Must have book per edition

[darjr]

What single book per edition is a must have? Why?

I think that the AD&D 1st edition "Dungeon Masters Guide" is a must have book for any D&D fan even if your not playing AD&D because it's a good resource for other games and it's a wonderful artifact of the history of D&D.

I wonder what book from each edition is also a must have?

For 4e I think it'd be a toss up between the Dungeon Masters Guide or the Dungeon Masters Guide 2.

3.5 and 3.0 are the Players Handbooks. Though there are a great many good books here.

 

[kitcik]

OD&D - Eldritch Wizardry, cuz of the babe on the cover.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

Personally my favourite 3.5 book was the Manual of the Planes. I don't even really know why.

 

[I'm A Banana]

2e Monstrous Manual

Still the definitive collection of D&D beasties, and so chock full to the brim with encounter ideas it will last you probably until you are too old to see pips. Statblocks, schmatblocks, use whatever stats you want, but use the 2e MM for all your monster fiction needs.

The 1e DMG is indeed really useful, and I keep picking up my copy every couple of weeks to explore some idea or another.

For 3e, I might mention the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Complete, encyclopedic, and a great way to dig deep into the world. Always something new in those pages, and I'm not even a big FR fan.

For 4e, I'd actually probably recommend Dungeon Delve. It's obscure and flawed (requires Dungeon Tiles?!), but it is an encyclopedia of neat little encounters, which 4e needed and any D&D game can benefit from. I would not hate a 5e Monster Manual that was Dungeon Delve + the 2e Monstrous Manual, with a few modifications (actual dungeon maps, not dungeon tiles; social encounters).

 

[gweinel]

From 2e i would choose many planescape books as first choice (blood war, law, chaos, neutral box sets, etc) and combat and tactics (i still use the critical tables)

From 3e Oriental adventures. It is another ph. Great book!

From 4e... tough question, since i don't like much the version. I choose Heroes of Feywild for the good fluff.

 

[JeffB]

The only 3.5 book I kept after selling off my gigantic rpg collection a few years bac was Secrets of Xen Drik. Didnt have any use for eberron proper, but that book gets my adventure writing blood going regardless of setting. Ive transplanted it everywhere for sev versions of the rules.

Villians book and the MM for 2e have served me well.

Garys DMG is another great pick.

Greyhawk for the LBBs with EW a close second.

B2...Great DM advice for the Novice and textbook of how to start a campaign setting.

3.0 , I would also vote MOTP. Jeff Grubb rocks. LGG for those into post war GH though I prefer TAB from 2e if Im running post wars.

Any module written by Gary or Tom Moldvay.

 

[Treebore]

I agree with what everyone has posted, and since I got out of 4E within the first year, I will bow to the knowledge of others for that edition.


However, for me, the best 3E book wasn't even published by WOTC. For me it is Green Ronins "Book of the Righteous" Best D&D write up involving clerics and religion, period.

My favorite book actually published by WOTC would be "Lords of Madness".

The 2E books that gave us Specialty Priests are worth mentioning, but the 2E Monster Manual is still my favorite book of the edition. Its my favorite monster book, period. My new Swords and Wizardry version of Tome of Horrors is giving it competition, though.

 

[Obryn]

1e... The DMG, of course. It's still a fun read. Also, for bonus points, the 1e Manual of the Planes. I'm not sure how useful it is for adventuring, but man is it awesome.

2e... Monstrous Manual, I'd say. Complete Warrior or Rogue, maybe.

3.x... PHB2 or Tome of Magic. Both had some real appeal and tried to shake up the rigid class structure.

4e... Gosh, is it fair to pick DDI? Probably not. In that case, the 4e Dark Sun Campaign Setting is masterful.

-O

 

[pauljathome]

Absolutely no must have books from any edition.

I've got many books from various editions sitting on my shelves and I virtually never consult any books except those for the edition that I'm currently running or playing (Pathfinder, right now). If I don't consult them even when I own them they can hardly be thought of as "must have" or even "Kinda nice to have"

 

[Ferghis]

I have to agree with what others have posted, for the most part.
1e - DMG
2e - MM
3e - not sure. The book of nine swords (or whatever it was called) was a historically important book, but I'm not sure it's fun to read. I'd probably take the FR suggestion to heart: I know a few people who love that book.
4e - Sadly, probably not the Rules Compendium. It's well written, and is my favorite book from 4e, but it's not inspirational, which everything else on this list is. Maybe another setting book.