"Rulebooks: Hardbacks or Paperbacks?" Topic

The RULES should be both sides of a sheet of paper--in a pinch, both sides to two sheets of paper.

I'm perfectly happy to buy a good hardcover--signature bound, please!--with illustrations, examples of play, scenarios and painting and terrain-making tips. But I don't want it on my gaming table, and I most certainly don't want to have to look through it to find out what happens when my battalion tries to form square before the cavalry hit.

Other: saddle stiched, i.e. staple bound. In my experience, saddle-stitched/staple-bound rulebooks hold up best to repeated use on the tabletop.

I picked paperback – but I mean "stapled" rather than bound (glued) like a paperback book.

Any sort of paperback is fine for me. They tend to hold up well if you take care of them.

I like key charts or rules on a page or two double sided ii can put on card stock or in a clearvsheet protector. ThgThge rules themselves PDF, paper, hardback, coil or spiral bound

Spiral is great for keeping the book open at the correct page.

arsbelli is right, and I should have thought of it. If the rules themselves are over two sheets of paper, saddle stitched opens flat and holds up well. But the technique won't work well for the currently fashionable tomes.

I prefer loose leaf. I like to keep my rule sets in binders so I can keep the book open to a specific page when needed. Binders also give you a place to store additional info in pockets. They also give the ability to remove a page to copy for filling in data such as unit record sheets and other such game related bookkeeping info.

With the advent of small and self publishing, there seems to be an increase in "errata", clarifications and supplemental info released post publication. These are all things that can be hole-punched and added into the binder.

Digital :)

If printed, for game play, a spiral back is best.

We have two elderly iPads that are used at the table for rules. They are quick to find the appropriate rule, zoomable for old eyes and have a small size on the table.

Therefore PDFs are the desired format.

x42

I have one problem with Spiral bound type books be they wire or plastic. Finding the book on a shelf, It takes pulling them out one at a time and looking at the cover. Where my soft and hard books I just pull out the one I'm looking for right off.

I'm with Weasel and x42brown.

PDF is the only way for me now. Picked up a 10" tablet running Win 10 for £40.00 GBP,e than adequate for PDFs and today's PDFs are far superiour to yesterday's WRG print.

I'm not a PDF fan. I don't mind having them as backups, but for primary playing aids, I want pro printing and binding, not having to print stuff on my sub-par, unreliable printer, wasting a lot of pricey ink, and cobbling the pages together in some slapdash manner. I'm not simpatico with the DIY ethos in this respect. And I don't own a tablet.

I like the THW way, PDF for downloading – instant gratification – and for a few dollars more the softcover hard copy in the mail. Just like books (ever the printer's child) I prefer the heft of a booklet but can use the iBook app.

Remember, the computer is your friend – until it isn't. 😳 😱 😢 🙄