What 1e/2e books are still useful to a 3rd edition DM?

[VirgilCaine]

Okay, we've got votes for:

Book of Villains
Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide
Creative Campaigning
World Builder's Guidebook
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide

 

[DarrenGMiller]

The 2e Campaign Sourcebook & Catacomb Guide also gets my vote for being the best guide on DMing better games. Excellent reading and pretty much edition-neutral.

I cast my vote for this one as well. I never even switched from 1E to 2E, but have found the book works well in 1E and 3.x. I have also made great use of my HREF series, especially Celtic and Viking sourcebooks, as well as my Greyhawk stuff (I know, that is setting specific).

DM

 

[IronWolf]

I like the Volo's Guides for Forgotten Realms campaigns. Lots of fluff for various Inns, Taverns and more. It can really help to get the mind turning.

 

[Khayman]

On my shelf, I still have copies of the 1e Dungeon Masters Guide and the original Manual of the Planes, plus some of the old Mayfair Games supplements.

That's in addition to a whackload of OD&D material for my Mystara game. Yep, fifteen years in the Known World and it keeps on going... and going... and going...



Edit: Oh yeah, I'll second (or third) Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog. I was never an FR fan, but the book is eminently liftable for other campaigms

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I'll go for Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog too, along with all the Planescape material including the Monstrous Compendium appendixes which are excellent. I've just bought Faiths & Avatars and Powers & Pantheons on ebay -- both are really good.

I also still use the 1e Manual of the Planes and Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, and the 2e World Builder's Guidebook and Of Ships and the Sea.

Cheers


Richard

 

[reanjr]

The Van Richten's Guides are still the best of books devoted to a single monster. They're Ravenloft branded, but fine for general use in any campaign with undead, werebeasts, or golems. The fiends one probably has more limited use to a traditional campaign.

 

[hero4hire]

The 1e "Lords of Darkness" for FR had neat stuff about undead.

The 1e "Magister" had a bunch of cool Magic Items and Spellbooks

 

[twofalls]

I realize that WoTC are coming out with their environmental series of books, however I don't intend on picking them up. I have a Wilderness Survival guide (two of them actually) and the less useful Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and they give me all the crunch I need to run believable outdoors adventures. The crunch might not be 3.0, but its still completely usable.

Other books I find handy are the many many setting books I have as has been mentioned already several times, and my large collection of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Lots of gold to be mined in those pages.

 

[Slife]

Fiend Folio
Deities and Demigods (With the CoC mythos)

 

[Breakdaddy]

Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide
Creative Campaigning
World Builder's Guidebook
Elminsters Ecologies
Auroras Whole Realm Guide
Encyclopedia Magica Vol 1-4