Making the cut for your TTRPG library

[Professor Murder]

Can't answer because this hasn't happened to me. I've only been in the hobby around 5 years at this point (give or take a year). While it's technically a cheap hobby - you just need pencil/paper and a free SRD or equivalent - it's expensive if you actually want the prewritten adventures and settings books. So I am very careful in what I buy. Now, I do have a couple digital books I bought from dndbeyond - Staircase and Radiant Citadel - that I haven't run yet because we've had higher priority things to run, but so far I haven't bought anything I hated. I am also planning to buy Daggerheart mostly for the art (which goes against being careful, but I am considering it a coffee table book rather than a TTRPG book). I'd like to run it, but I'm already having trouble finding enough time to run the systems I already own - Tales of the Valiant/D&D, Cosmere, Pathfinder 2e, and Starfinder 2e.

I stand by my assessment, in that the entry cost is low. One can always spend more. Also, as I said above, the costs are more manageable if shared. Compared to other geek hobbies, like Minis, CCGs, Video Games, yeah, it is cheap.

 

[djotaku]

I stand by my assessment, in that the entry cost is low. One can always spend more. Also, as I said above, the costs are more manageable if shared. Compared to other geek hobbies, like Minis, CCGs, Video Games, yeah, it is cheap.

oh 100% - amortized over the life of a game system it is definitely cheap. I didn't mean to disagree with you- just explaining why I haven't bought physical books that I later wanted to get rid of.

 

[Koloth]

Probably not a good person to respond. I still have my white box D&D and black box Traveller sets.
But even if you don't run them, there is a possibility that some talented GM that is financially challenged would be happy to run a group using those or other books. Sometimes as source material for a different type campaign or even game system.
If you have a steady group with someone that has a stable location, consider donating to the group library. I did that with a bunch of hardback d20 books I bought for about $2 each when the bubble burst on the d20 market sometime in the 3.0~3.5 era.

But buying more bookcases is my preferred answer. Invest in a good one rather then the cheap bends under its own weight Walmart specials. Or if you know someone that does woodworking, buy the material and have one made to your specifications. Or check thrift stores. Often a thrift store or garage sale bookcase can be had for less then the cost of one RPG book.

 

[djotaku]

Probably not a good person to respond. I still have my white box D&D and black box Traveller sets.
But even if you don't run them, there is a possibility that some talented GM that is financially challenged would be happy to run a group using those or other books. Sometimes as source material for a different type campaign or even game system.
If you have a steady group with someone that has a stable location, consider donating to the group library. I did that with a bunch of hardback d20 books I bought for about $2 each when the bubble burst on the d20 market sometime in the 3.0~3.5 era.

But buying more bookcases is my preferred answer. Invest in a good one rather then the cheap bends under its own weight Walmart specials. Or if you know someone that does woodworking, buy the material and have one made to your specifications. Or check thrift stores. Often a thrift store or garage sale bookcase can be had for less then the cost of one RPG book.

You remind me - my LFGS sells used TTRPG books. Presumably they buy them at a discount from the person getting rid of it. That might be a way to get some money back from books you didn't enjoy and/or regret buying.

 

[Professor Murder]

For those who are answering no, part of our answer may simply be you have no books in your collection you dont want in the collection at all. No poor purchases.

 

[Reynard]

When I had a move a little over a year ago, I gave away a literal pick up truck bed full of RPGs (in legal file boxes) away because I could not justifying moving them. I also gave away a similar amount of comic book trades. (My long box collection was destroyed by water a year before).

Now, with both comics and RPGs, I am very discerning. I want beautiful books I will actually use and read.

 

[Professor Murder]

When I had a move a little over a year ago, I gave away a literal pick up truck bed full of RPGs (in legal file boxes) away because I could not justifying moving them. I also gave away a similar amount of comic book trades. (My long box collection was destroyed by water a year before).

Now, with both comics and RPGs, I am very discerning. I want beautiful books I will actually use and read.

I recently unloaded a large chunk of my comics. They were just sitting and given that I got them in the 21st century, less than 1% were ever going to be appreciating in value.

 

[djotaku]

When I had a move a little over a year ago, I gave away a literal pick up truck bed full of RPGs (in legal file boxes) away because I could not justifying moving them. I also gave away a similar amount of comic book trades. (My long box collection was destroyed by water a year before).

Now, with both comics and RPGs, I am very discerning. I want beautiful books I will actually use and read.

Moving seems to be the catalyst for anyone who becomes discerning with books (of any kind) and choosing when the buy physical vs digital.