This article is not about getting items illegally. It is about where you can find and download public domain works, out-of-print (and probably never to be seen again) RPG material, and free-to-the-public films.

As a gamer, I've been lucky enough to come across downloads of out-of-print games from companies that have been closed for 20 years. And while some may choose to download illegal material that is still in-print and on shelves, I'd rather not bite the hand of fellow publishers.

The best way to get these things is by downloading a torrent.

How to download a torrent

1. Find a torrent program that will suit your needs. There are plenty of other clients available.
2. Follow the instructions on downloading and installing your chosen client.
3. Go to a torrent site and search for a file you want to download.
   
4. Once you have found the desired file on the torrent site, click the "Download This Torrent" (or however they word it). Usually, the web browser's file download manager will ask what to do with this file. You want to open the file with your torrent program.
5. If it doesn't open that way, just save the .torrent file to an easy to locate place. Then open your torrent client and use the "Open Torrent" feature(Most torrent clients support click & drag).
6. The download will start automatically. You may now go and do something to pass the time, because torrents do not require your attention and will download in the background.

The Scene vs P2P... it is all the same

When browsing for torrents, you'll often come across terms like "The Scene" or "P2P".

The Scene (is dead)

In a nutshell, "The Scene" got their start in the 1980s as an underground group. Anything released today (technically, after 1997 or so) is not "Scene". There are a lot of groups out there who claim to be scene, but they really are not. Case in point: They become proud of their releases to the point they feel copyright infringed-upon when someone takes their torrent and uploads it elsewhere. You can’t say “Screw intellectual property unless it’s mine”.

P2P

Simply, "Peer-to-Peer". It's the largest contributor of network traffic on the Internet and has been around since the creation of Usenet in 1979. It is what you are using when you use a torrent site.

Where to get torrents (and what their deal is)

• Isohunt.com - The largest torrent site out there with rather trusty user reviews. They dominantly claim they aren't a crack or porn site, though they index both.
• H33T - The site is plain and rather ugly, but you can find a lot of decent stuff there.
• TankaFett.com - If you don't mind Swedish subtitles, chances are that you will get the fastest DLs from this site. Swedes seed like a mutha...
• ExtraTorrent.com - Generally it isn't a good site as far as variety goes, and there are far too many Hindi-language torrents on there for an English site. They also tend to make outlandish claims about being the largest site out there, which is far from the case, especially considering how few seeders they have. With that said, you can often find the newest movie releases there first.
• EZTV - By far the best place to catch good quality new TV program releases, with the caveat that they don't like you asking why it takes them 4 days to upload something.

I did not mention the now-dubious Pirate Bay in this, as their legal status has made their torrents come under scrutiny as to who is receiving user information.

How to get torrents

BitTorrent - BitTorrent is a free P2P software application that has attracted a loyal following among those interested in sharing movies and television programs. Various other alternative BitTorrent clients like Vuze, BitComet, uTorrent, and BitTornado also exist. Which one you use is up to you, but uTorrent is probably the best, do to its small size and memory use.

Warning: while P2P file sharing technology is completely legal, many of the files traded through P2P are copyrighted. Downloading, and specifically uploading, P2P files may put you at risk for a civil lawsuit.