MerakSpielman
First Post
Most of the time we stick with the Big Three, but when people want to bring in a particular thing from a splatbook for a particular character, I generally let them.
I played a great DnD game ... with only the 3 core books!
- Thread starter Von Ether
- Start date
The core rules!
I learned this back with my 2e game. I bought the brown books and allowed new options as they came out. Eventually, I let anything "official" in the game. It nearly ruined it. Once I restricted it to the core, I was much happier.
I did the same thing with d20. My 3.0 game was a core game. All the players were allowed was the PHB. I didn't (and don't) use any prestige classes. The PHB is so flexible now that any character concept may be realized with it.
I am not afraid to try new material. I have run many d20 offshoots. I usually use only the core books for them, too. The more concise the better. My current 3.5 D&D Shackled City D&D game has human jedi, judges, & mutants as well as aasimar paladin sprinkled in; but that's it. Otherwise, it's just the PHB for the players. I think of it as a "best of d20" game! But it's a core D&D game at heart.
I learned this back with my 2e game. I bought the brown books and allowed new options as they came out. Eventually, I let anything "official" in the game. It nearly ruined it. Once I restricted it to the core, I was much happier.
I did the same thing with d20. My 3.0 game was a core game. All the players were allowed was the PHB. I didn't (and don't) use any prestige classes. The PHB is so flexible now that any character concept may be realized with it.
I am not afraid to try new material. I have run many d20 offshoots. I usually use only the core books for them, too. The more concise the better. My current 3.5 D&D Shackled City D&D game has human jedi, judges, & mutants as well as aasimar paladin sprinkled in; but that's it. Otherwise, it's just the PHB for the players. I think of it as a "best of d20" game! But it's a core D&D game at heart.
Typically speaking, except for some varient rules from UA, my friends and I have stuck with just the 3 core books. I own several other books (CW, CD, CA, etc.) but they seldom get used or even, really, looked at after the first read through.
I always just thought we were an abberation.
I always just thought we were an abberation.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Pfft! I've run a game without ANY books at all! SRD all the way!LostSoul said:I played a great game back in 2000 with only the Player's Handbook. The others hadn't come out yet.
But I agree, you don't need any of those options to have an impossibly fun game. Heck, there's so much in the Core books that with those three alone you're pressed hard to use it all. But at the same time, I do enjoy all of the options. They're fun, and can provide nice little surprises for players that know too much about the Core material.
Jesus_marley
First Post
One of the best games I played was a 3.0 custom world. Our level 7 party which consisted of a halfing bard, a human mage with a Rose Haired tarantula for a familiar, A human druid, and elf ranger and my Gnome Barbarian were able to actually defeat a small army of orcs attacking a town. All we had was the core books but our characters lived because of our roleplaying.. not through the rules.
Whether you use every sourcebook imaginable or make up the rules on the spot, the game lives or dies by the players not the books.
Whether you use every sourcebook imaginable or make up the rules on the spot, the game lives or dies by the players not the books.
Mercule
Adventurer
I'm strongly of a notion to run my next campaign entirely from the core three plus Unearthed Arcana (there are a couple of rules my group loves). For now, I'll finish out the Complete series (just have Adventurer left, and rogue is probably the favored class of our group), but everything beyond that is a big "maybe".
I just cannot manage almost 1,000 feats and the spells and PrCs that come with them. I can't imagine that the players care, either. Once the game becomes too unwieldy, it's time to start using the chainsaw to prune.
I just cannot manage almost 1,000 feats and the spells and PrCs that come with them. I can't imagine that the players care, either. Once the game becomes too unwieldy, it's time to start using the chainsaw to prune.
YMMV, but a friend I was chatting with today gave comment on my experience.
He's noticed that GM's who allow a lot of suppliments without really supervision over PC's often wonder why he has a lot of "min/maxers" at the table. I can see where he might be right.
One guy finds a solid combo and starts to get a serious edge on everyone else. Envy sets in and others start getting more books as a "class war" begins.
He's noticed that GM's who allow a lot of suppliments without really supervision over PC's often wonder why he has a lot of "min/maxers" at the table. I can see where he might be right.
One guy finds a solid combo and starts to get a serious edge on everyone else. Envy sets in and others start getting more books as a "class war" begins.
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