I sold half my collection and I don't even care!

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Ghost Whistler

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So haven't run wfrpe for a while due to people traitorously moving house (i'll have to check for signs of mutation, I'm sure they are there).

However this week in gaming I sold off half my collection. Even though they are all games I like, I regret nothing. I haven't even finished reading them, and in all honesty I never will. In further honesty, it's just too many books. If I had to lug all those Starfinder books to a session, for instance, I think I would die trying. So now I'm thinking that I may have finally converted to the PDF market. Though i haven't replaced those games with PDF versions as yet (if ever), and PDF's are still vastly pverpriced.

It's just weird to find how preference for print is actually counter productive and, in practice, completely unwieldy. I run wfrp mostly from the pdf version (despite layout being kinda rubbish). I have only beought the book to the table twice. I copied the pdf version and gave it to the players (or, if your'e from Cubicle 7 or the FBI or GCHQ, no I didn't) and that has helped immeasurably. They can look stuff up for spending xp. This is no good with a book.

Books look great and I still feel that, when it comes to making a purchase, having something tangible in your hand makes for a more meaningful transaction than exchange of data. But even though pdf's have a ways to go before fully being 100% user friendly (they are still slow), they are just, for me right now, superior. Perhaps most importantly they can be updated. Books can't and I'm getting tired of buying game books that are full of mistakes, it's really not acceptable these days. Not from major companies. If C7 can take on the entire Games Workshop range of IP's to develop games for they can damn well find time to edit their 4e book.

Even art is something I wonder about now. I love to see good art in games, and a book with no art would be a dry proposition indeed. But I wonder how many books consider how their art is used well. Placing it everywhere and slowing down the text. Finally, 500 page books? Starfinder is huge - and isn't even complete! I just don't have the time to wade through all these enormous books. I'm not sure I ever will - and I like the game (probably, never played it).

It feels good to lighten the load, even if I do miss having the books. Regardless of the value of digital, there is something special about owning an rpg book. It's an experience: not just game, not just prose, not just story, not just setting. But something special and unique. Even if they are a bit of whit elephant sometimes
 
Welcome to the group of PDF believers, jump in, the water's nice:smile:!

I agree, there's something special about books. But PDFs are useful, and I don't really need many books, either:wink:!
 
I did the pdf switch and have no regrets. There's no way I could manage a physical library at the rate that I buy gaming books; I already own far too many dead trees despite an annual pruning of the collection.
 
PDF's are still vastly pverpriced

I will disagree with this, but otherwise I’m in agreement. Been pdf almost exclusively for quite a few years now. Only the occasional very pretty or very sentimental book makes it to print for me. I don’t even have any Mythras stuff in print (though I may break the rules and do that for my table as they are a bunch of dead tree lovers)
 
Once upon a time my RPG collection spanned three large bookcases. Now it fits on one shelf.
 
I joined the Pdf club when Poseidon took the bulk of my library in 2012 with Super Storm Sandy. I've slowly rebuilt but nowhere near the same size. On the whole pdfs are easier for me to sort through and juggle in a game session but I do miss writing in the margins of my books.
 
I love both. PDFs are very handy in my iPad, and I can have a huge collection with me anywhere to read, just as long as my iPad is charged, and I'm not trying to read it in full sunlight.

However I absolutely love having a huge collection of rpg books in my bookcase. I mainly buy hardcovers whenever possible, and I still love sitting down with a good cup of coffee or tea, and reading a rpg hardcover book.

For finding my way around a book, I really need to have the physical version. After I have got the gist of it, then I'm fine with a bookmarked pdf, but for initial reads I still greatly prefer the printed book version.

I tend to buy alot of rpg core books in hardcovers, but generally get the resources and splat books in pdf form, unless it's for a few favourite systems or settings., in which case I try to get them in hardcover first, then pdf (although it's often the reverse, due to how they are published). I try to avoid softcover books if possible, they just don't feel 'worthy' enough to take up valuable bookcase space for me.

At the gaming table I'm good with both pdf and printed books.
I usually have a GM screen, or have made my own and have it in hardcopy, and only use the rulebook for occasional reference.
For referencing I like having a bookmarked pdf, but if it's not bookmarked then I'll usually find things quicker with the printed version.

If I'm not GMing at home, I tend to take just my GM screen, dice & PC sheets, notebook, and my iPad. There's no point carrying rpg core books and scenario books anymore unless they are digest-sized. Plus I do like the 'generally less-is-more' approach - I really get disorganised with too much clutter at the gaming table, so the iPad has been great for assisting with this.

I can see paperback books disappearing in favour of digital, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
But for me, nothing beats a great personal library of hardcover books :thumbsup:
 
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I will disagree with this, but otherwise I’m in agreement. Been pdf almost exclusively for quite a few years now. Only the occasional very pretty or very sentimental book makes it to print for me. I don’t even have any Mythras stuff in print (though I may break the rules and do that for my table as they are a bunch of dead tree lovers)
Paizo PDFs are cheap as hell, too. $10 a pop for the big books.
 
There should be RPG Privateers. Chaosium or WotC give us Letters of Marque to steal the PDFs of other companies and drive them out of business.

I mostly only buy cores in physical form, so my collection hasn't grown very large in terms of shelf space.
 
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If you don't watch out, someone is likely to post a link for the shanty Friggin' In The Riggin' !!! :grin: :drink:
 
OP I did the same except 75-90% of my rpg collection. Some unexpected expenses came up and I needed quick cash.

I uses to be a print book only Grognard and issues with dust, weight, lack of space are why I am slowly going all digital. Espcially for rpgs that I know I cannot find players for in my area. The only print vooks I now but are PF 1E as I know I can easily find players. Or a favored rpg such as Torg Eternity. Even then besides PF books the others only the core in print.

It is also a matter of cost and finding some of the older material in print. The 1E D&D core is just so much cheaper in legal PDF format. Most rpgs in PDF format are cheaper being half price. If you think they are expensive in American dollars it is much more in Canadian.

Don't get me started on the nutcases selling their print books at absurdly stupidly high prices when PDF versions are still available. Some nutcase in my area is trying to selkThe Temple of Elemental for 140$ . I can just buy the legal PDF and print out a copy for a quarter of that price. Or greedy rpg devs selling PDFs the same price as print. Yeah..no fuck that.

Either way whether we like it or not and to save on paper and less pollution. PDF is here to stay and will replace print.
 
I have too many of both books and PDFs. For a collection I guess it is enough, but for actual use? Both are just taking up space (virtual and bookcases).

I think it would be nice to find a couple of systems and specialize. I do not see that in my foreseeable future.
 
I like pdf but I like physical books too. That said I did get rid of the vast majority of my collection at one point due to just... so much.

Like I didn't have the space for all my board games and my rpg collection, and most of the games I owned I wasn't even going to run at this point.

So I sold everything that I had no intention of ever running again. I still prefer dead tree format for running games, but PDF is good for just reading through for ideas and stuff.

I basically ended up selling like 600 books or so.
 
I'm really thinking hard about selling my books off. I've got a ton of various editions of Legend of the Five Rings, plus a load of D&D 3.5 books that I wouldn't complain about seeing the back of. Maybe some other stuff, too. But I always balk at breaking up collections and the cost of shipping.
 
I'm the opposite. It has to be physical books for me. I can't see ever using a PDF for anything beyond a preview of a RPG to decide if I want to buy the physical book.

A long time back I thought all I needed from RPGs was the text, but I realized that for me that wasn't the truth. RPGs are this synthesis of rules and fluff and art and the tactile enjoyment of handling and flipping through the physical book itself. So, PDFs aren't for me.
 
I'm the opposite. It has to be physical books for me. I can't see ever using a PDF for anything beyond a preview of a RPG to decide if I want to buy the physical book.

A long time back I thought all I needed from RPGs was the text, but I realized that for me that wasn't the truth. RPGs are this synthesis of rules and fluff and art and the tactile enjoyment of handling and flipping through the physical book itself. So, PDFs aren't for me.


On the one hand, I'm the same. On the other, I've pretty much found my perfect system, so with a few exceptions, I mainly just have pdfs of stuff I occasionally peruse for inspiration or nostalgia. No need to hang on to piles of games that I'll never actually run.
 
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool print person. I have a lot of pdfs, don't get me wrong. They're handy when I am game prepping at my PC and want to access books or for nighttime reading on my tablet. In the end, though, I'm too traditional and think I'll always be a print first guy.

That said, I think only two things would make me switch to digital books fully. One is, as Ghost Whistler mentioned, updated books. Companies take more/better steps these days about getting error-free books to print (some do, anyway) but the process is far from perfect and probably never will be. And makes getting an updated/errata'd copy of a book quick and easy...and usually free. In the case of my Hârnworld and Hârnmaster stuff (which I own all of, print) I get a little annoyed when they update a product and I don't have the pdf version because I can, quite literally, print just the updated page(s) and put then in a binder.

The other reason is if my wife and I every move to a smaller place (once all the kids are gone, and through college...10-12 years) and it wouldn't be feasible to keep them. I'd rather them go to someone else than to languish in storage somewhere. We've talked, though not seriously, a handful of times about moving into a condo or an apartment when that time comes. I'd undoubtedly keep some, but there's simply no way to keep all of them.
 
Each time I move house, my RPG collection moves first, then my guitar, my swords and other toys. The furniture comes last, if it doesn't fit, its gets sold or scrapped (with the exception of the kitchen table which is the gaming table).

PDFs have their uses, but with the exception of the really large coffee table books, I can't imagine not having a dead tree version at the gaming table.
 
I share the love for print...but I find the digital version is more useful. I don't have to carry the damn books and it's easy to cross reference.

I'm debating how and even whether I should buyt he latest l5r 5e book. I think FFG's approach is problematic. I have the other books in print.

The problem FFG keeps making IMO is they treat each supplement as a grab bag. This latest book seems themed around intrigue. It's about political courts and has info on castles, some Crane clan stuff, a new minor clan (Deer), and of course some new options for character creation: new schools, techniques, and gear. It's the same mistake their Star Wars books make (only those are more focused).

The reason this is an issue is that if you intend to include all this stuff in your campaign, it means presenting your players not just with the core rulebook, but all these supplements so they have access to the full gamut of options. As you can imagine poring over and cross referencing all these books, all of which likely exist at the table in one copy (FFG actually thinks everyone at the table will, at least eventually, own their own copies of these books - I'm not sure that's even a reasonable assumption to make for the DnD PHB).

I love having this information. There's a switch in my brain that triggers whenever new material for a game I like is released: I'm a completionist, I want those options. I even want this book even though I still haven't read everything else I bought yet.

Now my personal failings aside, does this seem like a player friendly productive model to you?
 
Each time I move house, my RPG collection moves first, then my guitar, my swords and other toys. The furniture comes last, if it doesn't fit, its gets sold or scrapped (with the exception of the kitchen table which is the gaming table).
You've gotta respect a man with clear priorities:smile:!
 
I love PDFs except, as others have mentioned above, the publisher wants to rip..er, I mean to charge a higher price than normal. For example, Aces & Eights: Reloaded was finally released but Kenzer wants $40 for the PDF. I refuse to purchase it.
 
I love PDFs except, as others have mentioned above, the publisher wants to rip..er, I mean to charge a higher price than normal. For example, Aces & Eights: Reloaded was finally released but Kenzer wants $40 for the PDF. I refuse to purchase it.
Well... there are examples of this, too:smile:.

And then there are the people that do a stellar job with their PDFs, and only list them as PWYW. So I have to send them money after I use them for an actual game:wink:.
 
Well... there are examples of this, too:smile:.

And then there are the people that do a stellar job with their PDFs, and only list them as PWYW. So I have to send them money after I use them for an actual game:wink:.

I have to say, I don’t play Paizo games, but they are exceptionally PDF customer friendly. All of their products are inexpensive.
 
I love PDFs except, as others have mentioned above, the publisher wants to rip..er, I mean to charge a higher price than normal. For example, Aces & Eights: Reloaded was finally released but Kenzer wants $40 for the PDF. I refuse to purchase it.
Hell. Those Western RPGs were all expensive, even in the Kickstarter.
 
Reminds me of a discussion I was having about movies/tv shows. When people have affordable ways to pay, piracy drops. When you are charging an arm and a leg for your pdf, I guarantee that its going to get pirated more often.

(An example, the rise of Netflix showed a marked decrease in bittorrent traffic. Now that every studio seems to want to make their own exclusive streaming service and people are having to pay more and jump through more hoops with more services, bittorrent traffic is back on the rise.)
 
I love PDFs except, as others have mentioned above, the publisher wants to rip..er, I mean to charge a higher price than normal. For example, Aces & Eights: Reloaded was finally released but Kenzer wants $40 for the PDF. I refuse to purchase it.
Yes some prices are bonkers. I just cannot bring myself to pay £20 for a pdf.
 
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