Thanks to JeffB over at ODD74 for letting us know that DMs Guild and DrivethruRPG are now offering a Print-on-Demand option for Chainmail.
As I wrote over on ODD74, from the preview, the version of Chainmail they are offering is a 3rd Edition (copyright 1975), 7th printing (April 1979), and scanned from an original rather than re-typeset like most of the OD&D booklets they are currently offering. This version is from after the Tolkien references (Hobbits/Ents/Balrogs) were altered or removed.
The print plus digital version costs the same as the print version alone, $6.99. I've ordered a copy, and will report on quality when it arrives. The total with tax and media mail shipping was $11.91.
According to Chris Holmes, his father purchased Chainmail along with the LBBs, Greyhawk, Warlock and the Dungeon boardgame from Aero Hobbies shortly after they learned about the game (Tales of Peril, page 328). And Holmes had his copy handy while preparing the Basic rulebook, as is evident from the entry for Giants, which states, "There are several ways to calculate catapult (giant) fire. This one is adapted from CHAIN MAIL", and by his inclusion of the Parry rule from Chainmail that didn't appear elsewhere in OD&D (See Part 17 of my Holmes Manuscript series).
The published rulebook also directly references Chainmail in Gary Gygax's Foreword, which is carried over from Vol 1 of the original rulebooks: "From the CHAINMAIL fantasy rules he drew ideas for a far more complex and exciting game, and thus began a campaign that still thrives as of this writing!" Chainmail also appears in the TSR product listings appearing in the back of the Holmes Basic rulebook.
This means that I personally have known about Chainmail since the days of my original Holmes Basic set. This led me to purchase a copy, the same edition being offered now, directly from the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop in the late '80s. I later sold this on Ebay in the late '90s when trying to downsize my collection (ha!), and later regretted that, but soon I will have a copy again.
See also:
Chainmail Announcement from Domesday Book #9
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Also at DMs Guild and DrivethruRPG is their annual Xmas in July sale, with many products 25% off, which means that the The Ruined Tower of Zenopus is just $1.49 until the end of the month.
Most of the classic TSR titles are included in the sale, at least in PDF format, including the PDF of Chainmail (but not the new POD). Most of the in-print stuff is not, although I note that the Rules Cyclopedia in print is $21 instead of $25.
Basic/OD&D in Print
AD&D 1E in PDF
AD&D 1E in Print
Gamma World 1E in Print
OSR Products
Love the Battle of Brown Hills! Hoping we'll be able to participate in some Chainmail battles at GaryCon in March...
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm going to try to get a ticket later today!
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