Which game books most inspire the "sense of wonder" in you?

Voadam · Mar 27, 2025

Moldvay Basic. I find the art really evocative.

GothmogIV · Mar 27, 2025

FR5 The Savage Frontier (TSR 1988). I read this to tatters when I was living in Maine and experiencing deep northern winter. It is still my favorite supplement. The cover art by Larry Elmore is incredible.

GM Lent · Mar 27, 2025

For me, the 2nd Edition Al-Qadim line did it, especially the City of Delights box and the Genies of the Lamp sourcebox. Karl Waller's interior art has just blown me away since I first saw it in high school.

TiQuinn · Mar 27, 2025

The original Planescape box set is probably front and center for me. The second edition Ravenloft box set is a close second. Call of Cthulhu 3rd edition was my first CoC and I read that dozens of times.

Enaknomolos · Mar 27, 2025

As a kid, GDW did this best for me, and they managed it with minimal art: just by opening a sense of possibilities with the text and setting: the Traveller black box, Space 1889, and (perhaps weirdly) the 1st edition of Twilight: 2000. They were really good at creating a provocative, wide open, set-up that my imagination just raced to add to.

As the Traveller universe was filled in over the years it was definitely at the cost of that sense of wonder. Free League, on the other hand, have done a great job preserving Twilight: 2000's core vision of hope and possibility surviving even in the worst possible situation. When their edition came out, it set my mind racing again.

More recently, Through the Hedgerow from Osprey made me feel a sense of wonder. The player characters are really unusual, the art is amazing, and it successfully captures a weird folkloric vibe that I've never seen pulled off in a game book before.

Ralif Redhammer · Mar 27, 2025

Joshua Randall said:
3e Manual of the Planes

4e The Plane Above

Extraplanar sourcebooks have always hit that sense of wonder for me since the original Manual of the Planes. There's something about the strange and alien worlds coming to life that makes me want to go there.

In general, a really good setting book does it for me. When I feel like I can step into it and explore its mysteries, that's truly wonderful.

Other than that, it's hard to match the sense of wonder of that first glimpse into the hobby I got with the D&D Red Box.

Umbran · Mar 27, 2025

Mercurius said:
What about you?

I frequently get such a sense when reading a novel or watching good TV or movies, or even fiction podcasts.

I pretty much never get it out of game books, however. I am okay with that - I am not engaging with a game book the same way I am with a novel or other pure fiction, and I am not seeking that same experience.

Committed Hero · Mar 27, 2025

Joshua Randall said:
Night’s Black Agents - all the adventures READ fantastically (particular shout-out to The Persephone Extraction), though I am dubious about how well they play

Esoterrorists - the Worldbreaker mega-adventure - similar to the above, reads great, but the Gumshoe system fights against being used for high action

I agree that Night's Black Agents adventures do not fit the pattern that the rulebook tries to set up. But guaranteed success on a skill check - especially when combined with ability refreshes - is great for high action.

I will say the Ringworld books Chaosium released BITD blew me away.

Maxperson · Mar 27, 2025

In D&D

1e: Everything. The game was new and every book(except the survival guides) and every module evoked these feelings.

2e: The settings did it for me. They were unique and flavorful.

3e: The manual of the planes, deities and demigods, and a few other books did it.

4e: N/A

5e: Nothing. It's a great game, but it's too vanilla.

Other games.

MERP/I.C.E.
Marvel Superheroes: FASERIP
World of Darkness
Gama World

I'm probably missing some.

Umbran · Mar 27, 2025

Joshua Randall said:
Esoterrorists - the Worldbreaker mega-adventure - similar to the above, reads great, but the Gumshoe system fights against being used for high action

Have you seen Swords of the Serpentine? It allows for skill spends not just for investigation, but also for action, which might fix that issue in other games.