PrinceYyrkoon
Mongoose
I collect and play rpgs, obviously, and Ive noticed something interesting, and wondered if you experienced the same thing.
When I start collecting a range of books for a system, I mentally shortlist the neccessary books and supplements that I feel as if I'd need to run a successful game. After this, comes a sort of secondary list of things which would be nice to have, scenario books maybe.
Theres only so much rpg money around for most of us, so we tend to stick to the neccessary parts of the list first. Ive noticed however, with my own buying, that there is a kind of saturation point, which occurs when you feel as if you have enough books to make a good long running campaign, and further books just seem like 'more of the same'. My saturation point is around 16 books.
So, say I want to run Conan, I get the rulebook, obviously, and then there are books that I feel I should get, so I can run a good session of the game. These books would be something like Secrets of Skelos, the Bestiary, Players Guide to the Hyborian Age, rules addition stuff (though PGttHA isnt exactly neccessary). After this, I start to look around for a good campaign or scenario book. So I will pick up something like Trial of Blood, Betrayer of Asgard, or something which is outsandingly good like Across Thunder River.
After this, I will get a 'completists' fever, when I try to pick up as much as possible. So comes stuff like Aquilonia, Ruins of Hyboria, etc.
Then, I trail off, and think about other systems. When I actually start to run a Hyborian Age campaign, most of my buying is done. My buying then moves on to something else. And its usually around the 16 book stage. That seems to be the point when I feel comfortable with running a good campaign, I feel as if I have enough material to fall back on, to reference, and Im satisfied enough to start looking elsewhere for something else.
Ive counted up books I own for various systems, and you know what? I have around 16 books for each system I own. Call of Cthulhu, 16 books. Mongoose Runequest, 15 or 17 depending on whether you count the Deluxe edition as 1 or 3 books. Conan, 16 books. Paranoia, 16 books. Ars Magica, 16 books. Harn, 16 books. D&D, 321 books, (but thats an exception!).
I wonder if this is common. I wonder if thats why we get new editions at around this point, a point where sales start to dwindle.
This might all be tosh, just wondering if you have noticed a similar phenomenon.
When I start collecting a range of books for a system, I mentally shortlist the neccessary books and supplements that I feel as if I'd need to run a successful game. After this, comes a sort of secondary list of things which would be nice to have, scenario books maybe.
Theres only so much rpg money around for most of us, so we tend to stick to the neccessary parts of the list first. Ive noticed however, with my own buying, that there is a kind of saturation point, which occurs when you feel as if you have enough books to make a good long running campaign, and further books just seem like 'more of the same'. My saturation point is around 16 books.
So, say I want to run Conan, I get the rulebook, obviously, and then there are books that I feel I should get, so I can run a good session of the game. These books would be something like Secrets of Skelos, the Bestiary, Players Guide to the Hyborian Age, rules addition stuff (though PGttHA isnt exactly neccessary). After this, I start to look around for a good campaign or scenario book. So I will pick up something like Trial of Blood, Betrayer of Asgard, or something which is outsandingly good like Across Thunder River.
After this, I will get a 'completists' fever, when I try to pick up as much as possible. So comes stuff like Aquilonia, Ruins of Hyboria, etc.
Then, I trail off, and think about other systems. When I actually start to run a Hyborian Age campaign, most of my buying is done. My buying then moves on to something else. And its usually around the 16 book stage. That seems to be the point when I feel comfortable with running a good campaign, I feel as if I have enough material to fall back on, to reference, and Im satisfied enough to start looking elsewhere for something else.
Ive counted up books I own for various systems, and you know what? I have around 16 books for each system I own. Call of Cthulhu, 16 books. Mongoose Runequest, 15 or 17 depending on whether you count the Deluxe edition as 1 or 3 books. Conan, 16 books. Paranoia, 16 books. Ars Magica, 16 books. Harn, 16 books. D&D, 321 books, (but thats an exception!).
I wonder if this is common. I wonder if thats why we get new editions at around this point, a point where sales start to dwindle.
This might all be tosh, just wondering if you have noticed a similar phenomenon.
