What's the best and worst D&D book you own from any edition?

[eyeheartawk]

Well, all it is is an index / price list. Admittedly, that's what it says on the back cover so I only have to blame myself buying it. It would have been a great book if the two thin volumes would have been combined into a thick hardcover, with descriptions of different variations. For example, a Death Rattle is worth 500 GP and described in AC04-059, but the book doesn't tell me what it does, what the difference is between a death rattle and a summoning rattle etcetera. And how is a violin / wine bottle rack magical in any way?

In other words, it's not an encyclopedia, it's an index. So yeah, as an index it's useful. As an encyclopedia? Not so.

(Heh. Coming to think of it, I can think of other bad products, it's just that this particular one was such a personal disappointment that it immediately came to mind, probably related to wrong expectations )

I'm at work right now so my copies aren't handy. But that's not how I remember it. I remember them having an XP value and gold value, followed by the description of its effect and various notes. This can be seen here

 

[uzirath]

I'm at work right now so my copies aren't handy. But that's not how I remember it. I remember them having an XP value and gold value, followed by the description of its effect and various notes. This can be seen here

I think that's a different product. @blueznl was referring to the Magic Encylopedia (as opposed to Encylopedia Magica).

Encylopedia Magica is a true encyclopedia. I have used it for just about every fantasy game I've ever run for any game system since it was published. I often just open it to random pages to get ideas for magical goodies.

 

[eyeheartawk]

I think that's a different product. @blueznl was referring to the Magic Encylopedia (as opposed to Encylopedia Magica).

Encylopedia Magica is a true encyclopedia. I have used it for just about every fantasy game I've ever run for any game system since it was published. I often just open it to random pages to get ideas for magical goodies.

Whoops! I think you're right, my bad everyone!

 

[NineLizards]

No problem, and yeah, those two products are completely different! I wouldn't mind having the Encyclopedia Magica on my shelf...

 

[Garthanos]

Best : Heroes of the Fey Wild... with the DMG2 as a close second.

Worst is Hard for me to pick ... I am going with the
monster manual 1 and only because its out of date

 

[Tom B1]

Best Adventure Module - One of T1:Village of Hommlet, U1:Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, or B2: Keep on the Borderlands - the three best campaign starter environments one could want.

Worst Adventure Module - Castle Greyhawk.... we all waited for awesome... and it was a mish mash of stupid. Sad, just sad. And Undermountain I and II were more of the same although without the overt comedy. Dungeonland was a bit ludicrous too.

Best Hardcover - The Player's Option variant of 2E (Skills and Powers, Spells and Magic) which let you build very different styles of casters with different sources, with magic that exhausted you, with fatigue for fighters and all the gods in my world had custom build cleric classes and spell lists. It felt like a whole new game and worked really well with miniatures and a grid (better than latter attempts like 3E Miniatures Handbook).

Worst Hardcover - Take your pick from the 3E splatbooks... argh.

Worst Hardcover II - Legends and Lore.... which was totally Dieties and Demigods with a new cover. I gained nothing but an emptier wallet. What a bloody rip off.

The AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide could have been my other Best Hardcover -> Great tables, lots of atmosphere, good gaming advice here and there, good art, and an amazing cover.

Ravensgate, the Living City also was idiotic. A teen-level MU using his millions of XP worth of levelling to fly kids around at the circus.... I guess we know what really happened to Gandalf...

 

[NineLizards]

Ravensgate, the Living City also was idiotic. A teen-level MU using his millions of XP worth of levelling to fly kids around at the circus.... I guess we know what really happened to Gandalf...

Yeah, he started wearing spandex and changed his name to Robin

(Re. best book: today I received my hardcover Ptolus... Holy Crap Game Books (re: the Ptolus book) )

 

[Hussar]

Heh, it's funny the amount of poo being flung at 4e, but, for the money, the 4e DMG is by FAR the best DMG in D&D. Hands down. It remains the best guide to actually running games that has ever been published for D&D.

While I get the love for the 1e DMG, it really is a terrible guide to running a game.

 

[Garthanos]

But but DMG 2 has gooderest SC rules

Heh, it's funny the amount of poo being flung at 4e, but, for the money, the 4e DMG is by FAR the best DMG in D&D. Hands down. It remains the best guide to actually running games that has ever been published for D&D.

While I get the love for the 1e DMG, it really is a terrible guide to running a game.

 

[aramis erak]

Heh, it's funny the amount of poo being flung at 4e, but, for the money, the 4e DMG is by FAR the best DMG in D&D. Hands down. It remains the best guide to actually running games that has ever been published for D&D.

While I get the love for the 1e DMG, it really is a terrible guide to running a game.

For a rulebook, shouldn't being useful be the #1 criterion?

I didn't like 4E as D&D, but it was set up for utility in both the PHB and DMG. It was beautiful, and it was well laid out for use.