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Dungeons & Dragons Manuals & Modules Platform 5.0.0

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malarrya
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Version 5.0.0 of the D&D Manuals & Modules Platform
A surprising new version of the D&D M&M Platform that includes the following changes:

  1. Renamed the Dungeons & Dragons Platform to D&D Classic Editions (***see instructions below***).
    • This is the main reason for the revision 5.0.0 release.
    • This rename of the Platform will likely require a reinstallation of the data found within the archive.
    • This is a reorganization of sorts as the Platform Category is named Dungeons & Dragons while the Platforms contained within indicate each D&D Edition.
    • Classic Editions contains Original, BECMI (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, & Immortal), AD&D 1st edition, and AD&D 2nd Edition.
    • This allows for the future expansion of the Platform Category with 3rd and 4th Editions.
    • The updated pack includes icons/images for both the D&D Classic Editions Platform and the Dungeons & Dragons Platform Category. 
    • An update to 5th Edition will be released in the near future with similar changes as those listed below.
  2. Renamed 9 items for improved consistency with the original titles, including:
    • TSR3102 - Birthright - Official Game Adventure - BR1 - Sword and Crown.
    • TSR3117 - Birthright - Accessory - BR3 - The Book of Magecraft.
    • TSR3123 - Birthright - Domain Sourcebook - Player's Secrets of Khourane.
    • TSR9279 - Greyhawk Adventures - Official Game Adventure - WGA1 - Falcon's Revenge. (Added a dash after WGA1).
    • TSR9281 - Forgotten Realms - Official Game Adventure - FRA1 - The Horde - Storm Riders.
    • TSR9290 - Forgotten Realms - Official Game Adventure - FRA2 - The Horde - Black Courser.
    • TSR9395 - DragonLance - Official Game Adventure - DLT1 - New Tales - The Land Reborn.
    • TSR9439 - Ravenloft - Official Game Adventure - Adam's Wrath. (Removed RE1 series designation).
    • TSR9448 - Official Game Adventure - Temple, Tower, & Tomb. (Added a comma after Tower)
  3. Added Wiki links to ALL items. Now every item offers the ability to further investigate the title with online documentation.
    • Many items redirect to Wikipedia, if a source for that item exists there, but there are several other websites used in order to produce the best collection of related information.
    • Other sites include: RPGGeek, forgottenrealms.fandom.com, dungeonsanddragons.fandom.com, ravenloft.fandom.com, dragonlance.fandom.com, diablo.fandom.com, BoardgameGeek, etc.
  4. Added a new item!
    • TSR1106 - The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game - 2nd Printing.
    • This is an alternate cover produced for TSR1106 - The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game.
    • This brings the total items for the D&D Classic Editions to 992.
  5. Moved or copied data in certain custom filters to more permanent categories in the main metadata.
    • Category ---> Genre
    • Format ---> Release Type
    • Series ---> Series
    • Rule Set ---> Play Mode
    • Thanks to @dukdukgoos and @Dragonsys for these suggestions.
  6. Added Player Character Level Suggestion for all adventure modules into the RATING field within the metadata
    • This assists in finding collections of modules geared towards specific character levels.
  7. Renamed the Basic/Expert/Master D&D playlist to D&D Original/BECMI
    • This is the proper designation for anything that is not AD&D.
    • BECMI = Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, & Immortal.
  8. Minor image updates:
    • TSR1021 - Set 4 - Master Rules - Box Spine and Box 3D images updated with corrected text.
    • TSR1017 - Set 5 - Immortals Rules - Box Spine and Box 3D images updated with corrected text.

***If you already have a prior installation of this Platform, you should probably remove some of the previous D&D files from the earlier versions BEFORE installing this new one as the Platform rename could likely cause duplicates and/or confusion. You should end up with a D&D hierarchy that looks like this:
image.png.a7f5d6283268becfc51b0c76bbeabceb.png
To do this, delete the following files:
..\LaunchBox\Images\Dungeons & Dragons (delete the whole folder)
..\LaunchBox\Data\Platforms\Dungeons & Dragons.xml
..\LaunchBox\Data\Playlists\Basic_Expert_Master D&D.xml

Overwrite any other files when prompted.

Thanks so much to websites like TSRArchive, RPGGeek, DriveThruRPG, eBay, and Worthpoint which without these amazing sites, none of this would be possible. I must remind everyone, however, that NO PDFs or Software are included with this platform. This retrospective image and data compilation is for the preservation, enjoyment, and appreciation of the mythology, artwork, history, development, and universe that is D&D.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

  1. For a new installation, just extract the LaunchBox folder in the archive into the same folder where your LaunchBox installation exists.
  2. ***See Important note above for those with a prior installation.
  3. This should update everything properly. However, there may be playlists and images with defunct filenames left over from any previous D&D installations. Delete these, if desired.
  4. Be sure to clear your image Cache in LaunchBox and BigBox to see the newest images.
  5. The paths to the Game/PDF files are all now set to Z:\ in the D&D Classic Editions.xml, since I am currently using a network drive that contains my files. 
    You can change this to your path by doing the following:
  • Navigate to your \LaunchBox\Data\Platforms folder and open the D&D Classic Editions.xml file in TEXT Editor program (such as Notepad++). 
  • Find/Replace Z:\ with yourpath\ - You can use a RELATIVE (no specific drive letter) path such as ..\D&D\ or an ABSOLUTE path such as C:\DnD\
    image.thumb.png.c43ac4c72a69cbf37de2a6a61469bc7d.png
  • I've included a couple D&D Classic Editions XML files in the DnD RAR archive that already have this step done for you.
    • Just rename the file of your choice to D&D Classic Editions.xml 
    • Be sure to back up your existing D&D Classic Editions.xml before overwriting.

Setting Up the D&D Platform after copying: 

  1. Using your PC's Explorer/file system:
    • Place your D&D PDFs in a folder that is at the same level as your LaunchBox directory (I use  a network drive mapped to z:/D&D). See the image above on how to change that.
    • Use FATMATCH or a similar program to rename your PDFs so they are similar to the image filenames: https://emumovies.com/files/file/227-fatmatch-file-renamer/
  2. Selecting Platform Categories should make the D&D Platform automatically appear. If it doesn't, you can do the following:
    Within the LaunchBox Application
    • Add a new Platform by selecting TOOLS ==> IMPORT ==> ROM Files
    • Select the folder where you've stored your PDFs. In my case it's  c:/D&D
    • If you use a folder named D&D that's at the same level as your LaunchBox folder, you'll only need to scan in a few files. This is just to get the Platform to show up.
      • The relative paths for the PDFs are already set to ..\D&D\ in the LaunchBox D&D Classic Editions XML.
      • If you store your PDFs in a different named folder or at a different level then you'll have to rescan all the files. It's easier just to rename the directory.
      • You can also FIND/REPLACE the ..\D&D\ path in the Dungeons & Dragons XML with your path.
      • For example, if your D&D PDFs folder is c:\Emulators\Dungeons & Dragons, you would need to set the <ApplicationPath>..\D&amp;D\  for every game in the XML to <ApplicationPath>..\Emulators\Dungeons &amp; Dragons\
  3. I have done this installation numerous times on different PCs to test. If you need help, please ask. I am not responsible if you mess up your LaunchBox installation

In order to attach a D&D playlist to the D&D Classic Editions Platform, perform the following steps within LaunchBox:

  1. On the left drop-down menu select Playlists. This should allow you to see all the D&D Playlists I've created.
  2. Right-click on a playlist and select EDIT.
  3.  Click the Parents tab
  4. Uncheck the ROOT checkbox
  5. Check the box next to D&D Classic Editions

To get the D&D 3D images to show up do the following:

  1. Select the D&D Classic Editions menu item in LaunchBox
  2. Navigate to TOOL ==> VIEW ==> IMAGE GROUP ==> 3D BOXES

To have the PDFs Launch with the PDF reader of your choice:

  1. In LaunchBox, select ALL images that pertain to PDFs
  2. Right-click on one of the images and select EDIT. The BULK Edit window will pop up.
  3. Select EMULATOR from the Field and change the value to either Adobe Acrobat or Rocket Launcher
  4. In order to launch your PDFs, you can set up Adobe Acrobat (or some other PDF Reader) as an emulator in LaunchBox.
    • Click on the 3 horizontal lines near the top left then navigate to TOOLS ==> MANAGE ==> EMULATORS
    • Click ADD then add Adobe Acrobat as a new emulator as seen in this image.
      image.thumb.png.47808d6cf183687c6a6c8509645457b4.png
       
    • Add D&D Classic Editions as an associated Platform for the Adobe Acrobat emulator.
      image.thumb.png.aa9e06850436a52c34ab5b3d6ad9ca56.png

To have the background image in LaunchBox be the same as the Box-Front image, perform the following steps:

  1. Navigate to TOOLS ==> OPTIONS 
  2. Click on Background Priorities and check the BOX-FRONT checkbox.
  3. Set the Default Background to Use Blown Up Art
  4. To get all D&D screenshot images to display for previewing, check the  BOX-FRONT, BOX-BACK, BOX-3D, and BOX-SPINE checkboxes in SCREENSHOT Priorities.
    image.thumb.png.e5c475c28f22dc7153bb21beb584f6ef.png

If you are missing artwork for the Video Games Playlist, do the following in LaunchBox:

  1. Open the D&D Video Games Playlist
  2. do CTRL+A to select all items in the playlist.
  3. Click the Main Menu (the 3 horizontal lines) near the upper left-hand corner.
  4. Select Download Metadata and Media.
  5. The D&D Video Games Playlist is by no means complete for every console and arcade title out there. It presently contains mostly PC games. If you have an extensive library, add any and all games you'd like to the playlist.

If you want to add a description to the main D&D Platform, do the following in LaunchBox:

  1. Open the D&D Classic Editions Platform Notes text file provided here: LaunchBox D&D Platform Notes.txt.
  2. Right-Click on the D&D Classic Editions Platform and select EDIT.
  3. Click on the Notes tab.
  4. Copy then Paste the text from the D&D Classic Editions Platform Notes into the NOTES text box.
  5. Click OK
  6.  Do the same for the D&D Platform Category.

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Installing and Running the D&D Software Applications.

The D&D collection contains 5 PC CD-ROMs which require special handling to get working.
If you want to set up these PC CD-ROMS to work with the Dungeons & Dragons LaunchBox System, you can set them up through Rocket Launcher or through LaunchBox.
Both methods are described below. If you need help, please don't hesitate to ask. There are seemingly a lot of steps but all of them are fairly easy.

This tutorial is for running ONLY the following 4 programs*:
TSR2176 - Core Rules - CD-ROM 2.0
TSR11543 - AD&D Core Rules 2.0 Expansion
TSR11448 - Dragon Magazine Archive - 250 Issues of Dragon Magazine - CD-ROM
TSR11451 - Forgotten Realms - Interactive Atlas

You can find some updates to these software applications at https://web.archive.org/web/20110322093635/http:/www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/ex20020218a

Create 1 ISO from 5 ISOs for the Dragon Magazine Archive program

  1. The Dragon Magazine Archive usually has 5 ISOs associated with the program. To avoid mounting all those ISOs, you can easily turn these 5 ISOs into 1 by doing the following:
    • Mount each ISO separately in Windows 10/11 by right-clicking and selecting MOUNT from the menu.
    • Extract/copy all the files from each disc into one new folder on your hard drive.
      image.thumb.png.09af2d3e38583420a145f30c697db989.png
    •  The first disc has all the installation files while the other 4 just have the Dragon Magazine PDFs located in the Mags folder
    • Download, install ImgBurn, and follow the simple GUI directions to create 1 new fully contained ISO.
      image.thumb.png.e3f2c44f5309d9cc388e31418937595f.png
    • Name the new ISO TSR11448 - Dragon Magazine Archive - 250 Issues of Dragon Magazine - CD-ROM and place it in your D&D ISOs folder.

D&D PC Software Setup Using Rocket Launcher

1. Install Core Rules 2.0 (and Core Rules 2.0 Expansion) onto the drive you choose - i.e. C:\D&D\AD&D Core Rules 2.0 folder. 

  •     The main executable for this program will then be found in C:\D&D\AD&D Core Rules 2.0\Program\tsrp3.exe
  •     The BAT files should be put inside this same folder
    • C:\D&D\AD&D Core Rules 2.0\Program\AD&D Core Rules 2.0 - CD Mount.bat
    • C:\D&D\AD&D Core Rules 2.0\Program\AD&D Core Rules 2.0 - CD Unmount.bat
    • You can further suppress any visible CMD windows from popping up by creating shortcuts to these BAT files inside the same folder, then setting the shortcuts to minimized in the properties.
      image.thumb.png.28f1f0b5b6e10f3b5213690cd5aa7643.png

2. EXTRACT the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.ini file from the RocketLauncher\Modules\PCLauncher folder in the RAR archive and place it into the same Rocket Launcher folder found at  (drive Letter)\RocketLauncher\Modules\PCLauncher .

  • Edit any and all folder paths in the INI file to the path where you installed the program on your device.
  • Wherever you decide to put the BAT/LNK files, you must change the paths in the Dungeons & Dragons.ini file to point to these BAT/LNK files (see image below).

3. The Rocket Launcher Dungeons & Dragons.ini file then should contain a code block like this one for EVERY added CD-ROM. Notice the reference to the LNK shortcut files and not the BAT files. 

[TSR11543 - AD&D Core Rules 2.0 Expansion]
Application=..\..\D&D\AD&D Core Rules 2.0\Program\tsrp3.exe
ExitMethod=Process Close Application
PreLaunch=..\..\D&D\AD&D Core Rules 2.0\Program\Core Rules 2.0 Expansion - CD Mount.lnk
PostExit=..\..\D&D\AD&D Core Rules 2.0\Program\Core Rules 2.0 Expansion - CD Unmount.lnk
PostExitSleep=5000

4. Place the NirCmd program in the same folder as your BAT files as it helps with changing resolutions on the fly - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html 

  • This is only if you want AD&D Core Rules 2.0 and Core Rules Expansion to show in full-screen. It also works fine as a small windowed screen with a black background.
  • In the Core Rules 2.0 Expansion - CD Mount.bat file you can see where the ISO file and the NIRCMD.EXE are referenced:  
 @echo off
 PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath  \"C:\D&D\D&D ISOs\TSR11543 - AD&D Core Rules 2.0 Expansion.iso\"
 nircmd.exe setdisplay 800 600 32

This should then successfully and very discreetly launch the Core Rules 2.0 Expansion application without any interfering windows or popups.
Upon exit, the program should shutdown and unmount the ISO from the virtual drive. 

Follow the same steps for the other 2 programs:
TSR11448 - Dragon Magazine Archive - 250 Issues of Dragon Magazine - CD-ROM
TSR11451 - Forgotten Realms - Interactive Atlas

D&D PC Software Setup Using LaunchBox

  1. For this tutorial, we will use TSR11448 - Dragon Magazine Archive.
  2. Extract the BAT files from the archive. They can be found at the root of the RocketLauncher folder.
  3. Put them in the same location as your D&D PDF files.
    • You can further suppress any visible CMD windows from popping up by creating SHORTCUTS (LNK files) to these BAT files inside the same folder, then setting the shortcuts to minimized in their properties.
    • Core Rules 2.0 - CD Mount and Unmount BATs are are copies of Core Rules 2.0 Expansion - CD Mount and Unmount BATs, just named differently to correspond to the associated application.
  4. You may need to edit the BAT files so the paths correspond with the location where your ISO files exist. My ISOs are located in D:\D&D\D&D ISOs. Use Notepad++ for this. 
    @echo off
PowerShell Dismount-DiskImage \"D:\D&D\D&D ISOs\TSR11448 - Dragon Magazine Archive - 250 Issues of Dragon Magazine - CD-ROM.ISO\"
  5. You will now need to install the Dragon Magazine Archive software into any folder of your choice. I use my main D&D PDF folder for all these software installations.
    • Mount the ISO you created in step 5 in Windows 10/11 by right-clicking and selecting MOUNT from the menu.
    • Once the software is installed, make sure it runs properly.
    • Create a shortcut (LNK file) for the main program file and place it in your main D&D PDF folder.
    • Rename the shortcut to TSR11448 - Dragon Magazine Archive - 250 Issues of Dragon Magazine - CD-ROM.lnk
    • Click on Additional Apps in this same editor and ADD 2 items
      • The first item should point to the main ISO image file.
      • Check the box that says Automatically Run Before Main Application.
        image.thumb.png.d15055c30d2eba4133e0fdec961e497a.png
      • The second item points to the Dragon Magazine Archive - CD Unmount.LNK file.
      • Check the box that says Automatically Run After Main Application.
        image.thumb.png.a027f4d065dfcf55f8d0a644a514b7e0.png
  6. The program should now mount the disc and run from LaunchBox. It should also dismount the disc once the program is exited.
  7. IMPORTANT NOTE: The TSR2176 - Core Rules - CD-ROM 2.0  and TSR11543 - AD&D Core Rules 2.0 Expansion have different EXE files to launch the program.
    • TSR2176 - Core Rules - CD-ROM 2.0 uses EVERMORE.EXE
    • TSR11543 - AD&D Core Rules 2.0 Expansion uses TSRP3.EXE
    • If you install the Expansion software, the EVERMORE.EXE file gets deleted and only TSRP3.EXE will remain.
    • If the Core Rules Expansion is installed, point both programs and BAT files to use TSRP3.EXE


*SPECIAL NOTE: The above methods WILL NOT work for TSR2167 - Core Rules - CD-ROM because it is a Windows 3.1 program. To install this program, you will need to use this DOSBox tutorial:
TSR2167 - Core Rules - CD-ROM Installation Instructions

These same installation instructions can also be found in the readme.txt file inside the RocketLauncher folder within the D&D RAR archive. Supporting media files can be found there too.
 

 

 

 

Edited by malarrya
Version Update/Change Log

What's New in Version 2.8.0   See changelog

Released

VERSION 3.0.0 IS OUT!  From all the excitement surrounding the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie, I thought it would be prudent to celebrate with the latest Dungeons & Dragons Manuals & Modules release. With the addition of new LaunchBox functionality, such as box spines, icons, filters, and custom fields, an enormous amount of data, images, and information was added to the Dungeons & Dragon Manuals & Modules Platform. There is so much new content, I'll need to roll a successful intelligence check to remember what was added/changed.

  1. Box Spines: 214 new Box - Spine left-sided images created for all boxed sets, all hardcovers books, and several soft cover products.
    • These allow 214 of the 960 images to be viewed using LaunchBox's new 360-degree image viewer.
    • Softcover and module spine images will be included in a later release as it will take several months to find and Photoshop the 300+ spine images.
  2. 22 Playlist Icons added. These new icons can be viewed in the LaunchBox left-hand playlist menu.
  3. 218 (whew!) updated Box - 3D images.
    • Many softcover books now better represent the proper page-count and thickness of the original printed manuals.
    • Dragon Magazines, around a dozen boxed sets, and several softcover manuals had their images completely refurbished from higher resolution photos, better preserved products, and include proper rear covers.
    • Several images have been redesigned with new 3D models (see #7 below).
  4. 28 updated Box - Front items with much sharper and richer artwork.
  5. 18 updated Box - Back images with much sharper and richer artwork.
  6. 7 new custom fields that make searching/filtering for a product or series much easier. These new data fields expand not only the knowledge base of the original products but aid with historical preservation as well.
    • Author: Usually 1 or more of the main contributors to the book, manual, module, or accessory.
    • Category: Accessory, Adventure, Campaign Setting, Board Game, Core Rules, or Sourcebook. Values assigned to various items will likely change a bit in the future, as more data becomes available.
    • Format: Hardcover, Softcover, Module, Boxed Set, Folding Cardstock, Leatherbound Book, et al.
    • Pages: This helped greatly with redesigning many 3D images to better represent the book thickness of softcover manuals.
    • Rule Set: Original D&D, AD&D 1st Edition, AD&D 2nd Edition, Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal, RPGA, Saga System, etc.
    • Setting: Forgotten Realms, DragonLance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Lankhmar, Spelljammer, Greyhawk, Mystara, Birthright, et al.
    • Year: Release Year of the product. This make for a pleasurable year-by-year trip though D&D history.
  7. 2 new types of 3D image designs:
    • Folding Cardstock: Used to display products such as Dungeon Master's Screens.
    • Leatherbound Books: Used for the 4 Encyclopedia Magica manuals (I love these!!!).
  8. Updates to some playlists to better represent a particular game setting.
  9. Updates to several filenames to better represent the product titles.
  10. Updates to game notes when errors or misspelling were found.

I hope you're as excited to download version 3.0.0 of the D&D M&M Platform as I was to release it. This latest update is the culmination of months of data and image editing, while the entire platform is an avocation that I've been working on since 2018. You can simply extract the archive file to the directory where you have your LaunchBox directory installed. You may want to delete the D&D Images folder, if you have one already installed, to make sure you see the latest images and filenames, before extracting but it's not necessary. If I forgot to include anything, I will upload minor version updates, once I discover them. There should be another major update in a few months.

Thanks so much to websites like RPGGeek, TSRArchive, DriveThruRPG, eBay, and Worthpoint which without these amazing sites, none of this would be possible. I must reiterate, however, that NO PDFs or Software are included with this platform. This is 100% for the preservation, enjoyment, and appreciation of the mythology, artwork, and universe that is D&D.

Please let me know if you encounter any issues during setup. The XML file path for all items is set to Z:/ but I can help if anyone needs it set to another absolute or relative path. Also, please make sure to backup your LaunchBox installation before making any big changes such a this. There are no LaunchBox core files included in this archive but it's always wise to have a backup plan just in case you're waylaid by any  dishonorable thieves or savage troglodytes. But most of all... roll a natural 20 and ENJOY!

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dsnyd22

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   5 of 5 members found this review helpful 5 / 5 members

Awesome job on this and extra props for taking the time to write out detailed instructions.  I was inundated at first but after 3 days was able to get 90% up and operational.  Its great having all these compiled in one place and i am still looking forward to tinkering with some of the old school D&D programs. 

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