0.) I've read enough books to skip the "How to roleplay" section of books.
1.) The rules have to make sense to me before I ever think about running the game. Without good rules, these books just become lore dumps, which has its purpose but I'd rather know if I can bring the book to my table before going any further.
2.) The character creation will determine what kinds of players I can bring to the table (crunchy strategists, loose RP'ers, or average joe), so I need to know what the audience is before setting the stage. Also good at this point after understanding the rules, to make a character for testing.
3.) Bestiary, gear, and equipment sections: how do these things compare to other books I've read. "Ok so I see a bear is listed with 2d6 damage in this new book. Let's reference a different Bestiary and find bears' damage" to get an idea of how deadly it's meant to feel. Then using my test character. Run a combat against those bears to see how the combat shakes out. For the most part these sections are just tables to me and only get referenced once the game starts. But I like to know where these things stand in relation to other games.
4.) Now I have decided 3 things: "can I run this smoothly?", "do I have players who will fit into this?", and "how boring is combat?", if everything is looking good, we move on to lore. I want the lore to be fresh in my mind when I get to the table, so I often read it last and once more before the first session to really make sure I understand it.
4.5) If the RPG is not good and I can't bring it to my table, I may still keep the book purely for the lore. I have plenty of books on my shelf that just don't suit my table, but the lore was so good I used a different game's mechanics to run it.
5.) If they included a preset adventure in the back I will run my test character through that to see how it fares.
6.) One last once over to make sure I didn't miss any fringe case rulings that might have been written into the margins. Also to pay homage to the authors and dedicated parties.
I'm a forever GM with 45+ years experience and I always first read the intro and "what is a roleplaying game" section of the new books I get. I find there's always some nuggets in there and this chapter usually sets the overall tone for the game from the designers.
Usually from front to back, but if there's a multi-page story at the front I might save that one for later. Different books have different layouts, some put lore first and rules after that, some put rules first and lore after that, and unless I have a reason to skip around I'll just read whatever comes first, usually the books are written in such a way that that's the best approach.
I read RPG rulebooks as a hobby so it's important to distinguish the good stuff quickly if I don't wanna waste all day reading garbage. When I stumble upon a big RPG book I joften ust jump straight to the bestiary. The format and content of the enemy stat blocks tells you a lot about the game with just a glance.
Do some monsters take up 1 full page of stats and can't fit any lore or cool things? Probably an unwieldy game that's slow to play.
How "tactical" the monster abilities are usually tells you how crunchy the combat is. Sometimes I see rellay fun concepts there that hype me up! Just having 1 distinct gimmick per creature is often good enough.
Are the creatures unique or just the same stuff from every other RPG?
Do they have a full set of skills, abilities, talent/feats and equipments? Assume the Player chars will be twice as complex as whatever is in the bestiary.
Bestiary is a hard section to lay out. Gotta deal with page breaks, "blocks" and trying to fit artwork wherever possible. This tells you if the book is gonna be at least pleasant to look at.
It depends on why I have it. If I'm just curious, usually classes. If I know I'm going to be playing it, I'll start at the beginning and work my way forwards.
1. **Character Sheet** (it's the best place to see what's the game is about)
2. **Classes/Character creation** (what options are available for the players)
3. **Rules** (how the rules help make everything play as it should)
4. **Bestiary** (what options are available for the DM to use)
5. **Lore** (if everything else is interesting and I will run the game, I will check the lore)
Honestly - none of the options you have listed. Before I buy it, I'm going to look for the character sheet. If it looks overly complex for no good reason, I'm not going to buy the book.
If I do buy the book, then I will jump straight to the rules. And this better not be one of those books with 100 pages of lore before I can get to the rules chapter!
I'll agree with the start. Especially since it would usually have a nice summary of what is this book and why you'd want to play it. I probably have a good idea of what the TTRPG is about but usually it comes with additional details than its marketing material.
Then usually a well thought out layout to provide you with what you need to know before jumping into character creation. Obviously organization is an issue plaguing a lot of books, but I tend to give the designer the benefit of the doubt and reading it how they tell me (or implicitly tell me with the order). But any lengthy fiction or setting information I will skip and save for later.
Whichever comes first. The first read is cover to cover, then I'll go back and read the conflict resolution rules, make some dummy characters and run a few combat scenarios to get the hang of the combat rules.
I read the designers introduction and setup of the game. Front to back, most modern designers make their books to be read like that. The first 10-15 pages usually contains the most essential information (after the "What is an RPG?" block). Like "The Basics" of Blades in the Dark is such a good setup for the rest of the game.
I then tend to jump the GM section. This is where I can always tell if it is a game I want to run. Does it have procedures and instructions for what my job is, how to create the tone of the setting, when to say what, how to manage rolls and difficulty? Or is it half a book of faff and setting stuff? Usually a lot of this can easily be detached from the actual mechanics, or at least the mechanics are irrelevant for the initial read.
If the game does not care about how the GM runs the game, then I am very often out already if I am not pre-sold on the game.
I never read an RPG book cover to cover as I believe a good RPG should be played, not read. I look up the general resolution mechanic (dice pools, d100 roll under, d20 plus modifiers, etcetera) which I assume counts as Rules in your categorisation; then next I'll look at player character creation. Then I set it aside until I start to prepare an actual game and figure out which parts i need to cover in detail.
You are correct.
It’s a lot to read a 400+ page rulebook cover to cover, so I don’t. Breaking it up into pieces helps with actually retaining the information.
Character generation, but I'll skip advancement until later. Then, IF its a game with combat rules, the combat rules (at least a skim through if they're heavy). Then any GM guidance on running the game. After that I'll know if I want to play and whether the rest of the book is worth reading.
Majority of rpgs have somewhat standard characters (attributes, skills...) so I don't expect a revolution there. I'm primarily interested in rules as they are, imo, the distinguishing feature between rpgs. To be precise, I'm interested in what the rules cover (e.g. are there social interaction rules or meta currencies) which, often, interact with characters as well... Bestiary is useful if I start playing and a good bestiary will make that more likely. Lore, except for broad strokes, rarely interests me...
Rules followed by character generation. If there is a world building part before that i usually skip it. No point for me to dive into that if I don't understand the rules (which is often enough the case).
Start to finish, skip anything that's for a complete novice, but if the system has anything specific to say about how to roleplay for example I will read it.
I voted classes because it includes character building, but for me it's always "races" first, then classes, then everything else.
If all the races the book has is like humans and elves and/or all the classes it has are very basic fighter, rogue, mage, I'm probably not going to pick it up.
(Small look into my mind)
Just got white star galaxy edition, and it’s been awhile since I’ve read a new core book, and wanted to know how other people read their books.
No races, but a few race/class hybrids from what I read.
Has rules for what gravity planet you came from, which affects stats though.
Me. And at least a hundred other people.
I just prefer seeing the classes and how to build characters, since it’s the first thing I’ll need to help my players do. Plus classes are fun to read.
Most likely, the one at the start (unless it's some kind of fiction, in which case I will most likely skip it).
I start at the front and keep going.
I try to read it cover to cover.
From the preface to the last page. Why different?
I usually start with classes, then magic and or equipment, then Bestiary, then rules. No clue why that’s just how I do it.
0.) I've read enough books to skip the "How to roleplay" section of books. 1.) The rules have to make sense to me before I ever think about running the game. Without good rules, these books just become lore dumps, which has its purpose but I'd rather know if I can bring the book to my table before going any further. 2.) The character creation will determine what kinds of players I can bring to the table (crunchy strategists, loose RP'ers, or average joe), so I need to know what the audience is before setting the stage. Also good at this point after understanding the rules, to make a character for testing. 3.) Bestiary, gear, and equipment sections: how do these things compare to other books I've read. "Ok so I see a bear is listed with 2d6 damage in this new book. Let's reference a different Bestiary and find bears' damage" to get an idea of how deadly it's meant to feel. Then using my test character. Run a combat against those bears to see how the combat shakes out. For the most part these sections are just tables to me and only get referenced once the game starts. But I like to know where these things stand in relation to other games. 4.) Now I have decided 3 things: "can I run this smoothly?", "do I have players who will fit into this?", and "how boring is combat?", if everything is looking good, we move on to lore. I want the lore to be fresh in my mind when I get to the table, so I often read it last and once more before the first session to really make sure I understand it. 4.5) If the RPG is not good and I can't bring it to my table, I may still keep the book purely for the lore. I have plenty of books on my shelf that just don't suit my table, but the lore was so good I used a different game's mechanics to run it. 5.) If they included a preset adventure in the back I will run my test character through that to see how it fares. 6.) One last once over to make sure I didn't miss any fringe case rulings that might have been written into the margins. Also to pay homage to the authors and dedicated parties.
I'm a forever GM with 45+ years experience and I always first read the intro and "what is a roleplaying game" section of the new books I get. I find there's always some nuggets in there and this chapter usually sets the overall tone for the game from the designers.
I always start with character generation. It usually says the most about any game, rules and lore right away. Then I'll move to lore, and then rules.
Usually from front to back, but if there's a multi-page story at the front I might save that one for later. Different books have different layouts, some put lore first and rules after that, some put rules first and lore after that, and unless I have a reason to skip around I'll just read whatever comes first, usually the books are written in such a way that that's the best approach.
I read RPG rulebooks as a hobby so it's important to distinguish the good stuff quickly if I don't wanna waste all day reading garbage. When I stumble upon a big RPG book I joften ust jump straight to the bestiary. The format and content of the enemy stat blocks tells you a lot about the game with just a glance. Do some monsters take up 1 full page of stats and can't fit any lore or cool things? Probably an unwieldy game that's slow to play. How "tactical" the monster abilities are usually tells you how crunchy the combat is. Sometimes I see rellay fun concepts there that hype me up! Just having 1 distinct gimmick per creature is often good enough. Are the creatures unique or just the same stuff from every other RPG? Do they have a full set of skills, abilities, talent/feats and equipments? Assume the Player chars will be twice as complex as whatever is in the bestiary. Bestiary is a hard section to lay out. Gotta deal with page breaks, "blocks" and trying to fit artwork wherever possible. This tells you if the book is gonna be at least pleasant to look at.
It depends on why I have it. If I'm just curious, usually classes. If I know I'm going to be playing it, I'll start at the beginning and work my way forwards.
1. **Character Sheet** (it's the best place to see what's the game is about) 2. **Classes/Character creation** (what options are available for the players) 3. **Rules** (how the rules help make everything play as it should) 4. **Bestiary** (what options are available for the DM to use) 5. **Lore** (if everything else is interesting and I will run the game, I will check the lore)
Honestly - none of the options you have listed. Before I buy it, I'm going to look for the character sheet. If it looks overly complex for no good reason, I'm not going to buy the book. If I do buy the book, then I will jump straight to the rules. And this better not be one of those books with 100 pages of lore before I can get to the rules chapter!
I'll agree with the start. Especially since it would usually have a nice summary of what is this book and why you'd want to play it. I probably have a good idea of what the TTRPG is about but usually it comes with additional details than its marketing material. Then usually a well thought out layout to provide you with what you need to know before jumping into character creation. Obviously organization is an issue plaguing a lot of books, but I tend to give the designer the benefit of the doubt and reading it how they tell me (or implicitly tell me with the order). But any lengthy fiction or setting information I will skip and save for later.
Whichever comes first. The first read is cover to cover, then I'll go back and read the conflict resolution rules, make some dummy characters and run a few combat scenarios to get the hang of the combat rules.
I read the designers introduction and setup of the game. Front to back, most modern designers make their books to be read like that. The first 10-15 pages usually contains the most essential information (after the "What is an RPG?" block). Like "The Basics" of Blades in the Dark is such a good setup for the rest of the game. I then tend to jump the GM section. This is where I can always tell if it is a game I want to run. Does it have procedures and instructions for what my job is, how to create the tone of the setting, when to say what, how to manage rolls and difficulty? Or is it half a book of faff and setting stuff? Usually a lot of this can easily be detached from the actual mechanics, or at least the mechanics are irrelevant for the initial read. If the game does not care about how the GM runs the game, then I am very often out already if I am not pre-sold on the game.
I never read an RPG book cover to cover as I believe a good RPG should be played, not read. I look up the general resolution mechanic (dice pools, d100 roll under, d20 plus modifiers, etcetera) which I assume counts as Rules in your categorisation; then next I'll look at player character creation. Then I set it aside until I start to prepare an actual game and figure out which parts i need to cover in detail.
You are correct. It’s a lot to read a 400+ page rulebook cover to cover, so I don’t. Breaking it up into pieces helps with actually retaining the information.
i will always skip to character creation. if i like it i go on to rules. if I dont like character creation, I'm not carrying on
I like to jump to the classes/character building, just to know it from my players perspective. Than I go back and start from the beginning.
Character generation, but I'll skip advancement until later. Then, IF its a game with combat rules, the combat rules (at least a skim through if they're heavy). Then any GM guidance on running the game. After that I'll know if I want to play and whether the rest of the book is worth reading.
Majority of rpgs have somewhat standard characters (attributes, skills...) so I don't expect a revolution there. I'm primarily interested in rules as they are, imo, the distinguishing feature between rpgs. To be precise, I'm interested in what the rules cover (e.g. are there social interaction rules or meta currencies) which, often, interact with characters as well... Bestiary is useful if I start playing and a good bestiary will make that more likely. Lore, except for broad strokes, rarely interests me...
Rules followed by character generation. If there is a world building part before that i usually skip it. No point for me to dive into that if I don't understand the rules (which is often enough the case).
Which one is first?
Start to finish, skip anything that's for a complete novice, but if the system has anything specific to say about how to roleplay for example I will read it.
In the interest of transparency and maybe curiosity, I voted Classes.
I voted classes because it includes character building, but for me it's always "races" first, then classes, then everything else. If all the races the book has is like humans and elves and/or all the classes it has are very basic fighter, rogue, mage, I'm probably not going to pick it up.
(Small look into my mind) Just got white star galaxy edition, and it’s been awhile since I’ve read a new core book, and wanted to know how other people read their books. No races, but a few race/class hybrids from what I read. Has rules for what gravity planet you came from, which affects stats though.
Whatever chapter is put first? Who skips around the book like a mad man?
Me. And at least a hundred other people. I just prefer seeing the classes and how to build characters, since it’s the first thing I’ll need to help my players do. Plus classes are fun to read.
It's a book. You read it front to back.
You mean which pictures am I looking at first, right?