WotC PDF??? So Morrus Tweeted this

[Warbringer]

Interestingly, we know that the scanned version now being sold as a PDF is a fourth print, because it still contains the special thanks to Chaosium on page 4. TSR initially forgot to remove that note, despite Cthulhu and friends no longer appearing in the book.

... And we wonder why TSR ever had business management problems .....

 

[delericho]

Very glad to see these back.

Also notice how Mearls is very careful not to imply that 5e will ever be released in PDF form.

I would be extremely surprised if they didn't appear in electronic format. Granted, that may not mean PDF, but it does seem a likely candidate.

In fact, if I were WotC, I think I would be looking at a way to set up some sort of subscription for these products - say you pay $7 a month and get either one $10 or two $5 PDFs per month. They could present that as an easy way to build up a library of classic products, where the price is low enough that most people could just sign up and then more or less forget about it.

But the real advantage of that comes when 5e is released, and WotC can then just add the 5e products to the subscription path. That way, the subscription becomes a very attractive offering, and they can use the classic downloads to pad the "release schedule" for those months where no new 5e book is presented - in effect, the classic downloads serve to push 5e sales. (And anyone who subscribes specifically to get old edition material is also exposed to the new stuff.)

And if they could then tie the DDI subscriptions to D&D Classics subscriptions, possibly with a "buy both for $X" deal, all the better.

(They would need to look closely at price points and the required number of subscribers, of course. But since the subscription model seems to be their holy grail as far as selling the game is concerned, leveraging "D&D Classics" would seem to be a good way to make it work.)

 

[M.L. Martin]

There's probably still some legal agreement from the original case/action that prevents them from making it available. Though those agreements could be bound to the defunct TSR, inc.

The Cthulhu Mythos probably wouldn't be an issue--Lovecraft's stuff isn't nearly as tied up in copyright as it was thought to be back in the early 80s, and Chaosium's been pretty good about letting other people use the stuff they added to it. It's the Melnibonean mythos that might be more of an issue--I think the license rests with Mongoose now, and I don't know that the licensing agreement would hold now that WotC acquired TSR. (This is part of the reason Last Unicorn Games didn't work out as planned when WotC acquired them, IIRC.)

 

[jodyjohnson]

I'm hoping the core rules will be available via PDF - I do have the 2E PHB, DMG and MM from Drivethru from the last time around. And it isn't like the 3E core rules aren't available via the SRD, 1E via OSRIC and the like, so what would the real benefit be from not making a buck off someone who wants "official" copies instead of clones?

The last page of the new Encounters season adventure "Against the Cult of Chaos" has an ad with the cover of the original 1e PHB on an iPad so assume something is coming.

Says "Classic D&D. Modern delivery." Nothing more.

 

[Greenfield]

I had a not-quite-legal version of the Fiend Folio, largely because one player wanted to use a Ghostly Visage as a Familiar and I needed to see what it was.

I just paid for and downloaded the legal version and I'm pretty happy with it. Searchable text makes a huge difference. I'll probably supplement my library with more of these, if they're all of this quality.

While I know actual ads are against the rules, I'll go out on a limb and say that www.dndclassics.com is a good site, and I'm glad they can finally do this.

 

[darjr]

Wow folks! You all make it sound like it might be doable to have the missing mythoi in the Deities and Demigods. That would be way cool. I wonder if [MENTION=697]mearls[/MENTION] knows about this?

 

[darjr]

http://www.dndclassics.com/product/28447/Return-to-the-Temple-of-Elemental-Evil-(3e)?it=1

Was return to the temple up there before? Or did it get updated?

 

[Greenfield]

http://www.dndclassics.com/product/28447/Return-to-the-Temple-of-Elemental-Evil-%283e%29?it=1

Was return to the temple up there before? Or did it get updated?

Nope. That was just added today, according to the time stamp.

 

[DaveMage]

The Cthulhu Mythos probably wouldn't be an issue--Lovecraft's stuff isn't nearly as tied up in copyright as it was thought to be back in the early 80s, and Chaosium's been pretty good about letting other people use the stuff they added to it. It's the Melnibonean mythos that might be more of an issue--I think the license rests with Mongoose now, and I don't know that the licensing agreement would hold now that WotC acquired TSR. (This is part of the reason Last Unicorn Games didn't work out as planned when WotC acquired them, IIRC.)

It may also have to do with print vs. digital rights. Even though they may have had permission to release them in print, they likely do not in electronic form. (IIRC, this was the problem with the Dragon magazine archive & WotC/Kenzer issue.)

 

[Riley]

Verrrry nice scans on the previews/freebies, and reasonable pricing. Once I confirm that these look good on my iPad, I'm going to pick up several old favorites. Thanks WOTC!