In 1999 and for Basic D&D, Jeff Grubb wrote Crypt of the Smoke Dragon.
Scans of that original are now available at DTRPG and the DMsGuild.
The classic is back as part of OneBookShelf and Wizards of the Coast scan-and-return program, which has been busy recently, including the re-release of The Classic Dungeons & Dragons.
Typically, these books are returned as PDF downloads in the first instance and then, sometime later, print-on-demand options become available. While it looks like Crypt of the Smoke Dragon has been on OBS’ radar since 2017, the PDF was first made available today and there’s no print-on-demand yet.
The blurb says;
This self-contained game gives you and your friends the experience of playing the Dungeons & Dragons game in an easy-to-learn format. In this Fast-Play Game, you and your friends take on imaginary roles in a fantastic tale of mighty heroes, mythical dragons, and powerful magic.
This demo version of the game is designed to give you the feel of playing the Dungeons & Dragons game. The full game contains all sorts of options to help you create your own on-going sword and sorcery campaign. We’ll tell you more about that at the end of this booklet.
Is it any good? Well, the old book is listed on RPGGeek and has a 5/10 score but only from two ratings. RPGGeek confirms the artists involved as Todd Gamble, Mark Painter and Tony Szczudlo.
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