For a player, the Player's Handbook is all you need. Tasha's and Xanathars add more subclasses and variant rules. Monsters of the Multiverse has a ton of races to pick from. As a DM, you'll want the Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide after the PHB, but you don't need either as a player.
I only have the 2014 and 2024 books, but the 2024 is my favorite for the very reasons you listed the 2014 is yours, OP. I flipped through some 3.5 books a while back. The art style just wasn't for me.
Me and most of the people I play with like the OG '14 books best. There is a player that is buying in and has decided to go with the newer books, but we aren't playing with the new rules.
If we are limiting it between current, its pretty close but i edge towards 2024. Overall 2e. Yeah maybe need 2e went a bit too far, but most the complete books were fire, we got the best settings, I loved the whole package.
Hey guys. Which edition of D&D handbooks do you like the best? Personally, it's the 2014 edition. They simple and clear with good artwork.
I started with 1e so it will always be #1, because of it's character classes were simple and not superheroes (except maybe the Monk and his Quivering Palm). They weren't Marvel Superheroesque If I had never played 1e, then the 2024 version would be my favorite.
The 2024 Players Handbook is, in my opinion, without question, the most well-organized, edited, and legible handbook that has been written in the entire history of the game. You can actually find things, the organized in a logical way and they have hit every beat possible to make it easier for new players to understand the game. While simultaneously, I think it has some of the worst art ever produced for D&D, neither capturing the spirit or theme of the game. I honestly don't know what they were thinking, did they seriously add a punk metal electric guitar playing bard? It's so cheesy, cringey, and stupid, I'm embarrassed to open the book in front of other people.
I think the 1st edition AD&D DMG is the most important book ever written for D&D, its quite literarly the only actual Dungeon Masters Guide ever written, all of the other DMG's do not give any advice at all, though I tip my hat to the 2024 edition if for no other reason than that they actually at least tried to make it an actual guide.
The 2nd edition Monster Manual was the best monster manual ever made. They actually make an effort to describe monsters in a more Darwinian way so that you understand their ecology, social and cultural orders, habitats, rarity, and all kinds of other stuff that they simply just don't do anymore. It makes the monster feel genuine and believable, gives you an idea on how they behave beyond simply being "monsters" to throw at people, and it is without question the most complete MM.
The 2024 Players Handbook is, in my opinion, without question, the most well-organized, edited, and legible handbook that has been written in the entire history of the game. You can actually find things, its organized in a logical way and they have hit every beat possible to make it easier for new players to understand the game. While simultaneously, I think it has some of the worst art ever produced for D&D, neither capturing the spirit or theme of the game. I honestly don't know what they were thinking, did they seriously add a punk metal electric guitar playing bard? It's so cheesy, cringey, and stupid, I'm embarrassed to open the book in front of other people.
I think the 1st edition AD&D DMG is the most important book ever written for D&D, its quite literarly the only actual Dungeon Masters Guide ever written, all of the other DMG's do not give any advice at all, though I tip my hat to the 2024 edition if for no other reason than that they actually at least tried to make it an actual guide. Generally speaking, however the DMG's do not teach you how to be a DM in any way, whatsoever. Literarly its impossible to understand what a DM's job is from most of the guides that have been put out, they tell you nothing that you can actually apply to the act of running a game.
The 2nd edition Monster Manual was the best monster manual ever made. They actually make an effort to describe monsters in a more Darwinian way so that you understand their ecology, social and cultural orders, habitats, rarity, and all kinds of other stuff that they simply just don't do anymore. It makes the monster feel genuine and believable, gives you an idea on how they behave beyond simply being "monsters" to throw at people, and it is without question the most complete MM.
Hey guys. Which edition of D&D handbooks do you like the best? Personally, it's the 2014 edition. They simple and clear with good artwork.
For a player, the Player's Handbook is all you need. Tasha's and Xanathars add more subclasses and variant rules. Monsters of the Multiverse has a ton of races to pick from. As a DM, you'll want the Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide after the PHB, but you don't need either as a player.
I only have the 2014 and 2024 books, but the 2024 is my favorite for the very reasons you listed the 2014 is yours, OP. I flipped through some 3.5 books a while back. The art style just wasn't for me.
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Me and most of the people I play with like the OG '14 books best. There is a player that is buying in and has decided to go with the newer books, but we aren't playing with the new rules.
If we are limiting it between current, its pretty close but i edge towards 2024. Overall 2e. Yeah maybe need 2e went a bit too far, but most the complete books were fire, we got the best settings, I loved the whole package.
I started with 1e so it will always be #1, because of it's character classes were simple and not superheroes (except maybe the Monk and his Quivering Palm). They weren't Marvel Superheroesque If I had never played 1e, then the 2024 version would be my favorite.
The 2024 Players Handbook is, in my opinion, without question, the most well-organized, edited, and legible handbook that has been written in the entire history of the game. You can actually find things, the organized in a logical way and they have hit every beat possible to make it easier for new players to understand the game. While simultaneously, I think it has some of the worst art ever produced for D&D, neither capturing the spirit or theme of the game. I honestly don't know what they were thinking, did they seriously add a punk metal electric guitar playing bard? It's so cheesy, cringey, and stupid, I'm embarrassed to open the book in front of other people.
I think the 1st edition AD&D DMG is the most important book ever written for D&D, its quite literarly the only actual Dungeon Masters Guide ever written, all of the other DMG's do not give any advice at all, though I tip my hat to the 2024 edition if for no other reason than that they actually at least tried to make it an actual guide.
The 2nd edition Monster Manual was the best monster manual ever made. They actually make an effort to describe monsters in a more Darwinian way so that you understand their ecology, social and cultural orders, habitats, rarity, and all kinds of other stuff that they simply just don't do anymore. It makes the monster feel genuine and believable, gives you an idea on how they behave beyond simply being "monsters" to throw at people, and it is without question the most complete MM.
The 2024 Players Handbook is, in my opinion, without question, the most well-organized, edited, and legible handbook that has been written in the entire history of the game. You can actually find things, its organized in a logical way and they have hit every beat possible to make it easier for new players to understand the game. While simultaneously, I think it has some of the worst art ever produced for D&D, neither capturing the spirit or theme of the game. I honestly don't know what they were thinking, did they seriously add a punk metal electric guitar playing bard? It's so cheesy, cringey, and stupid, I'm embarrassed to open the book in front of other people.
I think the 1st edition AD&D DMG is the most important book ever written for D&D, its quite literarly the only actual Dungeon Masters Guide ever written, all of the other DMG's do not give any advice at all, though I tip my hat to the 2024 edition if for no other reason than that they actually at least tried to make it an actual guide. Generally speaking, however the DMG's do not teach you how to be a DM in any way, whatsoever. Literarly its impossible to understand what a DM's job is from most of the guides that have been put out, they tell you nothing that you can actually apply to the act of running a game.
The 2nd edition Monster Manual was the best monster manual ever made. They actually make an effort to describe monsters in a more Darwinian way so that you understand their ecology, social and cultural orders, habitats, rarity, and all kinds of other stuff that they simply just don't do anymore. It makes the monster feel genuine and believable, gives you an idea on how they behave beyond simply being "monsters" to throw at people, and it is without question the most complete MM.