D&D General Wizards of the Coast releases pay-for-download PDF of the 1974 Original D&D Three Volume Boxed Set (including Tolkien references!)

[Alzrius]

Wizards of the Coast has just released the Dungeons & Dragons Three Volume Boxed Set over on DriveThruRPG for $9.99.

Compiled as a single PDF and marked "TSR2002," this is different from the OD&D Dungeons & Dragons Original Edition (0e), which is a scan of the premium reprint from 2013. This new release, by contrast, appears to be one of the original version of the game as it was in 1974. I've already downloaded my copy, and I can confirm that it refers to hobbits, ents, and balrogs, among other Tolkienisms. According to The Acaeum, those were removed as of the sixth printing of Original D&D in 1977, so this definitely predates that. (EDIT: Looking at the cover art of the "Men & Magic" book, this appears to be a scan of either the third or fourth printing, from 1975)

Given that Wizards of the Coast has previously removed titles that they've uploaded (specifically Palace of the Vampire Queen), I'd recommend grabbing this now before they get another cease and desist letter telling them to remove the Tolkien references!

This is the latest PDF release from WotC, following the Shattered Keeps map pack, the Worlds of Adventure fast-play game for AD&D 2E, the Hexagonal Mapping Booklet, and Quadrille Graph Paper. Other PDF releases have included Outdoor Geomorphs Set 1 - Walled City, Player's Secrets of Muden (for Birthright), The Planescape Conspectus, Midnight on Dagger Alley (AD&D 1E), the AD&D 2E starter set Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game, and the 3.5 Deluxe Character Sheets. Free releases have included Wrath of the Immortals (BECMI), The Book of Regency (Birthright), Three Dragon Ante, Rob Kuntz's To the City of Brass, and the World of Krynn Trail Map and The Eastern Countries Trail Map (Mystara).

EDIT: The product has been removed from sale.

Please note my use of affiliate links in this post.

 

[darjr]

Ope! Thanks! Getting it!

 

[darjr]

I hope this bodes well for the first printing of Deities and Demigods!

 

[Reynard]

I have always wanted to read this in its original form. Thanks.

 

[Greg K]

Given that Wizards of the Coast has previously removed titles that they've uploaded (specifically Palace of the Vampire Queen), I'd recommend grabbing this now before they get another cease and desist letter telling them to remove the Tolkien references!

I just would like to point out that Palace of the Vampire Queen is available on drivethrurpg through Precis Intermedia.

 

[Greg K]

Does it include all of the original interior and cover art for the three books?

 

[Alzrius]

I just would like to point out that Palace of the Vampire Queen is available on drivethrurpg through Precis Intermedia.

That's noted in the post I linked to, though to be fair I can see how some confusion might result if one didn't click on the link and only read this thread.

Does it include all of the original interior and cover art for the three books?

It seems to; I haven't found any instances of them being removed or otherwise altered. Interestingly, looking at the covers listed on The Acaeum page suggest that this is a scan of the third or fourth printing, since the cover image for the first booklet in the PDF is a sword-and-board fighter rather than a mounted fighter; I've added an edit to my first post noting this.

 

[pml]

Aaaand it's gone.

 

[Alzrius]

Aaaand it's gone.

So it is.

I learned my lesson from what happened with WotC putting out their own release of Palace of the Vampire Queen, and grabbed my copy of this immediately, but it's still a shame that it got yanked so fast. For posterity, here's a Google Cache of the sales page.

 

[Reynard]

So it is.

I learned my lesson from what happened with WotC putting out their own release of Palace of the Vampire Queen, and grabbed my copy of this immediately, but it's still a shame that it got yanked so fast. For posterity, here's a Google Cache of the sales page.

I am glad I took the warning seriously and didn't wait until after work.

 

[Nikosandros]

Wow, glad I grabbed my copy while it was up...

 

[overgeeked]

LOL. Why would they even bother. They can't have made much from a $10 PDF that was up for maybe 10 hours.

 

[overgeeked]

I hope this bodes well for the first printing of Deities and Demigods!

Not unless they get a new license to print the Elric stuff. Most (if not all) of the Cthulhu material is public domain.

 

[Greg K]

Damn, I was taking care of stuff and was going to buy it after I had lunch

 

[Stormonu]

Aaaand it's gone.

That was a fast 3 hours!

 

[Alzrius]

That was a fast 3 hours!

Well, it was actually up since sometime yesterday. Still, I wonder if the traffic this thread directed toward the product made it receive a second look, and so got it taken down faster than it otherwise would have been.

 

[Burnside]

So I actually have these physical booklets, with the Tolkien references intact:

Chainmail - rules for medieval miniatures by Gary Gygax & Jeff Perrin 3rd edition (it says copyright 1975) - this is different from the others in that it has a silver cover and black plastic spiral binding
Dungeons & Dragons - Gygax & Arneson - Men & Magic - Volume 1 of Three Booklets (copyright 1974)
Dungeons & Dragons - Gygax & Arneson - Monsters & Treasure - Volume 2 of Three Booklets (copyright 1974)
Dungeons & Dragons - Gygax & Arneson - The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures - Volume 3 of Three Booklets (1974)
Dungeons & Dragons Supplement I Greyhawk - Gygax & Kuntz (1976, THIRD PRINTING)
Dungeons & Dragons Supplement II Blackmoor - Dave Arneson (1975)
Dungeons & Dragons Supplement III Eldritch Wizardry - Gary Gygax & Bryan Blume (1976)
Swords & Spells by Gary Gygax for use with Dungeons & Dragons (1976)

No boxes, just a bunch of loose softcover booklets, a little yellowed & battered.

I notice that the term "Dungeon Master" doesn't seem to exist yet in the 1974 books or in Greyhawk or Blackmoor - the term "referee" is always used. "Dungeon Master" does appear in Supplement III Eldritch Wizardry and in Swords & Spells. The Tolkeinisms are present in all books.

Are these considered valuable?

 

[Greg K]

Well, I was briefly willing to give WOTC some money for the first time in a long while. I guess that will not be happening, again, for a long time...if ever.

 

[Davies]

So I actually have these physical booklets, with the Tolkien references intact:

Chainmail - rules for medieval miniatures by Gary Gygax & Jeff Perrin 3rd edition (it says copyright 1975) - this is different from the others in that it has a silver cover and black plastic spiral binding
Dungeons & Dragons - Gygax & Arneson - Men & Magic - Volume 1 of Three Booklets (copyright 1974)
Dungeons & Dragons - Gygax & Arneson - Monsters & Treasure - Volume 2 of Three Booklets (copyright 1974)
Dungeons & Dragons - Gygax & Arneson - The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures - Volume 3 of Three Booklets (1974)
Dungeons & Dragons Supplement I Greyhawk - Gygax & Kuntz (1976, THIRD PRINTING)
Dungeons & Dragons Supplement II Blackmoor - Dave Arneson (1975)
Dungeons & Dragons Supplement III Eldritch Wizardry - Gary Gygax & Bryan Blume (1976)
Swords & Spells by Gary Gygax for use with Dungeons & Dragons (1976)

No boxes, just a bunch of loose softcover booklets, a little yellowed & battered.

I notice that the term "Dungeon Master" doesn't seem to exist yet in the 1974 books or in Greyhawk or Blackmoor - the term "referee" is always used. "Dungeon Master" does appear in Supplement III Eldritch Wizardry and in Swords & Spells. The Tolkeinisms are present in all books.

Are these considered valuable?

Not really, see here for details. Without the box, you would probably not be able to get a good price for the three booklets.

 

[darjr]

Well I’m glad I got it!