What kind of RPG books/manuals do you like?

[zug_zug]

I found this very day 2 surviving books from my once proud library of d20 books (lost thru my own stupidity), Monster Manual II and Fiend Folio. And Im pretty happy. Im going to replace the 3 core books next month, but I just loove monster books.

I always have. One of my earliest prizes was the old Fiend Folio, circa 1981, which I still have. There something cool about pages and pages of baddies to throw at a party.

Anyway, what "kind" of books are your favorites? Are you a player type who like splatbooks with PrCs and feats? Like Campaign Settings with plenty of fluff to go along with the cruch? Or do you, like me like the Monster stuff? EDIT: And how could I forget adventures or modules, full of NPCs and situations?

Or maybe something else??

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Setting books and item books.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Setting books. FR ones always make me drool.

I would have thought I was a monster book fan, and so would you if you saw my collection, but the only one that gets my heart thumping is the Monsternomicon. I think it's all the setting stuff in it .

 

[ThirdWizard]

If I have to choose, I'm going to say monster books, simply because I own more monster books than anything else. I run my own setting so those are mainly bought for gutting, and class books don't really do it for me. But, monsters... you can always find a place for them and its especially great when the players havn't seen it before and don't know what to expect!

 

[DragonLancer]

For me, its got to be monster books.

I really don't want more spells, PrC's or MI's.

 

[The Allamistako]

Monster- and rule books, setting books I can mine for ideas to... transplant to my own setting...

 

[diaglo]

three small booklets in a boxed set with a reference sheet.

 

[Psion]

I think I am saturated on monster books. Not that I don't like the ones I am getting (I just got Liber Bestiarus and it is way cool, and like FFG's Lore series), but I find I don't have much room for new monsters.

Class-related books I can still use, but most of my needs are being met. If I see one that explores an area that hasn't already been done to death, I'll pick it up, but most concepts have already been done.

I think the categories of books that are appealing to me the most right now are "utility books" which give the DM tools to make adventures (like Toolbox), and the more focussed topic books like the Races of Reknown/Races of Legend books.

I also can't seem to get enough magic books, though the more general ones are failing to appeal to me as much as specific topic ones.

 

[KDLadage]

I love monster books... but I have to say that I love the way they are handled now, more than I did when D&D 1e and 2e were around. let me explain:

The relatively clear rules for applying classes and/or templates to creatures makes for a much more robust monter environment, as well as eliminating unneeded entries (Draco-Lich, anyone?) by allowing for templates and other ways fo handling fringe creature types.

Add to this the fact that the monsters themselves are catagorized into types that show the similarities and common-ground that all creatures of that catagory share, and what you have is a true sense of ecology -- not just random stats.

Monster books would be my #2 type of book though.

I prefer Genre books. For those that do not know, Genre books are much like Campaign books, only without the campaign. For example, I like books that will tell you how to run a campaign that feels a lot like the Renaisance or a Pirate Campaign or something along the line sof Mutants and Masterminds -- where the campaign is hinted at, but only in the form of some simple, worked examples. I want a book to jump-start my imagination, not take the place of it.

 

[Desdichado]

In general, I like monster books and setting books, but I'm not really in demand for either anymore (I'm actually only buying now stuff that I don't know I need until it comes out! Sorcery and Steam by FFG is one such book.)