How do you carry around all the books?

By OddballE8, in Game Masters

I'm currently using an old backpack and my laptop case (with my laptop in it!), but it's starting to get heavy (to the point of the back pack suffering from wear).

And since I plan on getting all the books (so far 2 CRB's, 4 Careers, 1 Setting and 1 GM), I see this becoming a problem.


Anyone got any tips on how to transport all this stuff?


(ps. I live out-of-the-way, while my players live very close to eachother, so suggesting I play at my place isn't viable because then nobody would want to play)

I use a rolling case from OfficeDepot. Their website appears to be down at the moment, but the link I posted to it in another thread is http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/410409/Ativa-Mobil-IT-Rolling-Briefcase-Ultimate/

But very shortly, that will not be big enough to handle all the books. I do not yet know what I’m going to do then.

I have seen others recommend milk crates that are tied together with bungie cords, which you could then put onto a hand truck. But, as heavy as books are, you’d have to be careful to get high-quality milk crates, and you’d need to make sure that they can fit the books you want to carry.

Milk crates is not an option, since I'll be bringing these on busses and trains.

Don't have (and don't need) a car.
Sweden has excellent public transport :)

See if your players are willing to buy their own copies of some of the books so you have less to transport.

See if your players are willing to buy their own copies of some of the books so you have less to transport.

Yeah, most of them are unemployed or very low-paid, so that option is out the window, I'm afraid... :(

I have a Laptop bag and a Metal(aluminum) Brief Case.

Leave your books where you play? That means you wouldn't have access to them away from the table, but it would save hauling them back and forth.

Often you only need 1 core book for reference during a session. If someone in the group wants to flip through one of the others then you just bring that along. This way you can leave a big stack at home. The travel suitcase is a good idea too, one with wheels. A big sports bag may work as well.

Just rent the whole bus.

I have a spreadsheet of all of the species, equipment, motivations, obligations, duties and such in it. I use my iPad to reference that sheet when I need those stats. Between that, my box of adversary cards, and my GM's notebook. I only bring one corebook (Usually Force and Destiny) character sheets, and dice to my games and have all I need.

This may sound weird, but after a session one of the players noted how much he liked how the rules worked, and I pointed out that I hadn't, in the last 10 sessions, cracked the rulebook once to look anything up. It's not that I know the rules so well, but the dice make the adjudicating really seamless.

On-the-fly adversaries are in the Adversary decks. Everything the player needs to play is on their character sheet (from OggDude) and the Talent details are on the beggingforxp talent sheets, which I also have on my iPad. Everything else is setting difficulties or interpreting dice results, or looking up session notes (also on my iPad).

The only thing I could see the players needing is the equipment lists if they want to go shopping, but I try to handle that out of session via email. (Nothing kills inertia like everyone waiting on one person to pick a blaster.)

So I guess I'm saying all I'd need is one core book (just in case), the adversary decks, and an iPad.

Leave your books where you play? That means you wouldn't have access to them away from the table, but it would save hauling them back and forth.

Not really an Option when you might need to reference a Weapon or players might need to purchase equipment or what not.

which is why a PDF would be REALLY FRICKIN USEFUL DAMIT!

But this is Why, at least with the Sad few books I currently own, I am Making a Compiled "Equipment" book for myself, I don't think I will include ALL the information.. Just the Basic Stats for each piece of Equipment...

It's more of a reference document than a Complete detailed equipment book... but it will help a bit with my players when they want to go "Shopping".

Edited by SnowDragon

Leave your books where you play? That means you wouldn't have access to them away from the table, but it would save hauling them back and forth.

I was thinking the same. You said they live nearby each other. Do you typically play at one place? And you can trust the resident with your treasure trove? I would haul the stuff you most need between sessions while leaving the others at your friend's place.

Not really an Option when you might need to reference a Weapon or players might need to purchase equipment or what not.

For that kind of thing, we use the site at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/equipment/

Thanks For that Link Brad

Thanks For that Link Brad

You won’t see any information from any betas listed on that site, nor will you see any unofficial information there. And we still have a couple of books we need to catch up on.

But most of the stuff officially published by FFG in the way of weapons, armor, gear, ships, etc… should be there.

I was going to get independently wealthy and just have a helicopter airdrop them in when I need them. Gonna have to invest in shipping containers by the time all the splat books are out.

This is where officially available PDF's would be nice. Most of the other games I play have PDF's that I have on my laptop. I'm looking at a job with a lot of travel time & it's not going to work at all to do PbP if I can't have my books.

When we played at my house, no problem. When we moved to another location, I hired a pack mule. That got expensive quickly. I have a ton of minis, maps, projector and screen to tote around, so adding 3 backpacks' worth of books wasn't a terrible additional cost.

At the risk of another whack to the dead horse, man PDFs would be handy. Yeah yeah, I know, I know, not with THIS license. Let it be known throughout the land, however, that I would pay additional currency for PDFs on top of the printed material, and I do not stand alone in this.

Something like this might be useful: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Protege-32-Expandable-Rolling-Duffel-Bag-Black/11069689

I use several collapsible bags of that size when I need to take books from place to place. They can carry an entire shelf worth of books as long as they're stacked correctly. Along with dice, card cases and miniatures in side pockets, everything needed for a gaming system can be stored and transported in one place.

Most of the books aren't all that necessary after character creation. While I am doing a roll20 game with other player who all have most of the books, I'm currently traveling with just my CRB and a GM screen, and will run a game on that. Otherwise, maybe just write down a few things that you need.

I like the Forged in Battle book with the alternate uses of advantage and threat based on terrain types.

Yeah, I usually just go with the core rules book (or one of them), the character source books and maby one or more books that we might need depending on the session (like, the next session takes place on Nar Shaddaa, so I'll bring Lords of Nal Hutta)

Still a heavy load.

We play at my place, but when its go time, its a core book, gm screen, and maybe a setting book if necessary, tucked into a ThinkGeek Bag of Holding.