20 years of RPG books

[prongbuck]

I wan't sure where to post this but if there is a more appropriate forum I'd appreciate if a mod could move it there.

I have 20 years of RPG books sitting in my attic and I am looking for suggestions on a way to get rid of them. They are in a large storage container and probably weigh close to 50 pounds!

I also want to say that I am NOT here trying to find someone to buy this stuff. What I want is to find a good home for these books with someone (or some people) that will use them.

I thought about giving them to the Salvation Army but I suspect that the books would end up tossed in the trash, which I could do myself if I wanted to.

I tried talking to a few FLGS, they didn't seem interested in the books, but suggested I try eBay. I thought about eBay but selling the books as one large collection seems unreasonable since the shipping cost would be huge, and I don't want to bother listing a hundred different books and making a hundred trips to the post office to ship them.

I also thought about listing them locally, in the newspaper and online classifieds, but my worry there is someone would take them just to resell them. I have many good memories of playing these games and want others to have the same opportunity I did to enjoy these books.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Here is a quick list of some of the books I have:

D&D Basic set + Player/DM companion + Expert rules + Player/DM Guide to Immortals
AD&D 1st Ed DMG + PHB + Monsters Manual + Dungeoneers Survival Guide
AD&D 2nd Ed DMG + PHB + Monsters Manual (the one in the binder)
ICE MERP 1st and 2nd Ed with a bunch of setting books
Mechwarrior RPG
Robotech RPG
Battletech + Battle tech small units + Robotech + Citytech tabletop games
Savage Worlds stuff (this is the most recent rpg stuff I have)
ICE Shadow World + Character Law + Spell Law + Arms Law
And a butt load of other books/modules...

Again I would like to say that I am NOT trying to sell this stuff in the forum, what I want are suggestions on how I can get rid of it so I can hopefully get this into the hands of people who will use it!

I would be perfectly happy giving this stuff away locally if I could be sure it would be used for someones enjoyment and not be resold. I won't lie and say that a little money for them wouldn't be nice but that is not my main concern, I want to get them out of my attic to people who would enjoy them!

Thanks

 

[Umbran]

I would be perfectly happy giving this stuff away locally if I could be sure it would be used for someones enjoyment and not be resold.

You could donate them to your local library. You don't get cash for them, but the would probably count as a tax-deductible donation.

 

[prongbuck]

Hey good idea! I will give them a call.

 

[Mark]

Libraries usually wind up dumping much of that sort of stuff or having it stolen. Find a Half-Priced Books near you and take them in. They will go through them and give you a fair price. Other gamers will look there for stuff and get what they want for a fair price. However, I suggest you research the 1e stuff and possibly sell it on eBay separately, as some of that goes for a premium price these days.

Store Locator

The Acaeum

 

[Thunderfoot]

Another route is to donate it to the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) of one of the four services; addressed to Servicemen and women serving overseas in hazardous duty areas. They may be older but several of those folks would really appreciate having them - trust me, I know.

HOOAH!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Echoing Thunderfoot's suggestion- I used to donate a lot of gaming stuff to our Armed Services through my FLGS (before it moved 40 miles away). After I culled portions of my own collection, I started trolling Half-Price Books for good deals and sending those abroad!

There are a lot of gamers among our servicemen, and when they're abroad, they have trouble getting anything unless they've brought it themselves. And since they have weight restrictions, gaming supplies are usually low on their lists.

Usually, when I made a donation, I included 2-6 sets of dice in the box. They can get their hands on pencils & paper, and their imaginations are unfettered- and creative people can always find tokens if they have to- but polyhedral dice can be a bear to find.

You might also call around to other organizations- VA hospitals, The Boys & Girls clubs, Scouts, or maybe some of the local HS and colleges have gaming clubs that could use what you have.

Who knows? You might even find gamers in community or senior centers looking for stuff.

And yes, if you itemize, be sure to track the value of your donations- they should be tax deductible.

 

[prongbuck]

Thanks for the suggestions, this is exactly what I was looking for, people who would appreciate this stuff. I'm in Canada so I'll have to do some googling and talk to some friends who served here and see if I can't find the name of some groups that do similar things to what Dannyalcatraz and Thunderfoot suggest here in Canada.

I'll package the games up with some dice and make some complete sets so they have everything they need to play while they fight for us overseas.

Pretty appropriate for a remembrance day post, thanks again for the ideas.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hey- thanks for asking so we could answer!

My Dad served as a military MD for many years. While he never served at the front, he did have to combat boredom.

It can be surprising how little there is to do on base when you're stuck there. And if you're in a country with a radically different culture, your entertainment outlets will be even more restricted.

I started off making cassettes for him to listen to. After he retired, I noticed my FLGS collecting books for donation. After doing that for a while, I asked if they'd take gaming supplies. They asked the military, and when they got an affirmative, I expanded the scope of my donations.

I also send care packages to my cousins who are still in active service.

 

[Mark]

That's a much better idea. I'm going to have to check locally for a similar way to send some stuff out soon, with the holidays coming up and all. Thanks!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just to save some people the work, here are the main MWR sites for the US services that operate overseas. Note that most major bases will also have a MWR office as well.


Deprecated Browser Error
Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation
Air Force Services Agency - Home
Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS)