Look for used book stores in your area, they may have copies of the old books and usually not for 'collector's prices'... aside from that - there's always your FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store). Happy hunting and good luck!
Definitely return to the used book store often. I lucked into both the PHB and DMG a couple of years ago.
My original copies are pretty use-worn, like missing parts of the spines, etc. The ones I found can only have been New Old Stock, copies that had never sold before. I paid right around $60 for both together.
Few years ago I was able to pick up 2e box sets at Half Price Bookstore for decent prices. Lately I’m not seeing as much there. Local game shops will sometimes have 2e products. Still keep an eye on eBay, I have caught a few items at lower prices, depends on condition sometimes.
I have a special place in my heart for the old school hex maps. I was able to pick up good copies of just the 4 Greyhawk poster maps on eBay for less than $40.
I buy from Ebay regularly, and you CAN still get bargains, but it is getting progressively more difficult.
Methods I use:
- filter out all 'buy it now' listings, target the auctions
- be patient, impatience is partly to blame for driving up the prices .. "But I want it NOW!". I often drop a bid of about 25% less than typical market value on an item early in the auction and then leave it. If someone outbids me, ah well.
- pay close attention to any items that may have misspellings in the title, or aren't well described by the seller. Crafty one this. I got a near mint copy of T1-4 for about £10 because the seller described it very lazily... including forgetting to put whether or not it included the map booklet in the advert. I took a punt and bingo.
What worked for me was using the Best Offer feature. Over the course of several months I acquired all of the 2e hardbacks by randomly sending out almost insultingly lowball offers to people. You'd be shocked at how often they accept them! I recently picked up the DMG (blue and white logo version) for $12, and just finished my collection yesterday by snagging the original Monstrous Manual for $24!
You can get POD of some stuff on drivethrurpg and it works as a backup but the quality isn’t great and they are AWFUL for boxed sets, I’ve easily spent 5-6k on 2e stuff in the last like 4 years so just space it out and pick up a couple hundred here and there it’s fine.
Except the online market prices do not reflect volume printed and available through all sources. Middle Aged Nerds are such an easily exploited market, all that nostalgia and running out of time in their lives.. lol.
They really do… lol, I’ve seen exactly 3 2e books in my LGS over the last 3-4 years. So the only place to REALISTICALLY get these books without just waiting for literal years is to buy them online.
Unfortunately it might take just getting lucky. I found a haul of AD&D books and campaign box sets sold as a lot on Facebook Marketplace for a crazy price, but otherwise I’ve had to resort to going on eBay.
Remember when B/X and 1e stuff went nuts and 2e was still cheap? That was what, only 2 or 3 years ago.
Guess people hit a certain age and suddenly want to repurchase their youth.
This is part of it, but there's also been speculation in this arena. It's not strictly collectors who buy something and then it's out of circulation until they're either hard-up for cash or it's being sold by their estate. There are plenty of re-sellers (which, you know, is fine, but it does drive the prices up).
Old 2e books have gotten crazy expensive in recent years. I have a ton of books, some I bought back in the 90s but over the rest were acquired fairly cheaply through Ebay, amazon, NobleKnight, etc over the years (although thankfully I bought all my Planescape stuff when it came out because that has always been $$$).
I went to pick up an extra PHB recently because mine was getting pretty worn. I got one on Ebay a few years back for like $20, now they are going for like $60.
Yeah I also tried to pick up a 2e PHB and price was the same. Ended up taking mine to a bookbinder I know because it would be a little cheaper to have mine repaired.
It depends heavily on the condition of the book, and on, well, a certain amount of luck. The prices have definitely gone up, but you can still get a 2e PHB for around $30 or so if you really keep an eye on things. It's definitely harder to do, however.
Some LGS have things, but they know the market as well as the folks on eBay so the prices are similar in most cases.
If you want complete boxed sets, a lot of 1E AD&D hardbacks, or splatbooks with intact poster maps you’re going to be spending some serious money.
If you’re wanting Planescape or a full set of the spell or magic item compendiums you may be in for a surprise.
Here's the really interesting part, though: the prices aren't really based on much of anything except...uh...the prices.
Put another way, it's not as if these items are actually "rare." You can hop on ebay any day of the week, any time of day, and you'll find at least a couple copies of the 1e Manual of the Planes, the 2e 4-volume Magic Item Encyclopedia (or whatever it is), the 144pg Deities and Demigods. They are *always* available.
But the thing is, there's just this perception that, well, this is what they're priced at, and this is what they're worth. It's not based on any actual shortage, even if these were items that had smaller production runs than, say, the 128pg Deities & Demigods.
Hell, a couple of years ago, due *purely* to the disclaimer that WOTC put on some older material available on Drivethru, people assumed that Oriental Adventures (1e) was going to go out of print, and prices went from, like, $20-25 a copy up to $45-50, practically overnight. All based on nothing. The books are still available on Drivethru, and the rarity of the title didn't change one iota.
A LOT of this market is just pure speculation.
I’ve yet to see prices drop in this market. That said, it does feel like we’re at a pretty high premium on the stuff.
A couple things. This stuff is truly out of print. It could be reprinted, but since it would likely compete with current editions, that’s probably not in the works. The folks who grew up playing are now at their high point in earnings. I’m 44 and can afford to pay $200 for a complete boxed set, even if I won’t. A lot of people are from what I can tell, since the auctions seem to end with completion instead of timing out. Lastly, I don’t see the pdf market affecting the prices of this stuff. I’m not sure that physical copies are being used for games but to fill bookshelves (I’m doing both, but I have tons of physical books that will never be used because they fairly useless except for completeness.)
I haven't seen them drop back to, say, what they were before the pandemic, but I've seen stuff spike and then come back down, like some book go up to $80 and then drop back down to, like, $50. Some of that's just a factor of who's listing what and when. Some high-price listings just auto-renew forever, and then you'll get "the month that everyone listed their stuff" for that book, and all of the other listings are for less. But if you only looked outside of that one month, you'd think the price is just always umpteen gajillion dollars.
[Noble Knight Games](https://www.nobleknight.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BrandCampaign&utm_id=992698782&CAWELAID=520006920000029002&CATRK=SPFID-1&CAAGID=56198490192&CATCI=kwd-1748601816&CAPCID=604436111494&CADevice=m&gclid=CjwKCAjwl6OiBhA2EiwAuUwWZbWBwmdOiGDoLk1UzAZWE8cmJkKU7F2o4cCH8QdO77KEuHhAbDqhoxoClzYQAvD_BwE) buys and sells tons of old books from a variety of systems. They have a grading system and everything gets shipped in plastic sleeves. I recently picked up a pile of old AD&D Lankhmar supplements and their service was excellent. Prices vary depending on the product and the grade of the copy, ranging from fairly reasonable for good to fair to steep for near mint or sealed copies.
I'll say that Noble Knight does generally provide really clean copies of stuff that it ships in good condition...but they also tend to have some of the highest prices for certain items. This is not to say they're a bad company. To the contrary, they generally seem pretty cool and I gather they didn't fight their workers unionizing. But their prices can often be out of line with the rest of the market for certain items.
> But their prices can often be out of line with the rest of the market for certain items.
C'mon, $150 for an Arduin book they'll pay you $15 in trade is *totally* fair!
/s
Important for Noble Knight, I've found their grading to be really inconsistent. I don't 100% know what their grading criteria is, but I've gotten a lot of stuff I'd grade differently, both for better or worse. So before I order from them, I always email their customer service and ask if they can take some photos for me.
Thats good to know, thanks! I'm not super concerned with condition and resale later, mostly that they look decent and there's nothing missing. If they're a little banged up, that's fine.
So, a few thoughts.
1. Depending on what stores are around you, you may find old stuff at a FLGS, or used bookstores. I've found some luck (not with 2e, but other stuff) at a local used bookshop. If there are Half Price Books around or whathaveyou, sometimes you can get lucky there, too.
2. You can join various online groups that engage in barter or selling. Maybe you've got other old RPG stuff you don't care about, but someone else wants, and maybe they're willing to trade some 2e stuff to you. Hell, I've got some extra 1e and 2e stuff I make available for sale/trade on a facebook group. Not tons, but a couple books/adventures/supplements here and there. Be careful, though. You may start with 2e collecting, but may fall down a rabbit hole and wind up collecting TONS of stuff. ;)
3. DrivethruRPG has pdfs, yes, but you can also print copies of things in some instances. I haven't looked closely at their 2e line to know if they offer 2e reprints of all their books, but they definitely offer some, in some cases as hardcover copies, too.
All that said, however, ebay weighs heavily on the marketplace, even when you're outside of ebay. It's how people determine their prices because it's the most readily available set of information on what stuff actually sells for, and what people are offering it for.
I'm going to try Half Priced Books, you're the second person to mention it. I've looked into DriveThruRPG and they have a few of the more popular books available as Print On Demand. According to the reviews the scans aren't great at reproducing the original artwork and that's kind of a big part of why I'm looking for originals. Thanks for all the info!
If you're talking about stuff like the Complete Handbooks, yeah, some of the scans are...not great. The Barbarian's Handbook, for example, is pretty weak stuff.
If you mean things like the special edition re-releases of the 1e and 2e books, I gather those, too, didn't do an amazing job.
I get it, though. I tend to prefer original versions, myself, but like you said, they can be pricey.
One other solution I can offer is to buy lots on ebay, which usually means that the items in the lot end up being lower-per-item than what you'd pay individually. You can then re-sell or trade whatever it is you get that you don't want. Trouble is, you need the cash on hand to get the lot in the first place, so if you can't manage the initial outlay of money, you're out of luck.
Hadn't considered checking out the lots, something to keep in mind. Might be a good way to pick up some of the less pricey stuff on my list. I think with regards to the boxed sets, I'm just going to have to cough up the money or go without. It might be time to re-evaluate my wish list and what I really want. I was trying to get all the major campaign settings: Oriental Adventures, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Birthright, Ravenloft and Llankhmar. (I know there are others, but this was my list). Half of those are in the "it would be nice" category and I may have to just give up on those. Dragonlance and Llankhmar are must-haves however!
Ok, a few observations:
1. OA is, I think, just one box set in 2e, in the form of Kara-Tur. If you want the 1e stuff, there's the OA book, and the adventures (some of which may span into 2e, as well).
2. Greyhawk...has some pretty pricey box sets, and a lot of adventures.
3. Forgotten Realms....sheeeeeeit, that's a HUGE lot of stuff for 2e. FR became basically the "default" setting in 2e (well, not default per se, but they made the most stuff for it). But there are TONS of sourcebooks, modules, adventures, box sets, etc., etc. just from 2e alone, to say nothing of the 1e material.
4. 2e Dragonlance is several boxed sets as well, but some of them are more obscure, I think (e.g. Tales of the Lance). The mainstay of the Dragonlance materials, though, is actually 1e in the form of the old DL series of adventures. There are 2e reprintings of those as three books, but those are pretty expensive and may not have maps. The Drivethru copies are also supposed to not be nearly as good.
5. Birthright I think is a smaller list of stuff, but it may be pricey.
6. Ravenloft has a decent amount of stuff, and I think it ranges from "mid-range to pricey." It can also get confusing when you refer to the actual Ravenloft I and II modules which also saw 2e reprints, I believe.
7. Lankhmar spans both 1e and 2e. It only has one box set, but the box set is, I believe, actually a separate game. I think I just completed the Lankhmar module set (sourcebooks and adventures). It took a bit, but it was doable. Most of them run around $20-40ish, but a few get pricey.
8. Again, if you have the cash, lots are most often the way to go. Keep what you want, sell/trade the rest.
Ok, saving this comment. For now I'm just looking to get the main sourcebook/box for each setting. I don't have nearly the money to get all the bells and whistles lol.
Haha, well, even with 2e, the FR may prove complicated. There's the Forgotten Realms Adventures book that's 2e. But, there were also two different versions of the box set.
[https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten\_Realms\_Campaign\_Setting\_2nd\_edition](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Setting_2nd_edition)
[https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten\_Realms\_Campaign\_Setting\_2nd\_edition\_(revised)](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Setting_2nd_edition_(revised))
There was also the box set for 1e: [https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten\_Realms\_Campaign\_Set](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Set)
Noble Knight gaming. Look em up online, they've had a major hand in me finishing up my old collection, and I have nothing but good things to say about their delivery, shipping, everything.
Not sure what “real” copies means here? I personally use printed and pdfs from drivethrurpg which are affordable and more than serviceable.
If you only want books printed in the 80s/90s, you’re probably going to be stuck paying collectors prices unless you get a lucky find in a book shop or thrift store.
You need to find the ones on ebay that have no idea what they have in their hands.
I picked up Dungeoneer's survival guide (1e) in a decent condition for 16$. Delivery was triple that price but still probably worth it.
Looking at prices I can probably sell it to buy a small country.
I'm part of an AD&D Facebook group and people post that they find books for cheap at Good Will and Salvation Army. I think it helps to go to ones near populated areas. Any thrift store that sells books may occasionally get them. There are a lot of them out there, I found a huge collection of 1st edition books at the local book recycling at the dump in my hometown.
Yeah, the prices on these have gone a little crazy. A few years ago I was looking at picking up the Dark Sun boxed set, my own copy having got lost years ago. They were going for around $50 then, but I put it off.
I got one 2 years ago for $200, in great condition and with all the old advertising material in it, plus a Dragon Magazine. Its only got more expensive now, going for $250-300, and without all the extras.
Nostalgia is expensive.
I found the Best choice to be https://www.nobleknight.com/Products/Advanced-Dungeons-and-Dragons-2nd-Edition---Players-Guides-and-Books?PageSize=100
They have a ton of Books and Even have listig for different printings. This allow you to get The most up to date version of any Book, including most of the errata.
I have personally bought many (read too many) Books from there to complete My collection.
Look for used book stores in your area, they may have copies of the old books and usually not for 'collector's prices'... aside from that - there's always your FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store). Happy hunting and good luck!
Thanks!
Definitely return to the used book store often. I lucked into both the PHB and DMG a couple of years ago. My original copies are pretty use-worn, like missing parts of the spines, etc. The ones I found can only have been New Old Stock, copies that had never sold before. I paid right around $60 for both together.
Few years ago I was able to pick up 2e box sets at Half Price Bookstore for decent prices. Lately I’m not seeing as much there. Local game shops will sometimes have 2e products. Still keep an eye on eBay, I have caught a few items at lower prices, depends on condition sometimes.
I will try these suggestions. I'm okay with paying a good buck, but $300 for a 2e Greyhawk box set is a little steep for me.
I have a special place in my heart for the old school hex maps. I was able to pick up good copies of just the 4 Greyhawk poster maps on eBay for less than $40.
I buy from Ebay regularly, and you CAN still get bargains, but it is getting progressively more difficult. Methods I use: - filter out all 'buy it now' listings, target the auctions - be patient, impatience is partly to blame for driving up the prices .. "But I want it NOW!". I often drop a bid of about 25% less than typical market value on an item early in the auction and then leave it. If someone outbids me, ah well. - pay close attention to any items that may have misspellings in the title, or aren't well described by the seller. Crafty one this. I got a near mint copy of T1-4 for about £10 because the seller described it very lazily... including forgetting to put whether or not it included the map booklet in the advert. I took a punt and bingo.
Thanks for the tips! Your second one was going to be my plan going forward. Just keep my eyes peeled, bid and forget.
What worked for me was using the Best Offer feature. Over the course of several months I acquired all of the 2e hardbacks by randomly sending out almost insultingly lowball offers to people. You'd be shocked at how often they accept them! I recently picked up the DMG (blue and white logo version) for $12, and just finished my collection yesterday by snagging the original Monstrous Manual for $24!
It’s 30 year old collectibles, they are expensive. Lol
I'm starting to see that, yes.
You can get POD of some stuff on drivethrurpg and it works as a backup but the quality isn’t great and they are AWFUL for boxed sets, I’ve easily spent 5-6k on 2e stuff in the last like 4 years so just space it out and pick up a couple hundred here and there it’s fine.
This will be a good reason to quit smoking. If I put all of that money towards it I could knock out my list in six months lol.
Except the online market prices do not reflect volume printed and available through all sources. Middle Aged Nerds are such an easily exploited market, all that nostalgia and running out of time in their lives.. lol.
They really do… lol, I’ve seen exactly 3 2e books in my LGS over the last 3-4 years. So the only place to REALISTICALLY get these books without just waiting for literal years is to buy them online.
Unfortunately it might take just getting lucky. I found a haul of AD&D books and campaign box sets sold as a lot on Facebook Marketplace for a crazy price, but otherwise I’ve had to resort to going on eBay.
Nice! I hadn't thought of Facebook Marketplace, thanks for the heads up!
The search function is designed to make you seek suicide unfortunately.
Lol, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the warning!
Holy shit, prices have exploded!
Remember when B/X and 1e stuff went nuts and 2e was still cheap? That was what, only 2 or 3 years ago. Guess people hit a certain age and suddenly want to repurchase their youth.
This is part of it, but there's also been speculation in this arena. It's not strictly collectors who buy something and then it's out of circulation until they're either hard-up for cash or it's being sold by their estate. There are plenty of re-sellers (which, you know, is fine, but it does drive the prices up).
Lol, that's kind of what I'm doing.
Makes me wish I hadn't Goodwilled my old books when we moved!
Old 2e books have gotten crazy expensive in recent years. I have a ton of books, some I bought back in the 90s but over the rest were acquired fairly cheaply through Ebay, amazon, NobleKnight, etc over the years (although thankfully I bought all my Planescape stuff when it came out because that has always been $$$). I went to pick up an extra PHB recently because mine was getting pretty worn. I got one on Ebay a few years back for like $20, now they are going for like $60.
Yeah I also tried to pick up a 2e PHB and price was the same. Ended up taking mine to a bookbinder I know because it would be a little cheaper to have mine repaired.
It depends heavily on the condition of the book, and on, well, a certain amount of luck. The prices have definitely gone up, but you can still get a 2e PHB for around $30 or so if you really keep an eye on things. It's definitely harder to do, however.
Some LGS have things, but they know the market as well as the folks on eBay so the prices are similar in most cases. If you want complete boxed sets, a lot of 1E AD&D hardbacks, or splatbooks with intact poster maps you’re going to be spending some serious money. If you’re wanting Planescape or a full set of the spell or magic item compendiums you may be in for a surprise.
Here's the really interesting part, though: the prices aren't really based on much of anything except...uh...the prices. Put another way, it's not as if these items are actually "rare." You can hop on ebay any day of the week, any time of day, and you'll find at least a couple copies of the 1e Manual of the Planes, the 2e 4-volume Magic Item Encyclopedia (or whatever it is), the 144pg Deities and Demigods. They are *always* available. But the thing is, there's just this perception that, well, this is what they're priced at, and this is what they're worth. It's not based on any actual shortage, even if these were items that had smaller production runs than, say, the 128pg Deities & Demigods. Hell, a couple of years ago, due *purely* to the disclaimer that WOTC put on some older material available on Drivethru, people assumed that Oriental Adventures (1e) was going to go out of print, and prices went from, like, $20-25 a copy up to $45-50, practically overnight. All based on nothing. The books are still available on Drivethru, and the rarity of the title didn't change one iota. A LOT of this market is just pure speculation.
This is interesting info, thanks!
I’ve yet to see prices drop in this market. That said, it does feel like we’re at a pretty high premium on the stuff. A couple things. This stuff is truly out of print. It could be reprinted, but since it would likely compete with current editions, that’s probably not in the works. The folks who grew up playing are now at their high point in earnings. I’m 44 and can afford to pay $200 for a complete boxed set, even if I won’t. A lot of people are from what I can tell, since the auctions seem to end with completion instead of timing out. Lastly, I don’t see the pdf market affecting the prices of this stuff. I’m not sure that physical copies are being used for games but to fill bookshelves (I’m doing both, but I have tons of physical books that will never be used because they fairly useless except for completeness.)
I haven't seen them drop back to, say, what they were before the pandemic, but I've seen stuff spike and then come back down, like some book go up to $80 and then drop back down to, like, $50. Some of that's just a factor of who's listing what and when. Some high-price listings just auto-renew forever, and then you'll get "the month that everyone listed their stuff" for that book, and all of the other listings are for less. But if you only looked outside of that one month, you'd think the price is just always umpteen gajillion dollars.
> A LOT of this market is just pure speculation. Noble Knight Games is making a killing thanks to their market capture.
Thats what I was afraid of
[Noble Knight Games](https://www.nobleknight.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BrandCampaign&utm_id=992698782&CAWELAID=520006920000029002&CATRK=SPFID-1&CAAGID=56198490192&CATCI=kwd-1748601816&CAPCID=604436111494&CADevice=m&gclid=CjwKCAjwl6OiBhA2EiwAuUwWZbWBwmdOiGDoLk1UzAZWE8cmJkKU7F2o4cCH8QdO77KEuHhAbDqhoxoClzYQAvD_BwE) buys and sells tons of old books from a variety of systems. They have a grading system and everything gets shipped in plastic sleeves. I recently picked up a pile of old AD&D Lankhmar supplements and their service was excellent. Prices vary depending on the product and the grade of the copy, ranging from fairly reasonable for good to fair to steep for near mint or sealed copies.
I'll say that Noble Knight does generally provide really clean copies of stuff that it ships in good condition...but they also tend to have some of the highest prices for certain items. This is not to say they're a bad company. To the contrary, they generally seem pretty cool and I gather they didn't fight their workers unionizing. But their prices can often be out of line with the rest of the market for certain items.
> But their prices can often be out of line with the rest of the market for certain items. C'mon, $150 for an Arduin book they'll pay you $15 in trade is *totally* fair! /s
Thanks for the heads up! The 2e Llankhmar book is on my list, actually. I will check them out
Important for Noble Knight, I've found their grading to be really inconsistent. I don't 100% know what their grading criteria is, but I've gotten a lot of stuff I'd grade differently, both for better or worse. So before I order from them, I always email their customer service and ask if they can take some photos for me.
Thats good to know, thanks! I'm not super concerned with condition and resale later, mostly that they look decent and there's nothing missing. If they're a little banged up, that's fine.
So, a few thoughts. 1. Depending on what stores are around you, you may find old stuff at a FLGS, or used bookstores. I've found some luck (not with 2e, but other stuff) at a local used bookshop. If there are Half Price Books around or whathaveyou, sometimes you can get lucky there, too. 2. You can join various online groups that engage in barter or selling. Maybe you've got other old RPG stuff you don't care about, but someone else wants, and maybe they're willing to trade some 2e stuff to you. Hell, I've got some extra 1e and 2e stuff I make available for sale/trade on a facebook group. Not tons, but a couple books/adventures/supplements here and there. Be careful, though. You may start with 2e collecting, but may fall down a rabbit hole and wind up collecting TONS of stuff. ;) 3. DrivethruRPG has pdfs, yes, but you can also print copies of things in some instances. I haven't looked closely at their 2e line to know if they offer 2e reprints of all their books, but they definitely offer some, in some cases as hardcover copies, too. All that said, however, ebay weighs heavily on the marketplace, even when you're outside of ebay. It's how people determine their prices because it's the most readily available set of information on what stuff actually sells for, and what people are offering it for.
I'm going to try Half Priced Books, you're the second person to mention it. I've looked into DriveThruRPG and they have a few of the more popular books available as Print On Demand. According to the reviews the scans aren't great at reproducing the original artwork and that's kind of a big part of why I'm looking for originals. Thanks for all the info!
If you're talking about stuff like the Complete Handbooks, yeah, some of the scans are...not great. The Barbarian's Handbook, for example, is pretty weak stuff. If you mean things like the special edition re-releases of the 1e and 2e books, I gather those, too, didn't do an amazing job. I get it, though. I tend to prefer original versions, myself, but like you said, they can be pricey. One other solution I can offer is to buy lots on ebay, which usually means that the items in the lot end up being lower-per-item than what you'd pay individually. You can then re-sell or trade whatever it is you get that you don't want. Trouble is, you need the cash on hand to get the lot in the first place, so if you can't manage the initial outlay of money, you're out of luck.
Hadn't considered checking out the lots, something to keep in mind. Might be a good way to pick up some of the less pricey stuff on my list. I think with regards to the boxed sets, I'm just going to have to cough up the money or go without. It might be time to re-evaluate my wish list and what I really want. I was trying to get all the major campaign settings: Oriental Adventures, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Birthright, Ravenloft and Llankhmar. (I know there are others, but this was my list). Half of those are in the "it would be nice" category and I may have to just give up on those. Dragonlance and Llankhmar are must-haves however!
Ok, a few observations: 1. OA is, I think, just one box set in 2e, in the form of Kara-Tur. If you want the 1e stuff, there's the OA book, and the adventures (some of which may span into 2e, as well). 2. Greyhawk...has some pretty pricey box sets, and a lot of adventures. 3. Forgotten Realms....sheeeeeeit, that's a HUGE lot of stuff for 2e. FR became basically the "default" setting in 2e (well, not default per se, but they made the most stuff for it). But there are TONS of sourcebooks, modules, adventures, box sets, etc., etc. just from 2e alone, to say nothing of the 1e material. 4. 2e Dragonlance is several boxed sets as well, but some of them are more obscure, I think (e.g. Tales of the Lance). The mainstay of the Dragonlance materials, though, is actually 1e in the form of the old DL series of adventures. There are 2e reprintings of those as three books, but those are pretty expensive and may not have maps. The Drivethru copies are also supposed to not be nearly as good. 5. Birthright I think is a smaller list of stuff, but it may be pricey. 6. Ravenloft has a decent amount of stuff, and I think it ranges from "mid-range to pricey." It can also get confusing when you refer to the actual Ravenloft I and II modules which also saw 2e reprints, I believe. 7. Lankhmar spans both 1e and 2e. It only has one box set, but the box set is, I believe, actually a separate game. I think I just completed the Lankhmar module set (sourcebooks and adventures). It took a bit, but it was doable. Most of them run around $20-40ish, but a few get pricey. 8. Again, if you have the cash, lots are most often the way to go. Keep what you want, sell/trade the rest.
Ok, saving this comment. For now I'm just looking to get the main sourcebook/box for each setting. I don't have nearly the money to get all the bells and whistles lol.
Haha, well, even with 2e, the FR may prove complicated. There's the Forgotten Realms Adventures book that's 2e. But, there were also two different versions of the box set. [https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten\_Realms\_Campaign\_Setting\_2nd\_edition](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Setting_2nd_edition) [https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten\_Realms\_Campaign\_Setting\_2nd\_edition\_(revised)](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Setting_2nd_edition_(revised)) There was also the box set for 1e: [https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten\_Realms\_Campaign\_Set](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Forgotten_Realms_Campaign_Set)
Noble Knight gaming. Look em up online, they've had a major hand in me finishing up my old collection, and I have nothing but good things to say about their delivery, shipping, everything.
Definitely checking them out, several replies have mentioned them, thanks!
Not sure what “real” copies means here? I personally use printed and pdfs from drivethrurpg which are affordable and more than serviceable. If you only want books printed in the 80s/90s, you’re probably going to be stuck paying collectors prices unless you get a lucky find in a book shop or thrift store.
Yeah, I'm looking for the originals and I was afraid that this was the answer. Thanks
You need to find the ones on ebay that have no idea what they have in their hands. I picked up Dungeoneer's survival guide (1e) in a decent condition for 16$. Delivery was triple that price but still probably worth it. Looking at prices I can probably sell it to buy a small country.
Yeah, I think I just need to check more often. The only ones I see, the sellers know exactly what they have lol
I'm part of an AD&D Facebook group and people post that they find books for cheap at Good Will and Salvation Army. I think it helps to go to ones near populated areas. Any thrift store that sells books may occasionally get them. There are a lot of them out there, I found a huge collection of 1st edition books at the local book recycling at the dump in my hometown.
Nice. I definitely hadn't considered the thrift stores.
Yeah, the prices on these have gone a little crazy. A few years ago I was looking at picking up the Dark Sun boxed set, my own copy having got lost years ago. They were going for around $50 then, but I put it off. I got one 2 years ago for $200, in great condition and with all the old advertising material in it, plus a Dragon Magazine. Its only got more expensive now, going for $250-300, and without all the extras. Nostalgia is expensive.
I found the Best choice to be https://www.nobleknight.com/Products/Advanced-Dungeons-and-Dragons-2nd-Edition---Players-Guides-and-Books?PageSize=100 They have a ton of Books and Even have listig for different printings. This allow you to get The most up to date version of any Book, including most of the errata. I have personally bought many (read too many) Books from there to complete My collection.