What constitutes your "comfortable" level in a campaign?

[maddman75]

Core rules only, plus whatever I houserule in. I'm largely cured of suppliment-itis. If I'm wanting a new gaming book I'd rather get a whole new game than spend $30 on some book that I might see 2-3 feats and 1 spell used out of.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Since most books add only a small amount of material at any one time, and I insist players have all that material copied/transcribed/typed in a more convenient form (ie, not a whole book to look through) if it's relevant to their characters - my preference being for index cards or laptops - I can handle pretty much any number of books. If players actually brought to the table the number of books they drew material from, the table would surely break - and God forfend the GM should do so! It would likely collapse the floor!

 

[Tharkun]

As a player I'd say every official D&D rulebook.

As a DM I'd say SRD.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

As a player:

Core books, one or two other books based upon the character I'm playing, that's it.

As a DM:

Core books. After that I don't have a comfortable set. I use what I have access to, and don't worry that there are a lot of options and materials out there that I don't have. Players can bring additional options to me and I will consider them. They need to let me read through the material and we will discuss it. If they try and drop it on me mid session, the usual answer is: you have to wait until I have a chance to see how it fits in.

 

[tvknight415]

Most comfort level is Moldvay/Cook/Marsh Basic/Expert books only. ;-)

For 3.x: Three core rulebooks. Selected base classes from others (swashbuckler, knight, favored soul, and scout) are freely offered. Otherwise, the player has to have one heck of a good reason to want to play the combo (ie, drow warlock). Non-core feats and prestige classes are earned through role-playing (which gives a chance for review and consideration).

 

[Aust Diamondew]

I don't really allow a wholesale book. If someone wants something specific from a book (feat, class, spell) I look at it and think it over.

Amen!
DMs who allow entire books I'm usually hesitant about, fortunately my group tends to defer to the DM before taking any character advancement options.


This is typically what I do when I DM, I also have a list of feats I've approved from previous games and PRCs I'll be allowing in that particular game.
I'm pretty open to material though as long as it doesn't clash with the genre and world I want and it isn't broken.

 

[Eytan Bernstein]

I allow anything published by WotC. I suppose this leads back to my work as a game designer. I like to get practice playing and running the elements of all the books, though I'd hardly consider myself an expert in everything. I'd still like a lot more practice with new systems like ToB, ToM, and MoI. There are occasional elements that I don't allow, but for the most part, I'm an easy DM in terms of books. It's up to the players what they want to make. My games are equally difficult and challenging for all kinds of characters, though I admit that I don't have much room for housewife commoners with Skill Focus for all of their feats.

 

[S'mon]

Most comfort level is Moldvay/Cook/Marsh Basic/Expert books only. ;-)

I agree, either Moldvay-Cook B-X, or C&C PHB + M&T is ok. As I get older my tolerance for weighty tomes of rules lessens, I don't think I could run 3e again over about 5th level.

 

[molonel]

PHB, MM and DMG are the only books that are a given for players. I allow material pretty freely from the Complete books, DMG2 and PHB2 and Unearthed Arcana (except Gestalt). Anything beyond the core rule books is by DM approval, but I'm fairly lax. I just want people to run it past me, and I want it to have flavor. I love crunch, but I prefer a story.

 

[jrients]

As a DM I let the players use pretty much every 3.5 book I own, excepting a few parts of Unearthed Arcana (such as the Gestalt classes). That amounts to maybe 20 books they can work with to trick out their killing machines. For my side of the screen, I rarely use more than two books past the core on any given night.

As a player I don't need much. The Complete books and/or 9 Swords is more than sufficient for supplementary material.