Back around this time last year, I made a post to Dragonsfoot asking opinions of whether or not I should open a shrinkwrapped copy of the Mentzer "Red Box" Basic Rules. I've got the 1989 14th printing of the boxed set, so nothing terribly exciting collecting-wise, but it is new "mint in box".
I got a lot of mixed replies. Most people were of the opinion that I should either sell it for what would probably be only about ~$20-30, or just open it up and get playing with it. I am still ambivalent as to what to do with it, so I figure I'll ask the general community here, what you think I should do with it?I've no real interest in selling it at this time, simply because trying to net $20-30 bucks means nothing to me. On the other hand, I'm not super desperate to open it up and "get playing", since it's not like I don't have enough editions of D&D already. It's mostly just the idea that I've got an untouched set of rules that's now aged 20 years, sitting pristine in a box, dice and all.
7 comments:
With the advent and ease of electronic copies, I don't see a reason to open it. If it were me, I'd leave it unopened/mint. In later years, that might not only be quite valuable, it might also be quite an interesting thing for RPG historians to consider.
I take the opposite position to Shgowiz. Like an unread book, an unplayed-with toy, or an undriven car, a 'mint in box' D&D boxed set is a minor tragedy. To leave the thing sealed and kept from use is to deny its purpose, purely for the sake of fetishism.
Bust the thing out of shrink wrap just to enjoy the nostalgic feeling of doing so! (and to spite the purists)
Go play!
I asked myself the same question a few years ago for a number of Spelljammer items. The next question was: Why I am keeping this stuff around? The answer was: Because I want to enjoy fantastic worlds created by other people.
So my advice is:
Open, read, enjoy!
I'd open it! The art is amazing, and it's fun to read the introductory scenario!
And I bet it smells like new on the inside!
Time capsule.
If you haven't already -- well, you can probably guess what my suggestion is ;3
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