How do you read your TTRPG books?

[Shiroiken]

Suppliments I normally check the contents page to find the interesting bits first. After reading these, I then go back to read it sequentially, skipping the bits I already read.

Core Books (except monsters books), I read sequentially. Monster/Enemy books I read by the presumed challenge ability (if any), since I'm much more likely to use the weaker enemies than the more powerful ones. I'll eventually go back and read all the monster entries when I can.

 

[cmad1977]

Mostly whilst pooping.

 

[Mercador]

Mostly whilst pooping.

That's something I was asking myself -- how to write this question so it had the good meaning.

 

[Fenris-77]

That's something I was asking myself -- how to write this question so it had the good meaning.

The only thing I refuse to read on the pooper is cookbooks. Because yuck. Everything else is fair game.

 

[prabe]

The only thing I refuse to read on the pooper is cookbooks. Because yuck. Everything else is fair game.

The input's gotta come from somewhere, dunnit?

 

[GMMichael]

From your answers, I understand something; I don't do games anymore so I'm more looking for fluff books than system books but I still try to read them cover to cover and that's my error.

Erm, why are you buying books about games if you don't do games?

Might I recommend a quick read, no rules: the Lord of the Rings. It's based on D&D, I think.

I've seen enough rule books to know that a lot of the content is going to be how-to for beginners, so I skip over that stuff. Then, if something sounds derivative of D&D, I skip over that part, too. Then if it just gets bad, either with grammar, confusing rules, unnecessary rules, or using gratuitous tables, I'll skip that part.

So, yeah, I'm with @Hand of Evil, it's mostly about the pictures

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Aside from that first one or two cursory leaf-throughs, I generally read my RPG books sequentially. However, sometimes that devolves into skimming sections. How much skimming and how early I start to skim varies based on how much I enjoy the book. Some books keep my attention all the way through, while others it becomes a race to get back to something I find interesting.

 

[Mercador]

Erm, why are you buying books about games if you don't do games?

Might I recommend a quick read, no rules: the Lord of the Rings. It's based on D&D, I think.

I've seen enough rule books to know that a lot of the content is going to be how-to for beginners, so I skip over that stuff. Then, if something sounds derivative of D&D, I skip over that part, too. Then if it just gets bad, either with grammar, confusing rules, unnecessary rules, or using gratuitous tables, I'll skip that part.

So, yeah, I'm with @Hand of Evil, it's mostly about the pictures

Because I love the content? I love world building? I didn't know I couldn't buy those books because I don't play.

DnD is based on LOTR, not the other way around but I guess you are simply joking.

What I understand is that I love fluff books, not rules. I want to immerse myself within those worlds, it sparks my imagination and I think it helps my depressive disorder.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Depends on the book. Rule/Core books, pretty much end to end. Although I'll skip fluff parts. Fluff books/setting books, I'll jump around to whatever looks interesting. In particular gazeteers. And entire Gazeteers (Inner Sea World Guide for example) I'll read cover to cover. Adventures I plan to run, I read end to end, as I need to pretty much need to know the entire thing. Adventures I don't plan to run, I'll skip around, look to see if there are interesting encounters or map areas I can steal.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Adventures are a bit more intensive for me. I will read them through. Then, when I start running it, I will read it through again. And once I get through that, I will re-read each section as we get to it. I find I need to do more prep time for modules as opposed to my own adventures. My own adventures, they already live in my head enough for me to do a good job bringing them to life, but it takes more work to cram a published adventure in there and be able to do it justice.

Adventures I plan to run, I read end to end, as I need to pretty much need to know the entire thing.