I don't know who else could understand, and I really need to let loose some steam. I apologize in advance.

I'm 20 and commute to college. At home, I share a room with my 18-year-old brother. So, I don't have space for all the great things I've collected. Much of my collection is boxed up, and I wait patiently for when I have a place of my own.

I recently got a few, really lucky finds and had to make some more room. I headed downstairs to see how things could be rearranged. As I reached for the most treasured box, I saw six holes in the side of it. The box had been turned so that the holes faced toward the wall.

That 18-year-old brother I told you about? Well, I neglected to mention he's a bit of an ass. People can say that expression, "There's one in every family," and nobody feels bad about saying that: It's because of people like my brother. I called him up and asked. 'Couldn't get any straight answers because it's Sunday morning, and he's still enjoying Saturday's booze. 'Said he didn't remember. 'Said he might have done it but wasn't sure.

Shit. I thought we at least had more respect between us than that. We've always managed to respect each other's stuff, and I never, ever even used any of his property without asking. Here's what he--or possibly one of his friends--broke of mine:

  • X-Com: UFO Defense, CIB. This was my favorite--the original print run. Man, I don't know how I'm going to find a replacement.
  • Civilization II, CIB.
  • HoMM II, CIB.
  • D-Generation, CIB.
  • The Offical Quake Level Editor, NRFB. (When investigation was underway, when we were still wondering WTF happened, my dad shook this and heard a rattle. We peeled away the plastic seal and found a tip from one of the arrows inside.)
  • Manuals
  • MtG, Diablo, Warcraft, Outpost, some Ultimas, and a handful of other games. All were CIB.


I've made a few regretful trades. I've even lost some my collection to flood. That kind of stuff happens, and it's part of life. But I've never experienced anything like this. To tell the truth, I'm not sure if the damage is all that great; I don't have a clear mind right now, so I really don't know. What's bugging me is the reason. Why would someone fuck with my most personal belongings? Is life not exciting enough and they want an ass-kicking??

I'll get some straight answers when he's sober enough. Please don't think low of me for that ass-kicking comment, because I'm not interested in fighting; I just want answers and recompense. And if you're wondering why I called it my "most treasured" box, it's because these are all the games I played growing up--they're my childhood. Thankfully, the perpetrator was doing this shit at point blank range--so the spread of arrows isn't too big, and some of the other items remain unharmed.