Help! Books get worn down [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help! Books get worn down [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Silver Cobra
07-03-05, 05:22 PM I took a look at my Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for a 2nd time today and noticed on the back, upper right corner of the book...there is a tiny tear/gash up there. This nearly brought me to tears, i usually keep my books in good quality, never lend them out, rest them all over the place or drop them/scratch them. I was hoping to protect my books soon with vinyl sleeves coming in...but it looks like I have to purchase another FRCS. Is it still possible to get them entirely mint condition?
Dielzen
07-03-05, 08:29 PM overstock.com has it listed, still, in new condition.

Plus, if you check out auctions on eBay, many of the RPG material is brand-new.
Kadasbrass
07-03-05, 09:55 PM I'm afaird no matter how will you treat your books their going to suffer the effects of time :weep: My DMG has a piece of Duck tape on its cover (isn't as noticable given the color of the book), and now the cover of my Unearthed Arcana has started to ripe :weep: These things just happen.
lantanGNOME
08-25-05, 02:10 PM wel in the books stores here you can buy ehm .... looking for the right word.
(it's paper that you put around school books) but it's see through plastic so you can stil see you neet book covers. and when the palstic cover is torn or taterd you can replace it with a new one.
i have to tell ya when i remove it and stil see a scratch free book it brings tears to my eyes. to bad it doesn't prevent the corners from giong blunt.
so mybe this is an option for you.
samusaran03
08-25-05, 02:23 PM Yeah, I know the feeling. I happen to be some one lucky enough to have the very first printing of all three core rulebooks for dnd 3.0. Trust me, I don't use them anymore.

I also have the special edition players handbook (the one with the black cover and a built in book mark) However, that is NOT coming out of the packaging :D.

At any rate, there really isn't any way to stop time from getting to them, unless you want to keep every book you purchase in a six inch glass, humidity controlled case, there really isn't any stopping it :weep:
jim9311
08-25-05, 04:08 PM i don't worry so much about my core books, but i have two copies of all my realms books. I get them new and browse them, then put them up. In a few months, i look for them on ebay, amoazon used or at local stores. ( yes, a few months) I can pick up a used one to use everyday and in gaming.

Extreme, yes, but i still have the original grey box and a red three hole punched version of the basic rules and a blue three hole punched version of the expert rules from back in the late 70s or early 80s.
Gallameed
08-25-05, 04:48 PM I used to be totally "COL-LEC-TOR!" about my books and magazines too, I'd never let people lend them, tried not to bash them around, hated it when peoples greasy fingers left marks on the pages etc.

But, you know what?

It wasnt worth the head-chew, just have fun, its not like they are priceless comicbooks or limited ed Neil Gaiman graphic novels!

Your books are gonna belong to a ton of people, not just you. If your lucky they will be constantly used over and over again until they fall apart anyway!

So just get over it, they (players) arnt always gonna take the time to wash their hands etc and your only gonna seem like a nagging perfectionist with OCD or something.

So screw it! Go-on be naughty, splash em with chilli sauce and dont give a funk about em! You can do it!

Damaged and worn out D&D books is like a badge of honor to a true rpg'er!
As a DM it shows how much your game is loved and alive! :D

.....just one little coffee ring and you wont care anymore!

D&D books are pretty hard wearing but due to them being constantly flicked through, passed around the game table along-side pizza and beer they are gonna look like crud very soon.

You can now enjoy smooshing them up also!

Hey, anyone wanna share their top-five most knackered D&D books here?
I'll go first:

1. FRCS, totally bashed, scratched and has a couple of pages with tears in, the corners of the hardcover are right through to the cardboard and all dog-eared, also the spine is curling back at both ends. There is a mystery gluey patch on the back-cover and it went camping with us while we tried LARPing so now it has soot/grime in the pages also. Aww Bless it! ;)

2. Silver Marches, its been bent (so it stays flat-open) a million times, had red wine splashed over p.38 and the front and back covers are folded.

3. Player Guide to Faerun, couple of pages are torn halfway and its had some sort of dirty mark wiped on its cover

4. Player HB, got all "baggy" due to been lent out all the time and one player reads in the bath. Not much damage apart from that really. Nice "corrigated" effect on the pages.

5. Monster manual, took it to work in my bag unfortunatly my pepsi bottle wasnt all the way shut and it got soaked and I had to micrwave it dry in the canteen, apart from a couple of pages been "tanned" now its ok.

So how dirty are yours???
jim9311
08-25-05, 04:53 PM :eek: :eek:

i am so offended by your treatment of your books. :D
Alac Luin
08-25-05, 05:54 PM My Magic of Faerun was almost destroyed by my cats.
The front cover is ripped from the bottom to about one inch from the top, plus various flaws on the binding and edges.
I now have clear packing tape holding it together. :weep:

The cats also put scratch marks on the cover of my Dragonlance Campaign setting. I'm not worried about this one at all. ;)
Dielzen
08-25-05, 06:20 PM The thread that wouldn't die?
Yom Beekus
08-26-05, 01:01 PM Most of my books are in fairly good condition. Used, yes, but still very much intact.

I once loaned out some books from another gaming system to a friend, and he left them in his garage where his cats, dog and mother nature took their toll. They are still readable, but definetly damaged and not replaceable (that I know of - sigh).

I'm really loathe to loan books out now (I usually tell my players to buy the books they think they may need.)

I did acquire some 1st edition books (Player's Guide, Unearthed Arcana). They have been used and perused quite a bit before I came across them. I have them packed away in storage to at least attempt to save them....but....after reading Gallameed's post...I may just pull them out so that they can be read and enjoyed as a piece of gaming history to be enjoyed (but not drenched in beer and soda - if it can be avoided! LOL)
Ziatyn Phoenixwolf
08-26-05, 09:23 PM All of my books are still in quite good shape; my secret is that I freely lend my books(so long as I do get them back), throw them around, write in and on top of them(I have even been known to draw in my books), and give them plenty of exercise(use). The only thing that I acctually inforce is that they be kept dry.
Presonally I like the worn look to my books, and it is a sure sing that they are mine.
Angurwald
08-27-05, 01:17 PM Mongoose Publishing has published a pocket book version of the main rule book of the Conan game. I think it's a very nice idea. Easier to handle and you don't have to bring your normal core rule books everywhere.

Personnaly I printed out part of the SRD and binded it. Thats usually what I use when I DM. That way my books stays nice and crispy. :P

--A.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Silver Cobra 07-03-05, 05:22 PM	I took a look at my Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for a 2nd time today and noticed on the back, upper right corner of the book...there is a tiny tear/gash up there. This nearly brought me to tears, i usually keep my books in good quality, never lend them out, rest them all over the place or drop them/scratch them. I was hoping to protect my books soon with vinyl sleeves coming in...but it looks like I have to purchase another FRCS. Is it still possible to get them entirely mint condition?
Dielzen 07-03-05, 08:29 PM	overstock.com has it listed, still, in new condition. Plus, if you check out auctions on eBay, many of the RPG material is brand-new.
Kadasbrass 07-03-05, 09:55 PM	I'm afaird no matter how will you treat your books their going to suffer the effects of time :weep: My DMG has a piece of Duck tape on its cover (isn't as noticable given the color of the book), and now the cover of my Unearthed Arcana has started to ripe :weep: These things just happen.
lantanGNOME 08-25-05, 02:10 PM	wel in the books stores here you can buy ehm .... looking for the right word. (it's paper that you put around school books) but it's see through plastic so you can stil see you neet book covers. and when the palstic cover is torn or taterd you can replace it with a new one. i have to tell ya when i remove it and stil see a scratch free book it brings tears to my eyes. to bad it doesn't prevent the corners from giong blunt. so mybe this is an option for you.
samusaran03 08-25-05, 02:23 PM	Yeah, I know the feeling. I happen to be some one lucky enough to have the very first printing of all three core rulebooks for dnd 3.0. Trust me, I don't use them anymore. I also have the special edition players handbook (the one with the black cover and a built in book mark) However, that is NOT coming out of the packaging :D. At any rate, there really isn't any way to stop time from getting to them, unless you want to keep every book you purchase in a six inch glass, humidity controlled case, there really isn't any stopping it :weep:
jim9311 08-25-05, 04:08 PM	i don't worry so much about my core books, but i have two copies of all my realms books. I get them new and browse them, then put them up. In a few months, i look for them on ebay, amoazon used or at local stores. ( yes, a few months) I can pick up a used one to use everyday and in gaming. Extreme, yes, but i still have the original grey box and a red three hole punched version of the basic rules and a blue three hole punched version of the expert rules from back in the late 70s or early 80s.
Gallameed 08-25-05, 04:48 PM	I used to be totally "COL-LEC-TOR!" about my books and magazines too, I'd never let people lend them, tried not to bash them around, hated it when peoples greasy fingers left marks on the pages etc. But, you know what? It wasnt worth the head-chew, just have fun, its not like they are priceless comicbooks or limited ed Neil Gaiman graphic novels! Your books are gonna belong to a ton of people, not just you. If your lucky they will be constantly used over and over again until they fall apart anyway! So just get over it, they (players) arnt always gonna take the time to wash their hands etc and your only gonna seem like a nagging perfectionist with OCD or something. So screw it! Go-on be naughty, splash em with chilli sauce and dont give a funk about em! You can do it! Damaged and worn out D&D books is like a badge of honor to a true rpg'er! As a DM it shows how much your game is loved and alive! :D .....just one little coffee ring and you wont care anymore! D&D books are pretty hard wearing but due to them being constantly flicked through, passed around the game table along-side pizza and beer they are gonna look like crud very soon. You can now enjoy smooshing them up also! Hey, anyone wanna share their top-five most knackered D&D books here? I'll go first: 1. FRCS, totally bashed, scratched and has a couple of pages with tears in, the corners of the hardcover are right through to the cardboard and all dog-eared, also the spine is curling back at both ends. There is a mystery gluey patch on the back-cover and it went camping with us while we tried LARPing so now it has soot/grime in the pages also. Aww Bless it! ;) 2. Silver Marches, its been bent (so it stays flat-open) a million times, had red wine splashed over p.38 and the front and back covers are folded. 3. Player Guide to Faerun, couple of pages are torn halfway and its had some sort of dirty mark wiped on its cover 4. Player HB, got all "baggy" due to been lent out all the time and one player reads in the bath. Not much damage apart from that really. Nice "corrigated" effect on the pages. 5. Monster manual, took it to work in my bag unfortunatly my pepsi bottle wasnt all the way shut and it got soaked and I had to micrwave it dry in the canteen, apart from a couple of pages been "tanned" now its ok. So how dirty are yours???
jim9311 08-25-05, 04:53 PM	:eek: :eek: i am so offended by your treatment of your books. :D
Alac Luin 08-25-05, 05:54 PM	My Magic of Faerun was almost destroyed by my cats. The front cover is ripped from the bottom to about one inch from the top, plus various flaws on the binding and edges. I now have clear packing tape holding it together. :weep: The cats also put scratch marks on the cover of my Dragonlance Campaign setting. I'm not worried about this one at all. ;)
Dielzen 08-25-05, 06:20 PM	The thread that wouldn't die?
Yom Beekus 08-26-05, 01:01 PM	Most of my books are in fairly good condition. Used, yes, but still very much intact. I once loaned out some books from another gaming system to a friend, and he left them in his garage where his cats, dog and mother nature took their toll. They are still readable, but definetly damaged and not replaceable (that I know of - sigh). I'm really loathe to loan books out now (I usually tell my players to buy the books they think they may need.) I did acquire some 1st edition books (Player's Guide, Unearthed Arcana). They have been used and perused quite a bit before I came across them. I have them packed away in storage to at least attempt to save them....but....after reading Gallameed's post...I may just pull them out so that they can be read and enjoyed as a piece of gaming history to be enjoyed (but not drenched in beer and soda - if it can be avoided! LOL)
Ziatyn Phoenixwolf 08-26-05, 09:23 PM	All of my books are still in quite good shape; my secret is that I freely lend my books(so long as I do get them back), throw them around, write in and on top of them(I have even been known to draw in my books), and give them plenty of exercise(use). The only thing that I acctually inforce is that they be kept dry. Presonally I like the worn look to my books, and it is a sure sing that they are mine.
Angurwald 08-27-05, 01:17 PM	Mongoose Publishing has published a pocket book version of the main rule book of the Conan game. I think it's a very nice idea. Easier to handle and you don't have to bring your normal core rule books everywhere. Personnaly I printed out part of the SRD and binded it. Thats usually what I use when I DM. That way my books stays nice and crispy. :P --A.