Old D&D books you still use

[ShadowX]

The Planescape setting is still a great repository for ideas in my game, even though I don't run the setting anymore. So What books from old D&D editions, or even other game systems, do you still draw inspiration from?

 

[dreaded_beast]

Well, I just started DMing a Forgotten Realms campaign, so I use whatever FR books I can my hands on, anything from 1st Edition, 2nd Edition, and Dragon/Dungeon/Polyhedron articles.

I think books that deal with the flavor/setting of the game can always be used, regardless of what edition it is in.

In regards to FR, there is ALOT of history and events that the 3rd Edition books either do not touch upon or just "gloss over". Not that that is a bad thing, because the amount of info on FR, in my opinion, is very daunting. Having minimal information is sometimes easier to work with than having dozens of books to peruse through.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I use a lot of 1E and B/ED&D adventures as various source material. The 1e DMG still has useful tables and flavor text. From 2E, Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog. For Forgotten Realms adventures, the Grey Box set, and lots of FR setting sourcebooks.

 

[Harlock]

I use all my old 3.0 Scarred Lands book. After all, 1999 3rd Edition D&D is the only true Dungeons and Dragons... oh, wait... that's someone else's trademark.

I actually use a TON of old Dragon Magazine articles on everything from giving personality to monsters, magic items and NPCs to Props and exciting locales. It's really too bad the old TSR repository of back issues is no longer available on the internet. Good thing I printed em.

 

[Psion]

World Builder's Guide
Dragon CD archive
Complete Villains
Ruins of Undermountain
College of Wizardry
Planescape Planes of ... boxed sets.

 

[the Jester]

I've updated a decent chunk of Players Option: Spells & Magic to 3e, as well as the 2e Tome of Magic.

I agree that the 1ed DMG is still very useful- all kinds of good charts and tables hiding out in there!

I've been checking out some Planescape stuff lately- I think I'll be updating and using a substantial amount of that kind of stuff as the party imc advances in level into the mid- to upper- 20's.

Of Ships and the Sea is great too. (2e).

Monsters, spells and magic items from all over, of course.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Al-Qadim, Darksun, Planescape, and Ravenloft (those parts that haven't been updated). I love these settings, and I will continue to use the flavor aspects of them unto the umpteenth generation, even if the crunch has become obsolete.

Deities & Demigods, 1E. A really nice primer for the religion of semi-historical Earth settings.

Monstrous Manual, 2E. Sometimes the ecologies are still useful, familiar as I may be with the critters.

Tome of Magic, 2E. Some really cool spells never made it to 3E. Also occasionally reference the old Wild Magic table.

Greyhawk Adventures hardcover, 1E. The book that first inspired me to create and codify my own homebrew, I still occasionally crack it open for sheer nostalgia-driven inspiration.

Lots and lots of others, just for reading.

 

[Shemeska]

All of my 2e Planescape material (aside from the fact that I run a campaign in the setting).

Every so often I'll randomly pick up some 2e Ravenloft or Darksun material, and there's a select few 2e FR books that are nice as well.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The old 1st edition Adventure Design Kit.

I have recreated several of the sheets, and the original Chases sheet actually works better with 3.x than it did wih 1e.

I also still very much like A Mighty Fortress and others of the historical supplements for 2e.

The Auld Grump

 

[gweinel]

Planescape books and COmbat and Tactics the Critical section. I still use these great criticals!