[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as orginally printed, complete conversions of the modules to the 5E ruleset, new 5E content, and behind-the-scenes historical content!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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[HonorBoundSamurai632]

As long as they don't try and dump it into the Realms with some really lame excuse as to why it's there then I say this will be good.

This is what I'm expecting. I'm tired of the Realms also.

 

[Shasarak]

So, to be clear, we can't do Underdark adventures. Or adventures with giants. Or dragons. Or elementals. Because that's just retreading the past.

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.

 

[Olive]

I'm going to be highly irate if it isn't entirely new content. Some of us have been pestering Wizards for more than a year about converting old modules. Those of us who've been working with www.classicmodulestoday.com at least give you those pages of text which let you update the 1/2E mechanics to 5E, but that's all Wizards would allow anyone to do. Every time I pitched it, I got fobbed off with form-letter responses. Maybe i just didn't know the right people.

This is slightly OT but I am a commissioning editor with a large international academic publisher in my day job. We regularly get requests from academics to publish translations into their own language and they usually get a fob off form response. The reason is that it's not just about being willing to do the work, it's about the capacity to bring it to a market and to be able to pay a market level licensing fee to do so.

Goodman are a respected indie RPG publisher with an audience and I'm sure this came about because they had the money to license the content, the ability to develop it and the reach to help sell it. You guys are enthusiastic and talented amateurs. It's not the same thing. I don't think it's about who you know so much as about demonstrated capacity.

 

[Jester David]

This is what I'm expecting. I'm tired of the Realms also.

Keep in mind that none of the Tales from the Yawning Portal adventures were moved. Curse of Strahd didn't take place in the Realms. While Princes of the Apocalypse took place in the Realms rather than Greyhawk it was a new temple of Elemental Evil. The extraplanar elemental princes don't limit their cults to one world...

They haven't moved a dungeon yet.
Why would they start now?

 

[Kabouter Games]

This is slightly OT but I am a commissioning editor with a large international academic publisher in my day job. We regularly get requests from academics to publish translations into their own language and they usually get a fob off form response. The reason is that it's not just about being willing to do the work, it's about the capacity to bring it to a market and to be able to pay a market level licensing fee to do so.

Goodman are a respected indie RPG publisher with an audience and I'm sure this came about because they had the money to license the content, the ability to develop it and the reach to help sell it. You guys are enthusiastic and talented amateurs. It's not the same thing. I don't think it's about who you know so much as about demonstrated capacity.

Except that's even worse, and that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about coming out with my book. I'm talking about getting a chunk of freelance money to work up those conversions so Wizards can publish their own book.

It's well known that Wizards do very, very little in-house creative work. Art, adventures, novels; all non-game-design work is almost universally freelance, has been since the early TSR days. They hire someone - either a single author or an entire creative team - to do the work. That's how it's supposed to work. That's the paradigm: You pitch a product idea to the company, they hire you to develop it. You get paid for the words, someone else gets paid to edit the words, someone else gets paid for the maps, someone else gets paid for the cover and/or interior art. The company assigns a manager to ensure it comes in on time and on budget. It's the company's responsibility to bring the product to market. I'm convinced that's what Goodman is doing developing the book that the Wizkids are beaming over in the Garycon pics. That's how it works.

Or at least it was. Of course, from a purely crass business sense, licensing makes sense. Someone else takes the publishing risk, assumes all the marketing responsibility, does all the actual work, and you still get paid. There's no downside for Wizards in this venture.

If the new paradigm is that Wizards no longer employ freelancers, that licensees to do that, there's a new layer in the industry. That's bad news for freelancers in the game business, because the amount of money just got a hell of a lot smaller.

 

[ddaley]

Quite a few people are interested in old modules being converted to 5e. Why would they not produce the content if there is interest there?

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.

 

[darjr]

Holy cow. It isn't a trend yet. No other books have even been announced. How can it be the new normal when the old normal is still litterally the normal.

 

[Jester David]

I'm going to be highly irate if it isn't entirely new content. Some of us have been pestering Wizards for more than a year about converting old modules. Those of us who've been working with www.classicmodulestoday.com at least give you those pages of text which let you update the 1/2E mechanics to 5E, but that's all Wizards would allow anyone to do. Every time I pitched it, I got fobbed off with form-letter responses. Maybe i just didn't know the right people.

Except that's even worse, and that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about coming out with my book. I'm talking about getting a chunk of freelance money to work up those conversions so Wizards can publish their own book.

It's well known that Wizards do very, very little in-house creative work. Art, adventures, novels; all non-game-design work is almost universally freelance, has been since the early TSR days. They hire someone - either a single author or an entire creative team - to do the work. That's how it's supposed to work. That's the paradigm: You pitch a product idea to the company, they hire you to develop it. You get paid for the words, someone else gets paid to edit the words, someone else gets paid for the maps, someone else gets paid for the cover and/or interior art. The company assigns a manager to ensure it comes in on time and on budget. It's the company's responsibility to bring the product to market. I'm convinced that's what Goodman is doing developing the book that the Wizkids are beaming over in the Garycon pics. That's how it works.

Or at least it was. Of course, from a purely crass business sense, licensing makes sense. Someone else takes the publishing risk, assumes all the marketing responsibility, does all the actual work, and you still get paid. There's no downside for Wizards in this venture.

If the new paradigm is that Wizards no longer employ freelancers, that licensees to do that, there's a new layer in the industry. That's bad news for freelancers in the game business, because the amount of money just got a hell of a lot smaller.

If they had said "yes" would you have been in a position to pay multi-thousand dollars for the license fee, print publish the books, and get them into physical stores?

If you really, really want to convert these modules I would suggest emailing Goodman Games. They've had an open call on their website for 5e editors for a few weeks and 5e writers for three months.
While late, if you have a document that proves you're exceptional at converting and have done some of the work already, they might choose to hire you...

 

[Kabouter Games]

If they had said "yes" would you have been in a position to pay multi-thousand dollars for the license fee, print publish the books, and get them into physical stores?

If you really, really want to convert these modules I would suggest emailing Goodman Games. They've had an open call on their website for 5e editors for a few weeks and 5e writers for three months.
While late, if you have a document that proves you're exceptional at converting and have done some of the work already, they might choose to hire you...

I'm not now and never was talking about printing my own books. I was and am talking about selling my freelance work to Wizards.

I had no idea Goodman Games even existed. Thank you for telling me about them! There are so many 3rd-party content producers it's hard to keep up.

Cheers,

Bob

www.r-p-davis.com

 

[Jester David]

I'm not now and never was talking about printing my own books. I was and am talking about selling my freelance work to Wizards.

I had no idea Goodman Games even existed. Thank you for telling me about them! There are so many 3rd-party content producers it's hard to keep up.

Cheers,

Bob

www.r-p-davis.com

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/