# RPGs as Reading Material **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776 "2004-09-09T13:09:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/1 "2004-09-09T13:09:46Z")
I’ve been reading the [So What’s D&D Like These Days](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=272885) thread and I’ve pretty much decided to run out and buy some D&D books. Not to play, mind you. Oh no, that would require a much bigger expenditure of time and money than I could possibly afford at this point. No, I just like reading the books. Every once in a while I like to read an RPG rule book, supplement, module … what have you. I’m not the only one who does this am I? Am I? And if I’m not, what’s your favorite read. Personally I think the GURPS supplements make better reading material than game material. And how is Dragon magazin these days? ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/2 "2004-09-09T13:16:15Z")
I do this. I buy plenty of RPGs just to read. GURPS stuff is pretty good for that. Dragon Magazine’s pretty good, but I’ve felt they’ve become too light on humor and comics. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/3 "2004-09-09T13:53:00Z")
The _Paranoia_ rule book was a terrific read; it would’ve been worth the price if I had never played a single game. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/4 "2004-09-09T13:59:14Z")
Before you start laying down $20-40 per book, you might want to go [here](http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/welcome) and see what Wizards of the Coast is up to these days. They’ve got lots of rule-type stuff available for free online. ---
**Author:** ![enigmatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@enigmatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigmatic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/5 "2004-09-09T14:00:08Z")
I was under the impression that I was the only person in the entire world who did this. Got any recomendations ? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/6 "2004-09-09T14:04:24Z")
I like to read campaign settings. Right now I’m reading the Paranoia XP handbook, cover-to-cover. It’s the most interesting RPG handbook I’ve ever read. I find I fall asleep trying to read the D&D core books. I just use them for reference. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/7 "2004-09-09T14:13:38Z")
Paranoia is back? Cool. I haven’t seen that in forever. I really haven’t decided what I want to read right now. I do feel that I need to reaquaint myself with the D&D rules first before I can read any non-core books. Thanks for the link **Ethilrist**. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/8 "2004-09-09T14:59:02Z")
I find Forgotten Realms material, old or new, is fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/9 "2004-09-09T15:11:20Z")
Hit the second-hand bookstores in your area. I find them excellent sources of RPG material, even some obscure stuff. I recently picked up the Dragonlance rulebook and an atlas of Anne McAffrey’s Pern world for about $5 each. It really brings a lot of the fantasy books based in Pern to life to be able to see a diagram of Ruatha and the layout of the Fire-Heights which are referenced in so many passages. Similarly I find my enjoyment of D&D based novels goes up when I get a better understanding of the underlying physics(as it were) of the world they are based on. Some novelists(I’m looking at you Weis and Hickman!) are not as true as others to the underlying mechanics and it actually makes it harder to enjoy their works when you realize that the characters in the first Dragonlance novels were about second or third level when they faced a city of goblins and gully dwarves led by a BLACK DRAGON and managed to kill the dragon by accidental use of some uber-magical staff. Talk about a “Monty Haul” DM! Still, it was cool to see some stuff like Raistlin(at the beginning) using only low-level spells like Web and Sleep even though he already had the uber-staff of Magius. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/10 "2004-09-09T15:17:44Z")
Oh, definitely. The only gaming stuff I own that I got heavy use out of was my Champions rulebook. The rest I mostly got for reading material. Hm. Short list of good reads I’ve had would be: **Anything Hackmaster** The fellas at Kenzerco picked up the license for AD&D 1e from WotC a ways back to make real their parody of AD&D as portrayed in _The Knights of the Dinner Table_. If you grew up playing AD&D in the 80’s, you **have** to check this out. Hysterical. Holds up surprisingly well on its own, although I question the sanity of anyone who regularly consults d10,000 critical hit tables during gaming sessions. **WEG Star Wars**. Star Wars before Lucas messed it up. Available for dirt cheap used in various places. **Dark Age: Mage**. Not sure if I’d ever play it, but it’s a great read. High fantasy during the dark ages, very low gothic (except in the barbarian original sense of the word, of course 🙂 ) lameness content. Great magic system. **Anything Gurps**. Gurps supplements are uniformly very well written, I’ve found. I’d recommend Voodoo as a starter. Highly underrated book. **HOL and it’s only supplement, Buttery Holsomeness**. Good luck finding it, but worth the effort, IMO. WotC books I’d generally avoid. They tend to be written like IRS documents. Zzzzz. ---
**Author:** ![ElectricZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@ElectricZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectricZ)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/11 "2004-09-09T16:03:28Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > The _Paranoia_ rule book was a terrific read; it would’ve been worth the price if I had never played a single game. I came into this thread just to bring up _Paranoia._ The rulebook made for some of the funniest reading and the illustrations were equally hilarious. The modules themselves, at least the early ones, were very well written and worth picking up even if you never played them. I sold off most of my RPG stuff years ago, but held on to some of the _Paranoia_ stuff just because it makes me happy. Don’t you want to be happy? After all, the Computer is your friend, and only traitors are unhappy. “You are in error. No one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.” _Twilight: 2000_ was another game with modules that were well researched and written. Also, the vehicle guides were fantastic if you were just interested in military hardware. EZ ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/12 "2004-09-09T16:09:58Z")
> [@Trion](#): > > Paranoia is back? Cool. I haven’t seen that in forever. Just came out last month. It’s published by Mongoose Publishing. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/13 "2004-09-09T16:10:25Z")
Well, first of all, do you know about _Knights of the Dinner Table_? That’s a great, hilarious read. Not an RPG book, but RPG-related. However, the best RPG book reads of all time are _Delta Green_ and _Delta Green:Countdown_ by Pagan Publishing. There’s also a couple novels and short stories in the Delta Green world that are also very good. Frequently mature reading, but then again, so is the SDMB. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/14 "2004-09-09T16:40:57Z")
Let’s try this again and hope the hamsters don’t eat this one. From **slortar** : > [@](#): > > Dark Age: Mage. Not sure if I’d ever play it, but it’s a great read. High fantasy during the dark ages, very low gothic (except in the barbarian original sense of the word, of course ) lameness content. Great magic system. Is that related to White Wolf’s Mage system. I read that one and it was pretty interesting, but I got the impression it would be a pain in the ass to play. > [@](#): > > Anything Gurps. Gurps supplements are uniformly very well written, I’ve found. I’d recommend Voodoo as a starter. Highly underrated book. Voodoo, eh? Sounds good. My favorite of the GURPS boos was **Warehouse 23**. This is bringing back memories. Anyone remember _Chill_? I mean the ooooold version. There was a supplement called Creature Feature that allowed you to play as a monster. That was a hoot to read. From **Merijeek** > [@](#): > > Well, first of all, do you know about Knights of the Dinner Table? I am aware of it, but I tend to be a Dork Tower fan. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/15 "2004-09-09T17:18:34Z")
I’ve played exactly three table RPGs in my life but have always enjoyed reading the source materials and supplements… especially those about the different races and gods inhabiting the world. I have a thirty dollar “Way of D’era” Trek RPG series sitting on my bookcase at home and have read all three books in it from cover to cover despite having absolutely no interest in ever playing a Trek RPG. I just love the Romulans, which the series is about. Aefdvah! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/16 "2004-09-09T17:40:10Z")
_Reign of Steel_ was my favorite _GURPS_ module. An excellent science fiction background that was original and well-written. Another vote for the _Twilight 2000_ series. Reading the modules was like reading a series of short stories. _Paranoia_ was also good, although I didn’t get into that game as deeply as others. _Torg_ was an interesting series. The ideas behind it were good and they made a decent effort to support it. But some of the game machanics were screwy. _Wastelands_ looks interesting, but I haven’t been willing to invest into getting into the series. A couple of other good ones I’ve read but don’t remember the titles: There was a fantasy game set on the limbs of a giant tree. It had something like eight different races (and no humans). And there was a science fiction game set in the distant future on a declining Earth. There were five cities, each with its own culture, that were competing for the remains. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/17 "2004-09-09T17:39:58Z")
> [@Trion](#): > > Is that related to White Wolf’s Mage system. I read that one and it was pretty interesting, but I got the impression it would be a pain in the ass to play. Yep, it’s White Wolf. There’s an entire line of supplements set during the middle ages, each for one of the modern lines: Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Faerie. Maybe Wraith, too, although I don’t recall ever seeing it. Faerie is also supposed to be quite good. I’ve flipped through Vampire and Werewolf and found them less engaging. The system for DA:M is rather simplified compared to modern Mage. Mages don’t have to worry about Paradox but are more confined by their traditions in what they can do with their magic. The end result is the system is easier to pick up (Modern Mage went over my head when I read it–this I mostly got on the first try) and characters are more individual. > [@Trion](#): > > Voodoo, eh? Sounds good. My favorite of the GURPS boos was **Warehouse 23**. Voodoo’s neat. It’s set in modern days, in a setting that’s equal parts X-Files and Serpent and the Rainbow. Magic basically works by begging spirits for favor. Spells mostly involve manipulating fate, luck, that sort of thing with the occasional loa possessing you and giving you supernatural ass-kicking powers. Haven’t read Warehouse 23 yet. Looks pretty darn cool. Sorta seems like a tin-foil hat version of Illuminati U. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/18 "2004-09-09T17:49:46Z")
Damn, how could I type all that stuff out and not mention the ten ton gorilla of all my recent cool reading material: **Darwin’s World.** God, that game is awesome. It uses the d20 Modern ruleset, so it might not be your cup of tea, system-wise, but you can’t beat it for sheer bulk of neato stuff. It’s the thickness of a freaking phonebook and it’s all very well written. It’s post-apocalyptic scifi with a heavy Fallout influence. It’s literally crammed with material–I think it might even rival the original DMG in terms of amount of material packed into it. Plague zombies, power armor, sample necropoli, mad max type stuff, a very cool sample setting…mutations…it’s all there. Easily my favorite d20 sourcebook. Can’t believe I forgot about it. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/19 "2004-09-09T18:11:08Z")
The GURPS Illuminati U (IOU) sourcebook is hilarious. The Warehouse 23 book is my favorite GURPS supplement ever - I intend to use the concept it presents in every genre-appropriate game I run from now till the end of time. For some fun time-wasting, I recommend folks visit [http://www.warehouse23.com/basement/](http://www.warehouse23.com/basement/) - and open some random boxes. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776/20 "2004-09-09T19:20:07Z")
> [@slortar](#): > > Damn, how could I type all that stuff out and not mention the ten ton gorilla of all my recent cool reading material: > > **Darwin’s World.** > > God, that game is awesome. It uses the d20 Modern ruleset, so it might not be your cup of tea, system-wise, but you can’t beat it for sheer bulk of neato stuff. It’s the thickness of a freaking phonebook and it’s all very well written. > > It’s post-apocalyptic scifi with a heavy Fallout influence. It’s literally crammed with material–I think it might even rival the original DMG in terms of amount of material packed into it. Plague zombies, power armor, sample necropoli, mad max type stuff, a very cool sample setting…mutations…it’s all there. > > Easily my favorite d20 sourcebook. Can’t believe I forgot about it. :smack: Agreed. I like Darwin’s World, though I’m not quite as fond of the owners. I wrote a 30-page adventure for it, that they’ve claimed multiple times they’re going to publish, but they don’t seem terribly interested in doing so. I’m about to revoke their rights, make the maps myself, and drop the thing for free on [rpgarchive.com](http://rpgarchive.com). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-as-reading-material/263776.md?page=2)