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Favorite AD&D Rulebook
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Poll: Favorite AD&D Rulebook

Author

flyingmelon
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:49 pm

I guess that a separate poll could be set up for favorite TSR artist, but I'm pretty sure that DAT would win (in my mind anyway)-so why wasn't he tapped for MM2? He was still doing Wormy at the time...maybe he just wanted to focus on that? We will probably never know.
And on a art-related note, the looseleaf Vol 1, Vol. 2 MC art is horrible-clearly rushed. The roper, in particular, always raises my ire.

If you believe that ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS is a game worth playing, you will certainly find it doubly so if you play well.

Keith the Thief
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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:37 pm

Falconer wrote:My vote went without hesitation to the Players Handbook. The reason is that I as referee can have any number of manuals and maps and tables and notes on my side of the screen (I tend to use OD&D/JG materials), but what I really need in a published book is an attractive and thorough book aimed solely at presenting the game to players. To me, the PHB has never been outdone in that goalâ€”the players never need to go to another book, and they are never given information they don't need. For the spells and equipment lists alone it is worth the price, but having all the races and classes detailed is handy indeed, not to mention all the adventuring advice. The only thing I wish was added is the excellent "Portentous Runes & Glyphs" section from the 1980 The World of Greyhawk folio. I know this is nebulous, but for me, if a character is 1e PHB-legal then it is a "real" D&D character in my eyes. The PHB is the real thing, everything else is an optional expansion or poor imitation in my eyes.

Agreed.
I wrote the poll with using "favorite" on purpose.
There's often a distinction between favorite and best.
The PHB is the best, IMHO.
But I voted MM, because (as kids say these days) monsters are beast.

AKP

"Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do."

stratochamp
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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:43 pm

ExTSR wrote:No vote.

My favorite AD&D hardback is

FFoulkes: The Armourer and his Craft.

F

while i like this book too, i'd have to vote for the dmg.

stratochamp
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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:44 pm

akp-love the dr strangelove reference...

Keith the Thief
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:24 pm

stratochamp wrote:akp-love the dr strangelove reference...

Can't beat Strangelove.

Btw, we're over 100 votes in the poll.
That's a damn good sample, you ask me.

Well? Go on. Ask me :-)

"Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do."

brute
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:31 pm

FormCritic wrote:
Aboleth is Monster Manual II

Ooops! Ok, I admit I have MM2. If I hadn't left those books in my old office / new daughter's closet, I'd go for a quick refresher. Long overdue for that apparently. Need to move them tomorrow!

Keith the Thief
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:57 pm

FormCritic wrote:
Aboleth is Monster Manual II

Re-reading "The Horror at Martin's Beach".

Seem to have Aboleth on the brain lately.

Must ... hold ... the ... rope

AKP

"Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do."

SoulCatcher78
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:36 am

DMG.

As to why, I'd have to say the style that it was written in. I still get that feeling that anything is possible when I read the beginning of the book.

punga
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:13 am

Definitely Deities & Demigods, first cover. It was just plain fun to see Gods statted out.

Unlike most, I have lots of love for 2nd edition (first edition I was exposed to), and I don't begrudge most changes made to the game. But changing the name of Deities & Demigods to Legends & Lore...that was very much a step in the wrong direction.

"Go get 'er, Ray!"
-- Peter Venkman, "Ghostbusters"

Keith the Thief
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:56 pm

punga wrote:Definitely Deities & Demigods, first cover. It was just plain fun to see Gods statted out.

Unlike most, I have lots of love for 2nd edition (first edition I was exposed to), and I don't begrudge most changes made to the game. But changing the name of Deities & Demigods to Legends & Lore...that was very much a step in the wrong direction.

Others are more knowledgable than I ... but that won't stop me from giving my opinion ... :-)

I bet TSR changed the name because AD&D took flak about gods, demons & devils being part of the game.

That really is a wild guess ... but I remember the game getting a lot of bad press back in the day.

Keith

"Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do."

Ankles
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:43 pm

ashmire13 wrote:
You could do worse than read this.

http://www.amazon.com/Meridian-Handbook ... 0452009278

I've an early hardback copy and as a early/mid teen, it was fantastic to read through the details of the myths.

Well, I read the Greek Myths as a child, between 1981 and 1985, and then only in the excellent translation/retelling by Gustav Schwab. After that, I discovered Tolkien, the Prydain Chronicles (wunderful books! And they read very well even if you start to hit 40), the Narnia books (again, wonderful books, especially the first with the White Witch and the final book), and Gaming.

But yes, I should reread the Greek Myths again, after so long a time, especially since I bought an Ipad a month ago and there are free ebooks about the Myths. And certainly the Greek Myths are much more fun to read then the german myths about Odin, Thor etc. And more fun than some fantasy novels, too.

Ankles
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:48 pm

Say Guys, what gives?

What's all that hatred toward Monster Manual II for? I always thought it was one of the better AD&D books, albeit not in the same class as PH or DDG/LL.

MM II introduced the Demons/Devils war (later to be developed into the Blood War), it fleshed out the "lesser" Lower Planes of Evil, it described Nirvana and gave us the Modrons.

What's not to love about MM II?

Ankles
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:50 pm

MetamorphosisSigma wrote:
Don't forget the Githyanki and Githzerai, too. Those four creatures alone (all by Charles Stross, I believe, currently a hack scifi writer but back then a great teenage monster creator ), along with EGG's contributions, make the book a keeper, IMO.

...And it had the Elemental Princes of Evil. But FF is nonetheless nothing to be proud of.

MetaSigma
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:55 pm

Ankles wrote:Say Guys, what gives?

What's all that hatred toward Monster Manual II for? ... What's not to love about MM II?

MM II introduced the Demons/Devils war (later to be developed into the Blood War), it fleshed out the "lesser" Lower Planes of Evil, it described Nirvana and gave us the Modrons.

-------------
(i.e., you've answered your own question

Ithaca Dragon
-==(UDIC)==-

Ankles
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:01 pm

Falconer wrote:My vote went without hesitation to the Players Handbook. The reason is that I as referee can have any number of manuals and maps and tables and notes on my side of the screen (I tend to use OD&D/JG materials), but what I really need in a published book is an attractive and thorough book aimed solely at presenting the game to players. To me, the PHB has never been outdone in that goalâ€”the players never need to go to another book, and they are never given information they don't need. For the spells and equipment lists alone it is worth the price, but having all the races and classes detailed is handy indeed, not to mention all the adventuring advice. The only thing I wish was added is the excellent "Portentous Runes & Glyphs" section from the 1980 The World of Greyhawk folio. I know this is nebulous, but for me, if a character is 1e PHB-legal then it is a "real" D&D character in my eyes. The PHB is the real thing, everything else is an optional expansion or poor imitation in my eyes.

Well, in some way you are right. The full AD&D consists of PH, MM and DMG (albeit Gygax said you need DDG/LL to complete AD&D).

But if you wanted to pick the single most important AD&D book, it would be the PH. You don't need MM, since you can create your own monsters with the info from the PH, albeit those monsters would be very different from their "official" counterparts.

And you certainly don't need the DMG, since you can run a game without it, using the PH to create the NPCs, govern the situations and create magical items.

Indeed, you can even build your own LEGENDS & LORE using only the PH. But then you better expand the level /atribute tables yourself.

But you need the PH for the races, atributes, levels, spells, item lists.

And indeed, I always said that the PH IS AD&D. The rest are just adornments.

Ankles
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:05 pm

MetamorphosisSigma wrote:
MM II introduced the Demons/Devils war (later to be developed into the Blood War), it fleshed out the "lesser" Lower Planes of Evil, it described Nirvana and gave us the Modrons.

-------------
(i.e., you've answered your own question ).

Huh. Sounds to me like a good thing.

But seriously, the Modrons as depicted in MM II were more impressive and interesting than they were in PLANESCAPE. But that's hardly the fault of MM II.

Ekim Toor
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:15 pm

Keith the Thief
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:19 pm

Ankles wrote:
And you certainly don't need the DMG, since you can run a game without it, using the PH to create the NPCs, govern the situations and create magical items.

Page 105 of PHB directs you to the DMG for "To Hit" tables.
Is there a hidden combat matrix somewhere else in the PHB?

The magic items in the old modules are often described in the DMG so I think you'd be missing something without it, but I see your point.

We've "gotten the band back together", BTW, and my old college group is starting an AD&D campaign using Google+ video chat.
It's pretty damn cool.
I've been collecting for years.
Now I might actually get to use my D&D stuff!

"Never let it be said I didn’t do the least I could do."

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