Although my boxed computer game collection is not what it once was, I still occasionally acquire interesting older titles for a variety of platforms. I have a particular fondness for bookshelf games from SSI and Avalon Hill, album style games from Electronic Arts, and just about anything else related to CRPGs. The latter was how I came to acquire CRPG 2400 A.D. from Origin, which included a large poster-sized map, three metal (pewter?) robot miniatures, and the usual quality documentation many games of the era featured. Of course, as collectors know, being second-hand, you sometimes get the occasional previous owner gem, like hand-drawn maps, notes, magazine scans, etc.

Now, 2400 A.D. is not among the beloved games from Origin’s back catalog, which most notably includes the Ultima series, but features many other high profile titles from the 1980s and 1990s. A lot has been written about how poor this particular game is. What’s interesting, though, is that the previous owner chose to put his feelings down on paper, writing a manifesto around January 7, 1990. Presumably, he never sent it, but I’m glad that it survived to find its way to me roughly 1 month shy of exactly 30 years later. Check it out: