Let the Games Begin Once Again

As long time readers might remember, I mentioned a long time ago that one of the reasons why I opened my book store, Booknotes, was so I could more directly get some of my favorite role-playing supplies, since my local store sometimes had problems getting them.  Usually, it wasn't bad, although they once went an entire year without ordering my products, and this was after I opened my store.  Fooled me though, as my primary distributor didn't even carry the game lines.  A second one did, and I frequently went through them to purchase older products.  I did order six new products at once, just before they were able to be sold, but as long as I didn't actually display them or let anyone know I had them, it was okay.  They might not have had a hard on-sale date anyway.  Tragedy struck twice when over 75% of my collection was destroyed in a flood in 2003, followed soon after with the announcement that the game lines were ending next year, to be replaced with updated version featuring a tweaked game system.  I wasn't able to replace most of those books, and the ending would mean that I would never get any more.  I would go on to purchase many products in the new lines.  Strangely enough, they would be carried by our new primary distributor that we were had to switch over to for various reasons.  Again, I would occasionally miss a product, either through them or my local store.  Then came the news, about 2009, that the company was shifted its business model.  It was moving away from direct sales to print-on-demand or downloads only.  I was out of luck, since I didn't have a computer or a way to pay for them online.  While I would still buy the occasional older title whenever I could find one, I hadn't gotten a new product since then.  Even when almost the entire  original books became available online, along with new updated products, I was never able to get them.  I pretty much gave up on the updated systems because of this.  Well, last year, I finally got a computer.  Soon after, I was able to set up a way to buy online.  This past week, the PDF versions of some of the core products went on sale at 75% off.  Almost against my better judgement, I splurged and got the six title on sale, even though I technically didn't have the money to waste.  It was worth it.  I got the six titles combined for less than the cost of getting one of them as a print-on-demand hardcover.  Sure, I will still want to get the actual physical books one day, but this was too good a chance to pass up.  I would have liked to get more title, but I wanted to start out slow, and most of the other titles weren't on as good of a sale.  Now, I only need to actually play.  That's right, I have never played with the systems with others.  Not once in the twenty+ years that I have been involved with them.  While I have even fancied the idea of trying to work with them, and I even posted some of my ideas here for one game, I never have played.  Such a lost.  I am not even halfway looking through all six title yet.  I only downloaded them a little over twelve hours ago.  Each of these books is over 400 pages long!  I barely have gotten through the first three with brief looks, as of yet.  Here's to me for finally coming back to the things that helped me get through my worst years.