Shelfie Life & Death

I've been meaning to make this post for a while, ever since I joined a new Facebook RPG group and got inundated with 'shelfies' of hundreds to over a thousand RPG books.

Here's my hot take - collecting RPGs without playing or reading them, especially if you're past the half century mark like me, is a sickness for the individual, a bane to the next generation of roleplayers, and probably a hassle for your family as well.

I will admit to having had hundreds of RPG books in Japan, and doing what Japanese call 'tsundoku' or buying 'unread books that pile up.' I had tons of Stormbringer, Cthulhu, and random vintage games. But when my Japan life fell apart, I gave 90% away to friends. I think 'tsundoku' is good for novels, which are solitary affairs, but a waste of potential for the social space of gaming.

In Newfoundland, I bought a few more games and settled in. However, I found that my hometown had no place for me, so left Newfoundland for Vancouver. Again, I sold or gave away 90% of my game books.

In early 2025 I had a financial crisis, and sold off two boxes of vintage Stormbringer, Ars Magica, and Runequest books. Although I miss them in a way, the experience taught me a few things about collecting RPG books.

How Many Books Do You Need?

Here is what my current shelfie looks like:

My Facebook marketplace finds. Very happy to have Mummy, Monster of the Week, and Serenity. Cowboy Bebop was from the Kickstarter.

Pristine affordable Japanese Stormbringer (I miss Mercari), filthy and overpriced Canadian edition.

Alien 1E from Marketplace, and Green Knight for FREE.

By the standards of most men my age, my collection is pathetic. On the other hand, it is also limited to games I love (Alien, Stormbringer, Serenity & Monster of the Week, Bebop), actual treasures (my Amano Japanese Stormbringer boxed set), and other things I am either dying to read or run.

All killer, no filler.

In a sense, I have all the books I need to make myself happy. I would love my Stormbringer collection back, but prices have doubled the past year, I have no space for new books, and I have some PDFs for reference.

So, if you are old and have a dragon's hoard of dusty roleplaying tomes, here are a few things I'd like you to consider.

Are You Getting These Books To Table?

I have made the supreme effort to get books to the table since moving to Vancouver. And this makes me MUCH happier than having a larger collection that I never used. All the books I have now will definitely get read, and a majority will get played.

So look at your collection, see what you'll never play, and find someone who will run them.

One of my high school students is playing in the school gaming club, which is dominated by 5E. I happened to have 2 copies of Savage Worlds, so I gifted him one.

He was ecstatic to read it! So I have helped break up a corporate gaming monopoly and spread the word about a fun game system to people who will be playing long after I am gone. Win win.

Would You Spread The Joy?

Although on the surface selling my big BRP collection was a tragedy, one amazing thing did happen. A young man who bought my books was overjoyed to have them, and paid a fair price. Now out there in Vancouver somewhere is a twentysomething with a crate of pristine Stormbringer, Ars Magica, and Call of Cthulhu books, with the energy and free time to read and run them. Considering the glut of 5E products and the concentration of these older games in older hands, I am glad to have passed them on to the younger generation.

You could volunteer to run games for youth in your community, and gift or sell cheaply books your players like. This is how gaming is passed on to the next generation.

Do You Need The Money That Badly?

I think a lot of people are looking at their collection and seeing it as an investment. But if you have the money to acquire and house a large collection, you probably don't need the money or hassle of haggling over Ebay or Marketplace. Find a local gaming club and pass them on, donate to a library, or run a few games and gift them to a younger gamer who appreciates them.

What Happens After You Are Gone?

Coming back to North America, I can see that people are literally drowning in things and trying to downsize. I have furnished our apartment with furniture from sharing sites, and clothed sonny the same way. Recently, I have been looking at an auction site, and it is a cornucopia of amazing things being sold for pennies because the owners have died or moved into a smaller home or facility.

I haven't seen any gamebooks yet, but I have seen collections of dice and minis. The minis are unpainted, the dice unopened. If they go unsold, they go in the trash. And that is sad for something someone once loved and shared with others at the table.

The Kids Are Alright

One last thing to consider is how grateful young people are when you share older games. My student at school was moved and gave me a hug, the young fellow who purchased my books paid extra and thanked me profusely, and the young man who gifted me The Green Knight refused he few dollars I offered out of gratitude/guilt. Young people are turning to board games and video games because RPGs, especially classics, have become too pricey for them. If you love your games, you should consider passing that love on.

Food For Thought

I hope this post gives some people food for thought. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty, just realize that our treasures could easily sparkle for younger games, So between sharing older games and creating new ones, I am much happier than I would be with a dragon's hoard of unused gamebooks.