Quote from: Spinachcat;924553Do you write notes in your RPG books?

Yes, in any book I don't consider 'collectible.'

Quote from: Simlasa;924626. . . I do write in a lot of my other books. I underline and write thoughts in the margins or argue with the author . . .

One of the best gifts I received in my life was a biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes from a guy I knew. It was his personal copy, and he annotated the hell out of it. This guy was fucking brilliant, and the insight into his thought process and the way he critically read the book changed how I approached everything I ever read again.

Quote from: Spinachcat;924553Do you get bummed when books don't provide you doodle space?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

Quote from: Spinachcat;924647I wonder if people would feel ripped off with a larger font, or would the easier read enhance their experience?

It would increase the page size and price.

Quote from: Black Vulmea;924650Yes, in any book I don't consider 'collectible.'


One of the best gifts I received in my life was a biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes from a guy I knew. It was his personal copy, and he annotated the hell out of it. This guy was fucking brilliant, and the insight into his thought process and the way he critically read the book changed how I approached everything I ever read again.

I figure historians in the future will be able to get a little more use out of books with thoughts and notes in the margins than ones without.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;924652It would increase the page size and price.

It wont increase the page size for print. It will possibly increase the page count.

Balance that vs loss of sales from customers passing on your product because the fonts too tiny. All because you wanted to skimp a 8-25c rather than add 4 more pages to your book.

Quote from: Omega;924658It wont increase the page size for print. It will possibly increase the page count.

Balance that vs loss of sales from customers passing on your product because the fonts too tiny. All because you wanted to skimp a 8-25c rather than add 4 more pages to your book.

I meant to say page count.

Quote from: Omega;924658It wont increase the page size for print. It will possibly increase the page count.

Balance that vs loss of sales from customers passing on your product because the fonts too tiny. All because you wanted to skimp a 8-25c rather than add 4 more pages to your book.

It isn't about skimping. It is about how big the book will be and what the cover price will have to be. Right now we've been using 10 point font on our page text. I don't know how many pages it would add for sure if I pushed that to 12 (which I would have a much easier time reading personally) but I believe it would be much more than 4 pages.

My concern about people feeling cheated is that when they see large text, they assume it is to flush the book (that is what I remember assuming with a lot of the late 3.5 products for example). I'd certainly be open to going to 12 point font if people liked it and were okay with the larger page count (and correspondingly larger cover price). I've also heard some people say they find big font unattractive. That is also a consideration.

What about 11 point?  I wonder if that would give a bit more size, minimal page count increase, but offer an easier to read experience.

BTW, its interesting that the CA superior court asks for 12 point font, but CA appeals court asks for 13 pt font and they call it out specifically about being easier to read.

I've heard lots of complaints about white space in RPG books, but in this poll, there's is a notable amount of people who use that space for notes.

I wonder how to best balance both concerns?

Quote from: Spinachcat;924670What about 11 point?  I wonder if that would give a bit more size, minimal page count increase, but offer an easier to read experience.

BTW, its interesting that the CA superior court asks for 12 point font, but CA appeals court asks for 13 pt font and they call it out specifically about being easier to read.

A lot of this is going to depend on the actual font as well. In this particular case, 11 doesn't really seem noteworthy enough of a difference to my eyes. So I don't think you gain as much as putting it at 12. I think once you get to 13 you are actually in Large Print territory. The rule of thumb I always learned for layout was never go past 12 for body text and never go under 10. I've noticed when I have tried 13 it looks a little odd (though maybe I'd get used to it if I saw it enough). If I did go to 12, I'd start with a module and see how people react. But again, page count can also drive that decision. I don't lay out the books myself anymore, so I would need to talk to our current layout guy about trying different font sizes. It isn't just an issue of printing, but if it substantially raises page count, then it increases layout and art costs as well (because with more pages comes more art).

Post-It Notes

I went with "Yes! Minor bits, errata or specific reminders". But it really depends on the game itself. For me there is no big deal in making notes in, say, a OSR black&white lulu.com PoD book. But no fucking way I would consider writing notes in my The One Ring books or Planescape books.

I usually buy two copies of anything I really intend to use: one that I highlight, mark-up and beat up traveling or using at the table and one to "keep nice" on the shelf. I process and remember the material infinitely better if I engage it with highlighting and writing.

I hate writing in books, I don't even like putting my name in them. The books will outlive me...i just don't have the heart to damage them for all time.

Heck no.  I never have written in a book, and I never will.  It's heresy and sacrilege.  In the olden days, I would have separate notebooks if I wanted to add a note.  Now, I just type something up and save the document.  I used to drive one of my English teachers nuts in middle school, because I read books without breaking the spine and she had no idea how that could be done.  I like to treat books with respect.  Just one of my quirks.

No, I have never written in a book. At first it was because I loved books and did not want to desecrate one with my scribblings. Nowadays, I do not want to deface something that I can sell again on eBay or Amazon once I am done with it.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;924662It isn't about skimping. It is about how big the book will be and what the cover price will have to be. Right now we've been using 10 point font on our page text. I don't know how many pages it would add for sure if I pushed that to 12 (which I would have a much easier time reading personally) but I believe it would be much more than 4 pages.

My concern about people feeling cheated is that when they see large text, they assume it is to flush the book (that is what I remember assuming with a lot of the late 3.5 products for example). I'd certainly be open to going to 12 point font if people liked it and were okay with the larger page count (and correspondingly larger cover price). I've also heard some people say they find big font unattractive. That is also a consideration.

10 points probably Ok. I was more meaning smaller than that. Sometimes much smaller.

Example. the 5e PHB has a good font size. Not sure how big that is? Now flip to the back of the book and the index. That is too small and they changed the index font size in the DMG due to complaints. And thats not the smallest I've seen.

The only time I've seen someone complain of larger font was when it was excessively large and felt like padding. But then some complain that of interior art too. And the reverse can and will be complained about. That a too small font is the company trying to skimp by compressing the font to get the page count down.