This past week, my wife and I have been going through the house getting rid of old stuff. She enjoys freeing up space and seeing the house clean. I enjoy looking at my old stuff, reliving all the good times we had together, and almost weeping when I throw any of it away. To be honest, it’s hell. Some of it makes sense to keep. Old favorite toys, comics from my childhood, a Wico bat handle joystick the quality of which has never been seen again in any controller since. However, I must question the need to keep mail order catalogs from computer companies so someday in the future I could remember how much a parallel port printer cost back in the day. Yes, that was my logic back in 1991. No, the experience did not live up to the hype.
Part of me is glad I saved some of these toys so that my son could play with them. However, forces I was not prepared for have been in play this entire time, and may utterly ruin this plan. Did you know that old plastic gets brittle? Neither did poor Shockwave when I accidentally amputated his arm trying to transform him for old time’s sake. Fortunately, it was not his blaster arm. Unfortunately, back then I didn’t know that batteries corrode and blow up and ruin electronics. Shockwave is not particularly pleased with me right now.
Worst of all is the stuff that has sentimental value but I just can’t think of a legitimate reason to keep. I have two large boxes filled to the brim with all my old AD&D 1st Edition books from high school. It’s quite heavy. Just cracking the lid on that box brings back memories of ridiculously overpowered Monty Haul campaigns and my power-levelled Fighter/Cleric/Mage soloing the Elemental Princes of Evil from the Fiend Folio. I used to walk with a hunch because I was always carrying 100 pounds of books with me. I got into a shouting match with a friend over his claim that getting hit in the face with a black dragon’s breath weapon would give him a CHA bonus because the scars made him look tougher. I was thirteen years old, it was intensely stupid, and I loved every minute of it. However, as much as I love keeping them around, I continue to acquire gaming stuff and I don’t really have the space to make the Ultimate D&D Room. I also find it unlikely that I will ever play in a D&D 1E campaign ever again. Do I really want to keep them around just to flip through the pages now and then?
Old videogame systems are my other problem. I’ve got nearly every major console since 1980 sitting on a shelf and no intention whatsoever of actually hooking any of them up. Are they decorative now? is that lame? With the advent of emulation during the mid 90’s (and now widespread legal emulation), I can play almost everything I ever want from my childhood without having to keep a giant rat’s nest of RF adapters and controller cords in a box somewhere. It’s not exactly the same, but I’m not sure it ever can be. That, for better or worse, seems to be the conclusion leading me to finally get rid of a lot of my old stuff. The memories will always remain and be perfect. Keeping this stuff might spark an odd memory here and there, but it’s taking up room that could be used for new memories.
There is an old proverb (which I have failed utterly at finding) that says a boy becomes a man when he can leave his toys behind. Does this mean that finally, at 34, I’m growing up? I have no idea. What I do know: my wife is getting happier by the day, and some day in the near future a nerd’s going to walk into a Goodwill and wind up renting a U-Haul to get it all home. The cycle begins anew.
oh to be that nerd… that box of AD&D 1e stuff… i would nab in an instant…
Interestingly enough, the quote you’re looking for is biblical.
Personally, it’s that quote that makes me not want to get rid of my old toys. Who needs to grow up, eh?
.-= Graham´s last blog ..Wherein I debate 4e and call Healing Surges realistic =-.
It’s funny this article was posted. I held onto Heroes Unlimited character drawings for over ten years, in case I ever “needed” them again. I finally got rid of them four months ago.
Guess who %$#&*!!! needs them now!
-Tourq
.-= Tourq´s last blog ..Special Thanks =-.
About a year ago I finally purged almost 30 years of gaming books, keeping only the stuff I can actually see using again. I figure that if a game of Shadowrun 1st edition or Rifts or AD&D or anything else like that comes up, I can always go find a new copy.
I donated 3 rubbermaid totes of books to my local Con, and they gave and auctioned them away.
I haven’t looked back.
I always wish I had kept my RPG characters and notes in one core location. I can see myself getting rid of the old books, but man when I come across the mad scrawlings of myself as middle school dungeon master I nostalgia real hard.
It is always fun and interesting and sometimes a bit sad to go through old gaming material. We have been doing some of that too. Some to get rid of, some to keep, some we are still deciding on . . .
Among various boxes, I found an entire box of old FR stuff. I have never cared for the realms, how did I end up with an entire box of modules and such for it? Weird.
.-= Sean Holland´s last blog ..Review – The Genius Guide to: Crystal Magic =-.
I’m kind of the opposite of the hoarder. I love getting rid of stuff. That said, I do still have 1e books and other old things.
I’ve had training, however, since I’ve moved half way or more across the country multiple times with nothing more than one vehicle could carry.
.-= Chris Sims´s last blog ..Mailbag 4 – All By Myself, Part 1 =-.
1e is full of random tables and goodness that does not change despite the edtion. Use the 1e DMG treasure table to roll up your next horde, sure its not 4e parcel approved but when you roll a +3 trident and ring of jumping, you have something interesting to set this set of ogres apart from the last ogres. Check out the random thievies guild table in the Complete Thief for 2nd edtion to add some flavor to your town. The joy of random tables is they spark your imagination and 1e and 2e books were full of them.
sadly all of my 1e and 3e books are sitting in my folks attic.
I use a combination of 1e and 3.5 for my dungeons, but really i just go with he basic feel of things and basic rules. I don’t use dice, I run on a theatrical hit system. The better you can describe your action the better you hit. [Example, Player 1: I attack the goblins. DM: Ok you wound one and miss the second. Player 2: I rush forward at the goblins, as I close in I bring my two short swords forward in a wide ark at the goblins throats. DM: The goblins are stunned in fear at your speed as you come at them. They try and block at the last minuet but are too late. You slice ones throat which begins to gush blood and completely decapitate the other. Their bodies fall in heaps as you move past them and again stand. Two more goblins approach weapons ready, but clearly in great fear of you.] This is the system I use but it is not my creation, I do not take credit for it, it is quite old but doesn’t show up quite that much anymore. Acting out your attacks and actions also helps when permissable but is not nessisary. If any of you use this system tell me what you think and how you use it. I like to hear all kinds of stories and so does Elderon (he’s asleep right now, so I get to use the computer). Wait, ok he’s wakeing up. Guess that’s all for now, see you guys when I get the chance. Hop some people have something to add to this comment, or have ways to improve my system.
Your Dragon Linguist,
Alan Patton
You can have my Atari 2600 when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!
@Sevenbastard –
I’m partial to the 1e Wandering Harlot table, myself.
.-= Graham´s last blog ..Wherein I debate 4e and call Healing Surges realistic =-.
Instead of donating it to Goodwill why not auction it off for Child’s Play? It would probably make a lot more for charity and ensure someone who would really appreciate them receives them. I’ll admit it though, I have a big soft spot for Child’s Play so I’m not totally unbiased. Of course, I visit the Salvation Army in my town weekly looking for D&D books, so whoever found them would probably really appreciate them, too.
@Graham: You and me both. Not to mention that the table you mention is opposite the illustration of Emirikol the Chaotic. How that illustration inspired my young imagination.
.-= Chris Sims´s last blog ..Mailbag 4 – All By Myself, Part 1 =-.
I long ago tore up my adulthood card. I kept the ‘be a responsible option’ but everything else is me being forever 8.
I used to be a Anti-hoarder, getting rid of game systems as I stopped using them. But ever since I’ve had a house, I stopped doing this. So I sit on a ton of Gurps books (3rd Ed), D&D 3e and 3.5. Car Wars (a full Bankers box) and 10K+ Magic the Gathering cards. Sometimes I think should just throw everything on Ebay.
Oh men, quite a treasure you got there XD seriously, if you do, dont say you got rid of the AD&D books, you would make this poor bear cry, i would’ve love so much to have those kind of memmories to hold on to.. sadly im a new gen D&D sprout 😛 i wonder if within 20 years or so ill be watching my 4E books and remembering all the good times they are giving me right now 😛
@Chatty
I supose you have gotten my follow up comment on your Lost Badgers article and the one on your sons bedtime adventure where he tricked the dragon. Sorry I can’t rember his name, I should be able to remember a fellow dragons name. But, now I’m going off the subject. I hope to hear something back from you or, I also hope you checked my DMing.com blog article. Tell me what you think, I was hopeing for some more feedback from my friends and other visitors but now I fear that my article may be moved off the front page and will only be accesable through links I give out. But, that still gets the word out. Anyway, hope to see you sometime and you may see some Emails from me soon.
@Everyone else
Ava’yourn si thurirlic. Te rovasta omarta for’remna slith ahsfor. Toa mortilin forthim’ afear si martill. Quir’larf forthsa shrith frishla sharmil’tor arka fotla. Ni orata morthic sharsa rashilms.
“(Elderon) Artama li farant’wor wux lishka?”
“(Alan) I’ve only translated what you paid me to translate. I’m going to need more gold if you want it in English. And I will not be frightened by you.”
“Arata shil irtimiti refortashils’kara morsha ril farath! Thilirma norata ti lishka saramorth imla! Warth dorth wux warmata?”
“An extra thousand gold this month. That is all I ask.”
“Wux srtila shril’fath sarla! Ish sharmat li wux mor’nata.”
“Good now that we have an understanding. Lets continue with your comment.”
[throat clear] Well as I was saying I. I like to collect large amounts of “you know what” so I can connect with you humans about you hoards of RPG stuff. Books, figures, cards, maps, player sheets, miniatures, pesudodaragons. Oh wait that last one just applies to my brother-in-law, oops. Where was I? Oh yes, you guys are like the dragons of the RPG world, except for the real dragons in human form that is. But I doubt you pile your things in the center of the room and sleep on it. (Chatty. To awnser your sons’ question. Yes. The larger the pile of gold, the more comfortable it is to sleep on. And it is very sparkley and nice to look at.) Well I’m done talking for today (I know I can’t belive it ither) and am going to take a stroll through the countryside. [heavy feet padding away]
Your Dragon Friend,
Elderon Analas