The biggest reason I hate PDF's

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:19 pm

To a large extent I am like DD in that I much prefer reading a print book over a PDF. The computer monitors suck! Plus my comprehension and retention seems markedly lower for material read from a computer rather than a book. Still, I find PDF's very handy to have when offered at good prices.

Still, the biggest thing I hate about PDF's is that they are stored on my hard drive. So unless I look regularly through my folders and files, like I look at my book shelves, I forget what PDF's I have. I can't tell you how many times I have looked through my files for the first time in months, and will see a PDF I wished I remembered having a week, month, or months ago when I was running a scenario where it would have been very helpful.

Like today I was looking through to see if I had all my WOTC PDF's DLed, and I saw 8 other PDF's I wish I remembered having for games in just the last month!

Makes me wish a virtual "bookshelf" was available, where there is a digital picture of books, that has all my PDF titles on them, so I can browse the book shelf like I do my real one when I am looking for ideas/inspiration/resources.
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JediOre · Post by **JediOre** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:57 pm

Treebore,

Print out the cover of your .pdfs and keep them in in a three ring binder!

That way you'll have at your fingertips what you have.

P.S. -- how's the garden growing?

shadoes · Post by **shadoes** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:33 pm

spreadsheets are your friend. and I have even seena couple of utilities that will import directory listings into spreadsheets

Orpheus · Post by **Orpheus** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:46 pm

You could just keep them in the same folder and view as thumbnails.

Post by **Breakdaddy** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:43 pm

http://www.bolidesoft.com/allmybooks.html

EDIT:

(supports PDFs as well as many ebook formats and will open them for you on command)

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:56 pm

Breakdaddy wrote:
http://www.bolidesoft.com/allmybooks.html

That thing is $35! Hmmm... It might be worth it though.
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Post by **Breakdaddy** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:58 pm

Treebore wrote:
That thing is $35! Hmmm... It might be worth it though.

Its very nice, I forgot to mention:

supports PDFs as well as many ebook formats and will open them for you on command

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:05 pm

I just do an excel spreadsheet myself. And having the files in thumbnail view really helps. I also have mine divinded up amongst many, many folders - when you have 20 GB of files it helps.
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Lurker · Post by **Lurker** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:25 pm

L.D. That is how I do it too, but honestly there are times I forget exactly where I saved some of the PDFs and end up with 2 or 3 copies in different places...
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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:30 am

How about... a list?... on....... paper?!

Just saying.

zacharythefirst · Post by **zacharythefirst** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:37 am

I had to go through and organize my PDFs by company and game, and it took a long time. But I pretty much know where everything is now. I have use for print and pdf alike. For books like the PHB, I want one of each.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:39 am

Relaxo wrote:
How about... a list?... on....... paper?!

Just saying.

Yeah, I probably could go to the PDF sites I buy from and copy/paste my account purchase lists.
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The Ruby Lord, Earl of the Society

Next Con I am attending: http://www.neoncon.com/

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Rigon · Post by **Rigon** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 1:00 am

I put all of my PDFs on a jump drive. It's easy to find them there. Plus I have them divided into campaign world/edition/whatever (organization is your friend).

R-
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Hrolfgar · Post by **Hrolfgar** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 1:26 am

I store them in folders based on the game system, campaign world or whatever on an external drive. But sometimes I let em pile up quite a bit before I get around to organizing them
I hate reading PDFs on the computer screen as well. And I don't like printing out stuff that I'm not sure if I'm going to use due my cheapness and hatred of wasting paper.

DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:15 pm

JediOre wrote:
Treebore,

Print out the cover of your .pdfs and keep them in in a three ring binder!

That way you'll have at your fingertips what you have.

P.S. -- how's the garden growing?

I like that idea, just find an inherent sense of irony in keeping a printed book to track PDF books.

Orpheus · Post by **Orpheus** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:24 pm

Hrolfgar wrote:
I store them in folders based on the game system, campaign world or whatever.

This is what I do, and I have each folder set to be viewed as thumbnails so that it's like going through a stack of modules. It works for me.

Sir Osis of Liver · Post by **Sir Osis of Liver** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:25 pm

The PDFs I use the most, i.e. the ones that are critical to the functioning of my homebrew campaign setting, got printed out and put into 3-ring binders. I have my big binder that has my lists of bar encounters, Stupid Fantasy Laws (great additions, btw), and the TLG short PDFs that Davis put out. I used Bands of Orcs yesterday in my game, and it was a riot.

25 orcs with 5 shamans that were neutralized by an illusion. Big fun.

Sir Osis of Liver

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:30 pm

All these methods work well, but I was trying to think of the least labor-intensive. If one used a well-organized system of folders and subfolders (I know, sounds corny) I think that would be the best method of organization.
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LD's C&C creations - the witch, a half-ogre, skill and 0-level rules

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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:37 pm

Lord Dynel wrote:
All these methods work well, but I was trying to think of the least labor-intensive. If one used a well-organized system of folders and subfolders (I know, sounds corny) I think that would be the best method of organization.

Well its not a matter of knowing where my PDF's are, or where I would look to find them, its a matter of remembering, or quickly reminding myself. So I think I am going to create a master list and just try to get myself into the habit of referring to it whenever I find myself searching my bookshelves.
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DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:17 am

Past few days I've been thinking over my whole dislike of PDF's and deciding I might check 'em out abit more and see if I could put them to more use for me and my group.

After looking around a bit I've got to say 1 great big huge honking reason I hate PDF's is without a doubt THE PRICE.

I grumbled this morning when I looked at the Palladium releases and saw what they were asking for them.

Today I ordered a copy of the Conan 2nd Edition rules, then since I'm pretty stoked about checking it out I figured I'd see what they were asking for the PDF of the book so I could start perusing it now.

They can get bent.

I paid less for the print book with shipping than they are asking for the PDF.

The PDF prices make me feel like I'm being robbed. I'm definitely sticking with my good ol' printed product.

Sir Osis of Liver · Post by **Sir Osis of Liver** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:55 am

This past weekend, I ran my C&C campaign and used some PDF material in it. I wound up using one of the encounters out of Davis' Bands of Orcs release. It was actually a lot of fun. I tend to be pretty judicious about what I buy. Much of what I've bought was when RPGNow had all of the EN Publishing releases on sale for $1. I managed to find some real gems there. You have to look around, but there are good things out there at decent prices.

Sir Osis of Liver

p.s. Thanks, Davis, for those two PDFs that you put out recently. The orc encounter (the shamans) was a lot of fun. Great job!

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:33 pm

Yeah, I accumulated my PDF stockpile over a long period of time, in fact most of mine are probably free, outside of my Fat Dragon stuff.

I got free PDF's from many companies, like Green Dragon made several of their products free, including their original True20 rules set, and RPGnow had a week long free PDF offer where numerous companies offered up a free PDF each day.

The best day to get the best prices is on "GM's Day". Heck, this past GM's Day even WOTC had good prices on their 4E PDF's. That day is MArch 4th (I think), its in early MArch nonetheless.

I find most of my good deals, like the free Exalted 2E PDF (Free!) by visiting ENWorlds publisher forum and see what they are offering up.

Take PAizo, for example, I wish I had a couple of hundred to blow right now, because they have their PDF's at an additional 35% off for the rest of this month. If I had the cash I would be buying a bunch this month, as it is I could only afford two beyond my PF subscription.

So with patience, and diligently keeping your eyes open, you can build up a sizable PDF library over the course of a year.
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The Ruby Lord, Earl of the Society

Next Con I am attending: http://www.neoncon.com/

My House Rules: http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... llordgames

Eisenmann · Post by **Eisenmann** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 11:45 am

I've got A TON of PDFs and know exactly what you're talking about TreeBore.

I sort my PDFs into separate folders usually by title or group i.e. Castles & Crusades, 3:16, Dragon Magazine, etc.

With me being on a Mac, I use Spotlight to search all of the PDFs and I save the most useful searches that collate my C&C and D&D collections. This way I have the entire spectrum ready to go.

I go one step farther still using Devon Think (http://www.devon-technologies.com/produ ... index.html) to index all of my PDFs as well. The benefit is that Devon Think uses a bit of AI to categorize your PDFs by content. It's really cool when you open a PDF in the app and it makes suggestions to other PDFs that could be related. A little scenario that came up the other day, I opened up Mortality of Green and it suggested that 3 specific issues of Dragon Magazine were related. And they were. I wrote a spinoff game based on those suggestions.