Your Favorite RPG Supplement, for any Game, Period

[ColonelHardisson]

I use my KoK dm screen all the time. Don't know if I'd go that far, but it's pretty nifty.

'Cept I use the 3.0 version. They really trashed cover and concealment rules in 3.5, and that's one table I always use.

The HackMaster GM Shield from which this DM Screen is derived is even more chock-full of useful info. If I was able to get anyone to play HackMaster, I might get a chance to use it, and declare it my favorite supplement.

 

[Sunderstone]

My all-time fave Supplements .....


In the Cage: A guide to Sigil (Planescape)
The Factol Manifesto (Planescape)
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (original gray box)
Zebulon's Guide (old Star Frontiers book)
The Greyhawk Gazetteer (the bigger one, not the 32 page one)
FR1 Waterdeep
FR11 Dwarves Deep
Ravenloft 3rd Edition HC

 

[ruleslawyer]

Ah, boy ... makin' me choose ...

I got a great deal of use and pleasure out of the following 2E products: Drow of the Underdark; Monster Mythology; Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog.

If I had to choose one thing that wasn't a core book I guess I'd take ... urg, hard to choose ... either the original FR boxed set or the original Planescape boxed set. That's as close as I can get to choosing. I'd take the stuff out of one box and put it in the other and try to sneak them both out with me!

Wow. I'd say *exactly* the same, in exactly the same order. Hmm...

Other favorites: Shadowrun's Threats and Universal Brotherhood.

 

[Vigilance]

I'm going to have to say:

1. Circle and Mete for Champions by Aaron Allston- a book that really shows and illustrates how to run a supers campaign (by example mostly) in a very small package. As a young D&D DM, Champions was somewhat overwhelming to me at first, this helped *a lot*.

2. The original Thieves' World box set for Chaosium. The best fantasy city ever. A place I WANTED to run adventures in and play in. To this day gives me the warm fuzzies in a way so few books ever have.

3. Danger International: the first really good modern game that set a very high standard for the ones that followed.

4. The Top Secret special ops military books and Here there be Tigers. These books really sparked my first love for realistic military gaming (run using Danger International).

5. D&D Rules Cyclopedia. A book every game designer should read. So well organized, so clear and well-thought out. Takes the very strong OD&D material it's based on and makes it even more clear, completely seamless and a book where everything is in logical place.

Running a game from this book is such a joy I did just that when 2e got me down.

Chuck

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Running a game from [the Rules Cyclopedia] is such a joy I did just that when 2e got me down.

Funny, that's what I did, too, not long after 2E came out. I used the boxed sets, and eventually used the RC, too.

 

[Particle_Man]

Honourable mention should go to Expeditious Retreat's 'A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe'. It has a chapter on cities that you can download for free.

 

[Turjan]

Well, that's really a tough call. Tonight, I pick the following:

1. Cult Compendium (Gloranthan Classics)
   It's meant for Runequest, but it's a wonderful source of inspiration for setting up religious societies.
2. The Factol's Manifesto (Planescape)
   Even though I've never played in a Planescape game, the factions somehow find their way in most of my settings.
3. Arcana Unearthed(/Evolved)
   It gave me enough ideas about what I really like about D&D .
4. Houses of Hermes (Ars Magica)
   Wizards' societies at their finest.
5. The Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep (Call of Cthulhu)
   An enjoyable vacation from D&D.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Oh, never mind. Just paged through some old stuff I have lying around, and it appears that Delta Green and Masks of Nyarlathotep are in the running as well.

 

[tonse]

Mine would be "Night Below" for AD&D2. Everything you could possibly want in one box.
Keeps you busy for months of real time.

 

[Glyfair]

As an aside, my favorite Dungeons & Dragons supplement has to be the Encyclopedia Magica series. I still use it today. If I want to generate a magic item on the spot, I'll pull it out and either roll on the table or else open to a random page in one of the 4 books. I might choose an item to adapt, but more likely I'll just look at the type of object generated and come up with something interesting (you find a magical fan).

Yes, it has a lot of unnecessary duplication (occasionally having 3 slightly different write-ups for artifacts and the like) and some really silly magic items. Still, the sheer bulk of ideas is huge.