Why is being "in print" important?

[Zhaleskra]

Because I buy the games I want to play, I have to GM them first to get other people interested, usually. I learned the importance of the GM having multiple copies of the rulebooks a long time ago. This is especially important for obscure and out of print games. Which tend to be where my interests usually lie.

So I'm going to agree with "ease of access".

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The short answer is 'ongoing support'.

I can, and have, run games that are long out of print, but finding support material becomes harder. So, given a choice between running Call of Cthulhu and running Chill, I will run Call of Cthulhu.

However, sometimes a newer game just does not measure up - I will run the old Storyteller/WoD games rather than the new. (My problems with the new WoD is with the rules, not the setting. The older system had two variables - difficulty and cumulative. If a job is likely to take a long time it needs more successes, garnered over time. The new system only has the number of successes, not difficulty, as a variable. ) The new setting is okay, but tied to a system that I do not care for.

In like fashion, I play Pathfinder rather than either 3.X or 4e - Pathfinder has the ongoing support that I desire and rules that I consider superior to both 3.X and 4e. If Pathfinder was not available then I would likely default to 3.5.

The Auld Grump

 

[Than]

Currently i'm playing a system that is not in print.

For new systems seems reasonable that at first it is only supplied as a PDF.

Now we are going down the road of light weight tablet computer devices becoming widespread, one day in the future the expense of printing may be less of a requirement. But that's still a ways off until enough people have one of those things.

 

[Imperialus]

Neither of the games I'm playing right now are in print. I've got a B/X/1st ed hybrid game going, and a 2nd ed AD&D game with no Players Option. It's actually been an amazing relief to get off the splatbook treadmill, though it took me a while to become zen enough not to miss it.

The old D&D books are built like tanks and I have multiple copies of pretty much everything so I'm not terribly concerned about damaging them.

 

[pawsplay]

The old D&D books are built like tanks and I have multiple copies of pretty much everything so I'm not terribly concerned about damaging them.

Academic binding FTW!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's actually been an amazing relief to get off the splatbook treadmill, though it took me a while to become zen enough not to miss it.

This is definitely a positive, especially for DMs who are comfortable enough to make/adapt their own supplementary material.

 

[Chainsaw Mage]

It's actually been an amazing relief to get off the splatbook treadmill, though it took me a while to become zen enough not to miss it.

This is definitely something I LIKE about OOP games. You can just relax and play and forget about the next supplement coming out. (Insert someone replying, "Even if the game is in print, you don't have to worry about the next supplement anyway!" etc.)

The old D&D books are built like tanks and I have multiple copies of pretty much everything so I'm not terribly concerned about damaging them.

They are built like tanks, except for EGG's Unearthed Arcana. That one's lousy binding is legendary.

 

[Haltherrion]

In print in general matters to me although I'll confess I'm reconsidering that at present. Some reasons for prefering in-print:

• Ease of adding new players: I can direct them to Amazon or the corner game store to find the source books. (Yes, I know that out of print sources like the excellent nobleknight.com exist)
• I like buying source books for inspiration so being with the currently published system offers more options.
• Why not? It's something new. I happen to believe that most systems are viable and the one in print has the virtue at least of being new. Something to be said for mastering a new system after decades of play. In-print is new. Besides, the game designers are trying to address issues so the new systems are at least attempting to improve something. It's fun to see if they did in fact improve things.

That said, while my game group is currently 4E and I personally like it, not all of my players love it. We are currently stepping into the paragon tier and I think that may actually tip the balance in favor of 4E because my guess is that 4E will look preferable to 3.0/3.5Es bookkeeping at the higher levels but we will see. If we decide to abandon 4E, we will look at pathfinder but also pre-3.0 I think so maybe I will join the ranks of the no-longer-in-print. At the risk of starting an edition war (not my intent ) there is some appeal for me in returning to the older, lighter systems.

Whether or not my group moves to an earlier system, if I were WOTC, I'd put selected editions back in print. Why not? Probably good business.

Marc

 

[karlindel]

Most of the reasons have already been touched upon by others:
1. Ease of finding players/GMs. If a game is currently in print, then it has more exposure and so people are more likely to recognize it and be interested in trying it out. Also, in print books will generally be cheaper than out of print books, although this can vary widely depending on the system.
2. Ease of acquiring the books. If a system is in print, the books will be easier to find, which makes it easier to acquire an extra copy of books to use at the table, or for players to acquire their own copies.
3. Current support, in the form of both supplements, updates/errata, and fan-produced material. A system that is in print will have more supplements and the like coming out, which can be mined for ideas even if you don't directlly use the supplement. Also, being in print means more exposure, which means more interest in fan based modifications, ideas, and scenarios for the game. Note that particularly popular out of print systems can have more supplements and fan-based support than many in print systems will ever reach.
4. In print systems are more current and therefore benefit from experience over that time period.

Personally, unless the books are particularly difficult to acquire and/or I do not have enough of them, I consider "in print" to be only a minor bonus. Several times, I have purchased an entire game line after it has gone out of print (Deadlands Classic, Fading Suns, and Unknown Armies are a couple of my favorites that I did this with).

 

[Super Pony]

Similar to many previous replies, I find that I purchase books from currently published systems so that I can hook new players (or get old players jazzed up) who will then buy books. I get to feel like I am doing my part to secure the future of the table-top gaming industry. Then new systems and books are produced and I buy them to hook new players...

It's a vicious and toothy cycle that is full of all the fame, glory and midnight romance that comes with being a dandy little 21st century weapon of mass consumption.