As a lifelong DM (since 1978) and huge fan of the S-Series modules, I was excited when this premium edition hardcover came out in 2013! I do enjoy it - it's great to have all the adventures in one tome and I've run them straight out of it several times. The pdf is good too - easy to read, print from and most importantly - it's easy to search!

I do have several complaints, however... The "premium edition" (both HC & pdf versions) missed the opportunity to include the gorgeous color covers (front and back) form these classic adventures. The artwork from the original artists (David C. Southerland III, Jeff Dee & Erol Otus) are some of the best in the hobby's long history (plus S1 & S2 had TWO covers - monochrome & full color) - and WotC has missed an opportunity to preserve them as color plates. The biggest shame of all is that the stellar color plates from the original S3 module are reproduced in black & white, which really doesn't do justice to them at all (they're grey and grainy). What a shame, as the addition of these would have made these "premium" editions truly premium - and the final archival collection of some of the best adventures published in the history of the game. WotC truly has no excuse not to include them in the premium .pdf as they already have the hi-res scans from the separate module pdfs.

Also, sadly, unlike the A-Series premium versions, there is no additional content for the S-Series (besides the forward by Lawrence Schick, which is cool but short). That's too bad, as I was certainly available to write up an editorial ;)

Lastly, the amazing frontispiece of S1 by DCSIII is incredibly blurry! Sadly, it seems that WotC used a low-res image of this classic piece for the "premium" version. This was present in the hardcover print premium edition and wasn't corrected for the .pdf. That's just bad judment and editing. So, 3 out of 5 stars from this DM.

As a lifelong DM (since 1978) and huge fan of the A-Series modules, I was excited when this premium edition hardcover came out in 2013! I do enjoy it - especially Skip Williams' stellar A0 Danger At Darkshelf Quarry, the author's prefaces and the way it looks on my old school RPG shelf (it's a gorgeous book!). It's great to have all the adventures in one tome and I've run them straight out of it several times. The pdf is good too - ieasy to read, print from and most importantly - it's easy to search! My only complaint, and it's a minor one. The "premium edition" (both HC & pdf versions) missed the opportunity to include the gorgeous color covers (front and back) form these classic adventures. The artwork from the original artists (Jeff Dee, Jim Roslof & Erol Otus) are some of the best in the hobby's long history - and WotC has missed an opportunity to preserve them as color plates. The A0 cover is only hinted at (as a thumbnail on the removable cardboard that came with the HC). What a shame, as that would have made these "premium" editions truly premium - and the final archival collection of some of the best adventures published in the history of the game. WotC truly has no excuse not to include them in the premium .pdf as they already have the hi-res scans from the separate module pdfs...