What are the 'must have' Planescape products?

[Morrow]

I know this has been addressed before, but since I can't search...

What are the 'must have' Planescape products? I'd like to pick up a couple ESDs to supplement the (occasionally skimpy) setting information in the MotP. However, I'd like to limit myself to vital setting material and, if I can possibly manage it, avoid learning that really irritating Planescape slang. Any hints?

Morrow

 

[Carnifex]

That all depends on how much focus you want to put on Sigil.

As a basis you'll want the boxed setting and the monster compendium I, I guess. Add to that the Factol's Manifesto since the Factions are important wherever you go on the planes.

Then any of the 'Planes of...' series you can get.

If you want Sigil stuff then take a look at A Guide to Sigil and Faces of Sigil - though since you've indicated you don't like the cant then this is unlikely to be the direction you'll want to take.

Beyond that, it all depends on what style of campaign you want to run. Want a campaign involving the inner plaens? Get the Guide to the Inner Planes. Astral adventuring plans? Get the Guide to the Astral Plane. Etc.

 

[Psion]

IMO you must have:

• The Campaign Setting Boxed Set
• Planes of Law
• Planes of Conflict
• Planes of Chaos

Those define the substrate of the setting and have loads of adventure ideas to boot. Also, if you want some info to give players or to help adapt character rules for the setting, you might pick up the Planewalker's Handbook

After that, you spin off into topics.

The most worthwhile adventures IMO are Dead Gods (possibly the best adventure written for D&D ever IMO) and Tales of the Infinite Staircase. However, they are campaign size in scope. You might want to pick up the Well of Worlds anothology for shorter adventures. Once you have all those, if you feel like you want some of the shorter adventures, I liked Harbinger House and The Deva Spark.

If you like fiends and the blood war you might look at getting Hellbound and Faces of Evil.

If you want to run a more city based game in Sigil, Uncaged: Faces of Sigil has loads of NPC and plot ideas. In the Cage: A Guide To Sigil is a nice miscellany on sigil.

There are a few other highlights, but those are the ones I find most memorable.