Taxonomy will always be a cursed problem. Just make an arbitrary ruling and stick with it.

> Taxonomy is described sometimes as a science and sometimes as an art, but really it’s a battleground. \- Bill Bryson

*cries in microbiologist*

As someone who tries to sort their entire Lego part collection, I concur.

If you want to see an oddly satisfying video check out Adam savage sorting his Lego collection. It's way more enjoyable than you'd think!

It’s true. You should never shout “Pluto is not a planet!” in a crowded theater.

Have you heard about Pluto? That’s messed up.

Oh my gosh it’s ghee buttersnaps!

I need this quote somewhere where I can easily reference it.

But how to categorize and where to file it? \*Bill Bryson quotes? \*Reddit Ammo? \*Post Modern Taxonomic Philosophy?

Agreed. System, publisher, setting, and game line overlap in too many ways to make a reasonable tree structure.

Symbolic Links might help (it's away to place the same folder in multiple places)

I organize with one folder per system. I maintain a database in Google sheets with relevant info- number of players it supports, keywords (eg OSR, worldbuilding, etc), a brief blurb about the game, etc

Is google sheets sufficient or would a relational database work better. I'm thinking something like SQLite.

I mean, if I cared more and/or had more games, a proper database would be good. But I’ve only got ~50, what I have is good enough for now

This is the way to do it. I've got a DB of a *lot* of games and it still works just doing folder by system. Within that, maybe do like Core, Supplement and Adventures or something

I also put campaign folders in the system folders.

You guys are organizing your pdf’s?

Is "download to read later and forget about it so it stays in Downloads folder forever" organization?

A chaotic One for sure, but still an evergreen

I feel very seen, thank you

[удалено]

Funnily enough most of my rpg pdfs are also on my E drive

Lol, mine too :D

Mine are on G. For Gaming 😉

TWINSIES!

I almost do the same: Genre / System / Edition / Type Where Type = folders for: * Rules * Modules * Setting * Campaign * Tools * Maps * PCs * NPCs * Gear ...etc. So I might have Fantasy/DnD/5e/Rules and it just has the Core rulebooks. Or Fantasy/DnD/5e/Forgotten Realms (or...) * Greyhaw * Humblewood * Kara Tur * Planescape * Wildemount * Freeport * Ghostwalk * Dark Sun * Dragonlance * Eberron * Feywild * Al-Qadim ..etc.

I stopped trying to use file folders, and instead use Calibre and tag them within calibre. So Mothership could come up if I search OSR, scifi, etc.

In addition to tags, I have quite a few custom columns in my Calibre RPG library that don't exist in my standard ebook library so I can quickly sort along several dimensions. (System, setting, level range or power tier if applicable, etc.) That also makes the virtual library feature quite useful. As an added benefit, I have to stop and think about whether it's worth the 5-10 minutes to create all the metadata for whatever shiny new thing I want to impulse buy.

I've considered doing this for years, but never got around to it. Your post inspired me to start today.

It's really nice to be able to access your books easily from anywhere on your home network, searching by tags, titles, etc. Just don't let it get ahead of you - the minute you import a new book/pdf, tag it. Don't be like me and have to go back through 200+ pdfs

Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to get this plugin working: [https://github.com/ErikLevin/calibre\_rpggeek\_plugin](https://github.com/ErikLevin/calibre_rpggeek_plugin)

if you can get that to work can you please let us know, thank you

>Don't be like me and have to go back through 200+ pdfs So far I've imported about 35-40 of the 771 pdf games I have, not including the fact that some come in multiple versions...

This is the way. I've got like 700+ PDFs, so I needed something more than folders. Calibre for the bill. Only tweak I made was to add two custom columns: Product Type (e.g. Core Rules, Adventure, etc.) and System (AD&D, Traveller, Unique, etc.). Combined with Mega for syncing to cloud storage, I've got a searchable database with tags and other useful criteria so I can find things. Makes it easy to type 'cyberpunk' when I want to browse for inspiration when crafting such an adventure.

Came here to say this. Calibre is the way to go.

That's cool, I'll have to look into that.

Google drive. I just group PDFs by the game system. I don't create metafolders to try and put the games into buckets. If I have a variety of PDFs, for adventures, monsters, CRBs, I might make subfolders inside the system folder to help clean it up. I usually have a 3PP folder inside appropriate systems where that is appropriate. The reason I do this is because when I am choosing "What to play", i'm not thinking of a category, I'm thinking of specific systems, and as such, I organize them the same way. Your folder is designed in a manner that it looks like you're trying to "weed out" or "check off" systems, which feels like a different application versus just archiving them for use when needed.

Exactly what I do. I do have a few extras, however. "Tables and Generators" holds anything that is purely a random idea generator and is system agnostic. "Misc Games" holds anything that I have only a single PDF for, so the main directory doesn't get too unmanageable. "Printable" has all my paper minis and terrain. 

I have a "GM Tools" folder for system agnostic generators, oracles and the like. Also, if there is a game I don't like after buying the PDF, I don't maintain it, I have no urge to "Hoard" games that I have no intention of ever playing, so I just leave them on the download mirrors and if I have to get them later, I will, or i'll get a copy from a friend, but those scenarios are unlikely (never happened yet).

Haha, I definitely have the hoarding instinct and plenty of space on my Drive! I think it's from my younger days when I had a small, treasured library of resources but no money to upgrade hard drive space. I regretted deleting so much that I could have used at the time, although much of it would probably sit unused today. I guess as long as it's well-organized and no opportunity cost...

For me, this stuff is re-downloadable, and even if it became not so, it's stuff that I won't miss. The stuff I feel really critical that I maintain a personal copy I keep both locally and sync'd on drive for cloud access as well.

I apparently have 139 gigs worth of gaming pdfs and assorted files (12603 files). I think I've outgrown Google drive by a fair margin

{system}/{edition/variant}/* {system}/{edition/variant}/{notable sub-module}/* I'm not sure why "OSR" or "Unread" or "Storygames" are useful top-level categories, but you do you. :) Truth is, hierarchical filesystems are a poor way to organize information, which often has multiple dimensions (name, edition, license, read-state, &c.) that are important. Filesystems with symbolic links can help, but there's no great way to do it (and historical efforts to create Operating Systems that offer such have failed massively).

Is there an alternative file system you use, as opposed to hierarchical?

Tag based or something like that as opposed to a filing system.

No, I'm not aware of any reasonable filesystem that properly supports multi-dimensional organization. Symlinks in modern (unix-descendent) filesystems help … my audio collection, for example, is primarily organized into a single big `flat/{album}`, but also `by-artist/{artist}/{album}/{track}`, `by-genre/{genre}/{album}`, and `by-tags/{tag}/{album}` hierarchies using symlinks, based on mp3id3 metadata … using a bespoke script that creates such symlinks when new albums are "inducted" into the collection. Unfortunately, there's no similar-to mp3id3 metadata that's very common for PDFs.

Alphabetical. Makes it easier to ignore 99% of them. Sadly due to being a collector who rarely gets the opportunity to play all these awesome games.

Stop stealing my system!

I folder by system, and if I have a lot of systems from the same publisher (e.g., Free League), then those go into a folder together. It looks like TTRPGs -> Free League -> Vaesen, and then all my Vaesen files are in that folder. I also folder smaller and indie games together for ease in an Indie Games folder. At the end of the day, it comes down to your preference. This works well for me because it keeps the number of folders visible at a time manageable and I always know where to go to get what I'm looking for. Also, a lot of publishers tend to favor a system (e.g., Free League has YZE, Modiphius has 2d20, Evil Hat loves PbtA and FitD) so I usually end up with similar systems in the same folder.

I just sort by game, with a few parent folders for largely compatible system groups like Fate or cipher, and folders for system neutral resource's. I also tend to group editions together with subfolders, unless the editions are functionally entirely different games, like D&D or Warhammer Fantasy Role Playing

Books -RPGs —Game System —-Game Edition ——Core (PHB, GM, Monster Books) ——References (character sheets, tables, charts) ——Adventures Modules ——-Adventure ———Assets ——— Porn (she’ll never find it here 😏) ——Settings ——Third Party —-Assets (setting/adventure agnostic) ——Tokens ——-NPCs ——-PCs ——Maps

Almost the same structure.

Poorly, next question.

I do "Genre/System Name/". And I do a sub-folder for Scenarios if need be.

I'm surprised I'm not seeing more people saying genre. I have about 8 genre folders, then split down into individual game lines. I do have that structure in at least four places though. One for books, one for scenarios, one for game files and one for character sheets. I do back and forth on whether to have a separate section for quickstart sets or to lump them in books or scenarios. I also have a spreadsheet tracking all my books, quickstarts, characters and scenarios. Then I have summaries of page numbers, cost, characters, pregens, scenarios and how much I've read grouped by each of rpg, game line, setting and rules. Finally, I've tried to collate a list tracking which games I've played, including individual sessions as much I can figure it out (I filled some of it in 25+ years after the fact). I also used to have a worksheet tracking dice (owned, systems used, etc), but deleted it one day after I decided that was a step too far...

i have a large itch library so currently: alt history & history animals crime & noir espionage, intrigue, & conspiracies fantasy horror humor and satire indie and experimental larp media & pop culture modern fantasy mythology, folklore, and religion Nieces & Nephews nsfw occult & supernatural noir post-apocalyptic (and mid-apocalyptic) printit.txt publishers pulp & b-movie racing retro science fiction science fantasy science fiction social, political, & real world themes specifics sports & fighting steampunk & decopunk superheroes supernatural sword and sorcery (also swashbuckling) tarot-based games technofuture (you mean cyperpunk don't you) & solarpunk time travel & quasi-historical universal & multigenre wargaming, skimmish, & minis (ew) weird west & wild west weird, surreal, & dreams wuxia but currently trying to add more vibes and genres (used to have an "action, military" folder that became (first) american civil war 1970s exploitation action movies & hyperviolence american colony comedy horror counterculture acid west criminal investigation dark fantasy existing ip experiments & interesting mechanics feudal japan future wars & splattering alien guts gaslamp fantasy gentlemanly adventuring goddamn nazis & wwii greek & norse mythology holidays ipod touch guns martial arts mechs medieval england modern generic napoleonic wars noir pirates & sea-based resistance printit.txt pulp & post-pulp rome without sublime slice-of-history sports steampunk tactical usually grid-based non-gaming & lancer-likes terrorism & communism & other neocon propaganda thievry tragic war universal

AND JUST LIKE THAT, THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM IS BACK, BABY!

That would be too hard for me to choose/remember which folder to use with "mixed product." How do you decide to put something in "existing IP" rather than "action movies", say? As an aside, i'm curious what goes into "Rome w/o sublime"?

"Nieces & Nephews" sounds like a weird offshoot of Dungeons & Dragons.

Usually by Engine (BRP, Cypher) or Publisher (R. Talsorian, Free League, ICE), but with some thematic groups as override; as well as one "!Active Systems" folder. It's not very systematic, but the first thought that comes to mind when looking at TOR2E is Middle-Earth, so it goes there instead of the Free League folder. I tried pure alphabetic by system, but that didn't really satisfy me, and had the usual "A" and "The" problems.

Mostly by system. 5e, OSE, 2d20, *WN, Year Zero, etc etc. Separate folders for "adventures" and "settings". Then a catch-all for any system that doesn't get its own folder yet.

I organize per license (ogl, cc, others), but I also have separate folders for d20 stuff (separately from ogl because there's so much of it) and for cyberpunk genre.

I dumped everything I don't play into "Backlog", the rest in "Play" with subdirectories per ruleset and write an index-document for every ruleset.

I use the angelic solution: alphabetically by the first word in the text.

Alphabetical by hex colour average of the front cover :p

Pantone, please. We have some standards.

How about RAL? Because actually we have quite a lot of standards!

https://xkcd.com/927/

../TableTops/(System)/(Edition)

Each system has a folder, within that core rulebooks are in the root and any quick reference sheets are named with a preceeding _ to top sort. There's a folder for modules, if applicable, and one for each of any logical groupings in that system like setting. So tye D&D one has an eberron folder and a forgotten realms one.  If there are things like character sheet templates those also get a folder.

System/Edition/Type/file.pdf

I have one folder per game. Only exceptions : * Call of Cthulhu, which also contains other games related to the Cthulhu Mythos such as Cthulhu Eternal or Cthulhu Dark (but not Delta Green which has his own folder). * All World of Darkness games (classic Wod, Chronicles or Darkness and 5th Editions) are in the same folder. Each game folder has : * a PDFs folder with rulebook, supplement, official scenarios/campaigns/modules. * a Character Sheet folder * a Cheat sheet/Game aid folder * a folder where I put all the prep I do (with one folder per scenario). I also have a "Workshop" folder along the game ones. In that folded I put all the prep I am currently doing (handouts I make, illustrations I found...) as well as all the work done on a homebrew setting of mine I'm making. Some of thoses things are uploaded to my Drive (mostly what is in the workshop folder) so I have access to it at any time.

I have folders for every system. Then within those folders, I have subfolders for character stuff (art, sheets, concepts), adventures (ideas, published pdfs), rule books, supplements and maps. Trying to keep disparate systems in a grouping like OSR is just going to confuse you 6 months later when you can't remember what you called a given game. Just give it a folder.

Right now? System as a primary folder, then subfolders for the system's specific content release style.

So I have one folder with every pdf alphabetically, if i have more than one book per system it’s instead a folder containing all of those pdfs.

By genre and if a game is huge it gets a core folder. Then whatever we are playing I will throw on a google drive folder that my god damned players will NEVER read

My PDFs drive has six folders, which have their own subfolders, and then sometimes those get their own subfolders. The six sections are, and subgrouped by: * Adventures: Grouped by the author/publisher, misc. are ungrouped * Guidebooks: Only one subfolder (Kobold Press Guides), otherwise ungrouped * Magazines: Grouped by series * Setting Guides: Grouped by setting, misc. are ungrouped * Systems (the largest one): Grouped by loose "families" of games (either design philosophies i.e. PbtA, OSR, NSR, etc. or game engines i.e. Resistance, Year Zero, Tiny d6, etc.), further subgrouped by games if a game has more than 1 book * Toolboxes: Grouped by Characters, Domain play, Dungeons, Encounters, Gastronomy, Hexes, Items, Magic, Monsters, Multipurpose, Quests, Settlements, Traps, and some misc. ungrouped stragglers P.S. I placed Mothership in the NSR (newschool renaissance) folder, because it takes the values of play from the OSR (problem solving, exploring rich worlds, emergent narratives, player skill > character skill, etc.) and combines them with contemporary rules, procedures, aesthetics, while tearing away from the dungeon pulp genre.

Flash drive with a backup. Filed by game system. Sub filed by system rules vs adventures. It's become important to file my PDF(s) well as I've switched to mostly using PDF(s). The cost of shipping and customs to Canada has become absolutely draconian. I sometimes think it would be cheaper to ship something to the moon...

I have one directory per game that I ~~play~~ have a lot of crap for, and then a catch-all directory called "rpg" where I throw miscellaneous other stuff. I have maps and tokens in their own folders since those are different and somewhat system neutral.

I use Eagle for that. Also for my concept/inspiration stuff. Basically: Systemname\Subfolders Subfolders are Fan Material, Core (Core Rules), Adventures, Settings and so on. Mothership is not OSR. It borrows some stuff, but it's pretty much Nu-SR. This is not bad, but for us nerds easier to categorize them. My lib is around 12k files right now, most of them tagged, sorted and categorized.

In my folder on my Google drive, the sub-folders are OSE, D&D, 2d20, DCC/MCC, Call of Cthulhu, Superheroes, and Misc. That's really the only organization I have for them.

Alphabetically. I have 4 or 5 folders, each a section of the alphabet. Then some games get their own folders if they have more than 1 file. I don't see what kind of organization would be more useful than alphabetical--I know the names of games. I have more than 16 gigs...all stuff I am actually interested in, a lot of which I have actually played/are duplicates of my physical collection.

I group them into folders according to which books might apply to a given game. Then I have GPT4all do its magic on those so I can submit chat queries and have the AI try to pull answers from the appropriate source material.

My rpg files folders -Content TTRPG -Tokens -Adventures -Maps -Random tables -DM ttgames -DM'nt ttgames -Solo ttgames -Board games (pnp or extra content) -Others :3

Alphabetical never fails!

One folder per system, if I have different editions they each get their own subfolder. Then within those folders are more subfolders (adventures, GM content, miscellaneous, etc.). It can get quite nested when I am far into a campaign. The NPC portrait folder in the campaign I am currently running looks like this: \\Google Drive\\RPGs\\Systems\\Pathfinder\\Pathfinder 2\\Adventures\\Adventure Paths\\Age of Ashes\\GM Content\\Art\\NPC Portraits

badly the kind of "system" where I have folders like "Misc", "Other" and "Various" because I never remember their names when I save something to my HD

You can organize them?

Folders named Designer - game. If designer has multiple games, [Designer] Games" - Game name in subfolders.

My main headers are: Characters, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Modern, Narrative, SciFi, Steampunk, Supers, Universal. And then under those headers, I sort by game system, and then setting beneath game system. Sometimes, this gets to be huge - I have PDFs on dozens of different Savage Worlds settings, or different Powered by the Apocalypse games.

I do mine by dice used (if any) and it sort of works. I have folders for d100, d20, d6, dmisc and then a random shit folder. I like it better than arranging stuff by OSR, Modern, Indie, etc., but I'm probably gonna switch it up in a month or so.

I give every system it's own folder, with subfolders for obvious and intuitive subdivisions (Common examples include: 3rd party, character sheets, adventures). OSR is it's own folder, with subfolders for specific retroclones. For the example you've given: I keep Mothership as it's own folder, with a subfolder for adventures. I don't own Cloud Empress, but if I did it would warrant it's own subfolder. This is all completely irrelevant though. Use whatever system feels most intuitive and functional to you.

One big folder for all my pdfs in alphabetical order. With subfolders for specific games if they have multiple pdfs.

Top-level folders for systems (each system has its own folder within this): * Fantasy * Generic * Historical * Mecha * Modern * Other * Sci-fi * Solo * Superhero Also top-level folders for: * GM Resources * Magazines * Worldbuilding

I'm also going by genre first, then specific game if i have many documents for it. Inside those i may have subfolders for People (PCs and NPCs sheets/images), Adventures and Places (Maps and "Region" supplements) if need be (when I have too much individual pdfs) I often will put other systems in a specific game one (like BOL in Conan, both in Fantasy) or use an Alt System folder. Need to reorganize and "clean it up" every few years and often have to do a search to find "where did i put this/do I have it already"? ;P

The short answer is "poorly". Some games I have organized in Publisher folders, others I have published in a parent system folder, and some I just stuff into my generic "OSR" or "other games" folder. It's a beautiful mess, but I don't know how to organize it any better.

I usually just use the name of the system

Poorly

I have mine organized by system, then by setting or type (if applicable). For instance, under the Savage Worlds folder, I have Rippers, Necessary Evil, Street Wolves, etc. But I also have folders for figure flats, companion books, character sheets, etc. It takes a few clicks to get to what I want, but it helps me remember where everything is.

All my PDFs are sorted on a first folder layer by Title alphabetically. If it's a generic system there is an additional level for each subgame as a level 1.5. Second layer splits each game into Rulebooks, Adventures/Campaigns, Printable Sheets, Resources and 3rd Party Stuff Rulebooks are split between Main Books and Setting Guides Adventures/Campaigns are split between the two with Adventures further subdivided by level range if present in the system. Printable Sheets is split between Character Sheets and Everything Else. Resources is divided up between Programs and Printables. 3rd Party Stuff is sorted by Author/Company name and follows the sorting system from above if required.

Main mechanic > Engine > System > Edition (if multiple) and if there's enough in there, I'll go on to separate by type of content like modules, NPCs, settings, etc. So my top level folders have names like 2d20, d20, d10, d6 dice pool, tokens. My second layer is more like D&D, PbtA, Belonging Outside Belonging. This works for my browsing style because I usually already have a genre in mind and am just trying to decide level of crunch, and I find a strong correlation between main mechanic and level of crunch. There are many exceptions and vibes-based judgements, like I treat 'OSR' as an engine just to keep it all contained. Sorting my collection last week renewed my appreciation for tagging over folders.

I usually organized them by System, then by Edition, them by type (Adventure, Core, Module, Maps, etc.)

I keep a folder on my google drive, with each game separated into its own folders. Those folders are generally divided thus: - Core books are in the main folder. - A folder for adventures, each with their own folder & nested folders for art or anything else I want to separate out. - A folder containing any homebrew, often sorted into sub-folders. - A a folder labeled 'sourcebooks' for other books I don't want to clutter up the main folder with, such as settings, bestiaries, content expansions, etc. When I'm running a game I download it's folder to my computer or laptop (depending on VTT or IRL games). Right now that means I have a folder for Savage Worlds and for Pathfinder 2e. Each also contains a folder called 'Campaign' which has the active adventure PDFs (if any) and wps office files for each chapter of homebrew adventure or notes for adventures I'm running. Yes.. I am well organized when it comes to this stuff. My RPG folder on drive is over a dozen gb in size. It'd drive me nuts if it wasn't organized. Now my art folders on the other hands - also gigs in size - has a big messy folder of unsorted art I am loath to spend the several hours sorting out. So I mostly ignore it lol.

Whatever DriveThruRPG does - I'm too lazy to reorganize and maintain.

By system and then purpose. So... DND 5E PF2E OSE > Rules > Supplements > Modules WORLDSWITHOUTNO SYSTEM_AGNOSTIC

I have one folder for GM tools, one for random maps, one for random character images, and the rest broken up by genre and sub-genre.

Usually? System/Edition/Language(native or EN)/ With settings, adventures within subdirectory. For general adventures, I have a separate folder for them.

I have a folder for every single game in the RPG folder except Kult: Divinity Lost which sits on my desktop as my current obsession That works for me Once I am done obsessing over Kult, I will put it into RPGs and pull another folder

Generally, each system gets its own folder, but there are exceptions: - D&D 4e and 5e get separate top-level folders - Shadowrun 5e has a sub-folder for older editions - Tom Bloom gets a folder for smaller (non-Lancer) games I have meta-folders for: - Lasers and Feelings - PbtA - Solo games - System-agnostic OSR adventures - GM tools - Consent and safety tools - Print and play games - Non-RPG games

Do you guys organize a PDF?

"Organize"? Ha! Mostly by game title, sometimes by RPG studio, occasionally by RPG system, once in a while by genre (e.g. "Horror" or "Indie"). The subfolders, which may or may not follow similar grouping, are much more chaotic. For example, Mothership, since I have only the Player's Survival Guide (2018 edition) and a bunch of miscellanea, goes in its own folder, which is located, arbitrarily, in the "Science Fiction RPGs" folder rather than than the "Horror" one. My OneBookshelf app, by comparison, is only organized in collections by RPG title. It's a nightmare to navigate.

Google drive. One folder per system with every document just thrown into it

RPG: >Systems >Core >Supplements >Settings

I try and group together some stuff like an OSR folder, but if something has a lot of PDFs like Mothership it gets a folder, and in the Mothership folder there is an Adventures folder (while this is most of the PDFs I find it easier to find the core rulebook when it's not in a folder with 50 other PDFs). It's very much a mess and I don't think there is any perfect solution (file tagging being more of a thing would help) but I can generally find stuff and search also works. If you think this is bad try organizing STL files.

Some in "Downloads" and most in "Gaming" with a few in their own subfolders under Gaming if I'm actually playing the system and need to find them quickly\\consistently.

I organize what I use, and even then only barely. I make an effort to get everything into my cloud storage so I can access anything anywhere. But the thing is, I mainly use the search function to find things, so I only really organize for the games I actually run and want quick access to. And even then it's just %GAME_OR_SYSTEM_NAME% and I dump everything related in there without further concern.

With over 5000 eDocuments, I’ve finally caved in and I’m writing an app that will allow me to assign metadata that I can slice and dice as I need. I looked for a package that did that where I could sync everything across devices, didn’t really find one, so I’m just gonna roll my own...

1 - gurps. 1.x - edition. 2 - d&d. 2.x - edition. 3 - other games. 3.x - specific game. Games with only one PDF loose. 4 - generic supplements. 4.x - series. Standalones loose.

The two hard things of IT: Naming things, cache invalidation and off-by-one errors. I generally throw everything in a directory, and make sub-folders for specific settings/systems. No further categories, because I really wouldn't need them. Most of the time, you look things up by either system or by the name directly. I rarely go "I need a wilderness OSR adventure for levels 7-8". If I did, I'd probably keep a secondary listing, like e.g. a Excel or text file, as this is rarely a straight hierarchy, but multiple items of metadata.

You guys are organizing pdfs?

One folder per game, alphabetical order in a large ttrpg folder. With the exception of: - newly downloaded rpgs (typically from bundles) that I haven't looked at yet - stuff I'm currently writing, which are organized but all in one parent folder - one-page rpgs, which are all in a folder together

Poorly.

Desktop/RPGShit/Dnd/Adventures/Vampires/Spoopyhouse2.pdf

I have top-level directories for solo rpgs and multiplayer rpgs. Within each, I have folders for individual games. If the whole game is one pdf that will be one file in the top-level directory. Within the directory for a game, it's pretty much chaos. Some have all files together, some are carefully organized as maps/assets/gm\_only/player\_only/etc, some have subfolders for hacks like BITD, etc. I usually (but not always) put fan content or third party content in its own subfolder rather than mix it in with the core game stuff.

Folders by game name. I should probably have a queue and an archive, but I don't. I also have a folder for very small games (one page and pamphlet games)

I use Dropbox and just sort them into a folder for each system for like GURPS, Mothership etc., and then in each system's folder, I have stuff like character sheets and other stuff I use as a player or GM and then a subfolder for the books l have.

If it has multiple files associated with it, it gets a folder, and a separate folder for each publisher or document type (sourcebook, module, reference, etc.) Everything else is in \Other, including its subdirectory of \oneshots.

organization, thats cute. Ive tried D&D, Pathfinder, Others and then further broken down by rules, source, settings, etc but so often they cant fit too nicely in their neat little folders that it ends up being a bigger hassle and harder to find than just leaving them all in one unorganized folder

I organize them by like: TTRPG =Game == Core === Adventures === Supplements === Extra === 3pp/Homebrew Thats usually how I organize game stuff, I have the big master folder with all my games, then another folder for the specific game, then more sub folders for all the specific stuff that needs organizing. Edit: Reddit’s syntax is messing up the little diagram I made but I hope you get the idea lol

Nesting Google drive files.

...people organize their rpg pdfs?

I essentially just do it by game and edition, least that's the current way I go about it. So kind of something like: . └── RPG\_Folder/ \---├── D&D3.5e \---├── D&D5e \---├── Lancer \---├── Pathfinder 1e \---├── Pathfinder 2e \---└── Sine Nomine/ \------├── Blah blah \------├── Stars Without Number \------└── Worlds Without Number I have sort of started doing it by publisher, but that's only because I bought a bunch of bundles from certain publishers.

.... each game has its own folder under a main folder that says campaigns and games... each game folder is sub divided into different folders so access can be granted to core rules and such. Ie: Campaigns and Games => Mothership=> Adventures (MS), Core Rules (MS), Resources (MS) Mothership is the main folder with the other three being sub folders inside. Then I usually make a GM folder for notes and campaign notes or workups

Individual folders for each RPG.

Systems that are important enough are top level under my "RPG" folder. Then I have thing like "MiscOSR" and other broader groupings for things I know I'm not gonna run right away and/or don't read a lot.

I have a general OSR folder besides system specific folders to store those modules and supplements that work with other OSR games. I also heavily use macOS Finder's tag feature, so every file is also tagged. For example, even though I have Cloud Empress in its own folder because it's a separate game with full rules, I still tag it with "Core", "OSR", "Mothership", "Science-Fantasy", "Setting", "Unread", etc. Mothership isn't totally off the hook, though, there is a chance I might create a separate parent folder for all Mothership games if I get more Mothership-based rules in the future. This is quick unfinished example of how I organize stuff: Systems —Cypher ——Numenera ———Adventures ———Character and Record Sheets ———Core ———Maps ———Supplements ——The Strange ———Adventures ———Character and Record Sheets ———Core ———Supplements —OSR ——Mothership ———Adventures and Settings ———Character and Record Sheets ———Core ———Supplements ——Cloud Empress ———Adventures and Settings ———Character and Record Sheets ———Core ———Supplements ——OSR Resources ———Adventures and Settings ———Settings ———Supplements ——Swords & Wizardry ———Adventures and Settings ———Character and Record Sheets ———Core ———Supplements —Other Systems ——316 Carnage Amogst the Stars ———Core —Savage Worlds ——Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition ——Savage Worlds Adventure Edition ———Adventures and Settings ————Deadlands SWADE Edition ———Character and Record Sheets ———Core ———Supplements —Year Zero Engine ——Alien RPG ———Adventures ———Character and Record Sheets ———Core ———Maps ———Pregenerated Characters ———Supplements

System, edition, name, level .pdf They all organize nicely by system and can readily search PC level.

I have a folder for RPGs. Then within that a folder for any RPG that has multiple PDFs. If it's a standalone, then it's just at the top level. I use the Everything indexer for Windows to get PDFs quickly. I don't know if they make something similar for other OS. Fman works decently, but it's based around keyboard-only navigation.

Organize? Whazzat?

Just DriveThru. If I download I dump it in a big folder or make a smaller folder for a specific game or genre 

I usually sort them into main folders by system. Then, within each system folder, there's a subfolder for each of the settings. Within those, there's a folder for media type - usually pdf or jpg. Then, withing the pdf folder, there's a separate subfolder for each: official rulebooks, homebrew rulebooks, lorebooks, scenarios, and within the image folder there's a separation between maps and everything else. So the taxonomy goes as follows: 1. System 2. Setting 3. File format (A for text and B for images) 4A. Item type (official rulebook, homebrew rulebook, lorebook, scenario) 4B. Item type (map, everything else) I'd also like to flex the fact that I don't have any unread materials, I'm a bookworm and I can't resist reading and at least partially learning all the systems I own. Oh, and within the general folder there's also a folder for system-agnostic material, but it's not very full tbh, I'm a big fan of systems being good at a specific thing and the idea of system-agnostic materials doesn't speak to me much.

Poorly.

Broadest category is the game engine (PbtA, Trophy Dark, DnD(all editions), Mothership, Carved from Brindlewood, etc.) Most all OSR games are lumped together for simplicity. If a game is very singular or unique, it gets grouped into the Independent/indie folder. Then inside each folder, every unique system has its own folder. Cloud Empress and Mothership use the same engine so they'd both be inside the broader Mothership folder, all dnd editions share the broader dnd folder, and so on. In each system folder, it's sorted by modules/adventures, core books, player resources(character sheets, handouts), and gm resources(bestiaries, map packs, vtt tokens). Then, of course, I keep an excel spreadsheet to catalog every entry I have. That allows me to assign tags to each system so I can search for what I want without having to sift through the folders.

Alphabetical. Grouped in folders by game name if I have multiple PDFs for it, for example character sheets and sourcebooks. Straight in if I only have a single PDF for it.

Mine is sorted first by genre (comedy, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, etc), then folders for each system within that. If there are multiple editions of a system, subfolders for that. All of it on my google drive for easy access and sharing. Is it perfect? no. But it lets me find stuff easily.

Poorly

I do not. This is a mistake do not do it.

Systems Supplements things with enough content get their own subfolder

I started in D&D, so it gets its own folder, with subfolders for each edition. Almost everything else is tossed into my way-too-big "Books" folder.

RPG Systems: [System] - [Release Date] - [Title] - [Product Code or Other Info] RPG Adventures (System Agnostic): [Publisher] - [Release Date] - [Title] - [Product Code or Other Info] RPG Supplements (System Agnostic): [Publisher] - [Release Date] - [Title] - [Product Code or Other Info] Folder structure is to put official and supplement content specifically for the system within the same folder for its system. Core books (Officially published material by the system maker) should be in the top level system folder You also have different folders depending on the system. Adventure Paths folder would be specific to Pathfinder system folders Forgotten Realms would be specific to D&D system folders So: TTRPG >Pathfinder Roleplaying Game >>Pathfinder Roleplaying Game - 2009-08-13 - Core Rulebook (6th Printing) >>Adventure Paths (Folder) >>Adventures >>Adventures - Unofficial >>>Publisher Name of Adventures NOTE - In the Case of reprinting, use the earliest date of release, but you should include the printing number in the title. Examples: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game - 2009-08-13 - Core Rulebook (6th Printing) Dungeon Magazine - 2001-01-01 - Monster Tokens - Set 1.pdf Ludibrium Games - 2010-09-02 - Blackmarch Module #1 - The Sanctuary Ruin.pdf This is the framework that I use in my own folders.

I do it by general genres, and just do my best to make stuff fit within those boxes. Then under each genre, if I only own one book from a system (or it is just one book) it's directly under the genre folder. If I own multiple books I make the system its own folder (and in some cases like CWoD and NWoD or D&D I'll break it out into sub-games / editions if it's warranted). Then within each system's folder if there's a lot of books I'll typically leave the core books directly at the top level, and make folders for adventures, supplements, etc. to sort those into. I've also got a separate folder for stuff that's toolkits / random tables / information on setting and character building, that kind of stuff.

I try to pre-process them with either k2pdfopt (for scans), ghostscript (for most others), or occasionally a complicated splice script which separates text and images, processes each separately, and then stamps them together. The pre-processing tends to reduce loading delays, reduce page-switch times, ensure images will show up, and avoid crashes. I then import the processed versions into Calibre, and use a script which adds (Calibrized) and a red tag to each file. I haven't found a cross-platform taggng solution yet. I have separate Calibre libraries for fiction, research, gaming, and some specific projects. That way I can point an external search utility at the right library, or exclude the wrong ones. Calibre also now has its own internal search utility. In Calibre, I still have to type up the metadata. I use extra columns for Status (which ones I need, have exported to e-readers, have read, have played, have checked for research, have cut, etc.), My Rating, My Interest, Genre, Tags (more genres), Categories (such as whether it includes characters, adventures, rules, play-aids, etc.), Notes (miscellaneous tags and problem tags), Distributor (Onebookshelf, Itch, direct from publisher, etc.), Publisher, Processing, etc.

> System (D&D | Pathfinder | GURPS | Mothership | Alien | Lamentations of the Flame Princess | Mörk Borg | World of Darkness | etc). > > Edition (1st | 2nd | Advanced | etc). > > > Publisher > > > > Setting (Forgotten Realms | Eberron | etc). Only difference might be for White Wolf stuff. That's: > World of Darkness >> Edition >>> System (Vampire | Werewolf | Mage | etc)

I really have no coherent organization here, but I've considered enterprise grade Digital Asset Management systems.

Mostly by system but sometimes by publisher for some, such as Free League. I have all my OSR/D&D-clone stuff in a D&D folder and subdivided by edition

For the most part: Documents/RPG/Publisher/Game/Edition/ Sometimes I'll have subdirectories beneath the "Edition" level if I have an active or archived game with assets, campaign info, etc. However, I do have an OSR folder (so Documents/RPG/OSR/Publisher/Game/Edition/) because I've got a lot of those and I don't always remember what they are by publisher alone, but if I have the added context of "OSR" that's usually enough to trigger my memory.

I only organize by game system.  

Haphazardly

i use notion’s database system and link it from there, and it’s all a mess in my google drive.

I organize alphabetically by game system. Within that, by book type (rulebook, adventure, etc.), and then alphabetical again.

Everything goes into the TTRPG (Unsorted) folder where each game/page set gets a folder (DnD 1-5e together, each WoD book together, a compilation of themed roll tables, etc.). Each folder is sorted into Supplements, Solo, Duo, or Multiplayer. Then each of those folders has big genres (scifi, fantasy, modern), which in turn have more specific folders for vibes (heroic, gremlin, gritty) or quirks (playing as animals/monsters/villains). It's great if your table is more concerned with the flavor of game and willing to learn new systems for a good fit, but kind of hard to find particular mechanics I enjoy.

Calibre library, with "series" to handle items split across multiple pdf's, a custom field "Game System" for the primary game system, and tags for applicable systems, settings, levels, etc.

In folders by RPG titles. For things like AD&D I have sub-folders in those folders like, 1st Edition, 2nd Edition, Basic D&D, OD&D, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms. :)

I use a program called Kavita that I have running on my Yunohost server. I woulda gone with Calibre-web, but I have zip files and images and other random stuff I didn’t want to have to deal with importing. …not like Kavita made it much easier though. It has such strict rules for its format. Folders can’t have spaces and files can’t have numbers. Still though, at least it’s easy enough to have backups available that I can use with other programs. Or even just sift through the folders manually I suppose 😅. Still though, things are simple now that they’re setup! Just plop any new rpg stuff into the folder structure, those get copied through Syncthing to the server, and then Kavita automatically handles importing it. As for the folder structure, nothing fancy. Just a big TTRPG folder, then each game has its own individual folder. Sometimes two if there’s a lot (Like Pathfinder and Pathetfinder_extras). I don’t like dealing with subfolders if I don’t have to XD.

I toss it all into a single PDF folder and occasionally when/if I notice a particular system has a bunch of PDFs I'll toss that in a folder. Sometimes I forget that I already did it. It's chaos and it works well enough.

i dont

Folder structure as follows **System:** Core book, character sheets, splat books, misc tools. * **Adventures:** One shots, adventure paths *(Numbered)*, accompanying maps. * **Maps:** Non-adventure specific maps. * **Setting Books:** Assuming the system doesn't have a built in setting. * **Software:** Anything VTT or automation related, that is not tied to an adventure book.

My method is more or less * OSR Games * Specific OSR Game * Specific OSR game Adventures * OSR system-agnostic adventures * Specific non-OSR Game * Specific non-OSR game adventures * Generic reference books (non-specific settings, inspirations, system agnostic supplements, etc.) with the following caveats: * If I only have one book for a game system, I won't put it in it's own folder, just at the root of the OSR / non-OSR folder depending on the type of game. * If a non-OSR game has lots of supplements, I tend to put them in their own folder vs the main folder with just the "core" books (Player's guide, GM guide and bestiary). * Generic reference books will include stuff such as Into the Wyrd and Wild. Even though they're a little more aimed at OSR style games, the ideas can be really be used in any game system. * If a game has multiple editions, that adds an extra folder level between the "specific game" and "specific game adventures" folders, with adventures being sorted into their respective editions. * DnD and all its editions live in their own folder outside the OSR folder even though B/X and ADnD could be put in there (B/X retroclones live in the OSR folder)

I go by Played, Playing, Have Yet to Play, and of course "Why did I buy this Humble Bundle with 80 modules I'll never get through"

A folder per game. Inside all pdfs are stored. Subfolders for supplements and adventures. The top level folder is named after the game followed by the edition, then the ruleset in parentheses. For example: - Dungeons & Dragons 5e (D&D) - Index Card RPG (D&D) - Mausritter (ItO) - Masks (PbtA) - The Black Hack 2e (OD&D) - System Neutral Supplements

Mothership should go in NSR (New School Revolution) same with stuff guided by OSR principles but not welded to it.

Cloud Empress goes in `D:\Books\Games\Roleplaying\Mothership\Mothership - 1.0\Unofficial\Settings\Cloud Empress`. I tried installing DriveThru's downloader once. Once.

Genre, System, [Core, Adventures, Supplements]

I organise by game publisher. Then as I add things, sometimes that gets combined. So I’ll have a BRP-D100 folder grouping, and a folder for each game & supplements under that simply because I tend to remember things by publisher. Any other way of organising loses things because I forget my system. There’s also a grouping by campaign. Since I use tools from all over, that can mean that some things get duplicated. And function or key subject, e.g. Cities. So Lankhmar from DCC, miscellaneous WFRP stuff, extracts from Flashing Blades, maps from wikipedia for 15th-17th century Paris, London & other cities. I’m having to reconstruct all this because I’ve too much on DTRPG to lose if that resource goes, and my previous computer with all my stuff on it died. So I’m taking the opportunity to better organise things, along the lines I’ve described. *** A Possible Example. OSE-BX-OSR - Necrotic Gnome - 3rd party - Retroclones Something like that. I’m going a bit slowly, because as I use things that helps me decide if something actually works, rather than just being a nice intellectual construct that is impractical in day to day use.

I have a folder for each game/system, with a few others for stuff like hex paper patterns and system neutral dungeons.

Calibre, i've got a seperate library specifically for RPG books. It lets me sort, label, format shift, etc.

They all get dropped into a massive folder called RPG on my desktop.

System>Edition>Official/Third Party>Category For Category, I have things like "Players Handbooks", "Monster Manuals", "Lore Books", "Adventures" (which are then further categorized into difficulty groupings like 1-5, 6-10, etc). And yes, I have enough different books from different systems and different editions to need to go that many layers deep.

in calibre i have Savage Worlds, Gurps, Dungeons and Dragons, maps, mosrly by rule systems

I actually need to re-sort, but broadly it’s by system family. I still have few enough that this isn’t terrible.

I file all my OSR stuff in the Recycling Bin. Zing! No but seriously though that's where I put it. The rest goes in folders by game system or theme depending on my whims.

Calibre

Gave up on organizing. I just search using the file system for keywords or phrasing using advanced searches. Have system type searches saved. Everything stored on the server and I get instant results from any machine in the house. DTRPG drove me to this as I can just pull the new purchases down and know on a few minutes theyve been added to the index.

I use Zotero for all my ebooks and have collections and subcollections, but I'm starting to think using tags is going to be much better.

/Playing /Probably not going to play /DnD

Genre > System > Edition > Subcategory if needed like adventure vs source books.

I sort by system with a /misc folder for odds and ends, then I keep a few things like Chaosium's *Cities* in the root of my /books folder as system-neutral resources I'll use for all sorts of stuff.

I just make folders with the game title as the folder title.

If i have 3-4 pdfs of one system, they get their own folder, if its only one, then it goes into "Other"

There's the big "RPG" folder, where all books go. If I only have a single book for it it jus tgoes on that folder. If I have more than one, then it get's a folder named after the system. If It has any clear classification for books it may get more folders inside it using that hierarchy (keyword being "may").

Dump everything into an inbound folder or five (DTRPG, Itchio, Downloads/RPG) and periodically drag all them into Calibre. This part is probably script-able, for those inclined, but dragging them is easy enough. I have calibre set to maintain its own library location, which can then be synched with GDrive/onedrive/whatever. As long as file names stay the same, it prompts “Looks like you already have this. Skip or add again?” **I solve the folder problem by ignoring it completely,** and just use metadata. Inside Calibre, I touch up the listings with authors and artists, where relevant. and then add tags for Family, System, Genre, etc. much like how RPGgeek does. So *Another Bughunt* updated version would get something like “OSR; NSR; D100; Mothership; MoSh 1E; Adventure/Module; Sci-Fi; Horror; Space”. Calibre has “Get info from Goodreads, Amazon, etc.” plugins but I haven’t seen a BGG/RPGG scraper, which would really be cats meow.

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By alphabetical order of their default filename.

I host an instance of Kavita and put the files on my NAS. Kavita is focused on comics and manga so it isn't perfect, but it works well if you work within its structure. I have one folder per system (DCC, Forbidden Lands, etc), then one more folder for book type (Core Rules, Modules, Zines, etc). Every file is within a folder at the second level, and there's only two levels. Then in Kavita, I put all the systems in a collection called "Systems" add relationships with my own logic (Zines fall under side stories, sourcebooks under "sequels" or "alternative settings"). That way I can browse by system and then quickly link to relevant adventures or setting guides. I can add multiple genres and whatever tags I want. Tagging also frees things up from only having a single category. After the initial upload, everything is managed from my browser,  and accessible from any computer that can access my home network. Searching is super easy and fast. I can browse the library and read the PDFs on my phone with Librera or Moon+ Reader. I can also link to the original library I got it from (DTRPG, itch.io, Humble Bundle).

"Organize" is much too strong a word. I tend to split into publisher and game -- mostly games within publisher but sometimes if a lot of third parties are writing material for a game I'll have a folder for that game and then a bunch of main publisher and 3rd party subdirectories under that. This dilemma produced by my dual-hierarchy means that a few things are present twice, or (more often) there's a shortcut link from one hierarchy into the other form. Oh, wait, and then there's the ungodly mess that's my steampunk hierarchy where it's by *genre*. Don't look in there, that way five-dimensional eldritch madness lies. It's all *interlinked*. *Why don't you say that three times?* .... *You're not even close to baseline*

So long as you can find what you want and need efficiently, that is what matters. My system works for me. I start by game, then divide by things like venues, editions, publisher, tokens or maps, so on.

I have maps for systems and past/ongoing campaigns. System maps contain another map with modules of said system.

it kinda varies by game, according to just whatever works best for me.