Myrdin Potter
Hero
Holmes Basic boxed set in 1981 or 1982. I think at a hobby store on Ste-Catherine’s street near the forum but could have been at the closer to my HS hobby store on Sherbrooke in NDG (Montreal locations). The set had dice.
Given that, about the same time I started playing (summer 1981), Moldvay basic came out, and apparently demand outstripped boxes, some were shipped as just the book, in shrinkwrap. I was about $1 shy of the boxed set, but could afford the book, and a pack of "mud dice." a couple weeks later, I bought the booklet of 5 to the inch hexpaper... which I was still using sheets of in 1999 or so, when the remainder got put in a box, and I had to give up my office for a child's bedroom...Though I had played for a couple of years I was very poor and couldn't afford to buy any RPG stuff. ( I did create some of my own games and even made some cardboard d8's!)
Then in 1982 I had some birthday money and went to the local gamestore to buy something.
I purchased Starstone by Northern Sages. Can't remember why. Luckily it was great and has become a classic and I now have multiple copies and have run it many times under several systems.
How about you?
Could have been worse. They shipped a printing of Holmes Basic with paper chits instead of dice. Third printing, maybe?Given that, about the same time I started playing (summer 1981), Moldvay basic came out, and apparently demand outstripped boxes, some were shipped as just the book, in shrinkwrap. I was about $1 shy of the boxed set, but could afford the book, and a pack of "mud dice." a couple weeks later, I bought the booklet of 5 to the inch hexpaper... which I was still using sheets of in 1999 or so, when the remainder got put in a box, and I had to give up my office for a child's bedroom...
Haven't needed it since, really. Software took over the role. And Armory's hex sheets in about 10cm hexes... or printed hexagons, from my PDF of SLAG! or Starfight. (Hmm... where's that PDF... I need some sheets...)