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Best (and worst) of 2006
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Nifft
Penguin Herder
I'm going with Tome of Battle and Tome of Magic as two of the Best. They're wonderfully inspirational, even if you don't like the specific mechanics. (And as it happens, I also like most of the specific mechanics.)
Dragon Magic was surprisingly good, but perhaps not Best quality, thanks to its short length.
Complete Psionic would go in my Worst pile. But I tend to ignore bad stuff (thanks to the excellent reviewers on this site and others) so I don't have much experience with stuff that I'm likely to dislike.
Cheers, -- N
Dragon Magic was surprisingly good, but perhaps not Best quality, thanks to its short length.
Complete Psionic would go in my Worst pile. But I tend to ignore bad stuff (thanks to the excellent reviewers on this site and others) so I don't have much experience with stuff that I'm likely to dislike.
Cheers, -- N
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
It makes me weep to see how few people seem to have even looked at anything from a publisher other than WotC this year. The best stuff was published by other people. All that WotC really had the market cornered on was (relatively) inexpensive color hardbacks. In every other area, the marketplace of D20 ideas continued to school WotC.
Shemeska
Adventurer
Best:
Fiendish Codex I - easily the best book that WotC has produced in 3e, and a more than worthy 3.x successor to 2e's Faces of Evil: The Fiends. Mona, Jacobs, and Stark outdid themselves on this book and it stands as the template for future WotC books on the planes.
Tome of Magic - whatever mechanical quirks it might have (wimpy shadowcaster I'm looking at you), it oozes flavor, and that flavor is yummy. Vestiges were just cool, and the book's artwork was awesome. I didn't expect much when the book was announced but I was impressed to see the final product.
Worst:
MMIV - between the classed monsters, a gazillion spawn of Tiamat, and yugoloths that abandon thirty years of naming convention and apparently most of the background lore on their species in the process... the book fell terribly short of all my expectations, and I honestly don't know if I'd pay for it even at a serious discount. Whoever makes MMV, please learn from the mistakes made on this book: few or no classes monsters from the core MM, don't overload with a single monster type, and please research monster types better before creating new ones.
Mysteries of the Moonsea - If I want a module I'll buy a module, and if I want a regional sourcebook I certainly won't be buying anything produced in the mold of this book. Kudos for taking a risk on a new format, but realize how massive the backlash from prospective buyers was and be willing to accept that the idea didn't fly when you're planning future FR books. Bring back true regional sourcebooks.
Fiendish Codex I - easily the best book that WotC has produced in 3e, and a more than worthy 3.x successor to 2e's Faces of Evil: The Fiends. Mona, Jacobs, and Stark outdid themselves on this book and it stands as the template for future WotC books on the planes.
Tome of Magic - whatever mechanical quirks it might have (wimpy shadowcaster I'm looking at you), it oozes flavor, and that flavor is yummy. Vestiges were just cool, and the book's artwork was awesome. I didn't expect much when the book was announced but I was impressed to see the final product.
Worst:
MMIV - between the classed monsters, a gazillion spawn of Tiamat, and yugoloths that abandon thirty years of naming convention and apparently most of the background lore on their species in the process... the book fell terribly short of all my expectations, and I honestly don't know if I'd pay for it even at a serious discount. Whoever makes MMV, please learn from the mistakes made on this book: few or no classes monsters from the core MM, don't overload with a single monster type, and please research monster types better before creating new ones.
Mysteries of the Moonsea - If I want a module I'll buy a module, and if I want a regional sourcebook I certainly won't be buying anything produced in the mold of this book. Kudos for taking a risk on a new format, but realize how massive the backlash from prospective buyers was and be willing to accept that the idea didn't fly when you're planning future FR books. Bring back true regional sourcebooks.
Mighty Veil
First Post
Yeah, PHB II was a good one. It's probably my sole "best" of 2006. I got Tomb of Magic too. I like it but doubt it'll get much use, so I can't call it a "best". Worst goes to one of the Plotus suppliments I read (but thankfully didn't waste money on). Maybe all of Plotus is in the worst catagory for me, espicially that one. Complete Psionics was okay, but not a best one. Red Hand is decent. Fiendish II looks neat, but I have no interest in buying it.
My best of 2006 are: PHB II and my new game group I started, after leaving my previous one of 5 + years. Honorable mentions for ToM, Mearl's blog, and WoTC site (the behind the curtains , pod casts, and the Eberon updates with new books and how they fit in the game, made it worth checking out for once.)
Worst of 2006: Plotus, or however it's spelt (I spell it c-r-a-p). Howver the look of the books, inside and covers, are very nicely done. Just the written material itself is what I'm speaking of.
My best of 2006 are: PHB II and my new game group I started, after leaving my previous one of 5 + years. Honorable mentions for ToM, Mearl's blog, and WoTC site (the behind the curtains , pod casts, and the Eberon updates with new books and how they fit in the game, made it worth checking out for once.)
Worst of 2006: Plotus, or however it's spelt (I spell it c-r-a-p). Howver the look of the books, inside and covers, are very nicely done. Just the written material itself is what I'm speaking of.
Best:
1. Tome of Magic: Finally, some thinking outside the Vancian box
2. Tome of Battle/Bo9S: Again, new ideas well executed
3. Ptolus: Just 'cause. I mean, really, have you read any of it?
4. PHBII: the feats were necessary and a true fighter/mage combo was a long time coming.
Worst: MMIV. Simply unforgivable.
Frankly I am surprised that Fiendish Codex I seems to be not just the favorite for the year but the favorite 3.x supplement of all time (quoted from mulitiple people above). I thought it was...meh. Most of the new demons were dumb, the abyssaly heritor feats are poorly designed(compare them to the fiendish heritage feats in PHBII), the fluff was basically recycled. Not sorry I spent money on it but it will never make my 'best of' list.
1. Tome of Magic: Finally, some thinking outside the Vancian box
2. Tome of Battle/Bo9S: Again, new ideas well executed
3. Ptolus: Just 'cause. I mean, really, have you read any of it?
4. PHBII: the feats were necessary and a true fighter/mage combo was a long time coming.
Worst: MMIV. Simply unforgivable.
Frankly I am surprised that Fiendish Codex I seems to be not just the favorite for the year but the favorite 3.x supplement of all time (quoted from mulitiple people above). I thought it was...meh. Most of the new demons were dumb, the abyssaly heritor feats are poorly designed(compare them to the fiendish heritage feats in PHBII), the fluff was basically recycled. Not sorry I spent money on it but it will never make my 'best of' list.
Whizbang Dustyboots said:
I agree with you that the best stuff generally comes from third parties (some of whom also write for WOTC). The average WOTC supplement is, imo, not worth buying. However, I specified best and worst of WOTC in my post to indicate that I was focusing my list on the best and worst of WOTC.
That said, I still think Fiendish Codex I is still among the best products (it is one of my only two non-core must buys from WOTC since the release of 3.0) and rates up there with my non WOTC choices for best of 2006 which come from Green Ronin (although there are a few RPGObject products written by Vigilance that I want to see).
Aaron L
Hero
Best:
Players Handbook II: Absolutey the best book this year, maybe even the best supplement for 3.5 (tied with the Expanded Psionics Handbook.) The new Fighter feats, the variant class abilities, and the Duskblade (!!!!!!!! best class ever!!!!) make this almost the perfect D&D supplement.
Complete Mage: Reserve feats, awesome Prestige Classes, and some rad spells. I really liked this book. It makes me feel very optimistic about the second run of Complete books.
Worst:
Complete Psionic: After the complete lack of anything for psionics, the intense anticipation for this book, we get this... steaming pile of flop?! There is one sole redeeming feature of this book, and it is the Ardent. Other than that, the feats are horrible (how many feats did we need to allow a Soulknife to mold his mindblade into another weapon, anyway? And Illithid Heritage feats? Illithid do not breed with humanoids nor do they have humanoid descendants!) the power list includes ERRATA for the XPH (absolutely the most horridly blatant padding of a book I have ever seen) and scads of useless powers, and it has completely uninspired and insipid Prestige Classes. After waiting so long for more psionics material, this was like a slap in the face from WotC for psionics fans. Unfortunately WotC will probably look at the poor reception of this book and decide that it's because psionics don't sell, and ignore the atrocious quality of the book as the reason for it's failure.
Struggling to like:
Tome of Battle: the Book of Nine Swords: I want to like this book. I really really do. I love the flavor and the inspiration behind it. But it really feels like the writers just decided to take the Fighter class out behind the wood shed and put a bullet in his brain with this one. Absolutely no balance between the Warblade and the Fighter. It's like someone actively tried to make the most overpowered melee class imaginable, giggling the whole time ("and we'll give it D12 hit dice, and 4 skill points per level, and Weapon Specialization even better than Fighters get! On top of its magic abilities! hehehehe!") and succeeded magnificently. Apart from that it's OK. I love the Swordsage, but even then I can't stop comparing it to the hellishly overpowered Warblade and it seems anemic in comparison. The Crusader makes me yawn, and the random availability of its class abilities makes me wince.
Players Handbook II: Absolutey the best book this year, maybe even the best supplement for 3.5 (tied with the Expanded Psionics Handbook.) The new Fighter feats, the variant class abilities, and the Duskblade (!!!!!!!! best class ever!!!!) make this almost the perfect D&D supplement.
Complete Mage: Reserve feats, awesome Prestige Classes, and some rad spells. I really liked this book. It makes me feel very optimistic about the second run of Complete books.
Worst:
Complete Psionic: After the complete lack of anything for psionics, the intense anticipation for this book, we get this... steaming pile of flop?! There is one sole redeeming feature of this book, and it is the Ardent. Other than that, the feats are horrible (how many feats did we need to allow a Soulknife to mold his mindblade into another weapon, anyway? And Illithid Heritage feats? Illithid do not breed with humanoids nor do they have humanoid descendants!) the power list includes ERRATA for the XPH (absolutely the most horridly blatant padding of a book I have ever seen) and scads of useless powers, and it has completely uninspired and insipid Prestige Classes. After waiting so long for more psionics material, this was like a slap in the face from WotC for psionics fans. Unfortunately WotC will probably look at the poor reception of this book and decide that it's because psionics don't sell, and ignore the atrocious quality of the book as the reason for it's failure.
Struggling to like:
Tome of Battle: the Book of Nine Swords: I want to like this book. I really really do. I love the flavor and the inspiration behind it. But it really feels like the writers just decided to take the Fighter class out behind the wood shed and put a bullet in his brain with this one. Absolutely no balance between the Warblade and the Fighter. It's like someone actively tried to make the most overpowered melee class imaginable, giggling the whole time ("and we'll give it D12 hit dice, and 4 skill points per level, and Weapon Specialization even better than Fighters get! On top of its magic abilities! hehehehe!") and succeeded magnificently. Apart from that it's OK. I love the Swordsage, but even then I can't stop comparing it to the hellishly overpowered Warblade and it seems anemic in comparison. The Crusader makes me yawn, and the random availability of its class abilities makes me wince.
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