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To those who use them, what is the most efficient tablet for codexes and rules? Some features I'm looking for is being able to bookmark pages and quickly switch between rules and codexes.

I'd reccomend an iPad of some sort because the ibook versions of the codices etc tend to have features that are lacking elsewhere. also GW's bizzare insistance of randomly releasing some units only on iPad.

The official rules are all through iBooks which (as near as I can tell) is exclusive to iPad. If you want to get a different tablet you can find an epub reader for it (the ebook Codexes all come in the epub file format) but you may have to do questionably legal things to actually get the ebook file there.

No, the ebook versions are fully and legally available through Black Library. There are separate, fancier, and more expensive versions that are iPad only.

Anyway, what really matters is how much you're willing to spend on a tablet, and what else you plan to do with it. Like reading books and watching movies and buying stuff from Amazon? Then the Kindle Fire is a good choice (I use one, amazon prime is a great service). Do you buy lots of stuff from iTunes? Then the iPad can be a good (but more expensive) choice. Just want something cheap and useful? Then the Nexus tablet from Google could be goods.

I keep my rules, codex and supps on my iPad. epubs have a great search function and I don't have to lug around as many books when I go to play at my FLGS. If you have a device that supports the format (epub I think) you can read the book on any device you want. I don't think that's illegal.

iBooks or go home.

Seriously, the EPub versions are hideous to look at and difficult to use. The interactive versions are well worth the extra (removing the device cost from the comparison.)

I have my 7th BRB as an interactive iBook and I've yet to lose the "who can look up a rule first" race.

Thanks for the replies. I am pretty ignorant when it comes to ipads hardware. Can an older model handle using it quickly?

iBooks may have an IOS vX.X limitation, but it's been around a while now, so most older ones should be fine. The issue is Apple's model is very much to leave the old and infirm behind when it comes to upgrades, and considering the investment an iPad represents, getting an as up to date model as you can will pay dividends in terms of longevity, and you really don't want to be spending the cost of an iPad for JUST wargaming.

iPads? Pppfttt... screw that Fischer Price gak

I use raw epub and convert them to custom PDF's (with links) with Calibre. It's free, and pretty damn good.

Hardware wise I run a Surface RT with all my codexes on it in the above configuration. Index the content, you can direct search from within Windows for any phrase or keyword you want.

Applewho?

Ok, so maybe ill look into other tablets. Also, are there any good apps or programs out there for score keeping, turns, ect.? I couldn't find anything

Having used the ebooks in epub format on my iPad, as well as the versions from iTunes, in my opinion the iTunes versions are superior in almost every way. People keep saying you can search the ebook versions for thing, but with the iTunes versions you just tap a piece of wargear or a rule and a pop up appears with a complete description (including any subrules). You can use gestures in iBooks to zoom out of a section for quick movement within the book as well.

I generally get the epub books via Black Library or some other less-than-legal means, even though I own an iPad. However, if I'm going to be actively playing the army, and using the book heavily I will gladly shell out the extra cash for the iTunes version. It is so much more usable.

The only issue with the iTunes versions is that on older devices, switching between books can be a bit slow. I'm using an iPad Air 2, and switching is very fast, so I can exit my army codex and look something up in the BRB pretty quickly. My old iPad (iPad 3) could take upwards of 10 seconds to fully switch between books.

Also, for non-Warhammer applications, there are generally more apps for iOS, and they're generally of better quality. This includes games as well as productivity apps.

On an iPad, convert the ePub to PDF files. The scroll function on pdf is amazing, giving tiled views of six pages at a time that zoom by with a finger flick. Really is a plus. Downside is that the file won't update but convert the updated file if you need to or keep a pdf of the FAQ. I also use Calibre (saw it mentioned above) to convert. Nice and simple and keeps the Table of Contents links to pages.

iBook, there's really no comparison.

Automatic updates when the rules change.
Quick links throughout (press a rule, and it pops up and tells you what it does).
The Glossary is just amazing, I rarely have to use the search function (which is much better than the ePub version).
Contents pages for each section, which allows for quick scrolling through page thumbnails.
You can add your own bookmarks, highlight sections, add your own notes...

The list goes on. Comparing the Interactive to an ePub is like comparing a Rolls Royce to a knackered wheel barrow.

They work fine on older iPad models.

By this point, I think we've already fully established that the iTunes versions of the books are a superior format. This, truly, was never really in question. What really matters is whether or not one is willing to spend the extra money for the IPad over the more affordable options. Is it really worth spending $300+ on a tablet if all you will use it for is as an electronic rulebook? I would say no, regardless of how many extra bells and whistles the iTunes versions have.

So, that's what you really need to be asking: what else will I be using this tablet for, which tablet best supports those uses, and how much value do I place on those other functions in relation to its use for wargaming?

For the OP, something you might also want to consider is one of the Windows 8.1 Asus Transformer tablets which run a full fledged OS compared to android/iOS for iPads. This could open up access to features/programs you might want down the road, and they also come with a keyboard dock designed for it so you can quickly turn it into a laptop as needed. There are also options for running Android emulators, so if something is Android only, you should be able to run it as well.

 ncshooter426 wrote:
iPads? Pppfttt... screw that Fischer Price gak

I use raw epub and convert them to custom PDF's (with links) with Calibre. It's free, and pretty damn good.

Hardware wise I run a Surface RT with all my codexes on it in the above configuration. Index the content, you can direct search from within Windows for any phrase or keyword you want.

Applewho?

I do this exact thing. It works OK. Load times on the PDFs are a little annoying (you can't just scroll through it...loading takes a sec here and there) but it beats lugging 20 books to the FLGS.

iPad mini. It rocks. Light, small but big enough to read on, and packs easy due to size.

Samsung Galaxy Tab2 for me.. epub works perfectly, and I refuse to pay almost double price just so that it has "i" in the name

If you don't already own a tablet and you're getting one largely for the purpose of GW books... I'd really have to recommend an apple of some description. The epub/mobi's are crap. I regret buying my 'nid codex as an epub, I won't be buying another one unless GW put some effort in to making them suck less.

 ncshooter426 wrote:
iPads? Pppfttt... screw that Fischer Price gak

I use raw epub and convert them to custom PDF's (with links) with Calibre. It's free, and pretty damn good.

Hardware wise I run a Surface RT with all my codexes on it in the above configuration. Index the content, you can direct search from within Windows for any phrase or keyword you want.

Applewho?

That's interesting, what settings do you use to get great PDFs out of the epubs ?

I've only got one epub reader (an extension for firefox) and it's really bad.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

daemons bane wrote:
Samsung Galaxy Tab2 for me.. epub works perfectly, and I refuse to pay almost double price just so that it has "i" in the name

Like iLiketobrag ?

Quick question for the folks with ipads. What size of memory do you have on your devices and how many ibooks will that take?

morgoth wrote:

That's interesting, what settings do you use to get great PDFs out of the epubs ?

Disable font scaling for starters. It will match 1:1 on the page breaks in the original. Then, you can add tags (just glorified HTML) to anywhere you want and add the logic for things like indexing.

Pull down calibre and play with it. I really like having everything in PDF, so I can move between every device w/o issue.

http://calibre-ebook.com/

 Souleater wrote:
Quick question for the folks with ipads. What size of memory do you have on your devices and how many ibooks will that take?

Even a 16GB (like mine) will hold the BRB and every codex and supplement comfortably.

The question is more how much space you want left over for other things?

 Azreal13 wrote:

 Souleater wrote:
Quick question for the folks with ipads. What size of memory do you have on your devices and how many ibooks will that take?

Even a 16GB (like mine) will hold the BRB and every codex and supplement comfortably.

The question is more how much space you want left over for other things?

You and I must have different definitions of 'comfortably'. I had a 16GB Ipad 3, and if I wanted to use my pad for anything other than a codex/rulebook viewer, I had to make decisions about which books I wanted on the device. The newer books that are coming out are smaller (the new Necron Codex was around 650mb), but the older ones (Daemons and CSM for example) were about 1.5GB each. 16GB goes really fast if you're adding apps and media (movies, music, etc).

I upgraded to a 64Gb pad a month or so ago, and that's what I'd call comfortable.

That's one of the things that I've always found disgusting about Apple products.

When you buy a 16GB Android tablet, you pay 25 bucks to add another 64GB on top of that, on an iPad you've got to buy a new one and the capacity costs you another 250 bucks.

I have a 64gb second gen and 64gb 4th gen iPads. I have used both iBooks and converted PDFs.

By far the best experience is on the ipad. The other tablets just don't compare. That said, iPads - and the iBook versions of codexes - are more expensive.

So the question really boils down to what you are looking for. The old 2nd gen ipad works great ( it's the one I normally use ), so buying one of those is fine to save some cash. If you want the best experience, go ipad. If you are only wanting to no longer carry a regular book, buy some other cheap tablet.

The main difference between the two is that the iBook version allows you to click on just about anything and get the details. For example, if you were looking at a space marine entry you could click on the bolter in the wargear and not just get its stats but all the rules for rapid firing, etc.

With a PDF on a cheap tablet you don't have that type of support and need to constantly search through the book.

Either works, it's just a matter of what you are after and how much you are willing to spend to get it.

I have a 32gb Nexus 7, and I have a loooooooooooot of .epubs on it, it's pretty alright.

I am VERY jealous of iPads though and their ebooks, clicking on a rule and a little box popping up is awesome, especially when you're learning/showing rules often.

i have mine on an Ipad being able to click on rules is very handy. I just wish forgeworld's books were available in digital formats.

I wonder when GW will get that and deliver proper books for Android.

It's probably not too far from now.

morgoth wrote:
I wonder when GW will get that and deliver proper books for Android.

It's probably not too far from now.

It more a case of "when will Android produce a decent platform like iBooks capable of running an interactive Codex".
This is an Android issue, not GW's fault.