Recreating the OD&D Booklets
Now that I'm fiddling with OD&D regularly again, I figured that it was time to create some OD&D booklets from my PDFs. I bought the PDFs because I didn't want to keep using my original brown box set for reference while working on Microlite74. However, PDFs aren't very useful at the gaming table, so I decided to print myself some nice digest-sized copies for everyday use.
This was easy to do with Adobe Acrobat, I just selected the pages I wanted to print, set it up to do a booklet print to my duplexing laser printer and printed. In a few minutes, the interior pages of Men & Magic were in my hands. I then printed the front cover on cardstock (still in booklet mode), set my long reach stapler to 5.5 inches, put a couple of staples in the center of the combined cover and interior sheets, and folded at the staples for a nice digest-sized Men & Magic booklet that I can use without worrying about damaging it.
I repeated this procedure for Monsters & Treasure, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and Eldritch Wizardry. As I seldom use Chainmail, Gods, Demi-Gods, and Heroes, or Swords & Spells, I did nor bother to print these out. I now have a complete set of the OD&D books I use in play. If anything happens to one or all of them, I can easily print others.
The booklets are now weighted down under some heavy books where they will remain until the curl my printer puts in cardstock goes away. I'll try to remember to take and post a picture in a few days. The only thing I'll miss from my originals are the Tolkien references (Ents, Balrogs, Hobbits, etc.) in the brown box LBBs.
February 8, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Why do you feel PDFs aren't useful at the table? If you know all the keyboard shortcuts you can navigate a PDF very quickly. Add in the ability to search, and you should be able to look up info much faster then with a hard copy.
Don't get me wrong, I like books, but I find PDFs more useful as reference source. Furthermore, my laptop is much lighter then all my hardcovers AND buying ink SUCKS! :)
February 8, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Why do I prefer printed books to PDFs at the gaming table?
In the first place, I don't like laptops (they are too fragile and too hard to upgrade/fix) and therefore I do not own one. If I had a laptop using it at the gaming table would be unpopular with my players as they would not be allowed to have drinks at the table.
Second, books are easier to pass around the table. Multiple physical books means multiple people can be using different books at the same time. Multiple PDFs on one laptop means only one person can be using the books at a time.
Third, books are easier to use at the table for me. I've been using books at the table for over 30 years. When I've had to use PDFs on someone's laptop it just doesn't work as well for me.
As for ink, I have a laser printer and a 5000 page toner cartridge for it is about $35. I trade only being able to print in black and white for low cost, 20+ pages per minute printing.
Your mileage may vary, of course.
February 8, 2009 at 12:23 PM
I have a DIY Guide for Assembling the PDF's on my site that does something similar... Can't wait to see your pictures!
http://wothbora.googlepages.com/constructingpdfs
February 8, 2009 at 12:52 PM
http://wothbora.googlepages.com/constructingpdfs
I really like the way you used paper clips for binding. As I'm one of those weird people who has a long reach stapler, I could just staple. The vast majority of people aren't going to have one (many have probably never even seen a long reach stapler), however, and this is a great way to bind booklets without one.
Yours look a lot better than mine because the covers are printed in color while mine are printed in black & white (set to low quality too so as not to aste a much toner). However, it's what is inside that I care most about.
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