Best of the Best: You Tell Me

[DaveMage]

Thanks, all!

I don't think it's the best idea to get your friend $200 of books at once when they are first starting.

I agree! It's more a progression thing. Kind of like, OK, I got the three corebooks, I've read them, played a little, now what should I buy?

A $40 campaign setting? Great! Now I'll read that for a few months, then what should I buy? That kind of thing.

It's really a question of, what are THE BEST products out there? There are lots of products that have 5/5 stars in the reviews section of EN World, but, many people can't afford all of them. So, if you have a limited budget (hence the $200), what *do* you choose? Not just for introductory purposes (although I do want to see that too), but what about for the veteran gamer who just got back into D&D?

Taren Nighteyes: Nice job!

 

[JBowtie]

My list is slightly different from the others; maybe it's because my games are different.

Stone to Steel - for weapons and armor
Dynasties and Demagogues - for social challenges
Book of the Righteous - for religion
Creature Collection I - for additional creatures
Complete Book of Eldritch Might - for new spells, treasure, classes
OR
Relics and Rituals

If that leaves any money left over, I'd also get En Route for filler material.

If the poor sod doesn't want to write his own adventures, then the following list instead:
En Route - good transitional stuff
Serpent Amphora trilogy - great campaign arc that starts at first level.
Creature Collection I - you'll want some other creatures
Toolbox - for all the stuff you need to make up on the fly
Complete Book of Eldritch Might - for new spells, treasure, classes
OR
Relics and Rituals

Any money left over should go to any Necromancer Games adventure.

 

[BradfordFerguson]

DaveMage,

Is your friend interested in any particular property such as B5 or a certain style of movie (like horror films) or mystery novels? Knowing that kind of thing would help too and I could recommend stuff based on that.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

What do you buy?

Would you buy a specific campaign setting? Splat books? Monster books?

(For those using other currencies, if you know the exchange rate, then by all means post your suggestions too!)

(My ulterior motive for this thread is to help decide what to get someone who may be getting into D&D in the near future. I'd also like to offer pointers on what to buy after the core rulebooks. Thanks!)

What do you buy? For a player?

Complete Book of Eldritch Might (for new spells) $35?
Some new miniatures to go with the first couple PCs. Reaper @ $4 each, total 4 for $16. Second choice Iron Wind (#1 if joining an AU game)
Dice. Pounds and pounds of dice. $30
Clipboard, pens, paper $10
Subscription to Dragon, one year, to catch the new player focus, umm $40?

subtotal $121

DMs setting of choice (if using a published one) $40

subtotal $161

beer for the guy to bring to the first game, plus snacks $39

Total - $160 or $200 depending

Now, if you're a DM, that's a whole nuther kettle of fish. You can't do it for under $200! I'm telling you.

But here's my list:

Manual of the Planes ($30)
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed ($30)
Complete Book of Eldritch Might ($35?)
Book of the Righteous ($40)
Nyambe ($30) or d20 Call of Cthulhu, depending on what the FLGS has
Tome of Horrors I ($35, out of print?)
A Magical Medieval Society ($20)
Robin Law's Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering $8
Counter Collection I $10

whoops, over budget....

 

[Acid_crash]

I'm all for different games, but on the list would be these titles:

Advanced Players Guide - a much better version of Unearthed arcana ($35)

Psychic Handbook - green ronin does a great job with these psychic rules ($17-total $52)

Dice - can't ever have enough ($10 - total $62)

Grim Tales - a good book as well with a few awesome options ($35 - total $97)

Snacks - gotta have snacks when gaming ($15 - total $112)

Complete Warrior - a decent book on playing combat warriors in D&D ($27 - total $139)

Pocket Arcana (mongoose) - ($15 - total $154)

Pocket Divine (mongoose) - ($15 - total $169)

get ten more bucks and buy the Iron Kingdoms Players Guide (total $210)

I like variety.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

GM Mastery Series: NPC Essentials. Indispensable info for GM's and some useful stuff for players just learning how to make their characters distinctive. $15??

Otherwise, send him to the WOTC website - the volume of good, useful, free material is staggering.

 

[babomb]

GM Mastery Series: NPC Essentials
A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe
A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture
a Gamer's Bag
two or three sets of dice
some minis

 

[DaveMage]

beer for the guy to bring to the first game, plus snacks $39

LOL! This makes all the products seem even better!

 

[jinx crossbow]

The Complete Warrior
The Complete Divine
The Complete Arcane
A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe
Nyambe setting

and for the rest of the money some necromancer adventures (I like them)
Vault of Larin Karr
Hall of thr rainbowmage
Durgams folly

if there ist moeney left for the archfiend aspect of orcus
I would want him as the BIG EVIL behind all evil

 

[diaglo]

if he is getting into D&D. don't buy him d20 stuff.

i'd buy him Original D&D (1974) 3 booklets off ebay or some auction site... and have patience in my planning.... for ~ $45
and the 4 supplements as pdfs on RPGNow for ~ $20
and a lb of dice from chessex for ~ $20
and a Reaper mini for ~ $3
a 3 ring binder, pencil, pen, paper, eraser, pencil sharpener, graph paper ~ $20
and a BoDH from www.thegamersbag.com for ~ $20


and have money left over.