Reprinting the classics

[DDK]

It has been patiently explained to me before by others, however much like math, it just didn't sink in. Although eventually I intend to read it and understand it myself, currently the motivation to do so right now is less than the pain I'll endure doing so

So, I'd like to call upon the knowledge of those here in an attempt to understand the whole ESD license.

Basically, as a Greyhawk fan, I'm left with few options if I want to have access to all the material. Essentially I can either buy a poor quality scan from WotC IF it's one of the scanned products, pay exhorbitant collector prices for a lot of the 'classic' classics (assuming you can find them at all, and assuming you have access to a credit card or live in an area where there's a second hand bookstore that stocks RPG material), or piracy.

I honestly think that part of the reason Greyhawk is less popular than other settings is simply due to the fact that it's so inaccessible.

So, essentially, I'd like to know what would be involved in reprinting some of the modules and source books for Greyhawk.

I understand that Kenzer has a license to work with 1st/2nd ed. and they've produced several parodies of the original modules like 'Little Tomb of Horrors' and 'Smackdown the Slavers' but my intention would be to either do a faithful reprint or, if that's not allowed, a straight 3rd ed. conversion.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Pramas]

It has been patiently explained to me before by others, however much like math, it just didn't sink in. Although eventually I intend to read it and understand it myself, currently the motivation to do so right now is less than the pain I'll endure doing so

So, I'd like to call upon the knowledge of those here in an attempt to understand the whole ESD license.

Basically, as a Greyhawk fan, I'm left with few options if I want to have access to all the material. Essentially I can either buy a poor quality scan from WotC IF it's one of the scanned products, pay exhorbitant collector prices for a lot of the 'classic' classics (assuming you can find them at all, and assuming you have access to a credit card or live in an area where there's a second hand bookstore that stocks RPG material), or piracy.

I honestly think that part of the reason Greyhawk is less popular than other settings is simply due to the fact that it's so inaccessible.

So, essentially, I'd like to know what would be involved in reprinting some of the modules and source books for Greyhawk.

It's pretty simple: you can't. Greyhawk is an intellectual property that belongs to Wizards of the Coast. It is not Open Game Content, hence it's off limits. The only thing you could do would be to try to get a license from them but I'll tell you right now they won't give you one. Greyhawk is the "default setting" of 3E and the basis for the biggest RPGA campaign, thus WotC wants to control it.

And I'm not just being a naysayer. I tried to license one of the classic 1E trilogies because it ties in nicely with a product we have in the works for next year. The idea was considered but ultimately rejected because, as I was told, "If we let you do that, we'd then be besieged with requests by people who want to redo all the old modules."

 

[trancejeremy]

I'm afraid it's probably a lost cause.

You might contact Kenzer to see if you can get a sub-license. Depends on their original contract with Wizards, I'd imagine, but I know that some companies do that. Chaosium, for instance, lets out the Michael Moorcock license to other people (which probably really thrills him, but he apparently wasn't much on contracts back then).

You might also just start bugging them to produce reprints. Start a petition or pickett outside their offices or something. Probably won't work, but if you annoy them enough, you never know. I thought about doing that to them over Mystara.

 

[DDK]

I understand that it's intellectual property and all that, but isn't there a deal that says you can convert things to 3rd ed? Or is that a strictly not for profit deal?

 

[Mouseferatu]

I understand that it's intellectual property and all that, but isn't there a deal that says you can convert things to 3rd ed? Or is that a strictly not for profit deal?

You could convert it for home use. You could probably convert it for a personal, not-for-profit web page. You could not in any shape, form, or fashion do so for any official publication, and certainly not for profit, no.

It would be no different than, say, writing a story about Luke Skywalker and Han Solo without George Lucas' permission. (Well, not quite the same, since WotC's lawyers probably wouldn't actually kill you... ) But unfortunately, no, it can't be done.

 

[MThibault]

And there are some restrictions on what you can include in your conversion. What it basically boils down to is the reader must already have the module for the conversion notes to make sense.

 

[DDK]

And there are some restrictions on what you can include in your conversion. What it basically boils down to is the reader must already have the module for the conversion notes to make sense.

Which is the antithesis of what I would be trying to accomplish. Sigh. They won't print it themselves and they won't let anyone else do it. I don't quite understand that; it's sorta like saying, "Mine, mine, all mine, and you can't have it, because, because, well... just because!"

 

[MThibault]

Actually, I think they are saying: We can't make any money off printing them but they are available as ESDs. That's the best we can do, sorry.

C'mon, you might have a slim point if they weren't available at all. But you can have them if you want, just not in the form you want. I want them on Microfiche so I can read them at the office while I'm pretending to work. I don't think that WotC is being greedy or selfish by not offering them in a format that will lose them money.

Cheers.

 

[DSC-EricPrice]

I feel for you. I've ponied up quite a bit of money to obtain some of the older GH material missing from my collection when it finally became available in the ESD program. I do disagree that the scans are poorly done. None of the scans I have are substandard, though I think they could have squeezed out some of the size with a little more effort. Im the kind of perfectionist that HATES the conversion rules as they are now. I want something professional looking that has everything inline and coherent, not a lookup sheet. With Kenzer cranking out their versions of the classics though Im going to agree with everyone else. This is going nowhere.

 

[jgbrowning]

try e-bay. you'll be surprised at the amount of Original grayhawk stuff is still curculating.

joe b.