Which do you prefer? Actual books or ESDs?

[Talaysen]

I prefer both, actually. I use electronic versions stored on my laptop or on CD-ROMs for gaming (because it's easier than lugging around 20 pounds of books, plus dice, plus pens and paper, and so on and so forth), and I generally prefer meatspace versions for pre-game preparation and casual reading.

That said, I haven't always taken advantage of WotC's ESD program...I've used it to buy stuff I've wanted that I don't own, but when it comes to stuff I already bought (often at full price, while it was still in print), I'm kind of reluctant to go to the extra expense. Plus it took them FOREVER to get some of that stuff on sale. Now that SVGames has taken over that end of things, and appears to be doing a better job with the ESD program, I'll try to lend it more support.

Now if only I could get electronic versions of my D&D/d20 and World of Darkness collections without dealing with pirates or scanning them in myself. *Sigh* White Wolf is releasing some e-books now, but very slowly, and they don't have the ones I own in meatspace yet, nor the Changeling books I lost a couple years ago and would like to have again. (Autumn People and Enchanted, and I'm still kicking myself over that.)

 

[Buttercup]

In general I prefer books. I'm going to have to get over this preference soon, though, because I have about 1 more foot of shelf space I can devote to D&D. That's it. I don't have room to add another bookshelf, because I don't have any empty walls. Even if I get rid of some of the D20 material I shouldn't have wasted money on (can you say Fast Forward Entertainment?) that still gives me less than 2 feet of shelf space.

I've purchased a number of products on PDF, and then I just burn them onto a CD. This method certainly does take up less space, but somehow it just isn't as satisfying. I like books as artifacts in their own right, not just for the information they contain.

I wonder if some future generation will think our love affair with physical books is an uncomprehensible quirk of people born in the 20th century?

 

[Kershek]

Both have their place, but usually I prefer ESDs, mainly so I can do searches and get to relevant data much quicker than skimming the index or table of contents.

 

[Davelozzi]

Re: Yea!

It's great that Wizards has decided to do this with their older products! Thanks Wizards!! Now I only wish they'd do that with all the old TSR stuff

Most of the stuff they've done is old TSR stuff.

 

[BButler]

I don't care for ESDs or PDFs at all. I'd MUCH rather have the book than a computer file.

That said, I have gotten the PDFs and then printed them, so that I have them in hard copy. I'd just rather not be forced to do that, because paper and inkjet cartridges and binding services aren't cheap.

 

[reiella]

And of the old TSR stuff they haven't done, it's simply a matter of the company handling the ESD conversions, etc, not having those books. And not too many people being willing to donate/offer them seeing as the books getting rather completely trashed and unusable after being 'scanned' in.

I like the ESDs though, let's me choose what I want to print of stuff. And more easily too for the 2e monster blocks.

 

[Tharkun]

Hey Buttercup,

You say that you've wasted money on Fast Forward Entertainment d20 stuff, care to explain that? What about them don't you think you got your monys worth?

 

[BlackMoria]

Looks like mine is the minority view. I prefer ESDs/PDFs before books.

My reasons:

I have over 100 RPG PDFs on my laptop. I have also scanned most of the Core Books and other recent products that I have picked up hard copy into PDF files to put onto the laptop. Translate that into actual paper and it is about 70 lbs worth of paper that I don't have to lug around. And it is nice be able to reference something that comes up in a playsession because I have the PDF on hand and without cursing about the fact that I left the book behind because I thought I didn't need it and I left it due the the weight my book bag is already (Sucker is nearly 30lbs with the three core books, all the splat books, the FRCS and MoF, DM screen, graph paper, battlemat and dice)

I can get the ESDs/PDFs usually immediately and at a cheaper price than the printed version.

I can bookmark, make links, etc and do a variety of different things to make information in the PDFs instantly searchable to find what I want.

I can printout what I want, when I want - then I can scribe notes or whatever onto the printed hardcopy without concern for damaging the original and without resorting to sticky notes (which fallout or get misplaced) or whatever I would need to do to avoid damaging an actual book.

 

[jgbrowning]

geezer here

this here geezer doesn't recognize the term splat book...

whats it mean, sonny?

joe b.

 

[BlackMoria]

this here geezer doesn't recognize the term splat book...

Sorry old timer

Splat book is the slang for the class books put out by WOTC - Sword and Fist, Defenders of the Faith, Tome and Blood, etc.

And, no, I don't have a clue why the term 'splat' is used.