D&D General Best D&D product of any edition (non-core book)

[ShinHakkaider]

I STILL have my Core Rules CD-ROM! That was a great product.

 

[TwoSix]

You know what they say. Once you go elbow testes, you never go back.

DO they say that, though?

I mean, obviously they should.

 

[David Howery]

1E: the World of Greyhawk boxed set. Used it a lot
2E: Going to cheat here and say 'The Forgotten Realms'. Specifically, all those boxed sets that expanded the world in all directions.
3E: Well, the only non-core product I have for this one is the Nyambe book, and only because I contributed a few things to it and got a free copy, so it gets the nod here.
4E: Gotta skip this one, have never seen anything for it.
5E: Tomb of Annihilation. Always had a liking for jungle adventures.

 

[JConstantine]

There are two standout books from 3.X era for me:
1. Manual of the Planes. Great for all your plane-hopping needs.
2. Sharn: City of Towers. Everything I want from a city book.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I just remembered one product I wanted to throw a little love on from AD&D (1e) and I should have.

Lankhmar- City of Adventure. The 1985 book by TSR is largely forgotten today, but is truly a standout product that offers a differentiated campaign setting and set of bespoke rules for people that looked at D&D and said, "Yeah, but too magic and not gritty enough."

The rules for magic and spellcasters was both harsh and evocative. The maps and city locations were... well, arguably the best City campaign / module designed to that point, easily. It was a supplement that could be used "full bore" or could be adapted piecemeal (with the maps and locations) to an existing campaign. It was a marker put down that said, "Suck it, casters," and cashed that check- but still made magic wondrous and powerful.

It was, to use the parlance of the '80s, rad.

 

[Distracted DM]

I always liked this booklet and got a few campaigns out of it. I found it to be a good style and formed what I think of Forgotten Realms (FR). First one I thought of reading the thread title.

View attachment 408636

Sounds like a great recommendation, I'll have to check it out. What really stands out?

 

[Distracted DM]

I just remembered one product I wanted to throw a little love on from AD&D (1e) and I should have.

Lankhmar- City of Adventure. The 1985 book by TSR is largely forgotten today, but is truly a standout product that offers a truly differentiated campaign setting and set of bespoke rules for people that looked at D&D and set, "Yeah, but too magic and not gritty enough."

The rules for magic and spellcasters was both harsh and evocative. The maps and city locations was ... well, arguably the best City campaign / module designed to that point, easily. It was a supplement that could be used "full bore" or could be adapted piecemeal (with the maps and locations) to an existing campaign. It was a marker put down that said, "Suck it, casters," and cashed that check- but still made magic wondrous and powerful.

It was, to use the parlance of the '80s, rad.

I wonder how the DCC version compares. I can't help but wonder if it's "like the original, but better!" I know the DCC Lankhmar adventures are pretty well-regarded, but I never looked at the city info.

 

[Kurotowa]

There have been books that were balanced. There have been books that were imbalanced. There have been supplements with a class I really enjoyed playing, and setting books that I absorbed carefully. But you know what book I went to again and again in my early days? The one I'd flip through for fun because it had so many neat little bits that sparked my imagination?

Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog.

I loved that gimmicky little book. Of all the weird stuff that TSR put out that had no reason to exist, that book was by far my favorite. It's not a campaign defining supplement, but at the same time it fits everywhere.

 

[David Howery]

Lankhmar- City of Adventure.

one of my DMs back in the day ran a short campaign set there, although we warped the setting and put the city in the WoG, somewhere in the south end of Nyrond, IIRC...

 

[Cadence]

I have fond memories of the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide - but they came out in a place in my life (and 1e's existence) where they didn't have a chance to get much use in practice. My own copies left my possession decades ago and they aren't ones I've picked up because I would have wanted them mostly for running 1e.

For all of its warts (that accumulate in retrospective), I think 1e's Oriental Adventures added a lot. And I think 1e's Deities and Demigod's was great for inspiration (but not play). I have repurchased copies of both.

I wanted my own copy of the 2e Monster Mythology for a long while but never got one.