Must have RPG supplements

[Bunch]

For games set in the right time periods, I have got cross-game line use out of:

• “The Globetrotter‘s Guide to London“ for Leagues of Adventure/Gothic Horror (Victorian London) as well as TSR’s Guide to Gothic Earth (from the original Masque of the Red Death Ravenloft line); and
• “Paris Gothique” for All for One: Regime Diabloque (Louis XIII Paris)

Did anyone else mentally add a Harlem to the first suggestion?

 

[chuckdee]

Some of mine have already been mentioned, but adding:

The Primal Order Series
The Black Company
Fate Toolkits

And one not out yet that I was proofreading for the author

Beyond Darkness and Madness for Kult (https://kult.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/project_updates)

That one is going to be something special if you like horror.

 

[ffilz]

In my haste to post on my phone, I didn't actually read the OP...

So most used multi-genre/multi-game supplement?

Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names. I have used this in every campaign in the past 15 years.

Beyond that, I have collected quite a bunch of sandbox supplements during my quest to set up a "West Marches" inspired setting for Cold Iron:

Izirion's Enchiridion of the West Marches
Worlds Without Number
Into the Wild
AEG Toolbox
Tome of Adventure Design
And many others too numerous to list

Other valuable resources:
Dungeon Magazine
White Dwarf Magazine
Different Worlds Magazine
Collection of 1e TSR modules
Judges Guild collection

But really none of that is must have. I like reading stuff but when sitting at the table I actually use very few supplements other than an adventure module. For RuneQuest, Cults of Prax is the biggest exception. That's always on the table when running my Glorantha campaign. Within the context of a campaign the other bit that will often be on the table is the setting map and maybe a gazetteer if the setting has one. Oh the other indispensable supplements for RuneQuest are the stat books like Militia & Mercenaries, Trolls and Trollkin, Creatures of Chaos, FOES, and Fangs.

But other than RuneQuest, the other campaigns I run or have recently run are run with few supplements. I ran Classic Traveller mostly from the 1977 3 LBB (plus Supplement 4 but only during chargen). Sure, I have some other supplements that I might dive into, but session to session? Nope. For OD&D I use the 3 LBB plus Greyhawk, the Monster & Treasure Assortments, Wilderlands of High Fantasy and City State of the Invincible Overlord.

I keep reminding myself of what I actually use an resist urges to purchase too much... And then I go and do it anyway... (to supplement Bushido for a Play by Post I picked up Land of the Rising Sun, Sengoku, and a few other samurai/ninja games...).

 

[TristramEvans]

I find myself trying to shoehorn Freak Legion into everything.

Was that the Fomori supplement for Werewolf?

 

[Bunch]

Some of mine have already been mentioned, but adding:

The Primal Order Series
The Black Company
Fate Toolkits

And one not out yet that I was proofreading for the author

Beyond Darkness and Madness for Kult (https://kult.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/project_updates)

That one is going to be something special if you like horror.

Why The Black Company?

 

[chuckdee]

Why The Black Company?

Because it has a lot of background in it and I tend to run dark fantasy military fiction a lot (it's one of my go-to's). I know it's not meant to be cross-system compatible, but the concepts are easily usable elsewhere; I've used it in Swords of the Serpentine, Eberron, Band of Blades (and Blades against Darkness before Band of Blades was out), and a few more I'm forgetting right now.

 

[Stumpydave]

Was that the Fomori supplement for Werewolf?

Yeah. Its probably my favourite supplement for any game. In fact I'd say it enscapsulated the splatterpunk of Werewolf and the bleak nihilism of the WoD better than any other line.
Plus it makes for a kick ass superhero setting.

 

[Voros]

Yeah. Its probably my favourite supplement for any game. In fact I'd say it enscapsulated the splatterpunk of Werewolf and the bleak nihilism of the WoD better than any other line.
Plus it makes for a kick ass superhero setting.

I dig it as well, a lot odder and more humour than other WoD supplements or games I've seen.

 

[remial]

Plus it makes for a kick ass superhero setting.

yeah, my old group tried that one session, when we were not in the mood for either of our regular campaigns. We ended up creating characters that would have fit nicely (sorta) into the world of the Tick.
As seen through the lenses of the World of Darkness
a group of super heroes was manufactured by Pentex to be the basis for a new line of comic books, which could be used to indoctrinate the youths of today.
there was Man of Titanium, (or Titanium Man, depending on which of his comics he was in) a flying brick "stronger than Steel", and dumber than a bag of hammers. (no mental attributes higher than 1 flaws)
"Phoenix with an F", that was his full hero name. flame projector, who could whip up and throw balefire (corrupted fireballs), couldn't really turn it off. Son of Titanium Man and an evil Garou (mom was a Black Spiral Dancer who was originally a normal house wife until she microwaved non-dairy creamer, and got merged with the family dog), he was twice as smart as his father (no mental attributes higher than 2) (Phoenix and TM worked together as civilians at Pizza Hut. not a Pentex equivalent of Pizza Hut, but just Pizza Hut)
Fantastico, the shapeshifter, who could turn into anything. so long as it was bird related. Eagle Claw for a claw attack, Pigeon power to grow wings and fly, etc. all these things had to be shouted out like a shonen anime (just as smart as Phoenix)
and lastly, the Pentex operative who had the unfortunate job of keeping the 3 morons from destroying the city (a real issue) Anime Boy, a japanese man who had electric blue hair (shaped like Goku from DBZ), a crippling addiction to the wyrm tainted soda, and would manifest new powers and flaws any time he was exposed to balefire. (the only smart one in the group) he was Phoenix's roommate, and was in constant danger of just exploding from all the corruption he gained.

we ended up taking turns storytelling that night, passing the baton when the antics of the players caused us to laugh too hard to continue.

(also check out Deviant they take the power and flaw system and build on it)

 

[3rik]

Tough question. I'm drawing a blank - especially with a supplement that crosses genre lines.

I guess what has been really valuable for my gaming have been the Investigator Weapons books produced by SixtyStone Press. More than just gun-junkie-books, they provide some interesting historical background on firearms; present some interesting optional rules for combat situations; and are just meticulously researched.

Still awaiting Volume 3 in that series, which I believe is supposed to cover Old West/Victorian era firearms.

 

[The Convenient Skill]

My favourites are Everyone Everywhere list of names, and the Risus Companion.

EE just for its utility for every game.

The RC for great GMing advice and being a hoot to read too.

 

[Dammit Victor]

If you're operating in any kind of D&D design space:

• Epic Level Handbook and Savage Species from 3.0 and Unearthed Arcana from 3.5.
• Pathfinder Unchained from PF1.
• Obviously, the whole Player's Option (and DM's Option) series from AD&D 2e.
• BX Options Class Builder by Welsh Piper.
• The B/X Warrior and The B/X Rogue by Gavin Norman, pre-OSE.

Those books are the ultimate toolkits for rearranging your D&D game in whatever fashion you see fit. There are a lot of really good books for designing your own campaign worlds from scratch... but I've never really used any of them, so I can't recommend any of them by name.

 

[A Fiery Flying Roll]

It's a website rather than a supplement, but the Fantasy Name Generator site (which does a lot more than the name suggests) is my secret weapon as a GM - https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/-

 

[Picaroon Jack]

It's a website rather than a supplement, but the Fantasy Name Generator site (which does a lot more than the name suggests) is my secret weapon as a GM - https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/-

Heck yeah, that site is a keeper.

I've used Cyberpunk 2020's Night City supplement for different genre's when I need a city (typically in a supers games), and any space ship deck plan compendiums I horde and use for whatever sci-fi game appropriate.

 

[chuckdee]

It's a website rather than a supplement, but the Fantasy Name Generator site (which does a lot more than the name suggests) is my secret weapon as a GM - https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/-

Including generator sites - https://donjon.bin.sh and https://perchance.org

 

[AsenRG]

Not strictly speaking an RPG supplement, but the book I go back to the most often, no matter what the setting or genre is, whether player or GM, is The Thirty-Six Strategies of Ancient China.

I was going to recommend Sun Tzu's Art of War and Bubishi.

 

[Rob Necronomicon]

GURPS Steam Punk and Steam Tech (but I love that genre).

 

[T. Foster]

Surprised no one else has mentioned Cities by Midkemia Press, also re-released by Chaosium and (as RuneQuest Cities) by Avalon Hill. It’s got a massively detailed and flavorful set of random encounter tables for towns and cities (from which I’ve generated seeds to fill many sessions without any pre-session prep work), a set of rules for randomly creating fantasy towns and cities (to determine what kind of business/residence/etc occupies every building) which I’ve gotten an equal amount of use out of, and even a fun set of tables for determining what happens to PCs in between-adventure downtime - making new friends of enemies, winning or losing money, getting in trouble with the law, etc.

The Chaosium version is my favorite because it’s got better layout than the Midkemia Press one, but any of them are winners.

I don’t suppose it’s as useful outside of a fantasy context but it could still probably provide at least a few inspirational cues.

 

[AsenRG]

Might I suggest Mythic Rome for Mythras? The overview of Roman life really helps to visualize a "lost golden age" that features in so, so many fantasy RPG settings!

 

[TristramEvans]

Might I suggest Mythic Rome for Mythras? The overview of Roman life really helps to visualize a "lost golden age" that features in so, so many fantasy RPG settings!

Oh, I don't think anyone around these parts plays Mythras...

 

[Bunch]

Oh, I don't think anyone around these parts plays Mythras...

So true. It's just too complicated.

 

[AsenRG]

Oh, I don't think anyone around these parts plays Mythras...

Well, then can I suggest you take a Roman supplement for your game of choice (maybe Maelstrom Rome, knowing you)? My point was "getting to know Roman life would be useful even for fantasy settings", the specific supplement may vary.