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Message: <blockquote data-quote="schneeland" data-source="post: 9522208" data-attributes="member: 6900337">In line with the OP and many other that have commented, there is a clear downward trend in physical products for me, roughly since 2020. And while there is an element of needing to move, too, I think the three main factors are:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Digital is good enough for me (in many cases). I have two iPads, which, among others, work well as overpriced eBook readers, and throughout the pandemic I become used to online play - so now there's a lot less need for physical books if I want to play. Basically the only reason to buy a physical book now is because I like the game a lot and want a nice thing that sits on my shelves.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ebb and flow of interest in the hobby. When 5e launched, it rekindled my interest in the hobby after it had slowly fizzled over many years of playing 3e, and from 2015 to 2020, I explored a lot of things (OSR, PbtA/FitD, ...) that I had missed when I was just playing with the same people. I bought a lot of stuff during that time, but at some point I felt I had "caught up" and I also had a much better idea of what I like in RPGs - and also what not. And for things in the latter category, there was little point in keeping them in print (I'm not really bothered by PDFs).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Being in the "second half of the match". I never cared much about age until I hit 40 (a few years back). But now that, statistically speaking, I'm closer to death than birth, I had a second look at all those nostalgia-induced purchases I made (AD&D2e, Shadowrun 2e, ...) and had to admit to myself that the big "retro gaming" projects I had contemplated probably will not happen. Both because of time, but also because I realized that if I look at the top 5 of games, I want to play in the near to mid future, none of the old systems are among them.</li> </ol>I still have interest in new games and from time to time - and I don't think that will ever fully stop, because there's always that one new game really want to have a look at - but in many cases I just snag a PDF, and I no longer trick myself into thinking I would actually play all of the stuff I buy.</blockquote>

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