the collector's editions simpler and simpler. This is a pretty big jump in price point and potential quality (assuming it's not chipboard under a veneer of wood). Twice the price of the collector's books from 4e and the most expensive single item I've ever seen from WotC. It's a step above their recent efforts.

 

[Roland55]

My thoughts:

1) Awesome, want!
2) Pricey
3) Wish it included Chainmail
4) Wish it included Swords & Spells
5) Wish it included outdoor survival map

Agreed. Plus, still have my originals.

Still, the obsessive collector in me says: "Want!"

 

[Roland55]

The set had the holmes rules, reprints of Keep on the Borderlands, Ravenloft, the G modules, as well a previously unreleased AD&D adventure and a history of TSR.

Great, great product.

True. Mine wandered away with an errant family member ... I miss it.