[1ed-2ed] Were the older edition modules intentionally separated from their covers li

[newbDM]

[1ed-2ed] Were the older edition modules intentionally separated from their covers like this?

Images:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/2d546058.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/d7cde7ed.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/32fbafe2.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/4182f6fc.jpg


I just got this in the mail from an auction on ebay (cost me around $15 I believe), and am not familiar with older edition books/modules/etc.

[RTGoodman]

I never played anything before 3.x, but all of the old modules I've purchased (including Against the Giants) have been like that, so I assume it's normal.

[Grail]

Not all of them, but the vast majority. It's because the Cover would also be able to be used as a pseudo-screen with the maps and pertinent tables on the inside.

[Thrud]

Yes, they were. I played many of them. Ahh, those were the days. . .

Anyway, they printed the maps on the covers, so you could stand them up and use them as a screen, whilst being able to see the maps with no chance of the players seeing them. Not too much later the first DM screens came out. Still, they kept the covers separate, coz it just worked better that way. I really don't like the new way.

Edit - And get off my lawn, you damn ninjas!

:smallbiggrin:

[hamlet]

Yes, it's supposed to be that way.

Yes, it actually works better that way.

They stopped early in 2nd edition because people (i.e., the incompetent) often lost the cover or the booklet because there was a chance they could become separated. Thus, TSR quickly moved to pretty and ultimately unusable maps.

[ken-do-nim]

For those of you who don't know, you have to find a copy of the original I6 Ravenloft. The maps are GORGEOUS. Best castle maps you'll ever see. When I saw the new 3.5 Ravenloft book, it made me sad to see that the great maps were simply dispersed on a level-by-level basis throughout the pages of the book, and the 3D effect was gone. It is quite important when running Ravenloft to get the proper 3D perspective, because Strahd can turn into a bat and fly most anywhere and you need to have a feel for the castle as a whole.

[hamlet]

For those of you who don't know, you have to find a copy of the original I6 Ravenloft. The maps are GORGEOUS. Best castle maps you'll ever see. When I saw the new 3.5 Ravenloft book, it made me sad to see that the great maps were simply dispersed on a level-by-level basis throughout the pages of the book, and the 3D effect was gone. It is quite important when running Ravenloft to get the proper 3D perspective, because Strahd can turn into a bat and fly most anywhere and you need to have a feel for the castle as a whole.

Yes, they were pretty, and helpful when looking at the 3D aspect, but in terms of running the module, it was a little tough to decipher them as they were tilted on that angle and skewed perspective. I've always wished that they were smart enough to include the 3D projection as a nice side, but the main maps were standard 2D for clarity.

[ken-do-nim]

Yes, they were pretty, and helpful when looking at the 3D aspect, but in terms of running the module, it was a little tough to decipher them as they were tilted on that angle and skewed perspective. I've always wished that they were smart enough to include the 3D projection as a nice side, but the main maps were standard 2D for clarity.

I think I've heard you mention that before. I didn't have any trouble when I ran Ravenloft (oh, about 17 years ago), but the party didn't extensively explore the castle either. They cut to the chase, so to speak.

[lilhowie624]

well ive played the old ravenloft and we loved the castle. the 3d aspect was excellent the 2d was very well IMO. the best part was it was so easy to tac it on to say lost caverns of socanth(i think thats right) or even add a little realms of horror. hell i placed the ToEE as its church for one campagne. lets say they would rather go against loth in the demon web pits after desending through the depths of the earth. unless they happend to look into the magic mirror and go to the land beyond.

ok im done with the long list of puns. but hey i own alot of 1ed and 2ed books and am workin on converting a few of my favorits(bone hill) over to 3.5

[hamlet]

I think I've heard you mention that before. I didn't have any trouble when I ran Ravenloft (oh, about 17 years ago), but the party didn't extensively explore the castle either. They cut to the chase, so to speak.

I've probably mentioned it before.

Granted, they are decipherable, but I find that in the heat of the game, they are too easy to make mistakes with. The way they're tilted, it's just too easy to miscount a square, to misread where a door is, etc. It's a minor complaint compared to my opinion of the rest of the module, but it's still there.

It's really the same complaint I have with pretty much all of the newer maps. All form, little function. They spend too much time making them pretty that they start to lose their use to me.