D&D 5E Old Edition "Keepers" (Books)

[Shasarak]

Who am I kidding, I never get rid of anything.

But Spelljammer, Menzoberanzan Boxed set and Top Ballista are near and dear to my heart.

 

[Ricochet]

My absolute favorite book is the old hardcover "Forgotten Realms Adventures" (the one with a rider on a unicorn on the cover).

The city maps for all the major towns of the Heartlands, and the hundreds of cool plot ideas to pick and choose from and adapt to other campaigns has been helping me GM for two decades.

Need a city map for somewhere the PC's will be spending a lot of time? *Yoink*
Need a bunch of interesting features and cool names for important places and NPC's? *Yoink*

Love that book. Others I've kept are the 3e Draconomicon and the 2nd Edition Al-Quadim sourcebooks.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

The Encyclopedia Magica, right now.

Followed by the Monstrous Compendium Annuals.

 

[Ravenheart87]

Wilderlands of High Fantasy, City State of the Invincible Overlord, and some other Judges Guild stuff. Also add the AD&D1e DMG to the list, which is the best DMG ever.

 

[delericho]

I recently had cause to reference the "Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide" from 2nd Ed, and was reminded again how good it is. It's basically all the stuff that's missing from the 2nd Ed DMG (which was deeply disappointing), with the additional advantage of being edition- and game-nonspecific.

Plus adventures, of course.

 

[Schmoe]

I recently had cause to reference the "Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide" from 2nd Ed, and was reminded again how good it is. It's basically all the stuff that's missing from the 2nd Ed DMG (which was deeply disappointing), with the additional advantage of being edition- and game-nonspecific.

Plus adventures, of course.

Agreed, that's a good one, as is the 1e Dungeoneer's Survival Guide. Another one I like quite a bit is the 3e Draconomicon. It has great ideas for customizing and characterizing dragons.

 

[Gecko85]

Have all the 1e books, plus the Basic Set, but don't actively use them. I am, however, using a ton of campaign materials: World of Greyhawk, Flying Buffalo Citybooks (I - IV, and VI), Judges Guild City State of the Invincible Overloard, Lankhmar, and a few others. I pretty much mix and match supplements as needed. Perfect for when you need to add flavor and detail to a pub, farmhouse, etc.

 

[Remathilis]

* The World Builder's Guidebook (and its cousin, Dungeon Builder's Guidebook). THE Best fantasy setting builder in all of RPGdom. DBG has some good info on strange dungeons.
* I LOVE the Mystara Monstrous Compendium (2e). Yeah, you need to convert the monsters, but what a great mix of strange beasties.
* Dungeon Master's Guide II (3e). Great info and ideas, along with some great inspiration. So good, 4e and 5e ripped it off for their DMGs.
* Campaign Settings: Fluff is eternal. If I had to pick a few though, I give a shoutout to Karameikos (Basic or 2e), Forgotten Realms (3e), Ravenloft Red Box (2e), and Planescape (2e). YMMV.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I have kept too much stuff. I've taken stuff from friends and acquaintances when they have downsized. My 3E and Pathfinder stuff fills one floor-to-ceiling shelf. The rest of the books are in boxes--many, many boxes.

Sigh.

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

Everything! Well, technically, I have sold most of my hardcopies in favor of PDFs, but there are a few that I reference on a regular basis regardless of edition.

World Builder's Guidebook (2E)
Council of Wyrms (2E) (1/2 of the basis of my current 5E campaign setting)
Dragonstar (3E by Fantasy Flight) (the other 1/2 of the basis of my current 5E campaign setting)