Worst 3.5 publishers?

[Emiricol]

I dislike Diaglo's statement that anyone who thinks he wasn't very clever is a "rabid 3.5 fanboy". I don't think that was very classy at all. And I dislike some generic statement that 3.5 is badly messed up, though a lot of people think so. For my part, I can take the changes or leave 'em, though I do think the 3.5 books are organized better than the 3.0 ones were.

So now that I've commented, I guess I have to post an opinion on the topic of this thread For me, it is probably Mongoose. But that's just because of the volume of stuff they put out! They had a lot in the pipeline when the 3.5 changeover happened, so the edit jobs might have been done with haste for all I know. I hope their stuff improves again (though I haven't looked in a while, to be honest).

 

[Darrin Drader]

Really???

Very much so.

 

[Emiricol]

Don't be surprised arnwyn, our culture is one of being insulted. That's where the sympathy is. That's where the victimhood is. And most importantly for groups like the NAACP, NAMBLA, and the Rainbow Coalition, that's where the MONEYis.

Wow, I actually gotta disagree with you on this one, Wil If someone says something insulting, it's okay to feel insulted. Some people could even feel insulted without wanting to be victims, garner sympathy, or make money off the experience

 

[Gothmog]

For me, its probably WotC. I really liked 3.5, but almost every other sourcebook they have released in the last year or so has left me very cold. The last good one was Fiend Folio- nothing else of worth since then.

Fast Forward used to be pretty bad. But they have improved over the last year. I really liked Most Dangerous Creatures monster book- some great beasties in there. And the Devil Player's Guide, while it had some rules glitches, was a solid work. I use quite a few fiends in my game, so it has been useful to me (and my players hate that book).

Mongoose, while they were off to a rocky start, has REALLY improved over the years. Their Ultimate collections have been great resources for me, and despite their flaws, the Quintessential series still kicks the WotC splatbooks butts for originality and quality of ideas. The Slayers guides are ok, but I do like the Giants one a lot, and the Demons one, while it had some rules problems, has some GREAT material in it (by the way Voadm, the Ultimate Monsters book has all those demons in it, and all are illustrated, with cleaned up stats). The two books in the Classic Play series, Dragons and Strongholds & Dynasties are both incredible books. I much prefer Classic Play Dragons to the Draconomicon- it has far more useful material.

 

[Treebore]

I much prefer Classic Play Dragons to the Draconomicon- it has far more useful material

Couldn't agree more Gothmog.

 

[Darrin Drader]

For me, its probably WotC. I really liked 3.5, but almost every other sourcebook they have released in the last year or so has left me very cold. The last good one was Fiend Folio- nothing else of worth since then.

Fast Forward used to be pretty bad. But they have improved over the last year. I really liked Most Dangerous Creatures monster book- some great beasties in there. And the Devil Player's Guide, while it had some rules glitches, was a solid work. I use quite a few fiends in my game, so it has been useful to me (and my players hate that book).

So let me get this straight. You're dissing WotCs books but giving the benefit of the doubt to Fast Forward?

 

[d20Dwarf]

I much prefer Classic Play Dragons to the Draconomicon- it has far more useful material

Couldn't agree more Gothmog.

Like, ummm, how about a full review from you chaps?

 

[Mytholder]

I much prefer Classic Play Dragons to the Draconomicon- it has far more useful material

Couldn't agree more Gothmog.

Woo. I was wondering if the book had sunk without a trace after all the Draconomicon buzz. Nice to hear it's appreciated.

Gar

 

[Gothmog]

So let me get this straight. You're dissing WotCs books but giving the benefit of the doubt to Fast Forward?

Ok, I'll revise that a bit- Book of Exalted Deeds has some good stuff in it, and I've used some of the feats and spells for several paladins and clerics in my game. But the other titles this last year- blah. Too much focus on crunch, without much originality or flavor.

FFE started out badly, but when someone makes improvement, they deserve to be recognized. The two books I mentioned, while not perfect, are significant improvements over their previous material, and are useful in their own right. They also both have some really cool ideas nobody else has explored yet. Thats not to say I wouldn't be wary of future FFE products, but if they continue like this, they will be a more solid publisher.

 

[Nightfall]

Don't worry Darrin. I liked BoED. Just now it feels like they should have let you guys do BoVD as well. But that's just me.