Aneoth wrote:Even so, I do not understand how they can be worth MORE than cover price.
Ever.
You all know that WOTCO sold HUNDREDS of thousands of them.

As mainly a small press collector, I say the same thing about all TSR items

Yes, I agree that SOME other NON Wotco 3.x publications have merit and value even outside 3.0, 3.5, or even 4.0.

But the original question was regarding the perceived value of the Wotco core rules books (PHB/DMG/MM).

And for 3.5 Eds Core Rules Books alone arent there like 7 or 10 books?
With at least 2 PHBs, 4 main MMs and I dont even know how many DMGs.........

And that is before looking at the dozens and dozens of so-called quentiscential books.

Such as the one for the fire breathing half dragon Shadow Assassin booger flicker where inside that Tome you will learn how you can subclass that PC as a Paladin Ice breathing booger eater

JohnGaunt wrote:The PHB, DMH, and MM are labelled as Core Rulebooks I, II, and III.  I don't think the others are labelled as being Core Rules.  I could be wrong because I didn't pay close attention to them before this year.

Thanks for explaining that to me.
I kept seeing PHB II and thought it was the second of 2 PHBs....

I do think that there are a several 3.x MMs out there by Wotco, not to mention the other Monster books, like the new version of the Fiend Folio, and several Quintiscential books for monsters too.

Yeah there is a PHB2 for 3.5, not a core book.
4e changes that a bit with having the PHB2 being more a core book. Though I don't know if they claim it as such, it's hard not to believe they won't be adding the classes and races into their products and referencing it.
Monster books, well damn every edition seems to add more and more.  BECMI kept adding more with each new box set.  1e with the addition of Fiend Folio and Monster Manual 2.  2e with the binder versions and then for every campaign setting, etc.  3.x just started adding a 3rd, 4th, etc Monster Manual instead of setting versions (though they do still have some of those).  While 4e probably will as well.

ShaneG.

Plaag wrote:  1e with the addition of Fiend Folio and Monster Manual 2.  

Just a bit off topic - I was thumbing through a MM2 this morning (my original copy was brand new at Games Day when it was first released over here - happy days!) - and I had forgotten that it had statistics for a squirrel, even my teenage self said WTF!?

http://cgi.ebay.com/4-book-D-D-3-3-5-Lot-Dungeons-and-Dragons_W0QQitemZ270361653998QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270361653998&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318




DMG for 3.5, by WOTCO







http://cgi.ebay.com/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-Core-Rulebook-II-v3-5-from-WotC_W0QQitemZ260380793732QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item260380793732&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318




DMG II for 3.5, by WOTCO




According to the sellers, they are BOTH version 3.5 DMGs..... and BOTH are from WOTCO......







http://cgi.ebay.com/4-book-D-D-3-3-5-Lot-Dungeons-and-Dragons-Rules_W0QQitemZ270361661169QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270361661169&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318




OK, yet TWO more DIFFERENT DMGs from WOTCO.


Or, perhaps this seller is lying.


Otherwise there are actually FOUR versions of the DMG from WOTCO for version 3.5.


I think these two are actually both version 3.0 books.




Which means (I think) that there were TWO seperate DMGs for 3.0 and there are TWO seperate DMGs for 3.5 as well.




http://cgi.ebay.com/5-book-D-D-3-3-5-Lot-Dungeons-and-Dragons_W0QQitemZ270361656801QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270361656801&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318




Above a listing with FIVE different Monster manuals.


MM, MMII, MMIV, MMV and a Fiend Folio


According to the seller again all by WOTCO........




I dont have the time right now to list the auctions that show various covers of PHBs, but there are several different versions of them, all by WOTCO according to the sellers and all for 3.0/3.5.




OH, and What is a SPLAT BOOK?


Would someone Please explain all or some of this to me?


PLEASE??

Aneoth wrote:DMG II for 3.5, by WOTCO

That's the same DMG as the first link.  The seller's just labeled it oddly based on the fact that WotC had the "Core Rulebook #" subtitle on the PHB/DMG/MM for 3.5.

OK, yet TWO more DIFFERENT DMGs from WOTCO.
Or, perhaps this seller is lying.
Otherwise there are actually FOUR versions of the DMG from WOTCO for version 3.5.
I think these two are actually both version 3.0 books.

The DMG in the this 4-book lot is for version 3.0, but that is the 3.5 DMG II also in there.

The DMG II is really just a collection of essays on how to better run games and (I believe) some optional rules.  It's honestly not terrible based on what I saw on a quick skim through (I know, nobody will believe me ), but it's not necessary to play the game and no other books reference it that I know of.

I have no idea what's in the PHB II as I've never looked at a copy, but I imagine it's much the same.

SoulCatcher78 wrote:SPLATBOOK: any sort of add on material, the majority of which used to be soft cover and made a "splat" sound when you dropped one on a table.

The origin of the name that I heard is that it came from the White Wolf Usenet newsgroup.  White Wolf had/has a habit of releasing supplement books detailing the various factions for their games, and they were all named in a format with the word(s) "____ book" in the title.  (e.g.: Clanbook, Tribebook, Kithbook, Tradition Book, Guildbook, Dharma-book, Hunter-Book, Caste Book.)  So the newsgroup members took to referring them in a whole as *books, where the * was eventually pronounced as "splat".

This is all anecdotal though, so who knows if it's actually true.

Was cool to see the artists that did the covers for the core 3.x books at the Gen Cons of there time.  Interesting to see how they did it then and the difference approach they have taken the 4e versions.

ShaneG.