Aquiring Rulebooks

[JNAProductions]

I've had D&D books of one kind or another for over a decade at this point, but have the misfortune to lose stuff I don't use and have never had a successful game, so somehow I've lost the PHB from 4E and literally every single 3.5 book I owned except Complete Psionics.

Since I'm trying to get into the GitP Play-By-Post 3.5 stuff, I want to know if anyone has advice on where to get the books for a reasonable price. I'm currently using some PDF copies of the books I lost, but it's a heck of a lot harder to reference, bookmark pages, just plain read, so on and so forth. I've gotten the books before through Amazon, and the older book pricing isn't too bad, but before I drop all my cash I wanted to see if anyone on this forum had advice for me.

In addition, if there's any good place to get Pathfinder, 4E or 5E stuff, that'd be fantastic too.

Thank you in advance to all who offer advice.

[Lord Torath]

Man, that sucks. Books are expensive!

I've had good luck with ebay, but then I focus on 1E and 2E. I can't vouch for how reasonable the prices are for 3.X stuff.

Best of luck to you!

[Knaight]

Amazon is a decent option, though you're dealing with out of print books, which is always painful. It's probably less of a big deal for D&D 3e onwards, which were at least produced in numbers; stuff like Riddle of Steel (which became well known after going out of print) commands $200 for its core book, which just hurts.

[JNAProductions]

Good gravy that must be terrible if you're a fan. Lucky for me I'm into the more modern and popular ones.

On Amazon, I can get the PHB I and II and the DMG for $55, with $30 of that from PHB II. Other than the PHB II, it's not bad, but my main issue is getting all the other books, especially the Complete [Metaclass] books. Stuff like Complete Warrior is only $10, but it just goes up from there. Adventurer and Divine are $20 each, and Mage is $35.

I guess a good question to ask alongside where can I get good prices is what books do I really need and what can I do without?

[Beta Centauri]

Sadly, you should be able to buy 4th Edition rulebooks at a big discount from any game store that still has any. I bet there are lots on eBay, too.

[JNAProductions]

I've actually got most 4E books I bought. I'm only missing from the PHB and Forgotten Realms Player's Guide.

Outside core books and Forgotten Realms, I also have the Manual of the Planes. Like with 3.5, what are some of the more commonly used extra books for 4E?

[Beta Centauri]

Outside core books and Forgotten Realms, I also have the Manual of the Planes. Like with 3.5, what are some of the more commonly used extra books for 4E? 4th Edition is an interesting case, because much of the mechanical stuff is available (usually with updates included) through the electronic tools. Some people rely entirely on those, which have the upside of being hard to misplace, but the downside of offering very little fluff, of needing a computer to access them, and of eventually having them taken away whenever they stop being supported.

I would think that someone would want Player's Handbook 2, which rounds out the common races and classes players are used to; the Rules Compendium, which repackages, clarifies and updates the core rules; Adventurer's Vault, since the PHB doesn't have many items; and another monster book. People might tell you that you need to stick with books like Monster Manual III and the Monster Vaults, because they use "updated math," but it's not really necessary, just a bit easier. I think Dungeon Master's Guide 2 offers a lot of good advice, but it's not strictly necessary.

[Jay R]

abe.com is the best overall source for used books.

[aspekt]

I watch amazon, ebay, and a large used bookstore nearby (still an hour away). You could try abe.com also powells.com.

My experience since 4ed was released is that 9/10 sellers are charging near new price or more for used 3.5 books. I had thought Pathfinder would take some of that pressure off the pricing, but it never did.

p.s. don't forget when buying from ebay 2 things. 1. No matter how good the sellers rep is always check to see what their most recent reviews are like. I'm getting the feeling that folks are selling their ebay accounts with high reps to scammers who then take your mobey and run. It's not widespread, but I've seen a few. 2. Don't forget to check the shipping costs.

[LibraryOgre]

Ebay isn't that bad of a source, IME, and you can find some decent prices at used book stores.

If you've got the PDFs, you might also consider switching your PDF viewer; I find that Foxit allows for a lot easier insertion of bookmarks than Adobe, for example, and I personally prefer PDFs for at-desk reference.

[JusticeZero]

Also, this is why I only play PF and maybe Fate these days. The material is online, so if I lose a source, I'm only losing the setting notes.