We are currently considering producing Sixcess Core in both 8.5x11 and 6x9 -- but this represents significant additional cost.

We've had some feedback that indicates 6x9 would be popular, but we don't have enough solid information.

We would really appreciate your feedback.

(Yes, we know that electronic is the wave of the future, you don't need to tell us that--we are already working in that direction. This is specifically related to dead-tree, printed copies.)

It's as much nostalgia as anything, but I like the 8.5x11 style. I will be watching this thread closely though, since my company has the same issue.

6x9. I love the digest sized books, as they take up less room at my table, can be transported easier. They also fit nicely in my LotFP box, and so do booklets I print out at home.

8.5x11 is nice, but the more and more I get used to 6x9, the more I wish all my core books and supplements were that size. I would buy a 6x9 book over an 8.5x11 book for the reasons listed above.

I definitely prefer 8.5x11 hardcovers.  The utility more then outweighs portability in my mind, because if I'm gaming, I probably have my laptop bag with me and a couple 8.5x11's aren't a concern.
1. They are generally speaking easier to read (although I know font size isn't dependent on form factor).
2. When everyone is sitting around on couches, chairs or the floor, the 8.5x11 size provides both a writing surface for a full-size character sheet and a good die rolling surface.

It also depends on the size of the book.  There's no sense in going to digest size if the book is going to be 2 1/2 inches thick.  Better to go full size and thinner.

If I want super portable I use pdf.

I'll second all of CRKrueger's reasons for supporting 8.5x11 hardcover. And I'll add that 6x9 digest books tend to close up as soon as I let go of them; it's hard to keep them open to whatever page I'm using. With 8.5x11 books this is much less of a problem.

And of course, 8.5x11 books have bigger, better cover art than 6x9 books, just like 12" LPs had better art than CDs.

Palladium format. I don't know what that is called, but I have books that are 20 years old and still in near perfect condition (and were used quite frequently)

I guess it is 8 1/2 x 11. Perfect Bound? is that right?

I do NOT recommend hardcover. I've never (in 20 or so years) seen a hardcover RPG book that didn't have pages falling out of it after years of use. Further, hardcover just ups the price, which drives down sales.

I like my little Lotfp books, but they're so... little. I'm also very afraid that they will fall apart.

I prefer the small paperback format of books like ICONS or Savage Worlds Explorer edition. I think they count as 6x9 though in fact the exact measurements are all over the place (oh yes, I went did actually take out the tap measure and checked).

The oversizebook format I find hard to store. I just don't have that many shelves that are high enough so I end up having to stack them vertically which at some level annoys me.

I really don't care. I don't even know the standard gaming book size (they all seem roughly similar), just no giant coffee table books please.

I like books that can stay open on the table - and I'm assuming bigger is better for this. I like smaller-size paperback books for reading in my cumfy chair. So the kind of book that I'll need to reference at the table could be bigger, the kind of book that is mostly setting or "ideas" smaller is fine.

Way more important to me than the size is the quality of layout/typography.

Yeah, I like both sizes.

RPGPundit

Right around 6x9 looks better on an iPad.

Quote from: everloss;590488Palladium format. I don't know what that is called, but I have books that are 20 years old and still in near perfect condition (and were used quite frequently)

I guess it is 8 1/2 x 11. Perfect Bound? is that right?

I do NOT recommend hardcover. I've never (in 20 or so years) seen a hardcover RPG book that didn't have pages falling out of it after years of use. Further, hardcover just ups the price, which drives down sales.

I like my little Lotfp books, but they're so... little. I'm also very afraid that they will fall apart.

Palladium books just plain kick ass.  The only problem I've had with them is that the film on the outside covers separate from the paper after a while.  So I started just taping the edges everytime I bought a new Palladium book.  Those things are ridiculously sturdy for being a softcover.

Nothing on earth compares to the 1st Editon PHB though.  I don't know how they bound those books, but I'm fairly sure Faustian Deals were involved, because the fuckers will not fall apart no matter what the hell you do to them.

I like both 6x9 (assuming that includes the likes of Diaspora and ICONS?) and the standard 8.5x11. As others have mentioned, the smaller format is way easier to transport, and for games that aren't humongous tomes, it's just a lot more efficient. That also tends to work better because those sorts of games don't usually require constant referencing of the rulebook.

On the other hand, games like AD&D and 3.x, where I am going back to the various rulebooks a lot just work better in the larger format due to the sheer volume of information they contain, as well as how often I need to look things up.

Between hardcover and softcover? Hardcovers have the advantage of being able to be left open to a page on a flat surface, whereas those Palladium softcovers are nearly indestructible (aside from peeling film, which CKrueger mentioned above). Maybe they have MDC?

It depends on the layout, and the density of text, and the amount of material. 6x9 works best with fewer pages. The larger books work better with more material.

Whatever you do don't landscape it unless its VERY short. (Stupid Hellas books that I love, are falling apart because of the damn page weight vs spine coverage.)

I'm amazed on one has mentioned content, yet.

For me, it is the content that determines dimensions. If you are trying to evoke a tome, a mystical high fantasy what-what, it must be 8.5 x 11.

Personally I prefer 6 x 9 because it occurs more as being a pocket size, easier to carry, easier to shelve. Digest size suits urban settings better, I think, because it's so close to the trade paperback industry scale.

Overall, 6 x 9 all the way.

//Panjumanju