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Message: <blockquote data-quote="thormagni" data-source="post: 1543883" data-attributes="member: 13637">My book buying habitsI have to agree with both Bob and Vincent to some extent. Sure, as Vincent said, you need to make some investment in your hobby if you are truly taking part in that hobby. Buying books, dice, figures, etc., shows a level of commitment and interest. If someone wants to be a chess player, they probably should know how to play the game and maybe own a chess set. But as Bob said, I think a lot of gaming books are aimed at DMs in particular and player's who have more money than sense. You can be a champion-level chess player, with a $1.99 board and plastic pieces. Buying the ivory and ebony board with hand-carved, one-of-a-kind pieces for $2,000 is a sign of love of the game and an excess of spending money. If you are going to play a D&D paladin, you don't need to buy 15 books from different publishers on how to best play a paladin.Really, my gaming book-buying habits have changed pretty drastically over the past 10 years. Back in my Navy days, I would pick up every Champions and AD&D book that came out (well general AD&D books and Greyhawk books at least, I never really got into Forgotten Realms.) But the expansion in game lines (Ravenloft, Mystara, Dark Sun, Birthright, Spelljammer, etc.) came at the same time as my newfound college student brokeness, and shortly before my being married and having to answer to someone else for my spendthriftiness. Then I became more of a used book buyer. I would hardly ever snatch something up new, but wait until it started making its way to used book store shelves.I sort of went that way until about 2000. I really started buying again in earnest when 3rd edition D&D came out. But now I am much more of a bargain hunter type of gaming consumer. I have bought a lot of stuff recently off of clearance racks. And I am much more likely to purchase off of Amazon or the Gamers Attic Web site than I am to buy a full-priced book off of the shelf. I just want the most bang for my buck and it is hard to rationalize spending full-price plus tax at at store when I can get it for 30-40 percent off with free shipping online.I have also become more savvy about waiting to see what other gamers say about a product either online, word-of-mouth or in reviews before I commit to buying it. If possible, I download PDFs and read through them before deciding whether to buy or not buy. I have bought at least a dozen books based on reading through a copyright-violating PDF and saying "Hey, I really think I want to own this." Converesely, I have decided not to buy many books because of bad reviews, or I skimmed through a PDF and said "This is a waste of money." And I HATE getting a game book home and finding out that it wasn't worth the money I spent on it.There are a few books coming out this summer that I will definitely buy, no matter what. The second printing of Conan, Aberrant D20, the Authority game from Guardians of Order. But I will probably try to find a way to spend less than full-price for all of them.</blockquote>

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