Do you read RPG books all the way through?

[Voadam]

I'll start a list here of ones I know I have.

WotC/TSR:

Spoiler

5e: (1,761)
Conversions to 5th Edition D&D (4) (11/30/21)
D&D Starter Set (118)
Dungeon Master's Guide (320) (2/15/20)
Elemental Evil Player's Companion (25) (7/30/22)
Monster Manual (352)
Players Handbook (320) (6/23/19)
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (192) (8/6/23)
Unearthed Arcana: Artificer Version 2 (14) (8/24/21)
Volo's Guide to Monsters (224) (7/16/17)
Xanathar's Guide to Everything (192) (6/22/21)

4e: (1,922)
Dragon Magazine 364 (85)
Dragon Magazine 365 (80)
Dragon Magazine 366 (87) (9/20/18)
Dragon Magazine 367 (75) (9/11/19)
Dragon Magazine 368 (100) (6/16/22)
Dragon Magazine 369 (71) (12/26/23)
Dungeon Master's Guide (224)
Heroes of the Fallen Lands (368)
Monster Manual (288)
Player's Handbook (320)
Player's Handbook II (224)

3.5: (928)
Dragonlance Campaign Setting (288)
Monster Manual (320) (12/15/18)
Sons of Gruumsh (32)
Tome of Magic (288)

3.0: (1,645)
A Call to Arms (8) (6/26/18)
Adventure Game Boxed Set (112)
Book of Challenges (128)
Burning Plague (11)
Construction Journal: The Alqalinde Guildhouse A Stronghold Builder's Guidebook Web Enhancement (7) (12/17/19)
Conversion Manual (23) (11/30/18)
D&D Gazetteer (32) (9/30/22)
Fiend Folio (224) (5/15/18)
Lord of the Iron Fortress (48)
Monster Manual (224) (3/26/17)
Monster Manual II (224) (1/27/18)
Player's Handbook (304)
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (192)
Something's Cooking (5)
Sword and Fist (96)
Tiger's Palace (7)

2e: (3,549)
A Players Primer to the Outlands (32) (10/1/23)
Arms and Equipment Guide (93)
Complete Bard's Handbook (128)
Complete Thief's Handbook (128)
Demihuman Deities (192)
Faiths & Avatars (192)
MC8 Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (96) (11/5/19)
Powers & Pantheons (192)
Prayers from the Faithful (128)
Priest's Spell Compendium Volume I (288)
Priest's Spell Compendium Volume II (288)
Priest's Spell Compendium Volume III (288)
Ravenloft The Awakening (64)
Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts (96) (5/31/18)
Van Richten's Guide to the Ancient Dead (96) (11/9/23)
Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts (96)
Wizard's Spell Compendium Volume I (288)
Wizard's Spell Compendium Volume II (288)
Wizard's Spell Compendium Volume III (288)
Wizard's Spell Compendium Volume IV (288)

1e: (952)
1980 Greyhawk Campaign Setting Folio (32)
C1 The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (40) (5/16/19)
Dungeon Master's Guide (240)
Fiend Folio (128)
Forgotten Realms Empires of the Sands (64)
Monster Manual (112)
Monster Manual II (160) (3/13/23)
Player's Handbook (128)
Under Illefarn (48)

OD&D: (344)
Dragon Magazine 1 (32) (1/21/19)
Dragon Magazine 2 (32) (1/4/20)
Dungeons and Dragons (OD&D) (142) (1/1/20)
Dungeons and Dragons (Holmes edition) (48)
The Strategic Review Vol. 1 No. 1 (6)
The Strategic Review Vol. 1 No. 2 (8)
The Strategic Review Vol. 1 No. 3 (8)
The Strategic Review Vol. 1 No. 4 (12)
The Strategic Review Vol. 1 No. 5 (16)
The Strategic Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (16)
The Strategic Review Vol. 2 No. 2 (24)

Statless: (400)
A Practical Guide to Dragon Riding (80)
A Practical Guide to Dragons (80)
A Practical Guide to Monsters (80)
The Grand History of the Realms (160)

Others:

Spoiler

93 Game Studios: (101)

3.5: (19)
Hooking Bait (19)

d20 Modern: (82)
Blood of Dionysus (30)
Spider Asylum (25)
The Senseless (27)


Adamant Entertainment: (53)

4e: (37)
Scourge of the Rat-Men (37)

3.5: (16)
40 Alchemical Items (16)


Alderac Entertainment Group: (784)

3.0: (320)
Rokugan (224)
Swashbuckling Arcana (96)
The Prison City of Hell's Reach (16) (4/12/24)

7th Sea: (448)
Avalon (128)
Castille (128)
Church of the Prophets (128)
Compendium (64) (11/8/17)


Alluria Publishing: (23)

4e:
Alluria Campaign Setting Guide (23) (5/10/22)


Arthaus: (584)

3.5:
Manual of Monsters (204)

3.0:
Ravenloft Campaign Setting (224)
Denizens of Darkness (160)


Atlas Games: (368)

3.0:
Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary (368)


Avalanche Press: (288)

3.0: (288)
Doom of Odin (64)
Nile Empire: War in Heliopolis (64)
Ragnarok! (48)
The Little People (64)
Twilight of Atlantis (48)


Bad Axe Games: (78)

3.0:
Heroes of High Favor: Elves (78)


Bards and Sages: (22)

3.5 Nemesis VIII: Cults of Personality (22) (1/28/23)


Bastion Press: (2,145)

3.5: (1,593)
Alchemy & Herbalists 3.5 (107)
Arms & Armor 3.5 (176)
Complete Minions (128)
Doomstriders (128)
Into the Black (96)
Into the Blue (96)
Oathbound Arena (160)
Oathbound Mysteries of Arena (128)
Oathbound Wrack and Ruin (128)
Out for Blood (96)
Torn Asunder (96)
Wildwood (254)

3.0: (552)
Druids and Druidism (70)
Egyptian Gods (64)
Greek Gods (47)
Into the Green (96)
Minions Rebirth (128)
Norse Gods (51)
Spells and Magic (96)


Bat in the Attic Games: (24)

OD&D:
Blackmarsh (24)


BBC Books: (352)

Statless:
Doctor Who: The Ultimate Monster Guide (352) (3/12/20)


Bloodstone Press: (42)

3.5:
Bane Ledger (42)


Calidar Publishing: (132)

Pathfinder 1e:
Calidar in Stranger Skies (132) (3/26/22)


Chainmail Bikini Games: (134)

3.0: (134)
Beyond Monks (67)
Call to Duty (67)


Chaos Factory: (12)

Dark Fantasy Basic:
Dark Fantasy Magic: (12) (11/2/21)


Chaosium: (114)

OD&D:
All the World's Monsters Volume I (114) (1/9/19)


Chronicle Books: (176)

Statless:
The Wildlife of Star Wars (176) (3/27/24)


Creative Conclave: (46)

3.5:
Lazy GM Ninjas vs Pirates (46)


Creative Mountain Games: (39)

3.0:
The Whispering Woodwind (39)


Cut to the Chase Games: (49)

5e:
BF1 Tower of Skulls (49) (11/29/18)


Different Worlds Publications: (240)

3.5:
The Eight Kings (64)
Valus (176)


DK: (416)

Statless:
DC Comics Ultimate Character Guide (208) (2/28/24)
Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia (208)


Dragonsfoot: (11)

1e:
Manual of Professions A Dungeoneer's Guide to Aeronautics (11)


Dreamscarred Press: (9)

3.5:
Phrenic Creations Memory Crystals (9)


E.N. Publishing: (178)

3.5:
E.N. Critters 4 Along the Banks of the River Vaal (64)

3.0:
Librum Equitis Compiled (114)


Eden Studios: (160)

3.0:
Liber Bestarius (160)


Emerald Press: (235)

3.5:
Campaign Options Mazes (108) (9/7/20)
Campaign Options Wilderness Masters (127) (7/3/20)


Ennead Games: (16)

Statless:
[SSK] - Starship Kits - Volume 3 - Class/Type (16) (4/30/21)


Expeditious Retreat Press: (54)

4e:
Lands of Darkness The Barrow Grounds (24)

3.5:
The Star of Olindor (20)

Osric:
Old School Gazette 1 (5)
Old School Gazette 10 (5)


Fantasy Flight Games: (304)

3.0:
Draconic Lore (64) (11/15/20)
Mythic Races (176)
Necromantic Lore (64) (3/29/17)


FASA: (236)

Shadowrun:
New Seattle (132) (3/25/17)
Shadowbeat (104)


Fat Goblin Games: (9)

Pathfinder:
Racial Ecologies Catfolk (9)


Fearless Goblin Games: (16)

4e:
Nightmares Dreams of the Damned (16) (5/27/21)


Fiery Dragon: (46)

3.0:
Counter Collection I The Usual Suspects (18)
Counter Collection 7 Undead (28)


Fighting Fantasy: (336)
Out of the Pit (336)


Gamer Assembly: (36)

Multisystem:
Call to Assembly 1 (36) (4/9/23)
Call to Assembly 2 (24) (1/27/24)


Games Workshop: (196)

Blood Bowl:
Human Playbook (4)

Statless:
World of Warhammer (192) (2/1/20)


Genjitsu Games (48)

3.5:
A Flock of Foes (48) (6/10/23)


Goodman Games: (52)

3.5:
Complete Guide to Drow (52)


GRAmel: (13)

Adventurers!:
Gothica (13) (1/27/19)


Green Ronin: (1,056)

Statless:
Pirate's Guide to Freeport (256)

3.5:
Bleeding Edge #1: Mansion of Shadows (48) (3/24/18)
Book of Fiends (224)
Creatures of Freeport (96) (1/23/19)
Freeport Trilogy (144)
SpirosBlaak (160)

3.0:
Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts (64)
The Witch's Handbook (64)


HarperCollins Children's Books: (80)

Statless:
Vampires and Other Monstrous Creatures (80) (9/2/21)


Holistic Design: (112)

3.0/Fading Suns 1e:
Lord Erbian's Stellar Bestiary (112) (10/13/21)


IDA: (65)

3.0:
Lunar Knights (65)


Inner Circle Games: (224)

3.5:
Denizens of Avadnu (224)


Jon Brazer Enterprises: (68)

Pathfinder
Book of Beasts Legendary Foes (68)


Jonathan Stark: (28)

5e:
Carrion Crown #1 The Haunting of Harrowstone 5e Conversion (28) (6/28/19)


Karmatech: (56)

3.5
PsiHammer Psychic-Fantasy Roleplaying Rules (56) (7/16/23)


Kenzer and Co.: (192)

3.0:
Harvest of Darkness (64)
Midnight's Terror (80)

Hackmaster:
B1 Quest for the Unknown (48)


Khan's Press: (85)

3.5:
Soul Harvest (85)


Kobold Press: (108)

5e:
Book of Lairs (108) (12/16/19)


Legendary Games: (363)

5e:
The Fiddler's Lament (5e) (16) (1/22/19)
The Murmuring Fountain (5e) (16) (1/11/19)

Pathfinder:
Beasts of Legend Coldwood Codex (35)
Boreal Bestiary (40)
Gothic Campaign Compendium (256)


Living Imagination: (432)

3.0:
Broadsides! (128)
Twin Crowns Campaign Setting (304)


LPJ Design: (10)

5e:
World of Obsidian Apocalypse (5E) (10) (2/16/23)


Malhavoc Press: (775)

3.5:
Anger of Angels (128) (8/24/17)
Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions (64) (9/7/19)
Complete Book of Eldritch Might (224)
Hyperconsciousness (160) (5/3/23)
Mindscapes: Beasts of the Id (32) (10/9/19)
When the Sky Falls (64) (4/23/22)

3.0:
Demon God's Fane (48)

Arcana Evolved:
Way of the Sword (55)


Margaret Weiss Productions (160)

3.5:
Bestiary of Krynn Revised (160)


Mayfair Games: (160)

1e:
Dark Folk (96) (1/28/22)
Raiders of Ironrock (64)


Metropolis Ltd.: (176)

Kult:
Legions of Darkness (176)


Modiphius: (259)

2d20:
Conan d20-to-2d20 Conversion Guide (19) (6/22/20)
Conan Ancient Ruins & Cursed Cities (120) (8/20/20)

Statless:
The Art of Conan (120) (10/13/22)


Mongoose Publishing: (656)

3.5:
Slayer's Guide to Demons (128)

3.0:
Encyclopedia Divine: Fey Magic (64)
Quintessential Witch (128)
Quintessential Wizard (128)
Slayer's Guide to Trolls (32)

Conan RPG:
Bestiary of the Hyborian Age (176)


Mystic Eye Games: (128)

3.0:
Mystic Warriors (128)


Necromancer Games: (244)

3.5
Tome of Horrors III (244)


Netbooks:

2e:
Netbook of Armor 1.1 (22)


Paizo: (1,601)

Pathfinder 1e: (1,377)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 43 Carrion Crown: The Haunting of Harrowstone (96)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 44 Carrion Crown: Trial of the Beast (96) (4/8/18)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 45 Carrion Crown: Broken Moon (96) (4/2/18)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 46 Carrion Crown: Wake of the Watcher (96) (9/19/18)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 47 Carrion Crown: Ashes at Dawn (96) (11/8/18)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 48 Carrion Crown: Shadows of Gallowspire (96) (8/1/19)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 67 Reign of Winter The Snows of Summer (96)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 68 Reign of Winter The Shackled Hut (96)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 69 Reign of Winter Mother, Maiden, Crone (96)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 85 Iron Gods Fires of Creation (96) (3/25/21)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 86 Iron Gods Lords of Rust (96) (12/15/21)
Pathfinder Adventure Path 87 Iron Gods The Choking Tower (96) (12/4/22)
Pathfinder Adventure Path Carrion Crown Player's Guide (15)
Pathfinder Adventure Path Giantslayer Player's Guide (16) (5/29/18)
Pathfinder Adventure Path Hell's Rebels Player's Guide (34) (9/28/20)
Pathfinder Adventure Path Hell's Vengeance Player's Guide (20) (11/15/22)
Pathfinder Adventure Path Iron Gods Player's Guide (12) (12/1/20)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting Numeria, Land of Fallen Stars (64) (2/23/21)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting Rule of Fear (64)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting Undead Revisited (64) (3/23/19)
Pathfinder Module: Carrion Hill (32) (4/25/18)

3.5: (320)
Game Mastery Module J3 Crucible of Chaos (32)
Osirion Land of Pharaohs (32)
Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting (256)


Pariah Press: (110)

Whispering Vault:
Dangerous Prey (110)


Pelgrane Press: (75)

13th Age: (8)
13th Age Bestiary Preview Naga (8)

Gumshoe: (67)
Alchemy (12) (11/18/18)
Bast (11) (11/23/18)
Foul Congeries 3 (12) (2/5/20)
Hideous Creatures Hunting Horror (10) (10/3/20)
Hideous Creatures Wendigo (11) (7/29/21)
Unspeakable Cults: The Starry Wisdom (11) (1/18/21)


Privateer Press: (480)

3.5: (480)
Monsternomicon 3.5 (240)
Monsternomicon II (240)


Rigon (26)

Castles and Crusades: (26)
C&C DL Adaptation (26)


Rite Publishing: (75)

Pathfinder: (23)
30 Variant Dragons (23)

Arcana Evolved: (52)
Items Evolved: Rituals (6)
Monsters Evolved: Mythical Monstrosities (26)
Monsters Evolved: Veiled Denizens (20)


Ronin Arts: (15)

3.5: (15)
Core Class Variants (before it was revised) (15)


S.T. Cooley Publishing: (74)

3.0:
Enchiridion of Mystic Music (74)


Sean K. Reynolds Games: (127)

3.5:
Hungry Little Monsters (63)
The New Argonauts (64) (1/22/20)


Sam Chupp Media: (80)

Statless:
Book of the Kiss (80) (9/12/23)


Sigil Stone Publishing: (244)

Ethos Engine:
Belly of the Beast (244) (8/28/22)


Silverthorne Games: (153)

3.5: (84)
Template Troves, Volume I: Serpents, Spiders & Godlings (42) (4/6/20)
Template Troves, Volume II: Oozes & Aberrations (42) (11/1/20)

3.0: (69)
Book of Templates (69)


Sinister Adventures: (8)

3.5:
Dajobas (8)


Skirmisher Press: (46)

Statless:
100 Oddities for a Creepy Old House (10) (3/27/19)
Kos Island (36) (6/21/18)


Sorcerer's Apprentice Magazine: (53)

1e?:
Little Shop of Poisons and Potions (53)


Steve Jackson Games: (512)

GURPS 3e:
GURPS Basic Set (256)
GURPS Aliens (128) (1/13/18)
GURPS Bestiary (128)


Sword Sorcery Studios: (2,216)

3.5:
Creature Collection Revised (248)
Creature Collection III (224)
Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands (288)

3.0:
Burok Torn (128)
Creature Collection II (248)
Monsters of Luclin (128)
Monsters of Norrath (224)
Relics and Rituals (224)
Relics and Rituals II (240)
Scarred Lands Gazetteer: Ghelspad (32)
The Divine and the Defeated (232)


Tabletop Adventures: (193)

3.5:
Bits of Darkness: Caverns (53) (5/3/20)
Bits of Magica: Rings and Jewels (75)
Bits of the Wilderness: Into the Mountains (65)


The Le Games: (16)

3.5:
17 Archer Feats (9)
Coupons and Feats (7)


Throwing Dice Games: (66)

3.0:
Joe's Book of Enchantment (66)


Total Party Kill Games: (3)

Statless:
1KWA1: The Dark Hunters (3) (2/20/22)


Troll Lord Games: (168)

3.0:
Codex of Erde Gazetteer (40)

Castles and Crusades:
Monsters and Treasures 2nd Printing (128)


White Wolf: (438)

Mage the Ascension:
Order of Hermes (72)

Werewolf the Apocalypse:
Werewolf Player's Guide (232)

Vampire the Masquerade:
The Book of Nod (134) (2/21/20)

 

[senna]

I'll read WoD ones from front to back multiple times.

Man, thats though. The oWOD books are some of the most repetitive rpg books i ever see, the changeling book for example has the houses information in three formats in three diferent parts of the book. The begining fluf is top notch, but the way information is formated is a nightmare to me, i tried several times reading their books cover to cover and this feature aways made me fail.

 

[Morrus]

No. They're not a good read. They're reference books, and I use them as such.

 

[Lacyon]

No. They're not a good read. They're reference books, and I use them as such.

Mostly like that.

(I ended up voting yes, because the poll asks if you ever do, and sometimes I'm bored)

 

[delericho]

Yes.

 

[Betote]

Mostly setting, adventures and supplemental rules, in that order of preference. What I almost never read are "lists": I won't read a Feats or Spells chapter, but I love reading the "DM wisdom" section that every core books seems to have

 

[Shemeska]

Yes, but only for books that are packed with well written, evocative flavor text, rather than reading like a text book. This pretty much negates any chance of my reading most 3.x WotC books except for the gems like Fiendish Codex I or Lords of Madness, and 4e books seem to have less flavor text from all I've seen.

However I've read cover to cover almost every Shadowrun, WoD, and Golarion/Pathfinder book I own. Awesome games/settings and fun to read as well.

 

[Dragonbait]

Usually no, but..

...only for books that are packed with well written, evocative flavor text, rather than reading like a text book. This pretty much negates any chance of my reading most 3.x WotC books except for the gems like Fiendish Codex I or Lords of Madness, and 4e books seem to have less flavor text from all I've seen.

I've read through Planescape, Ravenloft, Cadwallon, Warhammer FRP, and other game books but I rarely seem to delve into D&D's fluff even though that's what I normally GM. Shemeska named a few WoTC books I have read through.

On the flip side, if they are incredibly packed with info, I don't read them. The Forgotten Realms 3E setting book is an example of this. I'll read about the day to day lives, some of the lands I'm GMing in, and so on but never the entire book.

 

[justanobody]

I am a chapter bouncer.

I don't recall ever really reading Time and Movement in my AD&D PHB. I know it is there, but can't recall actually reading it.

 

[Agamon]

I voted no, because not usually, though I have read number of them straight through. I don't read spells, powers or monsters though, those are usually skipped until I need to read them.