Another "best product thread" -- with a twist

[Psion]

Alrighty, I thought I'd try to see what some people's perceptions are on products.

Of d20/3e products, which product is the best one produced by well-heeled authors (say 5 or more products)?

My quick picks

Sam Witt: Spells & Magic by Bastion
Mike Mearls: Monster's Handbook by FFG.

any others?

 

[Mouseferatu]

[ego-related question]

Do the 5 products have to all be D20? If so, I won't qualify for another month or so. (I've worked on a lot of D20 stuff, but only 4 have actually hit shelves yet.)

If it's any RPG stuff, though, I'm qualified easily with my White Wolf work.

Just had to ask.

[/ego-related question]

Also, do you want books by single authors, or just books in which at least a large chunk was written by one of your "well-heeled"? (This one's actually a voting question, not just an "ego" one. )

 

[dpdx]

When Wulf gets to about, Gnomes, I guess, it'll be Heroes of High Favor.

 

[Psion]

[ego-related question]

Do the 5 products have to all be D20? If so, I won't qualify for another month or so. (I've worked on a lot of D20 stuff, but only 4 have actually hit shelves yet.)

If it's any RPG stuff, though, I'm qualified easily with my White Wolf work.

Just had to ask.

[/ego-related question]

I think in the interest of seeing a lot of answers, I would let that slide. I just want to hear about d20 products. I just didn't really care too much if you still think Gygax's best work was Unearthed Arcana...

 

[Psion]

When Wulf gets to about, Gnomes, I guess, it'll be Heroes of High Favor.

That's a product line, not a product. Which HoHF do you think is his best? (To date, I think it's elves.)

 

[Nightfall]

Hollowfaust by Ethan Skemp. While it has some faults, it's a great book.

Ari Marmell and Joseph Carriker "Serpent Amphora Cycle"

 

[2WS-Steve]

Besides Psion taking my picks for Sam Witt and Mike Mearls I'll have to add "Gar-udok's something or other, Veritas, Caesar," oh, the heck with it, "Necromancer's Legacy" by Jason Parent.

I'll hold off on posting my vote for favorite Monte Cook book until BoEM III gets into print since that one looks really good.

Other than those mentioned so far, how many d20 writers have written a 5 full books?

 

[MerricB]

My own pick would be Gary Gygax's Necropolis. (If Gary hasn't written five d20 system products yet, it won't be long. That he's written more than five RPG products isn't in doubt).

I haven't seen that many non-Wizards d20 products at this stage, however... I basically have to order them in and even then they don't always turn up.

Cheers!

 

[Technik4]

James Wyatt - DotF, Deities and Demigods, Oriental Adventures, I own em all and get a lot of use out of OA. DotF was a great resource when books of any kind were scarce, and Deities and Demigods just seems like a good back to have laying around in case characters get too cocky...

Bruce Cordrell - Psi Handbook, Speaker in Dreams, Tome and Blood, I own all of these and use the 2 supplements often. The adventure I have run through as a player and ran as a dm twice.

Sean K Reynolds - Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Magic of Faerun, and Lords of Darkness. I own all of these (a pattern forming here?) and get extensive use out of FRCS and MoF. Lords of Darkness is there for me when I start DMing again, tons of ideas.

Monte Cook - Call of Cthulu and the DMG. I use the DMG more than any other book Ive listed, and while he didnt do it on his own, I believe without his influence we would all be playing a very different game (note: this can also be said of the other core designers Skip Williams and Jonathan Tweet). Call of Cthulu is also the only non-core non-forgotten realms supplement Ive bought besides Oriental Adventures. I think its awesome and it got me into an entire sub-genre of books (not entirely due to his presentation of the game, but I think its an interesting flex of the d20 muscle).

There are certainly others, but generally those are the names I look for when buying new books/adventures. I realize I am heavily biased towards WotC employees or former WotC employees, but thats just the way I am. Non-WotC stuff never seems to blend in as well, which is probably a failing on my fault.

Technik

PS OT: I dont know how to post a poll, but would someone please start one about peoples reaction to a hardcover combined splatbook book. It would include Sword and Fist, Defenders of the Faith, Tome and Blood, Song and Silence, and Masters of the Wild. It would include the most updated prcs, feats, spells, and items consistent with Revised 3E, and would include 10-20% new information, things in erratta that couldnt fit in the books originally or things that mesh well with the overall concept. Poll options:

Buy it Immediately
Wait and See
Refuse on Principle

If someone could do that, that would be awesome, thanks.

 

[Quinn]

Best products

Monte Cook's The Banewarrens and Mike Mearls' In the Belly of the Beast. Module writing is its own art form, and these guys surpassed themselves with adventures that can suit pretty much any gaming style (hack n' slash, heavy roleplaying, puzzles) while still creating an exciting and original story.