Have You Given Away RPG Books?

Chainsaw · October 14, 2017, 10:11:44 AM

Quote from: Baulderstone;1000634When it comes to lending things I have the mindset that I am giving the person that thing.

Exactly. Keeps friendships friendly.

Skarg · October 14, 2017, 12:15:35 PM

I've given them as gifts, generally new copies as presents to people (usually other GM's, sometimes people who I think might get into it if they had a copy).

I've also given away stuff I just wasn't ever going to use for anything.

(I think the Star Frontiers collection I had went back to the Goodwill I found it at, after studying it and determining to my surprise that I would never even use the combat maps.)

Dumarest · October 14, 2017, 01:13:27 PM

Quote from: The Exploited.;1000610While I'm happy to give stuff away as a gift or whatever... I don't like lending my books out.

1) I get them back in terrible condition.
2) I never see them again.
3) I forget about them and never see them again.

Agreed...I don't ever lend anything I would want back to anyone anymore. Been burned too many times pending a book or a game or a record to someone and then never getting it back at all or getting it back in much worse shape than I lent it in. Never doing that again. If I lend you something now, that means it's a spare or I don't really care that much if I ever see it again. The worst was pending a few out-of-print items to someone and never getting them back and being unable to replace them without robbing a bank first.

grodog · October 14, 2017, 11:16:50 PM

Sure, I've given away spare 1e books to various good causes (to a librarian starting up a 1e game at a school in NY, for example), and I gave a set of the AD&D MM, PHB, and DMG to my son's best friend, so that he'd have a set to read/study up on as prep for learning to DM.

Allan.

danskmacabre · October 15, 2017, 08:14:26 PM

A long time ago , in my 20s, on one of my big moves where I got rid of everything I couldn't fit in a backpack and hit the road for a while.
I gave away a LOT of RPG material.
Mostly stuff I didn't really miss and don't regret.
Lots of White Wolf Vampire, Werewolf, Mage and other stuff like that.

Also some Runequest stuff.
Oh yeah and a bunch of Spacemaster stuff too.

My main regret was giving away boxed sets of Stormbringer, Hawkmoon and associated material.
I was lucky enough that the friend I gave that too held onto some of it and returned it when I settled down a bit later (and I moved again after that, but kept the Stormbringer stuff).

He also had some old Spacemaster stuff that he returned and I still have it too.

DKChannelBoredom · October 16, 2017, 06:10:41 AM

At my yearly go-to convention, they run a reallocation project with both rpgs, board games and books. In the past I've donated my World of Darkness collection (Vampire + a handful of supplements, Mage and Wraith) and a lot of minor D&D, Traveller and indie games.

flyingmice · October 16, 2017, 11:53:36 AM

Quote from: David Johansen;1000351You know Clash? I always think your games deserve more respect and popularity. I'm not sure what it would take to get them there. Part of the problem is that rpgs sell on production values more than content. Top notch art and layout do more to sell a game than rules or setting. I think that's probably because only a fraction of published rpgs ever actually get played. People buy them to look at the pictures more than anything I think. We're both amateur artists but I'm afraid that just doesn't draw in enough people. What you need is big half naked space marines in bondage gear with swords made of swords that spin riding on tanks with nipples and ridiculous numbers of swords instead of guns and some nice coffee stains to give the art some grittiness.

I am rolling on the floor, David! This is hilarious, and probably more true than the truth! Ah me! Brilliant! And thank you!

-clash

flyingmice · October 16, 2017, 11:57:57 AM

Quote from: Baulderstone;1000634When it comes to lending things I have the mindset that I am giving the person that thing. Maybe, just maybe, they will choose to give it back in good condition. If they do so, that's wonderful. If not, not bother.

If I am uncomfortable with thinking of it in those terms, I don't lend it out.

This is always how I look at it when I lend things out.

David Johansen · October 16, 2017, 01:32:39 PM

Quote from: flyingmice;1001042I am rolling on the floor, David! This is hilarious, and probably more true than the truth! Ah me! Brilliant! And thank you!

-clash

Glad to be of service

Really, Games Workshop manages to cast a very wide net with their various factions and hits the twelve year old transgressive senseless violence and disrespect for established social order buttons very directly. They also have the best manufacturing and technical product quality in the industry. It only makes me hate them more

Koltar · October 17, 2017, 12:31:45 AM

I have given away RPG books to people I know who were interested in gaming - usually a double or duplicate of something I already had.

Doesn't that make it more of a gift instead?

- Ed C.

flyingmice · October 17, 2017, 11:22:02 AM

Quote from: David Johansen;1001058Glad to be of service

Really, Games Workshop manages to cast a very wide net with their various factions and hits the twelve year old transgressive senseless violence and disrespect for established social order buttons very directly. They also have the best manufacturing and technical product quality in the industry. It only makes me hate them more

I was never a 13 year old playing RPGs. RPGs didn't exist when I was thirteen, and arguably I was never actually 13, even when I was 13. This probably explains it all.

Willie the Duck · October 17, 2017, 12:47:26 PM

Quote from: flyingmice;1001262and arguably I was never actually 13, even when I was 13. This probably explains it all.

This is treading awfully close to that nerd stereotype of "'I was an old soul when I was a teen,' explained every nerd ever, 'I had more in common with the adults around me.'"

flyingmice · October 17, 2017, 03:14:05 PM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1001280This is treading awfully close to that nerd stereotype of "'I was an old soul when I was a teen,' explained every nerd ever, 'I had more in common with the adults around me.'"

Shrug. I never though of myself as a nerd. I was into playing sports all day and rock music all night.

Willie the Duck · October 17, 2017, 03:22:22 PM

Quote from: flyingmice;1001320Shrug. I never though of myself as a nerd. I was into playing sports all day and rock music all night.

Well, if you weren't, you weren't. It's just such a common line amongst 'nerds' that I'm surprised Tvtropes doesn't have a page for it.

RPGPundit · October 24, 2017, 09:54:06 AM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1001280This is treading awfully close to that nerd stereotype of "'I was an old soul when I was a teen,' explained every nerd ever, 'I had more in common with the adults around me.'"

Yeah, I don't care for that either, even though in point of fact if examined for my own life that was somewhat true, until hormones kicked in. Then I probably wanted to murder any adult around me (and fuck every teen).
I went from being a kid (11-13) who did debate club and Shakespeare and was top-marks at the academy and every teacher loved, to a teenage punk (after a very short stint as a quasi-goth) who wanted to piss everyone off. I didn't really calm down until I found drugs and religion (thankfully, at the same time).

Now I'm a white-bearded punk who loves to piss everyone off, mind you.