[generic] The Sadness of the Games Shelf...

Neil Gow

Neil Gow

Demi-God
... or games I love that I doubt I will ever get to run (again)

In a reflective moment, I gazed upon my games shelves and realised there are games there that I love/adore but that are highly unlikely to see the light of day again, or ever. And that's sad. Here's a few:

D&D 4th Ed/ Fabula Ultima/ Tales of Xadia
These three suffer from essentially being the same game - high fantasy, high action, high magic, high concept. If I got one to the table, the juice used would essentially condemn the other two to the abyss. Xadia has enough 'lore' to be off-putting to some, Fabula is maybe a little TOO emulation for some, and 4th ed has history, but is a great game.

The One Ring/ Symbaroum/ Song of Ice and Fire/ Star Trek Adventures
These three are the games where I have run epic, successful campaigns using them and as such they feel played out. Maybe TOR might get another outing as it's a go-to for short campaigns and has a lot of good material to draw upon.

Dresden Files/ Wrath and Glory/ Imperium Maledictum/ and sob Spire
This bunch falls into the 'not enough market' category. I can find one or two people who might want to play, but not a full group ready to commit. The fact that it is unlikely that I'll ever run the Spire campaign which the material deserves haunts me!

On the flip side I think there are games that I will undoubtedly get to the table eventually - I can see Dune being played (somehow) and Avatar Legends. Pendragon 6th is another contender. And those beautiful D&D 2024 books will have their day, as will Soulbound although that might drift into the first triumverate.

What's unlikely to be played (again) on your shelves?
 
Monster of the Week - been there, played it, now moving on. I'm unlikely to come back to it - new games keep coming out...

Achtung! Cthulhu (the Fate version). Done it and played it - can't see me doing anything more with it. It's just taking up space, so it's probably time for it to go.

There are also some games which I may run one-shots for, but I'm not sure I need the books any longer (when I have the pdfs as well). They include The Dee Sanction, Liminal, ALIEN and Cthulhu Dark. I will probably keep them for now (but maybe not all the ALIEN stuff.

I suspect that once I've played/run it, Urban Shadows will be on that list as well.
 
Neil Gow said:
What's unlikely to be played (again) on your shelves?
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Most likely my 4th Ed traveller books. Played way back in the uni and unlikely to run traveller.

Most of the stuff I have in my shelf is related to stuff I haven’t ran/played so may fall into another category of your ask
 
I'm about to ditch:
All versions of Traveller except Hammers Slammers and ye ancient Mongoose black book core rules which has the points buy version of char gen in it. This is a definite rage quit. Fek off with your random char gen of "I want to be a medic" turning into "hey, look - you're a drifter bum who ended up in the scout service".
That means I'm also shedding Mindjammer and Cepheus Engine.

If I ever want to run 2300AD again, I'll use the old GDW system. (I'm keeping that).

I'm also clearing space by getting rid of Mythic Rome (Mythras), and an old edition of BRP. Too crunchy for me these days.

Terra Primate - nice idea, but the system was broken because there was a golden stat.

Reboot the Future - cyberpunk hurrah, alien conspiracies meh.

Aftermath - it's only clung on this long due to nostalgia as my very first post-apocalypse game. The combat system is ridiculously slow and crunchy.

Might get ditched when I need more shelf space:
I'm only keeping Eclipse Phase because another GM in the Tuesday group runs it and it is useful to have a second physical copy at the table.

Some GURPS books. Realistically I'll never run GURPS again.

Burning Empires. I like the graphic novels. The Burning Wheel system is not for me. But in theory we have the final third of a campaign to finish. Suspect we never will, because we played it in the Before Times and the GM has new 'thuses now.
 
Here's my possible sell list.

  • Alien - I'm just not going to run it.
  • Runequest Roleplaying in Glorantha leather core book - It was a raffle win and I simply won't run it.
  • Conan 2D20 entire line - may have played ths one out. I still think it is a good game, if not quite my favourite 2D20 iteration. They are out of print now.
  • Astate 1e - I would use 2e FitD if I were to return, but who am I kidding?
  • Burning Wheel - I've really enjoyed running the game in the past, and may even return witht he Gold book edition.
  • Sins - I bought due to Sheffield connections but there is no realistic probability that I would ever actually run it. I think there has been another full edition published whilst this one has languished untouched on my shelves.
  • Golgotha - a funBlack Hacky game that I have run a couple of times, but think it is done for me now.
  • Burning Empire X1 - I have two copies. It is a very niche and hardwired campaign, but I like the other book too much to fully let it go.
  • Dr Who box set - never touched and in the unlikely event that I'd ever play the game, I still wouldn't need the box.
  • Free Spacer - a Kickstarter 'mistake'.
  • Sixty Mile Sky - another Kickstarter 'mistake'
  • The Sword, The Crown & The Unspeakable Power - though it looks good, I really don't get on with PvP very much at all.
  • Urban Shadows 1e - I might upgrade to 2e, and never run that either.
  • Farflung - I really like this light PbtA game, but would rename the 'Bottom' attribute. I am such a child. Maybe I'll keep it and run it and next Rev?
  • Faith - so pretty and virtually unused. Debbie now has a copy so might keep this on the off chance I get to play in her game. That's no excuse it should go...

What is hilarious is all the others on my shelves that I have not sought fit to mention, that have similar zero chance of being brought out, even for a read.
 
First Age said:
Urban Shadows 1e - I might upgrade to 2e, and never run that either.
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Yes, that's probably what will happen with my Urban Shadows too! :-)
 
On the other hand, I am happy that I have so many systems, settings and genres of game that "too many to ever run" is a problem! 🤣
 
I've got better over the years. I'm more picky about what I buy, never got started with Kickstarters and periodically culled my collection. That said, even discounting PDFs, I still have quite a few games that I know aren't going to get used.

Among the ones I enjoyed running but am unlikely to revisit for a variety of reasons are Gamma World, Barbarians of Lemuria, Bulldogs! and Owl Hoot Trail. Then there a few for which I have high hopes but didn't quite work out for me like Fate Accelerated, OctaNe and 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars. And then there's the ones I never even played but still survived various culls like Warp World, Dogs of W*A*R*, Gangbusters and few D6 based books.

Maybe this thread is a good prompt to do some spring cleaning.
 
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Guvnor said:
Or is that an excuse not to plan and run a game? 😞
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I may sound like that, but no. There is the other pile of games that includes games I am actively running now, games I've trying to run despite ever-present scheduling issue and games I am optimitic I will revisit some day.
 
I was fortunate that they didn't have much in the way of RPGs at the Bring and Buy so I didn't slip up!
 
I feel a bit ashamed as the intent of this wasn't to trigger purges of collections, but rather to highlight the beloved games that are there, aren't moving, but will never be played. I'm currently trying to create a retirement space for some of these games, but that involves shelving a cupboard - a DIY project no less!
 
Don't feel bad - this thread was just the prompt I needed. It was something I'd planned to do anyway.

(And by the way, Airecon's bring-and-buy-system is really good. Very easy to use, and you can easily check on how your games are selling.)
 
Neil Gow said:
I feel a bit ashamed as the intent of this wasn't to trigger purges of collections, but rather to highlight the beloved games that are there, aren't moving, but will never be played. I'm currently trying to create a retirement space for some of these games, but that involves shelving a cupboard - a DIY project no less!
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I have a ton of "could potentially become beloved" which I have never played/run, but am hanging onto in the hope that one day I might:
Liminal
Coyote & Crow
Last Fleet
Flotsam
Blue Rose
Paleomythic
Thou Art But A Warrior
Mutant Year Zero
Terra Oblivion
Polaris (technically speaking I only want the setting. The system annoyed me)

And I few that I've played/run a one-off, but would like to do more:
Coriolis
United Earth Defence: You Are the Resistance
Cold & Dark (i might steal the setting and use another system)
Hunter: The Reckoning
A State (FitD version)
 
Neil Gow said:
I feel a bit ashamed as the intent of this wasn't to trigger purges of collections, but rather to highlight the beloved games that are there, aren't moving, but will never be played. I'm currently trying to create a retirement space for some of these games, but that involves shelving a cupboard - a DIY project no less!
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Don't be. An occasional clear out is good for the soul. Much better than having a full self of neglected, unused games starring accusingly at me.
 
If I was being completely honest with myself, then nearly everything could go, even the recently purchased Mothership Deluxe set. I haven't role-played in I think at least 7 years, and even though I got enthused attending Dragonmeet last year, I’m not sure that’s going to change anytime soon 🙁

What might survive the cull would be the Traveller LBB and box (not actually the one I originally purchased from Games Centre on Hanway Street, but of the same vintage), along with any other Classic Traveller stuff I still have, a copy of Liminal and probably the recently purchased Blade Runner Starter Set. Oh, and possibly one of my two copies of the Thieves World box set, just because that’s one of the few fantasy fiction series I've ever enjoyed.

It would definitely mean a lot more space in my storage unit. Maybe I could even downsize 😀
 
I shifted to PDF years ago, meaning most of my collection isn't taking up shelf space and can't really be resold. Although I do get nostalgic for actual books sometimes.

When I look at the physical stuff on the shelves, I see games I will never get rid of because of nostalgia, but with the exception of SWADE, will never run again, either because my tastes have moved on or I can't find the players. (I also see games I would get rid of except my son says he wants to inherit them; so far as I'm concerned, he could have them now, but he has much less shelf space.)
 
neilcford said:
If I was being completely honest with myself, then nearly everything could go, even the recently purchased Mothership Deluxe set. I haven't role-played in I think at least 7 years, and even though I got enthused attending Dragonmeet last year, I’m not sure that’s going to change anytime soon 🙁

What might survive the cull would be the Traveller LBB and box (not actually the one I originally purchased from Games Centre on Hanway Street, but of the same vintage), along with any other Classic Traveller stuff I still have, a copy of Liminal and probably the recently purchased Blade Runner Starter Set. Oh, and possibly one of my two copies of the Thieves World box set, just because that’s one of the few fantasy fiction series I've ever enjoyed.

It would definitely mean a lot more space in my storage unit. Maybe I could even downsize 😀
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Got a spare copies of the Thieves World Companion and The Blue Camel by any chance? They are both what I'm missing from my collection...
 
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