AD&D 1E Monster Manual

[Punkrabbitt]

I finally acquired an AD&D 1E Monster Manual this last Satyrday. I've had a Player's Handbook abd Dungeon Master's Guide for a few years now, this will complete my trilogy. I am far less interested in it than when the hunt began, but the price was right.

[tkdco2]

I sold my 1e books because I needed money. I always regretted doing that. It took years to find new copies. I lucked out with the PHB, as it was on sale for $5.00 at the university library. The others were more expensive.

[doublejig2]

I had to repurchase these as well. Don't remember what I paid for them but along with Fiends Folio, they're getting good use at the game table, which is as it should be.

[tkdco2]

The most expensive AD&D purchase I made was the original Deities and Demigods, which I never had before then. It set me back $50.00, but I knew I'd regret it if I passed on it.

[Zenopus]

I thought this was going to be about the $26,000 copy that just sold on Ebay.

[rayotus]

Yeah that was crazy. I kept looking the $7 in shipping costs and laughing.

[geoffrey]

Aug 28, 2023 14:24:55 GMT -6 Punkrabbitt said:

I finally acquired an AD&D 1E Monster Manual this last Satyrday. I've had a Player's Handbook abd Dungeon Master's Guide for a few years now, this will complete my trilogy. I am far less interested in it than when the hunt began, but the price was right.

Keep in mind that the Monster Manual makes a very good supplement for OD&D. An exceedingly cool campaign could be conducted using only the following:

1. the 1974 D&D rules
2. Supplement I: GREYHAWK
3. the Monster Manual

In fact, the three D&D Monster & Treasure Assortments pretty much assume the above as the rules base.

[tkdco2]

Aug 28, 2023 16:28:44 GMT -6 Zenopus said:

I thought this was going to be about the $26,000 copy that just sold on Ebay.

I don't even have that much today.

[Finarvyn]

Aug 28, 2023 16:57:12 GMT -6 geoffrey said:

An exceedingly cool campaign could be conducted using only the following:
1. the 1974 D&D rules
2. Supplement I: GREYHAWK
3. the Monster Manual

Exactly! The 1E Monster Manual was published before other AD&D stuff, so it's essentially statted out as another OD&D book. Geoffrey's short list is pretty much spot on.

[jeffb]

I have no idea what happened to my original originals, but by the time I quit RPGs around 85 I had a set of barely used prints from 79-ish. I kept those until 2005 when I sold off my OD&D, AD&D, and RQ Collection (kept all my Moldvay/Cook/Marsh stuff). I eventually got another set of Wizard Logo era prints in the late 2Ks before prices started going up. I still have them, but they haven't gotten any use for 15 years or so.

But I did pick up an original 1st print MM with the errata sheet a couple years ago for way below market value. These early prints make me feel like a kid again whenever I page through them. They feel different (materials are different from later prints), they smell different, pages look and feel different. I started playing when this first print MM had just came out, along with the LBBs sometime in late 1977- it was a member of my group who owned it , and I don't think I'd handled an original print since 1978 or so when he moved away.

I posted a thread HERE on the forums which includes links to a few photos.

[DungeonDevil]

Over a decade ago, Nobleknight had a complete set of the AD&D core books in excellent/NM condition, and, stupidly, I didn't get them at the time. I still regret it.

I'm resigned to the fact that for 20 years I've only had the legal PDFs from Drivethru/RPGnow, but I lament the fact they were crappy scans obviously made by someone who had little interest, professionalism or drive to do a decent job of scanning them. Thus, I am forced to squint at these lousy PDFs made by a nameless, dimwitted former employee of Wizards of the Coast. I just wish they would do a very clear, hi-res scan and sell those to replace the old ones. (*sigh*)

If I sound hangry, it's because I am. Where's breakfast?!

[asaki]

Aug 29, 2023 5:01:05 GMT -6 DungeonDevil said:

I'm resigned to the fact that for 20 years I've only had the legal PDFs from Drivethru/RPGnow, but I lament the fact they were crappy scans obviously made by someone who had little interest, professionalism or drive to do a decent job of scanning them. Thus, I am forced to squint at these lousy PDFs made by a nameless, dimwitted former employee of Wizards of the Coast. I just wish they would do a very clear, hi-res scan and sell those to replace the old ones. (*sigh*)

The ones I have are the "deluxe" reprints, all the text was completely redone from scratch. I got them all in a charity bundle (except UE was not included for some reason).

www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17003/Players-Handbook-1e etc.

[DungeonDevil]

I know about the reprints, but there are too many things wrong about them for me to buy them (e.g. poorly copied artwork, many OCR-related typos, not a true photographic fac-simile, etc.)

[waysoftheearth]

Aug 29, 2023 5:01:05 GMT -6 DungeonDevil said:

Over a decade ago, Nobleknight had a complete set of the AD&D core books in excellent/NM condition, and, stupidly, I didn't get them at the time. I still regret it.

I have excess copies of all the AD&D books, in very usable states. I could part with a set if you're still keen.