It's Friday. Although it has been a short week for me the weekend couldn't have come soon enough.
The question is, there are tons of great stuff pumping out of the OSR on a regular basis. Conley just put out Scourge of the Demon Wolf. Yesterday in the mail I got my copy of Barrowmaze II and the 3rd issue of WMPL. Also yesterday I heard Patrick over at Henchmen Abuse is ready to unleash ASE2-3 upon the world. With all this good stuff, and this is just scratching the top of the top layer of good stuff, how do you decide what to buy?
Are you buying the product because its OSR and in general that's what you like? Maybe it suits your campaign or system your using? Or maybe you like the author and his blog and figure what the hell you'll probably enjoy what they've written. Even when it may not have anything to do with what your running. There are hundreds of reasons and combination of reasons so if you dare to share, please do. I've provided a comment section below for just such and occasion.
Again, have a good Friday folks and I look forward to your answers.
PDF
There is a ton of stuff I have bought, and a ton of stuff I want to purchase, but sometimes I feel like I can't find the time to really read it all and absorb it. So in some ways, it can be more like just helping support independent designers rather than really getting to use a lot of the material. Which of course, I am more than happy to do, but I sure wish I had more hours in the day sometimes!
ReplyDeleteFirst is always interest; I have to find the product fascinating or of high quality (by my own standards). Whether or not I play it, use the system, or know the author, is secondary or tertiary.
ReplyDeleteI have a whole series of criteria, but what they boil down to is whether or not I think that I'll have a use for the item in question. Right now, adventures are higher on my priority list than other things, in part because I largely ignored them in my early gaming career, and have recently come to learn what I'd been missing.
ReplyDeleteScience-fantasy is also a big deal for me at the moment, as it connects with the game I want to run. So things like ASE, Carcosa, Dwimmermount, or Many Gates of the Gann are the sort of items that have been gathering my interest.
I've been in love with zines forever, although mostly for punk politics or diy information. RPGs + zines is a match in heaven to me and so I'll put my money into them for at least one issue. If I enjoy the writing and find that I can possibly use the material, then odds are high I'll buy additional issues (eagerly awaiting The Manor #3 for example).
ReplyDeleteActual modules or rule books, I'm less likely to purchase unless I have either read a free/low cost pdf and liked it well enough that I'd want to use it at the table, or I enjoy the author's ideas enough to want to show my support in some way.
faoladh said: I have a whole series of criteria, but what they boil down to is whether or not I think that I'll have a use for the item in question.
ReplyDeleteThis is how I feel - lots of criteria, but it's if I will use it. I will occasionally buy something just to read, but if I can't use it somehow, very soon, I figure it should sit on the shelf for now.