How many of your D20 Books do you actaully use?

[Ace]

Now here is a question for you,of your game books how many do you actually use in play?

I don't mean just read them and stick them on the shelf or just get one or two crunchy bit out of them
I mean how many actually get used on a regular basis enough to make a difference in your games


, Out of our group we have about 35 books and modules. We used the three core books, AEG's Swashbuckling Adventures and a module-- Thats it. None of the WOTC Splats, Quint Everythings, Relics and Rituals any of that ever gets used. We have used 2 (count them 2) monsters from Creature Compendium, and thats it

Star Wars D20- Basic Book

All the other stuff, Wheel of Time D20 Rokugan etc just sits gathering dust unplayed


I also have a 1.2 GIG file of D&D goodness I havent used

I don't know why I bother

Just wanted to vent and Happy Thanskgiving (if they have it in your neck o' the woods)

 

[Eternalknight]

Well, the three core rule books get used alot, as does Magic of Faerun and the splatbooks. Mongoose's splatbooks also get used regularly, and the psionics handbook.

 

[Emiricol]

I have tons of d20 stuff. I mean, piled everywhere in my office.

What do I use? PHB, DMG, MM regularly.

Stronghold Builder's Guide and WotC class books occiasionally.

FRCS and OA have been used at some point in their life, as has Dragonstar, MotP, D&D, the MoF/LoD, and Legions of Hell.

 

[Christian Walker]

Hiya Ace,

I use the print zine that I publish, but that's a no brainer.

Traps and Treachery for the Thug class, Dungeon for NPCs. But that's it.

Now, I like lots of other stuff; I just don't use it in play.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

I've used CoC d20, the FRCS, Magic of Faerun, and Of Sound Mind is on the schedule for next Saturday. I've not used OA, Monsters of Faerun, any of my Malhavoc Stuff, NeMoren's Vault, Tournaments, Fairs, and Taverns, or the Tome of Horrors. I've used bits out of the PsiHB and MotP. I got so little use out of Star Wars d20 that I auctioned it off on e-Bay. I've just gotten a sub to Dungeon/Poly, and I'm hoping to use some of that sometime soon, but my group only plays once a month and we haven't played since October.

Edit — The Core Books see plenty of use.

best,
tKL

 

[JoeGKushner]

I think I'm with a lot of other people in that I have more than I get to use. Part of this is of course a time restriction. I simply don't have time to use everything I have. It'd be nice but...

Stuff I do use often:

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Swashbuckling Adventures
Mercenaries
Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Handbook

I've taken some ideas from Wheel of Time, but several of that feats I enjoyed from that book were copied over into Forgotten Realms Campaign setting.

Because some background themes involve the orcs on the plains of Lede, right now I'm using HoHF: Half-Orcs, Wrath and Rage, and the new Kingdoms of Kalamar orc book, Fury in the Wasteland or something. I prefer that last one for some of the racial options (yeah, something missing from W&R!) as well as the more playable PrCs but HoHF: Half-Orcs is still the best player guide.

Anything else? Hmmmm... I use some of the variant rules in Experts for giving experience points for 'time' sweeps I call 'em where I'll tell the players 6 months pass or something. (That usually happens when one player wants to purchase a special ability from something like the Quintessential or Path of Series and it takes an XP and time variant to learn.)

For settings, I run the Scarred Lands and use a lot of that material. I also use Bluffside and Freeport as locals in that setting so I'm good to go there.

 

[John Crichton]

The 3 Core D&D books. Star Wars Corebook, Spycraft Corebook, CoC Corebook, FRCS & Hero Builders Guide on a regular basis as well.

 

[Nightfall]

Let's see..

I've use probably 25-45% percent so far of my Scarred Lands stuff,(of course it much more in my own Scarred Land campaign) 15% of my smaller WotC collection. That's pretty much it since I'm only running one game, so far.

 

[Crothian]

When I was DMing over a year ago I got use out of about 95% of my book. I only had around 40 or so then. As a player, I still got use out of a lot of books probalby about 8 for my cleric and 6 for my ranger. So, I use them when I can. I'll be using some for my Modern game, but not near as many as I was able to use when I ran fantasy.

 

[Droogie]

Speaking as a beginner DM, all I've used to this point are the core books and the module we're going through. I have all the splats, but they haven't seen much use except from one player who's working toward the Spellsword prc. Still early in the campaign though.
I got the FRCS on an impulse buy- our DM from last year (who we no longer see) was running the realms, and I wanted to bring myself up to speed. Haven't touched it in a loooonnnggg time. No interest in running it. Not even interested in the crunchies.
Bought OA out of some need to have an oriental-themed game book in my new collection. Read it. More like skimmed it. Now it collects dust. One player wants me to take his Psi Handbook home to read because he loves psionics. Not gonna happen. Especially since I'm a newbie DM.
Nothing more depressing than buying and owning books you'll never use- I feel your pain.

Some people buy lots of books simply because they enjoy collecting this stuff. I myself almost bought Book of the Rightious the other day simply because its such fantastic work. Resisted tho, because I know its WAY more info than I'll ever need. I've discovered that I'm a big fan of "keep it simple" and "less is more".
So far we've just used core, and its been a BLAST. Its easy to get your priorities screwed up under piles of crunchy bits and supplements.