Swords Against: Beginner's Box 1979 Replica Edition

A replica of a specific, incomplete, unplayable copy of the Swords Against - Beginner's Box found at an estate sale. It is missing the rulebook, Dictionary of Devils, dungeon map, and answer key. The remaining contents, mostly comprised of the dead owner's personal effects, in chronological order:

 the adventure module "The Vanishing of Serlo's Keep", annotated by its previous owner (summer 1979)
 Hares & Devils fanzine no. 3 (December 1981)
 Letter from author W.T. Schauss (29 June 1983)
 a pencil (1984)
 code wheel from Ghosts of Fiergen computer game (November 1985)
 photocopy of pages 144 & 145 from Gunfighters of the Black Sea (c. 1986)
 an unsent letter, still sealed in its envelope (1 September 1991)

With this collection of physical objects, you may decipher the rules (both for Swords Against, and for the ancient board game described in its pages), solve the mystery of the Vanishing, and learn about the game's previous owner.

—description from the designer