What's the best RPG acquisition you found at a used bookstore, goodwill, garage sale, etc?
Zero by Lester Smith. Originally printed in 1997, and quite rare I think.
A few weeks back a friend of mine found a pristine copy of Dawn Patrol at a garage sale for the princely sum of one Canadian dollar. The original TSR dice are still in their unopened plastic bag...
I haven't had any luck like that with garage sales, but I have recently had some decent finds online. I found copies of the first Delta Green book as well as Countdown in great condition for about $45cdn each which is considerably less than it would have cost me to order the pods from drivethru. I also have managed to get the first three volumes of FFE's Classic Traveller reprint compendiums for less than $100 in total - again all in excellent condition.
GURPS 4th edition core rules and Powers in hardcover for $20.
Not-For-Sale proof copy of The World Tree for $2.
Couple of copies of Deities & Demigods (1st printing) for $1 a piece. Sold those. Numerous other 1E books I've given away as gifts.
The Hellboy RPG.
D20 Star Wars core rules for $2.
I know I'm forgetting quite a few. I hunt bargains as a hobby. I'm off for some more hunting in an hour...
A tie between finding a complete boxed set of Tarsus for Traveller and all of the books for the Ringworld RPG both in the same free bin on different nights at McKay's.
Moldvay/Cook Basic D&D boxed set in great shape at the Salvation Army for $1... I opened the box after purchase to discover it also contained an Expert rulebook and two complete sets of old TSR dice.
Half Price Books is my bane. Recently picked up FantasyCraft for like $5, just to check it out.
Kult 3e
My best find has been the James Bond 007 boxed set for something like $2, it was complete and then some as the prior owner had stored his copy of the Q Manual, Thrilling Locations, and For Your Information in the box along with the game in nearly pristine condition.
Stretching the definition somewhat, but a first edition of Arkham Horror (the 1987 version) for a tenner at a used bookstore.
Probably Swords & Glory Volume 1 boxed set in the used section of a game store for $7.
Second, if you count eBay deals would be 90% or so of the RuneQuest 2e line for about $100.
Oh, and 1st ed. Dungeon board game, I forget the price, but no more than $20.
WEG Star Wars both first and 2nd edition revised. Including the GM book and the Star Wars sourcebook. All in great condition.
WHFRPG 2nd Edition CRB.
I got the Pathfinder Beginners Box for $10, mostly for the cardboard pawns.
I love HPB and go there about once a month to see what they have. They used to have one near my office and I'd go a couple times a month but they shut that one down and moved to across town so I'm not there as often.
Grabbed a stack of "board games" at a garage sale for 25 cents. The stack was:
Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)
HeroQuest
HeroQuest Barbarian Quest Pack
HeroQuest Elf Quest Pack
HeroQuest Return of the Witch Lord
Space Crusade
All had all the dice, minis, cards, everything.
Depends on what you mean by best. Things I've found used etc:
Someone's Star Frontiers collection
Unused Advanced Melee & Advanced Wizard (1980), found circa 2000.
James Bond RPG
Talisanta
Last week I went into a rural game shop that raids moving sales and such and has some old RPG items, but they know it's worth something even though they seem to be mainly MTG/Warhammer gamers and may just be using eBay or something to price things. They have a whitebox D&D set, a ye olde D&D traps supplement that looks pre-1980 to me (IIRC it was priced about $70 marked down from $200!), I think some other pre-1980 D&D stuff, AD&D 2e stuff, a bunch of RIFTS & Palladium books, a shelf of old Dragon issues, and several RPG products I didn't recognize.
Most likely I'd say Call of Cthulhu's Horror on the Orient Express, new condition, for the printed price at a store, instead of the inflated price online for the (then out of print) adventure. Followed by a copy of Midnight at the Well of Souls, which is based on a series of scifi novels of the same name which I was fond of. (I'd seen it for sale at GenCon in 1988, but didn't pick it up at the con and then never saw it again until I found a copy.)
Just acquired HOTOE myself actually. Got it from Amazon.ca for about $95cdn. They had it listed as "temporarily unavailable" so I didn't think I'd end up getting it but they found me one. Brand new...
I once found 1st ed Bunnies & Burrows mixed in with a box of 1970's "Head" magazines at a record store.
Quote from: Big Andy;989542Grabbed a stack of "board games" at a garage sale for 25 cents. The stack was:
Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)
HeroQuest
HeroQuest Barbarian Quest Pack
HeroQuest Elf Quest Pack
HeroQuest Return of the Witch Lord
Space Crusade
All had all the dice, minis, cards, everything.
Impressive indeed.
Probably my best find was the original Delta Green, in very good shape, back in '01 or '02 at a Half Price Books for $10 or so. It was already OOP at this point and selling for quite a bit on Ebay and elsewhere, and it would be several years before it would be available again in a new printing, so at the time it was quite a catch.
At a yard sale, I picked up a boxed kids game for my niece and nephew back in the Eighties. I didn't check the context because the box looked unopened. I did open it before sending it and it had the game it was supposed to have but it also had the first two Arduin books. I don't know what they were selling for but I figure I got them for free.
Cyborg Commando...
Seriously though, I got the Red Box with a pristine cooy of In Search of the Unknown for a few bucks.
Quote from: Voros;989882Cyborg Commando...
Seriously though, I got the Red Box with a pristine cooy of In Search of the Unknown for a few bucks.
Did they pay you to take Cyborg Commando?
Deathwatch RPG core, used, mint condition, 10$ at a gamestore. Praise the machine God for His beneficence!!
From Half Price Books;
Battletech Technical Readout; 3025 (original)
Amber Diceless RPG
Red Tide
TMNT After the Bomb: Road Hogs
A pristine copy of the 1e Deities and Demigods (with Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythoi) for $3.75 on eBay about three years ago.
Quote from: Dumarest;989511My best find has been the James Bond 007 boxed set for something like $2, it was complete and then some as the prior owner had stored his copy of the Q Manual, Thrilling Locations, and For Your Information in the box along with the game in nearly pristine condition.
I keep the Q Manual in my 007 box, and it lifts the lid. That must have been a fat box.
Speaking of which, I picked up the 007 core set and half a dozen of the boxed adventures for about $15 including shipping.
Quote from: Pat;990274I keep the Q Manual in my 007 box, and it lifts the lid. That must have been a fat box.
Speaking of which, I picked up the 007 core set and half a dozen of the boxed adventures for about $15 including shipping.
That would be a great bargain.
And yes, the box was fat and damaged, but the contents were all in nice shape. It didn't have any dice, though.
About 50 different books that had been stolen from me all turned in on the same day by the same person. Oh yes, the cops were called.
Quote from: Morandir;990204A pristine copy of the 1e Deities and Demigods (with Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythoi) for $3.75 on eBay about three years ago.
Sweet. Sometimes I wish I had kept mine (I at least sold it for more than I paid for it), but honestly, I'm not sure how I'd use it these days.
I rarely get to pick up good second hand stuff anymore, but I did pick up the Supernatural RPG for about $20 at Powell's.
Quote from: HappyDaze;990298About 50 different books that had been stolen from me all turned in on the same day by the same person. Oh yes, the cops were called.
I hope you got legal satisfaction.
Quote from: Morandir;990204A pristine copy of the 1e Deities and Demigods (with Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythoi) for $3.75 on eBay about three years ago.
Really? I've sold one of those for $55 before. You are a smarter shopper.
Quote from: Tetsubo;990381I hope you got legal satisfaction.
Not so much. The person in question was my drug-addicted stepdaughter and her shithead boyfriend. They were both without permanent homes, so the police were just going to put a bench warrant and wait for them to get picked up for something else. This was an issue since I couldn't get the "evidence" (my books) back until they made an initial appearance. I was moving in a few weeks, so I was under a time limit. Thankfully, I had worked as a probation officer in the county, so I was able to track them down myself and bring the cops to them. So they got arrested and made their appearance. I got my books back, but they ended up getting off of the charges. Why? Well, even though the total value of the books was around $1,100 they each returned a portion so neither hit the $1,000 mark individually. Then, despite the evidence against them and the assurances of the prosecutor to the contrary, the whole thing was dropped because I was unable to fly back across the country for the court appearance. They even had the court costs dismissed. It was a crock of shit, and the used bookstore considered going after them through civil court, but you can't bleed a rock.
I got some out of print Riddle of Steel books for between $5 and $10 each. Wasn't a great bargain, but worth it to read the game.
I'll never beat what a friend did in the late '80s--got a suitcase full of AD&D books (over $300.00 list at the time) at an unclaimed baggage store for $10.00. I think they only charged him that much because the suitcase was in good shape.
I've had some very good luck with some Palladium games - at different times and different shops, I've found Palladium Fantasy 1st Ed, Old Ones 1st Ed, and Justice Machine.
This past free RPG day one of my far off favorite gaming stores had a selection of used books that you could pick one free book for every $5 you spent.
I spent $10 on miniatures and got pretty good decent condition copies of the 2E PHB and MM DMG for free. I already had all of the 2E Monster Compendiums a friend gave me. So if I ever want to run 2E for some reason.....
Quote from: TrippyHippy;989443Zero by Lester Smith. Originally printed in 1997, and quite rare I think.
I obtained a copy of this signed by Lester Smith.
My best secondhand RPG score was an OD&D white box (near-mint books in a well-worn box) for $12 on Amazon Marketplace.
So the friend I mentioned earlier who found the pristine copy of Dawn Patrol at a garage sale for a buck just sent me a picture of something he found today at another garage sale...a pristine copy of Top Secret - complete with unused white crayon and unmarked red dice. He bought a scooter for his little girl and the guy threw the game in free. I now hate him.
Lol...
Quote from: Zevious Zoquis;991236So the friend I mentioned earlier who found the pristine copy of Dawn Patrol at a garage sale for a buck just sent me a picture of something he found today at another garage sale...a pristine copy of Top Secret - complete with unused white crayon and unmarked red dice. He bought a scooter for his little girl and the guy threw the game in free. I now hate him.
Lol...
Awesome. I'd buy/take it even if I'd never play it.
Quote from: Tetsubo;990383Really? I've sold one of those for $55 before. You are a smarter shopper.
It was pure luck, I just kept an eye on eBay until I saw one for sale that had the right page count and put in the minimum bid. Basically the seller didn't know that it was a more valuable edition and was willing to sell cheap. I figured I wouldn't be the only one watching it; turns out I was.
Not sure if it was my best acquisition, but a few years ago I found a bundle of 9 Traveller LBBs for $10 at Half Price Books. Shrink-wrapped together in Fair to Great shape.
1977 LBB1-3, High Guard, Horde, Animal Encounters, Citizens of the Imperium, Forms and Charts, Veterans.
Found Castle Falkenstein in a factory clearance store for $1.00. After flipping through it, I picked up all three copies of it in the bin, as I figured "what the heck".
Quote from: Coffee Zombie;991284Found Castle Falkenstein in a factory clearance store for $1.00. After flipping through it, I picked up all three copies of it in the bin, as I figured "what the heck".
You need at least 3 copies just to finish the book. Start with copy 1, read until it falls apart. Continue where you left off with copy 2, read until it falls apart. Continue where you left off with copy 3, and with some luck you might actually get to the end of the book before it falls apart.
I picked up a copy of CoC 4th Edition for €15 IIRC. It's a bit of a hodgepodge of all kinds of fun Cthulhu bits that apparently make up a core rulebook.
Quote from: Zevious Zoquis;991236So the friend I mentioned earlier who found the pristine copy of Dawn Patrol at a garage sale for a buck just sent me a picture of something he found today at another garage sale...a pristine copy of Top Secret - complete with unused white crayon and unmarked red dice. He bought a scooter for his little girl and the guy threw the game in free. I now hate him.
Lol...
If it makes you feel better, I hate him too.
Quote from: K Peterson;991259Not sure if it was my best acquisition, but a few years ago I found a bundle of 9 Traveller LBBs for $10 at Half Price Books. Shrink-wrapped together in Fair to Great shape.
1977 LBB1-3, High Guard, Horde, Animal Encounters, Citizens of the Imperium, Forms and Charts, Veterans.
That's a great bargain. I wish there was a Half Price Books in my area. I'm always reading about steals there. Online they are no bargain at all.
Recently picked up Shadowrun's Bug City in a lot of old RPGs on Ebay. Got the whole lot of 7 books for $21, which is less than half what Bug City usually goes for just by itself. That is one cool book of horror bugs!
Danish version of the Mentzer red box found in a thrift store for around 3$, great shape, with original dice and a Grenadier-mini thrown in for good measure. Now if only the Blue, also translated, Expert Set would turn up some place similar...
There's a couple I recall. One of them was at Goodwill, I found the Basic/Expert (the pre-Mentzer one) which turned out to have several old-school modules in them too. I think it cost about $5 canadian.
My best would be a battered box set of Starter Traveller for £2.
Just remembered another one.
Found a Ravenloft: Realm of Terror box for sale at a convention. The price of 15$ seemed a bit high... until I opened it and saw that the box contained both the original Ravenloft AD&D Module (I6) and Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill (I10). So that was bought instantly.
I picked up a bunch of OD&D/AD&D/AD&D 2nd edition books and modules and mini's at an auction for 34 bucks.
Quote from: S'mon;991989My best would be a battered box set of Starter Traveller for £2.
Excellent. Beats mine; I had to pay $7 for the one I found about 2 or 3 years ago.
I've yet to strike gold with this mythical unicorn that is a second hand sale!
Quote from: Willmark;992756I've yet to strike gold with this mythical unicorn that is a second hand sale!
Come to San Diego and visit Empire Games by Clairemont Mesa Blvd. In the backroom where you have to slip betwixt bearded fat guys in cheap chairs playing miniatures war games, they have a good shelf of used games. Not as cheap as you might find at a garage sale but now and then there is a real gem for the price of paste.
Quote from: Willmark;992756I've yet to strike gold with this mythical unicorn that is a second hand sale!
I hunt bargains as a hobby. I find a lot of cool things. But for every cool thing, there are a dozen trips where I find nothing. Perseverance is key.
Quote from: Dumarest;992764Come to San Diego and visit Empire Games by Clairemont Mesa Blvd. In the backroom where you have to slip betwixt bearded fat guys in cheap chairs playing miniatures war games, they have a good shelf of used games. Not as cheap as you might find at a garage sale but now and then there is a real gem for the price of paste.
Any relation to the Empire Games in Pasadena?
Quote from: Dumarest;992764Come to San Diego and visit Empire Games by Clairemont Mesa Blvd. In the backroom where you have to slip betwixt bearded fat guys in cheap chairs playing miniatures war games, they have a good shelf of used games. Not as cheap as you might find at a garage sale but now and then there is a real gem for the price of paste.
Yeah there are some game stores where I live where you'll get a semi-ok deal but nothing like walking out of a garage sale with a wood grain od&d box for 50 cents ;)
Quote from: Gunslinger;992928Any relation to the Empire Games in Pasadena?
No idea. I would doubt it since the name is backed. I imagine maybe Game Empire is a local chain or franchise as there is (or was--I hardly ever go to game stores as I really have more than I'll ever need already) another Game Empire in Old Town San Diego as well. Personally that location underwhelmed me: a lot of D&D-type stuff but not much else, and not much for me as I don't do D&D.
Quote from: Willmark;992933Yeah there are some game stores where I live where you'll get a semi-ok deal but nothing like walking out of a garage sale with a wood grain od&d box for 50 cents ;)
Yeah, my best deal was the yard sale James Bond set I mentioned up the thread somewhere.
I once found a huge collection of RIFTS books, at a gaming store in Vancouver, that were secondhand but all in very good shape. They were priced ridiculous cheap, like between $2-8 Canadian.
My friend bought the new edition of Mansions of Madness boardgame + Warhammer Quest for £20 the lucky cunt!
Best deal would actually be a firsthand deal for Black Box D&D from KB Toys for $5 dollars on clearance. Best secondhand deal would probably be the 20 something dollars, including shipping, I spent off Ebay for multiple things: The original cover 1st ed. AD&D PHB & DMG, an Unearthed Arcana, and a module which I traded for a BECMI Masters D&D DM Screen. I found the listing tagged under Electronics. You can't even get the same PDFs for that even with the recent reduced bundle and Unearthed Arcana.