Well, this is interesting!
Wizards of the Coast and OneBookShelf have enabled print-on-demand for a initial range of titles on the DMs Guild.
This is fantastic news for people who want hard copies of those older products. However, it does come with a few caveats…
The main thing to consider is that those products won’t be printed exactly like the original printing. A single softcover or hardcover book? That’s easy. Poster maps? Urgh. Not so good. Detachable cover? Well, only if the glue isn’t that good…
I’d be surprised if the maps for old adventures (like Mordenkainen’s Fantastic Adventure) were printed on the inside of the cover rather than on separate pages in the book as well.
The notes for the Hollow World Campaign Setting indicate that instead of 3 books and four maps, “this print edition combines the Dungeon Master’s Sourcebook, Player’s Book, and Adventure Book, plus the maps, into a single softcover tome.”
So, if you want the books in their original format, you’re probably still better off trying to find second-hand copies. However, if the format doesn’t matter so much to you – especially for the original hardcovers and adventures – this is going to be pretty good.
My experience with the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion is that the printing is going to be good, though not to the level of the standard line of non-POD books from Wizards.
The initial list of offerings:
- Den of Thieves (2E adventure)
- WG5: Mordenkainen’s Fantastic Adventure (1E adventure)
- Hollow World Campaign Setting (D&D Basic)
- I10: Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill (1E adventure)
- SJS1: Goblin’s Return (2E adventure)
- AC1: The Shady Dragon Inn (D&D Basic accessory)
- Beyond the Prism Pentad (2E adventure)
- Dragonlance Adventures (1E hardcover supplement)
- Dreams of the Red Wizards: Scourge of the Sword Coast (D&D Next adventure)
- X2: Castle Amber (D&D Basic adventure)
- L1: The Secret of Bone Hill (1E adventure)
- Draconomicon (3E hardcover accessory)
- Uncaged: Faces of Sigil (2E accessory)
I agree printing differences may make this less than ideal. For the more common adventures and sourcebooks it seems if you want a print copy it would probably be better just to pick up a used one on ebay (at least here in the States where shipping costs are fairly minimal). One area where this could be very helpful though is in the less common items where second hand prices are high… like the “R” series or “RPGA” series. It would be great to have a print copy of those for play use for those of us who can’t afford an original copy or don’t want to bring one to the table for fear of damaging it.
That was exactly my first thought. A lot of these can be had on eBay for $20 or less; but Temple of Elemental Evil, Queen of the Spiders, Dead Gods (or half of Planscape, really) that go for over a hundred aren’t on offer? Silly.
I wonder if there is an updated list of this, I know I6 Ravenloft is also avaible as print on demand now!
If you go to the DMs Guild (basic page) and scroll down, it has a list of the latest additions to D&D in Print. Sadly, it doesn’t have a “See All” button!