Oldies but goodies: 1e/2e books you still use?
- Thread starter Psion
- Start date
Tiberius
Explorer
I tend to use the following:
1) 1e DMG. Random dungeon tables, potion miscibility tables, neat drawbacks for artifacts, really amusing cartoons ("It's either allows a wizard to throw the various Bigby's Hand spells, or it's a +3 backscratcher. We're not sure which."), the obligatory random harlot table, assorted parasites & diseases, commentary on various spells, all in one place! It's as wonderful now as it was 13 years ago. <drifts off into nostalgia>
2) 1e Manual of the Planes. I love the para- and quasi-elemental planes, and don't think they got enough/any treatment in the 3e MoP. Also, the outer planes have funny names in the new one.
3) Dragon Kings (the Dark Sun suppliment). I've included defilers as NPCs in my homebrew, and modified some psionic enchantments to be high-level spells.
4) Spelljammer boxed set. I love spelljammer, and my players had a spelljamming ship for a while.
-Tiberius
1) 1e DMG. Random dungeon tables, potion miscibility tables, neat drawbacks for artifacts, really amusing cartoons ("It's either allows a wizard to throw the various Bigby's Hand spells, or it's a +3 backscratcher. We're not sure which."), the obligatory random harlot table, assorted parasites & diseases, commentary on various spells, all in one place! It's as wonderful now as it was 13 years ago. <drifts off into nostalgia>
2) 1e Manual of the Planes. I love the para- and quasi-elemental planes, and don't think they got enough/any treatment in the 3e MoP. Also, the outer planes have funny names in the new one.
3) Dragon Kings (the Dark Sun suppliment). I've included defilers as NPCs in my homebrew, and modified some psionic enchantments to be high-level spells.
4) Spelljammer boxed set. I love spelljammer, and my players had a spelljamming ship for a while.
-Tiberius
1. Campaign Sourcebook/Catacomb Guide - An excellent resource, light on rules and heavy on good suggestions.
2. Dungeoneer's Survival Guide - Full of excellent ideas, including a marvelous Underdark setting.
3. Manual of the Planes - Again, full of great ideas and plot-hooks.
4. DMG - Occasionally I'll use this for some of the great dungeon-dressing tables in the back, or else I'll browse through it for nostalgia.
2. Dungeoneer's Survival Guide - Full of excellent ideas, including a marvelous Underdark setting.
3. Manual of the Planes - Again, full of great ideas and plot-hooks.
4. DMG - Occasionally I'll use this for some of the great dungeon-dressing tables in the back, or else I'll browse through it for nostalgia.
thundershot
Adventurer
The old 0E boxed sets, Basic through Immortal, all still sit on my bookcase. All of the 2E monster books. All 4 volumes of Encyclopedia Magica, Creative Campaigning, Vikings Sourcebook, the Beastiary of Dragons & Giants, the Book of Wonderous Inventions, Drow of the Underdark, and the Spacefarer's Handbook.
Everything else got put away in a closet...
Chris (went straight from 0E to 2E)
Everything else got put away in a closet...
Chris (went straight from 0E to 2E)
Barendd Nobeard
Explorer
Saltmarsh modules (U1-U3) - running my kids through this series right now.
1e MM - painting reference for minis
1e PHB - just to reminisce; also to play Tome of Horrors recently.
1e Deities & Demigods - just to make sure the Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythoi are still there.
Temple of Elemental Evil - just to dream about what never happened (never ran it).
[edit - fix typo]
1e MM - painting reference for minis
1e PHB - just to reminisce; also to play Tome of Horrors recently.
1e Deities & Demigods - just to make sure the Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythoi are still there.
Temple of Elemental Evil - just to dream about what never happened (never ran it).
[edit - fix typo]
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Blackwind
Explorer
1. Complete Book of Elves from 2E. I was way disappointed when 3E made elves all... not cool anymore. It's Mialee's fault I figure. She looks more like an alien than a Hot Elf Chick. But then FRCS came out and fixed that. Still, the Complete Book of Elves is the greatest resource available for D&D elves IMHO. Also, the Elves of Evermeet supplement for FR was pretty cool.
2. World Builder's Guidebook. I haven't used it in a while since I'm running an FR campaign but next time I work on my old homebrew, I'll be using it again.
3. Monster Mythology. Obviously.
4. My old Spelljammer boxed set and all my old Planescape stuff. I own the new Manual of the Planes but I haven't really read through it yet.
2. World Builder's Guidebook. I haven't used it in a while since I'm running an FR campaign but next time I work on my old homebrew, I'll be using it again.
3. Monster Mythology. Obviously.
4. My old Spelljammer boxed set and all my old Planescape stuff. I own the new Manual of the Planes but I haven't really read through it yet.
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
Let's see, here are the older edition books that made the cut as source and inspiration for 3e...
* The Dungeon Master Design Kit - for the better part of 14 years (it was released in 1988) I thought nobody else even had this book. Probably the single most underrated D&D book ever.
* Creative Campaigning
* Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide
* World Builder's Guidebook
* Dungeon Builder's Guidebook
* Complete Book of Villains
* Castle Guide
* Monster Mythology
* Complete Book of Necromancers
* College of Wizardry - my favorite treatment of RPG wizards. A fantastic "wizard's school" resource
* Bastion of Faith - does for cleric what College of Wizardry did for wizards
* the 1e DMG - mostly for inspiration and those lists and charts. The HackMaster GMG has mostly supplanted this book with its dizzying array of random generation tables and the like, but it's still nice to leaf through this grand old tome of RPG history
Y'know, if they took the first eleven of this list and made 'em into one monster of a book (either updating or dispensing with specific game stats), it'd be the greatest fantasy RPG GM/DM guide ever.
* The Dungeon Master Design Kit - for the better part of 14 years (it was released in 1988) I thought nobody else even had this book. Probably the single most underrated D&D book ever.
* Creative Campaigning
* Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide
* World Builder's Guidebook
* Dungeon Builder's Guidebook
* Complete Book of Villains
* Castle Guide
* Monster Mythology
* Complete Book of Necromancers
* College of Wizardry - my favorite treatment of RPG wizards. A fantastic "wizard's school" resource
* Bastion of Faith - does for cleric what College of Wizardry did for wizards
* the 1e DMG - mostly for inspiration and those lists and charts. The HackMaster GMG has mostly supplanted this book with its dizzying array of random generation tables and the like, but it's still nice to leaf through this grand old tome of RPG history
Y'know, if they took the first eleven of this list and made 'em into one monster of a book (either updating or dispensing with specific game stats), it'd be the greatest fantasy RPG GM/DM guide ever.
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