18 thoughts on “Is there any particular reason why most (if not all) PbtA books are small (like 1/2 letter) size?”

  3. No worries! I mean the dimensions of the book, its size and shape. (Smaller books are easier to hold, take up less space at the table, are lighter, take up less space in your bag, etc.)

  5. Ok… I got it. Well you’re right it may be more easy to handle (like a pocket version of a book), but I’ve always liked the full letter size of the mainstream RPG books, is something wrong with me? =P LOL

  8. Some people like the larger format for RPG books. Some prefer the smaller. Other games with smaller formats are Original Dungeons & Dragons, original Traveller, Sorcerer, Hero Wars, Burning Wheel, and many others.

    The size varies slightly for these smaller formats. But I find the smaller formats easier to hand at the gaming table. They take up less room (especially when opened) — and space is at a premium with Referee notes, dice, food, and such.

  9. I really like the smaller size for holding in the hand and flipping. My lament is this means I’m destined to produce an adventure compilation and a rule book that have different form factors.. which seems like an asinine situation.

  10. Having never actually produced a book, I could speculate on some reasons, but they would be pure guesses.

    Because…

    … they are easier to carry with you.

    … they are easier to read casually, for instance in public places where a larger book would be awkward.

    … that is what is expected of PbtA books.

    … they generally don’t have large 8.5 x 11 art

    … they have lower art budgets in general.

    … they don’t have the word count to make an 8.5 x 11 book feel right (too few pages at that larger size)

    … maybe they are cheaper?

    … maybe easier to ship and store

    … fight nicely next to the designer’s original copy of Apocalypse World?

    Like I said I don’t know the truth, and I suspect it is different for every designer/publisher.

  11. All of the PbtA authors got together at a secret conclave and decided on a general form. There’s also a secret handshake 😉

    Looks like the original AW is 5.25×8″

    Original MH is half letter (5.5 x 8.25)

    DW, Night Witches, and Undying (and I think Blades) are all 6×9″

    The rest of my PbtA collection is digital…

    It’s cheaper to bind, cheaper per page, and cheaper to buy art for a small form factor game. I like 6×9 because you get the 1:1.5 ratio. Basically, most of what Yoshi Creelman says. And yeah, there’s clearly the homage part 🙂

    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ULAuzw5evmltyZdxWv1gIHjGt5WkPE7XpsXfk3bh4MtGE-iNqSF03Hymq1plfyDc-OnJtvzT-jg_Rg=s0

  14. For never having published a book, Yoshi Creelman sure hit pretty much the whole list! The history angle is an indie games thing dating back to 2000 (at least with lumpley games and other publishers of similar age, like Burning Wheel and a slew of others) as a way to make a decent looking book without having to make an “industry standard” big hardcover book. Hardcovers on indie games are extremely new.

    Now, with US-published games going into translation, there is a further consideration for publishing set-ups in other countries, which have less flexibility in format size.

    I still want to publish a game that’s in steno-pad format, spiral bound at the top. I may be slightly ornery in that way. 🙂

  15. 6×9 also maps pretty effortlessly to A5, which is nice. It is a good utilitarian size for designer and, most importantly, user. I think the affordances of an RPG manual are similar to those of the manual that comes with a new car.

  16. I make 5.5×8.5 pdfs and 6×9 books because:

    The smaller size allows for single-column text, which is easier to read on a computer. Letter size books want 2-column text, which means a lot of scrolling the pdf up and down.

    It’s easier to use full-page artwork at the smaller size, and go light on half-page and quarter-page illustrations, which can mess with the text layout. This is an aesthetic issue for me, not a money issue.

    Halfletter 5.5×8.5 sized pdf means 2-page spreads can be printed out on letter sized paper without the shrinking that usually occurs with 6×9 (when you have a cheap printer, anyway).

    A halfletter pdf means I can add a half-inch to the inside margins and the bottom of the page and turn it into a perfect-bound 6×9 book where the text doesn’t get swallowed by the spine (sewn binding that lays flat on the table doesn’t have that problem, of course).

    I’ve tried making thick 5.5×8.5 books, but with perfect binding (glued, not sewn), the spine cracks almost right away. In terms of full-colour POD printing, 5.5×8.5 is substantially cheaper than 6×9.

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