PDFs vs. Books - What's your preference?

I almost posted this in the D&D forum as I have a sneaking suspicion that more people post there, and a lot of folks that read that forum don't read this one, or at least not as frequently, but I could be wrong - and this really is a general RPG topic.

I'm curious about what the general feeling is about PDFs/ebooks vs. traditional hard-copy books. This inquiry was inspired by noticing that @TrippyHippy actually prefers PDFs to books, which is an utterly alien thought to me. I personally greatly prefer books; I will only buy a PDF if A) I really want the book and B) there is no book available, or at least not for an affordable price. This preference is both because I love books - I love the feeling of them, the smell and texture of the paper, the ability to browse through pages and gaze upon maps without the eery undead light of the computer screen - but also because I actually dislike PDFs, I have a hard time reading extensively on the computer screen and I don't like the fact that you can never see the whole page in a readable manner (at least on my 14" laptop), or easily browse.

Just a point of clarification: I'm talking about RPGs only. Also, if you vote "strongly prefer" it doesn't mean you're saying you don't like the other medium (although it could), it just means that you greatly prefer one over the other. Feel free to embellish your choice in the thread.

So what is your preference? And where do you exist along the spectrum I'm going to offer as poll?

EDIT: Ugh, forgive the spelling error in the third poll option - I realize "different" has two fs. Also, to clarify what I mean in that option - you might prefer PDFs in one context (e.g. at the game table) but books in another (at home), but the key is that you enjoy both. The other choices imply a clear preference one way or the other.

I prefer real, printed books for RPG use.

My personal experience matches some recent research* - the human mind typically learns better from a physical book, and can reference topics in a physical book better than electronic media. The physical book engages your ability to create mental maps to a far greater degree than a tablet or computer screen does. Combining not only the information, but where the information is found, tends to enhance the memory and ability to look up details. This effect is most strongly seen in long-form presentations, like in textbooks, or gaming books, as opposed to shorter articles.

So, for me, if I want to learn a new game, or if I'm going to be playing and may need to reference things in the books, the physical tome is superior. I will still use PDFs, but mostly for the cases where the physical book is not in print, or is otherwise unavailable to me.



*see, for example, the November 2013 issue of Scientific American.

I have been moving a lot lately so in that context I prefer pdfs. They are much lighter ^^

While I prefer printed books, I only seem to buy PDFs these days. All the RPG products I've purchased over the last 2 years have been PDF only. I have to really be in love with a given PDF to want to buy the printed version. Sad to say, but the only print RPG products I've gotten recently were original print runs of my own released Kaidan published material.

Given the option, I prefer to have both. I love a well bound hardcover RPG book. But there are advantages to digital formats, particularly for ease of reference and the ability to have an entire library with you. That said, few PDF books are actually very good at being digital references. Websites like d20pfsrd.com are far superior as a tool.

I always buy the physical copy and the PDF if feasible. When lounging about, I generally peruse the physical book, but when I'm running an actual game I generally use the PDF version.

Two reasons for this - a proper PDF is generally bookmarked and/or hyperlinked for faster search/peruse (for me - there's some RPGs out there that have horrible organization - L5R I'm staring directly at you) and its generally lighter than carrying a half-dozen books for games like D&D.

I vastly prefer to buy books, or paper modules. Pdfs are ok for reference, but not much else.

I strongly prefer as a GM that the core book and any necessary / commonly consulted supplements are available in hard copy at the table. I can run a game entirely from my laptop but that's not my preference.
For prep and light reading however, I prefer PDFs all the way.
As a player I'm also more flexible. (The Day After Ragnarok game my wife was running ran for most of a year without anyone having a hard copy of either the savage worlds or DAR rulebooks.)

Since getting a tablet, I've actually enjoyed reading PDFs. Ages ago, when TSR first put out PDFs (I think even before WOTC bought them) I bought several. I never really used them until now.

However, using them in a game is a bit of a hassle, since it's not that easy to flip through page. If it has a table of contents it's okay, but a lot of PDFs just don't. It's much quicker finding something flipping through pages.

I strongly prefer physical books.

However, I like that pdfs allow for smaller releases to be more viable for companies.

For example, I bought a physical copy of GURPS Zombies. It was a book I wanted to have a physical copy of. However, at the same time, there are a lot of individual issues of Pyramid magazine that I purchase in pdf form to pick up things such as adventures written for Dungeon Fantasy (Pyramid #3/38 contains The Golden Geniza of Ezkali.)