Sebastian Bella Sara Charter Superscriber |
With so many books, it's difficult to impossible to reference or use even a fraction of what Paizo has put out. So, I'm curious - how do you actually use your Pathfinder library as a practical/logistical matter?
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign?
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?
What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books?
What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)?
What softcover books do you use the most?
Charlie Brooks RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 |
I bring the Core Rulebook and the Bestiary to games, with other items copied and pasted from thd PRD as they come up. (My current game is using mythic PCs, so Mythic Adventures gets brought along as well.)
I generally don't buy rulebooks unless they make an interesting read out of game as well. The GameMastery Guide fits that criteria, as to many of the books in the Pathfinder Chronicles series. The Adventure Paths are well worth their cost for this reason, even if I never actually run the adventures within.
Landon Winkler |
I don't reference books during play at all if I can help it. If I need to look something up, I have a player (off-turn) take care of it or PRD/SRD it on my phone.
Even out of play, I mostly use the online resources. I prepare encounters beforehand on my laptop, so I only pull out the books when I'm doing serious cross-referencing.
Recently I've been reading though the ACG to familiarize myself and review things on my tumblr. Mostly I just read the AP when it comes in, then go over it with a fine tooth comb later to prepare for running it.
Cheers!
Landon
Necromancer |
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign?
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?
What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books?
When I GM, I usually type up/copy-paste every mechanic and class layout that the players will need. This includes a single set of available races and classes, campaign traits, mundane items available, and any other sort of "list" the players might need to choose from. From there, I get all the players to use index cards to keep track of their abilities, weapon damage, rage powers, spells, extracts, gear, etc.
I've found that starting a campaign is much easier when you ask your players what types of characters they're interested in pre-session, write everything that you'll allow up, and provide the information video-game style.
That said, I never leave the books at the table once everyone's settled and ready to go. I try to keep distractions to a minimum and this has helped so far.
What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)?
Everything core. The characters indicate what types of classes or races they want and I use that to provide a range of campaign options, but I will dip into every core book I own to expand their choices.
What softcover books do you use the most?
Depends on the published setting: for third-party settings, I usually make do with a central reference that broadly covers race and class options and go from there; for Golarion, I use whatever I have that fits the geography. On the other hand, if it's a completely homebrew campaign, I design everything to fill any gaps left by the core line.
The only things that I avoid spending any money or time on are:
- information regarding deities; I'll grab up anything on religions, but existant deities have no place in my games
- APs beyond the first and second books; I've tried and tried, but my players know I'll adapt and they just go wherever the hell they want...and strangely, this formula works
- information and mechanics specifically about huge or larger creatures; they don't seem to enjoy fighting landscapes and I'm fine with that
- halflings...or Tolkien-inspired elves
- stand-alone modules/adventures that don't begin at level one
- 3.5-inspired psionics; there's too many mechanics to deal with, so I just adapt existing classes
- PFS scenarios; there's too much work involved in fleshing these things out
- setting-specific mechanics; I love reading Golarion articles, but I rarely use the mechanics
Under A Bleeding Sun |
how do you actually use your Pathfinder library as a practical/logistical matter?
Don't. Hardly reference them.
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign?
Nope, I have a list of banned things, all other content is pretty open.
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?
No. I DO print out weird rules for my PFS PC's I think may cause issues though.
What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?
None, I like the digital age.
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books?
98% of the time yes.
What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)?
What softcover books do you use the most?
I only own PDF's for PF. I have purchased four or five physical books, but I don't even know what they were or where they are, hence why I buy digital. I've lost almost every 3.5 book I ever had which was a HUGE collection, so I don't mess with hard copies of stuff anymore.
Pan |
I use the SRD on my laptop. The only books I have at the table are inner sea setting, ucamp, and current AP or module if any. So for rules its all SRD but setting and adventure material tends to be physical books. Though when I run Mummy mask this fall ill probbaly skip physical copies in favor of PDFs. I like setting books to read and sit on the shelf. Though I much prefer digital tools and sources while playing.
Dave Justus |
I greatly prefer a hard copy for modules/adventure paths etc. Being able to quickly flip to different sections is huge. I'm using my computer for both PRD and Roll20 (also displayed on a big screen in my living room).
I do prefer hard copy books for just looking through and seeing what is their. Electronic tools are great for quickly looking stuff up, but to just browse and find things you never new existed a hard copy is superior in my opinion. PDFs can do this as well, but not as easily in my opinion.
Majuba |
With so many books, it's difficult to impossible to reference or use even a fraction of what Paizo has put out. So, I'm curious - how do you actually use your Pathfinder library as a practical/logistical matter?
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign? Mostly, yes. Using more than a couple supplements gets out of hand fast.
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?Only for PFS, sometimes for someone who doesn't own the resource.
What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?Core Rulebook, Bestiar(y/ies)
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books? No.
What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)? Gamemastery Guide
What softcover books do you use the most? Adventurer's Armory, Seekers of Secrets, Book of the Damned 2 (demons)
Ivan Rûski |
With so many books, it's difficult to impossible to reference or use even a fraction of what Paizo has put out. So, I'm curious - how do you actually use your Pathfinder library as a practical/logistical matter?
With the exception of APs/modules, books are pretty much for character generation/leveling or shopping these days. Everything else that needs to be referenced in play is usually accessed through Combat Manager, d20pfsrd, or Hero Lab.
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign?
Nope.
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?
Not usually. Sometimes for player handouts, such as the AP Player's Guides.
What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?
Ultimate Equipment and currently RotRL Anniversary Edition.
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books?
I prefer d20pfsrd, but yes, for the most part.
What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)?
The 2 mentioned previously.
What softcover books do you use the most?
APs or modules.
Marcus Robert Hosler |
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign?
No
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?
Never
What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?
Ultimate Psionics, Ultimate Campaign, Bestiary, CRB, and Mythic Adventures
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books?
I tend to stack my books on my lap and then put a chromebook on top of them to look up everything on the PRD
What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)?
Ultimate Campaign was used for a whole party of backgrounds. Mythic Adventures got a lot of use before it was on the PRD.
What softcover books do you use the most?
None.
Physically Unfeasible |
With so many books, it's difficult to impossible to reference or use even a fraction of what Paizo has put out. So, I'm curious - how do you actually use your Pathfinder library as a practical/logistical matter?
I look at what players want to use in a game rather than trying to scan everything.
What I want to use is again the same.Exception; A player finds something I don't know a counter for that is disrupting the game. I ask other people if they can see any means to foil it and start to use it infrequently.
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign?
Kind of said that above a bit. At the end of the day though, if the campaign is better served by breaking out of the confines of my plans, then I will steamroll them.
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?
I rarely am gaming anywhere I can't bring my laptop or memory stick so usually I keep it online.
Save paper and ink man! Be frugal!What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books?
Well, since everything I have is electronic; I guess I bring them all. Books get too cumbersome too quick.
Mostly use the prd - quicker to find something then scrolling/flicking around.What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)?
What softcover books do you use the most?
Hard to say; I often try to drag things from lots of places; makes things feel fresher for longer.
HOW DO YOU USE YOUR PATHFINDER LIBRARY?
As a fortress for small rodents. They will repay me one day, I'm sure. Between their gaming knowledge and shelter, they owe me.
LuxuriantOak |
With so many books, it's difficult to impossible to reference or use even a fraction of what Paizo has put out. So, I'm curious - how do you actually use your Pathfinder library as a practical/logistical matter?
Do you pick a handful for use in a particular campaign?
Do you use your pdfs to print out the bits you want to use?
What books do you bring with you every time you DM (or play)?
Do you just use the PRD and don't bother with the books?
What hardcover books do you use the most (other than the CRB and Bestiary)?
What softcover books do you use the most?
I keep my laptop on my right side facing me but not the players. On it I have files with plots and npcs. I also have the database open to search for rules if needed and sevreal browser tabs open on rules, npcs or monsters to reference during play.
Some info like town map and shop specifics +old props, clues & handouts are on the table for the players.
I keep the hardcover books near for reference and for players to use when leveling or consulting class abilities or whatever. Usually it's just the Core.
Phones are banned from the game but at least 1 tablet is used.
Weirdo |
We almost entirely use the d20pfsrd at the table.
Between games, I like physical books best for browsing but they take up a lot of space so I'm transitioning to more pdfs for sources I don't expect to browse frequently between games or read casually.
We use pretty much everything on the d20pfsrd (except some systems like Mythic) and I'm not sure at this point what we use most because it's all pretty thrown together. I think we use a higher % of the stuff in the APG than any other hardcover.
Voadam |
As a player I bring the core book to the game and a print out of my character sheet and the full text of my spells which I've copied from the PRD, d20pfsrd, archives of Nethys, and the 3e sourcebooks I've gotten approved.
When I was DMing I'd bring the current module. I'd rely upon the guy hosting the game's copies of the Bestiary I and II and players to have the core book, the APG, d20pfsrd, etc. I'd have print outs of the combat stats of the monsters I expected the party to face that night for ease of reference. I'd occasionally bring in a specific monster book for a monster I wanted to use such as 3e OGL books like Denizens of Avadnu or Creature Collection II. I also generally brought my tablet with a couple of the PDFs on there and I've looked things up during games like a specific demon lord's flavor description or to have a module page open for reference while my physical copy was at another page.
I read my print books for general reading and reference. I've gone back to the campaign setting and gods and magic numerous times to look up details and I've read the campaign setting front to back. I've read the modules I've run the most for softcovers, I've read them each cover to cover and parts of them multiple times.
I'll flip around things like my PDFs of Chronicles of the Righteous and the Demon Lords book as the fancy strikes me to check out topics.
Most of my player game mechanics are done using things like the PRD, d20pfsrd, the Archives of Nethys. A little bit of things like using my pdf of the 3.5 spell compendium or Complete Book of Eldritch Might or the rite publishing 1001 spells book.
As a DM I used a bunch of my PDF resources (pathfinder, d20/OGL, and other) for both flavor research stuff and mechanical monster stats.
Mark Hoover |
I play inside my library, at a cherry wood trestle table centered on a fine rug I got in the markets of Absalom. I usually have a fire going in the Dragon's Head hearth though additional light is provided by dozens of candles held aloft and alight by simple Continual Flame and Prestidigitation effects.
As for use of the books I like the real thing so I eschew my laptop for the shelves around us. It took a long time and A LOT of money, but I've bound Unseen Servants to each tome, module, book and scroll so that all I need do is gesture and call out a page reference and the object of my desire is at hand.
The shelves are mahogany 15' high and ring the walls of the chamber. They are also extremely deep; a few serve as perches for my homunculi (I use them to ensure my PCs aren't cheating). To navigate the stacks when I choose to handle the books myself I have a balcony of hand-wrought cold iron styled in a nature theme of coiling ivy and such.
Wait what? Sorry, I blacked out for a second there. I usually either just grab books off the shelves as needed when I play at home or I schlepp everything I'll possibly need for a given night in a backpack and duffel. I also have my laptop just in case, but I prefer books just 'cause I'm a curmudgeon who prefers his screen pages with ink in them.