The following was posted in the Board Games Forum by Michael A. Evans, and it seemed like a good item to carry over to the main Web site. I'd love to hear your stories!

I wanted to try out a slight variation on Amanda's topic of "Best Game Bargain Ever."

This topic isn't concerned with the bargain aspect of your game purchase. What I'm interested in hearing about are stories involving games that you've searched years for, sweated blood for, placed your family's and friend's opinion of your relative sanity in jeopardy for. And after a long and winding road of endless and relentless questing for this one special and precious item, finally, Finally, FINALLY!, finding it.

Tell us about your best buy in the Board Games Forum.

Whether you found it in a garbage can, in someone's attic, at a garage sale, on an Internet or real-world auction, bid for it at a Sotheby's auction, or had an angelic apparition walk up to you in Grand Central Station, place it into your hands and say, "There you are. Your life's ambition has been fulfilled. You may die happy now." Whatever.

The monetary value of the item doesn't enter into this discussion. The emotional value of your special acquisition very definitely does! I'm probably going a bit overboard in stating the case here (thereby placing your opinion of MY relative sanity in jeopardy!), but I think you get the idea.

To restate: What game that you searched for, or are currently searching for, has the most personal, emotional value to you? That could include value as a beloved childhood game, a collectable item, something that you tracked down and sold to finance the purchase of your Lamborghini Countach, etc.

Oddly enough, I can't myself say that any game item I currently have in my collection is something that I would have placed in a vacuum-sealed display case or stored in a bank vault or anything. (Bronzed? Embedded in acrylic plastic? Placed in a time capsule? Enshrined at the Smithsonian?)

My current two front-running quests are for the games Web and Starship and Railway Rivals, but I'm not yet ready to embark on any kind of Tolkienien-type quests to obtain those or any other items. (I don't think Sauron takes American Express anyway!)

Thanks for listening. And L.L.A.P.!

Michael A. Evans (Starmage and/or Mithril)

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