What's the best and worst D&D book you own from any edition?

Best: The Lost City of Barakus
Worst: H1 Keep on the Shadowfell - the first adventure module of an edition needs to be a homerun - this, was not.

Hussar said:

But... But... I was just told, repeatedly, many, many, many times, that there is no need to improve fighters. That it's all just made up by DM's who lack the ability to run a balanced game.

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It's like there are two factions. The ones that can't and the ones who can. There are a lot who can't though so all this stuff helps those people.

JonnyP71 said:

A predictable 'best'

- the 1E Dungeon Masters Guide - without doubt the greatest RPG book ever published, it was a mess, but just so utterly inspirational, and full of juicy nuggets throughout. (it just took a while to find them ). Honourable mentions to modules U1, UK4 and WG4.

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Couldn't agree more.

JonnyP71 said:

And the worst:

- 1E Wilderness Survival Guide - unnecessary fluff throughout

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Couldn't disagree more.

It's definitely a DM's book though and for people who are really into world building. Both those are me in spades.

JonnyP71 said:

A predictable 'best'

- the 1E Dungeon Masters Guide - without doubt the greatest RPG book ever published, it was a mess, but just so utterly inspirational, and full of juicy nuggets throughout.

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Agreed. I still reference mine, even when running games that aren't D&D, or even fantasy. Sometime in the early 1990s, it started falling apart (too many trips in a backpack in the first 7 years), so I removed the spine, punched holes in each and every page, which I reinforced with little round stickers made for that purpose, and put it into a three-ring binder. I believe the pages have actually outlived one binder and been transferred to a second. The pages have been color-coded along the edges, by chapter, for easy reference, and several passages have been highlighted. Yes, I'm no longer a broke teen/college kid and could have afforded a "special edition", when they were released, but that book has been loved. It just wouldn't be right.

And the worst:

- 1E Wilderness Survival Guide - unnecessary fluff throughout

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Eh... I recall Dungeoneer's Survival Guide being worse. The isomorphic mapping wasn't a bad thing, but there wasn't much else. At least I used the random weather tables in the WSG. Both books were pretty stand-out as mediocre, compared to the rest of the 1E books, which were almost all pretty darn good (power-gaming accusations towards UA, aside).

Both the books that immediately came to mind were 1E books probably because that's the formative years in my gaming life. I still think the 1E DMG truly is of notably better quality, stylistically, than anything from at least 3E on. The DSG probably stands out because there were so few 1E books and most of them were pretty darn good.

From later editions, the standout good book would be the 3.5 Eberron Campaign Setting. Other than some 1E material (of which only the DMG and a couple Dragon mags actually get used), the only other non-current D&D books on my shelf are my Eberron material. The ECS is the core of that and Eberron is the only published setting that I actually get excited about -- I'm otherwise a pretty hard-core home-brewer.

I'm not sure I have another "worst" book. My pattern has always been that I get frustrated at some limitation of any edition of D&D, at some point, and move on to some other system before returning to D&D with the next edition. For 5E, the book I most regret getting is Hoard of the Dragon Queen, which I just disliked for aesthetic reasons.

I've been playing d&d for about 25 years. Without hesitation, the best d&d book I have ever purchased is the Yoon Suin campaign setting.

Hiya!

Best: Tie between Hackmaster 4th Edition Game Masters Guide and the Rules Cylopedia (BECMI).

Worst: Hmmm...probably the "Castle Greyhawk" joke/pink-cover 'adventure' that I gleefully tore apart page by page with my friends as we smiled and tossed them into the fireplace.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

Olaf the Stout said:

So that's my best and worst D&D book that I own. What's yours?

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Best: Tome of Magic, for introducing Wild Magic. No. Tome of Magic, for introducing vestiges and shadow magic. And making me work reaaaaaally hard to make truenaming work. Nah...Dungeonscape, for a different perspective on dungeons. Or Cityscape, since cities are a bit more common than dungeons, and can also make great dungeons. Actually, Monster Manual, since it's useful for three editions of the game (3, 3.5, 5). Or Villain's Handbook (?), since it's useful for ALL editions. Of any game.

Worst: Player's Handbook 3.0. For being rendered obsolete by one of its own supplements (Miniatures Handbook).

Best book Curse of Strahd 5e. The very epitome of what a hardback should be like.

Return to Undermountain. Destroyed what could have been an awesome 3e setting but chose a lazy, and clumsy approach. Really disappointing, with almost no redeeming features. Even the maps were terrible.

Best: Ravenloft boxed set. Still sets the imagination on fire with gothic horror story ideas even now.

Worst: PF Mythic. Too much to complain about poorly balanced and barely playtested. Felt like a Hardback money grab how bad it was.

Ok, I want to express my opinions about this old topic. I only write about the Best books of all the editions I have played, divided in sub-categories. They are all must-own collectibiles.

BECMI

• Ruleset: Basic Red Box. I'm proud to own the product that started it all for me. Still fond of Elmore's art. Runner up: Companion Cyan Box - I love high level play
• Adventure: the adventure that I am happy to play the most is Red Arrow Black Shield. Runner Up: Test of the Warlords. But there are so many.
• Setting: one has to mention the Gazetteer line. The Grand Duchy of Karameikos is the best overall, with The Principalities of Glantri as a close second.

AD&D 1e

• Ruleset: I like the prose of Gygax in the Dungeon Master's Guide
• Bestiary: the original Monster Manual is a precious prize.
• Adventure: The original Ravenloft 1e without a dubt. Lost Caverns of Tsojicanth is second place, for me it's damn good.
• Setting: the Forgotten Realms Gray Box is an incredible product.
• Other: the Manual of the Planes for its aesthetics.

AD&D 2e

• Ruleset: The Complete Psionic Handbook. Cannot stand psionics in more recent editions because of the distance from the original.
• Bestiary: the Monstrous Compendium Binder was exceptional. Runner up: the Planescape Appendix I with Tony DiTerlizzi's art.
• Adventure: Return to the Tomb of Horrors is truly a gem. Silver medal is Dragon's Crown, for the Dark Sun setting, it is really epic.
• Setting: Dark Sun boxed set. So many dreams. Runner up: Ravenloft boxed set revised, beats Planescape boxed set by an inch.

3.0

• Ruleset: Player's Handbook was truly brilliant in its rationalization of old rules.
• Bestiary: MM and Draconomicon.
• Adventure: The Lich Queen's Beloved from Dungeon Magazine was fascinating. Runner up: The Lord of the Iron Fortress. Again, I love high level play.
• Other: Forgotten Realms setting book comes immediately to mind. Incredibile amount of detail and fantastic art. Second place: The Epic Level Handbook, a favourite of mine. Actually used in some campaigns.

3.5

• Ruleset: Tome of Battle - The Book of Nine Swords. I absolutely adored it.
• Adventure: I regard Age of Worms and Savage Tide, the Adventure Paths in Dungeon Magazine, the best adventures ever produced for the game.
• Other: I have a soft spot for Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss.

PATHFINDER

• Bestiary: the original Bestiary for its aesthetics, even if it's not much different from 3.0's MM.
• Adventure: Reign of Winter AP is a favourite of mine. There are so many others of high quality; if I had to chose one I'll take Curse of the Crimson Throne.

13th Age

• Bestiary: the Bestiary is a gem.
• Adventure: Eyes of the Stone Thief. You have to play this One Unique Thing!

D&D 5e

• Ruleset: the Player's Handbook is a miracle, not a new edition. DMG Is also excellent.
• Bestiary: the Monster Manual could even be better than the original.
• Adventure: I think that Tomb of Annihilation is better than Curse of Strahd, but recently Descent into Avernus became my favourite.
• Other: the Starter Set. Silver medal for Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, its planar scope and high level monsters.