Giuseppe Capriati |
Yes, how do you read them?
Do you spend a single afternoon reading your new book in the course of several consecutive hours? Or do you divide your readings in several days?
Do you flip through your book, reading here and there where your interest is grasped, or do you read from cover to cover?
Do you actually read all the books you own?
I personally vary my approach based on the type of book. I usually flip through rulebooks, focusing on the options potentially interesting to the characters I play and on the rules that may be useful in my GMed campaigns. I think I have never read the Core Rulebook cover to cover, but there are some sections I have read several times. Then I check it frequently when any doubt arises after our game session.
As for lorebooks, including Adventure Paths, I like to read them cover to cover in the course of a single day, when I can, or in a few days when I am busier, since I have found that to me, personally, extending the reading time too much undermines my immersion. I love to read those books in their physical version, sitting on my couch while petting my animal companion. That has become kind of a monthly ritual with time.
And no, I never actually managed to read all the Pathfinder books I own, not in their entirety at least.
Sibelius Eos Owm |
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I started back in 3.5e (actually, I started in d20 Modern) and I definitely did read the entire player's handbook, not quite cover to cover but close aside from only skimming the lists of options rather than reading every spell. Because of this knowledge base I mainly look for where new rules differ from old in the core rules.
These days when digging into a book with significant lire I tend to just read the lore sections, prioritizing the parts that interest me most, while skimming character options and browsing new rules text (example--recently acquired Secrets of Magic, and I've reread the treatises a couple times, and each of the sidebars once). I don't tend to have time to read all in one sitting, but I'll usually skim the book cover to cover, starting with browsing the most interesting looking sections before slowly dovolving into looking at the pictures and pausing on particularly choice specimens to check for the associated spell/feat/lore depicted.
WatersLethe |
I usually think of something I'm not super familiar with while going about my day, then go find the relevant book and chapter and read that while eating. I don't really have the time to read something cover to cover just to say I did.
It's typically prompted by gaps in my knowledge while planning adventures or characters in my head.
Cylar Nann |
I read the core rulebook and advanced players guide pretty much cover to cover except for skipping items/spells since there are just too many to look through.
I did just buy a tablet so I have been trying to read them whenever I find time. Not sure about others but I just can't sit there reading a "lore" book for multiple hours. My mind wanders a lot while reading these types of books.
My favorite books have easily been the CRB, APG and GMG though. They just give so many options of how to actually play PF2 as a player and GM!
Perpdepog |
I used to read cover to cover, but with newer books I tend to flip around to the stuff that sounds interesting first, and then read the whole thing cover to cover over the course of days or weeks after that. There are sections I'll read over multiple times but with AoN having everything in a more searchable format that's become less common unless I am making a character with options that haven't been put up on the site yet.
I definitely haven't read all the Pathfinder books I own. I've read all the rulebooks, but not all the Lost Omens stuff yet, and I'm not even sure how many of my 1E books I haven't read.
Watery Soup |
I usually buy hardcovers, and skim through first so I get an overview. Because I have kids, I screen for inappropriate or scary pictures. (As a side note, thanks to Paizo for making books that I can share with my kids without feeling like we need to have a family meeting to discuss.)
I'll immediately read the sections that are directly relevant to my characters or characters I GM - mechanics especially, but also lore (e.g., I created several characters from the Mwangi Expanse before the book came out).
If there are new classes, I'll read through the first few levels of options and rebuild the sample characters in Pathbuilder, so I get an idea of how to GM those characters in PFS (I most often GM levels 1-4 so I don't even look at the 12th level feats.)
Over the next few months, I'll read the book cover to cover in small chunks. Sometimes the narrative portions get read in lieu of bedtime stories. Sometimes a question comes up during a game (either as a player or GM).
I'm pretty sure I've read CRB, APG, AG, ME and PFSG in their entireties. I'm pretty sure I haven't read all the way through SoM and G&G. I read through most of G&M one afternoon at a bookstore without buying it *whistles innocently* but then I think I got the PDF as part of the Humble Bundle. I read through the Sun Orchid Elixir bit of Legends because alchemists are awesome. Everything else is a resigned sigh because I think Paizo publishes things faster than I have time to read them so I know I can't keep up long term.
graystone |
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I generally take an hour out and read through a book 'cover to cover' on my tablet, paying MUCH more attention to mechanics over story elements. After that I either look up info on archives of nethys or pull out the pdf for story info if my current character involves it. I've done this with everything PF1 and PF2 [well actually every RPG I play].
OrochiFuror |
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Ever since AD&D I always start on page one and go to the end, paying less attention to less interesting parts or power/feat lists that I will go over when making a character that uses such things. I've always had the mindset of, I paid money for this, I best get the most use out of it by at least letting it inspire my creativity even if I don't ever get to use it in a game.
xNellynelx |
I typically take a few days off of work, if vacation balance allows, for books with rule content (So Core books and some Lost Omen books). During that time, I usually go over the rule content with a few buddies as we admire the book art and theory craft with the new options.
When I return to work, I go back to the start of the book and begin reading the non-rule content during my bus ride to and from, as well as my lunch break.
keftiu |
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I’m something of an obsessive, so I usually know what bits of the book I’m looking for well in advance of the PDF (no physical books for me, I’m too broke and my house is too small) and hone in on those. This was me immediately skipping to Androids in the Ancestry Guide, or Cuetzmonqualli in Monsters of Myth.
Then, I usually try to do a front to back skim, reading in order but not necessarily in depth - this is more about finding things to latch onto than actually consuming the whole book. Anything that catches my eye earns actual focused reading, but my ADHD can’t stand it otherwise.
I then usually search the text for my usual favorites, checking to see if I missed anything neat in a fleeting mention: Arcadia, Numeria, Sarkoris, Tian Xia, etc. Dark Archive was a gold mine for this.
Pinktiger |
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when I still had physical copies. I flipped through wildly on the first day. and the following days read all. at times going back to reread something as a refrence.
now going digital (because like Keftiu, it starts costing a bit much and I don't have the place anymore to stow away more books...and can't say goodbye to the ones I already have) I get the pdf put it on my work pc/personal pc and e-reader. And then read in bits and pieces usually.
Hilary Moon Murphy Contributor |
pixierose |
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Depends on the day, But usually go after the stuff that interests me the most. Then go back to read front to back. or go to reference as needed. We refrence the paragraphs in the ancestry guide a lot. The ones where they talk about how versatile heritages may manifest uniquely in the various common ancestries and how society treats them.