Would/do you continue to buy RPG books even when you have no one to play with?

[moldyderp]

Have recently forced myself to justify my continued occasional purchase of RPG books when I don't actually use them because I have no one to play with. Over the last 10 years, I've acquired a small fortune in supplements from Conan RPG, Solomon Kane RPG, Hackmaster, Pathfinder, D&D 4E, among others including various indies... and I've never used any of the books to play games... not even once. I literally haven't played a tabletop RPG since D&D 2E 20 or more years ago.... and yet, I'm still fascinated by them.

The easy answer is of course 'if you enjoy them, continue to buy them'. I do enjoy them. That's been my justification for the last 10 years. However, lately that question, for whatever reason, hasn't been that easy for me to answer. The more rational part of me says these books are more expensive than your average book, contain large amounts of similar material between systems, I haven't used like I thought I eventually would, and the biggest of all, I can't actually use them for their intended purpose.

Now with D&D Next on the horizon, I find myself extremely interested in the system, yet unsure if I should buy the books given I won't likely have the opportunity to use them for years (assuming kid(s) are interested when they come of age).

Curious if anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation of continuing to buy the books but not being able to actively use them.

 

[biotech66]

Way to often! I buy books (expecialy PDFs) with no plans to ever use them. Most I just read for ideas either for story or game design.

 

[moldyderp]

Way to often! I buy books (expecialy PDFs) with no plans to ever use them. Most I just read for ideas either for story or game design.

I transitioned to PDF for awhile there. My problem was I found myself less inclined to read the information and I preferred the hard/soft copy.

Many of the RPG books from my youth though were lost or sold in yard sales, and I have repurchased those as PDF, which has been nice. The new(er) stuff though, I tend to like a physical copy of.

Thanks for the response.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Yep. I buy LOTS of gaming material I expect to use sparingly or never.

 

[Umbran]

Occasionally. Usually not supplements, but core rules I do sometimes pick up even if I have no immediate use for them.

 

[Morrus]

I've wasted a LOT of money on games that I'll never get to play. I really have to stop doing that.

 

[Umbran]

I've wasted a LOT of money on games that I'll never get to play. I really have to stop doing that.

No, you don't. You're involved in the industry! Those purchases count as market research. In the US, you could probably deduct them as business expenses!

 

[amerigoV]

Its one of the things about hobbies - you just do it because you love the hobby.

To wit, my mother is into rug-hooking and posted this on FB the other day:



So its not just you, and its not just this hobby.

 

[gamerprinter]

I won't say I buy a lot of RPG books, but yes, I continue to buy a product or game every now and then. My group is pretty much exclusively PF (and was exclusively 3x before that), while I on the other hand like different games. I hadn't bought any sci-fi games since the 1980's (Traveler, Space Opera, etc.), so recently I picked up Eclipse Phase, and I have been taking a serious look at Santiago (having downloaded the free players and GM's guides). I know for a fact that my current group will never play a sci-fi game or setting, and I don't generally go to the game store, nor play online, so its unlikely that I'll find players for those non PF/D&D games. I still buy them though.

 

[Argyle King]

In the past, I did still buy rpg products even when I was not part of a group. During one of the times, I took it upon myself to teach some of my friends and family to play. Some didn't stick with it, but some did, and then I had people to play with.