RPG books of 2016

Inspired by a similar post by Ramanan Sivaranjan I decided to post a list of the TRPG books I’ve purchased this year.

Since switching from a custom home-brewed TRPG mechanic to using off-the shelf systems I’ve been very much enjoying reading TRPG books, particularly in print, acquiring about one a month.

Almost half of the books are for Pathfinder, despite the fact that for most of the year I didn’t play in or run a Pathfinder game. This was because towards the end of 2015 I backed the Aethera Kickstarter and wanted to spend some time re-familiarising myself with the mechanics. Despite the fact that I already owned most of these Pathfinder books in PDF I bought the print versions as I find them both easier and more enjoyable to read  than a PDF on a relatively small tablet screen and I find them easier to reference at the table, even though most of the games I run and play are online in a virtual tabletop.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess caught my attention half way through the year with their Bundle of Lamentations. The clean & simple rules were attractive after trying to home-brew a Pathfinder game whilst ramping up on the potentially complex mechanics, working and parenting.

After running a few sessions I’m still a big fan of LotFP, but favour the system more for one-shots and short campaigns. I’m very much looking forward to running the LotFP modules I already own as well as buying, reading and potentially running several others.

I received the two D&D books for Christmas. I am curious to read SCAG to learn more about the Forgotten Realms, the default setting for 5th edition. Volo’s Guide is more exciting as it’s got a decent array of player options to use in the 5e game I play in. I have only leafed through the book so far but have already dreamed up several character ideas.

Pathfinder Core Rulebook January Pathfinder Print
Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide February Pathfinder Print
Humble RPG Book Bundle: Pathfinder February Pathfinder PDF
Pathfinder Bestiary 1 March Pathfinder Print
Pathfinder Advanced Race Guide June Pathfinder Print
Bundle of Lamentations July LotFP PDF
Pathfinder Occult Adventures August Pathfinder Print
A Red and Pleasant Land September LotFP Print
Death Frost Doom September LotFP Print
Scenic Dunnsmouth September LotFP Print
LotFP Rules and Magic October LotFP Print
Yoon-Suin October OSR Print
Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide December D&D Print
Volo’s Guide to Monsters December D&D Print