In other words: 14th level assassin with a length of rope vs. well-equipped 2nd level paladin with a stat column stacked with 18s. I know who I’m betting on.
I’d go with first edition. And…uh…you might want to flip through the books, maybe shake them out carefully. Just in case any rolling papers or other…miscellaneous material…should happen to fall out.
I keep a nice D20 on my desk, alongside a set of Wynn Casino 6 siders from the craps table. The software engineers in my company love rolling saves when they have to talk to me over on the marketing side.
I had a boss who kept signed copies of the Robert Jordan books in his shelf, alongside the typical “flavor of the month” business books.
Personally, I could see putting my battered AD&D (1st edition) on my shelf, since I use Pathfinder for my current gaming.
THACO certainly did make for some quicker combat calculations.
If you want to send a message with your bookshelf, I’d go with the first Monster Manual. As it is, I voted AD&D.
Just a sucker for nostalgia, I suppose.
ETA Congratulations, Brainiac4!
Hell, unless you have limited space on your bookshelf, I’d put 2nd Edition and 3.5 up there. I’d say those were the two best editions of D&D. I’d also guess they’re probably the editions you’ve played the most, unless you stopped gaming a long time ago.
There’s Crystal Head, a fancy vodka made by Dan Akroyd, among others. It’s glass, of course. I want some just for the bottle. However, cheap doesn’t enter into the equation: $50 for a fifth, $100 for the jumbo handle. $10 if you want a tiny 50mL one (BevMo prices).
No love for the OG Basic D&D? From back before color was invented? I never played tabletop D&D really, but I came across this boxed set and had fun reading it as a kid.
From looking at the internet, I’d think if you want “hipster cred” you should go with 2nd or earlier. Especially not 4th, which ISTR the D&D coolness police hated.
The more Gygax influence the better.
I voted before I read the OP and picked Other because I was always a Basic D&D player (the Red Box!) but after reading it, I would say display the 2nd edition. Those were always my favorite rules of the AD&D sets.
I see you haven’t heard about the Old School Revival. In fact, game store shelves are now being stuffed with WoTC reprints of every edition. You can buy a freshly printed AD&D Player’s Handbook or a collector’s edition of the original white booklets in an elaborate wooden case right now. Partly, this is so that WotC has something to sell while they work on the next edition of the main line, but also they’re capitalizing on an actual honest-to-God market for old-fashioned gaming.
My knee jerk reaction is to go for the maximum geek cred – a full set of AD&D hardbacks with the lawsuit edition of Deities & Demigods, for example. But this temptation must be resisted, because if that counted as geek cred, then geek cred is something you can just buy. But it isn’t. Like they advise people on the Antiques Roadshow, collect what you love, not what you think might be valuable. Or, in this case, what you think will make you look geeky.
Put on display only that which you are passionate about, truly sentimental about and, most importantly, actually conversant about. Because if you display an AD&D GMG and aren’t prepared to talk about the Random Harlot table, your geek cred will take a hit from those in the know.
Since Johnny thinks you should put out what you are passionate about, maybe one of the FOUR copies of Cosmic Encounter that are in the basement can join whatever version of D&D are there.
Not so much, as it turns out.
- I’m a technology VP, so games are not as out-there as they might be for others
- I’m already out as a gamer and it’s part of my “brand” as it were
- Wizards of the Coast is a client
So I’m feeling pretty good about it.
I kind of am old. I bought the first edition of AD&D in 1979 when the DMG came out. I was 14.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear. I’m not putting these out to impress people. I’m putting them out to create something that people can use to get an idea of who I am and what my interests are.
If I want to impress people, I’ll do that with my car. 
I have actually played and DMed all of them, so I’m pretty conversant. I spent the least time playing 3/3.5, because the kids were little and finding gaming time with others was harder. I think I’ve spent the most time with 4E at this point, because we’re past the three-year mark on a more-or-less-biweekly campaign.
All of them are my favorites, depending on when you ask me. I’m leaning towards putting all of them up there - it may be overkill, but it’ll certainly get the point across.
Being out as a geek hasn’t hurt Stephen Gillett.
My bookshelf at home has a pretty solid collection of 1st (yes, the original AD&D edition with the ridiculous covers), 2nd, and 4th edition books. I think they look rather nice, actually, and would be a fine edition to any office bookshelf. Hardcover, only, though; I wouldn’t display any of the softcover supplements in an office. They don’t look nearly as nice.
It’s all about how finely painted your miniatures are and your collection of Dragon magazines.
I never subscribed to Dragon, but I do have the first two years of Duelist magazine…
Ridiculous covers?
The Chainmail tabletop wargame, with the Fantasy supplement in back, that evolved into D&D.