Do You Have Too Many Books?

[Olaf the Stout]

Do any of you out there feel like that you have too many books?

I recently counted my books and found that I had 62 print books for D&D 3.0/3.5E plus another 36 books in PDF form. In addition to that I have a couple of year’s worth of issues of both Dungeon & Dragon Magazines (almost all 3.0E onwards) as well as the Dragon Magazine Archive.

This is just for D&D 3.x. I have many 2E AD&D books and PDF’s as well as pretty much all the books for Feng Shui and Paranoia XP.

I know a lot of people on these boards have many, many more books than that. The point of this thread is not to make this into some sort of competition. I just look at the number of books that I have and think, “Why do I need so many?” At the same time there are a number (albeit very small number) of books out there that I want to buy, such as “Bard’s Gate”, “Rappan Athuk Reloaded”, “A Magical Society: Silk Road”, “PHB 2”, etc.

I don’t understand why, on one hand, I have more books than I could ever possibly use yet, at the same time I want to buy more. Is it modern age materialism? Ddo I want to explore as many different options as possible in the game? Are there just too many cool products out there? Or am I simply just plain greedy?

I don’t know the answer to that question or the one that I posed at the top of my post. Maybe it is a combination of a lot of reasons, rather than just one thing. I just find it strange. Does anyone else feel the same way or have any thoughts on this issue?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Turanil]

Yes, I have too many books. I would like to sell a dozen of them on ebay, but recently ebay doesn't sell rpg books as it sold 3 years ago. Of course I wish to buy a couple more, for different games (especially True20), but I think that in the future I will rather buy PDFs.

Are there just too many cool products out there?

This is the main reason I think... Too much cool stuff, not enough time to play.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Personally, I think it's a combination of a) the cool ideas out there and b) the nature of the d20 rules.

a) speaks for itself. There's a ton of fascinating, cool, intriguing and innovative products on the market right now.

As for b), I prefer HERO to core d20, but have never had a burning desire to buy HERO supplements even though I play both games about the same amount. Ultimately, in an effects-based system, I don't need fifty books to allow me to make a fire elemental spellcaster whose every power is based on his theme, or a really effective shapeshifter who isn't a druid, or a monster-as-PC, or any of the myriad non-D&D-archtype characters out there. Nor do I need fifty books to provide a myriad of possibilities for NPCs.

 

[Dog Moon]

Me, personally, no, but some of my friends, probably yes.

Well, there are a few 2e books I have and don't care about, but it's not because I feel I have too many of them, but more cause I doubt they'll really ever get used much [if at all] again.

 

[jaerdaph]

Probably, yes. I have a number I've never used, a few I haven't even read.

There's also the storage/space issue. I have over the last couple of years become greatly enamored of ebook PDFs to the point I now actually prefer them. In fact, as a "grand experiment", I've decided that all my True20 purchases will be ebook only.

 

[Agamon]

Considering I have books I haven't even read yet (Underdark, BoED, Menace Manual, Unapproachable East), let alone used, I'd have to say, yes.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I think half of my issue is that I have books that I haven't read at all or have very briefly glanced at yet I still want more. I almost feel like a neglectful parent in some respect. I feel like I should be giving the books I own a chance before I move onto newer, shinier ones.

Olaf the Stout

 

[AuraSeer]

If you feel you have too many gaming books, please send the excess to me for safe disposal.

 

[diaglo]

officially i do now have too many books.

diaglo "swamped reading books for the Ennies" Ooi

 

[Drowbane]

::trying to comprehend the words:: tu... min-ni... buhcs?

What is that Greek?