Gotta Have Them All Gamers -- a problem?

[Bullgrit]

Most players I know want to have their own books or even start collecting (almost) every book for the games they play.

The first part of this idea (want to have their own books) is a good thing. But is the second part (start collecting every book for the game) a "personal problem"?

I've known gamers who were like this. If a game has 100 supplemental books, the gotta-have-them-all gamer collects all 100 books. And he probably lobbies to have them all included for the campaign.

Even though the game is perfectly playable, forever, with just the core book(s), the GHTA gamer slowly or suddenly gets the game expanded into all the supplemental materials. The other Players feel the desire or need to grab things from the extra books. Soon, the GM feels overwhelmed by the rules, and his campaign spins out of control.

Is this personal need/desire to collect all the books for a game a personality problem for the GHTA gamer?

Do you own all (or near all) the books available for your game? Do you buy them because you just like reading them, or do you buy them because they exist?

Like, how many monster books do you have versus how many do you actually use/need?

Do you own any class books for a class(es) that you never play?

When a new book for your game of choice is released, what is your thought process:

"Meh. I don't need it."

"Hmm. That sounds interesting. I'll have to take a look through it to see if I want it or could use it."

"A new book! ZOMG! I must have it! What's the title?"

"My FLGS automatically sets one aside, charges my account, and mails it to me. I've got six on my book shelf that I haven't had time to read yet."

Bullgrit

 

[Crothian]

4e I have most of the harbacks but very few adventures since I haven't liked them as much. 3e I have most of the books but no Forgotten Realms and no MM's past the first because I wasn't impressed by them. Plus in 3e 3pp have much better monster books then Wizards.

My players have very few books and mostly it is the ones they use. Also, with the large number of used books stores around here that has bolstered the collections as there are books I buy dirt cheap that I didn't have before.

 

[delericho]

The first part of this idea (want to have their own books) is a good thing. But is the second part (start collecting every book for the game) a "personal problem"?

Can be, but usually not IMO.

I've known gamers who were like this. If a game has 100 supplemental books, the gotta-have-them-all gamer collects all 100 books. And he probably lobbies to have them all included for the campaign.

I've never had a problem with a player lobbying to have "book X" introduced into a campaign. If they ask, and I don't have a good reason for saying "no", then I'll say yes. (Sometimes, a "good reason" is nothing more than "I want to play Core Rules Only".) If I do say "no", I've never had a player press the issue - they have always trusted that I have a good reason, and they also trust that in some future campaign they'll get to play their Drow/Pirate/Ninja/Zombie/Cyborg...

However, I can certainly see the possibility that someone might take it to an extreme, and therefore become a problem.

(For me, it also helps that I almost invariably own more of the supplements for a given game than any of my players.)

Do you own all (or near all) the books available for your game? Do you buy them because you just like reading them, or do you buy them because they exist?

I own lots of games, many of which I have never played. I have two or three "games of choice", which occasionally change (the current set is WFRP 2.0, D&D 3.5 and SWSE), for which I'll buy a bunch of books.

I used to buy books for the simple enjoyment of reading them. However, a few years ago I concluded that most games run best with a limited subset of carefully-chosen supplements added, and so became much more selective in my purchases. (The trend towards very crunch-heavy books also cut down on my buying a lot - there's little to no pleasure in reading a book such as "Martial Power".)

Like, how many monster books do you have versus how many do you actually use/need?

I treat monster and adventure books as "idea mines", and so they are my most-purchased items. There's almost always something I will use, or if not then just reading the book usually gives me a bunch of ideas that I will use.

Still, I have many more monster books than I regularly use.

(Also, adventure books in particular tend to be much more "fluff-heavy" than other books, so they tend to be more enjoyable to read... I also like (older) setting sourcebooks for the same reason.)

Do you own any class books for a class(es) that you never play?

I'm almost exclusively the DM. And I have a strict rule that I will not allow the use of any book I don't personally own (too many bad experiences to do otherwise, though I believe it's less of an issue in 4e). If I am going to allow a class book for one class, I generally prefer to allow the classbooks for all.

So, in short: yes.

When a new book for your game of choice is released, what is your thought process:

These days I ignore pretty much everything except Pathfinder and Star Wars Saga Edition * (there aren't any new Warhammer 2e books being published, AFAIK). For these books, I ask myself if the book is going to directly add to my game, or if it will be sufficiently interesting to read for the ideas alone. Only if the answer to one of these is "yes" do I buy the book.

One exception: I have a subscription to the main Pathfinder "Adventure Path" line. Therefore, I get that every month.

* There are many other fine games out there. But I'm barely gaming at the best of times, and when we do play we want to just get on with things - we don't really want to bother with Yet Another Rule System. So, fine as "Game Z" may be, I'm not currently in the market.

 

[fba827]

I am not a "GHTA gamer" -- if I think a book/supplement is interesting, I buy it. Even if I don't get to use it, I enjoy reading through it. But if I don't think it'll be interesting then I don't get it.

What bothers me with "GHTA gamers" (as you define them) is when they start pushing others in the group to use/read/incorporate things from random sources (be it DM or player pushing it on other DM or player)... just because you have it doesn't mean I want it or find it as interesting that i need it forced on me. (wow, there is a metaphor there that i won't get in to...)

 

[maddman75]

I don't allow things in that I don't own. And I don't buy all that many suppliments.

To be honest, if a player wants something new for their character I'd rather make something up than sift through a rulebook.

I only buy suppliments that will be heavily used in game.

 

[El Mahdi]

The first part of this idea (want to have their own books) is a good thing. But is the second part (start collecting every book for the game) a "personal problem"?...

Bullgrit

I don't think it's a problem in and of itself. I've been a bit of a completionist at times also (like when I first got bit with the D&D bug - as a newbie, I wanted to have everything ever written).

I don't think it becomes a problem until the collector wants to start demanding the DM follow every bit of obscure information from every book ever written.

 

[TerraDave]

Was going to say "Those who buy all the books are called GMs. Those who buy none or one are called players"



BUT...as a DM, I got over my GHTA stage in 2E (though I still might suffer from GTHTM).

And I have had players buy books I considered superflous and they didn't really use. Main issue I have had with this is that is makes the game expensive for them, more then it has to be, and this has actually become a source of resentment.

But I know some odd people.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Disclaimer: All of the following is IMO in case anyone reads into it othwerwise.

The first part of this idea (want to have their own books) is a good thing. But is the second part (start collecting every book for the game) a "personal problem"?

Only if buying all of the books causes harm to the person's fiscal responsibilities or future economic health and they still decide to proceed. Like a gambler that fritters all his money away, loses his house and his family and spends the rest of his life broke.

I have problem with a little different twist on this. My Game of Choice (GOC) is D&D. But I used to enjoy a break to a different game once in a while to avoid D&D burnout. I have one player that all but refuses to play a new game unless he owns at least the core books. But he is fiscally responsible (mostly), so he won't buy new books and therefore puts a crimp on our group taking a diversion to a different game. No amount of book lending will convince him otherwise.

I've known gamers who were like this. If a game has 100 supplemental books, the gotta-have-them-all gamer collects all 100 books. And he probably lobbies to have them all included for the campaign.

Seems logical to me so far. I enjoy having options in the games I run, even if I don't have all the books my players do.

Even though the game is perfectly playable, forever, with just the core book(s), the GHTA gamer slowly or suddenly gets the game expanded into all the supplemental materials. The other Players feel the desire or need to grab things from the extra books. Soon, the GM feels overwhelmed by the rules, and his campaign spins out of control.

I'll stick with my main GOC over the years:

BECMI/1E - Options were kept in check, relatively. I had no problems keeping up with the snail's pace of new material.

2E - Kits! These weren't a problem for me, but became a huge issue amongst my players. We had a GHTA player in this era. Other players who didn't have the money or time to be a GHTA player felt left behind by the options the GTHA player would find in his plethora of books. He had options that made his characters objectively better than theirs and they didn't have the time to pore through all the books even if he lent them to them.

3E - This was biggest conundrum. Like I said, I LIKE providing options in my game. But the multiclassing rules here allowed for the massive amount of choices to create anything from a massive one-man-gang to a pathetic weakling that had to beware of commoners. OK, so I exaggerate slightly to speak about the disparity in the power curve that allowed my high-level games to spiral out of control.

4E - Off to a good start. The structure of the system allows choices with less chance of breaking the system. Add to this the Compendium and I don't have to buy every book to keep up with my players. I can buy what I need as DM And let them buy what they wish as players.

Is this personal need/desire to collect all the books for a game a personality problem for the GHTA gamer?

Maybe, see above. More likely it is just enthusiasm regarding their chosen hobby. And as long as the hobby doesn't overstep their responsibilities I wouldn't consider it a problem.

Do you own all (or near all) the books available for your game? Do you buy them because you just like reading them, or do you buy them because they exist?

I've never owned anywhere near all of any system I've played. You might be able to count 1E Earthdawn, but there wasn't that much material beyond the adventures to GHTA. I buy books because I enjoy the game and the options.

Like, how many monster books do you have versus how many do you actually use/need?

1E - MMI - MMIII plus FF - I used them all.
2E - The main MC plus a couple more - I used them all.
3E - MMI (twice) - MMII plus FF - I used them all.
4E - MMI only - I rarely use the book, I prefer the Compendium.

Do you own any class books for a class(es) that you never play?

I mainly DM and I used to buy supplements to build NPCs, especially in 3E. Now, I don't own a single class book for 4E. When I get the rare chance to play instead of DM I have the Character Builder.

When a new book for your game of choice is released, what is your thought process:

Do I find it interesting? Will it help me DM better adventures?

 

[AllisterH]

For me, I've been lucky so far in 4e.

Thanks to the DDI, there aren't THAT many books you actually need to collect.

The one edition which I think impossible to keep up with was 2e. Seriously, TSR would release a new book every week.

 

[frankthedm]

A severe problem that drives up secondary market prices on all sorts of materials.