Top
10 of 2001
Well,
it's the end of the year, and for some
reason that makes people think about
making lists. So why not a list of the
top d20 products of the past year? Now,
I made this list with a few caveats.
First, it doesn't include anything that
I worked on, because... well, that would
seem a bit biased, eh? So, I leave it
to someone else's listmaking skills
to determine whether Return to the
Temple, The Book of Eldritch Might,
and so on, should go on a Top 10 somewhere.
Second,
it's entirely possible that something
came out so late in the year or simply
slipped by me that was really great
and deserves to be on the list. While
I'm pretty aware of the whole d20 phenomenon,
I haven't read absolutely everything.
Third,
the order of the list is not as important
as the list itself. While I think that
the top ten products were pretty clear-cut,
and even the top five were also clear-cut,
there was no clear #1. Any of the top
four or five could have been in the
first slot and I really wouldn't blanche.
On
to the list, counted down backwards,
in David Letterman fashion. (The links
below take you to the product's page
on Amazon.com if you feel like giving
any of them a try.)
10.
Tome
and Blood. The best, by far,
of the Wizards class books. Imaginative
prestige classes and cool spells. I
recommend it.
9.
Psionics
Handbook. A few balance issues
aside, this is one wonderfully imaginative
and creative supplement. (View
the Wizards
of the Coast product page.)
8.
Heart
of Nightfang Spire. Everything
you could want from a short dungeon
adventure. Period. (Check
out my review
of this product.)
7.
Legions
of Hell. A great collection
of fiends, with interesting monsters
handled well rules-wise. If you like
fiends, get your hands on this book.
(Check out my review
of this product.)
6.
Manual
of the Planes. A wonderful book,
without a doubt. Others would rate it
higher, I understand, but being as familiar
with Planescape as I am, a lot of the
coolness didn't seem as new to me. Still,
a wonderful presentation and collection
of material, and some great new stuff.
(View the Wizards
of the Coast product page.)
5.
Relics
& Rituals. This book is
full of great spells. It has seen more
use in my own campaign than any book
beyond the core three. It would be higher
on the list were it not for the priceless
(no, not that sort of priceless) magic
items. Chop that chapter off, and you've
got one fantastic magic supplement.
(Check out my review
of this product.)
4.
Oriental
Adventures. Another great tome.
Beautifully done, and covers all the
necessary bases. It would be higher
on the list were it not for some real
balance problems (some high, some low)
when compared to the core. (View
the Wizards
of the Coast product page.)
3.
Traps
& Treachery. Forget the
stuff at the beginning and get this
book for the Monster Manual-like
presentation of imaginative and well-done
traps. (Check out my
review
of this product.)
2. Magic
of Faerun. Okay, so I like magic.
While I might quibble here and there
with a spell or two, this is full of
great ideas and wonderful material --
and it's better balanced than most of
its "competitors." (View
the Wizards
of the Coast product page.)
1.
Forgotten
Realms Campaign Setting. Probably
the epitome of how a campaign setting
should be presented. Chock full of interesting
source material and game stuff. The
game material probably raises the balance
bar above that of the core, but FR has
always been high-powered, whether Wizards
is willing to admit it or not. (View
the Wizards
of the Coast product page.)
Extra
bonus list: The Top Five Adventures.
Okay,
the above list might be slightly skewed
to favor sourcebooks over adventures.
Given the same caveats as above, here
are my favorite d20 adventures of the
year:
5.
In
the Belly of the Beast (Check
out the Atlas
Games website.)
4.
Speaker
in Dreams (View
the Wizards
of the Coast product page.)
3.
Demons
& Devils (Check
out my review
of this product.)
2.
To
Stand on Hallowed Ground (Check
out my review
of this product.)
1.
Heart
of Nightfang Spire (Check
out my review
of this product.)
Happy
New Year everyone! Like you, I'm excited
to see what 2002 brings to my game shelf!
