What do you find most useful to your gaming?

[Buttercup]

I picked 'other crunchy bits' because I really like books of drop-in maps, buildings, NPCs, etc. For example, Backdrops, En Route and Seven Cities by Penumbra are just the sort of material I like, because they make my life much easier.

I also like to kit-bash published adventure modules.

 

[diaglo]

the core books.

i don't consider any of the material crunchy.

flammable yes. but crunchy no.

 

[dave_o]

Huzzah!

I agree with the history/humanities books. I love reading about other cultures, and either swiping them verbatim from their original settings, or building cultures around them.

My current homebrew is actually, just a collection of real-world cultures.

Humans - Greco-Roman Imperium; Elves - Portugese Traders/Sailors (albiet smaller); Halflings - Early American Immigrants/Native Americans (depending on location); Dwarves - Psuedo-Egyptian; Gnomes - Psuedo-Gypsies.

It's amazing what kinda stuff you can find.

 

[Deadguy]

Hmmm, well I had to plump for 'other flavor books' in the end. I have gotten plenty of mileage out of more 'crunchy' books like the class splatbooks and similar elements, but I run a homebrew world.

So in the long run, the things I find most important are ideas for settings, locales and people. Books like Thunderhead Games' Bluffside and S&SS' Hollowfaust are most valuable to me. These provide me with detailed locales to set adventures, provide ideas for the adventures themselves, and give me many interesting NPCs that perhaps I would not have developed for myself.

I agree with rounser that modules are rarely of any value to me. Adapting them to fit in my setting (I have no standard demi-humans, and far fewer 'monsters') means that the conversion process is generally far too time-consuming. By thr time I am done, I feel that I would've got further developing my own ideas, which I am at least assured do fit with my setting.

Still almost anything, from novels to films, textbooks to documentaries can provide grist to the mill of ideas. Some of my best plots are pillaged from history books - real people are always far weirder than anything you could dream up for yourself!

 

[Johno]

Time

Cash

Energy

 

[Davelozzi]

I voted for adventure modules - although it's usually all or nothing with them. In other words, I get tons of use out of an adventure so long as I actually run it, but I only occasionally get use out of one that I don't run (steal an encounter or idea, etc). Classbooks come in second. I get a decent amount of use out of them. Some of my players are aiming for prestige classes so obviously they use them a lot more than the others do.

 

[Bagpuss]

Without a doubt I would have to say

PLAYERS!

anything else is nice to have but totally unnessary.

 

[Winterthorn]

Something else: support materiel for the GM

I voted for the last item. What really helps me run games, after having the "core" books and prinicipal setting determined, are the supplies and tools such as maps, paper, good writting implements, counters, a grid mat, access to a photocopier, a GM's screen, and a PC to write out my campaign notes, ideas and house rules. I like said above, the materiel that supports my role as a GM/DM/Referee/Storyteller.

Class books, monster tomes, adventures and other such books serve as my sources of inspiration--but they aren't useful as tools in play or when running a session for players.

I guess I'm just thinking pragmatically at the moment!

-W.

 

[Dragongirl]

Interesting how the poll is going. I am greatly surprised by the number who have chosen adventures/modules. Personally I thought that would come in last.

 

[Nightfall]

Some times it can be suprising what people use the most of.

Course for me, I just use stuff I like.