Best Five RPG Books You Own
I sus[pect that there will always be a bais towards newer items -- because they have novel ideas, are more frequently used (thus remembered) and, due to the rules of the OP, are more likely to be owned. Some of the stuff in the 1st edition DMG, to name one example, is extremely well thought out advice, but the book is out of print and not trivial to turn up.
Well, I know my list really wouldn't have changed much. The only changes that I would make are probably moving the Shaman's Handbook and Witch's Handbook up from honorable mention to the list of choices to select from to round out my top five and added both Savage Worlds and Thrilling Tales 2e to my list of honorable mentions.
ProtoClone
First Post
The most recent Changeling book...Changeling: The Lost (Have not brought them out in a while so I am fuzzy on the exact name. I picked the base Changeling book because I didn't want to use up my five picks for all of the books in that series.
Or do you mean CoC: DL? I have "The Complete Dreamlands".
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Thread necromancy aside, It's interesting to see how my list has changed in the 2.5 years since my original post. My top 5 has shifted now, to
Ptolus
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved
Pathfinder RPG
Shadowrun 4E
Eclipse Phase
with Honorable Mentions going to Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader.
Ampersand999
First Post
My favorite five:
- Ptolus
- Arcana Evolved
- Pathfinder
- Any maps from Oone Games.
- Weapons of Legacy
- Sixth book off the shelf: Map Folio I & II
My top five:
1) Midnight 2nd Edition. I've gotten more use and enjoyment out of this book then any other in almost 30 years.
2) Ptolus. I was blown away at the quality, layout, just about everything. How to do a book if you have the budget.
3) Greyhawk from the Ashes. Greyhawk goes to war and it's nasty. I loved the Greyhawk setting and grew up with. I'd still play a game there anytime.
4) Fading Suns 2nd Edition. There's something about the setting that just grabs me. I finally tracked down the last book I was missing recently.
5) Iron Kingdoms World Guide (any Iron Kingdoms really). Fabulous, atmospheric, great writing, layout, etc.
Hstio
1) Midnight 2nd Edition. I've gotten more use and enjoyment out of this book then any other in almost 30 years.
2) Ptolus. I was blown away at the quality, layout, just about everything. How to do a book if you have the budget.
3) Greyhawk from the Ashes. Greyhawk goes to war and it's nasty. I loved the Greyhawk setting and grew up with. I'd still play a game there anytime.
4) Fading Suns 2nd Edition. There's something about the setting that just grabs me. I finally tracked down the last book I was missing recently.
5) Iron Kingdoms World Guide (any Iron Kingdoms really). Fabulous, atmospheric, great writing, layout, etc.
Hstio
Ahnehnois
First Post
I've since captialized on the post-4e bonanza of cheap rpg stuff and found several gems (often from ENW threads I might add). I like some of my original choices though:
*Call of Cthulhu d20 - Still a great game and a beautiful book.
*Magic Item Compendium - Possible the single most useful, time-saving 3e book there is.
*Unearthed Arcana-Not just the rules (which are necessarily a mixed bag) but the mentality that goes with them.
*Libris Mortis-Still the most inspirational monster-related book I've read. Still using it a lot.
*Psychic's Handbook-Short of writing my own system, this is the best treatment of psionics I can imagine.
PoeticJustice
First Post
1) Dread.
2) DMG 3.5
3) PARANOIA
4) Eberron Campaign Setting
5) Libris Mortis
Honorable Mentions (or, Books that are really good but I haven't actually used them yet)
1) Og: Unearthed Edition
2) Dogs in the Vineyard
3) Forgotten Realms Grey Box
Dread gets the top spot because, bar none, it is the best RPG ever written. By stripping away the trappings of your typical RPG, Dread accomplishes what no other game has: it is a true storytelling game. The system is designed for horror, but its versatility is such that a GM could run about anything and make it work.
DMG 3.5 is an amazing work. I feel inspired to generate material just by looking at the art. The text itself accomplishes the weighty task of making 3.5 manageable to a new DM (insomuch as that is possible, anyway).
PARANOIA is one of those games that can be very challenging to run, but the payoff is so worth it. The rules are so tongue-in-cheek and the art and pulled quotes are so buttery and hilarious that one forgets they are reading the rules to a game.
Eberron and Libris Mortis are the two best supplements for the 3.5 era. Obviously a great deal of work went into the creation of them, and it would be a shame for me not to recognize them when they've given me so much inspiration.
2) DMG 3.5
3) PARANOIA
4) Eberron Campaign Setting
5) Libris Mortis
Honorable Mentions (or, Books that are really good but I haven't actually used them yet)
1) Og: Unearthed Edition
2) Dogs in the Vineyard
3) Forgotten Realms Grey Box
Dread gets the top spot because, bar none, it is the best RPG ever written. By stripping away the trappings of your typical RPG, Dread accomplishes what no other game has: it is a true storytelling game. The system is designed for horror, but its versatility is such that a GM could run about anything and make it work.
DMG 3.5 is an amazing work. I feel inspired to generate material just by looking at the art. The text itself accomplishes the weighty task of making 3.5 manageable to a new DM (insomuch as that is possible, anyway).
PARANOIA is one of those games that can be very challenging to run, but the payoff is so worth it. The rules are so tongue-in-cheek and the art and pulled quotes are so buttery and hilarious that one forgets they are reading the rules to a game.
Eberron and Libris Mortis are the two best supplements for the 3.5 era. Obviously a great deal of work went into the creation of them, and it would be a shame for me not to recognize them when they've given me so much inspiration.
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