Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
Fiery James said:
The same thing is happening to me!
What are the 10 best d20/D&D companies out there?
- Thread starter Tuzenbach
- Start date
The same thing is happening to me!
BastionPress_Creech
First Post
This is all Hal's fault. He was supposed to encrypt the virus so that all posts would read:
1. Bastion Press
2. Mystic Eye Games
3. Fiery Dragon
4. Bad Axe Games
5. Living Imagination
I'm gonna have to have a talk with the pantless one. That merger that you had with him must have scrambled his brains a bit, James.
1. Bastion Press
2. Mystic Eye Games
3. Fiery Dragon
4. Bad Axe Games
5. Living Imagination
I'm gonna have to have a talk with the pantless one. That merger that you had with him must have scrambled his brains a bit, James.
For what it's worth, the only d20 companies I regularly buy from are (in no particular order):
WotC
Paizo
Bastion
Malhavoc
Green Ronin
Mystic Eye Games
(Although looking at the list, apparently I subconsciously arranged them in order of name length. Huh.)
I have a smattering of products from other companies, but I regularly return to these (especially the first 4) because of consistently good products, and (most important to me) really imaginative stuff. Products like Requiem for a God and Oathbound really blew me away with their very original concepts.
As for game aids, I'd certainly throw Fiery Dragon into the mix. Their counters and now the incredibly awesome Battlebox are very regularly used in my games.
Of course, the quality levels have risen quite a bit over the last few years, and I think most all of the d20 companies you typically hear about are publishing good stuff. It's just more the fact that my tastes tend to align with those publishers above.
WotC
Paizo
Bastion
Malhavoc
Green Ronin
Mystic Eye Games
(Although looking at the list, apparently I subconsciously arranged them in order of name length. Huh.)
I have a smattering of products from other companies, but I regularly return to these (especially the first 4) because of consistently good products, and (most important to me) really imaginative stuff. Products like Requiem for a God and Oathbound really blew me away with their very original concepts.
As for game aids, I'd certainly throw Fiery Dragon into the mix. Their counters and now the incredibly awesome Battlebox are very regularly used in my games.
Of course, the quality levels have risen quite a bit over the last few years, and I think most all of the d20 companies you typically hear about are publishing good stuff. It's just more the fact that my tastes tend to align with those publishers above.
Gothmog
First Post
Wulf Ratbane said:
DANG!!!
I knew I forgot something when I made my list.
Wulf, Badaxe is way up there for me too- I love the race books (didn't you mention something about a compliation volume once), the Unusual Treasures book, and I LOVE Grim Tales. In fact, I'm starting a Fading Suns game this weekend using the GT ruleset. And I can't wait for Slavelords of Cydonia.As penance for forgetting Badaxe, I will now go watch Phantom Menace three times in a row. (whimper).
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
I frequently use the following companies books in my campaigns.
1. Atlas Games: Occult Lore, Dynasties and Demogagues and Crime and Punishment along with their first hardocver (Touched by the Gods?), have seen a lot of use either directly or indirectly in my campaign.
2. Green Ronin: I couldn't count the # of their books that I've used. Noble's handbook for both player's and NPC's, testing out the Psychic's handbook to see how it compared to a psion, Hammer & Helm or Plot & Poison, which both still get a lot of use at my table.
3. Necromancer Games: I'm normally not too crazy about their adventurers, but I've used the Tome of Horrors 1 & 2 many, many, many times. I liked some of the material in City State of the Invincible Overlord too, especially the books section and some of the races.
4. Sword & Sorcery Studios: I love Warcraft. I used to really love the SL. Various mixed opinions about some of their other recent books, but I still use material from the various Player's Guide to XX that I'm putting them here.
5. Mongoose: I know people are going to think I'm crazy. I'm not saying all of their products are great or even good. Lord above knows that I've bashed them on many occassions. However, when a company puts out several licenses, I've got to give them props. Hold up Arcana Unearthed and Conan to a non role player and ask him which one he's heard of. Heck, do it with AU and Babylon 5, or Judge Grim.
6. Malhavok: I'm not too crazy about their smaller books as I tend to like larger books, especially in hardcover, but I've got much enjoyment in reading alone to not put them in a top ten list. I still reference the Eldritch Might books and found much in AU that I liked (Unfettered and Warmain are excellent and logical additions to a d20 game.)
7. AEG: Some of their one word title books were great, some terrible, but once again, this is more a thanks for the L5R and SA stuff that they dual statted. I seriously feel that if they had more hardcover books and tried less to keep to their old splat formula, that they'd still be doing d20 books.
I know I'm missing some companies and I apologize but my brain is swimming with the sheer weight of the many companies whose products I use as opposed to enjoy reading but never use. I'll see if I can get back to this thread latter. I know for instance, that Wizards of the Coast should be up here. For better or worse they are official and have still done a lot of good. Unearthed Arcana gets a tremendous amount of use in my game for example even as Complete Divine is only looked at when a player of a cleric or paladin feels he needs a little extra something.
1. Atlas Games: Occult Lore, Dynasties and Demogagues and Crime and Punishment along with their first hardocver (Touched by the Gods?), have seen a lot of use either directly or indirectly in my campaign.
2. Green Ronin: I couldn't count the # of their books that I've used. Noble's handbook for both player's and NPC's, testing out the Psychic's handbook to see how it compared to a psion, Hammer & Helm or Plot & Poison, which both still get a lot of use at my table.
3. Necromancer Games: I'm normally not too crazy about their adventurers, but I've used the Tome of Horrors 1 & 2 many, many, many times. I liked some of the material in City State of the Invincible Overlord too, especially the books section and some of the races.
4. Sword & Sorcery Studios: I love Warcraft. I used to really love the SL. Various mixed opinions about some of their other recent books, but I still use material from the various Player's Guide to XX that I'm putting them here.
5. Mongoose: I know people are going to think I'm crazy. I'm not saying all of their products are great or even good. Lord above knows that I've bashed them on many occassions. However, when a company puts out several licenses, I've got to give them props. Hold up Arcana Unearthed and Conan to a non role player and ask him which one he's heard of. Heck, do it with AU and Babylon 5, or Judge Grim.
6. Malhavok: I'm not too crazy about their smaller books as I tend to like larger books, especially in hardcover, but I've got much enjoyment in reading alone to not put them in a top ten list. I still reference the Eldritch Might books and found much in AU that I liked (Unfettered and Warmain are excellent and logical additions to a d20 game.)
7. AEG: Some of their one word title books were great, some terrible, but once again, this is more a thanks for the L5R and SA stuff that they dual statted. I seriously feel that if they had more hardcover books and tried less to keep to their old splat formula, that they'd still be doing d20 books.
I know I'm missing some companies and I apologize but my brain is swimming with the sheer weight of the many companies whose products I use as opposed to enjoy reading but never use. I'll see if I can get back to this thread latter. I know for instance, that Wizards of the Coast should be up here. For better or worse they are official and have still done a lot of good. Unearthed Arcana gets a tremendous amount of use in my game for example even as Complete Divine is only looked at when a player of a cleric or paladin feels he needs a little extra something.
BastionPress_Creech
First Post
DM_Jeff said:
I talked to MonkeyGod at Origins and they told me then that Frost & Fur was their last release. Financially, it didn't make sense to spend four times the effort and money to produce a roleplaying game that only sold a few hundred copies at best when they could make board games under their other name, Face 2 Face Games, at a fraction of the cost and have sales that numbered in the thousands. They also confirmed it again to me at Gen Con when they said Arms & Armor v3.5 would be the only 3.5 collection of weapons and armor because they were not going to do a 3.5 version of From Stone to Steel.
Of course, MonkeyGod isn't the only company no longer producing d20 materials. To my knowledge, Atlas only has one or two products in development and they are done with d20 supplements for the time being. AEG has no plans to do anymore one-word titles, instead doing Spycraft driven and Warlords d20 lines. Fast Foward is done completely. Living Imagination is done and is going back to focusing on their LARP business. Rumor (and I stress that word) has it that Fantasy Flight is done with their Legends & Lairs line for the forseeable future. There are also a couple of other companies on the bubble who I expect to call it quits in the near future.
As far as an official notice, don't hold your breath. I doubt any company will make a public announcement saying they are giving up. No one wants to admit defeat and many will probably try to get back in the game if things pick up again.
