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How many RPG books are too many? (ttrpg.network)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I just had a moment where I downsized my RPG book collection. Do you ever weed out your collection? I find myself becoming a bit of a headless chicken, sometimes more interested in what the promise is that a book might hold, rather than diving in deep into the ones I already have. This superficial engagement with many books I find very unsatisfying. The books I cherish most are the ones that I have really sunk my teeth into, and I have a feeling that there is still a lot to discover in some of those that I haven't revisited in a while. Master the tools you have, rather than acquiring ever more barely used tools. Just wanted to air my thoughts, quite happy right now with my smaller collection of things I really cherish.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I’m super-cheap so I have 5: from D&D i have the 3.5e and 5e PHBs, and Xanathar & Tasha which were gifts, and i have the PF2e CRB. (I do have a lot of PF2e pdfs though.)

I don’t know how people built characters before the advent of tools like DDB and Pathbuilder/Nexus that auto-incorporate all the content. I can’t imagine hitting higher levels as a spell caster and having to flip through multiple books to figure out my next spells; I had a hard enough time with 2 books for a non-PHB subclass 5e barbarian. I just bought the subclass on DDB and it’s transparent what the source is.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

yeah, I agree with your approach. My collection is maybe 20 books total, but I run 1-2 games a week. 5e core books + tasha & xanathar, plus some adventures (3), monsters (2) settings books (2). Outside of 5e there is Call of Cthulhu, Pathfinder 2e+Bestiary, and DCCRPG + a handful of modules. I recently ran a third party module that drew on a lot of books, it was a nightmare to DM.

[–] 5too 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I agree, but I've also always been tickled by the parallel images between a player with multiple sourcebooks open figuring out how to advance their spellcaster; and a spellcaster poring over tomes for their next spell!

(Edit) Personally, I've got a little over a dozen sourcebooks; and a lot more PDFs. I like browsing books better, but PDFs integrate with other tools so much more nicely...