The first three volumes of Original D&D are now back on sale from WotC via DMs Guild/RPGNow/DriveThruRPG.

These are based on the re-prints in the special wooden box collector’s edition that came out a few years ago. Thus they have new covers and the WotC logo instead of the TSR logo. WotC can’t use the TSR logo, since they let the TSR trademark lapse, allowing for the new TSR to be born a few years ago.

The cover artwork is cool. It is also much sharper than the originals, so not quite the same feel. I don’t know why they changed the cover artwork, but not all the interior artwork. It could be due to the arrangements with the cover artists, or just WotC wanting to mix it up a bit to make it their own thing.

It’s better than nothing, and what I have been hoping for for a long time, but I still wait for all the supplemental volumes. I hope those are forthcoming soon!

Is Chainmail part of the possible PDF’s that WotC might offer in PDF? I seem to recall that was available before they pulled the plug several years back. I had already spent too much money getting PDF’s of all of the AD&D manuals that were available then, so missed out when they got pulled.

Much cheaper than trying to get the originals rules in physical form, other than getting the PDF’s and printing them yourself. I’ve collected a few of the original volumes, and it’s not cheap.

EDIT – in 2015 WotC released the PDFs for OD&D and Chainmail in 2016.