So, I hate pdfs. Any advice on hating them less?

[Michael Silverbane]

My suggestion would be to try going full immersion. Get whatever pfds you'd need for the games that you actually play, and temporarily forgo using real books altogether, see if you can't overcome your dislike through just the sheer momentum of, "this is what I've got to work with."

 

[macd21]

I hate using pdfs for actually getting to know a new system or setting, but find them a great reference tool at the table. I like games that give you a free pdf with purchase of a physical copy (best of both worlds), but I would never buy a pdf without an actual book - that’s a game that’ll never be played.

 

[dbm]

Seconded. If possible, one of the 12" tablets.

So, let us be clear - we are talking about pieces of hardware that generally run at $500 and up.

Unless you also have a lot of other stuff you are planning to do with that hardware, I wouldn't call this an economically sound solution to the problem.

Yes, but it is a fantastic solution...

Here is my 12.9 iPad Pro showing the PDF of GURPS Characters, next to the book itself:

It is a fantastic tool for the job and allows me to carry literally thousands of books with me all the time.

A good device, well set up, makes the whole thing much more pleasant. Notice that I have tried to match the brightness of the screen to mimic the page under natural light; that helps minimise eye strain.

You also need to learn new strategies for navigating the books. Get a good app which allows you to add your own bookmarks. The ability to pull out to a thumbnail view of multiple pages is also great. And, of course, the search function can make niche rules easier to look up.

PDF is my preference over physical books these days.

 

[Zhaleskra]

Physical books don't crash. You can spill a drink on your physical book, and it usually still works, unless it's super soaked or something. Page flipping is faster than page number finding.

PDFs cannot be damaged or stained with drink, dropped in various places, or have their spines break.

 

[dragoner]

You don't pay $50 for a pdf and have it fall apart, as I have heard about with some new books, however, my ancient AD&D books have had their covers worn away and replaced with tape, but the pages have all stayed in place. PDF's can zoom which is easy on the old eyes, I wear bifocals too. Nevertheless I do still prefer books.

 

[dbm]

Page flipping is faster than page number finding.

you can flip pages

And for context, that’s a 338 page PDF, with another four open at the same time.

Beefy hardware can do a lot.

 

[darjr]

Yea, I can speed flip through a PDF on my iPad. And the “page acceleration” is the same ratio for pages so I can quickly judge about how “far apart” each section is. Not the same as a book but very useful. I don’t think beyond can do that though.

 

[Umbran]

Yes, but it is a fantastic solution...

In a technical sense. But the price point is excessive for this one use case.

It is a fantastic tool for the job and allows me to carry literally thousands of books with me all the time.

Which, of course is way more than you'd need in your entire life, so, who cares? We don't need it to carry thousands, We need it to carry maybe a couple dozen at any given time. Function in excess of need is not a rational selling point. It is like trying to sell me a Lamborghini when 90% of my driving is to go to the grocery store 3 miles from my house.

A big tablet is a fie piece of hardware, with many technical capabilities. But if all you're going to do is look at a few RPG pdfs, it is turning a cheap hobby into an expensive hobby.

If you need a device that you're going to use every day, for several things, then paying $500 to $1500 on a huge tablet may be a rational solution. Or, if you are simply wealthy, so that dropping $500+ on a thing you'll pick up only once in a while isn't an issue for you. But, I suspect most of us are pretty middle class folks, for whom that's not chump change.

Upthread, I mentioned that I do most of my fiction reading on an e-reader these days. Note that this e-reader was a gift, and runs under a hundred bucks, and I use it pretty much every day. That's great cost for use. A 12" tablet just for game pdfs? Unlikely to have the same payoff.

 

[dbm]

Function in excess of need is not a rational selling point.

My point is to show the art of the possible. Many people think PDFs are clunky and cumbersome. But that is because they have only used cheap or outdated hardware.

 

[Umbran]

My point is to show the art of the possible. Many people think PDFs are clunky and cumbersome. But that is because they have only used cheap or outdated hardware.

Yep. And my point is to note that expensive, up to date hardware... is expensive. It is great if you have cash to burn, and kind of not if you don't.