First post. Hello.

I have two questions, both of which may be silly.

The first is about an item which was never in my possession, and which I have not seen in 25 years.

It was a softcover copy of Deities & Demigods, saddle stapled. It had a full color card cover, and did not have Cthulhu and Elric, IIRC. I've wondered about this over the years, and have never seen another like it. In fact, my searching for info on it is what led me to the Acaeum. I didn't find it in the main site.

Now, I know this is only an anecdote. I'm prepared to be told that I must have dreamt this thing up, and I'm not going to stake my honor on a recollection this old, but if anybody in the world can satisfy my curiosity, this is the place for me to ask!

Could it have been an English language foreign edition? A book club edition?

My second question is about the OD&D sets...boxes, specifically. Around the same time, I got in trade a set of the main three booklets (fifth printing, I've learned) along with various printings of the first five supplements. They aren't in top collectible condition, but I treasure them.

My guess is that the box and/or reference sheets are seen far less frequently than the books by themselves, but I may be wrong. Is there any hope of finding just a box in mediocre condition, or would it be easier to buy a whole set, if I want a box?

Thanks for any help.
-Seth

I saw a copy of deities and demigods on ebay this week that matched your description *it might have used a different title though*.  Not sure as to the origin of the book but I believe you are correct that it exists.[



http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-D-D-Supple ... 7C294%3A50



And there you have it.

ashmire13 wrote:Welcome to the Acaeum, Seth!

Thanks.

ashmire13 wrote:But well done on having a full set of books!

Actually, I misspoke. The fifth supplement, Swords & Spells, is not with the set. There is a beater copy of Chainmail with them, though.

Mars wrote:If its not the digest sized version of Gods, DemiGods and Heroes that you are thinking of, but rather the Deities & Demigods book then you are probably misremembering.  The Deities & Demigods book never had a softcover version.  There were no book club editions of these books released and foreign editions were hardcover - I don't think this one was translated to any other language either.

I wonder if it could have been the product someone really determined - with access to a color photocopier.  Not common in 1980, but possible.

No Dice wrote:There are two other possibilities here.

1. An editor's copy (less likely)
2. A "repaired" copy (much more likely).  I've come across these on occasion.  Someone loves their old RPG book and has all the loose pages bound again at a kinkos.  I've got copies of AH RuneQuest and Champions done this way.

3rd possibility is the Hackmaster softcover version.

TheHistorian wrote:
I wonder if it could have been the product someone really determined - with access to a color photocopier.  Not common in 1980, but possible.

The thing, as it appears in my memory, was commercial quality and bound in a single 'signature' from 17" sheets. Not quite impossible, but making the thing would've been a lot of work for a book that was still available off the rack for $12.

No Dice wrote:There are two other possibilities here.

1. An editor's copy (less likely)
2. A "repaired" copy (much more likely).  I've come across these on occasion.  Someone loves their old RPG book and has all the loose pages bound again at a kinkos.  I've got copies of AH RuneQuest and Champions done this way.

It wasn't worn enough to be a repair job, and it was a fold-and-staple binding like a magazine.

JasonZavoda wrote:
3rd possibility is the Hackmaster softcover version.

If what I'm describing is real, it was around 1982-1984, long before Hackmaster 4th ed., and the curiosity's been knocking around inside my head for a lot of years.

If what I'm describing is not real, and I have to chalk this up to brain damage, the Gawds & Demi-gawds book would be a good inspiration for the false memory (except it's squarebound).

Mars wrote:
Doubtful that an editor's copy would have been done up with a full colour cover.  It would be a normal white paper cover like the rest of the manuscripts.  Even for 3rd edition, the preview copies don't have the art on the cover.

I also remember it being the expurgated version, which would not have required any new proofreading.

OK. Thanks for the thoughts, guys. I was hoping to hear "Oh! That's one of those copies they made for...", or something, but it could easily be my mind playing tricks on me. I'm not trying to start any rumors.

SimperingToad wrote:
Someone must be out to make you look bad. Non OCE box top (no bottom) just went up on EBay.

Wiiieeeerd!

Oops! Must remember to linky. 'Twas the shock of it all....


** expired/removed eBay auction **


GAAAHHH! Same seller with a woodgrain top as well.


** expired/removed eBay auction **

Nah, these are Bill Owen's.  He posted on Tuesday that he would be selling these over in the Judges Guild forum.



viewtopic.php?t=7116&start=60

TAFMSV wrote:I also remember it being the expurgated version, which would not have required any new proofreading.

OK. Thanks for the thoughts, guys. I was hoping to hear "Oh! That's one of those copies they made for...", or something, but it could easily be my mind playing tricks on me. I'm not trying to start any rumors.

What you may be confusing a softcover Deities & Demigods with is the softcover versions of the Players Handbook and the Monster Manual, both of which were released (only) in the UK.  You can view "foreign" editions via the brown "Foreign Editions" buttons on the respective item's page; the Monster Manual one is here:

http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpage ... mmfor.html

Previous posters were correct -- a softcover Deities & Demigods was never printed (nor any other AD&D manual, other than the PHB and MM, and those only for a short time in the UK).  Gygax was fairly adamant that the early manuals be bulletproof, and he had them constructed to school-textbook standards.  The softcovers simply didn't hold up as well.

Foul

I have never seen anything remotely close to a softcover DDG. The only exception would be something from recent years of which I am way out of date.

But I think I have seen just about everthing from the golden age and that kind of softcover ain't one of them.