Please if you have time to read at all pick up the Dragons of Autumn - Spring at least. AKA Dragonlance Chronicles. These are the first 3 books Weis & Hickman wrote in this setting.
Just buy base set and leave it at that, 5e is a waste of money, espetially with great games like DCC, Dungeon World, Torch Bearer (and the list goes on) out there. I like the game but compared to others it's really not worth it even if it was cheaper than the aforementioned and it's way costly
@@strandedtraveler5034 My best friend just gave me his copy of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Huge book, but I've been liking it so far. I would also recommend Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Read that a few years ago and really liked it.
My first time I ran the game, I ran it for my brothers. We only had a Players Habdbook. I used some monsters from the back, and we had a blast! I’ve bought lots of other books since, but only for fun; never felt it was necessary. So, I totally agree with all this, Bob👍
@@BobWorldBuilder that would make a great video, Bob! Your first experience with D&D-tell us all about it! (unless you've already done it and I haven't seen it yet😬) Story time! Story time! Story time!
If I had to recommend a book for people who want to become a DM, I would choose Return of Lazy Dungeon Master, even over the official DMs Guide. It teaches you to organize yourself in a simple way and without overpreparing things. I use that book to prepare my adventures together with the Notion template created by the author and it works great for me.
Something i’ve found useful in DnD is the library. You can borrow the campaign adventures like and use them until you’re done playing. No buying involved! I borrowed the DM’s guide and PHB from the library until I felt like I actually wanted to just buy them.
Speaking as someone married to a librarian I can confirm they have about three times as many resources as people actually use… not just in books, but in dvd rentals, and even local history resources… people come in for kids books or to copy something or print it out… but there is so much more at your disposal there than just that… assuming you have got a good library to begin with
@@EarnestEgregore Growing up fairly poor, the library's DVD rentals were pretty much how we saw any movies that came out or old ones that we wanted to see, as well as certain shows. In fact, in many ways, a good library is an invaluable resource if you're impoverished (at least in North America and probably most of Europe) if you have access to one!
Starter Set + PHB is probably the best and only needed combination, then any other book that was released before WotC started 'revising' things for 5.5E.
Was literally asking myself as a new DM, should i be getting stuff now and go ahead and start until all the 5.5 comes out or hold off. Good to know those two would suffice.
@@halfpastzen With the amount of online content available for free, the Starter Set and PHP are good enough, Starter set on its own is great, but I don't like the premade characters so I would take PHP and let the players enjoy the full experience. The Lost Mine of Phandelver is a great little adventure which will last you for few weeks and by the time you finish it you'll know how you feel about DnD.
I would say that, despite having released after WotC started messing everything up for 5.5e, Fizban's is still kind of worth getting, as is the Critical Role campaign. All the other books are garbage, and I'm frankly embarrassed to even have Van Richten's Guide on my shelf.
@@FrostyTheSnowPickle Strixhaven was the first bad book for me, and since then I haven't bought anything. And with the way the butchered Spelljammer I'm don't even want to know what will become of my beloved Planescape.
Something that i did a lot in my DM times was to create my own campaigns and stories. So as important as the Players Handbook, I considered the Monsters Manual the second most important of the core books, since... well... I needed to select monsters to put on the adventures.
As much as I love Forgotten Realms, I think I prefer the world of Dragonlance/Krynn. It has so much unique lore and the how magic works alone is so cool, I hope the new campaign setting books will really go in depth on the setting and let people see how it stands apart from the rest!. Also I really recommend everyone to check out the first two trilogies of Dragonlance.
For AD&D, I LOVE Dragonlance. I am a bit more of a BECMI guy, and LOVED Mystara. Yeah, I am 1st Edition. You know, when there were only 9 AD&D books. (plus the DL Hardcover)
Shout out to Bob’s series on blending Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak. This has been the backbone of my first long term campaign, and I keep going back to those videos for inspiration.
ghosts of saltmarsh is maybe my favourite book. im running it as a full adventure- the town is an extremely evocative and reactive setting that lends well to playing all the adventures in. it also makes it really easy to pick an end point- one ofy players rolled in the saltmarsh specific hermit table and, with a lil imagination, its given me an overaching plot thats related to the adventures but doesnt rely on them. great book.
I second this, the town of saltmarsh is extremely evocative and gives fantastic hooks for a campaign. The best example I can give from the book is for each background they give a hook for the player, my favorite being acolyte with one of the options literally allowing you to start with a fledgling temple and are given staff to tend to it.
My group had an amazing time playing Ghosts of Saltmarsh, they ended up befriending a Lizardfolk NPC who joined them in their swashbuckling adventures.
thank you for the helpful vids, I used to be stressed about my players not having fun because I don't have a lot of money for books, but guides like this really help
Yeah they make D&D seem really expensive, but with the basic rules free online, the game is free! Books can help you have fun and can speed up your learning, but are not necessary
Thanks for the video! It's good to be reminded that you don't need all the books. For setting, I've got to put in a strong vote for Van Richten's. Horror has never been a favorite for me, but the book did a great job describing all the different brands of it (Body Horror, Cosmic Horror, Gothic Horror, Folk Horror...), and that made me see creative opportunities I had never really appreciated before. There are plenty of other official publications I love, but VRG stands out for making me want to play in a context that I really didn't think was for me before picking the book up.
I personally love ghosts of saltmarsh because not only does it have seven great adventures, but also has this really neat appendix full of rules for ships and other water related things
I highly disagree about not needing the DMG or Monster Manual. Advice like that is what gets people saying stuff like, "The exploration pillar of 5e sucks!" all while the DMG has an entire section with weather effects, tracking, scavenging, etc. Not to mention the amount of times a player/DM will say something like, "I really wish D&D 5e had ________" and then it is literally just something in the DMG under Running the Game or Dungeon Master's Workshop... Edit: I see you recommended it to only DMs. I still think it is good for a Player to flip through every once and a while.
@@BobWorldBuilder That is fair. I really do think that too many people hear the DMG getting lumped in with all the "Don't buy these books" lists and just disregard it. I personally love it because it has so many tools for the game and small little rule tweaks and edits to help make your perfect game. Not to mention all the random tables in it for inspiration! Oh and you mentioned the Monster Manual as the book to teach you how to make Monsers... the DMG in chapter 9 literally has a walk through for making custom monsters and giving monsters levels in player classes... So yeah I could make an Aboleth Barbarian if I wanted and also modify it to have the chameleon skin of a Thri-Kreen. Does that make sense? Not really, but the DMG can show you how to do it!
I’ve played D&D for 6 years, been a DM for 5 of those. Bob hits it on the head that the PHB is the only thing you need. Until I bought Theros in 2021, it was the only one I had. And I home brewed everything.
Good job with the decision tree! I don't think I've seen any other D&D youtubers tackle all the different adventure and resource options quite so comprehensively.
@@BobWorldBuilder Thanks for the heads up. I am looking into starting my own journey in this hobby. I am meaning to play the Baldurs Gate game on my X Box for some time now, so based on what you said, do I need Candle Keep Mysteries, Sword Coast Adventure Guide and Baldurs Gate: Descent into Avermus if I were actually playing in the realm, along with the recommended player books or is there a book I am missing?
I have run Dragon Heist three times now, and I can't recommend it enough. If you're a DM with a little bit of experience, the adventure is GREAT for players of all experience levels. It takes place entirely in Waterdeep, and the city really feels like a character of its own. The setting is fleshed out, and the ability to pick between four different BBEGs makes it very replayable. It's also short enough to not be overwhelming. The only types of ppl who should steer clear of it are people who love wilderness exploration, imo
Every time I read the story, it just seems a bit off-putting. I feel like the story takes a lot of time to go nowhere (and the false name isn't helping it get any points with me). Haven't played it though, so I can't say for sure.
I think that icewind dale and ghosts of salt marsh have to be my two favorite. Both feel like a good sized fleshed out area and leave a lot of freedom on how to run.
Wild Beyond the Witchlight is much more than just the carnival setting--it's very much set-dressing for the opening before opening up into a more distinctly Feywild setting. It's the first 1st party campaign I've run (I've largely done home-made content prior) and has been a blast to run through with the group that I run it for!
We've reached 9 minutes into the video and all the books I own have already been mentioned. PHB MM DMG Tashas Xanathars Volos Fizbans Theros And I have the Monster Card set for Mordekainens
I haven’t even watched this yet but I just wanted to comment to say thank you for making this!! As someone that just recently took up the hobby, your video from last year was a god send but now it’s updated it’s even better, thank you Bob!☺️💙
I started playing DnD when I was 9 and I'm now 50. My go to edition has been 3rd. Heard some not so great things about 4th and 5th is growing on me. Solely based on this video I went out and bought the players handbook for 5th edition. Thanks for this video and your honest recommendations.
Im currently running wild beyond the witchlight, the carnival theme is essentially just the adventure hook, we left the carnival setting after one session. Afterwards you enter the feywild and its a really fun experience, with lots of subtle references to other stories like alice in wonderland and peter pan.
Also, long time watcher, first time commenter. I dig your stuff Bob and have really appreciated watching your channel grow. Thanks for everything you do.
something i would totally buy that doesn't exists is a box that contains: - a small adventure (the size of one from the starter sets) - a few maps (of cities and regions) - a few encounter maps i know you don't need maps, but having some visual element it's so helpful for the player and helps them understanding better i think
Glad you mentioned the other starters this time. I'd also mention that Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft and Ghosts of Saltmarsh have really good tools for creating new horror themed or nautical themed campaigns respectively.
Well Bob, you've done it again. This is a fantastic and super handy video! Actually one of the most useful D&D videos I have seen in more than a year! Thank you so much for your contribution to this awesome community! Carry on!!!
It was super nice of Wizards of the Coast to simplify the answer to this question. Between the OGL and the Pinkertons, the question of "what D&D books should you buy" has been changed to "none".
There's a fair few of these vids but this has some really good points and comes across honestly blunt about the priorities of the game and where the books stand. A great vid for new players.
I think the main thing separating Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance is that the realms is a place with no major leader, no major religion, just a wide open frontier with lots of factions. Dragonlance is focused on a large war, and lots of politics between major players.
I’m still surprised WoTC hasn’t made a FR campaign and players book. Maybe they figured people would use used 3e and 4e ones or only use their published adventures then come out with them for OneD&D (barf)
Great video Bob. I trust people more when they recommend not buying everything as opposed to, spend as much $ as you can!! I started DMing recently and after much thought about trying to start with my own custom world/adventure I gave in to laziness and ran lost mine of phandelver. I have no regrets. It was a great adventure and was a good springboard to give me confidence to customize more in the future. Thanks for the supportive content Bob!
Forgot to mention, my players finished the Tomb of Annihilation last Sunday, 89 game sessions from 2018-2022. Despite it, my favorite is Ghosts of Saltmarsh, because I'm a great fan of Greyhawk.
Wow this was incredibly thorough and helpful. I feel way more informed about what would make sense for _me_ when deciding whether to purchase these books... Some of which I probably would not have really considered (especially the anthology books). There is just so much out there, thanks for distilling it for us :)
Very on point, not so concise as to overwhelm. Honestly, the best 5e module I've run was a starter set Phandelver/Icespire combo I smashed together. We still talk about that campaign 3 years later. I couldn't get HOTDQ off the ground although I intended to run it through ROT. Avernus also fell apart. We had a really great Straud campaign going but it got COVID. I'm currently running Candlekeep Mysteries as a campaign - it's going better than expected. I am using "A Guide to Candlekeep Mysteries" from Dungeon Master Guild, I'd recommend that if you want to run that as a campaign. Good vid, sharing with my niece (a 12 y/o, budding DM).
Glad you liked this breakdown! --and that you had fun with combining those box sets! That's interesting to hear how you're running Candlekeep. Hope it continues to be awesome!
Really appreciate these videos. I’m new to DnD. I’ve been interested for about 15 years, and own every starter set since the 3.5 Basic Game, but never played a game until a couple weeks ago. I had a blast, and really wanted to get into the game, but a bit intimidated by all the content out there. Your videos have been a great help.
I absolutely love 3rd party materials. I’ve been looking forward to this video and it didn’t disappoint! I pretty much agree with all of your points and book priority too. Volos is such a fantastic book. I don’t own Mordekainens, and I’m running a fiend villain campaign. I’ll have to get it!
@@BobWorldBuilder We all have poor intelligence but my Druid is proficient in Arcana, so I’m the best we got for figuring stuff out lol. And our Barbarian steals stuff and our Paladin breaks stuff. We’re all over the place 😂
I'd highly recommend looking deeper into Witchlight based on what you said in this video. The carnival is more of a hook but it's very minor when it comes to the overall plot. The heavy majority is adventuring across three distinctly different Feywild regions that have vastly different ecosystems and themes from each other. You could truly run the whole thing without the carnival and not miss much. Great video as usual!
It's also my favorite pre-written adventure I've ever ran in D&D by far so I can't recommend it enough. Almost every encounter is a ton of fun and provides ample roleplay opportunity
I’m currently about 8 months into witchlight as a first time player. It is great but my DM found that the combats were more spread out and with little in the way of resource management. If you are into lots of combat in quick succession maybe won’t be for you. But there’s so many stops that homebrew fits in pretty much everywhere.
It must be Christmas because Bob ( our smooth talking savior) has given his rewive of all the books. One's again thanks for your good tips on what to buy for every level of dnd experience
The starter & the essential kit combo is perfect for new DMs. All set in one small village, it's easy to keep track of npcs and add or subtract what you like from both adventures. Two years ago I started my first campaign with these box sets and they helped me feel comfortable with DMing.
If you just weren't all that hyped for the carnival part of Witchlight i'll be happy to inform you that it's just the intro to the adventure and fades into the background very quickly. The carnival is just an entryway to the feywilds and the book is set up so the things you do while at the carnival serves as foreshadowing for the rest of the adventure, but more in a "huh, i've sorta done this before that's cool" sort of way. The vast majority of it is set in a domain of delight that's under the oppressive rule of a coven of (honestly pretty cool) hags. The carnival itself could easily be a one-shot and then you spend the rest of it in the feywilds.
Have a new GM who for his first time running a game is taking me and my gf through hoard of the dragon queen. He's doing a great job and the module seems very nicely made
honestly: even if you don't dig critical role, explorer's guide to wildemount is a top five book imho and should be the model for any campaign setting. but if i had to grab one rule book and adventure it would the essentials rulebook and lost mines of phandelver. that said, i love love love the new starter set and will be running it soon.
reasons i think bob should take a look at wildemount: 4 cool starter adventures, very detailed gazetteer with adventure ideas for each location, and the heroic chronicle. honestly everything from the book can be dropped into a homebrew world with little adjustments. great book and worth the price (it hovers around $20 on amazon).
Waterdeep Dragon Heist 'Alexandrian Remix' fixes basically all of the problems with official campaign in a way that is quite easy to implement. Anyone who wants to run Waterdeep should definitely check it out! It makes it into an actual heist, weaves in all the factions and villains, and generally just makes it better for the players and DM.
This was a really great video, Bob! I am so excited to run Radiant Citadel in the future. But I can't agree more about Candlekeep although it needs some meat on the adventure bones to feel satisfying to me! I'm currently running Candlekeep as a series of mini campaigns (5-8 sessions per chapter than the advised one shot model). We're working our way through the third chapter where my players are traversing the Shadowfell. I'm working to make Candlekeep much more of a central location to the quests as book end touchstones. This is especially useful as I run the mini campaigns with the intention of my party members changing somewhat from one chapter to the next. So having a place to start from and return to allows for connecting new players much easier.
I enjoyed your first video very much, but this one was definitely even better! My shelf is much smaller on the official dnd content side, especially as a new dm, but I love the dark matter 3rd party sci-fi book, so im sure I'm gonna enjoy spelljammers when my copy finally arrives ^-^
thank you so much for all the information you put up! trying to get into dnd feels so hard because atleast for my head it has this mystic aura around it. Dnd always felt like it was reserved only for those who have spend months learning all the rules of the games. once again thank you!
@@BobWorldBuilder You 100% did! Having run POTA back in the day. I can 100% agree that it was not a good time to DM; but my players liked it a lot. And for Descent Into Avernus - I gave it a different spin, similar to the Task Force X aka the SS in DC comics. Who are forced on a mission to hell with a rick flag-esque conquest paladin to watch over 'em. It was a blast! 🤘
If I were to build a small 5e library for someone, it would include the PHB, DMG, MM, Tales from the Yawing Portal, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Curse of Strahd, and Tomb of Annihilation. If you bought them at a discount on Amazon (new or used), you could pick up these seven books for about $200. The reason I picked these books is the tone. They all feature a darker, scarier, more classic sword & sorcery vibe.
Ive been running the wild beyond the witchlight and im loving it. The carnival part of the book is literally just a doorway into the feywild with amazing hag coven. And its so fun seeing my party trying to stay out of combat
I love Candlekeep Mysteries! I started with it as my first DM-adventure and now it has spun into its own campaign with just something concrete to build around. Oh, and dragons are awesome, I love dragons. There can never be too many dragons.
I am getting back into D&D - I consider this video is a key source video for what/when to buy for crafting your own library - thanks for your work on putting this video together, it is much appreciated. I just found your channel but if you could do a similar video for third party resources and open source/free online resources, I would be down to give that review a thumbs up too!
There are a lot of quality 3rd Party books. A lot of them will be niche based on what you want, but you can probably find something neat that will peak your interest. I do mean there is a lot, I think I have more 3rd party than official.
Absolutely. You're better off getting 3rd party Adventures (And Supporting Books) like the ones from AAW, Art of the Genre, Maze of the Blue Medusa, Frog God Games, Necromancer Games, Game Hole Games, Pacesetter Games, Goodman Games, etc. The best official 5e adventures are the old ones updated for 5e, not the ones that are new. Many of these new adventures and campaigns don't even feel like they've been playtested.
Having played or run all the hardcover adventures you haven’t, I’d recommend: 1. Radiant Citadel 2. Tomb of Annihilation 3. Storm King’s Thunder 4. Curse of Strahd 5. Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Generally the hardcovers are great if you want to have a shared experience and participate in a story that you could talk to other D&D fans about. They don’t save a lot of work for the DM, but they really plug you into the community because there are lots of others who have played the same storyline (and had very different experiences).
Eberron doesn't have SciFi elements. It's a world where magic fills the day-to-day role that science does in our world. It's "broad magic" rather than "high magic". That means that there's magic everywhere, but it's modest in power. High level NPCs are extremely rare, as are spells higher than 3rd-level. The PCs are the heroes of Eberron. It has a lot of modern cultural conceits, making it very relatable to players. I can't recommend Eberron enough. The depth, quality, and coherence of the setting are second to none. Wildemount and Tal'dorei are different continents in Exandria, Matt Mercer's world. They have very different feels. I like Wildemount. Tal'dorei is not my thing.
@@transientanus Warforged are no more SciFi than any other type of golem or construct. They've simply had a soul bound to them. It's people playing other settings who try to turn them into "robots". That's absolutely not what they are in Eberron.
I think the funny argument we make sometimes in the DND community is that alt games like Pathfinder have "too many rules" when we have 39 books lol. I agree with the message of this video; if you have an idea of how the rules go, you can have a great time without the Library of Alexandria.
I really enjoyed this video Bob. I recently, this summer, jumped into d&d with my family after spending about 6 months listening to a couple of podcasts. I being the most familiar with d&d decided to dm and I chose the lost mines of phandelver starter set. It's been good, a huge learning curve for everyone. This video has been really helpful in being able to prioritise the books I should be looking towards buying next. Thanks for the really informative video, you have a new subscriber here. Keep them coming.
Really well done man. Little correction for next time: Acquisitions Inc isn’t really a setting, it takes place in the Forgotten Realms. The big thing it provides is a framework for a Adventuring Business. It was free on DNDBeyond for a moment (not sure if ti still is) - check it out, it’s worth a skim.
Acq. Inc. is incredibly useful for anyone who has ever complained about 5e not having enough gold piece sinks and player behavior incentives. The first half of the book is literally stronghold and henchman maintenance rules and 8 player subclasses. Not class subclasses. Player subclasses. Mechanical in character support for 8 player roles designed to reinforce the book keeping, note taking, and playgroup leadership roles that happen out of character but still at the table.
Having the books is good for people who can't study things online. (Because the internet contains RUclips. And Bob is distracting. But it's studying for DND! I promise!) I honestly just want the monster books. I want to have that resource handy
Books you need as a player Phb Optional for players Xthanars guide to everything Sword coast guide Tashas cauldron. For the dms Phb Mm Dmg Optional for dms Everything else Or like just use a school/ library computer to look at the rules and also reddit has ton useful information Essential for everyone Dice, paper , pencil But even then computers can replace these things. Have fun :)
100% agree that the adventure anthologies have felt like the easiest to use and to drag and drop into my homebrew setting. Radiant Citadel and Candlekeep Mysteries have already given me hours of great content. As for full blown adventure books... many of them require a lot of extra work to rebalance or rework certain parts. I think Waterdeep Dragon Heist is the best starting adventure hands down. I also think it can easily lead into Curse of Strahd, Storm King's Thunder, or Tomb of Annihilation which are my favorite adventures so far. I am about to start DMing Call of the Netherdeep and I will give them credit for making this book a lot more accessible and easier to use than previous modules.
You should give Witchlight a chance, the carnival is only at the start, the rest of the adventure is in the Fey and revolves around the schemes of a trio of hags. I have been running a lvl 12 (about 6 players) through it (so it's been a challenge to provide them with a. challenge on some occasions as they are very overpowered compared to the adventure), and they are almost into the final chapter. Been a lot of fun so far.
Of all the Adventure Books, I think I've gotten the most bang for my buck out of the anthologies (Yawning Portal, Salt Marsh, Candle keep...) They're just so easy for one shots and can plug so nicely into any campaign
I had been thinking about updating my ruleset and settings to 5E. Ever since encountering Critical Role; a little under 5 years ago, now. I bought the Starter set and Essentials kit together, about 3 months ago and decided to keep using 3.5. My own version of D&D uses 3.5 rules with added mechanics from 5th, but takes its largest adventure inspirations from 1st Edition AD&D and right through. I wouldn't say I'd need any of them. Still going to acquire: Stormwreck for my 14 year old daughter, for Christmas. This is because she has told me; she wants to have a crack at DM-ing, herself. I'll be giving her a peak behind the screen, over the next few months and teaching her to port stuff into the 3rd Ed system I use. Then early next year, wind her up and let her go with her own take on Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. Should be good. Also thinking of acquiring; a couple of the official settings for myself, just out of personal interest. (maybe VR's guide to Ravenloft, Curse of Strahd, Theros and Ravnica. Because those settings speak to me more than the FR) I like Matt Mercer's style, but I don't need to play in his world. It works for them and that's great, but not so much for me and mine. I'm more interested in the 3rd party books and materials really. The Goodman Games stuff, springs to mind for me. Even if I don't use the MAW. These materials would give me, my daughter and successive generations. Oh, about a million years of; data mining, inspiration and stories to share with our friends and dear ones.
Another great video man, and honestly I am finding I agree with this wholeheartedly. Though I will ask something: as someone who has D&D Beyond, do any of the free materials or low cost materials on it need a place in the collection? Personally i think the Icespire Peak adventures are a definite keep given they turn the starter campaign into one that goes to level 15.
Thanks! That’s a great question. Besides the DoIP expansion quests I haven’t, I haven’t tried any of the other digital-only content. Those are probably good for expanding on almost any of the main 3 starter boxes actually
Personal recommendation for me would be getting the old starter set, if you can, alongside the essentials kit. Considering were getting a setting book around Phandelver and the two box sets can work together would mean a great campaign. Ive yet to get the three starting books in physical though.
As someone who owns and ran through the Rick and Morty set I will say that it was very fun to play through even if you’re not a fan of Rick of Morty. There are a few references but mostly it’s just a whacky dungeon with a whole lot of fun puzzles and rooms that make for a lot of memorable moments. Having artifacts that steal your butt to a mouth the size of a wall asking you to solve a riddle down to angry orcs and goblins looking for gold.
I love the wild beyond the witchlight! And the Carneval thing is only a small part, the intro to the actual adventure. So if this is the only thing keeping you from playing it, try it anyway. It's really fun an weird and mystical.
I run a gothic Victorian horror campaign so Van Richten's Guide has been a big help but I also appreciate the Campaign guide, players handbook and monster manual from Grim Hollow. Lots of awesome options for players, alternate rules that we use and SO many new scary monsters to use.
Recently used Monsters of the Multiverse to start a new campaign, allowing the players to flip thru all the accumulated races. Currently have a tiefling, gith, fairy and a kobold running around.
My first book I got after the big 3 box set was eberron. I really liked it because I liked the setting, lore, and tech. It's really helping to inspire, and "guide" me in a way, as I create my own setting
I'm actually moving back to 2nd edition, and am hunting down all the books on ebay etc. After trying 5e for 3 years, and then playing one entire campaign in 2e... I believe it's objectively better.
@@Zarkness25 honestly, it's because it's harder. Not the rules. Yes they are not as intuitive as 5e, but once you wrap your head around them it's actually not that har to understand. The biggest issue I think was thac0. But it took I guess 2 minutes to be explained to me, about 10 minutes to get used to it and then it's just easy. Same with ac saves etc. It's just different, but not harder (imo). The biggest difference was that it's hard to survive. It felt more realistic and with higher stakes. I burned through 2 characters before finally surviving to 4th lvl and learned to treat things with a bit more caution. In our party, only one player survived the whole campaign without re-rolling. Now, I'm not saying it's awesome to lose a character. But it just feels like higher stakes because the rules are harsh. Unless there is a house rule, it's over at 0 hp for example. Finally after completing rhe campaign, we were average of level 14. That was hard won levels! It was just higher stakes and when you earned a level it felt disearved. 5e, always just felt like in short order you were op. I don't know, it was just more fun to us.
@@Zarkness25 also, keep in mind I haven't run a game yet in 2e, but I'm next on the docket. So I was hunting down the books. Our last campaign was run off of pdf versions. I just want the books for... just to have them as well.
Just as a recommendation, you should be able to get many of those books on DMs Guild. I do not know if they have print versions for all of them though.
@@roundpeg3239 Indeed. 2e is my favourite edition for "storytelling" as the rules are so flexible and easy to houserule (with decades of people's knowledge available), and 3.5e is my favourite edition for "tactical combat", "character builds", and rich lore - the FR settings books are awesome - best content WoTC have put out in that regard. Adding in the 2.5e Players Options: Combat & Tactics book gives some combat crunch to 2e and, in my opinion, is well worth looking at if you like that sort of thing. Absolutely tons of content out there for 2e too at very affordable prices. 5e sort of does a bit of both in terms of fluff and crunch but neither quite as well as I'd like, though it's a lot easier to find players for that these days.
Dragonlance => generic fantasy with constraints, so the setting actually has some semblance of internal Logic. Faerun => well we need SOMEWHERE where EVERYTHING we publish is allowed. Forgotten Realms sucks imo. It badly needs to have the fat trimmed so it can become a sensible setting, but frankly, it’s too late. Three editions of kitchen sink too late.
you said something at around 4 minutes into the video about campaigns dying at around level 12. i know it was probably a joke but i have seen it happen twice at 13th level in two campaigns i was in. a video about how to keep people and the dm invested at later levels would be good if you havent already made one.
@@BobWorldBuilder well i hope it doesnt happen to my campaign, i wonder if its more about players losing interest or dms getting bored of their own setting after running it for so long.
It's possible that this has changed after Ice Windale, but please do yourself a favor and buy Neverland 5e instead of any published WotC module. WotC up through IW at least had not figured out how to present an adventure in a way that the DM can actually run without extensive note taking and troubleshooting...
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Please if you have time to read at all pick up the Dragons of Autumn - Spring at least. AKA Dragonlance Chronicles. These are the first 3 books Weis & Hickman wrote in this setting.
Just buy base set and leave it at that, 5e is a waste of money, espetially with great games like DCC, Dungeon World, Torch Bearer (and the list goes on) out there.
I like the game but compared to others it's really not worth it even if it was cheaper than the aforementioned and it's way costly
any recommendations for a really long storybook for me and my bro to keep us entertained for the summer? multiple short books is also fine
@@strandedtraveler5034 My best friend just gave me his copy of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Huge book, but I've been liking it so far. I would also recommend Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Read that a few years ago and really liked it.
My first time I ran the game, I ran it for my brothers. We only had a Players Habdbook. I used some monsters from the back, and we had a blast! I’ve bought lots of other books since, but only for fun; never felt it was necessary. So, I totally agree with all this, Bob👍
I love these kinds of stories! My initiation to D&D was very similar :)
@@BobWorldBuilder when was your first exposure to dnd. Love your content and am always curious about how people get started on this great hobby.
@@BobWorldBuilder that would make a great video, Bob! Your first experience with D&D-tell us all about it! (unless you've already done it and I haven't seen it yet😬)
Story time!
Story time!
Story time!
You really only need the PHB to play and even then it's more of a convenience than a necessity
sounds fun but i need y to o search for a party companions im playing Elden Ring. in my home Dungeon castle
If I had to recommend a book for people who want to become a DM, I would choose Return of Lazy Dungeon Master, even over the official DMs Guide. It teaches you to organize yourself in a simple way and without overpreparing things. I use that book to prepare my adventures together with the Notion template created by the author and it works great for me.
That's for 5e?
@@3nertia It's written with 5e in mind, but it's system agnostic.
@@Tzimisce Thank you
I have a couple videos about it!
@@3nertia I think he doesn't name D&D but Mike Shea does everything with 5e in mind. He has some cool adventures too
Something i’ve found useful in DnD is the library. You can borrow the campaign adventures like and use them until you’re done playing. No buying involved! I borrowed the DM’s guide and PHB from the library until I felt like I actually wanted to just buy them.
Speaking as someone married to a librarian I can confirm they have about three times as many resources as people actually use… not just in books, but in dvd rentals, and even local history resources… people come in for kids books or to copy something or print it out… but there is so much more at your disposal there than just that… assuming you have got a good library to begin with
You have an awesome library
That's awesome!
@@EarnestEgregore Growing up fairly poor, the library's DVD rentals were pretty much how we saw any movies that came out or old ones that we wanted to see, as well as certain shows. In fact, in many ways, a good library is an invaluable resource if you're impoverished (at least in North America and probably most of Europe) if you have access to one!
@@EarnestEgregore my local library has 2 of each official dnd source book
Starter Set + PHB is probably the best and only needed combination, then any other book that was released before WotC started 'revising' things for 5.5E.
The true core books!!
Was literally asking myself as a new DM, should i be getting stuff now and go ahead and start until all the 5.5 comes out or hold off. Good to know those two would suffice.
@@halfpastzen With the amount of online content available for free, the Starter Set and PHP are good enough, Starter set on its own is great, but I don't like the premade characters so I would take PHP and let the players enjoy the full experience. The Lost Mine of Phandelver is a great little adventure which will last you for few weeks and by the time you finish it you'll know how you feel about DnD.
I would say that, despite having released after WotC started messing everything up for 5.5e, Fizban's is still kind of worth getting, as is the Critical Role campaign. All the other books are garbage, and I'm frankly embarrassed to even have Van Richten's Guide on my shelf.
@@FrostyTheSnowPickle Strixhaven was the first bad book for me, and since then I haven't bought anything. And with the way the butchered Spelljammer I'm don't even want to know what will become of my beloved Planescape.
Thanks Bob, for doing all the leg work! Hands down, your channel figures greatly in my purchasing decisions.
Apologies for the late reply! Thanks so much! :)
Something that i did a lot in my DM times was to create my own campaigns and stories.
So as important as the Players Handbook, I considered the Monsters Manual the second most important of the core books, since... well... I needed to select monsters to put on the adventures.
Yeah preference between the monster manual and DMG depends on which you need more guidance for: the world itself (DMG), or individual encounters (MM)
And 5e monster creation guides are free online... and far better than anything WotC has put out.
As much as I love Forgotten Realms, I think I prefer the world of Dragonlance/Krynn.
It has so much unique lore and the how magic works alone is so cool, I hope the new campaign setting books will really go in depth on the setting and let people see how it stands apart from the rest!.
Also I really recommend everyone to check out the first two trilogies of Dragonlance.
Well you'll love those upcoming 5e books!
For AD&D, I LOVE Dragonlance. I am a bit more of a BECMI guy, and LOVED Mystara. Yeah, I am 1st Edition. You know, when there were only 9 AD&D books. (plus the DL Hardcover)
Shout out to Bob’s series on blending Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak. This has been the backbone of my first long term campaign, and I keep going back to those videos for inspiration.
I would be interested in that since I just hot the "older" starter set and the essentials kit
Peak D&D.
This is crazy, I just watched the 2021 video yesterday and then this one drops today? It's like my birthday
Hahah pure luck!
...or was it???
ghosts of saltmarsh is maybe my favourite book. im running it as a full adventure- the town is an extremely evocative and reactive setting that lends well to playing all the adventures in. it also makes it really easy to pick an end point- one ofy players rolled in the saltmarsh specific hermit table and, with a lil imagination, its given me an overaching plot thats related to the adventures but doesnt rely on them. great book.
What a glowing review! This is tough because I still have a long list of things I want to run...maybe that one will move up a little haha
I second this, the town of saltmarsh is extremely evocative and gives fantastic hooks for a campaign. The best example I can give from the book is for each background they give a hook for the player, my favorite being acolyte with one of the options literally allowing you to start with a fledgling temple and are given staff to tend to it.
Thirded. I've played/ran quite a few published books, Saltmarsh is head and shoulders the most fun, even if it lacks the allure of Strahd.
My group had an amazing time playing Ghosts of Saltmarsh, they ended up befriending a Lizardfolk NPC who joined them in their swashbuckling adventures.
How good is Saltmarsh for adaption to non forgotten realms or even non 5e as inspirational material?
thank you for the helpful vids, I used to be stressed about my players not having fun because I don't have a lot of money for books, but guides like this really help
Yeah they make D&D seem really expensive, but with the basic rules free online, the game is free! Books can help you have fun and can speed up your learning, but are not necessary
Thanks for the video! It's good to be reminded that you don't need all the books. For setting, I've got to put in a strong vote for Van Richten's. Horror has never been a favorite for me, but the book did a great job describing all the different brands of it (Body Horror, Cosmic Horror, Gothic Horror, Folk Horror...), and that made me see creative opportunities I had never really appreciated before. There are plenty of other official publications I love, but VRG stands out for making me want to play in a context that I really didn't think was for me before picking the book up.
I personally love ghosts of saltmarsh because not only does it have seven great adventures, but also has this really neat appendix full of rules for ships and other water related things
Yes!!! Ghosts of Saltmarsh has amazing tools and materials. I love using the ship stuff.
I highly disagree about not needing the DMG or Monster Manual. Advice like that is what gets people saying stuff like, "The exploration pillar of 5e sucks!" all while the DMG has an entire section with weather effects, tracking, scavenging, etc. Not to mention the amount of times a player/DM will say something like, "I really wish D&D 5e had ________" and then it is literally just something in the DMG under Running the Game or Dungeon Master's Workshop...
Edit: I see you recommended it to only DMs. I still think it is good for a Player to flip through every once and a while.
Thanks for the edit! Yeah depending on a player's budget, I don't think they need to get their own copy of those books
@@BobWorldBuilder That is fair. I really do think that too many people hear the DMG getting lumped in with all the "Don't buy these books" lists and just disregard it. I personally love it because it has so many tools for the game and small little rule tweaks and edits to help make your perfect game. Not to mention all the random tables in it for inspiration!
Oh and you mentioned the Monster Manual as the book to teach you how to make Monsers... the DMG in chapter 9 literally has a walk through for making custom monsters and giving monsters levels in player classes... So yeah I could make an Aboleth Barbarian if I wanted and also modify it to have the chameleon skin of a Thri-Kreen. Does that make sense? Not really, but the DMG can show you how to do it!
Preach my Brother! I too love the tools in the DMG!
I’ve played D&D for 6 years, been a DM for 5 of those. Bob hits it on the head that the PHB is the only thing you need. Until I bought Theros in 2021, it was the only one I had. And I home brewed everything.
I love that! I really want to get back to more minimal D&D with lots of homebrew
Good job with the decision tree! I don't think I've seen any other D&D youtubers tackle all the different adventure and resource options quite so comprehensively.
Thanks! I tried lol
@@BobWorldBuilder Thanks for the heads up. I am looking into starting my own journey in this hobby. I am meaning to play the Baldurs Gate game on my X Box for some time now, so based on what you said, do I need Candle Keep Mysteries, Sword Coast Adventure Guide and Baldurs Gate: Descent into Avermus if I were actually playing in the realm, along with the recommended player books or is there a book I am missing?
yes! a reboot! i’ve been waiting for this
I have run Dragon Heist three times now, and I can't recommend it enough. If you're a DM with a little bit of experience, the adventure is GREAT for players of all experience levels. It takes place entirely in Waterdeep, and the city really feels like a character of its own. The setting is fleshed out, and the ability to pick between four different BBEGs makes it very replayable. It's also short enough to not be overwhelming. The only types of ppl who should steer clear of it are people who love wilderness exploration, imo
Every time I read the story, it just seems a bit off-putting. I feel like the story takes a lot of time to go nowhere (and the false name isn't helping it get any points with me). Haven't played it though, so I can't say for sure.
That's a great testimonial!
Dragon Heist is my favourite pre-written adventure in 5e.
I think that icewind dale and ghosts of salt marsh have to be my two favorite. Both feel like a good sized fleshed out area and leave a lot of freedom on how to run.
Icewind Dale was fun, but honestly too much content for me! Really interested in GoSM though!
Icewind Dale is great, but I think there's way too much to do in the first two chapters.
Wild Beyond the Witchlight is much more than just the carnival setting--it's very much set-dressing for the opening before opening up into a more distinctly Feywild setting. It's the first 1st party campaign I've run (I've largely done home-made content prior) and has been a blast to run through with the group that I run it for!
@@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket Have a great time!
blech.... no thanks. I guess it depends on the age and the players.
We've reached 9 minutes into the video and all the books I own have already been mentioned.
PHB
MM
DMG
Tashas
Xanathars
Volos
Fizbans
Theros
And I have the Monster Card set for Mordekainens
I haven’t even watched this yet but I just wanted to comment to say thank you for making this!! As someone that just recently took up the hobby, your video from last year was a god send but now it’s updated it’s even better, thank you Bob!☺️💙
Awesome! I'm really glad you find it useful! :)
I started playing DnD when I was 9 and I'm now 50. My go to edition has been 3rd. Heard some not so great things about 4th and 5th is growing on me. Solely based on this video I went out and bought the players handbook for 5th edition. Thanks for this video and your honest recommendations.
Im currently running wild beyond the witchlight, the carnival theme is essentially just the adventure hook, we left the carnival setting after one session.
Afterwards you enter the feywild and its a really fun experience, with lots of subtle references to other stories like alice in wonderland and peter pan.
Ahh thanks for the clarification!
I Love Peter Pan there s. more adventures in Neverland become a skillful lost boy
if i was a LostBoy iwood hunt Vampire Pirates raid there gold in Neverland & Burndownthere ships
Also, long time watcher, first time commenter. I dig your stuff Bob and have really appreciated watching your channel grow. Thanks for everything you do.
Much appreciated! :)
something i would totally buy that doesn't exists is a box that contains:
- a small adventure (the size of one from the starter sets)
- a few maps (of cities and regions)
- a few encounter maps
i know you don't need maps, but having some visual element it's so helpful for the player and helps them understanding better i think
I have seen several of these DnD book shopping guides, even the one you made previously. This is the very best one yet. Well done Bob.
Thanks very much!
Glad you mentioned the other starters this time.
I'd also mention that Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft and Ghosts of Saltmarsh have really good tools for creating new horror themed or nautical themed campaigns respectively.
Well Bob, you've done it again. This is a fantastic and super handy video! Actually one of the most useful D&D videos I have seen in more than a year! Thank you so much for your contribution to this awesome community! Carry on!!!
That’s high praise! Thank you :)
It was super nice of Wizards of the Coast to simplify the answer to this question. Between the OGL and the Pinkertons, the question of "what D&D books should you buy" has been changed to "none".
Very thoughtful of them
Been playing dnd for a year now. The books are a blast to play with my friends.
Great! Keep playing!
There's a fair few of these vids but this has some really good points and comes across honestly blunt about the priorities of the game and where the books stand. A great vid for new players.
Thank you!
Literally just started watching the older version of this video when this popped up
I think the main thing separating Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance is that the realms is a place with no major leader, no major religion, just a wide open frontier with lots of factions. Dragonlance is focused on a large war, and lots of politics between major players.
I’m still surprised WoTC hasn’t made a FR campaign and players book. Maybe they figured people would use used 3e and 4e ones or only use their published adventures then come out with them for OneD&D (barf)
Great video Bob. I trust people more when they recommend not buying everything as opposed to, spend as much $ as you can!!
I started DMing recently and after much thought about trying to start with my own custom world/adventure I gave in to laziness and ran lost mine of phandelver. I have no regrets. It was a great adventure and was a good springboard to give me confidence to customize more in the future.
Thanks for the supportive content Bob!
Great video Bob! Thanks!
Forgot to mention, my players finished the Tomb of Annihilation last Sunday, 89 game sessions from 2018-2022. Despite it, my favorite is Ghosts of Saltmarsh, because I'm a great fan of Greyhawk.
Geez! Four years!? I hope there were some breaks during that or something haha
Amazing video! I love how you categorized everything on how suitable are for different players and DMs
Glad it was helpful!
Wow this was incredibly thorough and helpful. I feel way more informed about what would make sense for _me_ when deciding whether to purchase these books... Some of which I probably would not have really considered (especially the anthology books). There is just so much out there, thanks for distilling it for us :)
That's exactly what I was hoping to hear! Thank you very much! :)
Very on point, not so concise as to overwhelm. Honestly, the best 5e module I've run was a starter set Phandelver/Icespire combo I smashed together. We still talk about that campaign 3 years later. I couldn't get HOTDQ off the ground although I intended to run it through ROT. Avernus also fell apart. We had a really great Straud campaign going but it got COVID. I'm currently running Candlekeep Mysteries as a campaign - it's going better than expected. I am using "A Guide to Candlekeep Mysteries" from Dungeon Master Guild, I'd recommend that if you want to run that as a campaign.
Good vid, sharing with my niece (a 12 y/o, budding DM).
Glad you liked this breakdown! --and that you had fun with combining those box sets! That's interesting to hear how you're running Candlekeep. Hope it continues to be awesome!
I would love love love a run down on really good 3rd party books you've come across, I'm mostly at a loss of what to look for.
I have a video of "inspiring 3rd party books" from several months ago. Should be in my reviews playlist!
Really appreciate these videos. I’m new to DnD. I’ve been interested for about 15 years, and own every starter set since the 3.5 Basic Game, but never played a game until a couple weeks ago. I had a blast, and really wanted to get into the game, but a bit intimidated by all the content out there. Your videos have been a great help.
I absolutely love 3rd party materials. I’ve been looking forward to this video and it didn’t disappoint! I pretty much agree with all of your points and book priority too. Volos is such a fantastic book. I don’t own Mordekainens, and I’m running a fiend villain campaign. I’ll have to get it!
I’m playing Candlekeep Mysteries at my library right now, it’s been fun.
Haha, how fitting!
@@BobWorldBuilder We all have poor intelligence but my Druid is proficient in Arcana, so I’m the best we got for figuring stuff out lol. And our Barbarian steals stuff and our Paladin breaks stuff. We’re all over the place 😂
I'd highly recommend looking deeper into Witchlight based on what you said in this video. The carnival is more of a hook but it's very minor when it comes to the overall plot. The heavy majority is adventuring across three distinctly different Feywild regions that have vastly different ecosystems and themes from each other. You could truly run the whole thing without the carnival and not miss much.
Great video as usual!
Advices for new DMs are cherry on top too.
I appreciate the clarifications! :)
It's also my favorite pre-written adventure I've ever ran in D&D by far so I can't recommend it enough. Almost every encounter is a ton of fun and provides ample roleplay opportunity
I’m currently about 8 months into witchlight as a first time player. It is great but my DM found that the combats were more spread out and with little in the way of resource management. If you are into lots of combat in quick succession maybe won’t be for you. But there’s so many stops that homebrew fits in pretty much everywhere.
No thanks.
Love your content, your channel is very welcoming to new players and makes me want to get into DnD more so thank you :D
Thanks very much! I hope you do get more into D&D!
It must be Christmas because Bob ( our smooth talking savior) has given his rewive of all the books.
One's again thanks for your good tips on what to buy for every level of dnd experience
My pleasure! 🎄
The starter & the essential kit combo is perfect for new DMs. All set in one small village, it's easy to keep track of npcs and add or subtract what you like from both adventures.
Two years ago I started my first campaign with these box sets and they helped me feel comfortable with DMing.
I agree!
Nice one Bob! Great video as always!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
If you just weren't all that hyped for the carnival part of Witchlight i'll be happy to inform you that it's just the intro to the adventure and fades into the background very quickly. The carnival is just an entryway to the feywilds and the book is set up so the things you do while at the carnival serves as foreshadowing for the rest of the adventure, but more in a "huh, i've sorta done this before that's cool" sort of way. The vast majority of it is set in a domain of delight that's under the oppressive rule of a coven of (honestly pretty cool) hags. The carnival itself could easily be a one-shot and then you spend the rest of it in the feywilds.
Cool! Thnks for the clarification!
I'd love to see a video about third party books with their settings, mechanics, etc. Lots of stuff out there
Have a new GM who for his first time running a game is taking me and my gf through hoard of the dragon queen. He's doing a great job and the module seems very nicely made
Glad to hear it!
Your voice is so soothing.....so glad I found you *deep dives into all your content*
honestly: even if you don't dig critical role, explorer's guide to wildemount is a top five book imho and should be the model for any campaign setting. but if i had to grab one rule book and adventure it would the essentials rulebook and lost mines of phandelver. that said, i love love love the new starter set and will be running it soon.
reasons i think bob should take a look at wildemount: 4 cool starter adventures, very detailed gazetteer with adventure ideas for each location, and the heroic chronicle. honestly everything from the book can be dropped into a homebrew world with little adjustments. great book and worth the price (it hovers around $20 on amazon).
What makes the EGtW that good?
That's good to know!
Waterdeep Dragon Heist 'Alexandrian Remix' fixes basically all of the problems with official campaign in a way that is quite easy to implement. Anyone who wants to run Waterdeep should definitely check it out! It makes it into an actual heist, weaves in all the factions and villains, and generally just makes it better for the players and DM.
This was a really great video, Bob! I am so excited to run Radiant Citadel in the future. But I can't agree more about Candlekeep although it needs some meat on the adventure bones to feel satisfying to me! I'm currently running Candlekeep as a series of mini campaigns (5-8 sessions per chapter than the advised one shot model). We're working our way through the third chapter where my players are traversing the Shadowfell. I'm working to make Candlekeep much more of a central location to the quests as book end touchstones. This is especially useful as I run the mini campaigns with the intention of my party members changing somewhat from one chapter to the next. So having a place to start from and return to allows for connecting new players much easier.
Yeah having a homebase is always helpful for PCs and the DM!
Love the video! Keep up the good work
Thanks very much!
broooo, this game is soo great that the duffer brothers made a show about it
Glad to see an update video.
I enjoyed your first video very much, but this one was definitely even better!
My shelf is much smaller on the official dnd content side, especially as a new dm, but I love the dark matter 3rd party sci-fi book, so im sure I'm gonna enjoy spelljammers when my copy finally arrives ^-^
Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah it's all a matter of personal taste :)
thank you so much for all the information you put up! trying to get into dnd feels so hard because atleast for my head it has this mystic aura around it. Dnd always felt like it was reserved only for those who have spend months learning all the rules of the games. once again thank you!
I will buy them all Bob- you can’t stop me homie lol!!! Being real though - Good “what to buy video” 😊
Haha well I tried to save you some money! Thanks
@@BobWorldBuilder You 100% did!
Having run POTA back in the day. I can 100% agree that it was not a good time to DM; but my players liked it a lot.
And for Descent Into Avernus - I gave it a different spin, similar to the Task Force X aka the SS in DC comics. Who are forced on a mission to hell with a rick flag-esque conquest paladin to watch over 'em. It was a blast! 🤘
If I were to build a small 5e library for someone, it would include the PHB, DMG, MM, Tales from the Yawing Portal, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Curse of Strahd, and Tomb of Annihilation. If you bought them at a discount on Amazon (new or used), you could pick up these seven books for about $200. The reason I picked these books is the tone. They all feature a darker, scarier, more classic sword & sorcery vibe.
Great choices! Honestly that sounds a lot like what I want to keep haha
Ive been running the wild beyond the witchlight and im loving it. The carnival part of the book is literally just a doorway into the feywild with amazing hag coven. And its so fun seeing my party trying to stay out of combat
I love Candlekeep Mysteries! I started with it as my first DM-adventure and now it has spun into its own campaign with just something concrete to build around. Oh, and dragons are awesome, I love dragons. There can never be too many dragons.
I guessed 37 books off the cuff. GAH! I was so close!
rolled a 19 on the DC 20 history check!
I am getting back into D&D - I consider this video is a key source video for what/when to buy for crafting your own library - thanks for your work on putting this video together, it is much appreciated. I just found your channel but if you could do a similar video for third party resources and open source/free online resources, I would be down to give that review a thumbs up too!
There are a lot of quality 3rd Party books. A lot of them will be niche based on what you want, but you can probably find something neat that will peak your interest. I do mean there is a lot, I think I have more 3rd party than official.
Bob saying "look at that cool guy!" is gonna keep me smiling for months, thank you sir.
Absolutely. You're better off getting 3rd party Adventures (And Supporting Books) like the ones from AAW, Art of the Genre, Maze of the Blue Medusa, Frog God Games, Necromancer Games, Game Hole Games, Pacesetter Games, Goodman Games, etc. The best official 5e adventures are the old ones updated for 5e, not the ones that are new. Many of these new adventures and campaigns don't even feel like they've been playtested.
Having played or run all the hardcover adventures you haven’t, I’d recommend:
1. Radiant Citadel
2. Tomb of Annihilation
3. Storm King’s Thunder
4. Curse of Strahd
5. Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Generally the hardcovers are great if you want to have a shared experience and participate in a story that you could talk to other D&D fans about. They don’t save a lot of work for the DM, but they really plug you into the community because there are lots of others who have played the same storyline (and had very different experiences).
Eberron doesn't have SciFi elements. It's a world where magic fills the day-to-day role that science does in our world. It's "broad magic" rather than "high magic". That means that there's magic everywhere, but it's modest in power. High level NPCs are extremely rare, as are spells higher than 3rd-level. The PCs are the heroes of Eberron. It has a lot of modern cultural conceits, making it very relatable to players. I can't recommend Eberron enough. The depth, quality, and coherence of the setting are second to none.
Wildemount and Tal'dorei are different continents in Exandria, Matt Mercer's world. They have very different feels. I like Wildemount. Tal'dorei is not my thing.
Thanks for the clarifications!!
Warforged = Sci-Fi elements. It doesn't matter if the "science" is magic. It equates to the same thing.
@@transientanus Warforged are no more SciFi than any other type of golem or construct. They've simply had a soul bound to them.
It's people playing other settings who try to turn them into "robots". That's absolutely not what they are in Eberron.
I think the funny argument we make sometimes in the DND community is that alt games like Pathfinder have "too many rules" when we have 39 books lol. I agree with the message of this video; if you have an idea of how the rules go, you can have a great time without the Library of Alexandria.
I really enjoyed this video Bob. I recently, this summer, jumped into d&d with my family after spending about 6 months listening to a couple of podcasts. I being the most familiar with d&d decided to dm and I chose the lost mines of phandelver starter set. It's been good, a huge learning curve for everyone. This video has been really helpful in being able to prioritise the books I should be looking towards buying next.
Thanks for the really informative video, you have a new subscriber here. Keep them coming.
Kind of stunned Bob put the Istanbul book above the Monster Manuals/Bestiaries lol
Really well done man.
Little correction for next time: Acquisitions Inc isn’t really a setting, it takes place in the Forgotten Realms. The big thing it provides is a framework for a Adventuring Business. It was free on DNDBeyond for a moment (not sure if ti still is) - check it out, it’s worth a skim.
With fun spells for more social campaigns :)
Acq. Inc. is incredibly useful for anyone who has ever complained about 5e not having enough gold piece sinks and player behavior incentives. The first half of the book is literally stronghold and henchman maintenance rules and 8 player subclasses. Not class subclasses. Player subclasses. Mechanical in character support for 8 player roles designed to reinforce the book keeping, note taking, and playgroup leadership roles that happen out of character but still at the table.
Ahh! That's good to know!
Having the books is good for people who can't study things online. (Because the internet contains RUclips. And Bob is distracting. But it's studying for DND! I promise!)
I honestly just want the monster books. I want to have that resource handy
The internet is a very sharp, double-edged sword haha
Tasha's and Xanathars also have other cool stuff like new optional class additions/changes, Feats and more for character creation.
Books you need as a player
Phb
Optional for players
Xthanars guide to everything
Sword coast guide
Tashas cauldron.
For the dms
Phb
Mm
Dmg
Optional for dms
Everything else
Or like just use a school/ library computer to look at the rules and also reddit has ton useful information
Essential for everyone
Dice, paper , pencil
But even then computers can replace these things.
Have fun :)
100% agree that the adventure anthologies have felt like the easiest to use and to drag and drop into my homebrew setting. Radiant Citadel and Candlekeep Mysteries have already given me hours of great content. As for full blown adventure books... many of them require a lot of extra work to rebalance or rework certain parts. I think Waterdeep Dragon Heist is the best starting adventure hands down. I also think it can easily lead into Curse of Strahd, Storm King's Thunder, or Tomb of Annihilation which are my favorite adventures so far. I am about to start DMing Call of the Netherdeep and I will give them credit for making this book a lot more accessible and easier to use than previous modules.
Great recommendations!
This video is extremely helpful, especially for a complete newbie like me! Thanks a lot for the great overview!
I have an idea for you to post for a video. How about "Which D&D recipes I recommend" as the title?
Well I am thinking about making a video where I make actual rations haha
You should give Witchlight a chance, the carnival is only at the start, the rest of the adventure is in the Fey and revolves around the schemes of a trio of hags. I have been running a lvl 12 (about 6 players) through it (so it's been a challenge to provide them with a. challenge on some occasions as they are very overpowered compared to the adventure), and they are almost into the final chapter. Been a lot of fun so far.
Of all the Adventure Books, I think I've gotten the most bang for my buck out of the anthologies (Yawning Portal, Salt Marsh, Candle keep...)
They're just so easy for one shots and can plug so nicely into any campaign
Bingo!
As a very new DM and just getting into DnD, this was a very helpfull video. Subbed right away!
I had been thinking about updating my ruleset and settings to 5E. Ever since encountering Critical Role; a little under 5 years ago, now. I bought the Starter set and Essentials kit together, about 3 months ago and decided to keep using 3.5. My own version of D&D uses 3.5 rules with added mechanics from 5th, but takes its largest adventure inspirations from 1st Edition AD&D and right through. I wouldn't say I'd need any of them. Still going to acquire: Stormwreck for my 14 year old daughter, for Christmas. This is because she has told me; she wants to have a crack at DM-ing, herself. I'll be giving her a peak behind the screen, over the next few months and teaching her to port stuff into the 3rd Ed system I use. Then early next year, wind her up and let her go with her own take on Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. Should be good. Also thinking of acquiring; a couple of the official settings for myself, just out of personal interest. (maybe VR's guide to Ravenloft, Curse of Strahd, Theros and Ravnica. Because those settings speak to me more than the FR) I like Matt Mercer's style, but I don't need to play in his world. It works for them and that's great, but not so much for me and mine. I'm more interested in the 3rd party books and materials really. The Goodman Games stuff, springs to mind for me. Even if I don't use the MAW. These materials would give me, my daughter and successive generations. Oh, about a million years of; data mining, inspiration and stories to share with our friends and dear ones.
Another great video man, and honestly I am finding I agree with this wholeheartedly. Though I will ask something: as someone who has D&D Beyond, do any of the free materials or low cost materials on it need a place in the collection? Personally i think the Icespire Peak adventures are a definite keep given they turn the starter campaign into one that goes to level 15.
Thanks! That’s a great question. Besides the DoIP expansion quests I haven’t, I haven’t tried any of the other digital-only content. Those are probably good for expanding on almost any of the main 3 starter boxes actually
This videos is what I’ve been looking for because I’ve been trying to make a list of books I want to get. Awesome!
Personal recommendation for me would be getting the old starter set, if you can, alongside the essentials kit. Considering were getting a setting book around Phandelver and the two box sets can work together would mean a great campaign. Ive yet to get the three starting books in physical though.
As someone who owns and ran through the Rick and Morty set I will say that it was very fun to play through even if you’re not a fan of Rick of Morty. There are a few references but mostly it’s just a whacky dungeon with a whole lot of fun puzzles and rooms that make for a lot of memorable moments. Having artifacts that steal your butt to a mouth the size of a wall asking you to solve a riddle down to angry orcs and goblins looking for gold.
I love the wild beyond the witchlight! And the Carneval thing is only a small part, the intro to the actual adventure. So if this is the only thing keeping you from playing it, try it anyway. It's really fun an weird and mystical.
I run a gothic Victorian horror campaign so Van Richten's Guide has been a big help but I also appreciate the Campaign guide, players handbook and monster manual from Grim Hollow. Lots of awesome options for players, alternate rules that we use and SO many new scary monsters to use.
Recently used Monsters of the Multiverse to start a new campaign, allowing the players to flip thru all the accumulated races. Currently have a tiefling, gith, fairy and a kobold running around.
My first book I got after the big 3 box set was eberron. I really liked it because I liked the setting, lore, and tech. It's really helping to inspire, and "guide" me in a way, as I create my own setting
Awesome!
I'm actually moving back to 2nd edition, and am hunting down all the books on ebay etc. After trying 5e for 3 years, and then playing one entire campaign in 2e... I believe it's objectively better.
I’m kinda curious by this, could u explain why? Not angry just curious I wanna learn more about 2e
@@Zarkness25 honestly, it's because it's harder. Not the rules. Yes they are not as intuitive as 5e, but once you wrap your head around them it's actually not that har to understand. The biggest issue I think was thac0. But it took I guess 2 minutes to be explained to me, about 10 minutes to get used to it and then it's just easy. Same with ac saves etc. It's just different, but not harder (imo). The biggest difference was that it's hard to survive. It felt more realistic and with higher stakes. I burned through 2 characters before finally surviving to 4th lvl and learned to treat things with a bit more caution. In our party, only one player survived the whole campaign without re-rolling. Now, I'm not saying it's awesome to lose a character. But it just feels like higher stakes because the rules are harsh. Unless there is a house rule, it's over at 0 hp for example. Finally after completing rhe campaign, we were average of level 14. That was hard won levels! It was just higher stakes and when you earned a level it felt disearved. 5e, always just felt like in short order you were op. I don't know, it was just more fun to us.
@@Zarkness25 also, keep in mind I haven't run a game yet in 2e, but I'm next on the docket. So I was hunting down the books. Our last campaign was run off of pdf versions. I just want the books for... just to have them as well.
Just as a recommendation, you should be able to get many of those books on DMs Guild. I do not know if they have print versions for all of them though.
@@roundpeg3239 Indeed. 2e is my favourite edition for "storytelling" as the rules are so flexible and easy to houserule (with decades of people's knowledge available), and 3.5e is my favourite edition for "tactical combat", "character builds", and rich lore - the FR settings books are awesome - best content WoTC have put out in that regard. Adding in the 2.5e Players Options: Combat & Tactics book gives some combat crunch to 2e and, in my opinion, is well worth looking at if you like that sort of thing. Absolutely tons of content out there for 2e too at very affordable prices.
5e sort of does a bit of both in terms of fluff and crunch but neither quite as well as I'd like, though it's a lot easier to find players for that these days.
Came here with the credit card in hand, wasnt dissapointed
I didn’t realize there were so many books now
Too many I'd say haha
Dragonlance => generic fantasy with constraints, so the setting actually has some semblance of internal Logic.
Faerun => well we need SOMEWHERE where EVERYTHING we publish is allowed.
Forgotten Realms sucks imo. It badly needs to have the fat trimmed so it can become a sensible setting, but frankly, it’s too late. Three editions of kitchen sink too late.
you said something at around 4 minutes into the video about campaigns dying at around level 12. i know it was probably a joke but i have seen it happen twice at 13th level in two campaigns i was in. a video about how to keep people and the dm invested at later levels would be good if you havent already made one.
Yeah it was only sort of a joke haha, D&D Beyond even revealed some data a year or two ago showing that was the case for the users
@@BobWorldBuilder well i hope it doesnt happen to my campaign, i wonder if its more about players losing interest or dms getting bored of their own setting after running it for so long.
It's possible that this has changed after Ice Windale, but please do yourself a favor and buy Neverland 5e instead of any published WotC module. WotC up through IW at least had not figured out how to present an adventure in a way that the DM can actually run without extensive note taking and troubleshooting...
I'll add that to my list!