My wife has been trying to talk me out of selling/getting rid of my collection. So there's no movement on it yet. If I do decide to do it, I'll post on here and give some of y'all a chance at anything I get rid of.
When to Cull Your Collection?
- Thread starter Retreater
- Start date
DarkCrisis
Bad to the bone
Trimmed everything down to one genre. Mostly. I have several D&D derivatives. Core books of 1-3rd ed. Shadowdark. OSE. Etc. Each kind of has their place but everything else. Like Shadowrun Anarchy 2E is my goto for Cyberpunk. Invincible for Superheroes.
Plus add in: Will I ever actually get around to playing this?
A lot of my stuff I've picked up PDFs for just in case but physical books. 2 small shelves and mostly D&D/Fantasy
Did the same with my boardgame collection. Worker Placement? Waterdeep. Etc
Plus add in: Will I ever actually get around to playing this?
A lot of my stuff I've picked up PDFs for just in case but physical books. 2 small shelves and mostly D&D/Fantasy
Did the same with my boardgame collection. Worker Placement? Waterdeep. Etc
Jacob Lewis
Ye Olde GM
Letting go is not only healthy, it can also be therapeutic.
Like many others, I've spent a lifetime collecting and reading more games than I ever got to play. I have no regrets about it because being able to have these items for myself was rewarding in itself. They made me feel good, even accomplished. My collection was something I could show off and draw admiration from my peers.
What I realized (and never admitted) was the mental and emotional burden this was inflicting on me. The massive wall of books and boxes were a constant reminder of all the money spent on the promise of experiences at the table that never happened, and projects that were never completed. Every time I walked past them, I silently promised myself I would be getting to them soon. Of course, I said this as I passed the next shelf, and then the next, etc.
I didn't fully realize any of this until I finally made the decision a few weeks (months?) ago to release a lot of stuff I had been clinging to simply because I still had space on my shelves for them. I stopped thinking about the money I spent, or the time invested, or most importantly, the dream of one day using any of these products as they were intended: not as pretty shelf decorations, but actual games to be played and experiences to be shared. They've become little more than an albatross hung around my neck.
I still have a number of books and games in my possession, but my shelves are a little more empty. In fact, it is the first time in decades that I had empty space on my shelves. And the best part is that I am not looking for ways to fill them back up. When I look at new games or books now, all I see are items I'll eventually get rid of at some point. For me, I can only describe this as a removal of a burdening I never knew I carried. It is a feeling of relief.
Like many others, I've spent a lifetime collecting and reading more games than I ever got to play. I have no regrets about it because being able to have these items for myself was rewarding in itself. They made me feel good, even accomplished. My collection was something I could show off and draw admiration from my peers.
What I realized (and never admitted) was the mental and emotional burden this was inflicting on me. The massive wall of books and boxes were a constant reminder of all the money spent on the promise of experiences at the table that never happened, and projects that were never completed. Every time I walked past them, I silently promised myself I would be getting to them soon. Of course, I said this as I passed the next shelf, and then the next, etc.
I didn't fully realize any of this until I finally made the decision a few weeks (months?) ago to release a lot of stuff I had been clinging to simply because I still had space on my shelves for them. I stopped thinking about the money I spent, or the time invested, or most importantly, the dream of one day using any of these products as they were intended: not as pretty shelf decorations, but actual games to be played and experiences to be shared. They've become little more than an albatross hung around my neck.
I still have a number of books and games in my possession, but my shelves are a little more empty. In fact, it is the first time in decades that I had empty space on my shelves. And the best part is that I am not looking for ways to fill them back up. When I look at new games or books now, all I see are items I'll eventually get rid of at some point. For me, I can only describe this as a removal of a burdening I never knew I carried. It is a feeling of relief.
I rarely buy systems anymore, as I have so many (ok, maybe a dozen) systems I own, haven't read, and will probably never play: Over The Edge 4e, Cepheus Engine, Dolmenwood, etc etc. I also have game systems I HAVE played, but doubt I'll play again - Torchbearer, Dungeon World v1, GURPS 4e, AD&D etc. Finally there's the category of systems I have read but doubt I'll play - Ironsworn/Starforged, Macchiato Monsters, the Veil, etc infinity (it seems like).
However, I do LOVE to read adventures. I read them like static "choose-your-own-adventures".
That said, now that I'm on this side of 60, even that might be too far. I've got 250+ fiction and non-fiction books, a dozen graphic novels (with more in the various series on the way); as well as 3 shelves worth of rpg adventures and systems to read. And notwithstanding 5 regular monthly/bi-weekly games (depending on game); doubt I'll get through all of THOSE either.
All of the above aside, the last time I got rid of rpg books, I got rid of my Monster of the Week books. GUESS WHAT my next rotating GM group's GM picked to play?
However, I do LOVE to read adventures. I read them like static "choose-your-own-adventures".
That said, now that I'm on this side of 60, even that might be too far. I've got 250+ fiction and non-fiction books, a dozen graphic novels (with more in the various series on the way); as well as 3 shelves worth of rpg adventures and systems to read. And notwithstanding 5 regular monthly/bi-weekly games (depending on game); doubt I'll get through all of THOSE either.
All of the above aside, the last time I got rid of rpg books, I got rid of my Monster of the Week books. GUESS WHAT my next rotating GM group's GM picked to play?
Bayushi_seikuro
Hero
I'd collected many, many roleplaying games and dice since I began in 1982.
I'm sure I've culled my collection many times, but I really don't remember what I've gotten rid of generally.
This last time, when I moved to where I live now and moved in with my mother as a roommate and eventual caregiver, I had my collection. When she passed and I moved to a smaller place alone, I didn't take a lot of my stuff - dice, books, etc ended up pitched because this was also post-Covid and I was primarily playing online and it was before my oldest son took up gaming.
Looking at my collection of things and thinking of this conversation, I wonder if I had almost made a declaration of gaming ideas I liked, enjoyed reading or running, or had sentimental value.
Looking back at my shelf: 1e DMG, 4e PHB and DMG, 1e Legend of the Five Rings, 1e Seventh Sea, 2e Seventh Sea, Ars Magica, the Black Company sourcebook for 3e D&D, and the grey box 1e Forgotten Realms. (That's not including a ton of pdfs on my computer). I guess maybe that shelf of books tells a story about the gamer I am?
TLDR - it's tough to downsize, and ideally it would be better to donate what you don't use to a gaming club - I feel it's becoming more common for people to randomly want to try a new system than it used to be (I say this as a guy who used to play a self-published rpg someone in the group picked up called Inner City, where there were only two classes Citizen or Criminal and you got xp for going to work or committing crime or doing drugs). I think downsizing can be a zen practice almost with what systems you still 'feel'.
I'm sure I've culled my collection many times, but I really don't remember what I've gotten rid of generally.
This last time, when I moved to where I live now and moved in with my mother as a roommate and eventual caregiver, I had my collection. When she passed and I moved to a smaller place alone, I didn't take a lot of my stuff - dice, books, etc ended up pitched because this was also post-Covid and I was primarily playing online and it was before my oldest son took up gaming.
Looking at my collection of things and thinking of this conversation, I wonder if I had almost made a declaration of gaming ideas I liked, enjoyed reading or running, or had sentimental value.
Looking back at my shelf: 1e DMG, 4e PHB and DMG, 1e Legend of the Five Rings, 1e Seventh Sea, 2e Seventh Sea, Ars Magica, the Black Company sourcebook for 3e D&D, and the grey box 1e Forgotten Realms. (That's not including a ton of pdfs on my computer). I guess maybe that shelf of books tells a story about the gamer I am?
TLDR - it's tough to downsize, and ideally it would be better to donate what you don't use to a gaming club - I feel it's becoming more common for people to randomly want to try a new system than it used to be (I say this as a guy who used to play a self-published rpg someone in the group picked up called Inner City, where there were only two classes Citizen or Criminal and you got xp for going to work or committing crime or doing drugs). I think downsizing can be a zen practice almost with what systems you still 'feel'.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
I rarely buy systems anymore, as I have so many (ok, maybe a dozen) systems I own, haven't read, and will probably never play: Over The Edge 4e, Cepheus Engine, Dolmenwood, etc etc. I also have game systems I HAVE played, but doubt I'll play again - Torchbearer, Dungeon World v1, GURPS 4e, AD&D etc. Finally there's the category of systems I have read but doubt I'll play - Ironsworn/Starforged, Macchiato Monsters, the Veil, etc infinity (it seems like).
However, I do LOVE to read adventures. I read them like static "choose-your-own-adventures".
That said, now that I'm on this side of 60, even that might be too far. I've got 250+ fiction and non-fiction books, a dozen graphic novels (with more in the various series on the way); as well as 3 shelves worth of rpg adventures and systems to read. And notwithstanding 5 regular monthly/bi-weekly games (depending on game); doubt I'll get through all of THOSE either.
All of the above aside, the last time I got rid of rpg books, I got rid of my Monster of the Week books. GUESS WHAT my next rotating GM group's GM picked to play?
Likewise, as I've gotten older, my appetite for brand new systems has diminished. A game really has to be something to pull me in. At this point I think I've got my own preferences for just about every genre I'd want to play in.
Similar Threads
Recent & Upcoming Releases
-
September 16 2026 
Arcana Unleashed(Dungeons & Dragons)
Rulebook featuring "high magic" options, including a host of new spells.
Replies (250) -
September 16 2026 -
October 1 2026 -
November 16 2026 -
January 1 2027 -
January 1 2027 -
March 6 2027
