The cover of the Players Handouts for Griffin Island reads, “Take This Entire Booklet Apart”. I cannot bring myself to do it because the idea of removing one stable and pulling the booklet apart feels wrong.
There is little logic here: my brains says, “It’s a valuable heirloom of the early hobby, more than 35 years old, and reasonably rare in this condition!”; my heart knows I’ll never sell it and it’s meant to be played with.
But I hesitate.
What is this inhibition? That there is something sacrosanct about the written word is a hard claim to justify. That something designed to be played with should be preserved for all eternity as a museum piece is, frankly, odd.
My sense is that removing the staple, scanning the pages (as we play online), and then keeping the pages otherwise intact for future reuse would be a good compromise. But I can’t help feel the pain and disturbance of mind.
What is it about our culture that pushes us away from play and towards passive collection?
Game on!
Roleplay Rescue’s Blog 
I can definitely relate to not wanting to take a book apart. Respecting and taking good care of books was drilled into me as a kid. It seems especially wrong to do it to a ‘historic’ and out-of-print booklet. Can you scan the pages without taking the staple out? I’d be tempted to do it that way, even by taking pictures of the pages with my phone, then cleaning the images up. Or, I’d borrow a booklet stapler from my work, and put them back together after scanning
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I actually have a spare copy of the player’s handout booklet – short story is I bought two partial Griffin Island boxed sets to make a whole one – so could either take mine apart and photocopy it for you (depending on whether that would involve spoilers) or I can simply post my spare copy to you to replace your one if you take it apart
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If it’s mint, then I can happily prize mine apart and scan it. Best to avoid spoilers if you do scan it though.
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My spare copy is mint condition so it’s yours 🙂
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Out of print RPGs can have both collectible and utility value. Stuff that gets pulled apart (or written in, counters/cards punched, poster maps pinned to the wall…) makes it more useful at the table and more fun. But also makes it more likely for parts to get lost, and use in general craters the value.
Analogy that comes to mind is a classic car. You own it, and can do whatever you want with it. Use it as a daily driver, run up the miles. Chop off the roof. Replace all the classic parts with modern high-tech replacements.
But never forget you may want to sell it one day.
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I have an instinct towards preservation but I wonder about how that holds back the enjoyment. Wise words.
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I have done it many times to keep sections of periodicals/books I liked as seperate entities but I have nearly always lived to regret it. ☹️ best not to dwell on these things but still, the folly of past gaming decisions cast a long shadow
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