Do you knowingly buy game books you don't intend to actually play

[MatthewJHanson]

Yes, especially setting books, which I just like to read, and Kickstarter books, because I like to support those having run some myself.

 

[Schmoe]

Absolutely! I bought the Ars Magica and the GURPS core rulebooks knowing full well that I never intended to run a game using those systems. They were still fun to read and gave me a lot of great ideas. I've also bought plenty of D&D supplements with no immediate plans to use them.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

I buy a lot of RPGs to read, without expecting to ever be able to GM or play in them. Most people I encounter are only interested in Pathfinder and a couple of other games, sadly. I probably own 10 times more games (whole systems) than I have ever GMed or played.

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

I always intend to play a game when I buy it. That being said, there are games I've bought and never played and haven't regretted buying them. They were interesting in some way, and worth looking at on my shelf. (Woe unto me that I traded in most of my beloved collection in an ill-conceived trade for a couple newer and shinier books--I still kick myself over that.)

This is how I am... every book I buy I do buy with a hopeful intention of possibly playing it someday with the realization that I know that I might not play it and I am a collector. Once I buy into a game system I feel like getting every book in the game line so for that I am glad that WotC isn't pumping out the 5e books. It's also why I won't buy Pathfinder now, because I know I'd want to get each and every single hardback book they've released and most of the world supplement books, and the monster token pawns, and it would just be too expensive.

I am going to buy every book for L5r 4e, FFG Star Wars, Firefly, Numenera and The Strange (even though I don't like Numenera) and I've been trying to collect as many Powered by the Apocalypse Engine games in print that I can possibly find. Still need to get the Theragraphica book for Atlantis: the Second Age and the one Hellas book I still don't have.

Needless to say my roommate isn't always happy with me.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Of course. Some are fun to read (Shadowrun). Some have nice art. Some have useful setting elements to steal for my games. Some have clever mechanics (Ars Magica). There are plenty of reasons to buy a game book besides actually playing the game. Oh, and it just doesn't feel right to me to not own the core D&D books of the current edition, so I bought the 4E DMG and MM even thought the Player's Handbook convinced me that I would never play 4E.

 

[barinthus]

I'm definitely like that - I do buy books which I don't play. I do buy with the intention or hope that I'll get to play them but I enjoy reading them and seeing what's out there.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I buy game books I have no expectation of playing. And I've bought game books I've no intention of playing.

Sometimes I buy such books because I'd like to peruse the rules. They're ammo/ingredients for future homebrew systems, or bits that can be plugged into my existing campaigns. I've extracted bits of FATE for 5E games, for instance, and pulled in some 13th Age elements here and there.

I've also bought books simply to show support for a setting, system, or author. I've Kicked a few games in such a way. Even if I'm never going to crack the book myself, for one reason or another I'd like to send some money to help such books exist.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Kind of. I'll buy them knowing I have little chance of getting to play them, but I always hope I will. I don't think I buy stuff intending not to play it.

Yeah, that's basically me too. There are some books I've bought hoping I get a chance to play them, but realistically knowing that I either won't play them at all, or only a couple of times.

I only play once a fortnight and don't have time to game more than that, so gaming time is already limited.

On top of that, my group is pretty strongly focused on D&D. I've run a few other one-shots of other games, but one of the guys has basically said in future he'll give those a miss, and the other guys are probably neutral. So if I don't suggest it and run it, we'll just keep playing D&D.