You have GOT to be kidding me.

[thedungeondelver]

The literal term "name level" appears on page 8 of the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Companion (1984)—its first use in a printed rulebook that we've so far tracked down. (If you know of an earlier appearance, let us know! Sadly, even we don't have a complete set of D&D rulebooks from the '70s and '80s.)


This is a joke, right? Are they kidding?

Even setting that aside, why in the hell aren't things like that just plain on tap at WotC? Why? I mean, when they were "saving" D&D back in 1999, during all of that shredding and pulping did nobody say "Hey maybe we should keep a couple of these books around"?

Between this and that stupid "Dragonlance was the first published campaign!" mistake in 4e I just...I mean, wow.

if this is a joke article they posted, someone please tell me.

If it isn't, someone give me their email addresses.

 

[hafrogman]

They didn't say they don't have ANY books from the 70's or 80's, just that they don't have a "complete set" (i.e., EVERY D&D book published from before 1990. A copy of each printing edition from every D&D book published in that time).

It's not that they can't go back and check the thre most common books. . . they're saying they haven't check every possible source.

 

[Mark]

Surely the designers of the most recent edition who were making sure the game remained the same have access to all of the old books. It must be a joke.

 

[Mistwell]

Let me see if I get this straight. You guys are all snarky and sarcastic and up in arms because they do not have a COMPLETE set of books going back to the 1970s?

Really? This is something to be all sassy and angry about? That they might not have every single variation of every volume of Chainmail from 1975?

 

[Remathilis]

Wasn't there a purge of a lot of pre-AD&D material during the 2e/Williams era?

I'm sure they have a copy of the OD&D/74 box set, the Holmes/Cook/Moldvay sets, A complete collection of AD&D 1e hardbacks and most of the 2e hardbacks and supplements (and surely all the 3e stuff). More than likely, they are missing some first prints, (such as the first run basic set, or first run of Chainmail) RPGA/Tournament copies of modules, and of course things that either never came to pass (manuscripts) or never got off the ground (nobody but the late Mr. Gygax knows what his 2nd edition would've looked like...)

Some extremely rare items can be found here: Rares Index. I assume WotC probably doesn't have a 10th of these items...

 

[Scribble]

Wizards said something.

Get angry now?

 

[D'karr]

Wouldn't the first instance of "Name Level" appear in the DMG pg 86? My copy is copyright 1979. I don't have a copy of my Basic books or OD&D handy, but I do not recall either of those "defining" name level, though they used them. I could be wrong.

 

[Shemeska]

While I don't know if the same authors of this current article are the ones who wrote the demon and devil Alumni articles back when FC:I and FC:II were released, but those past articles had some pretty basic mistakes of omission - woefully incomplete use of sources, wantonly incorrect generalizations, etc. They seem rushed and written without having read the sources in depth, or just being unaware of many of the potential, relevant sources.

As for the current one, maybe they could have stated what they meant better? I am surprised though they don't have copies of the entire normal product catalog from TSR through WotC in some form, even if just a scan when a paper copy might be hard to come by.

Edit: Of note, I don't think anything in the current article is worth a complaint however. Presumably they're talking about the absolute earliest, goes for $bank on Ebay sort of books - that I can see reasons for- it's not like they claimed to not have access to a 2e book like Planes of Conflict or something.

 

[jensun]

This is a very odd thing to get all up in arms about.

Given the amount of stuff published in the course of the last 30 years I would be surprised if anyone had a complete set of everything ever produced.

 

[catsclaw227]

if this is a joke article they posted, someone please tell me.

If it isn't, someone give me their email addresses.

It's not a joke. I don't have the email addresses of the writers handy, but you can go on WOTC site and get their email address. Once you do, you can go send your angry little email if you wish.