How Do You Keep Track of All Your RPG Books?

[Audiomancer]

As the title suggests, I’m curious how you keep tabs on your library of RPG rulebooks, adventures, supplements, splats, etc.

After 5E brought me back to rpgs, I began collecting and re-collecting older games I had back in the 1980s—Champions, GURPS, WEG Star Wars, Traveller… Also, thanks to a local FLGS that has a small section of used books, I’ve been able to pick up 3E/4E/Pathfinder stuff that might be fun to mine for ideas.

Now I have the challenge of keeping track of all this stuff, like remembering which of 3E Monster Manuals I own now, and not re-buying them just because I can’t keep the whole list in my head.

I’m currently maintaining a Google document, and that works, but I feel like there must be a better way.

Back when I was actively collecting comics, I used an app from CLZ that did the trick nicely, so I’m looking for something similar for RPG books. CLZ has apps for regular books, and for video games, but nothing specifically for RPGs.

Ideally, I’d like something that I can purchase once, instead of committing to an annual subscription. The ability to sync across multiple devices (phone, tablet, PC) would be a definite plus, but I could live with something that’s phone-only.

I’m sure some of you have whole bookshelves of gaming materials that put my collection to shame, so… How do you manage it?

Thanks in advance for any and all recommendations!

 

[TheAlkaizer]

I adopted a tool called Notion which I've introduced to my workplace. Since then I use it for a ton of things. It's basically a markdown-equivalent notetaking app with some powerful features like making some relational databases.

For RPGs, I have a database of games, and a database of books. Books can be tied to games. I can also give them properties like (setting, adventure, etc) and organize them, sort them, etc.

It's very convenient.

 

[TheLibrarian]

I use Library Thing to keep a catalog of all my books. There is a way to designate separate "collections" within all your books so I can classify them by D&D, Pathfinder, RPGs, History, Shannara, Religion, Star Wars, Art Book, etc. etc.

 

[stormwriter]

I tried using RPGGeek, then Notion, then some other tools, but eventually just went back to a spreadsheet. It has tabs for books and accessories (dice, gm screens, maps, tokens, etc), and the books are all categorized with name, genres, system, tags, publisher, type (adventure, core, supplement, setting, etc), ratings, pdf/physical, extra notes, etc.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I don't. I have almost bought the same book twice!!

 

[Distracted DM]

I don't. I have almost bought the same book twice!!

Hey, I HAVE bought the same book twice!

 

[dbm]

I have this thing called a ‘bookcase’. No subscriptions required

 

[Bagpuss]

Library Thing - currently 731 of my Gaming books are recorded there. However unfortunately you have manually enter a lot of the RPG books, as for some stupid reason it doesn't recognise them as books even though they are listed on Amazon, which is one of the places it searches.

What's even more annoying is after you manually enter them and you go to update the cover image you find someone else has already manually entered it but even those don't show up in the search, and worse if you do a site search while they turn up, you can't say tick a box saying "I have this".

Still it looks so cool when you do a "Covers" display of the books you have.

 

[Corinnguard]

I have this thing called a ‘bookcase’. No subscriptions required

It also helps to keep them in one place in your lair.

 

[Buzzqw]

for me librarything too, easy to use and mobile friendly

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