Best (and worst) of 2006

[Jim Hague]

World's Largest Dungeon. Ugh. How much do I loathe adventures that have lists of PCs that the material can't handle. If it's big, it should be inclusive, yanno, instead of being 'World's Fattest Book you may not be able to use.'

I'm not sure what your beef with WLD is, but come on over to the WLD mega-thread and I'll see if the good folks there can address it.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress.

I haven't played much D&D (or any fantasy at all) this year, but I have to say that I did purchase some really swell books - namely Ultimate Power and Agents of Freedom for MnM2e. Awesome, awesome books. I'm slightly less enamoured of Mastermind's Manual, though that's a matter of personal taste.

Heroes of Horror is a book I really wanted to like, but I think it failed as an overall product, with some positively brilliant bits inside. I'll chime in with the crowd on MMIV - flipped through it at the FLGS and backed slowly away.

 

[Nikosandros]

I couldn't say, since most playtesting is done after WotC receives the initial turnover. (I ran it through a few quick combats myself, but didn't have time for anything more extensive.) I do know, however, that they asked me to send them stats for the sample shadowcaster at every level from 1st to 20th--and boy, wasn't that fun to create --so I have to assume there was at least a decent amount.

Thanks... I'll take a look at your suggested modifications... now, if only I had the time to actually play the class...

 

[Arnwyn]

For the WotC stuff (only what I have good knowledge of):

Best
- Red Hand of Doom - a great adventure, with excellent maps, many locations, and lots of stuff to do.
- Dungeon mag - not WotC per se, but you get lumped in here when you call yourself "official" and get WotC approval. I just love the APs, and the "3 adventures every month of low/med/high levels" is the best thing since sliced bread. Sliced bread!
- Fiendish Codex I - love this kind of stuff.

Honorable Mention: Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (though the 'delve' format doesn't always work for every encounter); Power of Faerun (except for one chapter - see below).

Worst
- MMIV - I despise the new stat blocks (especially for 'generic' monster entries) and I'm not too keen on those spawn...
- Dragons of Faerun - utter garbage, offering the worst aspects of the FR setting: a book that just blurts out all the changes that yet another set of novels wrought on the campaign world. Again. Oh, and we'll screw up every single stat block and monster entry in the book while we're at it.
- Mysteries of the Moonsea - what everyone else said. Give me an adventure or a regional sourcebook, not this horrible bastardization of boring "adventures" (and I use that term loosely for content of this book).

Ugly
- Power of Faerun - the "Heralds" chapter. WTF was that? Unbelievably, shockingly, retarded.




For the 3rd parties:

Best
- Rappan Athuk Reloaded (Necro)
- Ptolus (Malhavoc)

Honorable Mention: Bard's Gate (Necro), Doom of Listonshire (Necro).

Worst
None that I can state, as I'm extremely careful with my 3rd party research and purchases.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Um, not that I disagree with your assessment of them, but were not Weapons of Legacy and Magic of Incarnum 2005 releases?

nitpick

 

[MulhorandSage]

I haven't played much D&D (or any fantasy at all) this year, but I have to say that I did purchase some really swell books - namely Ultimate Power and Agents of Freedom for MnM2e. Awesome, awesome books.

I'm really glad to hear you liked AoF, Jim. That makes my day.

 

[Captain Howdy]

Best
-Fiendish Codex I & II
-Rappan Athuk Reloaded
-Bard's Gate
-Ptolus

I don't really have a worst, since I have gotten use and enjoyment out of every purchase this year.

 

[Jim Hague]

I'm really glad to hear you liked AoF, Jim. That makes my day.

*tips his hat*

Happy to oblige, sirrah. AoF is an awesome book, and I consider it easily the best since Ultimate Power came out. Hell, the worst books GR put out this year were "merely" really good.

 

[Michael_R_Proteau]

My best/worst

Hmm some of the late 2005/early 2006 may blur for me so if a 2005 release slips in, my apologies.

Best: PHBII, Heroes of Horror, Red Hand of Doom, Bard's Gate, DDM-Blood War

Worst: I have to qualify this-these are books I was interested in but upon perusal decided not to plunk my money down on them because there did not seem to be enough there that interested me or would get used in my game-Complete Mage, Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords-others may like them and get use out of them, but for me not worth the money I would have had to spend on them.
-M

 

[Wycen]

Bestest ...

1. Helios Rising
2. Ptolus
3. Players Guide to Eberron
4. Tome of Magic

Wow. Thanks

I really like Fiendish Codex 1, though of the many book in this thread it is one of the few I've read cover to cover (more than once) and own.

 

[blargney the second]

I find it really interesting how much variance there is on PHB2 and ToB. They both seem to provoke strong reactions one way or the other.