To follow up on the 1st edition core rulebooks that WotC is reprinting next month, it is now official that the 3.5 rulebooks will also be reprinted in September.
As with the 1st edition rulebooks, these will be premium, limited edition books.
It should be noted that these were previously up on the Barnes & Noble website, and then withdrawn, almost certainly because they were inadvertently prematurely made live on the B&N site.
Given the sensibilities and strategy around the DnD Next release, this is a very interesting development. Are they trying to reach out to the hordes of 3.5 players who were, shall we say, less than pleased with 4E and left in droves to Pathfinder? I think it’s quite likely. Will they succeed in winning back some of the goodwill they lost? That’s a bit more problematic.
(h/t to commenter G. van der Vegt for pointing this out)
I'd almost say that somebody at Hasbro/WOTC has learned/figured out that they have nothing to lose and only gain to realize if they permit the older editions to be reprinted. Essentially, they told the old school folks to bugger off, and they happily obliged. Then they did the same with the 3.x crowd. I don't think it's as simple as "please come back!" but it's certainly got that ring to it.
I think it's a damned fine idea. Especially since I totally missed out on picking up 3.5 since my DM didn't want to pay for it and carried on with 3rd for years.
That's a pretty dumb move as you can still find 3.5 books on the shelves of some game shops and in the used bins.
They need to stop these stupid moves and come out with a D&DNext boxed set like another Red Box.
All the 3.5 players who've moved on to PF, that I know, seemed to like the 'improvements' to the rules (IDK, I didn't play 3.5 at all). I can't see them going back, and it hasn't been long enough for the nostalgia to kick in, has it? Or are attention spans so short that 5 years ago is 'back in the day'?
I've actually heard 3.5 players referred to as "grognards" by 4E players, so I think your comment about short attention spans might be right.
Wow, no love for 2e?
I made that very point in the comments in their survey, Mortellan. Before they reprint non-core 3.5 books, they should at least redo the core 2E books, and maybe some of the Basic stuff too.
I'd LOVE to see a reprint of the blue box…
A set of 3.5 core books goes for
$70 – $100 on ebay. That's been consistent over the past year, during which I've been tracking gaming sales. I sold an extra set a couple of months ago and mine was one of 15+ sets that were auctioned off that week.
Yeah, I think there's a market for a new printing.
Although I'm not interested in 3.x, I'm glad to hear that they are being reprinted. As to whether WotC can recapture those that embraced Pathfinder though, I have my doubts.
Hopefully sales will at least do well enough to encourage Wizards to reprint other older materials (OD&D, 1e modules, etc).
Holding my breath until WotC releases PDFs of earlier edition materials…
*getting light-headed*
*room… getting dark*
*…feeling tired*
*floor looks comfy*
!!THUD!!
We used to play 3.5. Tried 4.0, and then went to Pathfinder. I very much doubt we'd go back to 3.5 from Pathfinder.
I would guess, since WOTC pulled all the legally-available PDF copies of older edition products, that this is their way of seeing if the market will indeed bear out support for multiple editions. There was a lot of talk about how the designers went back and played all the older editions of D&D…. I'm guessing this is their way of seeing if people are willing to PAY for those editions. Try 1st edition AD&D first, because honestly, when regular people say D&D, that's the edition they're talking about. Try 3.5 next, because it was probably the biggest seller. I would not be at ALL surprised to see a reissue of B/X by Christmas. Plus, WOTC will obviously make more money selling physical property than selling PDFs, thus guaranteeing a market.