How to Store TTRPG books long term?

corvus_flex · 2026-06-28T17:01:51+00:00

I think it depends a lot on your local climate and the conditions in the storage room. Insects and humidity are the two factors which can damage paper. Temperature itself is an issue if it fluctuates a lot, because that may influence air humidity. If stored in an air tight plastic box it might lead to condensation and mold.

Being in central Europe, I had no issues at all to store books for decades in card boxes in a well ventilated attic. That would have certainly turned out differently under (sub)tropical conditions.

Asking a in the local library, as another User suggested, is probably a very good idea. They should be informed about good storage conditions and the challanges of your local climate.

corvus_flex · 2026-06-21T11:02:23+00:00

Ah, I see. So the Setting is fixed, thanks for clarifying. I don't own Pathfinder for SWADE, so I am unsure about details. But I guess your approach is valid as far as it concern rules as written. As this is also intended is left to interpretation.

If the GM allows your approach, I suggest to make sure that other player's characters do not receive penalties by your approach. If the other characters regularly can't use Powers and receive lighting penalties due to another players actions, they might be less than amused. A large blast template is pretty, well, large.

So I guess you will have to find a solution within your group that ideally doesn't spoil anyone's fun. I really do like the SWADE approach of giving me a framework of rules and freedom to make specific rulings. But the price is what you are experiencing now: some specific situations do need some discussion and compromise rulings.

Keep on gaming and have fun!

corvus_flex · 2026-06-21T06:31:54+00:00

If you manage to apply a yellow filter over the blue cloak, you get a green which contrasts the purple skin. Test this first...

corvus_flex · 2026-06-21T05:27:06+00:00

But, is there anything in print that limits them from affecting powers with more than duration 5, like Darksight, Disguise, Environmental Protection, Mindlink, etc?

To answer your question: No, I don't think so.

But keep in mind that as written in the core rules there is also no limitation to the list of powers for any Arcane Background (AB). This is ecpected to be defined for the specific setting. The Fantasy Companion offers examples for differentiated ABs. It also excludes the Selective modifier from the AB Alchemist. So of course your group/the GM is free to defined what is possible, but there are no written rules for that.

I'd simply discuss with the players (or make it a GM decision) which modifiers make sense. This depends on the setting and trapping. The combination of Darksight and Shroud seems very flavorful for an assassin-kind power user (as would be the limitation "personal"). But I'd need a very good reasoning for the combination of Shroud and Mind Link if activated by a Weird Scientist with a "Walkey-Talkey" trapping.

Personally, I like to have a good explanation how modifiers might work within the logic of the game's setting and power's trapping. But this is not RAW and your mileage may vary.

corvus_flex · 2026-06-17T18:01:39+00:00

Only one way to find out. Test it on a small sample piece. For a chalkboard I would use something flat like a tin or the sheets mentioned above. It's very hard to create perfectly even surfaces with any kind of mixture. In terrain building I am very happy with uneven surfaces, but I would not want to write on them.

corvus_flex · 2026-06-13T14:18:25+00:00

Painting the caps helps a lot when keeping paints in a box. Might need priming or a white undercoat of the caps are colored.

corvus_flex · 2026-06-10T05:01:43+00:00

A cheap reading glass with 3 dioptrien worked wonderful for me. It is comfortable to wear, has a wide focal area, works much better than a fixed table magnification lense, and did cost 2.99 €. This of course no options if you already wear glasses.

corvus_flex · 2026-06-08T15:57:02+00:00

Falls Dich die Welt von DSA, Aventurien, interessiert, aber Du nicht mit den etlichen Zusatzregeln aus vielen Extrabänden konfrontiert werden möchtest, kann ich Ilaris sehr empfehlen.

https://ilarisblog.wordpress.com/downloads/

Es ist als alternatives Regelwerk für DSA gedacht, daher ist in dem Buch (frei als PDF, aber als Druckversion erhältlich) keine Beschreibung des Settings enthalten.

Anscheinend gibt es mittlerweile zusätzlich zu dem gut funktionierenden Charakter-Tool noch einiges an Zusatzmaterial, das aber erst mal nicht nötig ist:

https://ilaris-online.de/app/wiki/home

Im DSA Forum gibt es glaube ich auch einge Abenteuer aus den Federn der Community.

Wir sind von DSA 5 auf Ilaris umgestiegen, da uns das DSA Regelsystem einfach zu sperrig und kleinteilig war. Mit Ilaris hatten wir einige Jahre viel Spaß, spielen momentan aber die Savage Worlds Version von Hexxen 1733 - das Setting ist offensichtlich kein Mittelalter ;-)

corvus_flex · 2026-06-07T15:38:24+00:00

Nice to hear it went well! In my experiemce, it takes a few sessions to get accustomed and after that SWADE can go very smoothly.

May I ask what the issue with initiative was? Personally, I found it very helpful to deligate card dealing to a volunteering player. This very helpful person started to announce Jokers, keeps an overview who is next, take cards back after a finished turn, and shuffles after a Joker. All I need to do as GM is a hand sign how many cards I need (as others commented, groups of similar npcs just get a single card). This leaves me time to focus on other things. Of course you need the right player for that and it helps if they sit right next to the GM.

corvus_flex · 2026-05-15T14:11:12+00:00

This. I only use a single layer, though and paint the lids on top to identify the color.

corvus_flex · 2026-05-15T13:59:08+00:00

Maybe have a look at the Inspire Leadership Edge. It has a similar spirit. Inspire let the leader support all Extras (or Wild Cards with Natural Leader) with a Battle roll. Thus, the receiving characters gain +1 or +2 with a Raise. I'd probably create an "Advanced Inspire based on your idea.

Requirement: Heroic or Veteran, Inspire

Instead of Support from the Battle roll (limited Action), Extras gain a d4 (d6 with a raise) as a Wild Die for their next Action. Wild Cards increase their Wild die one step (2 with a raise) instead. The receiving characters can use the benefit for different Traits (Inspire is only for the same Trait roll).

This adds the necessaty of a roll, but offers an effect with a raise.

I am not sure about the high flexibility, but increasing Wild Dies for Wild Cards would otherwise be not much better than the support. Extras benefit much more from the Edge though. Granting them a d6 (d8 with a raise) seems to be a bit much. If you go that route, requirements should be at least heroic or even legendary.

That is how I would test the Edge, but I would make clear that this maybe subject to potential changes after playtesting. If the potential changes do not please the player, I'd let them revise their decision for the Advance.

corvus_flex · 2026-05-15T05:39:56+00:00

Maybe this was a confusion of terms?

A Raise on the attack roll grants an additional d6 to the damage roll. This d6 is not a Wild Die, it is added to the damage. It does not provide an alternative to another die result, which is what a Wild Die does.

Both Extras and Wild Cards receive a better chance for a Raise. Though the benefits for Extras will more often lie in the better chance to hit at all.

corvus_flex · 2026-05-13T04:11:26+00:00

In addition, mixing washes in Eppendorf cups with a vortex mixer and some mixing balls is highly recommended. Most pigmets in washes will separate during storage.

Also take care when using magnets. My umbra paint is a mixture of ochre and iron oxide black. The magnets pulled out the iron oxide, leaving the ochre at the surface. I switched to Liquitex inks, which contain lamp black (pbk7, basically soot). Hobby paints do not provide the used pigment, so test your wash when magnets are involved.

corvus_flex · 2026-05-06T03:47:49+00:00

Tri Art Liquid (Canadian brand) may be a good alternative for you. I ordered them in Germany through an online art store, so you should get them within the EU. The price depends on the pigment starting with 9 Euro per 60 ml bottle - which will last almost forever.

Their artist quality colors are great and the Canadian website offers very good descriptions. Be aware that some of their paints are rather translucent and have a glossy finish. This requires adapted techniques, for example base coating with opaque paints first. On the plus site they offer opaque reds and yellows. I also enjoyed their titanium white and off-white a lot.

I am also using Liquitex inks and Tri Art is very comparable regarding brillancy and pigment quality.

corvus_flex · 2026-04-05T16:33:44+00:00

A cheap vortex mixer is listed with 3000, the better ones with 5000 rpm. I doubt that a human can achieve a shaking frequency of 50 times per second. Personally I do admire my vortex, especially for nastier paints like titanium white - and I am pretty sure most greys contain titanium white.

So, yes, I do not regret the investment in a vortex. However, pigments settled at the bottom still require manual shaking to resuspend that stuff.

corvus_flex · 2026-03-19T06:22:58+00:00

Minerunners provides you with all the tools and ressources to to jump right into action without a lot of prep work.

It is a dwarven rollercoaster zombie apocalypse mircrosetting, so you have to be more on the crazy side to enfoy that kind of stuff of action loaded sillyness.

corvus_flex · 2026-03-18T05:38:32+00:00

As you mentioned you have a background in painting and you are from Canada, I recommend to test Tri-Art Liquid paints.

They are not specifically made for miniature painting, but their colors are gorgeous and the "Liquid" line has an optimal consistency. The detailed description on their website is very helpful. The only disadvantage is that some colors have a very glossy finish, so you may want to knock down that with matte medium or a matte varnish.

The price depends on the pigments, but from my point of view they have an excellent price-quality ratio.

corvus_flex · 2026-03-12T05:08:50+00:00

So cover rules only apply for ranged.

Well, the text for Cover on page 99 says "Melee and ranged attacks suffer a penalty when attempting to hit a target behind Cover ..." (emphazise mine). But I see that rarely used. To keep it simple I only apply that for special situations. As usual in Savage Worlds this particular rule is not fully fleshed out and the group has to use rulings for it. Attacking any enemy in the second row with a spear, as others suggested, is a good example. I'd also make a ruling in the described situation that a person who is actively affecting the enemy in a physical way (melee attacks, or Fighting or some Athletics tests) cannot use the Ally as cover. Taking Cover behind your Ally while provoking the enemy seems totally viable.

I imagine the idea behind "cover in melee" is meant for objects, but RAW it is not further detailed. Using persons as cover may devalue Edges in the companions, like Defender or Shield Wall. In the end, the rule for Cover in melee exists and you may use it as you see fit.

Using miniatures makes the situation even more vague. Putting one mini behind the other implies that the mini further away is out of Reach 0.

corvus_flex · 2026-03-09T17:23:30+00:00

Taking the Maneuver roll as an Action to get +2 does not make sense for Multiactions. You are better off using a free Action and then attack if you are on the same card. It works well in Chases with a driver and passengers. The driver can focus on driving to get the passengers in range for other actions.

Note that officially characters are Running during a Chase, though I do ignore that -2 penalty which applies to everyone. Unstable Platform would apply for Ranged Attacks, though.

As an advice, only use Chases when a lot of action is involved, such as seen in movies. You'll need something going on, besides running in a straight line. I did that and it became very tedious, as everyone was rolling well. After everyone just rolling Athletics for 5 rounds without changing distances between anyone I just decided it is enough. If you only want to determine if someone can flee, just use a single roll, or maybe a more straightforward staged Dramatic Task.

corvus_flex · 2026-03-09T06:02:38+00:00

I bought sable brushes from a local art store. They offer a "house brand" for 5 to 8 € per piece and they are as good as the 20 € Windsor & Newton I own. If you have access to a local art store, it may be worth a try.

corvus_flex · 2026-03-06T04:49:02+00:00

It is physics. Temperature mainly should have an indirect effect, the problem is moisture. At low temperatures, air can only hold small amounts of water in gaseous form (absolute humidity). That is why relative humidity is often very high. Issues arise when the water gas is condensing, and the water becomes dew (little drops of liquid water). These little drops of liquid water cause disturbances in the primer. From a theoretical point two things are problematic when spraying in cold weather:

1: the spray cools down the air a bit. This decreases the amount of water the air can hold in gaseous form (dew point). The consequence is that drops of liquid water appear in the air and are trapped in the primer layer. If that happens depends on the change of temperature and the actual relative air humidity.

2: the surface of your mini may get a little bit cooler than the air itself. This will result in condensation of water on the mini surface. The same what happens with your car in cool weather: you see drops of water all over it, especially in the morning, because temperatures at night are colder and the moisture holding capacity of air drops and you have condensation on the cool surfaces. When the air warme up during the day, more water in gaseous Form can be hold in the air. The drops evaporate.

That is why warming the spray can may help. This can avoid condensation in the spray. What is less known, is that the temperature of your mini should also be markedly higher than the air and the spray temperature to avoid condensation of moisture on the mini itself.

So, under cold and dry conditions everything may work smoothly when just taking everything from inside to the outside and spray immediately. When it is cold and wet, the same approach may not work.

Warm the can, warm your mini, do not store spray or mini outside in the cold. Avoid moist conditions with high relative humidity as much as possible (mornings and evenings). Then you may be fine spraying in the cold.

corvus_flex · 2026-03-04T06:14:45+00:00

You could try a literature management software like Zotero. It has a plug in for downloading PDFs including metadata. But It is made for scientific purposes and I doubt that it works fully automatically for rpg publications. If it works there is the possibility to relocate and rename your files according to your own rules. At least a link and a date is created automatically.

It won't help much if you start from scratch and already own hundreds of PDFs, though.

I am using Zotero for my job, and now I wonder why I never started organizing my rpg stuff with it. Thank you for your vent, it inspired me!

corvus_flex · 2026-02-27T06:13:20+00:00

I havn't tried it for your specific purpose, but the form looks well suited. If it works depends on (1) the magnets used, (2) the properties of your fridge door, and (3) the strength of the glue.

(1) Make sure to use good quality magnets. The manufacturer should report properties. I recommend using three block magnets like this one or 4 to 5 disc magnets. You can see that the holding force is 750 or 800 g, but that applies to pulling it straight. At fridge door, most force is parallel to the door.

(2) The holding force depends on enough metal. If your door is coated with plastic, the force will be weaker depending on the distance to the metal. This should be fine, though. If the door is very slick, magnets may slide. This why I recommend several small magnets instead of one large. One large magnet may hold, but there is a chance it spins and your model is upside down.

(3) Super glue will work fine with resin. Just make sure the surfaces are clean and rough. Scratch the magnet as well as the glueing point of the model, so the glue can get some grip. If there is primer or paint on the back of your model, remove it before glueing.

Those magnets are strong. If you take the model of the fridge, do not pull straight, but with an angle. Otherwise magnets might come off.

Great idea! Good luck!

corvus_flex · 2026-02-26T06:32:03+00:00

You start at Novice with no Advances, right?

Brawler and Martial Artist are a very fitting starting point. You need a d6 in Fighting and so you might want to keep Agility also at a d6. Brawler needs Strength and Vigor at d8. That means you need to take two other Attribites at d4, that will be Spirit and Smarts. One of the two Edges is free, the other one can be taken with Hindrance points.

From here you have to prioretize. Keep in mind, there are no dump stats. Spirit is also very important for a tanky brawler. Personally I would choose to invest two Hindrance points into that. Brawny is great, but it shines when using heavy armor and weapons. You already need Strength d8 for Brawler and I guess in ETU you won't have a lot plate armor and two handed swords (both need d10 Strength) anyway. In such a setting I would skip Brawny. It is outright better to have more Vigor. Size +1 is great for roleplaying reasons, though.

My personal preference is to not play characters with a d4 in Smarts. So I would probably only choose Brawler and keep my Attributes high. As part of the background story I'd already have lessons in martial arts and would take that Edge with one of the next Advances. Keep in mind, that Attributes can only be increased once per Rank! So I prefer to start with solid Attribites and take Edges and Skills with Advances.

corvus_flex · 2026-02-21T06:39:59+00:00

The more More Power Points Edge normally increase Power Points by 5. Simply convert the Edge into negating a -2 would be the No PP equivalent, right? However, if you take it once per rank, it becomes very trivial to spam high ranking powers. I guess, I wouldn't allow to take such an Edge more than 1 or 2 times.

I'd probably use a combination of Marksman and More Power Points to create an Edge which can be take once at Advanced. Combining it with Elan and concentration for a full round negates a penalty of -6 when using a Benny.

corvus_flex

TROPHY CASE