Top 5 RPG Books

[JohnTaber]

Hi Hero Readers,

Ok...I have to be honest...Derek gave me the idea for this topic in another post...

Let's hear your top 5 RPG books from ANY system.

I'll do mine but I need to check my books at home before I answer...

[ogier300]

Strike Force, by Aaron Allston
Lands of Mystery, by Aaron Allston
Feng Shui, by Robin Laws and Jose Garcia
Amber Diceless RPG, by Eric Wujick
Exalted, by various folks

[Agent Escafarc]

Hero System 5th
Champions 4th
Traveller Book 5 High Guard
Toon!
The original white box ver. of D&D

[GradonSilverton]

Hero 5th -- Grandmaster Steve Long
UMA (Origional, the 5th Ed version is good, but the origional was masterful) -- Pimp Daddy Steven S. Long
Star Wars : Imperial Source Book (from the West End Days) -- Greg Gorden
D&D 3rd : Forgotten Realms (hate to admit it but a damn fine book) -- cant remember is there is a author if if its TSR
Role Playing Gamers Bible 1st or 2nd Edition(Not a system book, but I believe it to be the best damn info book on RPG's period) --Sean Patrick Fannon

[Derek Hiemforth]

Okay, here's mine, but I'm approaching it as the top sourcebooks... rulebooks like HERO System Fifth Edition aren't eligible, because I don't want a like or dislike of the rules engine to color the rest of the book. It was just too tough to limit it to five, so here's ten. (It could easily have been 20 without diluting the quality noticeably.) Another disclaimer: I haven't yet finished reading some recent Hero books that look like they could make this list (both Star Hero and Ninja Hero), so I can't in good conscience include them yet.

Okay, enough waffling. Here's the list:

• Champions (5th Edition) by Aaron Allston and Steven S. Long, for the HERO System. Takes all the best material from Champions 1st-4th and Strike Force, and expands it.
  
• The Complete Book of Villains by Kirk Botula and Rick Swan, for AD&D. An excellent look at creating fully-realized adversaries.
  
• Dark Champions by Steven S. Long, for the HERO System. Indispensible.
  
• Gamemastering Secrets by Aaron Rosenberg and many others (including our own Steve Long), ostensibly for d20 System and Fudge; really for any system. Ton's o' good advice on gamemastering.
  
• GURPS Illuminati by Nigel Findley, for GURPS. The ultimate treatment of matters illuminated for gaming. Fnord.
  
• GURPS Religion by Janet Naylor and Caroline Julian, for GURPS. The best overall view I've seen of religions in games and game worlds.
  
• Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering by Robin Laws, for any game system. Another fantastic book of GM tips from one of the industry's top writers.
  
• San Angelo: City of Heroes by Patrick Sweeney, for the HERO System. The best original superhero campaign setting I've yet seen, and a great example of things to consider when creating your own Campaign City for a supers game. (I can't wait to see how Millenium City compares.)
  
• Suppressed Transmission (Vols. 1 & 2) by Ken Hite, for any game system. Absolutely jam-packed with coolness, these books defy description. If you can't come up with a plot idea within 30 seconds of reading, something's wrong with you.
  
• Underworld Enemies by Chris Avellone, for the HERO System. It's "only" a book of characters, but it's just so well done and deliciously disturbing, that I couldn't leave it out.

[allen]

The thread title is "top"... I'll list my favorites.

I do not think these are necessarily the best written books ever produced, nor will I deny that some of my choices are in a big way based on nostalgia, nor are these the five RPG books I would recommend that 'every gamer own' -- but these are the ones that stick in my head for whatever reason.

1. Deities & Demigods
This is the second gaming product I ever bought (and in hindsight probably not a wise choice, since the first gaming product was the Basic D&D box set). I can't even begin to count the hours I have spent reading the entries and looking at the illustrations. At the age of 9 (or whatever) it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. When I'm visiting my parents, I still pick it up and read the entries for the gods and look at the illustrations

The remaining are in no particular order. (Bad enough trying to decide on five, I'll be gosh-darned if I try to rank them...)

Vampire: the Masquerade
Get out the rotten tomatoes, right? Many derisive comments have been said about the game (and, let's be honest, the players too). I won't deny any those. I will say however I read this book when I was 19 or 20... I'd stopped gaming entirely for various reasons... and reading it seemed to open a whole new vista of what an RPG could be. Maybe I just read it at the right age and in the right environment. Who knows. I will say that if a friend hadn't loaned me V:tM, it is unlikely I would be gaming today.

Dark Champions
I think of all my gaming books, I've gotten the most "GM use" out of this one. I cannot run a modern day game, regardless of genre or rules set, without refering to the sections on legal processes and criminal investigations. Even if the information is out-of-date (and I'm not honestly sure) it's valuable for just determining how the process works exactly, and lending a game verisimilitude.

The Dying Earth
The best game I will never play. It's an excellent system -- unlike some licensed RPGs, it truly captures the feel of the fiction on a deeper level than just setting, classes, and terminology -- and I love Jack Vance's work. But I simply cannot speak in a "Vancian" manner without mispronouncing every other word and becoming completely tongue-tied. Still, if you are interested in the possibilities and potentials of game design and systems, I cannot recommend the game highly enough.

Awww... to heck with it. Five is impossible, so two more.

Champions 4th edition
Me, a calculator, paper and pencil, and this book spent far too much time in high school together, when I really should've been doing homework. I borrowed the book from a friend, and kept it for months just making up characters. I just could not get enough. It was literally pick up a comic book, read it, think a character was cool, then sit down and make the character up using Champions. Voila! There the character was all stated out and everything -- [insert favorite character of the week] ready to be played.

The World of Greyhawk box set
Man, I agonized over this one... taken out of context, compared to setting stuff that has followed.... well, say no more right? But, again, I was young and discovering that the modules I owned like Tomb of Horrors and the Slavelord stuff actually took place on the map in hex whatever-whatever... it did not, absolutely could not get cooler than that. Hours lost to staring at the various heraldry printed on the inside of one of the covers, and deciding which would be the best for my fighter (Grand Duchy of Geoff, in case you're curious). I'm such a goob -- I had those maps tacked up to my bedroom wall.

[JohnTaber]

Dang it...that's what happens when you wait...someone steals your #1 comment. I'll try and do what Derek did and keep it related to sourcebook material...

Champions by Allston - It is hard to just pick one Allston book. Lands of Mystery is cool but there are so many mistakes, etc. Anyway...as Derek put it...this book is the best covereage of the RPG superhero genre period. It is better than Strikeforce in my opinion as well.

GURPS Cyberworld by Hume - This book is slick and fun. It is written with it's own punk lingo! I think it is fantastic and a must have for anyone attempting to run the Cyberpunk genre. It does punk better than CP2020! 8)

Gods of Harn by Crossby, Delgliesh, Frazer, and King - Full of great Harn info that is so easy to port to other game systems it is laughable. Harn is a joy and this book is a wonder to behold.

Call of Cthulhu by Petersen - I know I know...this could arguably be called a rule system. Even if you take out the rules this book is chock full of elder evilness...which makes for RPG goodness.

Dark Champions by Long - This is a great genre book. Touches on everything needed to run the genre and has some great campaign tidbits to boot.

Temple Of Elemental Evil by Gygax - My players and I love to run dungeon crawls...and this one is the best of the best. Great module.

Lots of great stuff in these lists!!! Thanks gents!!!

[TechnoViking]

You had to ask

1. Hero System 5th/Champions 4th: I remember when Champions 4th ed. came out I thought it was a pretty meaty rpg. DOJ has done nothing but improve on this.

2. Strikeforce for Champions by Aaron Alliston: I really good example of the rpg world, and well written.

3. The Traveller Adventure: A great adventure for Traveller. Very long, 200+ page small type. Took my gaming group a year to finish.

4. Shadow over Bogenhaven: A adventure for Warhammer RPG which was very well done.

5. Star Hero 5th edition by Jim Cambias and Steve Long: I have been a Champions/Superhero rpg fan for a long long, but I think Star Hero is the best source book for FREd to date.

Honorable Mentions:
1. Hackmaster System books: I know is it a parody, but it good system. It is controlled munkinisms and power gaming. If you have a group of the right mind set it make for a great game.

2. Rokugan for OA 3rd ed: Probably the best deisgned Far East based game world. A good read and very nice artwork.

Mike

[nblade]

Originally posted by Mike Basinger

Honorable Mentions:
1. Hackmaster System books: I know is it a parody, but it good system. It is controlled munkinisms and power gaming. If you have a group of the right mind set it make for a great game.

Well it might be a parady, but I know quite a few people that swear its actually better than d20. Of course many of these people are veteran AD&D 1st edition players and GMs.

[lemming]

In no particular order:

• Paranioa
  Call of Cthuhlu : Dreamlands
  GURPS: Technomancer
  GURPS: Black Ops
  GURPS: Alternate Earths I & II

"But lemming, you didn't list a single Hero book.", you say.

Everybody else listed the ones I like. So far, DOJ hasn't put out any stinkers. Hope they keep up the winning streak.

[Jhamin]

I notice that most of my favorites are the ones that changed how I gamed.

1) Red Box Basic Dungeons & Dragons.
This was the beginning for me. It explained roleplaying and gave you everything you needed to start while still being a full fledged game in and of itself. I can't think of any that have done it as well.

2) Vampire, 1st Edition.
I'm with Allen. I know what people think, I know what the perception of the fans is, but I remember when it was new. At that point in gaming everything was about the rules. Sure, you were supposed to have stories too, but the books were all about how much of a modifier you got in this situation or that and every supplament expanded how many rules there were to keep track of. Vampire was the first game I ever encountered that even raised the idea of putting the story and the characters ahead of the mechanics and the statistics. The entire combat section fit on four pages! At the time it was an epiphany.

Once upon a time WhiteWolf was telling the truth when it's logo said "a Renessance in Gaming"

3) Dark Champions
I started playing with 4th Ed. I knew it was supposed to be universal and sort of understood how it could be used for things other than capes & nova rays, but this was the book that showed me not only how to do it, but made me want to. It aslo was my real introduction to mainting a grim & gritty game over more than a couple of sessions.

4) Beyond the Supernatural
The rules were flawed, but the setting info... This thing read like a transcript of one of the creepier episodes of "In Search Of" with Lenord Nimoy. The world was ours only a little more mysterious, and the characters generally couldn't take the monsters in a stand up fight. You had to think your way out, but the mythology was recognizable unlike Call of Cthulu. You also had alot more hope than CoC gave you. This was the first game I ever played that lasted for a whole session witout anybody rolling dice.
I note that Palladium hasn't done anything like it since.

5) The house on Gryphon Hill
A sequal to the old Ravenloft adventure module, I encountered it first & ran my players through it. They didn't know what was coming, and during an all-night session the module somehow turned into an interactive Ghost Story with their characters as the protagonists. Several of the play aids really encouraged this.
Looking back on it there are some flaws, and I ended up dropping almost 2/3 of the combat, but it was the first time any of my players actually got scared at a session. It was the first time I even realized that was possible.

[Castaigne]

AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide - way before there were any 'editions'
Self-contradictory rules, creative spelling, and stuff somebody just thought up and wrote down (sounds like 3e). Just the building blocks I needed to create a whole world of adventure (laugh and save vs. Death at -5).

Call of Cthulhu - any edition (but make mine 2nd)
Discover things man was not meant to know. Fight evil cultists. Go insane. Die. In that order. How many gold pieces your dude can carry suddenly becomes totally unimportant.

Champions.
Wait, not only do I get to be a superhero, but I get to make up his superpowers. All by myself (with just a little help from my calculator). Still the leader in bringing what's in my head to the gaming table.

Vampire: the Masquerade - 1st edition.
What, a story! It's a story. Story. Whoa.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG Core Rulebook
How to. No, not the 'what is roleplaying' quasi-chapter from the front of every RPG published in the last twenty years, but a real breakdown on how to structure a campaign that's potentially as good as the first three seasons of the show. And all in a really, really pretty package.

[Crusader108]

1.) Champions 5th Ed.--I hated the wait but I am very happy it was well worth it.

2.) Champions 4th Ed--This book rekindled my love of HERO Games and Champions specifically.

3.) Ravenloft (the 1st Ed module)--This adventure is what all D&D (and other RPG) adventures are measured against.

4.) Grimtooth's Traps---Yeah, I know it's evil to plot the gruesome demise of your players...but it can also be a whole lotta fun too.

5.) San Angelo: City of Heroes--The finest, most "living" city setting I've ever read.

Honorable Mentions:
Cyberpunk 2020
Dark Champions
Strikeforce
To Serve and Protect
VOICE of Doom

[Yamo]

1. HERO System 5th Edition
2. Delta Green
3. Delta Green: Countdown
4. D&D Rules Cyclopedia
5. Star Hero (5th)

[Herolover]

I will chime in,

1) HERO System (5th edition)
I am sorry, but this book is just sooo good. I waited forever for it and I wasn't dissapointed in the least. I think I will be using it for years to come. Can you imagine a 6th edition? What possibly could they do more?

2) Deadlands RPG
I had a friend that wanted this game when it came out and I admit that me and another or our friends laughed at him. Cards? Poker Chips? Not at my table. Finally me and my friend let him GM so we could shut him up. The next day drove an hour to buy the game ourselves. I don't play it much know, but I love to go back and visit it often. Some of the best writing and "GM" secrets of any line.

3) UMA (original)
Absolutely the best ever supplement. If you have anything to do with martial arts this is a must book. I have used it even when not doing HERO system.

4) Conspiracy X
This is a little known game. First, I HATE the system. Let me say that again I HATE the system. However, reading the setting will send chills up and down your spine. Usually when you do a modern "x-files" type game there is some aspect of modern mythology that doesn't translate well. Maybe you can explain UFO's but you can't explain magic or the other way around. Conspiracy X explains everything and puts it in a neat little scarry ball.

5) 3rd Edition D&D Players Handbook.
Yes geeky I know. I hated 1st and 2nd D&D, but I play D20. I bought the PHB when it came out because I wanted to get a hand up on the Star Wars system. I have now played a lot of D&D and Star Wars only once or twice.

Honorable mention: Alternity.
Pre d20. This was a neat game system. Easy and made me understand levels for the first time. What I liked about it was how different it was. Usually you roll a set dice and the difficulty number changes. However, in Alternity the Difficulty number is set and you roll different dice. Still think it is a great idea.