Help with a "Book Campaign"

[Virtue]

We are starting a new 3.5 Campaign in a month or so. I have a very extensive library and there are alot of "Broken" things with in it. I have heard on here and other message boards about a "Book" game where the players are limited to how many books they can use. So what we are doing is the core books plus the Campaign setting guild and then the players get to choose what other books are used. The books will be a pool for all the players to use im trying to figure out how many books per player to allow or the total number of books to allow im thinking either 1.5 or 2.5 per player so they just cant each pick the one or two books there are going to use I want to see them work it out as a team to what books they will use.
What do you guys think please help

 

[Treebore]

Just ask them to come up with their character ideas. Other than that stick to core and only use what is needed for their ideas.

If you have to allow them a whole book only allow them one each.

 

[Stormborn]

Do your player own that many books? Are they that familiar with them? Half my group only knows things exist outside the core books because I point it out to them. My suggestion to you would be for you to pick the books based ona theme and then allow them access to it. For example you could say:
"I am running a Ravenloft style game so Core + Heroes of Horror+Libris Mortis and your choice of Complete Champion, Complete Divine, or Ghostwalk" or "I am running a game where civilization is dominated by Dragons so Core +Dragonomicon + Races of the Dragon + your choice of Dragon Magic, Complete Adventurer, or PHB 2." Just for example. Add "I reserve the right to use any published adventure I see fit, but if I do any PC appropriate feats, prestige classes, or item will be made available on a case by case basis."

The other option would be for you to make a list of say ten or twenty books and then as a group, you included, vote on which ones are allowed until you have a number equal to the number of players. Then all of you would be bound to use only those books, you included. Might be an interesting challange, especially if you added to that some cooperative world building.

 

[Psion]

Just ask them to come up with their character ideas. Other than that stick to core and only use what is needed for their ideas.

Personally, I find ideas a big part of what 3.x books give me. If I just wanted to make characters to fit whatever ideas I might have, I'd play Fantasy Hero instead of D&D.

 

[Psion]

My suggestion to you would be for you to pick the books based ona theme and then allow them access to it. For example you could say:
"I am running a Ravenloft style game so Core + Heroes of Horror+Libris Mortis and your choice of Complete Champion, Complete Divine, or Ghostwalk" or "I am running a game where civilization is dominated by Dragons so Core +Dragonomicon + Races of the Dragon + your choice of Dragon Magic, Complete Adventurer, or PHB 2." Just for example.

That's very typical of how I do it. A psionc game, a seafaring game, a desert game, etc.

Still, though, if players are invested enough in a book to buy and want to use it, unless I feel the book is really poor or the concept doesn't fit, I generally give them a little leeway.

A mixed approach could work (say 5 theme books + 1 book/player). Some players are book hungrier than others, but a selection of theme books can help slake their hunger, and the 1 or 2 books per player can help get them just what they want.

I'd start with one, and if a player has a specific concept that takes them beyod that one, consider it. A hard limit of one could be bad... and some later books build on earlier books (frex, it's pretty pointless to play a psibond agent from complete scoundrel or anything from Complete Psionic if you aren't allowing the XPH.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Design a framework for your campaign world and let your players know about your expectations.

Then figure out what base classes you want in your game, and just let your players do whatever they want, but tell them that you get final approval of PrCls, feats & spells.

If someone has a very strong PC concept that aims for a particular PrCl, feat, or spell combo, ask them to talk to you about it beforehand. That way, if something would normally be outside your desired campaign parameters, you can work on a different way of doing things (if at all possible) together.

But if you must do a "Book" campaign (alongside the Core + Completes), I'd say 2 books should give any player a great deal of flexibility.

(Side note- does "Completes" include Complete Psionic & XPH for you?)

 

[Aus_Snow]

I don't think I've ever used a whole RPG book, or allowed the use of all of one.

Personally, I've found it preferable in every case to select options suitable for the campaign type, from whatever books are at hand.

I don't really have any good suggestions for 'book campaigns' though, sorry. Certain things from PHBII (e.g., high level Fighter feats), a number of the Completes, and other supplements, I would consider very handy for a pure D&D 3.5 game, but again, whole books? Not so much.

 

[Virtue]

Well we are going with 2.5 book per player and its working out really good. The players are really thinking about what to do and what books to take not just going into the game with no pre planned thoughts. I think it will make for a better game because the players have a direction.

 

[Stormborn]

Glad you made a choice that seems to be working for you. My only word of advice at this point is: if you have the players make an effort for the planning of their PCs then make sure you as a DM allow those choices to matter. IOW, you dont want some one to plan the greatest Undead (or Dragon or Giant,etc.) Hunter/Slayer of All Time and have them wind up in a campaign with no Undead (or Dragons or Giants, etc.) or a great illusionist and all you fight are undead, or a great social intrigue character and its a ll hack and slash. You get my point. Personally I know its easy to get into the development of a really great adventure and then forget the special abilities of the PCs dont really fit it.

 

[hopeless]

reg: Broken

We are starting a new 3.5 Campaign in a month or so. I have a very extensive library and there are alot of "Broken" things with in it. I have heard on here and other message boards about a "Book" game where the players are limited to how many books they can use. So what we are doing is the core books plus the Campaign setting guild and then the players get to choose what other books are used. The books will be a pool for all the players to use im trying to figure out how many books per player to allow or the total number of books to allow im thinking either 1.5 or 2.5 per player so they just cant each pick the one or two books there are going to use I want to see them work it out as a team to what books they will use.
What do you guys think please help

The only two classes I consider broken are the warlock and favoured soul since the favoured soul should have been part of the sorceror back in 3.0 and the warlock I consider a prestige class not a core class and have found nothing even in 4e to argue against that.

Don't bother with the Exalted Deeds book, Vile darkness is ok as long as its not for 1st level characters will have to read what else is raised in this thread in case there's other points to be addressed.

Ultimately its the dm's preogrative to decide what they keep and what can't be used.

All the best!