Must you have and use every book for D&D

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I must have just about everything. I dont buy Super adventures or adventures in general and I dont tend to pick up eberron books. However, now that 4e is on the horizen im going to be picking up the super adventures and eberrons books if only to complete a harcover collection. I still have no interest in soft cover modules or map packs.
I also tend to use everything at some point. I dont have one book that hasnt had osmething from it added ot my game.

 

[Gentlegamer]

I long ago went "minimalist" when it comes to RPG books.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I DM mostly and I think it is important for a DM to have(and allow) as many books as they can, so as to give more options to the players. I get so disappointed sometimes, when I read a good game concept, and then the dreaded "Core only" words come up under books allowed. That is just lame.

Of course I am not saying most or all options, as there are lots that will break a game wide open and be very hard to fit in to a single world, but having severely limited sources is not a mark of gaming purity.

 

[Nifft]

I use all of them, but only buy a few.

This can lead to some confusing sessions, but it's better than excluding options, right?

Cheers, -- N

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Feel free to post links to those "My Players insist that I include or allow things from the many supplements," posts. Either search for past such posts, or come back to this thread when they pop up in the future.

Quasqueton,

I can't actually link to any such posts from a GM on EN World, because I don't recall any. I do recall it cropping up on the Wizards boards, however.

Also, from my personal experience AS A PLAYER, I have exactly zero interest in the kind of campaigns possible with "Core Only" D&D and refuse to play "WotC-only" games on principle. I've walked on at least three separate campaigns over these issues, mostly to make a point about the comparative balance or suitability of core vs. supplemental and WotC vs. 3rd party.

However, I certainly didn't skip those campaigns with any hard feelings, nor did it stop me from allowing the GMs thereof as players in my own.

 

[cougent]

Short answer:
NO

Not so short answer:
I have managed to acquire a great many books, but I use few of them.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I used to believe that I had to get every book but that was when I was young and didn't worry about things like putting food on the table, paying a mortgage, car insurance, etc.

Seriously though, as a player I only need the books that concern my character. I don't need to know the rules for anyone else's characters. As a DM I specify at the beginning of a game which books will be allowed as source material. Generally these are all books that I own. My players can ask me for additions from other books but I consider these on a case by case basis.

 

[timbannock]

I used to buy most everything that came out by WOTC, but I fell off that bandwagon quick. I try to just stick with what works in my current campaign.

My only problem -- and it's certainly more of a social one -- is my players buying lots of the add-on books. They like having "cool new stuff," and as I'm the only one DMing a lot of the time, it's kinda selfish to say "You can't use that because I don't have it!"

At the same time, I've allowed a few things that--especially when you run premade adventures--don't "gel" very well with the setting/rules/"feel" already in place.

I'm running Rappan Athuk Reloaded now, and it's going well, but a few spells from outside of the Core rules, combined with a couple of feats from splatbooks, have made a couple characters ridiculously over-powered. Luckily, RA's deadly at any level, so it's not much of a problem.

But the next thing I run -- WLD -- is going to be Core only, for the most part. Core races, core classes, core feats, core spells. The only splats I'll allow are the first 4 Complete books, and then, only feats or spells that I choose. Toss in the Artificer (Eberron) and a couple of Eberron's races, and that's it. Nothing from BoED, nothing from the later Complete books, no Book of 9 Swords, no Dragon Magic/Eberron Magic/Faerun Magic...none of that. If the enemies don't have easy access to it, neither do the players.

 

[GAAAHHH]

Short answer:
NO

Not so short answer:
I have managed to acquire a great many books, but I use few of them.

Same here. I bought the first 4 complete books and I only use 2 feats from Complete Warrior. I buy the books mainly to read. If I can use them in a game, it is a bonus.

With my current financial situation, however, I am unlikely to be able to continue this practice.