Ultimate Equipment Guide vs. Arms & Equipment Guide: Which one to buy?

[Crothian]

I spend way too much money on gaming stuff.

Amen to that!! So far I haven't picked up any of these but there are aspects of both that appeal to me. I like the normal equipment of Mongoose's as I enjoy adding that to low magic campaigns. But I'm just worried about how much is actually reprinted as I have many other books so I might already have most of it if they are just reprinting things.

Wizards sounds good for thje magic items, but they have vehicles that I have no interest in what so ever.

 

[Olive]

i just can't bring my self to buy a book with 'power class' or 'ultimate' anything in the title.

 

[Crothian]

i just can't bring my self to buy a book with 'power class' or 'ultimate' anything in the title.

That's a little different. A Rose by any other name and all that jazz is what I go by, content of title I guess.

 

[Tuerny]

Am I the only one who likes weird and exotic equipment? I can't help but think that if you are playing a fantasy game you should have fantasy equipment.

Armor made out of intelligent insects?

Sure!

Swords made out of crystal fused with astral parasites?

Definitely!


Boots made out of a type of floating volcanic glass that allow you to walk on laval?
Cool!

I mean mundane equipment is nice too but I like to have fantasy equipment in my fantasy games.

 

[Olive]

That's a little different. A Rose by any other name and all that jazz is what I go by, content of title I guess.

I know, I know... it's a silly way to choose your books. but i can't help it. ultimate and power sound so... 'munchkin' to me.

 

[Crothian]

I know, I know... it's a silly way to choose your books. but i can't help it. ultimate and power sound so... 'munchkin' to me.

Huh....well, I know there are some rather powerful things in booth Ultimate Feats and Ultimate Prestige Classes, but none of Mongoose's Power Classes are powerful at all. A little bland here and there, but should be fine powerwise.

 

[kenjib]

Am I the only one who likes weird and exotic equipment? I can't help but think that if you are playing a fantasy game you should have fantasy equipment.

Armor made out of intelligent insects?

Sure!

Swords made out of crystal fused with astral parasites?

Definitely!


Boots made out of a type of floating volcanic glass that allow you to walk on laval?
Cool!

I mean mundane equipment is nice too but I like to have fantasy equipment in my fantasy games.

Less is more. It might be cool once or twice, but not all the time. Thus, I don't really need an entire book full of it. For my personal taste, WotC goes overboard in exoticism to the point where it really doesn't feel exotic anymore.

Kind of like when everyone tries hard to be different and then you group them together and they're all really kind of the same...

 

[Mark Plemmons]

I'm waiting for the Kenzer one myself. I flipped through the WotC one this weekend and it just doesn't appeal to me.

Well, as you probably know from our own messageboards, it's been held up for various approval reasons. However, when it does come out (no set date at this time) I think you'll be very happy. It's incredibly detailed and expansive, with lots of cultural and material variants. No stone armor, though!

Mark Plemmons
Kenzer and Company
www.kenzerco.com

 

[Janos Antero]

I bought the WotC one. It isn't bad, but is page light, flavor light, and not particularly inspired. While it has some fairly neat weapons in it, and the rules are acceptable, it just lacks anything inspiring, memorable, etc.

It really likes like "Forgotten pages of the DMG", with the hireling prices, vehicle combat rules, and tons of magic items. I'm not sure it was worth the money overall, but it isn't a purchase I'm bitter about either.

While I did/do need an equipment book, I really wish I'd gotten something more from this one myself.

 

[WizarDru]

I've never much cared for mongoose, either by their approach or their material. Sooner or later, someone will point me to the mongoose release that will change my mind, but I haven't see it, yet. The Ultimate series has always appeared to be poorly balanced power-escalation material to me, and the obligatory half-naked women don't really appeal, either.

A&EG is just what I wanted; some new rules that hadn't been covered before (particularly vehicles, which, unlike some other posters in the thread, I really could have used in the past). It's got some neat, but balanced, equipment, materials and information. It's not flashy, it's not Uber, it's just good, simple material I can go back to again and again.

I do wish that it had been color, but the do use a high-quality paper, which I think people tend to overlook. I may give the UE a flip through, to see if I've misjudged it.