Suspicions

I’m getting ready to introduce my younger Minions to the joys of gaming. In fact, I have a special Christmas day "first game" all set up. After quite a bit of thought on what rules I should use for their first venture into the hobby, I went the conservative approach- the "Red Box" edition of Basic D&D. I’m planning on running "Keep on the Borderlands


Followed up with Horror on the Hill.


I figured I could find a couple of boxed sets add a couple of bags of dice and other goodies to kinda Jazz it up for them.

The problem is of course finding two decent sets of the venerable Red Box editions to wrap and give to my boys on Christmas day.
I found one auction on eBay.




Here was what the seller had to say:

“I BOUGHT ALOT OF THESE BOX SETS AT AN ESTATE SALE, I KNOW ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING ABOUT THEM, YOU WILL GET EVERYTHING THAT IS PICTURED,THEY ALL HAVE BOX DAMAGE BUT NOTHING DAMAGED INSIDE THE BOXES. THEY ALL WERE IN A NICE SEALED CREATE. PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE BIDDING I WILL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER THEM. THANKS AND GOOD LUCK!!I DO COMBINE SHIPPING!!”


The “Buy it Now” price was $1.99, so of course I “Bought it now”. I was so jazzed! Not only did I find a decent looking set but also at an amazing price.

I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

It sounded like the classic situation we have all heard around the gaming table: the treasure trove of gaming goodies found at a flea market for a buck apiece.

Too good to be true huh?

Yup, it was.

This morning I get an email from paypal refunding me my money. The seller states that she’s refunding me the money because the items were too badly damaged to sell.

I shot her an email right back asking her to elaborate on the extent of the damage and that the deal may still be salvageable.

She emails me back that “my duaghter spilled grape juice all over them they are totaly no good not even readable.”

Uh-huh. That must have been a big fucking glass of grape juice to have ruined a boxed set of books so thoroughly as to render them useless.
Maybe she was drinking it through a high pressure hose.

You know, it’s Christmas and I really should be more understanding and believe that my fellow man (woman) wouldn’t make something like this up because she found out she could sell it for more than $1.99.

I have one boxed set ready to go, but if you have kids you know perfectly well I cant give to one and not the other, even with a promise that the second one is on it's way. that just doesnt work with siblings (espescially brothers). So the red box thing will just have to wait. GRRRR!

The story may be true, but it just doesn’t resonate as on the up and up to me.
I’m still going through with the adventure. I have a couple of beat up copies and a rules cyclopedia to use. But it just would have been so cool to see the look on their faces Christmas morning when they unwrap their first D&D game-“just like Daddy has”.

A potential Kodak moment apparently ruined by a gallon of grape juice.