Book of Lairs • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Book of Lairs
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HexMapper
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:21 pm

As I really can't view the inner contents of many D&D items without buying, winning, trading, or what have you: would members be willing to share their personal opinions on the references - Book of Lairs and Book of Lairs II?[/b][/i]

Last edited by HexMapper on Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:30 pm

I recently purchased copies of both.
I wanted them for my grandson as he has been writing his own Adventures for neighborhood kids to play in for several months and he needed the extra resource materials.

I was at his house about a week after the NTRPG Convention and he was using some of the ideas from the games that were played there.
He basically just made it up as he went along, though he did have some notes written down and a large scale map that he had drawn too.
We had a short talk that evening and later on we talked some more about some ideas for creating his own adventures and campaigns.

But he needed some filler data so he would not have to do it all from scratch.
That is exactly what those books are for.
You can insert any one or several of the short scenarios into your homemade adventure, or add them to an ongoing systems campaign for extra adventuring, or side adventures.

I like them both especially since they can be obtained from E-Bay at really low costs.
I paid about $6 and $7 (Including SH) for the copies I have.
I have only glanced through them since I got them and He will get them after I have read them again.

He might just be DMing for gramps more than I DM for him.
Of course he has his work cut out for him though.
He is going to have to learn the ins and outs of System/Edition conversion before I do.
He wants to run 3.5 Edition only from now on in his games. :lol:

David Rhea has ruined him for 1st or 2nd Edition. :roll:

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

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FormCritic
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:21 pm

Gnat the Beggar wrote:Of course he has his work cut out for him though.
He is going to have to learn the ins and outs of System/Edition conversion before I do.
He wants to run 3.5 Edition only from now on in his games.

David Rhea has ruined him for 1st or 2nd Edition.

For a 3.5 DM, most of the complication in 3.5 is keeping track of monster statistics during game play. You end up holding the book in your hand (which wrecks your book and gives away to the players whatever page you happen to be referencing) OR you can hold a printed copy of the monster stats in a small notebook.

A printed copy of the stats makes the DM's life much easier.

If you are going to play 3.5 Edition, then there are two companies on RPGNow that you need to check out.

The first is Creative Mountain Games. They sell a bundle of rule books called the System Reference Document (SRD). You can often get this file on sale for almost nothing.

These are basically just the rules laid out, with some extra materials.

BUT, the gem of the SRD is the pdf of all the standard monsters.

GET THAT FILE.

The SRD is available online, but you can't really beat having your own pdf rather than having to work with the quirks of the website.

Then check out Creative Conclave. They publish a series of pdf's called "The Lazy GM." Those are files that give advanced versions of a wide variety of 3.5 monsters.

Part of the strength of the 3.5 Edition is the flexibility and options for improvement on monster stats.

If you simply print off and hold the stats in your hand, conversion becomes a simple matter.

"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

Last edited by FormCritic on Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

HexMapper
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:18 am

Thanks for your input

ashmire13
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:34 am

I'd agree with Gnat, they are an interesting read, although mainly based at higher levels (from memory) as I sold mine a while back

Rolls a '3'

"Did I hit.....?"

Mars
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:18 am

BITD we used the Book of Lairs a number of times - usually when only a couple people could show up for game day. I think they are good little sidetracks and forth the cheap prices they sell for.

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:36 am

FormCritic wrote:
For a 3.5 DM, most of the complication in 3.5 is keeping track of monster statistics during game play. You end up holding the book in your hand (which wrecks your book and gives away to the players whatever page you happen to be referencing) OR you can hold a printed copy of the monster stats in a small notebook.

A printed copy of the stats makes the DM's life much easier.

If you are going to play 3.5 Edition, then there are two companies on RPGNow that you need to check out.

The first is Creative Mountain Games. They sell a bundle of rule books called the System Reference Document (SRD). You can often get this file on sale for almost nothing.

These are basically just the rules laid out, with some extra materials.

BUT, the gem of the SRD is the pdf of all the standard monsters.

GET THAT FILE.

The SRD is available online, but you can't really beat having your own pdf rather than having to work with the quirks of the website.

Then check out Creative Conclave. They publish a series of pdf's called "The Lazy GM." Those are files that give advanced versions of a wide variety of 3.5 monsters.

Part of the strength of the 3.5 Edition is the flexibility and options for improvement on monster stats.

If you simply print off and hold the stats in your hand, conversion becomes a simple matter.

I think you must be right Mark.
I have purchased two used sets of the Core Rule Books and the DMGs are both basically used as hell.
Although they came from different sellers, BOTH of them have had little file label clips taped to various sections too.

Thanks much for posting those links.
I will check those out for sure.

"Guys, I am starting to think Tegel Manor might be haunted..."
Stated by me as a PC during a run of Tegel Manor DMed by killjoy at NTRPGCon 2010

Charter Member of the ATM

bbarsh
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:43 pm

The Book of Lairs I and II are both decent books. You can get them cheap and therefore worth the price. There is also one for DL and FR.

And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

Everything Pacesetter at http://pacesettergames.blog.com/

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