For over a year now, since my interest was
piqued in the history of roleplaying games, in addition to trying to write a
book on the subject, I have also been trying to bolster my collection of old
D&D books. I consider my throwing out of my 1st and 2nd
AD&D materials some years ago before I realised the value (nostalgic and
commercial) the old stuff would acquire, to be one of my most miserable errors. So I am often on the lookout for old
D&D stuff, but over the holidays I discovered that some of the coolest
D&D moments occur at times and in places where you least expect them.
The family took a road trip this holiday to
a part of the country known as the Eastern Cape. The quickest and straightest route back to Cape Town
where we live follows almost exclusively a national road known as the N2
highway. This year however, massive bush fires aided by soaring temperatures and
fanned by high winds forced the closure of the N2 on the day we were to return.
An alternative route was needed. We decided on a new way home along a scenic
road known as the R62. The route takes the traveller through an area of
scrubland and mountains known as the “Little Karoo”. Its not as good a road as the N2 but the scenery is often breath-taking
and desolate and punctuated by small interesting towns and villages offering coffee
shops, curios and wine tasting to weary drivers and passengers.
After several hours of driving we chose a
town with a population of less than ten thousand people, and a random coffee
shop (The Blue Cow, if you’re ever in Barrydale) and stopped for a rest and a
bite to eat. Not only was the food and drink excellent, the hospitality was
warm as the sun that beat down on the veranda on which we sat overlooking the
khoi pond. The owner informed us that there was a used book seller next door
and so I took the opportunity to wander off and browse.
The bookshop was a wooden hut in which
loose fitting, colourful clothes and incense were also for sale. When it came to books it
was well stocked, both inside and out, with the works neatly and, with the
exception of one book, accurately categorised. As I walked past the “Esoterica”
section my eye fell immediately upon an almost pristine copy of the Second
Edition AD&D Player’s Handbook. I know it’s not the Brown Box or an orange
version of the Palace of the Silver Princess, but it’s one of the books I owned
and threw away and I had to have it. I did the transaction as quickly as I
could all the while attempting not to alert the alternatively dressed lady who
ran the shop to the ridiculously low price for which it was on offer.
She asked me whether I was aware of what
was in the book and I politely said that I had once owned it and was glad to
find another copy. She was very friendly but seemed to be waiting to talk to me
as I looked through the other sections with my new acquisition clutched firmly under
one arm. Once the three other customers in the shop had left she sidled over to
me. Placing one hand on my arm and looking me straight in the eye she whispered
furtively “I must warn you, not all of the spells work”. I was at a loss for
words and could only respond that I knew that and that it didn’t change my mind.
Then she went on with her business obviously assured in her own mind that she
was not guilty of any significant misrepresentation. I couldn’t stop chuckling as
I made my way back to table where I drank a magnificent cappuchino while paging
through the familiar pages of black text and blue artwork.
It amazing to me that so many events out of
my control, conspired to place a copy of the book in my hands. Detours are a
wonderful thing. I sincerely suggest you take them whenever you get a chance.
We had a great holiday but the trip back and the saga of the PHB were a
highlight, a silver piece that will remain in the belt pouch of my memory for a
very long time.
We had almost made it home before it struck
me that I had missed the most golden of opportunities. Maybe one day I will
pack my 2e PHB, travel that road again, stop in that small town, go to the same
coffee shop and ask the nice lady with the crystal around her neck to mark ,in
my copy, the spells that actually do work.
When I told the story to a
friend and fellow D&D player he thought about my account and then said
confidently “Magic Missile……. Definitely Magic Missile ”. He’s probably right.
