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View Full Version : How do you carry/store your books?



Apophis775
2011-02-08, 08:59 PM
Wondering this, as we play D&D at someone elses house, and I'm always carting books around.

Whats an easy way to store/move them that i might not have thought of?


Also, don't even say .pdfs, as there is only one computer allowed on the table during play, and that is the resident rules lawyer who uses it to plead his cases.

slaydemons
2011-02-08, 09:10 PM
I personally use one of those reuasble shopping bags but have you tried a backpack if you have like 10 books you can fit it in one spot then papers in another spot and pencils in a tiny spot

Katana_Geldar
2011-02-08, 09:13 PM
I carry the absolute minimum in my Belkar bag to gaming. Along with minis and my tile sets.

dsmiles
2011-02-08, 09:14 PM
I'd love to say that I have a bag of holding (http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/aaa5/), but I just use my laptop bag to carry my books, dice, and minis around.

Katana_Geldar
2011-02-08, 09:22 PM
SSGOW bag is good though, and very very tough!

dsmiles
2011-02-08, 09:24 PM
SSGOW bag is good though, and very very tough!But then you don't get to say, "I have a bag of holding." :smallcool:

Katana_Geldar
2011-02-08, 09:56 PM
A few people in my group do have the bag of holding though.

Bibliomancer
2011-02-08, 09:58 PM
I usually manage to cram 10-12 into a backpack and put a pencilcase on top.

The advantage of this is that my character sheet and notes get pressed in the process, which lengthens the amount of time for which they are readable.

Lurkmoar
2011-02-08, 10:03 PM
In my lap top carry case. I usually don't bring my lap top to the gaming table unless asked to.

I usually do have to carry a ring binder outside of the carry case though.

Apophis775
2011-02-08, 10:44 PM
I have about 16 books i usually bring (typically, people create characters from diff books and usually cross-book with equipment or things).

I've been using an old gamestop system carrying bag to carry them, but it's near the point where thats too difficult, and I've got 3 more books on the way (I usually save some monies and buy a few books every 4-5 months).

Someone said bag of holding... Is that this one (http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/aaa5/)? About how many books does that hold?

Andion Isurand
2011-02-08, 11:58 PM
Hard plastic milk crates.

Gadora
2011-02-09, 12:12 AM
I use my backpack. For an old character, that had spells from all over the place, I stuck a bunch of books in a box, and lugged that over.

rayne_dragon
2011-02-09, 12:13 AM
In a Handy Haversack.

Now that I have the obligitory joke out of the way, I usually just carry mine in a regular backpack/laptop bag. I try to minimize the number of books I need by copying relevant information onto loose paper/printouts that I can tuck away in a PHB/any other book that I definitely need.

You could also see about keeping your books at the house you play at if it is consistent, but I don't recommend it. I lost my 3rd edition books and a box of dice that way.

Aemoh87
2011-02-09, 12:14 AM
{{scrubbed}}

valadil
2011-02-09, 12:25 AM
Book shelf. When I'm not gaming at my place I grab whatever books are relevant to my character and whatever books the GM might need. I've never had more books than backpack space for any given game. I suppose if I needed to carry more or if I wanted to keep game books tucked away when not in use, I'd store them in milk crates and carry those around.

big teej
2011-02-09, 12:34 AM
hold on I'm gonna try and dig up a link to my thread that asked the exact same question

tada!

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179216

hope those answers are helpful

and if anybody is curious I am now a proud proud PROUD owner of a bag of holding, worth every penny

Dr.Epic
2011-02-09, 01:36 AM
Computer holds 'em.

Ozreth
2011-02-09, 01:50 AM
Geez some of you carry too many books around!

1. I think you could get by at 5 tops. And a backpack or a bag of any sort works fine for that, no?

2. You could switch to pathfinder and use one book : p

3. Tell your rules lawyer to get the Rules Compendium and dump the laptop : )

Kobold Esq
2011-02-09, 02:07 AM
{{scrubbed}}


Computer holds 'em.

This. I have PDFs of every book that I own, specifically so I don't HAVE to lug them anywhere.

RTGoodman
2011-02-09, 03:11 AM
When I was playing/DMing several 3.x games in the Long, Long Ago, I was pretty much the only one with books. So I carted around Core, all the MMs, PHB2, all the Races and Completes, and any others people might need in two big duffel bags (along with minis, etc.). With my current game I just carry the PHB or Heroes of the Fall Lands and Rules Compendium and make players have any others that might be necessary.

korifugi
2011-02-09, 05:52 AM
We have compiled several books into a single reference guide which reduces the number of books we need, then I only carry the basic books I need, and have a few extras such as the MIC in PDF format on my smartphone.

Thurbane
2011-02-09, 06:00 AM
As the main source of books in my group, and current DM, I usually lug around several books in a milk create. Pretty heavy, but quite effective (I have my dice and stuff in there as well).

http://www.admarplastics.com/images/16_quart_milk_crate_ibgk.jpg

Jair Barik
2011-02-09, 06:01 AM
Carry the books that you need. If the other players want to take things out of a dozen books then they can bring those books themselves.

Longcat
2011-02-09, 06:35 AM
Assemble all your books on a private cloud server, or in case of 4e, use the official one provided by WotC.

Curmudgeon
2011-02-09, 08:05 AM
I've got a dedicated bookcase in my dining room, and mostly avoid the carry issue by having my gaming group meet at my house. (My seat at the table is on the bookcase side, naturally.) For gaming conventions I use both a large backpack and a second pack with wheels and a pull-out handle, but I still have to make copies of relevant pages from some sources where I only need small parts of a book. It's just not possible to carry a whole bookcase of gaming books around, or even just my D&D 3.5 books, and I'd rather stay under 100 lbs. of books for any particular game.

EccentricCircle
2011-02-09, 08:34 AM
for games in which I am playing I will only be bringing a few books, usually no more than five or so for 3.5, or less for 4e. so a backpack is fine.

if I'm DM'ing its a very different matter. I have a small suitcase whcih can hold about twelve books, tiles and boards, my dice and counters. I sometimes have to use a backpack as well but prefer not to.

of course my favourite situation is to play at my house so that I don't have to transport stuff at all. books live on a bookcase in my room, and i'm in the process of buying an old fashioned treasure chest to keep all the props and tiles in under the kitchen table so that I don't have to lug that stuff up and down the stairs !

Tyndmyr
2011-02-09, 09:07 AM
Well, we play at my house. I own all the books. I don't mean "all the books we play with", I mean "all the books ever printed for every game we play". It's a coupla bookcases worth.

They're organized by game, and within games like 3.5, there's a separate section for each setting. Obviously related books go next to each other, like the completes. Occasionally, certain books have duplicates. Mainly core books, since they are frequently needed by multiple people.

big teej
2011-02-09, 11:32 AM
Well, we play at my house. I own all the books. I don't mean "all the books we play with", I mean "all the books ever printed for every game we play". It's a coupla bookcases worth. They're organized by game, and within games like 3.5, there's a separate section for each setting. Obviously related books go next to each other, like the completes. Occasionally, certain books have duplicates. Mainly core books, since they are frequently needed by multiple people.

my classmates just looked at me really funny because I just turned green with envy...



eeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnvyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy y!!!!!!

Frozen_Feet
2011-02-09, 11:39 AM
My opinion is that if you have to carry more than 500 pages of text with you to one session, you are doing something wrong. :smalltongue: All my RPG books are small enough to fit in my backpack, and there's plenty of room for a folder with character sheets and maps, a pencil case, colouring pens and rulers.

At home, I store them in a shelf, between my manga tankobons, old school books and *censored*.

Talya
2011-02-09, 11:43 AM
Also, don't even say .pdfs, as there is only one computer allowed on the table during play, and that is the resident rules lawyer who uses it to plead his cases.


This rules out my answer. I avoid paper like the plague.

Tyndmyr
2011-02-09, 11:50 AM
my classmates just looked at me really funny because I just turned green with envy...

eeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnvyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy y!!!!!!

Heh. The best part about being an adult is that I can now afford all the toys. Including ones that haven't been made in a decade or so. Someone out there still sells them.

The books sit underneath the lego pirates, and across from the robot battleship. There's a table covered in misc roleplaying stuff and nerf guns that permanently sits in my living room. The nerf guns have become a staple of our roleplaying games, though, so I guess they technically count. At random points in time, someone will shoot someone, and it quickly degenerates into automatic nerf fire in every direction.

Sometimes we're really bad at finishing out dungeons.

valadil
2011-02-09, 12:02 PM
Heh. The best part about being an adult is that I can now afford all the toys.

And of course the worst part is having all the toys and no time to play with them.

The Rabbler
2011-02-09, 12:17 PM
As the main source of books in my group, and current DM, I usually lug around several books in a milk create. Pretty heavy, but quite effective (I have my dice and stuff in there as well).

large image spoiler.
http://www.admarplastics.com/images/16_quart_milk_crate_ibgk.jpg

this. My group uses 3-4 of these whenever we need to transport all of our books and dice.

EDIT: also,

Heh. The best part about being an adult is that I can now afford all the toys. Including ones that haven't been made in a decade or so. Someone out there still sells them.

The books sit underneath the lego pirates, and across from the robot battleship. There's a table covered in misc roleplaying stuff and nerf guns that permanently sits in my living room. The nerf guns have become a staple of our roleplaying games, though, so I guess they technically count. At random points in time, someone will shoot someone, and it quickly degenerates into automatic nerf fire in every direction.

Sometimes we're really bad at finishing out dungeons.

Words cannot describe my level of jealousy right now. Now I want to be an adult simply for the toys. Forget being responsible and independent; piles of nerf guns and a room for gaming is my new motivation.

Tyndmyr
2011-02-09, 12:20 PM
And of course the worst part is having all the toys and no time to play with them.

Damned right. I have a million projects that just need a little more time spent on them.

Apophis775
2011-02-09, 12:33 PM
This rules out my answer. I avoid paper like the plague.

Ah, I avoid digital like the plague. Nothing beats having a book. I've toyed with the idea of a kindle or nook, but I really like having the physical books.



But alas, I am the main supply of books for my group. Closest other person has i think 4.

Curmudgeon
2011-02-09, 12:38 PM
My opinion is that if you have to carry more than 500 pages of text with you to one session, you are doing something wrong. :smalltongue:
I don't use 500 pages of material for one character, but all the books they're in may exceed 4000 pages total for a Rogue by the time it gets to level 20. And of course my opinion is that if you don't avail yourself of all the resources for proper optimization, you are doing something wrong. :smallwink:

Psyren
2011-02-09, 12:46 PM
Also, don't even say .pdfs, as there is only one computer allowed on the table during play, and that is the resident rules lawyer who uses it to plead his cases.

I'm not going to.

But I do have several on my cellphone :smallwink: Android ftw

Ozreth
2011-02-09, 03:04 PM
i'm in the process of buying an old fashioned treasure chest to keep all the props and tiles in under the kitchen table so that I don't have to lug that stuff up and down the stairs !

I have one of those, but it's small. It sits next to my DM screen when we play and houses all the miniatures I'll need for that session.

Kobold Esq
2011-02-09, 04:25 PM
Ah, I avoid digital like the plague. Nothing beats having a book. I've toyed with the idea of a kindle or nook, but I really like having the physical books.



But alas, I am the main supply of books for my group. Closest other person has i think 4.

Except my character sheet is an excel spreadsheet usually (especially for my wizards/clerics/druids), and I keep notes of every session so we can track what has been going on, in case people forget details.

Could it be done with pencil and paper? Sure. But it would suck.

dsmiles
2011-02-09, 05:44 PM
eeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnvyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy y!!!!!!Seriously. That green-eyed monster is all over me right now. Fortunately for me, Tyndmyr lives (relatively) close by. :smalltongue:

Welknair
2011-02-09, 05:49 PM
We usually play at my house, which is quite convenient.

I use my arms for transport. +1 to Str!

Tetsubo 57
2011-02-09, 07:40 PM
Back in the 80's I used a milk crate. Today I carry my gaming materials in an aluminum briefcase style toolbox. I picked it up at Home Depot for I think $25. I store my books on book shelves at home.

Dusk Eclipse
2011-02-09, 07:46 PM
[/spoiler]
Words cannot describe my level of jealousy right now. Now I want to be an adult simply for the toys. Forget being responsible and independent; piles of nerf guns and a room for gaming is my new motivation.

+1 to this feeling...

Since and all my books fit in a normal Laptop case, so I don't have to worry too much about when transporting my books, and my DM has almost all the other books (we usually play on his house so the only trasportation needed is from the bookcase in the dining room, to the living room)

Katana_Geldar
2011-02-09, 07:47 PM
Words cannot describe my level of jealousy right now. Now I want to be an adult simply for the toys. Forget being responsible and independent; piles of nerf guns and a room for gaming is my new motivation.

Don't forget the ball pit to watch TV in.

Yukitsu
2011-02-09, 08:03 PM
Shrink object, fake boot heel, lead foil.

Starbuck_II
2011-02-09, 08:12 PM
I carry my stuff in a backpack (always have my dice with me that way) to games. I'm used to carrying it as I carry the backpack to school.

I store my books in my bins in my dorm (there black and carry a lot. It even has a alot, it likes it there)

Ksheep
2011-02-09, 11:16 PM
I usually just grab the 2 or 3 that I need and carry it in a backpack, with my 2 D&D-playing roommates doing the same. As for storage, I've got a rather heavy-duty box that I got off of a friend. It was the storage box for some industrial robot (computer assembly, I think), and I found that the books fit quite nicely in it. Also, if I ever need to bring all my books, all I need to do is grab the entire box. Only downside is it's kinda heavy, since the bottom half is filled with Magic cards.


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/5432244653_fa088837c3.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5211/5432855266_dcdb652896.jpg