Hey all!

My name is Mike, and I've been collecting off and on since I first discovered the various for sale newsgroups on Usenet back in the mid 1990s. The collecting urge took hold back when my brother and I received the Dungeon! boardgame for Christmas in the early 80s. The TSR catalog listed all sorts of cool and mysterious D&D books that we couldn't find at the local toy store.

I currently work as an RPG developer at Wizards of the Coast. I thought one of the perks of the job was access to archives of everything D&D, but what's left of TSR's game library is surprisingly small. Apparently, it has gone through several winnowing out periods since WotC bought TSR back in 1997. Nothing's been thrown away, just sold to employees at steep discounts.

Anyway, just thought I'd introduce myself. I've noticed several folks who have sold me items on eBay and outbid me on a few things.

MShipley88 wrote:Hi mearls. Welcome. Tell us a bit about your work at WOTC?

Mark  8)

I suppose that Mike is under those pesky NDA (Non Disclosure Agreements) and so he will have to stay silent. Anyway, Mike, you will be pleased to know that the Italian edition of Dragon Magazine has written about you kind words "Mike Mearls is one of the rising stars of d20 system". I had just some little doubts when I noticed they used such a flattering language talking about an upcoming product of theirs you have writtem  :wink:

WELCOME ALL

It does my heart good to see how many of us there are out there. Zues bless the Internet!

Hi. My Name is ZippAnthropus, and I am a Geek.
I am not an uber geek, just a geek of the 4th or so level. I don't have computer hacking skills, but I do have nunchuck and boffa weapon skills.

http://www.ZippAnthropus.com

red_bus wrote:nice cans.

Isn't that such a fun statement to use

* yes I know it's not politically correct but it's still fun *

Greeting all,
  My name is Thomas (call me Tom or Thomas, doesn't matter) and I both DM and play at my leisure.  I'm originally a Second Edition man but I'm taking a liking to First Edition.  I'm joing up because I'm starting a Forgotten Realms campaign next week.  It's in 1338 DR and I'm buying up old Realms material since it's going to be by original AD&D rules.  I figured this was a good place to be.  I still enjoy revised AD&D material especially Ravenloft.  Also do Greyhawk and Dragonlance.  Finally I confess that I dislike "3rd Edition" so please forgive me if I ever insult that which is dear to your heart.  I am as they say in the Middle Kingdom a "Left Behind Subject."
~Thomas

Paul - Thanks for that upgrade. I'm still kicking myself for selling my original copy of From the Ashes back in high school for $10.

Mark - I can talk a bit about what I do in general terms. I'm a developer. I take the drafts of D&D manuscripts and check them for rules mistakes and inconsistencies. The best way to think of it is that the designer takes a tactical approach, while I take a strategic one. The designer's job is to push the edges of the system, and I serve to keep things functional and balanced.

Hi, I'm Scott, 38, live in Cleveland, married, two kids, etc. Started playing 1st ed. back in '81 or so, when I was in 8th grade. Some friends introduced me to it and we played during study halls in school. I played with various groups for several years, then we went to college, RPG's kinda fell by the wayside. I always maintained an interest in them, but never did much about it.

Then, in '98 or so, my neighbors in my townhouse block were moving out, and since we lived in sight of the dumpster, I couldn't help but notice they were throwing away boxes of things that looked interesting. So, I took some of our own garbage out and nonchalantly poked through their garbage. I found a box loaded with 1st. ed modules and books. I never knew my neighbor was even a player! There were about 60-70 items, mostly TSR, but a lot of JG and others. The best find was a mint R2 Hydell. Finding that stuff resparked my interest, and with the release of 3.0, I found a group about three years ago that I've been with since. We play 3rd simply because all the source material is there, and we all just like the system better. Right now we're playing the Serenity RPG. System sucks, but we like the setting.

So, even though I play 3rd, my heart's still with 1st. Something about just seems so... magical, I guess. I like that the books and everything aren't real slick and fancy like they are now. Very straighforward, with little fluff.

I found Acaeum by looking for a listing of all of TSR published products, because I wanted to start collecting the stuff I was missing. And, lo and behold, I discovered I'm not the only one! This is a great site, and I've been reading the forums with a lot of interest. I like the ridiculous price watch thread the best.

Welcome - hope it is warmer in California than here in London (shivers).

MadMaligor wrote:Just slightly warmer hehehe, and thanks for the welcome! I would imagine London right now as icy, cold, and dreary. I am a fan of the cold however =)

I am just back from a few days away in the country and my flat is freezing - I had left the boiler off  8O .  Am off now to crank up the heating and wrap myself up in blankets until it warms up (which will probably take about three hours). Brrrrr.