Astonishing sighting!

[Deleted]

Three bucks! And, I agree! The one I got from here looked brand new.

[verhaden]

I grabbed a copy of the white box for $63 two years ago from an Amazon seller in fairly good condition, after watching eBay auction after auction go by for $80+ for so-so conditioned work.

Like anything, set your price point and wait it out. Sometimes you'll find your deal where you least expect it.

Also, seconding Different Worlds--my copy of the Ref. Sheets is gorgeous.

[Sean Michael Kelly]

Yeah, I got my 5th printing of the OCE White box for about $100 around a year ago. Each of the original
supplements cost me anywhere from around $16-30.00 each. I bought a well preserved copy of Wilderness Survival at a local historical miniatures convention for under $10.00. My OCE was in near-mint condition with the exception of a little wear on the outside of the box.

[benoist]

So yeah really, the hard part is to just get a shot at the OD&D LBBs. All the peripheral stuff, Chainmail, Outdoor Survival, reference sheets etc. can be gathered fairly cheaply. Just takes time to gather the set of tools is all.

[CivilianZero]

While we're kind of on the subject, is it really that useful to have Outdoor Survival? And is finding an original print of 2e Chainmail the best option?

[benoist]

Outdoor Survival is useful if you want to use the default wilderness map implied by the rules books, particularly if you use the random rules for trips in the wilderness. It's not necessary in the sense that you could substitute any other hex maps with various balanced terrain features and get the same results, but the board of OS is reeeally cool and gorgeous. So ... yeah. I like it, personally.

As for Chainmail, it's like the LBBs really: you don't need prints stricto sensu, if you have the PDFs and can just print them out. That said, having the actual print for me is just something I wouldn't do without - because these are meant to be read that way, because there's feel that comes of holding the actual booklets in your hand, because I prefer to read and own physical things instead of busting my eyes reading electronic files, because I usually prep for games with multiple volumes open all at the same time in front of me, etc etc. Your mileage may vary, though.

[Sean Michael Kelly]

I have had difficulty finding a TSR 3rd edition reasonably priced. (And I despise comb binding) so I've been stuck with the PDF.

[CivilianZero]

I used to see lots of 2nd edition ones on eBay for awhile, but there's only one there at the moment I believe. I love having hard copies of everything. Depending on how well made (bookmarked and searchable) the PDF is, I usually prefer hardcopies. I can scan quicker that way. But for monster stats I usually keep the specific monsters I'm using bookmarked on my iPad or something and try to have as much else in front of me. I also greatly appreciate well made physical products and I like to support their continued creation.

The Outdoor Survival box and contents do look pretty gorgeous from what I've seen, but there are no places near me that would sell anything like that in-store. I'm waiting to stumble upon that before I buy it. Got too many "essentials" I still need to get off online stores first.

Honestly not sure how I feel about comb binding as far as use, but I'm obsessed with owning RPG products merely for the historical value (to me, at least). I'm still on a quest to get all the Slaver modules individually and the subsequent related module series (G, D, and Q) just cause my first time playing was that whole series.