How Quickly Do You Bounce Off a System?

[Wofano Wotanto]

There's some relatively complete PDF-only versions in a few cases. Mythras Imperative comes to mind here.

Sure, but Wolfpack48 was asking about games where portions of the full rules were in pdf only rather than the pdf duplicating a (possibly hypothetical) print version. Unless I misunderstood them, which is possible.

I do in the book and free form fillable pdf; plus someone the other day thanked me for the index, which was nice.

That seems like the optimal approach to me. Supports both Luddite cavemen like me and people with a decent printer or who don't mind keeping everything on their phone.

And let me add thanks to including a good index. They are a rare and precious thing that get left out far too often.

 

[dragoner]

Sure, but Wolfpack48 was asking about games where portions of the full rules were in pdf only rather than the pdf duplicating a (possibly hypothetical) print version. Unless I misunderstood them, which is possible.

That seems like the optimal approach to me. Supports both Luddite cavemen like me and people with a decent printer or who don't mind keeping everything on their phone.

And let me add thanks to including a good index. They are a rare and precious thing that get left out far too often.

Thanks! Keeping everything on my phone scares me, I thought I lost it the other day, and I was glad it's not full of apps like for my bank. I do some tech, though I like the physical a lot. Game folder:

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I gave up carrying a compass to games after one too many puncture wounds.

There's a lot to be said for characters whose vitals fit on an index card too. I managed to get through six levels as a 13th Age paladin before I was finally forced to use a proper page of paper - but that is one of the "easy mode" classes without much to track.

 

[dragoner]

The metal box helps with the puncture wounds.
I use a piece of notebook paper as the working sheet, and the main character sheet as reference.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Look, I have no objection to downloadable record sheets, especially when they're printer friendly. What I do object to is a print book that has some vital element of the rules that's only online. And that's the case with Scum & Villainy, which could have avoided the whole issue by just printing examples of the sheets (or at least the stress tracks) in the book somewhere. I don't need a photocopier to use that info, the sheets are middling complex but not beyond improv with a pen and paper.

The idea of being okay with an effectively incomplete print book is as alien to me as my complaint seems to be to you. Maybe it's a generational thing. I am a dinosaur, grew up making my own character sheets, and only resort to printers or photocopiers for really complex sheets, which really aren't in vogue so much these days. Just look at the people saying they'll bounce off a game with a sheet they don't like up thread. Simple elegance is in.

Man, I was born in 1957. But I know that finding a photocopier is harder than finding a printer in most places now, so I'm going to have to assume your view on this one is kind of historical at this point. I mean, seriously, I'm 66 but I can't think of the last time a character sheet in a physical book (which, admittedly, I don't buy often any more but its still not unknown) would have done me the least good.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Sure, but Wolfpack48 was asking about games where portions of the full rules were in pdf only rather than the pdf duplicating a (possibly hypothetical) print version. Unless I misunderstood them, which is possible.

I was responding to the comment about relatively complete PDF only free games there.

That seems like the optimal approach to me. Supports both Luddite cavemen like me and people with a decent printer or who don't mind keeping everything on their phone.

And let me add thanks to including a good index. They are a rare and precious thing that get left out far too often.

That I'll agree with you about.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Thanks! Keeping everything on my phone scares me, I thought I lost it the other day, and I was glad it's not full of apps like for my bank. I do some tech, though I like the physical a lot. Game folder:

View attachment 346213

I don't do things on phones or tablets, but as I've commented elsewhere, its not like its hard or that expensive to back up game material from a laptop or a desktop. And its not like physical material is safe; I remember a case several decades ago where I left an entire campaign binder on a bus.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I gave up carrying a compass to games after one too many puncture wounds.

There's a lot to be said for characters whose vitals fit on an index card too. I managed to get through six levels as a 13th Age paladin before I was finally forced to use a proper page of paper - but that is one of the "easy mode" classes without much to track.

Yeah, don't think you'd be doing that with a 13A Fighter.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Oh, to enlarge on the "online or downloadable" thing, I've seen useful tables that only existed as downloads (usually bundled in with PDF sales, but downloadable for free if you only had a physical book). I only know of one case of a set of material that only exists in online form for a game (and frankly, I consider it kind of a mistake it doesn't exist in some easily downloaded form).

 

[dragoner]

I don't do things on phones or tablets, but as I've commented elsewhere, its not like its hard or that expensive to back up game material from a laptop or a desktop. And its not like physical material is safe; I remember a case several decades ago where I left an entire campaign binder on a bus.

I'm not against tech, I also have heavily hyperlinked, and bookmarked pdf's. Character gen recently: