DriveThruRPG Offering Cash for Scans of Old D&D Books

StewShearerOld

Geekdad News Writer
Jan 5, 2013
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DriveThruRPG Offering Cash for Scans of Old D&D Books

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DriveThruRPG will pay 50 dollars for a high quality scan of select D&D books.

In the world of tabletop RPGs there's perhaps no name better known than <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/dungeons%20%20dragons?os=dungeons++dragons>Dungeons & Dragons. The granddaddy of the genre, its various versions have enthralled players for decades. Over those many years, the fine minds behind the game produced a massive amount of content, much of which is now sadly hard to find. Hoping to fix that, DriveThruRPG launched DNDClassics (recently replaced DMsGuild) in 2013, a sister site stocked with digital copies of some of D&D's most beloved books. Hoping to expand on this, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/drivethrurpg>DriveThruRPG recently launched a new initiative offering gamers money for scans of select D&D books.

Beginning earlier this month, the "community scanning effort" is aimed at locating and adding hundreds of titles currently missing from the DMsGuild catalog. Included among those are books and adventures ranging as far back as Dungeons & Dragons's precessor Chainmail all the way to more recent games like D&D 3rd Edition. Scans accepted into the program will earn their submitters 50 dollars which can then be cashed out via PayPal or spent on the DriveThruRPG and DMsGuild sites themselves.

Speaking about the program, Matt McElroy, DriveThruRPG's Director of Publishing, shared that the current program is based off an earlier one hosted by Wizards of the Coast itself. "Many years ago, when Wizards of the Coast was selling classic D&D in PDF, there was a community scanning effort then as well. We thought we could cast 'resurrection' on that idea and see if we could get scans made with newer technology that would be good additions to the catalog." McElroy would go on to say that "approved titles" will be listed on "both DMsGuild and DriveThruRPG at comparable prices to the classic D&D titles we're selling now." If this is the case, most of the scanned products should wind up selling for somewhere between <a href=http://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?filters=45471_0_0_0_45344_0>4.99 and 9.99 each.

The full list of requested titles can be found <a href=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14YaHq-3YhEM9J7W85f8nNb-ZM376tgTs6DwCJKgTcYc/edit#gid=0>here. If you're interested in sending some in yourself, the guidelines for scanning and submission can also be found <a href=http://support.dmsguild.com/hc/en-us/articles/216504408-DriveThruRPG-s-D-D-Scanning-Guide>here.
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Source: <a href=http://support.dmsguild.com/hc/en-us/articles/216504408-DriveThruRPG-s-D-D-Scanning-Guide>DMsGuild




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sanamia

New member
Jul 6, 2013
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That weird moment when looking at the list then to the bookshelves in the living-room and back again. Realizing you have most of them .

50 Dollars though? Sorry but when their guide says: "You will get best results by cutting the spine off the book and by using a sheet-fed scanner for interiors and a flatbed scanner for covers. "

Then I'm gone say you're fucking kidding me as If I would destroy my books so they can make money. I paid more than that for some of them.
 

Curtisin

New member
Mar 1, 2011
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sanamia said:
50 Dollars though? Sorry but when their guide says: "You will get best results by cutting the spine off the book and by using a sheet-fed scanner for interiors and a flatbed scanner for covers. "

Then I'm gone say you're fucking kidding me as If I would destroy my books so they can make money. I paid more than that for some of them.
Some of these things are practically antiques! There's no way I'm going to destroy one of my books for that, especially not my cherished boxes. I don't mind scanning them, but that kind of requirement? No thanks. (Even if I have practically the entire back catalogue they need for Forgotten Realms).
 

Theo_Cupier

New member
Dec 3, 2008
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As above re: cutting the spines. My initial interest has been suitably dampened. A shame really as I have got at least 75 (maybe 100) of the items on the list. Now if they wanted to borrow them for a short while and return them in good shape then I would be more than happy to help ;)

Also the flat rate of $50 seems odd. A 32 page module is way less work than the Undermountain boxed set yet pays the same? Maybe $1 a sheet would be more realistic...