Almost done: collecting 2nd ed. core boxed sets!

[HuManBing]

I have the core boxed sets for these 2nd edition settings:

Ravenloft (plus practically every 2nd ed. product ever released for it)
Birthright (plus the Naval Battles supplement and the Abominations boxed set)
Dark Sun (the 1995/6 reissue as well as the original 1990 boxed set - thanks to Brandi!)
Forgotten Realms (the "purple box" reissue)
Greyhawk ("The Adventure Begins" booklet - not a boxed set)
Spelljammer (got the War Captain's Companion long ago, only just acquired the core boxed set yesterday from ebay!)

Seeing as Wizards of the Coast is not interested in keeping the old stuff running, I figured it's in my best interests to get them for myself.

What else should I get ahold of? I remember Birthright had a lot of lineup planned (e.g. Player's Secrets, etc.). What should I get? I've even played the Birthright PC game, though it wasn't as good as I'd hoped.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

The boxed set for the Al-Qadim setting was excellent, IMO. An incredible amount of material, lots of cultural flavor, and beautifully presented. Plus, it was written at the time of the Gulf War, when curiosity about that part of the real world was both widespread and a lot friendlier than now, so the designers did a lot of serious research into Middle Eastern history and mythology for it.

Congrats on the SJ purchase, BTW.

[HuManBing]

I have an intro book for Al Qadim, but not a boxed set. Maybe I should look into the boxed set then?

I also forgot to mention that I have the 1st ed. Oriental Adventures as well, and also the 3rd edition one too (for what that's worth, which in my opinion is not much).

What was the original Forgotten Realms starter box for 2nd ed? The only one I've got is the purple box with Elminster and the Simbul on the front.

[Eric the Light Bringer]

I have an intro book for Al Qadim, but not a boxed set. Maybe I should look into the boxed set then?

I also forgot to mention that I have the 1st ed. Oriental Adventures as well, and also the 3rd edition one too (for what that's worth, which in my opinion is not much).

What was the original Forgotten Realms starter box for 2nd ed? The only one I've got is the purple box with Elminster and the Simbul on the front.

the first Forgotten Realms box set is the 1E "Gray Box"...I think your "purple box" is an update or special edition of the original 2E "black box"

the Al'Quadim book is actually the book on arabian roleplaying in 2E..the box set is actiually the box set for Zakarha (sp?), the continent in Toril/ the forgotten realms where the Al'Quadim rules are used..

The Realms also has the Maztica box set, based off of Aztec/New World mythos/setting

Hope that helps

[HuManBing]

Thanks Eric.

Well I got the Spelljammer War Captain's Companion boxed set yesterday. I had a copy of that before, when it first came out, but since then I'd lost it (not to mention all the painstakingly glued and constructed little ship models ).

I had a question. I bought online on ebay a blue boxed set for Dragonlance. It was about twice as deep as the Black Box for Ravenloft - closer in dimension to the Red Box for Ravenloft was.

Is this the "first" release of Dragonlance as a campaign setting? Or is this a re-release? Is there an even earlier boxed set to get?

[Ornum]

Well, there's the Planescape stuff, which, as far as boxed sets go, include the Campaign Setting, Planes of Law, Planes of Chaos, Planes of Conflict, and Hellbound: The Blood War. There was also a smaller boxed set about the Outlands.

For the Realms, there was (to name a few) The Horde (or was it the Hordelands?), Ruins of Zhentil Keep, Menzoberranzon (or however you spell it), and a few othes that I suddenly can't recall.

And don't forget about Council of Wyrms, Night Below: The Underdark, or Dragonlance.

I had a question. I bought online on ebay a blue boxed set for Dragonlance. It was about twice as deep as the Black Box for Ravenloft - closer in dimension to the Red Box for Ravenloft was.

Is this the "first" release of Dragonlance as a campaign setting? Or is this a re-release? Is there an even earlier boxed set to get?

As far as I know, it's the first release of the campaign setting for 2nd Edition, but it supercedes and earlier book for 1st Edition called Dragonlance Adventures.

[Eric the Light Bringer]

No problem HuManBing


Yes, I think the Dragonlance box set was the 2E version of the game...1E Dragonlance is a little unique as it never had a core box set...originally there was the just the original adventure modules (the modules that cover the Chronicles) and then it had a hard cover book as it’s “core” supplement..but a lot of it was summary stuff from the modules

Are you trying to collect just Core box sets/reference materials for each D&D setting? Or just every box set?

There is another Dragonlance continent, Taladas (which had its own box set) and the Otherlands supplement for Dragonlance details the south pole and island chains (especially the Irda islands), so it’s kinda core too.

Oh, and the Planescape box sets are pretty expensive..I’v seen the Planes of Chaos box set sell over $150...

p.s. the spelljammer box set Legend of Spelljammer is actually pretty cool..it's about the actual spelljammer and the city on it's back...The Astromundi Cluster box set was not that impressive (IMO), especially supposed to be the home sphere of the mind flayers

[lostboy]

Im not 100% but Im almost certain at my parents house is what you guys are calling the 1st ed forgotten realms grey box. Its got a genghis khan looking dude on a horse on the front, that be the one?

[Eric the Light Bringer]

Im not 100% but Im almost certain at my parents house is what you guys are calling the 1st ed forgotten realms grey box. Its got a genghis khan looking dude on a horse on the front, that be the one?

yes, thats the one...it will have two books inside (one with the pic of the cover of the "Darkwalker on Monnsheas" novel...plus a number (4?) maps

[Ornum]

Oh, and the Planescape box sets are pretty expensive..I’v seen the Planes of Chaos box set sell over $150...

Seriously? Maybe I should look into actually purchasing the spare boxed sets at my local gaming shop for less than original cover price,then. I'd thought about it before, then decided against it because I already owned them.

[Eric the Light Bringer]

Seriously? Maybe I should look into actually purchasing the spare boxed sets at my local gaming shop for less than original cover price,then. I'd thought about it before, then decided against it because I already owned them.

The way I understand it, the 5 large boxes (the planescape setting, Law, Conflict, Chaos and Bloodwar) are hard to find (especially conflict, chaos and bloodwar) and are found at the very least $40+ dollars...but then again almost any planescape product is usually priced much higher than most other 2E products...

here is ebay at the moment I write this for planescape, highest price first (hope the link works)

http://search.ebay.com/planescape_W0QQ_ ... QQsbrsrtZd

[Rotipher of the FoS]

If you want to add Mystara to your collection, HMB, be aware that there wasn't ever a "core" boxed set for that setting. Rather, there was a long series of supplements on the various countries of the Known World (the original Gazetteer series! ) released for the OD&D rule system, followed by a few OD&D boxed sets (Dawn of the Empires, Champions of Mystara, Hollow World) that detailed far larger chunks of the planet. Another boxed set, Wrath of the Immortals, involved nearly every nation in the game-setting, but was primarily an adventure and metaplot-device on par with Ravenloft's Grand Conjunction.

After the marketing-based decision to convert Mystara to 2E, two more boxed sets (Karameikos & Glantri) were also released. However, each of these addressed a single nation in exhaustive detail, not the full campaign world. They were somewhat redundant with the old Gazetteers, although they advanced the timeline to take events from Wrath into account.

FWIW, the Mystara line generated some of the highest-quality products in TSR's history ... although there was a bit of "one-upmanship" among the writers, in that each Gazetteer tends to reveal more hidden secrets and optional game mechanics than the previous one. It's one of the first settings to consciously evoke distinctive IRL cultures in its game-nations, on a level beyond "pyramids in deserts, headhunters in jungles" cliches.

[Ornum]

The way I understand it, the 5 large boxes (the planescape setting, Law, Conflict, Chaos and Bloodwar) are hard to find (especially conflict, chaos and bloodwar) and are found at the very least $40+ dollars...but then again almost any planescape product is usually priced much higher than most other 2E products...

here is ebay at the moment I write this for planescape, highest price first (hope the link works)

http://search.ebay.com/planescape_W0QQ_ ... QQsbrsrtZd

Well, that pretty much decides it, then. I'll go and purchase all the Planescape boxed sets from that particular store, assuming that they aren't gone by now.

[HuManBing]

Ah, yes, Planescape. I have the boxed set for that for 2nd ed. way back from the mid 1990s. I remember I was in high school at the time and my buddies and I tried to figure out why anybody would care about a city called Sigil featuring slightly off-kilter humanoids, when the idea of otherworldly planes should involve seriously bizarre life forms unlike anything we'd ever seen before.

The friend of mine who now works at a quantum physics research lab in Oxford paged through the box and looked up and said "There's no hyper-intelligent shade of the color blue here. What's going on?"

[order99]

I couldn't help but notice that nobody's mentioned the Masque of the Red Death boxed set...

Also, I think the Lankhmar Boxed set is worth picking up. It actually has the entire AD&D 2nd ed. rules included(condensed form) Listings for PC advancement(1-10) Spell lists(1-5) DM advice and a City setting in detail...perfect primer to loan out as an intro set.

There are a few small changes to fit the Leiber tone-Clerics become White Wizards(minor ability changes) and spells get the Masque treatment(increased casting time) Oh, and any Class can be a Priest if he/she meets the standards-it's handled a bit like a Kit.