Future Collectible?

Posts: 2631 · Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:05 pm

I suppose this belongs in "Non TSR", as they don't exist anymore.

I recently went to a con and saw the new Castles & Crusades Collector's Set -- very reminiscent of the old OD&D white box set. I ended up picking up two copies from Noble Knight, one to look at and one to hide away for a few decades.

Anybody else consider picking this one up? Any thoughts on if it will ever be "collectible"? This is my first "new" RPG purchase in 20+ years... Rolling Eyes

Posts: 3156 · Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:01 pm

Maybe the 300 numbered copies.

ShaneG.

Posts: 2910 · Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:18 pm

They did a limited edition version of 300 at GenCon last year, from what I hear, but I'm not sure whether they were signed/numbered or not---I've heard that they printed many more than 300 sets, so I'm not sure if there's any way to differentiate them or not.

I think the verdict is still out on whether they'll be very collectible; that will likely be decided on whether or not Gygax and Kuntz do in fact publish Castle Zagyg (ahem, Greyhawk) using the C&C rules set. The regional area sourcebook for CZ, entitled Yggsburgh, was just released and is apprently pretty good, though I haven't seen it yet.

Posts: 2631 · Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:29 pm

grodog wrote:

They did a limited edition version of 300 at GenCon last year, from what I hear, but I'm not sure whether they were signed/numbered or not---I've heard that they printed many more than 300 sets, so I'm not sure if there's any way to differentiate them or not.

I think the verdict is still out on whether they'll be very collectible; that will likely be decided on whether or not Gygax and Kuntz do in fact publish Castle Zagyg (ahem, Greyhawk) using the C&C rules set. The regional area sourcebook for CZ, entitled Yggsburgh, was just released and is apprently pretty good, though I haven't seen it yet.

I believe Castle Zagyg just came out, I think that's what they were going on about at the con, I'm not sure, I was really just after the OD&Desque box...probably won't even play. Wink

Posts: 603 · Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 6:13 pm

The "Spartan 300" of which I own a set are numbered on the inside top of the box, and all three books that make up the set are signed and numbered. The rest of the "Collector's Edition" is unsigned and unnumbered. That's the only way to tell the difference between the two boxes.

Many more sets than the Spartan 300 were printed, which is how Troll Lord Games was able to offer the collector's edition on their website. The game is playable, but just as in OD&D, the DM has to make a lot of rulings. Not a bad thing at all in my opinion.

Posts: 2876 · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 11:41 am

I've got this set, too. It's pretty cool. I think they did a nice job with it, but the box doesn't feel like it'll hold up as well as the OD&D box sets. I also like their strategy of releasing the OCE look-alike, and then putting out the players handbook in hardcover soon afterward.

Posts: 2448 · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:35 pm

The White Dwarf Archive DVD. There's not many of those around. Very Happy

Posts: 603 · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:15 pm

afoolandhis$ wrote:

I've got this set, too. It's pretty cool. I think they did a nice job with it, but the box doesn't feel like it'll hold up as well as the OD&D box sets. I also like their strategy of releasing the OCE look-alike, and then putting out the players handbook in hardcover soon afterward.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a marketing strategy. The Collector's Edition was born from the delays in playtesting the Players Handbook.

The hardcover was anticipated for release at that Gen Con, but with playtester discussions on certain topics taking longer than anticipated, Troll Lord Games simply ran out of time. They were forced to push the release of the hardcover back (and it ended up being released just before Christmas of last year). So as not to be without something to sell, they took the playtest document and created the Collector's Edition, found someone who would saddle stitch the books AND create a box, and had a thousand sets (or so) printed. The original PHB in the box set had serious spelling errors that were not caught, so the original PHB booklets were all pulled from the boxes and replaced with an error corrected version. Just in time for Gen Con they got the Spartan 300 signed and took them to Gen Con as well as a few unsigned copies.

The rest is as you know it. The Spartan 300 sold out, and on the website, the unsigned "Collector's Edition" is still available. The Trolls though as of late have been giving away the Players Handbook booklets as a freebie at conventions. It's my guess that these were the original booklets with spelling errors.

Posts: 941 · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:23 pm

deimos3428 wrote:

I believe Castle Zagyg just came out, I think that's what they were going on about at the con, I'm not sure, I was really just after the OD&Desque box...probably won't even play. Wink

It's just the first part of the Zagyg Castle and it's the town of Yggsburgh rather than the Castle itself. There's six more projected volumes detailing the actual castle. Shocked

http://www.trolllord.com/cz1.htm

However, Gygax, since his stroke, isn't able to work for long enough stretches to complete revising the material. Rob Kuntz may end up doing much of the work, and it may be quite a while before the rest comes out.

They do have covers posted for each of the volumes. I'm not a big fan of the art they are using. It reminds me of Boris Vallejo. I wish they would use art similar to Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Posts: 2876 · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:26 pm

zhowar1 wrote:

I'm not a big fan of the art they are using. It reminds me of Boris Vallejo. I wish they would use art similar to Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Couldn't agree with you more. That's about the only thing I don't like about their stuff. Goodman Games, on the other hand, has really got it nailed, IMO.

Posts: 2910 · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 9:59 pm

zhowar1 wrote:

[Rob Kuntz may end up doing much of the work, and it may be quite a while before the rest comes out.

Yep, Rob and I have been talking about this for quite awhile: I'm hoping that we'll be able to start the Castle project moving forward soon after he returns from vacation (though that decision still depends largely on Gary, since he's the original creator, and the lead on the development)---without his blessing, things won't move forward further on the Castle Greyhawk dungeons (as I understand it, anyway).

Posts: 2631 · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:11 pm

afoolandhis$ wrote:

zhowar1 wrote:

I'm not a big fan of the art they are using. It reminds me of Boris Vallejo. I wish they would use art similar to Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Couldn't agree with you more. That's about the only thing I don't like about their stuff. Goodman Games, on the other hand, has really got it nailed, IMO.

Well, they just arrived today and inbetween researching minutia and eBaying, I took a look through.

Looks like they took D&D, took out 25-30 years of crap, and gave it a tuneup where it needed. Harami, if you're listening, I think we found the 8th printing. Smile

I may start playing again.

Posts: 3999 · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:41 am

deimos3428 wrote:

afoolandhis$ wrote:

zhowar1 wrote:

I'm not a big fan of the art they are using. It reminds me of Boris Vallejo. I wish they would use art similar to Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Couldn't agree with you more. That's about the only thing I don't like about their stuff. Goodman Games, on the other hand, has really got it nailed, IMO.

Well, they just arrived today and inbetween researching minutia and eBaying, I took a look through.

Looks like they took D&D, took out 25-30 years of crap, and gave it a tuneup where it needed. Harami, if you're listening, I think we found the 8th printing. Smile

I may start playing again.

Posts: 3999 · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:41 am

deimos3428 wrote:

afoolandhis$ wrote:

zhowar1 wrote:

I'm not a big fan of the art they are using. It reminds me of Boris Vallejo. I wish they would use art similar to Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Couldn't agree with you more. That's about the only thing I don't like about their stuff. Goodman Games, on the other hand, has really got it nailed, IMO.

Well, they just arrived today and inbetween researching minutia and eBaying, I took a look through.

Looks like they took D&D, took out 25-30 years of crap, and gave it a tuneup where it needed. Harami, if you're listening, I think we found the 8th printing. Smile

I may start playing again.

That sounds like a good description of Hackmaster. Smile