D&D General 50 years, 50 publications - candidates

[JEB]

I really enjoyed these books too, back in the day:

Defenders of the Faith
Deities and Demigods (3E)
Drow of the Underdark
Hero Builder's Guidebook
Masters of the Wild
Races of the Wild
Sandstorm
Song and Silence
Stormwrack
Sword and Fist
Tome and Blood

 

[CleverNickName]

Yep, definitely add them.

Especially Sandstorm and Hero Builder's Guidebook, which I used extensively when I converted the Basic D&D's "Master of the Desert Nomads" series of books to 3rd Edition rules.

 

[Vaalingrade]

3e Arms and Equipment Guide - hands down the best book ever made.

3e DMG 2 and/or 4e DMG - best DM books

3e Eberron Campaign Setting

4e PHB

3e Book of Nine Swords - what should have been the most influential book of the era.

d20 Modern -- hear me out; this book is where a lot of D&D concepts breached containment and entered the rest of gaming as a whole as the OGL and d20 license democratized game design in the Modern D&D form factor.

 

[JEB]

Potential favorites for someone, the seventh part:

C2: The Ghost Tower of Inverness (1e)
The Complete Psionics Handbook (2e)
Expanded Psionics Handbook (3e)
Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (4e)
Mythic Odysseys of Theros (5e), for the MTG fans

 

[JEB]

Potential favorites for some VIII:

D1-2: Descent Into the Depths of the Earth (1e)
Monster Manual II (1e)
Ravenloft: Night of the Walking Dead (2e)
Forgotten Realms: City of the Spider Queen (3e)
Manual of the Planes (4e)
Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (5e)

 

[JEB]

Nine more potential favorites:

Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (2e)
Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendices I & II (2e)
World Builder's Guidebook (2e)
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (3e)
Rules Compendium (3e)
Rules Compendium (4e)
Demonomicon (4e)
Storm King's Thunder (5e)
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (5e)

 

[JEB]

Potentials of tenh:

Chronomancer (2e)
The Illithiad (2e)
Dragonlance: Tales of the Lance (2e)
Forgotten Realms: Faiths & Avatars (2e)
Birthright: Blood Enemies - Abominations of Cerilia (2e)
Planescape: On Hallowed Ground (2e)
Ravenloft: Carnival (2e)
Ravenloft: Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts (2e)
Adventurer's Vault (4e)
Adventurer's Vault 2 (4e)

 

[JEB]

Potential favorites, up to 11 - the final chapter!

The Complete Fighter's Handbook (2e)
The Complete Priest's Handbook (2e)
The Complete Thief's Handbook (2e)
The Complete Book of Dwarves (2e)
Player's Option: Combat & Tactics (2e)
Player's Option: Spells & Magic (2e)
Arms & Equipment Guide (2e)
Vikings Campaign Sourcebook (2e)
Shaman (2e)
The Plane Above (4e)
The Plane Below (4e)

 

[JEB]

Here's the almost-final candidate list, with 227 entries, listed by edition then alphabetically. If you don't see your top picks on here, you have until the end of Saturday to add them! Poll will be launched Sunday.

OD&D candidates:
Dungeons & Dragons (original boxed set)
Supplement I: Greyhawk
Supplement II: Blackmoor
Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry
Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes

Basic D&D candidates:
B1: In Search of the Unknown
B10: Night's Dark Terror
B2: The Keep on the Borderlands
B4: The Lost City
B7: Rahasia
Champions of Mystara: Heroes of the Princess Ark
CM1: Test of the Warlords
Creature Catalogue
Creature Crucible: Night Howlers
Creature Crucible: Tall Tales of the Wee Folk
D&D Basic Rules (Mentzer)
D&D Basic Set (Holmes)
D&D Basic Set (Moldvay)
D&D Companion Rules
D&D Expert Rules (Mentzer)
D&D Expert Set (Cook)
D&D Gazetteer: The Emirates of Ylaruam
D&D Gazetteer: The Grand Duchy of Karameikos
D&D Gazetteer: The Principalities of Glantri
D&D Immortals Rules
D&D Master Rules
D&D Rules Cyclopedia
Hollow World Campaign Set
Thunder Rift
Wrath of the Immortals
X1: The Isle of Dread
X10: Red Arrow, Black Shield
X2: Castle Amber
X4: Master of the Desert Nomads
X5: Temple of Death

1e candidates:
A1-4: Scourge of the Slavelords
Battlesystem
C2: The Ghost Tower of Inverness
D1-2: Descent Into the Depths of the Earth
Deities & Demigods
DL1: Dragons of Despair
Dragonlance Adventures
Dungeon Masters Guide
Fiend Folio
Forgotten Realms Campaign Set
G1-2-3: Against the Giants
Greyhawk Adventures
I6: Ravenloft
Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms
L1: The Secret of Bone Hill
Manual of the Planes
Monster Manual
Monster Manual II
N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God
Oriental Adventures
Players Handbook
Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits
S1: Tomb of Horrors
S2: White Plume Mountain
S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
S4: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
T1-4: The Temple of Elemental Evil
T1: The Village of Hommlet
The Book of Lairs
The Rogues Gallery
The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (Folio)
U1: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
UK1: Beyond the Crystal Cave
Unearthed Arcana
WG4: The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun
World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting

2e candidates:
A Paladin in Hell
Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures
Al-Qadim: Secrets of the Lamp
Arms and Equipment Guide
Battlesystem
Birthright Campaign Setting
Birthright: Blood Enemies - Abominations of Cerilia
Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide
Chronomancer
Council of Wyrms
Dark Sun Boxed Set
Dragonlance: Tales of the Lance
Dragonlance: Time of the Dragon
Dungeon Master Guide
Dungeon Master Option: High-Level Campaigns
Encyclopedia Magica, Volumes 1-4
Forgotten Realms: Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog
Forgotten Realms: Dwarves Deep
Forgotten Realms: Faiths & Avatars
Forgotten Realms: Volo's Guide to Waterdeep
Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar: The New Adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser
Legends & Lore
Monster Mythology
Monstrous Arcana: The Illithiad
Monstrous Compendium Annual: Volume One
Monstrous Compendium Volume One
Monstrous Compendium Volume Two
Monstrous Manual
Planescape Campaign Setting
Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix
Planescape: Dead Gods
Planescape: On Hallowed Ground
Planescape: The Great Modron March
Player's Handbook
Player's Option: Combat & Tactics
Player's Option: Skills & Powers
Player's Option: Spells & Magic
Priest's Spell Compendium, Volumes 1-3
Ravenloft Campaign Setting
Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendices I & II
Ravenloft: Carnival
Ravenloft: Domains of Dread
Ravenloft: Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales
Ravenloft: Night of the Walking Dead
Ravenloft: Realm of Terror
Ravenloft: Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts
Ravenloft: Van Richten's Guide to Vampires
Shaman
Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space
The Complete Book of Dwarves
The Complete Book of Elves
The Complete Book of Humanoids
The Complete Book of Necromancers
The Complete Book of Villains
The Complete Fighter's Handbook
The Complete Priest's Handbook
The Complete Psionics Handbook
The Complete Thief's Handbook
The Complete Wizard's Handbook
Tome of Magic
Vikings Campaign Sourcebook
Wizard's Spell Compendium, Volumes 1-4
World Builder's Guidebook

3e candidates:
Arms and Equipment Guide
Defenders of the Faith
Deities and Demigods
Draconomicon
Dragon Magic
Drow of the Underdark
Dungeon Master's Guide (3.0)
Dungeon Master's Guide (3.5)
Dungeon Master's Guide II
Eberron Campaign Setting
Epic Level Handbook
Expanded Psionics Handbook
Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Forgotten Realms: City of the Spider Queen
Ghostwalk
Hero Builder's Guidebook
Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations
Magic Item Compendium
Manual of the Planes
Masters of the Wild
Monster Manual (3.0)
Monster Manual (3.5)
Monster Manual III
Oriental Adventures
Player's Handbook (3.0)
Player's Handbook (3.5)
Player's Handbook II
Races of the Wild
Red Hand of Doom
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Rules Compendium
Sandstorm
Savage Species
Song and Silence
Stormwrack
Sword and Fist
The Forge of Fury
The Sunless Citadel
Tome and Blood
Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords
Unearthed Arcana

4e candidates:
Adventurer's Vault
Adventurer's Vault 2
Dark Sun Campaign Setting
Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons
Draconomicon: Metallic Dragons
Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
Dungeon Master's Kit
Heroes of the Fallen Lands
Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms
HS1: The Slaying Stone
Madness at Gardmore Abbey
Manual of the Planes
Monster Manual
Monster Manual 3
Monster Vault
Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale
Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium
Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead
Player's Handbook
Player's Handbook 2
Rules Compendium
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos
The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond

5e candidates:
Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
Curse of Strahd
D&D Essentials Kit (Dragon of Icespire Peak)
D&D Starter Set (Lost Mine of Phandelver)
Dungeon Master's Guide
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
Monster Manual
Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Player's Handbook
Player's Handbook (Revised)
Storm King's Thunder
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Tomb of Annihilation
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
Volo's Guide to Monsters
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Xanathar's Guide to Everything

 

[JEB]

The poll is up!