What constitutes your "comfortable" level in a campaign?

[Crothian]

I've yet to reach a point where I felt I was using too many books. But I never use all of them as the scope of the campaign and what the players want usually does a good enough job of limiting what we use. While in theory we could be using a hundred books in practice we only use a half dozen.

 

[el-remmen]

Whatever I put on my wiki.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

DrgM

Dragon Magic is an entirely new system? I mean, I suppose if you follow the fluff it could be seen that way. I just see it as an extention of the Draconomicon. Dragon themed class, feats, and character class options. Not trying to pick, just curious.

As for the OP's question, I like core + original 4 completes + XPH + Draconomicon + DM + MotP + BOED + PHB II + CM.

Yeah, that's a good list. CC might get added, so long as it doesn't involve anything along the skill tricks found in CS. I alos want to purchase LoM and the new Drow book, but that's if I have money, too!

 

[FireLance]

I prefer to limit on a per option basis, not on a per book basis. When I'm running a campaign, I will usually define some material as "core", which players can select from without restriction. Beyond that, players can select one non-core option (race, class, prestige class or substitution levels, feat, spell, magic item, etc.) per level. 1st-level characters can have an "advance" of up to three non-core options (if he wants to start with a non-core race, class and non-core feat, for example). There are a small number of options that I don't allow, mainly because I don't like the way they affect game play (e.g. the frenzied berserker).

I find that this gives players a great deal of flexibility and the ability to select from multiple sources without making things too complicated.

EDIT: One more thing. I usually ask the players to give me their non-core options in advance, so that I can look through them and familiarize myself with them (or say no) before play. I'm generally quite up to date with WotC material, but it's still a good idea to review the specific elements that the players are likely to bring into play beforehand.

 

[William drake]

I probably should have worded the title better, but what I'm really asking is when you run or play a "comfortable" campaign of D&D how many and what books do you use? I think for me it's something like this

3 corebooks
first four complete books
PHB II & DM II
Iron Kingdom Character Guide and World Guide + Monsternomicon.

So about 12 books total. This is about my limit, once I get beyond this in rules content I start to feel a little overwhelmed. What about you guys?

Players guide, DM's guide, Monster Guide....the rest I make up; really, I find most of the other books to be reinvented vomit. Even the Book of Vile Darkness was tame...

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I'm okay with pretty much all WotC products. (It's not that I don't think third-party products are as well, or better, balanced; I just don't have time to read everything.) My "comfort level," though, ends at about 13th character level ... but that would be true even if I only allowed core stuff in my games. The game simply changes at that level, becoming four-color super-heroic, rather than (high or low) fantasy.

That said, I know my players want to get beyond those levels someday, and if they ever get there again without managing to TPK themselves, I'll give it another try.

 

[jdrakeh]

3 core books
1 world setting book
Setting or location-specific splats as needed

I suspect that this list will soon be expanded to include the Spell Compendium and AEG's Toolbox, or "1-2 miscellaneous use supplements".

 

[Imruphel]

I allow pretty much anything that:

1. fits the flavour of the campaign (Magic of Incarnum, for example, is a "no" because it just doesn't fit my idea of the cosmology of my Forgotten Realms campaign but might suit another campaign); and
2. isn't completely unbalanced. Balance is an ephemeral thing.

I'm always on the lookout for new stuff that I can use as a DM but also recommend to my players.

In the past week I've picked up Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords after reading an excellent series of posts by Hong on these boards which addressed the balance issues. It only took about two paragraphs of explanation in my campaign guide document to ensure it matched the flavour of the campaign.

I've already passed my suggestions to one of my players as to how the warblade class might help him better realise the character he is currently developing using fighter levels. And, of course, I've already started prepping some NPCs... and I cannot wait for the battle with Amra Darktongue, the black unicorn-riding crusader of Cyric and pirate captain.

 

[Herobizkit]

The Core Three, XPH, and Unearthed Arcana. Any books the players want to use, including any splatbooks/OGC prestige classes need to be accessible to the DM. I'd love to use more of the Complete Books but I'm too cheap to get them. *lol* Too many rules options, not enough players or play time.

 

[Evilhalfling]

The following are available to Players:
3 core
complete adv
expanded psi hb
PBH II
modified warlocks

Spells outside of core by only specific request.
or by in game research.

As a DM
MMII, fiendfolio, 9hells, Hordeso'Abyss, draconomicon, MiC
spells outside of core are used thematically.