Do you buy codexes/army books/rulebooks?

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**legoburner**

Inspired by / requested by Paladin Blake

Obviously encouraging or enabling copyright violation is a strict no-no and will be punished harshly. This poll exists to get a rough idea of how prevalent it is amongst the wargaming community, not to increase it.

**makr**

I voted I don't own any physical copies, but I don't even own a full army yet (though I suppose I could do a 1000 point game, albeit not with a list I like). Once I get 3 more chimeras, I'll be ready to go to a GW to play a few people outside my group of 4 friends. I plan to buy a codex as the army finishes up - I'm just hoping to catch a Guard codex on Ebay for less than $15.

For me at least, not using a hardcopy is just a temporary thing.

**crazypsyko666**

I downloaded codexes to get an understanding of the armies before I tried one out for myself, and certainly before I spent money on the books and models required to play this game the way it was intended. It worked out incredibly well. I now own codexes for the armies that I play and a rule book, but I have every codex ever made on .pdf files. I would reccomend that strategy to anyone interested in the hobby (note: I speak for myself, not for anyone else. If you have a problem with this, take it up with me.)

**Fafnir**

I downloaded the codecies to plan armies and junk before I buy, but I'll only play if I have my codex on hand. Likewise, I don't really like playing against people that don't have their army's codex on hand.

**nyyman**

I have every new Armybook on my laptop, but I have a physical, legally bought copy of every army I play (expect for my newest army, High Elves, whiches book I'm gonna buy soonadays).
I have other Army Books to get a rough idea what are the new things of the new Army books and to just have nice time reading them.

**Kyley**

I always buy a real copy for any army I'm playing or that I have built up to a reasonable size, but I do also have pdf's of all of them, I want to be morally superior when I play, but I don't want to pay £12 when I'm sitting at home and suddenly wonder how good a carnifex is againsed tanks...:S

**don_mondo**

Yep, I buy them all. I'm a firm believer in "Know Your Enemy".

**Redbeard**

I buy every codex, expansion and IA book as they come out. I have digital copies of them all on my netbook, which I bring to games to avoid having to carry all those books.

**Ouze**

Before I started collecting, I did browse the pdf's out there, but I have since been building a legal collection of codexes and have the 5e rulebook. This has less to do with moral flexibility and more to do with my disdain for PDFs as light reading before going to bed.

**SgtSixkilla**

I own the original rulebook and the IG and Ork Codices.

I must admit I've looked for digital copies, so I don't have to break out the books every time I want to check something. I haven't looked very hard obviously, as it doesn't seem, after seeing this poll, to be very hard to find.

I'm lucky enough to live in the same house as the guy I regularly play against, though, and we usually play in my apt. so his SM codex is regularly left here for my viewing pleasure.

**Tek**

I always grab a pdf when I find myself at work for instance, and my dex is at home.

And I sometimes grab a pdf of an army i'm thinking of collecting. If I like it, I go out and buy it.

**Neith**

I tend to download Codexes for armies I'm interested in. If I then decide to collect that army, I'll usually have no problem buying the Codex. I just download to get an idea of the army's playstyle (without needing to spend a while in a FLGS reading one).

However, the army I'm focusing on currently is Blood Angels, whose Codex is only in White Dwarf or an official PDF, so I can't use a hard copy there

**BrassScorpion**

In second edition 40K I purchased nearly every Codex, then was a bit cheesed when they all became obsolete on the release of third edition, leaving me with approximately $200 in obsolete books. To avoid this problem after that I stopped buying so many army books for armies I didn't own or play, but I still buy a few here and there that interest me at times beyond my main army collections. I never go for bootlegs or photocopies. If I really want a book I buy a legitimate copy.

**Shake Zoola**

I own legit necron, ork, and SM codecies as those are the armies i actually have pieces for...i also have an older edition IG codex (because i like them) as well as old SM and ork (even though I didnt have those armies at the time) Im also considering buying a witch hunters...i like to read the lore contained in them...as the whole 40k universe is what really keeps me playing this game...

**gretar**

I always have Pdf. files on my laptop . I have all codexes/army books on my laptop , becouse i like reading them from time to time , but i would never buy a codex for a army i dont own just to read the fluff ..

But I do have a SM and Dwarf's codex/army books , and im waiting to get my hands on the real O&G since I only have that one on pdf.

**Karoline Dianne**

I have a copy of Nids and Chaos, as I started with nids and moved to chaos, lol.

I try not to download PDFs of any rulebook out there unless I plan on buying it soon after and need the rules right then.

I have some friends who have PDFs of codexes, but as stated above, it was only to get the feel of an army before committing to a hard copy.

**Erasoketa**

I legally own a copy of every army I play, except one: Witch Hunters. It's discontinued in Spain, I can only get it in english in some web stores. And I have some originals that I don't play (like SM & IG), and some pdfs.

**Sirsolo**

I own the codex's for the armies I play, but I have digital copies of those I dont, simply for the interesting stories and history about the armies! I figured that I can just go to GW and read the codex's for free, so Im just reading them at home.

**haderach**

I own a pdf copy of all the codexes; I don't see the point in paying for something I can get for free in a better format.

I have grievances against GW for the way they format the books anyway. Witchblade and Eldar Jetbike rules should be in the Eldar codex, not in the fething BGB. I shouldn't have to buy every codex to make sure my opponent is playing his army legit either.

**solkan**

I think the poll options may be missing out on the mixed tactic of buying what a person is seriously interested in, and downloading everything else "just to see what it's like".

I own: Store bought codices for the three armies I'm assembling; store bought codex for the nephew's army; a small but growing collection of outdated codices because they're nice for seeing how the rules and fluff have changed over the years; and copies of the Japanese downloadable PDF's because I haven't given up yet. I may or may not have a collection of scanned English codices used for academic purposes in my apartment.

**mattyrm**

there's illegal ones?!

**Gwar!**

I own every single Warhammer 40k Codex and rulebook from 3rd edition onwards (and a couple of 2nd edition ones), including the 2nd printings of the 3rd edition Dark Angel and Dark Eldar Codexes but not the stealth 2nd printings of the Witch Hunters and Necron Codexes, lovingly collected over the course of the last 10 years.

The Most Current Rulebook and Codexes I have used the magic of "t3h Scanzorz" and have a backup copy on my HDD, so that I may quickly reference them when I am busy slaving away helping Dakka with their Roolz

**Canonness Rory**

I own the codices for the armies I play (chaos, space marines, sisters of battle) and use pirated versions for all the others. It makes me a better player, and it makes skirmishes at my FLGS go faster because nobody has to explain to me how their rules work, because i'm already familiar with them.

**Mr. Burning**

I used to buy all the codexes as soon as they were released that way i could keep up with how new editions felt and played. Onto 5th ed I only have copies of IG, Orks and Sm as those are the armies we play at my house. I cant keep up with the costs these days.

If I need to check out other armies I usually borrow friends copies.

**Major Malfunction**

I have the most current version of each Codex. I want to know what I'm up against when I play an army that I don't own.

That said I have in the past used pdf or other electronic copies as previews or for online reference. I don't use it as a replacement for buying the real deal though.

**Tyranid Horde**

I have the Tyranid codex,
but I'm getting the Eldar codex soon

**Cryonicleech**

Alright, lets see

Dark Elves
Orcs and Goblins
Old Lizardmen
Ogre Kingdoms
2 Warriors of Chaos
Dwarfs

Daemonhunters
Orks

Out of all these books, only 2 have standing armies behind them.

**Eldar Own**

I only codexs/army books that i have the armies for though sometimes i will flick through another army book in GW. I also own the WHFB and 40K rulebooks, however they are both small versions as i prefer to get them free with loads of models rather than pay a ridicolous price for the full, big rulebook.

**Paladin Blake**

I own the core rulebooks for both Fantasy Battle and 40k. I only have codexes and army books for armies I play, though. I like fluff, so I'll download pdfs to read up on stuff that I otherwise wouldn't know. As a note, I always buy physical copies of books for armies I'm interested in/playing. Pdfs are just so damned inconvenient.

**mortal888**

I buy the books for the armies I play and the main rulebook, but download the forgeworld books and expansion books. I dont print them out, i just skim through them and dont use them.