Last year, Brigham Young University asked us if we would allow them to archive our papers in their special collections. It was an incredible honor and one which we were very happy to accept. The idea that our drawings, notes and original manuscripts could be preserved and studied for generations to come has made us thoughtful about the things we have kept down through the years.
It has also caused us to go into the basement and the garage and start excavating those boxes which we have moved from place to place down through the years. It has resulted in some surprising discoveries.
Among the things which we found — and which are currently destined for the BYU L. Thom Perry Special Collections library — include my original pen artwork for an unpublished AD&D Nightventure module called ‘Eye of the Dragon’; the complete set of layout pages hand set by Laura and me of the original ‘Pharaoh’ module and an envelope containing the original layout materials for ‘Rahasia.’ There is also a complete set of the design documents assembled for the Dragonlance series at TSR. The staple attaching those pages has rusted from the humidity of Wisconsin down the years.
We also uncovered another, previously unknown set of the original ‘Rahasia’ and ‘Pharaoh’ modules.
We had offered our only known set last December for sale to collectors, believing that those particular treasures were better appreciated in the hands of those who would enjoy them than left purely for research in the library. The enthusiastic buyer was thrilled with their condition when they arrived as well as the certificate of provenance we provided.
Our archaeological excavation in our basement this time, however, uncovered an envelope of ‘samples’ which we had intended to mail out to potential distributors back in the late 1970’s and which, apparently, never did find their way to the mail box. While the original shrink-wrap has deteriorated over time it is still there and the modules — after 30 years of storage — are in mint condition.
In addition, we’ve found several of the covers to our original Rahasia which were extras never assembled into products. They feature my original cover art on leatherette stock and can be signed for you if you wish. There are a number of other items we have uncovered which we’ll be offering from time to time on our Special Collections page … so you might want to check in on that from time to time.
If you happen to have an appreciation of unique artifacts you will in the near future be able to visit our original materials in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library at Brigham Young University … or acquire an artifact for yourself. Much as we love the museum, Laura and I would prefer these to be in your hands!
