The older i get the less I need.

[GothmogIV]

I have recently gotten rid of a bunch of stuff--old D&D stuff from the 80s and 90s, a LOT of old Call of Cthulhu stuff from the same time period, and some new things I bought but will never use. I recognize that I have a bit of dragon sickness when it comes to RPG things: I just...like it. I crave it. My own. My precious...

 

[Theory of Games]

Makes no sense to waste money on games you'll never play - or only play once.

It isn't "Minimalist" to spend your money on what you really need. It's smart. Like the OP I have only a few games (Rules Cyclopedia, Mutants & Masterminds, GURPS 4e and a few quick-starts).

I get that there's 'game collectors' who have the kind of income that enables them to engage in fashionable consumption. That's nice. But, some of us have more important things to spend money on. Especially with rpgs costing five to ten times what they cost forty years ago.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

My hobbies have been RPGs…mostly D&D…minis, boardgames and to much lesser extent video games. I quit playing paintball close to 20 years ago.

I have a lot of stuff. In my main game play area I have glass cases full of minis. My game table is full in its storage space of 1eAD&D modules I started buying back in the 90s…

My “office” is anything but. Here are stacks of big box games wargames and terrain for D&D. I have been trying to thin some of them as I don’t see playing it again.

But more to point…as I get older I wonder what is the point of keeping it all? I fantasize about my kids setting some for profit etc but it’s a real sadness. I have gone through so much and spent so much to collect…and we know how it disperses in the end.

I keep thinking about grand campaigns where I used my cool minis but precious few hit the table. It’s more of a just in case and frankly a display. I do like to go through my hoard and look…(they are in lit cases so it’s not too hard to do).

But as to complexity…I am moving away from it and new games. I don’t have the time to learn new stuff all the time, keep complicated stuff in mind only to struggle to find time to play in the first place!

It’s a weird time of life…

 

[thullgrim]

I’ve been contemplating another purge for the last couple of weeks. I’ve been trying to figure think in terms of what I will actually run (SWADE, GURPS 4e, PF1, WHFRP/IM) vs. things I’ve bought for reference or because they are pretty (Free Leagues stuff, Numenera etc). Ideally I’d like to get it down to one small shelf.

Most of my prep has gone digital as my gaming has gone online. I’ve gotten getter about buying PDFs rather than physical copies but I do need to get them better organized.

I need to get it done but am dreading going through selling it all via Facebook or eBay. Does anyone have experience using Noble Knight to downsize?

 

[Bedrockgames]

I recently went through a move of house, and in the process I eliminated 90% of my physical RPG collection. Since, I have thought a lot about that: am I going to regret the Great Purge? Will I rebuild my collection in the new house? If so, with what games?

I have coupled this process with considering which upcoming Kickstarters I want to back, and why. And somewhere in the meantime I realized that I just don't need this stuff, or most of it.

I need less stuff, as it relates to my TTRPG hobby. I need fewer books, yes,but also fewer pages in the books I do want. I need fewer rules, too, and recoil from games I think are really keen in concept but are (or promise to be) way too rulesy.

I feel like I need three games: Shadowdark for D&D style adventures, Mutants and Masterminds 3E for supers, and SWADE for literally everything else. I like new games and I sometimes want them, but I really struggle being willing to buy or back them knowing that I just need less.

I am going through that with Ashes Without Number right now. I love Crawford's games, and PA is my favorite genre, so it should be a no brainer. But I am have a hell of a time pulling the trigger to back it.

Anyway, just venting.

How about you? How do you feel about the amount of stuff you feel like you need to be happy in the hobby?

Moves have led to several purges over the years. I wish I still had a lot of the stuff I had to toss, but space issues really made it impossible. If i could go back, I would at least have kept all my ravenloft stuff because I had every module, book and supplement from the TSR era and the d20 era. These days I have one small shelf and things have to vie for space on it. That means I only keep a small number of RPGs, and I throw out paper backs after reading them. I used to have about four large shelves of books. It can be annoying not having access to a reference book I used to use a lot. But I do find overall the simplification is good. Our current place is rather small so there just isn't any space for an extensive library

 

[mamba]

I am buying mostly digital these days, physical space is far more limited and I do not really see any advantage to a book vs a searchable and bookmarked PDF anyway

If anything, I am going to gradually downsize my physical stuff from here on in anticipation of eventually downsizing the house too

 

[Reynard]

I don't think going digital solves the "problem" for me. It isn't about space. It is about not wanting or needing all these rules and books.

 

[TwoSix]

I don't think going digital solves the "problem" for me. It isn't about space. It is about not wanting or needing all these rules and books.

It makes sense to me. As we get older, our brain's plasticity fades and we have a harder time integrating new information. Focusing on a few rule sets and trying to get the most out of them is a natural progression.

 

[Reynard]

It makes sense to me. As we get older, our brain's plasticity fades and we have a harder time integrating new information. Focusing on a few rule sets and trying to get the most out of them is a natural progression.

You're telling me! I'm almost 50 and just about to finish up a Civil Engineering BS, previously having a BA in English Lit.

 

[payn]

It makes sense to me. As we get older, our brain's plasticity fades and we have a harder time integrating new information. Focusing on a few rule sets and trying to get the most out of them is a natural progression.

Im an outlier im just way too progressive to lay back on a final set for ease and expediency. Im continually looking for new experiences while enjoying the old. I feel like if I give in and slow down, mind atrophy and death is right behind.