Silverblade The Ench
First Post
what books or items for D&D have been the best in your opinion?
this isn't in order of prefference, just as I recall them
1) 1st ed FIEND FOLIO
damn was htis packed full of great, lore building critters! from the drow to the githyanki!
plus it had real cool art. the 1st ed Monster Manual had some iffy art, but the Fiend Folio had some real good ones, like the great "warrior with 2 hand sword against lizard king"
2) THE ILLITHIAD (and the Sea Devils)
The Illithiad and also the similar book on the sahuagin were astounding! I still haven't seen anything from any company as good as this, not 3rd, 4th or third party stuff like Slayer's guides (which I like), have had the quality of art and lore
the later "Lords of madness" is good, but not to the same degree of lurid perfection, muhaha.
3) MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM
the idea of the folder was astounding, wonderful idea which as a DM I appreciated, since back then we couldn't scan/print a page out!
as a DM it's a damn PAIN IN THE BUTT having to carry lots of books, so being able to use specific sheets with relevant monsters was brilliant.
Also it added lots more lore, which as a DM I absolutely love.
And lot sof great artwork for interior dividers.
4) 1st ed DMG
now, looking back at it, the 1st ed DMG is horribly arranged for any newbie DM to try and grasp *points to self, 25 years ago, lol!*
it is problematic, compare it to later ones and be honest
however, it is still awesome because it encapsulates all that D&D is, and has many wonderful bits of info, tables, items etc.
back then, Gary & CO were just "Putting it together" the didn't have 30+ years of experience to sort it out better
The cover of the 9th printing is absolutley *ICONIC*
Oh and the smell of the 1st ed books...nostaligic fragrance, lol
5) Call of Cthulhu d20
ok, so, mixing D&D and COC is like...oh, peanut butter & jello sandwich: sounds evil, but is sooo kewl!
plus gives you en excuse to shout "FHTANG!" at the table
6) 2nd ed MONSTROUS MANUAL
damn now this is a superb monster book, although as said above I adore the "folder" style of the prior "compendiums", the "Monstrous manual" put in one book most every critter in 2nd ed you needed plus updated info on 'em.
7) CITY SYSTEM
daaaaaamn was this impressive! the entire city of Waterdeep mapped out in style, wowzers!!! now as much as I preffer the Forgotten Realms ot be wild/un-known as possible, I do like cities/towns being mapped as they are so complex.
also, the art on cover is one of my faves.
8) FORGOTTEN REALMS 1st BOXED SET
this was a thing of joy, wonderful artwork, lush, thick, high quality pages with sepia artwork, it just oozed a rustic, old, strange, weird world, ripe for adventure, mmmm mmmm!!
the illustrations are classic
anyone able to post one of the interior art pics?
can't find any on the Net :/
Always recall the pcis of Fzoul Chembryl and Manxam, and Azoun and vanderghast
9) EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, computer game
this was just mind blowing back then, hard to imagine for younger folk but that faux-3D game was AMAZING at the time!
being a near perpetual DM, never a player, I adore getting to play.
On the Amiga it was a lot better than the PC, and it was creepy in the levels with drow and spiders, hehe!
then in Eye of the Behodler II, the intro is awesome as you meet Khelben, again, for the itme, that was soooo immersive
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkZTmt6QI4A]YouTube - [Intro][Amiga] Eye of the Beholder 2 The Legend of Darkmoon[/ame]
10) 1st ed ORIENTAL ADVENTURES
just because it was soooo cool!
11) 1st ed UNEARTHED ARCANA
Added so much cool and fun stuff! Barbarians and the dart that multiplied itself in flight (dart of the hornet's nest?), plus some spells (chromatic orb?) ah, fun fun!
12) COLOSSAL RED DRAGON MINIATURE
because every DM worth his alt wants to plop THAT baby down on the table and say
"WHO'S YER DADDY!"
13) DARK SUN AND SPELLJAMMER
And also Planescale and Ravenloft, for adding an entirely different way of looking at D&D! no longer "Tolkien-esque".
14) NECROMANCER GAMES TOME OF HORROR
all though for 3rd ed, it was like the best of 1st and 3rd ed...awesome!
15) 4th ed DMG
because it is the best for explaining about being a DM. and making better games, and also much easier
16) 2nd? ed HALL OF HEROES
the first one, Realms heroes and villains, again with the cool art design like the boxed set, really sweet to see both novel and module charecters in the flesh
17) 2nd ed CITIES OF MYSTERY
cause who the heck doesn't want cardboard buidlings and big street maps!!
that wa sa nice tough, wish I'd got the big "castle" one to, doh
18) DWARVES DEEP
damn that was such a cool little book on the bearded folk! (my fave folk, stuff yon emaciated elven tree-fondlers or spider-kissers, pfft!)
I recall one cleric spell that used a steel spike, you know from back in the dungeon crawling days, as a blasting booby trap, hehe
19) CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS, computer game and module
because the game was the 1st proper D&D game, and the module has that gorgeous piece of art by Clyde Caldwell
20) LORDS OF DARKNESS, 1st ed
damn that was a cool book, all about the undead, this was D&D advancing into more fleshing out creatures, an important step IMHO from the "dungeon crawl" days
21) D&D 2nd ed TRADING CARDS
I have the three boxed sets, hehe. oddly I like these as they add easy add on characters/items to have in a convenient format.
22) 2nd ed FR TRAIL MAPS
I love maps, these HUGE fold out maps come in a wallet, I have the Waterdeep and KaraTur ones, missed the main one, doh!
these were a really nice idea
23) 2nd ed CORE RULES
ok there was a very hard to get/use 1st ed official set of PC and DM apps for the computer
but the 2nd ed Core Rules was brilliant way to easily make up a character, now taken through into the 4th ed, alas it's a pity the very nice PC generator that came with the early 3rd ed PHB wasn't continued, and we ended up with the awful E-Tools that "code monkeys" had to fix but was never that great
24) 2nd ed Ral Partha minis
now many of these were VERY good for the era, despite what folk seem to think (no idea hwy dfolk dis them). really good minis of D&D.
alas the Dark Sun set was too hard to get and goes for crazy money on EBay now :/
pity they never released a SPelljammer set
25) COOL DICE!
I now have hematite dice, and lovely fiery orange and also a peridot zocchi set of dice (which are IMHO the best plastic dice by far).
And to think, once I wonder what the hell a ten sided dice was, hehe
Yes I bought the DD& dice you had to use a crayon to paint the numbers in...
26) 3rd/4th ed PLASTIC MINIS
now while the paitn jobs on these suck compared ot my hand painted metal minis...the plastic ones are:
light!! damn , less weight weight to carry is good for me!
won't break, I stood on one of my fave lead minis once...*cry* and they alway suffer worn paint anway which is so annoying.
pre-painted! much as I adore painting 'em, health etc means I have tons of metla one sunpainted..so pre-prianted helps
clear plastic bits! transparent flames, ice etc looks really nice on the plasti cminis
and many other items I'm sure to have forgotten at this late hour!
D&D has given me a lot of enjoyment OFF the table as well over the years, reading through the books etc
this isn't in order of prefference, just as I recall them
1) 1st ed FIEND FOLIO
damn was htis packed full of great, lore building critters! from the drow to the githyanki!
plus it had real cool art. the 1st ed Monster Manual had some iffy art, but the Fiend Folio had some real good ones, like the great "warrior with 2 hand sword against lizard king"
2) THE ILLITHIAD (and the Sea Devils)
The Illithiad and also the similar book on the sahuagin were astounding! I still haven't seen anything from any company as good as this, not 3rd, 4th or third party stuff like Slayer's guides (which I like), have had the quality of art and lore
the later "Lords of madness" is good, but not to the same degree of lurid perfection, muhaha.
3) MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM
the idea of the folder was astounding, wonderful idea which as a DM I appreciated, since back then we couldn't scan/print a page out!
as a DM it's a damn PAIN IN THE BUTT having to carry lots of books, so being able to use specific sheets with relevant monsters was brilliant.
Also it added lots more lore, which as a DM I absolutely love.
And lot sof great artwork for interior dividers.
4) 1st ed DMG
now, looking back at it, the 1st ed DMG is horribly arranged for any newbie DM to try and grasp *points to self, 25 years ago, lol!*
it is problematic, compare it to later ones and be honest
however, it is still awesome because it encapsulates all that D&D is, and has many wonderful bits of info, tables, items etc.
back then, Gary & CO were just "Putting it together" the didn't have 30+ years of experience to sort it out better
The cover of the 9th printing is absolutley *ICONIC*
Oh and the smell of the 1st ed books...nostaligic fragrance, lol
5) Call of Cthulhu d20
ok, so, mixing D&D and COC is like...oh, peanut butter & jello sandwich: sounds evil, but is sooo kewl!
plus gives you en excuse to shout "FHTANG!" at the table
6) 2nd ed MONSTROUS MANUAL
damn now this is a superb monster book, although as said above I adore the "folder" style of the prior "compendiums", the "Monstrous manual" put in one book most every critter in 2nd ed you needed plus updated info on 'em.
7) CITY SYSTEM
daaaaaamn was this impressive! the entire city of Waterdeep mapped out in style, wowzers!!! now as much as I preffer the Forgotten Realms ot be wild/un-known as possible, I do like cities/towns being mapped as they are so complex.
also, the art on cover is one of my faves.
8) FORGOTTEN REALMS 1st BOXED SET
this was a thing of joy, wonderful artwork, lush, thick, high quality pages with sepia artwork, it just oozed a rustic, old, strange, weird world, ripe for adventure, mmmm mmmm!!
the illustrations are classic
anyone able to post one of the interior art pics?
can't find any on the Net :/
Always recall the pcis of Fzoul Chembryl and Manxam, and Azoun and vanderghast
9) EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, computer game
this was just mind blowing back then, hard to imagine for younger folk but that faux-3D game was AMAZING at the time!
being a near perpetual DM, never a player, I adore getting to play.
On the Amiga it was a lot better than the PC, and it was creepy in the levels with drow and spiders, hehe!
then in Eye of the Behodler II, the intro is awesome as you meet Khelben, again, for the itme, that was soooo immersive
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkZTmt6QI4A]YouTube - [Intro][Amiga] Eye of the Beholder 2 The Legend of Darkmoon[/ame]
10) 1st ed ORIENTAL ADVENTURES
just because it was soooo cool!
11) 1st ed UNEARTHED ARCANA
Added so much cool and fun stuff! Barbarians and the dart that multiplied itself in flight (dart of the hornet's nest?), plus some spells (chromatic orb?) ah, fun fun!
12) COLOSSAL RED DRAGON MINIATURE
because every DM worth his alt wants to plop THAT baby down on the table and say
"WHO'S YER DADDY!"
13) DARK SUN AND SPELLJAMMER
And also Planescale and Ravenloft, for adding an entirely different way of looking at D&D! no longer "Tolkien-esque".
14) NECROMANCER GAMES TOME OF HORROR
all though for 3rd ed, it was like the best of 1st and 3rd ed...awesome!
15) 4th ed DMG
because it is the best for explaining about being a DM. and making better games, and also much easier
16) 2nd? ed HALL OF HEROES
the first one, Realms heroes and villains, again with the cool art design like the boxed set, really sweet to see both novel and module charecters in the flesh
17) 2nd ed CITIES OF MYSTERY
cause who the heck doesn't want cardboard buidlings and big street maps!!
that wa sa nice tough, wish I'd got the big "castle" one to, doh
18) DWARVES DEEP
damn that was such a cool little book on the bearded folk! (my fave folk, stuff yon emaciated elven tree-fondlers or spider-kissers, pfft!
)I recall one cleric spell that used a steel spike, you know from back in the dungeon crawling days, as a blasting booby trap, hehe
19) CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS, computer game and module
because the game was the 1st proper D&D game, and the module has that gorgeous piece of art by Clyde Caldwell
20) LORDS OF DARKNESS, 1st ed
damn that was a cool book, all about the undead, this was D&D advancing into more fleshing out creatures, an important step IMHO from the "dungeon crawl" days
21) D&D 2nd ed TRADING CARDS
I have the three boxed sets, hehe. oddly I like these as they add easy add on characters/items to have in a convenient format.
22) 2nd ed FR TRAIL MAPS
I love maps, these HUGE fold out maps come in a wallet, I have the Waterdeep and KaraTur ones, missed the main one, doh!
these were a really nice idea
23) 2nd ed CORE RULES
ok there was a very hard to get/use 1st ed official set of PC and DM apps for the computer
but the 2nd ed Core Rules was brilliant way to easily make up a character, now taken through into the 4th ed, alas it's a pity the very nice PC generator that came with the early 3rd ed PHB wasn't continued, and we ended up with the awful E-Tools that "code monkeys" had to fix but was never that great
24) 2nd ed Ral Partha minis
now many of these were VERY good for the era, despite what folk seem to think (no idea hwy dfolk dis them). really good minis of D&D.
alas the Dark Sun set was too hard to get and goes for crazy money on EBay now :/
pity they never released a SPelljammer set
25) COOL DICE!
I now have hematite dice, and lovely fiery orange and also a peridot zocchi set of dice (which are IMHO the best plastic dice by far).
And to think, once I wonder what the hell a ten sided dice was, hehe
Yes I bought the DD& dice you had to use a crayon to paint the numbers in...
26) 3rd/4th ed PLASTIC MINIS
now while the paitn jobs on these suck compared ot my hand painted metal minis...the plastic ones are:
light!! damn , less weight weight to carry is good for me!
won't break, I stood on one of my fave lead minis once...*cry* and they alway suffer worn paint anway which is so annoying.
pre-painted! much as I adore painting 'em, health etc means I have tons of metla one sunpainted..so pre-prianted helps
clear plastic bits! transparent flames, ice etc looks really nice on the plasti cminis
and many other items I'm sure to have forgotten at this late hour!
D&D has given me a lot of enjoyment OFF the table as well over the years, reading through the books etc
I took the point from the thread title, "best books/items" to offer an item.
