I suppose this is a question I have asked myself hundreds of times. For me it's sentimental: I met most of my best friends (and best man) gaming and the gaming gear reminds me of that.

I maybe out of type but I was always a "jock"/ sporty type as were some of our group BITD. But I can say that through all the teams/development squads/etc I played in I never got to know someone the way I knew the gamers I played with. I sincerely believe that gaming can create deeper and stronger friendships than any sporting team.

Anyway ... I collect because I found gaming a catalyst for creating new and enduring friendships ... and collecting this stuff reminds & reinforces that.

So what do you think?

I definitely collect RPG items for nostalgia, being as I haven't been a regular gamer since 1987. I started seriously collecting RPG memorabilia back in 2000 when one of my relatives bought me a copy of the 2nd Edition AD&D Return to the Tomb of Horrors boxed set, mostly as a joke. Being as I hadn't even thought of gaming when receiving the set for the better part of 13 years, I was both amused and infused with quite a bit of nostalgia. After breaking open the set and reading the facsmilie of the monochrone Tomb of Horrors included, I instantly remembered playing through the module in my Junior High school library for several weeks before classes began, our librarian having organized a pre-class Dungeons and Dragons club. Shortly after receiving the boxed set, I started perusing Ebay and other online RPG resellers to fill in the gaps in my collection. A few months back I accomplished my 1st Edition TSR product collecting goals, and have started to collect 2nd Edition TSR products simply for something to do. So far I have come to the conclusion that the 2nd Edition era leaves much to be desired, at least when it comes to adventure modules. That being said, the Ruins of Undermountain boxed set from this era easily compares to the greatest of the 1st Edition modules.

A nice side effect of my rediscovery of RPGs was that I finally got around to getting some of my dungeon scenarios from back in the day published thanks to the advent of the wonderful retro-clone RPG OSRIC, which is basically a near perfect recreation of the bulk of the 1st Edition AD&D rules system. To date, eight of my old dungeons from back in the day have gone into print, mostly via Expeditious Retreat Press' Advanced Adventures OSRIC line.

Thanks for reading,
                          Alphonso Warden

Gnat the Beggar wrote:BITD?

umn... What?
Back in the day?

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away..."  It's that sort of sentiment, or something like that.  

I hear you, obiter. I'm a footballer, and I've been playing that game just a bit longer than I've been playing D&D - but not by much.

I have very fond memories of various teams and teammates over the years. On my current Thursday night team, we play, have fun, and maybe have a few pints after the match. I know my guys have my back (I'm the keeper), but the the core of the team is pretty small, and we've had quite a few players come and go over the 10+ years.

Now my D&D group, that's another story. Same core group of 6 gaffers going back to the early 80s. We've grown up together, watched as guys got married, had kids, and went through life's ups and downs. Sure, we don't game as much as BITD, but hey, we still game, and have a blast doing so. Truth be told, we have a hard time looking into the future and not picturing ourselves sitting around the gaming table at 60, 70, 80 years old.

My D&D cronies are pretty much my best fucking friends in the world, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Some of my most treasured pieces of my collection are adventures we completed (or at least attempted) from days gone by, as well as a few select pieces that my late brother and I used back when he first introduced me to D&D. I also have my brother to thank for introducing me to my D&D pals, as they were originally his friends, but he was able to convince them that I wouldn't be the stereotypical annoying little brother, so they let me play

The Game appeals to my sense of adventure and tendency toward creativity and problem-solving.
I have many memories of times shared with great friends and actually lerning together weird (at the time) concepts like mean, median, mode (all produced by rolling more than one die), mythological creatures and characters, the importance of diplomacy, and how to achieve goals by working with others, to name a few.
Funny, it's starting to sound like a resume, but it's true anyway.

Rhone Ethenkhar wrote:I chose all of the above, but the investment reason is really not big priority to me. It is a nice bonus if something ends up gaining some value, but I am just after the things I always wanted to get but couldn't, back when I started gaming in the mid '80's. Of course, while I still game (about once or twice a month) there is the old nostalgia factor, and it is quite strong.

^^^This is me, except for the "still gaming" part. Wish I could find a local group (around my age) to game with. Investment is really not a factor in my purchases. I only purchase the things *I* want to own and read.