What 2E Books should you keep in your collection?
- Thread starter BigFreekinGoblinoid
- Start date
Darrin Drader
Explorer
Modules are the easiest books to adapt to 3rd edition, and there are a few that are keepers, like the Return to the Tomb of Horrors. The monster books are good to keep because they can give you ideas for monsters, though the old stat blocks are close to worthless, except in a general, giving you ideas sort of way.
The campaign setting stuff is also worth keeping if you liked the setting. The stats are close to worthless, but most of those books were more flavor text than stats anyway. The Forgotten Realms has obviously been relaunched in 3E, though the amount of 3E material doesn't even come close to rinalling the amount that's out there for 2E, so there's a lot of information that would just be lost if you got rid of it.
The campaign setting stuff is also worth keeping if you liked the setting. The stats are close to worthless, but most of those books were more flavor text than stats anyway. The Forgotten Realms has obviously been relaunched in 3E, though the amount of 3E material doesn't even come close to rinalling the amount that's out there for 2E, so there's a lot of information that would just be lost if you got rid of it.
I think the answer is obvious. Keep the good stuff. Whatever you think is good, keep it, whatever you think is not, sell it.
One exception to this is the shrinkwrapped ones. Whether you like it or not, keep 'em because in ten years time they'll be worth a bundle.
I recently lost some material to a ^$(&% player who borrowed them and then 'lost' them. So I told him either he comes up with the cash or... he came up with the cash but it was still heart-breaking to have lost one of my all time favourite books, "Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue".
I did a search for it second-hand... $50 U.S! It's a tiny, wee little softcover booklet with low-quality paper and very basic ink artwork and yet it is now a collector's item worth, IIRC, four times the original price. Sigh.
One exception to this is the shrinkwrapped ones. Whether you like it or not, keep 'em because in ten years time they'll be worth a bundle.
I recently lost some material to a ^$(&% player who borrowed them and then 'lost' them. So I told him either he comes up with the cash or... he came up with the cash but it was still heart-breaking to have lost one of my all time favourite books, "Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue".
I did a search for it second-hand... $50 U.S! It's a tiny, wee little softcover booklet with low-quality paper and very basic ink artwork and yet it is now a collector's item worth, IIRC, four times the original price. Sigh.
Bendris Noulg
First Post
I actually checked most of them...
I didn't check Greyhawk and Mystara, although there are two products (one from each) that I still use:
Greyhawk Adventures (Magic Items, Spells, Apprenticeship Rules)
Hollow Earth (The "Deepearth" of 0E)
I figured that since it was only one piece from each I wouldn't select the whole section.
Other than that, I didn't check lines I didn't get (which is only the Encyclopedias and the Spell Compendiums).
I'm about ready to pack them up, though. Between obtaining ESDs and translating most of everything I needed to maintain campaign continuity, I'm tired of packing and re-filing my collection every time I move.
Glad to see Planescape in the lead, though. Good stuff.
I didn't check Greyhawk and Mystara, although there are two products (one from each) that I still use:
Greyhawk Adventures (Magic Items, Spells, Apprenticeship Rules)
Hollow Earth (The "Deepearth" of 0E)
I figured that since it was only one piece from each I wouldn't select the whole section.
Other than that, I didn't check lines I didn't get (which is only the Encyclopedias and the Spell Compendiums).
I'm about ready to pack them up, though. Between obtaining ESDs and translating most of everything I needed to maintain campaign continuity, I'm tired of packing and re-filing my collection every time I move.
Glad to see Planescape in the lead, though. Good stuff.
NiTessine
Explorer
Yes, I still use a lot of my 2E collection. The old campaign setting materials are mostly fluff, and haven't been reprinted in 3E. Adventures can be converted with little trouble. The monster books, especially Monstrous Arcana, are still good reads, and the 2E monster entries contain Ecology and Habitat/Society entries, which 3E lacks. The core rulebooks should be retained for history value, if nothing else. The Complete Books and Guides are still a source of interesting information.
Actually, the only ones I might even think of selling are the Player's Option books and DM's Option: High-Level Campaigns.
Actually, the only ones I might even think of selling are the Player's Option books and DM's Option: High-Level Campaigns.
BigFreekinGoblinoid
First Post
Dang it !
Looks like I'm gonna be keeping more stuff than I thought.
Maybe the best solution is to buy a new bookcase instead of shlepping my 2E stuff out of the attic every once & again.
Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue sounds interesting - I must have missed that one!
Looks like I'm gonna be keeping more stuff than I thought.
Maybe the best solution is to buy a new bookcase instead of shlepping my 2E stuff out of the attic every once & again.
Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue sounds interesting - I must have missed that one!
Mercule
Adventurer
Personal opinion (of course):
There was nothing release worth buying between 30 seconds before the original FR box was released until 3E was released. Darksun is the lone exception.
If you want old material, use 1E. Even when 2E was current, I played a 1E game with some bits from 2E.
There was nothing release worth buying between 30 seconds before the original FR box was released until 3E was released. Darksun is the lone exception.
If you want old material, use 1E. Even when 2E was current, I played a 1E game with some bits from 2E.
Psion
Adventurer
Of course, if you are running a setting, you should keep the setting material for it. Most settings are no longer supported but still great settings, and even FR and Ravenloft have not updated a lot of the setting to 3e.
I am still getting a lot of use out of:
I am still getting a lot of use out of:
- World Builder's Guidebook
[*]Complete Book of Villains
[*]Complete Necromancer Handbook
[*]Castle Sites and Country Sites
[*]College of Wizardry (adds detail to the arcane order described in Tome & Blood, plus has some neat characters.) - All undermountain stuff (I imported it into my campaign)
- All Planescape stuff, especially the Planes of ... boxed sets (add more detail on the great wheel.)
- The Dragon Anothology (Loaded with great ideas that can be adapted or used as-is, and adds detail to some things that are only sketchily detailed in 3e.)
- FR Atlas (I use it for Undermountain, and by switching the names and a few other details, you can steal the city maps. Of course, this requires you have CC2, and FR Atlas has no editing capability by itself.)
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