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Hey, I was thinking of getting into Shadowrun more, is there any advantage to physical books, or should I just look for the cheapest pdf copy on like drivethrurpg or similar sites?
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Jun 13, 2018 01:19
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numerrik posted:Hey, I was thinking of getting into Shadowrun more, is there any advantage to physical books, or should I just look for the cheapest pdf copy on like drivethrurpg or similar sites? Unless you plan on passing the book around the table or the pdf is remarkably low quality (lacking in useful bookmarks, for example) I'm not really sure there's an advantage to the physical book. Or I guess if you just hate reading pdfs.
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Jun 13, 2018 01:27
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:In the US at least, game rules are not subject to copyright. It's a bit tricky. Specific phrasing and terminology are. I literally wrote that backwards.
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Jun 13, 2018 01:47
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Physical book pros:
Cons:
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Jun 13, 2018 12:11
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Haystack posted:Physical book pros: Pro: you can beat your gm over the head when he decides to use some dumbass rule that makes everything slow down for 4 hours. Con: you have to look at it on your bookshelf and know the abomination of a system that lies within
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Jun 13, 2018 12:18
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Another con: I'm running out of places to store actual books.
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Jun 13, 2018 13:42
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I bought another set of shelves. 
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Jun 13, 2018 13:56
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I’m probably going to use both my physical book and my PDFs for my game tonight, personally.
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Jun 13, 2018 14:10
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Oh man sorry to bring tank chat again but I found this Soviet record and it's bad rear end. A T-34 crew got stranded and out of fuel so they were ordered to use all their ammo on the enemy before retreating. They blew up eight German tanks, one AA gun and killed like a hundred dudes before blowing up their tank. Brad Pitt BTFO. http://tankarchives.blogspot.com/2014/12/fury.html?m=1
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Jun 13, 2018 14:12
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Books are also much easier on your eyes. I work on a computer all day and don't want to read on a screen if I can help it.
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Jun 13, 2018 15:04
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The only thing I use physical books for (besides decoration) is if I'm sitting by myself committing stuff to memory for a game I'm going to run. I don't think I could ever go back to referencing them at the table vs. using a PDF with a search function.
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Jun 13, 2018 18:54
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drat, I guess I'm just oldschool. I find it extremely hard to grasp a new RPG rule-set if I don't have a physical book to reference. I'm a frequent flipper, and it's just more difficult to reference several things and go right back to where I was.
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Jun 13, 2018 18:57
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I have never owned a physical rpg book and I probably never will
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Jun 13, 2018 18:58
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I tend to retain stuff I read in physical form much better than stuff I read on a screen, so I pretty much need physical books. I use both when GMing though, I'll bookmark stuff I know I'll need in a session in the physical book, or bookmark stuff I know the players will want/need to reference, but then I tend to use pdf search functions to find stuff that comes up unexpectedly.
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Jun 13, 2018 21:01
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If it's a game I really like or hope to play I'll grab physical and pdf. PDFs are easier to read on the go via tablet and search through to quickly re-read something. Physicals are nice for irl plus, and I might as well give a bit of extra money to the creators. The only challenge is finding a tasteful bookshelf that doesn't break from the weight of textbook-sized crap
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Jun 13, 2018 21:43
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I mostly read and use PDFs and treat buying the books as a way to give money to the author.
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Jun 13, 2018 21:48
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I feel like some RPG PDFs have been getting better about good bookmarking and otherwise using the strengths of that format to make them a better reference. That said, I don't have a real strong tablet so opening big books and turning pages is kinda slow and that aggravates me a little. I also really like having books as cool objects I want to own but like many others I need more shelves. That said, having both options has basically given us the RPG market we have with all its highs and lows of crap and innovation so I'm glad PDFs are pretty accepted RPG things now.
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Jun 13, 2018 21:51
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:I mostly read and use PDFs and treat buying the books as a way to give money to the author. More than you gave for the PDFs, you mean?
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Jun 13, 2018 21:53
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Subjunctive posted:More than you gave for the PDFs, you mean?
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Jun 13, 2018 21:54
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Even with good bookmarks, PDFs are way more of a chore to use in play because you can't just flip back and forth between two different sections like you can easily do with a physical book by using your finger or bookmarks or an eraser or whatever. Stuff I'm going to run once I'm fine with getting a PDF for, but if there's going to be a long-term commitment to it I'd rather buy a physical book. Otherwise I just end up having 7-10 copies of the PDF open at the same time.
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Jun 13, 2018 22:07
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Lemon-Lime posted:Even with good bookmarks, PDFs are way more of a chore to use in play because you can't just flip back and forth between two different sections like you can easily do with a physical book by using your finger or bookmarks or an eraser or whatever. Stuff I'm going to run once I'm fine with getting a PDF for, but if there's going to be a long-term commitment to it I'd rather buy a physical book.
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Jun 13, 2018 22:10
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Alien Rope Burn posted:No thread that I'm aware of, but I know I'll be there for much of it. It just occurred to me you aren't that far north of me. What's the gamestore situation like up in the Akron/Falls area? Down here it's mostly magic but I really want to find a group for RPGs since my irl friends have scheduling issues.
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Jun 13, 2018 22:17
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Len posted:It just occurred to me you aren't that far north of me. What's the gamestore situation like up in the Akron/Falls area? Down here it's mostly magic but I really want to find a group for RPGs since my irl friends have scheduling issues. There's a pretty eh board game slash collectable place in Kent
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Jun 13, 2018 22:28
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Lemon-Lime posted:Even with good bookmarks, PDFs are way more of a chore to use in play because you can't just flip back and forth between two different sections like you can easily do with a physical book by using your finger or bookmarks or an eraser or whatever.
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Jun 13, 2018 22:38
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I'm not sure if this thread or the GM advice is the right one, but does anyone have ideas for running a game with the forums as an audience? I probably shouldn't post too many details until I'm ready to pull the trigger but I'd like to do something in GBS where anyone can participate. I want it to be a little silly but with at least some tension and possibility of folks getting killed. I don't mean a standard play-by-post game - I want something allowing for wider participation than that. Someone suggested a game where 3 people play normal characters and everyone else plays The Goon, basically a fool who they have to keep alive for story reasons. (Maybe it's the king's inept nephew and they've been voluntold to take him on a grand adventure.) The players try to get through the adventure safely while the goon tries to mess with them and generally be goony, without overtly attacking anyone. Anyone can post and say what The Goon does and if a bunch of actions happen at the same time, I take the funniest one(s). If this idea sounds really dumb please tell me but I laughed at the suggestion and am interested in hearing what others think. My own thoughts are that If a regular character dies, someone new can step up to join. The Goon will probably find a way out of most things, not sure how to handle that, but I definitely want the rest of them to be afraid of him dying and feeling like they gotta baby him. I was thinking of using something like into the odd with it's bizarre but extremely simple character creation. I'd mostly abstract away combat anyway and do the rolling myself when it came up. Maybe I'll make a table of silly traits to roll on for anyone making a character. I'm open to ideas for setting, I might choose an adventure module or not. Something a little serious to contrast with the farcical party would end up being fun I think. I've seen other people do this in a way where anyone can make a move for any of the four party members. That's a little more elegant but I think this will be more fun if it works at all.
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Jun 13, 2018 22:48
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Ah, the problem is I don't know much in the way of RPGs since I play with a small personal group of friends I've had for a long time, mostly. Not that I wouldn't want to try something new, mind. It's a lot easier to find board gaming - there are some decent clubs around here. Kenmore Komics & Games is the Akron mainstay. There's nothing too unusual - expect them to focus mainly on the mainstream - but it's been running for decades on that model. They don't have space for any play, though. Underhill's Games is nothing too fancy, but probably has the most regular play going on in Cuyahoga Falls for a shop. Once again, most of that's going to be mainstream - Magic, Pathfinder, board games, etc. - but it often has regular events and games. Jac Games seems to be the Cuyahoga Falls place for miniature gaming. I don't know too much about it other than that, I haven't played with minis in ages. Warzone Matrix is up in Cleveland, and it has a tight-knit group but I mainly mention it for being the most awful gamer closet sort of store. The first time I walked in I accidentally walked in the "back" (just beside the main door) and nobody stopped me as I waded through a sea of garbage past people playing Starcraft flanked by towers of mini cases to the actual front of the store, which is neatly sorted garbage. There have been a lot of new places cropping up I haven't gotten around to seeing yet. There's a small place up in Kent that I haven't been too much, and I know Hudson has a board game bar. There's the Boardgamers of Greater Akron who have regular meetings and Akron Tabletop Games which does board games at a Cuyahoga Falls Panera side room. Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow is the official Kent State board gaming crew, but they're only meeting unofficially now that summer break is started. RPGs is harder, though.
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Jun 13, 2018 22:51
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dwarf74 posted:I did, too - and hot drat, this thing is gorgeous. Seriously, I can't wait to get the hardcover, and I'm hoping I can get my players to give it a shot. The art budget for this thing must have been absolutely enormous, because there's a lot of it, and it's high quality. There's no way to check it out, as far as I can tell. There's pretty much zero information available after the Kickstarter started because all of the updates after it completed were backers only, with no information about any other kind of release. Pretty disappointing because it sounded cool.
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Jun 14, 2018 01:42
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:I'm not sure if this thread or the GM advice is the right one, but does anyone have ideas for running a game with the forums as an audience? I probably shouldn't post too many details until I'm ready to pull the trigger but I'd like to do something in GBS where anyone can participate. I want it to be a little silly but with at least some tension and possibility of folks getting killed. I don't mean a standard play-by-post game - I want something allowing for wider participation than that. people have been running CYOAs and impromptu "audience participation" play-by-posts for years. You'll be fine - to throw in an RPG just means you'd be using whatever mechanical trappings that the game has in order to resolve points of conflict and determine outcomes, rather than the OP choosing whatever result and outcome is the most interesting
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Jun 14, 2018 04:07
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Zarick posted:There's no way to check it out, as far as I can tell. There's pretty much zero information available after the Kickstarter started because all of the updates after it completed were backers only, with no information about any other kind of release. Pretty disappointing because it sounded cool. I dropped a message into the comments section to bring this concern up and ask when anything more public-facing will be announced. It's kind of weird that they haven't been more open about the process and also a little frustrating because it's really hampering word of mouth, and as Kickstarter games go it's definitely in the At Least Worth A Read bin. Hopefully the devs will get back to me soonish.
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Jun 14, 2018 06:04
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Warzone Matrix is up in Cleveland, and it has a tight-knit group but I mainly mention it for being the most awful gamer closet sort of store. The first time I walked in I accidentally walked in the "back" (just beside the main door) and nobody stopped me as I waded through a sea of garbage past people playing Starcraft flanked by towers of mini cases to the actual front of the store... drat. Sounds like Warzone has really taken a dump since the early-aughts.
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Jun 14, 2018 15:15
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*even more nervously than last time* What will happen with the goon games once the bandwidth ends for real due to extreme incompetence by the neck man?
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Jun 14, 2018 19:03
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https://twitter.com/voxdotcom/status/1007310448394321920
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Jun 14, 2018 19:09
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I wish it wasn't.
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Jun 14, 2018 20:13
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Lol Vox
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Jun 14, 2018 20:24
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voxsplaining smdh
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Jun 14, 2018 20:43
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Plutonis posted:*even more nervously than last time* What will happen with the goon games once the bandwidth ends for real due to extreme incompetence by the neck man? In all seriousness, it probably wasn't very healthy for the forums to try to monetize its most hated posters in some bizarre findom scheme.
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Jun 14, 2018 21:14
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Bedlamdan posted:In all seriousness, it probably wasn't very healthy for the forums to try to monetize its most hated posters in some bizarre findom scheme.
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Jun 14, 2018 23:24
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Yawgmoth posted:I think the kind of person who is gonna spend $100 to rereg 9 times is also the kind of person who would make 10 different accounts to dodge a ban on a free forum so it makes sense to make some money off them doing that poo poo anyways. In practice, the way it seems to work is that you can dodge a ban by ponying up sandwich money while behaving like exactly the same tiresome rear end in a top hat that rpg.net or whatever the gently caress would have simply banned and been done with months before. I mean, both SA and free forums cull alt accounts by banned members all the time anyways, because they’re easy enough to catch, but only SA says that as long as they’re not permabanned for things like rape or ban/probe dodging, then they’re totally welcome to keep going as long as they give Lowtax bus fare. I mean I’m hardly complaining given my rap sheet but in the long term it hasn’t exactly done much to elevate discussion or keep out weird assholes and/or sex creeps. Kind of the opposite, actually.
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Jun 15, 2018 01:39
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The constructive effects are there, they're just less visible than the ten rereg folks because they manifest as bad posts that don't get made. There's no reason not to post whatever dumb thing you want at rpg.net or any other free forum because there are no real consequences. Knowing that something costs $10 to say prevents most people from saying it and I think that's the best you could hope for.
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Jun 15, 2018 02:45
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CI’s perma stuck, so the system works.
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Jun 15, 2018 03:42
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