D&D General How would you organize these two shelves?

[el-remmen]

I was moving some things around in the game room and had to empty out a bookcase to move it, and I was putting books back I started to wonder if there was a different or better* way to organize them and thought it might be fun to see what others either suggest or how they'd do it if it were their books/bookcase.

Keep in mind that approximately the same number of books as are currently there have to remain on each shelf for space and weight considerations.

Generally, I keep core rule books (and commonly used books of any edition) together and then divide up the supplements in alphabetical and/or release order. But I am open to other suggestions, or even what your personal reasoning for how you'd order them.

TOP SHELF:

MIDDLE SHELF:

The stuff on the right of the above shelf (btwn the 1E Book of Lairs and the 3E Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil) are (mostly) 1E and BECMI modules. They are in the order of their assigned number code (so B1, B2, C1, C2, S1, UK2, like that).

If you have any questions about what is on the shelves, just ask.

If it matters, for the pre-5E stuff I am most likely to at monster books first and then spells and items type books second.

And if you're curious about what is on the bottom shelf. . ..

. . . Just some old board games of my wife's that don't fit in the game cabinet (mostly full of Euro games) on the wall opposite this one.


* I know that "better" varies based on individual needs, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[toucanbuzz]

Saved by the Bell the Board Game?!

Solid collection BTW.

My bookshelves are different (smaller cubbies allow me to divide by edition/topic) and positioned directly behind my DM chair for easy reach, but my default is "stuff I use all the time" goes top shelf like a fine liquor. So, I'd go down with prior edition rulebooks and up with things I might use, like Manual of the Planes and other reference material that remains useful despite edition. Looks like your Spelljammer box might fit on the bottom shelf. I also try to avoid having the slimmer modules be in the line of fire from constant bookshelf use, so remain wedged between solid reference books I'm not using.

 

[Stormonu]

I’ve pared down my collection considerably, but my organization is close to yours.

Hardcovers first, by edition, alphabetically (with DM screens to the right of the DMG). Soft bound supplements next. Campaign worlds & campaign specific books next (In alpha order with the world book first, then supplements in alpha order) then adventures, in designation order (A1, B2, etc.) with the unlettered in alphabetic order.

 

[el-remmen]

I’ve pared down my collection considerably, but my organization is close to yours.

As have I.

Aside from a couple of boxes of old Dragon and Dungeon mags, this is all of it. I used to have at least twice more, but over the years I either sold it or gave it away. (some of which I regret)

 

[Stormonu]

Yeah, I made the mistake of buying the whole of TSR’s 1E & 2E catalog, and a heap of 3E matierial. Went from 6 bookshelves groaning under the strain to one + extra shelf. It was hard, and I probably should prune some more, but ... gotta have some toys to die with, eh?

 

[jgsugden]

I have one shelf that is filled with bey books from prior editions. Then I have a 5E shelf organized chronologically. In the basement, I have about 7 bankers boxes filled with materials from older editions with an index on the cover of each box. Then I have 12 bankers boxes of old campaign materials, retired/dead PCs, etc... from 40 years of gaming. Then I have another 3 full shelving units filled with minis and terrain, and a table covered with all my stacks of maps.

 

[Oofta]

I think you seriously have way too much clutter. You need to pack up all your books in boxes and send them to ... hmm. Better PM you my address or my wife might get upset.

 

[Lanefan]

Other than the five or six books I'm constantly referencing, I have the D&D books (which are the vast majority) on one shelf sorted by edition from 1 to 4 (ran out of room before 5e, so they're on a different shelf) including some duplicates I've collected over time. The shelf below is filled with adventure modules, sorted alphabetically for the early Judges Guild modules, by letter code for the TSR classics, and by edition for the later ones. On other shelves are non-D&D RPG books, various boxed sets, homebrew material, and a rather daunting number of minis; and - as @jgsugden - I've a few banker's boxes full of old character sheets and campaign notes stashed in closets somewhere round here.

For your shelves, were it me I'd sort the D&D bits (except the adventure modules) strictly by edition - all the 1e stuff together, all the 2e, and so on. If you're currently playing/running 5e, maybe put all those books at the top left for ease of access and count down from there; so top shelf might go left-to-right 5e-4e-3e-2e then the lower shelf might go 1e-nonD&D-modules. That way, if you know which edition a particular book came from you've much less to look through when trying to find it.

 

[The Green Hermit]

I was moving some things around in the game room and had to empty out a bookcase to move it, and I was putting books back I started to wonder if there was a different or better* way to organize them and thought it might be fun to see what others either suggest or how they'd do it if it were their books/bookcase.

Keep in mind that approximately the same number of books as are currently there have to remain on each shelf for space and weight considerations.

Generally, I keep core rule books (and commonly used books of any edition) together and then divide up the supplements in alphabetical and/or release order. But I am open to other suggestions, or even what your personal reasoning for how you'd order them.

TOP SHELF:
View attachment 132962

MIDDLE SHELF:
View attachment 132963

The stuff on the right of the above shelf (btwn the 1E Book of Lairs and the 3E Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil) are (mostly) 1E and BECMI modules. They are in the order of their assigned number code (so B1, B2, C1, C2, S1, UK2, like that).

If you have any questions about what is on the shelves, just ask.

If it matters, for the pre-5E stuff I am most likely to at monster books first and then spells and items type books second.

And if you're curious about what is on the bottom shelf. . .. View attachment 132964

. . . Just some old board games of my wife's that don't fit in the game cabinet (mostly full of Euro games) on the wall opposite this one.


* I know that "better" varies based on individual needs, so take that with a grain of salt.

My library is organized by age level, genre, and then alphabetically by author/chronological time-line by series (as opposed to chronologocial written order). Except for my D&D section. I grab stuff from there so frequently that I've given up trying to keep it organized. If I had as big of a collection as you, though (I'm not even close at this point) I would organize it by edition and then by rule book/campaign/setting.

 

[The Green Hermit]

I was moving some things around in the game room and had to empty out a bookcase to move it, and I was putting books back I started to wonder if there was a different or better* way to organize them and thought it might be fun to see what others either suggest or how they'd do it if it were their books/bookcase.

Keep in mind that approximately the same number of books as are currently there have to remain on each shelf for space and weight considerations.

Generally, I keep core rule books (and commonly used books of any edition) together and then divide up the supplements in alphabetical and/or release order. But I am open to other suggestions, or even what your personal reasoning for how you'd order them.

TOP SHELF:
View attachment 132962

MIDDLE SHELF:
View attachment 132963

The stuff on the right of the above shelf (btwn the 1E Book of Lairs and the 3E Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil) are (mostly) 1E and BECMI modules. They are in the order of their assigned number code (so B1, B2, C1, C2, S1, UK2, like that).

If you have any questions about what is on the shelves, just ask.

If it matters, for the pre-5E stuff I am most likely to at monster books first and then spells and items type books second.

And if you're curious about what is on the bottom shelf. . .. View attachment 132964

. . . Just some old board games of my wife's that don't fit in the game cabinet (mostly full of Euro games) on the wall opposite this one.


* I know that "better" varies based on individual needs, so take that with a grain of salt.

Saved by the Bell!