Palace of the Vampire Queen - is this real?

[GarlandExCon]

So guys, I found something the other day and the funny part is it's literally something I found years ago and has been just sitting on a shelf for years and I finally decided to clean that shelf the other day, founded it, decided to look it up and realized I might actually have something incredible.

Originally, I thought it was just some photocopies and maybe some graph paper inside a plastic comic bag. At best, it was some mail order module by a third party that was sold in Dragon magazine (I have found several of these over the years and they don't generally sell for very much), but when I actually read the title and saw what it was I was like "interesting" and then I looked it up and I was like "holy fuck".

So basically what it seems I have is the Wee Warriors RPG Dungeon Master Kit #1 - Palace of the Vampire Queen FIRST EDITION.

It also seems to be 100% complete, with the only thing missing being the most valuable part which is the folder it originally came with.

Now, of course, the question is: is it real. Because you could easily photocopy this stuff.

I am inclined to say yes, but I'd like your expert opinions. The main reason I say it seems real is four fold:
1. If it is photocopies, they did a FLAWLESS job
2. The double sided pages are double sided and the single sided pages single sided, so it's exactly correct in that regard
3. One of my pages is on yellow paper, just like the page from the original
4. Where I got this, hilariously, was from D&D at the public library years ago -- basically I used to play at a different library when I first started playing again and they were going to complete level the main library branch and rebuild it which meant storage issues. The librarian who ran the D&D and served as DM was donated a box full of old D&D stuff and since they had no where to store it he just let us take it up for free. I grabbed up some incredible stuff. It was all legit and original, so I can't imagine this being an exception.

Here's some photos (sorry for the quality, I rushed these):

PHOTOS

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Got no mind on the provenance of it. Though Zed Duke of Banville or Deuce Traveler might have a clue.
What I want to know is, is it any good?

 

[GarlandExCon]

I can't speak on the awesome level of the module, but I can tell you this had has sold (with the original folder, mind you) for $1,500+

 

[Sacibengala]

This is the first module ever to be released, if I'm not mistaken. It's not good, at least not in today's standards. a lot of generic encounters with little to no descriptionss.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

According to Acaeum's page on Palace of the Vampire Queen, the 2nd printing had the yellow introductory page seen above, whereas the 1st printing had a black cover with a red title and illustration. This version is apparently still worth at least $1,500, though if it had been the 1st printing instead it would be worth at least a thousand dollars more.

 

[GarlandExCon]

According to Acaeum's page on Palace of the Vampire Queen, the 2nd printing had the yellow introductory page seen above, whereas the 1st printing had a black cover with a red title and illustration. This version is apparently still worth at least $1,500, though if it had been the 1st printing instead it would be worth at least a thousand dollars more.

So I think the black cover and red title/illustration you're talking about isn't the introductory page, but an actual folder it came in which I don't have. The yellow introductory page was still part of the 1st edition.

I found this listing for a 1st edition, and have found a couple of solds that are the same, which show the red/black cover you're talking about with the yellow intro page:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/364551437585

 

[GarlandExCon]

So I researched this more and from what I can tell the First Printing and so-called "Second Printing" are basically fucking identical in almost every way. They were more just different runs of the same printing. Both say "first printing". That website suggests that the second printing did not have the cover and was simply bagged. Mine actually does have a bag, although it might not be original. In addition, it says the yellow page is double sided where as the first run was two separate yellow pages inside the black folder (but it also says a white page version has been found??), another thing that leads to mine being the so-called "second printing".

But the main basis on which came first seems to be based solely on the quality of some of the printed pages, which seems just like they're basing this all on a theory, which they pretty much admit. And, honestly, my prints look pretty damn good.

But the kicker is this:

• Our theory here is that these Second print copies were run off the same (but now dirty) printing plates as the First print's. However, due to cost reasons, a black folder was not produced for this print run. However, the module's author, Pete Kerestan, has stated that this print was actually the First, and that the black folder was printed later and bundled with leftover copies of this print. We disagree with this statement solely based on the "dirty plate" evidence in the printing

I mean, I'm gonna have to go with the guy that wrote the module on this one

 

[Sacibengala]

I mean, I'm gonna have to go with the guy that wrote the module on this one

Yeah. The guy is the one there all the time from day one but they disagree with him, lol.

 

[GarlandExCon]

I mean, I'm gonna have to go with the guy that wrote the module on this one

Yeah. The guy is the one there all the time from day one but they disagree with him, lol.

"we disagree with the guy that made it because some of the prints look dirty" LOL. It's kinda wild.

 

[Gregz]

Very cool find, congrats.

 

[Alex]

I mean, I'm gonna have to go with the guy that wrote the module on this one

Yeah. The guy is the one there all the time from day one but they disagree with him, lol.

"we disagree with the guy that made it because some of the prints look dirty" LOL. It's kinda wild.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone misremembers something from years ago.

But, I think the author's story might actually fit well with the theory of dirty plates. I mean, if the printed material was piled up as it was printed, the first printed copies could have been used last. So the last copies, those where the plate was already dirty, were sold first. Then, when the folder was ready, it was paired with the earlier copies which were also, though unintendedly, higher quality.

 

[GarlandExCon]

I mean, I'm gonna have to go with the guy that wrote the module on this one

Yeah. The guy is the one there all the time from day one but they disagree with him, lol.

"we disagree with the guy that made it because some of the prints look dirty" LOL. It's kinda wild.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone misremembers something from years ago.

But, I think the author's story might actually fit well with the theory of dirty plates. I mean, if the printed material was piled up as it was printed, the first printed copies could have been used last. So the last copies, those where the plate was already dirty, were sold first. Then, when the folder was ready, it was paired with the earlier copies which were also, though unintendedly, higher quality.

This is EXACTLY what I was thinking too

It also seems to me if anything they would have upgrades the module for a 2nd printing, not downgraded. It makes more sense to me they started out with no folder and then once they made some money selling them were able to afford an upgrade for them in the form of a folder

 

[Deuce Traveler]

The module itself is not very good. But let's face it, it's a first try at publishing a stand-alone module (Temple of the Frog was the first module but included with the Blackmoor set) and an important part of tabletop gaming history. I haven't run it myself, but I think it's cool that the party is out to rescue a dwarven princess versus the typical human or elven princess. Sounds like you are definitely in for the reward money and not for a bearded face.

According to good ol' wikipedia, the 2nd edition was printed on loose paper instead of bound, so that jives with the loose paper you are showing. "Wee Warriors published a second edition in 1976 that consisted of either 17 or 24 loose-leaf sheets — sometimes pages were printed double-sided, sometimes only single-sided.[2] The third and fourth printings in 1976 were 13 double-sided loose-leaf pages."

Another thing to check is whether the vampire queen on the front cover of your loose paper has boobies hanging out or not. I believe early printings had the vampire queen's boobs hanging out of her dress, while she was covered up in later editions.

I think this is real. I doubt a drivethrurpg reprint would include yellowed paper.