Top Twenty PDF Products

[JoeGKushner]

Similiar to my top 20 print products. Gotta say I'm not as equal on this one. I personally worry that having EN World products in the top twenty is kinda off. I also don't think that any product that has a print version should be on here. It hurts those who do just PDF, and from what I've seen, with Malhavok, they really aren't a PDF publisher, as much as a large publisher who publishes PDF first.

Position/Product Publisher Score Reviews
1. Tournaments, Fairs & Taverns E.N. Publishing 4.60 5
2. Four-Color to Fantasy: Superhero Toolkit E.N. Publishing 4.60 5
3. Wild Spellcraft E.N. Publishing 4.60 5
4. The Book of Eldritch Might Malhavoc Press 4.50 14
5. The Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power Malhavoc Press 4.50 10
6. Joe's Book of Enchantment Throwing Dice Games 4.40 5
7. The Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus Malhavoc Press 4.40 5
8. The Banewarrens Malhavoc Press 4.33 6
9. Death: Guardian of the Gate E.N. Publishing 4.25 8
10. Vigilance Vigilance Press 4.20 5
11. Malls & Morons Malls & Morons 4.20 5
12. Requiem for a God Malhavoc Press 4.17 6
13. Thievery 101: Joining the Watchers Wyverns Claw Design 4.00 6
14. Heroes and Magic Sourcebook 0one Games 4.00 5
15. Races of Evernor, Part I Silverthorne Games 4.00 5
16. The Bonds of Magic, Vol. I, Cabal Malhavoc Press 4.00 5
17. Questus - The Whispering Woodwind Creative Mountain Games 3.91 11
18. Whispers of Death: A Sourcebook for Assassin Characters Sundered Blade Games 3.83 6
19. The Enchiridion of Mystic Music S T Cooley Publishing 3.83 6
20. Crimson Contracts E.N. Publishing 3.83 6

 

[alaric187]

Well, most of these are good products. I own 1, 3, 4, 8, 12, 13, 17, & 20, all of which are definate good material. It is worth note though, that over half of the list is either EN World or Monte's stuff. Of course, that could just be a sign of quality.

I have to agree that anything which is both pdf and print should be restricted to 1 of the lists (producers choice). It doesn't seem quite fair. Maybe lower the restriction on # of reviews to qualify? Have a seperate En World list?

Alaric

 

[Joshua Randall]

I own a handful of these PDF products. Overall, I find most PDF products sub-par but nonetheless a good source of inspiration.

Tournaments, Fairs, and Taverns has some good ideas, but the rules execution is of uneven quality, and there are vast sections that are far more detailed than necessary. More an "idea book" than something I would use for crunch.

Joe's Book of Enchantment has a firmer grasp of rules mechanics, but its low production values and seeming disorganization make me groan every time I try to find something in it. I think it would've been better if Joe had focused on just one thing (more enchantment spells OR enchanter PrC's OR ...) instead of trying to do everything.

Requiem for a God takes a very interesting idea and creates some very boring prestige classes and spells around it. But, if you ignore the crunch and focus on the fluff, it's still worth the money.

Whispering Woodwind is a flawed adventure (you can read my review of it on the reviews page if you like), but it shows promise. I can't quite understand the hoopla around this product - it's pretty average.

One PDF that is not listed (rightfully) is Call of Duty, a paladin sourcebook by Chainmail Bikini. It has some terrible PrC's and hideously broken spells and feats, yet is nevertheless one of the more provocative books on paladins I have read. If you ever see this go on sale it's worth picking up just for the fluff.

 

[MEG Hal]

For some reason I:BEtB was listed in print twice, so when I get home I will fix it, but here is the pdf score for it:


Interludes - Brief Expeditions to Bluffside
(Mystic Eye Games ) 4.27 Good
(11 Reviews)

So it should be #9.

 

[diaglo]

i avoid pdf like the plague.

i like in hand copies.

of the above i own the softcovers of 2. (1,8) both very good products for the 2000ed.

 

[johnsemlak]

IIRC, the Heroes and Magic Sourcebook is a free product and is not eligible to be reviewed at EN World.

 

[RangerWickett]

i avoid pdf like the plague.

i like in hand copies.

of the above i own the softcovers of 2. (1,8) both very good products for the 2000ed.

Diaglo, if I were to send you a copy of an E.N. Publishing pdf product, would you read it? Tell me about the game you run, and I'll find a book we've published that I think you'd find useful.

 

[RangerWickett]

IIRC, the Heroes and Magic Sourcebook is a free product and is not eligible to be reviewed at EN World.

What is this, and why can't people review it?

 

[Wombat]

Let's see. I have 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, & 19.

Of these the BoEM series is really good -- I like these a lot; they spark many thoughts for my games, even when I don't use the specific rules. TF&T is nice, but not that useful to me on a regular basis; equally, I find some of the games and the like fun, but many of them have far too many rules for my taste. Death: GotG I have gotten zero use out of, which disappoints me. Requiem for a God is, like BoEM, fantastic -- that alone helps underline my notion of godkilling in games. The Echidna of Music (yes, I misspelt it) is fun, but since I prefer the Monte Cook Bard, I haven't used it much.

The rest of them I had little interest in, but I have run across folks who love them.

 

[alsih2o]

I own a handful of these PDF products. Overall, I find most PDF products sub-par but nonetheless a good source of inspiration.

Tournaments, Fairs, and Taverns has some good ideas, but the rules execution is of uneven quality, and there are vast sections that are far more detailed than necessary. More an "idea book" than something I would use for crunch.

Whispering Woodwind is a flawed adventure (you can read my review of it on the reviews page if you like), but it shows promise. I can't quite understand the hoopla around this product - it's pretty average.
.

tf+t was a good one for me. i found it useful more than once, but never drawing directly from it.

i am not sure what flaws you see with whispering woodwind, but that may be a more personal issue of style, more than flaws. one of the things i really like about cmg's stuff is theftability. i have drawn more than ocne form marks stuff outside the module, and when i ran it all went smoothly.

it leads without railroading, has nothing that woudl directly interfere with most settings so it is broadly playable and makes use of several different encounter types, rather than going to heavily any one direction.

i cannot speak to the others as i haven't seen them but i do disagree woth your pdf stance, i have had a ball with many i have seen....