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 Choosing 1 Waterdeep sourcebook
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muir
Acolyte

Canada
41 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2018 :  16:18:05  Show Profile Send muir a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
Doubtless this has come up before, but I failed to find the thread...

I can afford 1 of Volo's Guide to Waterdeep, the City of Splendors boxed set, or City of Splendours - Waterdeep. At present.

Given that edition makes little difference to me, I am unlikely to run a campaign there, but players may very well visit it, which one would you most esteemed scribes recommend?

Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2018 :  17:21:09  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Volo's Guide to Waterdeep is the best on-the-ground resource, and it is the sourcebook that converted me from an enthusiast a full-on Realms junkie. If I ever get to meet Ed, I'm going to ask him to autograph a copy I bought specifically for that reason.

The City of Splendors boxed set offers the best broad overview of the city.

The City of Splendours - Waterdeep does offer a good overview of the city, and updates some of what was in the boxed set, but I'd go for the boxed set before going for this book. On a related note, I've seen this book on eBay many times, and the price is generally much higher than I think is reasonable. (Which reminds me, I've really got to put my extra copy up on there, some time)

I suggest going for Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. From what I've seen on eBay, it'll be the easiest to find, and it's got the most player-centric lore in it.

I will also note that I believe you can get legal pdfs of all three from DriveThruRPG.com

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Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 17 Nov 2018 17:22:38
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
948 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2018 :  19:53:33  Show Profile Send TomCosta a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So the one thing that City of Splendors - Waterdeep offers the others don't is its designed more for playing the game than lore, which is not to say its more crunch heavy, though it is, but rather it is focuses more on the bits you're more likely to use in an actual game. All that said, I think I would go with the box set first.
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6641 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2018 :  23:48:43  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Fair shake to Eric Boyd. City of Splendors:Waterdeep is far more than a simple re-hash of the City of Splendors boxed set. It contains a bunch of new lore, not just game mechanics.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 18 Nov 2018 :  21:16:59  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
definitely the boxed set in my book. One thing to consider is the later work didn't want to recreate the earlier work so as to not upset those who had bought the earlier work and would have felt they were being cheated by recopying too much page count. This is something I felt happened with a lot of the 3e stuff versus the 2e stuff. For instance, Faiths & Pantheons is a decent work, but I will always refer someone to Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons, Demihuman Deities, and Monster Mythology for more breadth of detail.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Bragi
Seeker

USA
87 Posts

Posted - 19 Nov 2018 :  22:13:56  Show Profile  Visit Bragi's Homepage Send Bragi a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Purchase the City System Boxed Set and get the rest on PDF.

In Pursuit of Better Worlds,
Bragi of Erin
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
948 Posts

Posted - 21 Nov 2018 :  18:38:06  Show Profile Send TomCosta a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Don't get the City System box set unless you want a lot of larger scale maps, but that are still too big to use minis on.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 21 Nov 2018 :  19:10:07  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta

Don't get the City System box set unless you want a lot of larger scale maps, but that are still too big to use minis on.



And unless you've got enough wall to put up a map that takes up 10 posters.

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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
948 Posts

Posted - 23 Nov 2018 :  13:52:50  Show Profile Send TomCosta a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yeah, but there's not a lot of lore or crunch or anything else in the City System. There are a few nuggets, but the booklet is skimpy. It's just the maps really.
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