Best rpg books according to redditors
We found 102 Reddit comments discussing the best rpg books. We ranked the 43 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 102 Reddit comments discussing the best rpg books. We ranked the 43 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
If anyone is interested, this is from The Laundry RPG, by Gareth Hanrahan. It’s based off of the Laundry Files series of books about a British secret agency that keeps the world safe from Lovecraftian horrors.
Numenera is a hot new RPG by Monte Cook (of 3.5 D&D fame) with a unique setting. Essentially it's a science-fantasy game set far enough in the future that civlization has returned to a medieval state, but high-tech ruins are still lying around. I can personally recommend it as being easy to learn and fun for all styles of play. It's also very very easy to run (GM never rolls dice, just sets difficulties for the players) and I'm having a blast running my current Numenera game.
Cortex Plus - You roll what you say, or can, different incarnations have different "Skill" names. In Smallville if you want to punch a dude you pick up your Justice, Love of Lois Lane, Kent Farm (where you are at), add in your Insecurity, and Super Strength plus your opponents Distracted by a Cute Girl condition. Roll them, take the highest, and compare, if successful pick a large die from your pool and narrate what it represents.
(you roll standard dice, also have special abilities, and most rolls are not this complicated)
The game system comes in a lot different flavors now...
Firefly (Space Drama Adventure)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/128012/Firefly-RolePlaying-Game-Corebook?src=hottest_filtered&filters=0_0_45522_0_0
Marvel Heroic (comic book super hero action)
https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Heroic-Roleplaying-Civil-Premium/dp/1936685175/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483024737&sr=8-2&keywords=marvel+heroic
Smallville (soap opera with super heroes)
https://www.amazon.com/Smallville-Roleplaying-Game-Cam-Banks/dp/1931567891/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483024847&sr=8-1&keywords=smallville+rpg
Leverage (espionage caper action)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/85727/Leverage-Roleplaying-Game?src=hottest_filtered&filters=0_0_45522_0_0
Fantasy (generic'ish)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149178/Fantasy-Roleplaying-A-Registry-of-Rules?src=newest&filters=0_0_45522_0_0
SciFi (generic'ish)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186453/Worlds-of-Fantasy-Chronicles-of-the-Solar-Empire?sorttest=true&filters=0_0_45522_0_0
Hackers Guide (actually a core rule book, but kinda hard to use without prior knowledge)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/117419/Cortex-Plus-Hackers-Guide?sorttest=true&filters=0_0_45522_0_0
Zombie Apocalypse
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185660/Head-Shot-Zombie-Apocalypse-Action-Roleplaying?sorttest=true&filters=0_0_45522_0_0
I’ve never played it or even checked out reviews but there is The Firefly RPG
I understand now - sorry. I thought you were making a joke about the dice system because it is so free-flowing. I get it now. You did lay your complaints out clearly. I thought you were asking ironically. :)
I personally think that this system is so heavily narrative that it is not going to appeal to everyone. It just isn't. For me, it's breathed fresh air into a hobby that I really didn't care about anymore and caused me to discover a number of narrative-style systems and I find the complication of every single roll to be interesting and fun. I was so tired of just hitting or not and just playing math against terrain, conditions, and ultimately baddie hit points.
It sounds like you favor the "strategic" side of role-playing more than the creative nature of storytelling - and I've said this before on this sub, that's totally ok. There is no shame in playing the game the way you like it! I don't know that there's a way to address the complaints you have for the system without tearing out parts of the spirit of the game. For me, limiting how Advantage/Disadvantage and Triumph/Despair can affect every kind of roll is limiting the game potential both from a mechanical and a player perspective.
Have you played Star Wars d20 or Star Wars Saga before? It sounds like these systems would appeal to you far more than FFG's narrative dice system. They're d20 based and lend heavily to a grid map battle system and a simple "hit or not" system. They've got the Star Wars feel (especially Saga) with that tried and true "roll a d20 and add some stuff and simply hit or not" method of gaming.
Hope this helps - and sorry again for the confusion on your post. :)
They did.
It has it's own book and wiki that is based off the D20 system, in case you are looking for more resources...
My group prefers to play the West End Games d6 version, but I've read through the SAGA edition for d20 and like it quite a lot more than the first d20 Star Wars RPG.
The thing I like about SAGA is that it is all fairly balanced and is very easy for a D&D player to get into due to the core rules being d20. A great many of the subsystems have commonalities with 4e D&D for speed of use, which I also like.
d6, however, has potentially much more lethal combat and allows for Force-users to really shine. That said, it can be a struggle to integrate a full-fledged Jedi knight with a regular party and not have him outshine everyone else. Depends on the story, of course, but we manage.
The following are great dark medieval games, but some might require you to remove their magic systems:
Other than that I would recommend generic systems like GURPS, Hero System or Genesys.
Some would recommend Fate also, but I generally think it is rules-light but adventure-crunchy, since you have to remember during play many contextual situational modifiers with the aspects' system. Instead, I would get its parent game, Fudge. You need special dice for this, and for Genesys also.
Some of the editions I linked above are older than the most recent, and reflect personal preferences.
Other systems, although great in itself, really work best when you have at least the effects of dark corruption like Zweihänder.
Which edition are you looking for? 3rd edition that came out only has one book.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162759/Exalted-3rd-Edition?src=hottest_filtered&filters=1800_0_0_0_0
You can get it here. I'm a big fan of the system (most people are) compared to 3rd. The only negative is the lack of secondary books to flesh out NPCs and things.
2nd edition can also be bought on drivethrurpg here:
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/3671/Exalted-Second-Edition?src=hottest_filtered&it=1&filters=1820_0_0_0_0
This is the core book but should be easy enough to browse around and find supplements you like. Exalted 2e is also available used on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Exalted-Second-Alan-Alexander/dp/1588466841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499099241&sr=8-1&keywords=exalted
I figured I'd add, if you're playing 2e, I'd grab these books for a solid ability to run a game from start to finish
-Core (duh)
-Dragonblooded (Good way to stat up a large group of antagonists - Dragonblooded Exalted hunting the PCs down)
-Abyssals (Stronger opponents that are equal to the Solars in power)
-Scroll of Exalts (NPC Exalts galore, 5-10 for each and every kind of Exaltation)
-Scroll of the Monk (This is a book of Martial Arts. Great for PCs, but also great for slapping onto an NPC and saying "Ok don't need to go through 300 pages of charms for that one")
No trying to sound rude but you are. I own both different books, and my LGS have the firefly one for sale.
here's the firefly rpg
Here's serenity
edit
Rly down vote me because I proved I was correct?
Looking quickly over your document, it looks very similar to the D20 Star Wars RPG that Wizards of the Coast put out a while back.
You might want to use that instead of coming up with your own. I agree that the FF version is radically different than DnD players would be used to, but the D20 version is basically DnD 3.5 with a Star Wars veneer plastered over it.
Exalted Second Edition Core Rulebook.
Thanks, /u/Kozlem!
Aberrant is available as a scanned PDF on DriveThruRPG, and it frequently shows up on Amazon at decent prices.
We're in early development on the second edition.
Let me know if you have any more questions about it.
It's true
There's just one core rulebook. The bestiary isn't essential, but it's useful.
Fair warning: My biggest complaint with the system is the book is a bit of a hot mess. It's fine if you're familiar with RPGs, and r/13thage will be able to help you with questions, but it was written with the assumption you know what you're doing (which is a huge shame since otherwise it's a great system for starters). For example, it doesn't explain how to deal with a friendly NPC (basically just stat out an enemy) and only mentions what the six core stats (the same ones as Pathfinder and D&D) actually mean in the index, not in the section about stating out characters. Which, as I said, is fine if you're familiar with D&D, but there are some things that could be better explained.
here some reviews. Looks like some love it, some didn't
http://www.amazon.com/Numenera-Corebook-Monte-Cook/product-reviews/1939979005
You will face some issues with both 2e and 3e because they are similar to D&D but different enough that you won't have everything memorized.
3e has the better set of rules IMO so I suggest 3e, specifically the Deluxe Handbook because the rules are the easiest and there is a quick start character generator if you just want to roll up some characters and dive in.
In case you want one of your own it's this one: http://store.xkcd.com/xkcd/#XKCDcollegestyleshirt
And the RPG is here.
http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Adventures-Time-Space/dp/1907204113 - It does a great job of capturing the show in RPG form without the game becoming all about killing aliens, like so many RPGs.
Also, I reviewed it and the first expansion for it here -
http://trollitc.com/2010/08/doctor-who-adventures-in-time-and-space-review/
http://trollitc.com/2010/09/doctor-who-rpg-aliens-and-creatures-review/
Amazon mentions June 2018 for release, but many times the dates stated on the site are unreliable.
https://www.amazon.com/Mutants-Masterminds-Basic-Heros-Handbook/dp/1934547905/
You certainly can!
GURPS Lite is strictly d6, and a nice generic system for most basic needs, and free for download. You can upgrade if they like it and it's on it's way to proving that it is infinitely extensible.
I'm also pretty pleased with the Hero System Basic Rules book as generic systems go that are d6 specific.
Traveller is also d6 only, and a really nice generic science fiction system. Totally playable from the core rules, but also infinitely extensible.
I'm going to be in the minority, but I'll suggest DCHeroes a.k.a. Megs or [Blood of Heroes.] (http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Heroes-Role-Playing-Game-Special/dp/0966528034/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406141409&sr=1-4&keywords=blood+of+heroes&dpPl=1)
Fast and fluid combat, lots of powers. And, if you need inspiration or just some enemies to throw at your PCs, you can find a ton of them at www.writeups.org/
Was that Firefly line in your post originally OP? I missed it.
Check out the Firely RPG: https://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Core-Rulebook-Margaret-Productions/dp/1936685329
Or Scum and Villany: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/198681/Scum-and-Villainy
Or, updated, edited, etc. The Blood of Heroes
So here are two ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Who-Adventures-Time-Space/dp/0857440381
http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-RPG-Corebook-HC/dp/1931567557
Are you playing this version? Is it any good?
Really the only things you need to get started is the main book( Link ), dice, pencil and paper. Here is the Official Character sheet if you would rather use that.
Exalted Core Book! Well, it's a little expensive. But cheaper (and x10 better) than any DnD books. Plus, there's always the pound of dice.
Yes, it's based on Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu system: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Laundry-RPG-Gareth-Hanrahan/dp/1907204938/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341231252&sr=8-1
And it's great, a very British rpg.
There was a cool count of this story in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Heroic-Worlds-Lawrence-Schick/dp/0879756535
Buy some dice.
Buy some books.
Honestly, it depends what kind of game you want to play. I think here you're going to get a lot of weird niche games suggested but for starters you're better off sticking with the a more 'traditional' experience. D&D is an excellent starting point if you want to play a fantasy game, you can even pick up one of their adventures if you don't want to write your own material.
If you're unsure about spending that much just to get started you can pick up this starter set that will include the basic rules, a set of dice, some pregenerated characters, and a short adventure. From there, if you like the game, you can pick up the full rulebooks and some more dice and whatever else you like. Alternatively you can try out the free basic rules by downloading them from the Wizards of the Coast website. All you'll need is a set of dice to get started.
If you don't like or don't want to play D&D you can check out a bunch of other systems that will let you play other games or settings. [Edge of the Empire] (https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Edge-Empire-Rulebook/dp/1616616571/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=edge+of+the+empire&qid=1563883870&s=gateway&sr=8-1) is a really cool Star Wars game, but it requires custom dice. My personal favourite sci-fi rpg is Traveller though, and it has the advantage of only requiring six sided dice.
A lot of people really like Savage Worlds, it's fun, it's cheap, and it's generic enough that you can run almost any setting you like with it. Unfortunately there's a new edition due out really soon so take that in to consideration. If you want a more in depth generic system then I can recommend GURPS, although you'll also need the Campaigns book. This system is absolutely not beginner friendly, it slaps you in the face with tables and rules for all sorts of scenarios, but I adore it and it's not really all that hard to figure out.
If you want an alternative to D&D Green Ronin has the "Age" series of games, starting with Fantasy Age, continuing with Modern Age, and the recently released The Expanse RPG covers Sci-Fi. I will admit that I've not actually had a chance to play any of these games, but I've read the rules and like the system.
Honestly you can find a game to cover practically any genre you want, whether it's Grimdark Fantasy, Martial Arts, Space Exploration, Lovecraftian Horror, Anime Cyberpunk Space Opera, or almost any other thing you can think of.
Don't fall in to the trap of playing a game because someone suggests it's 'easy', play something that really grabs your interest and inspires your imagination.
Have they watched firefly or serenity? I'd start there. There is also firefly rpg
Ha, it's on Amazon for $49! I love living in 2017!
> I can never get my head around it
That's not a good sign if you ask me. In order to do a full system you'll need to be able to codify situations and see patterns.
If you struggle with books with these things already covered up, you'll have a bad time doing them on your own.
Also, the problem on porting the shonen anime craze to tabletop is that the source material is commonly known for lacking consistence.
For example, during the early, sayan arc in DBZ, vegeta destroyed a planet with a single shot with little effort. He has became insanely stronger since them and we've never seen anything like that again. By the same reasoning the self-destruct move he uses to try to kill Buu should destroy the entire solar system!
Also..you cited two types of characters whose power levels differ wildly. While sayans and golden knights have near godlike powers, some characters can die in a mundane car crash.
A system that covers a lot of ground on the matter of different power levels is Blood of Heroes. It has been made using the system of the DC Heroes system, that did a good job running street level characters - like Robin or Green Arrow - and demigods/cosmic level heroes - like Superman and Darkside. Maybe you should take your time to check it out.
edit:
You can also check the Deathbattle channel on youtube and see how do they do their math to try to find how strong are the characters involved.
> I am currently playing a custom adventure under the 4th edition D&D ruleset.
The Star Wars Saga edition is pretty much 4.0 beta, but because it is out of print it can be a bit expensive. I am running it now, and enjoy it. There is also a campaign setting book for that era.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Roleplaying-Rulebook-Edition/dp/0786943564/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1
http://www.amazon.com/Rebellion-Campaign-Guide-Star-Roleplaying/dp/078694983X/ref=cm_lmf_tit_9
As for inspiration, I personally draw them right from the EU books. I am doing Legacy setting now, and took the campaign right out of issues 57+
Have you considered the Firefly RPG? Uses the Cortex Plus system.
https://www.amazon.com/Firefly-RPG-Margaret-Weis-Productions/dp/1936685329
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/128012/Firefly-RolePlaying-Game-Corebook
Might I suggest that you check out: Blood of Heroes
The various superhero RPGs are the way to go. Aberrant is my favorite, though there are good D20 options as well. Aberrant powers are science based (energy and quantum mechanics). Also, super hero stuff has been popular recently, so the students will probably like it. Depending on how out there your school is, they may have a problem with science being so powerful, though if that is the case, I'd get the hell out of there.
So the good news is: yes there's a rulebook with classes, rules, etc and you can play as Sith and Jedi. The bad news is: all of the editions of the game are currently out of print. The further good news: you may still be able to find the books new at gaming stores and you can definitely find them used on eBay and Amazon.
There's been three versions of the game as Gunnulf mentioned. Those most recent of which and the one you'll most likely find unused copies of the books would be the Saga Edition. The books are easy to recognize as they're 9"x9" rather than a more traditional 8.5"x11". To play the game you'll need at least the Core Rulebook which has the basic rules of the game and a decent list of vehicles and starships.
The additional books are not necessary to play and really contain supplementary information for their subjects. For instance if you want to play an Old Republic era game the [Knights of the Old Republic Era](http://amzn.com 0786949236) book would be pretty useful. It has setting information as well as game stats for things seen in the games and comics. However if you didn't want to buy the book it isn't that difficult to wing it and just write stuff up from Wookipedia. It's worth the money if you don't have the time or experience to write the stuff up yourself.
I don't really recommend the D20 version of the game as a lot of "Star Wars" feeling gets lost in the rules. It takes a really good GM to make the game feel like you're playing a Star Wars game. My favorite is the D6 version West End Games used to publish but it's long out of print and the books are getting harder to find. It's also a very different system than what you're currently playing with D&D. It might be tough to learn the whole new way of playing if you're still just learning to play tabletop RPGs. Come join us in /r/rpg if you want to learn more about tabletop games.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936685329/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1409533760&sr=8-1
or
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0992251656?cache=97b81e51454980b7e4baf48ce90d7f30&pi=SX200_QL40&qid=1409539147&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
I've always wanted to play this Doctor Who RPG. I don't know if there's any other Doctor Who fans, but I think this would be fun! Does anyone have any experience with it?
http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Adventures-Time-Space/dp/1907204113/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372567571&sr=1-4&keywords=adventures+in+time+and+space
This is the edition of the book I am using (my pal picked it up at a con last year), although it would seem that a new version with updated monsters/villains/aliens from the Matt Smith era was released last year.
Here is a free flash version of the character creator for the version I am using (has automatic music, sorry): http://dwcg.eu5.org/
This system is pretty simple, so it shouldn't be too hard to learn, but I would advise you finding an experienced GM to run it, since you have never played a tabletop before. Tabletop is its own world of gaming, with a lot of quirks and special terminology and such. Once you start playing, you catch on pretty quickly, but it can be intimidating at first. Also, it might be easier to see if you can join a local D&D game to get a hang of things first, before trying to get together a group to do a DW game. It's a lot of fun!
Good luck!
I pre-ordered mine from Amazon a few days ago.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936685329/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1405574602&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40
While I never touched the old West End Games RPG (which gets a lot of love from old-timers), I have played both the Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) versions (e.g. Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, Force and Destiny) & Star Wars SAGA Edition from Wizards of the Coast.
The difference between those two is that FFG is it's own system that takes getting used to, and has a much stronger narrative focus than SAGA, with the dice system sparking all kinds of creative twists, surprises, and complications. One great thing about the system is that it scales up to starship combats/chases pretty well. It took some learning, but I found it really enjoyable as DM once I got the swing of it. It does use its own non-standard dice. And if you want a game with Force users alongside Clone troopers alongside Rebel spies, you're looking at picking up 3 books. Oh! And they also put out The Force Awakens Beginner Game boxed set.
Whereas Star Wars SAGA you can get by with just the core book, or possibly the core book + an era book. It's much less narrative and more conventionally d20-based. Combat can be quite deadly, whereas falling is almost inconsequential - reflecting how it is in the movies. Learning curve is waaay easier than FFG for a D&D player. One downside is that the starship combat/chase rules require you learning a subsystem (and likely devising some of your own challenges/hazards/complications without much guidance). One SAGA book I highly recommend is Galaxy of Intrigue, which has the best treatment of skill challenges in any book, much better than 4e and most of the hacks I've seen online.
Old Republic Campaign Guide
Basic Game
I usually recommend the Cypher System by Monte Cook for new players (it comes in multiple flavors: generic, future-fantasy, dimension-hopping secret agents, and American Gods-ish). Like D&D 5e, it's a middle-of-the-road game which is open to a lot of different playstyles. It has straightforward rules (simpler than D&D 5e) that can be adapted to whatever setting your players are most interested in (space opera, fantasy, superheroes). Character creation is very easy to follow, and much quicker than D&D.
Fate is another option, although it might be a little confusing if it's your first RPG. Its rules are simple, but the complete lack of constraints on players and the DM might be a little overwhelming. Its rules are also fairly unorthodox, so it won't be so helpful if you're interested in eventually trying more mainstream games.
I think that 'Firefly that was' is very good, but I can't really get behind a re-launch. It failed because it wasn't what TV could use. If it were to come back, it would have to be in some marketable capacity- which is not how the old show was.
I suggest you check out a few things to get your fix in the meantime:
Good luck and stay shiny!
Yes
And here is the smile.amazon.com link. If someone orders it through that link, a portion of your money will be donated to a charity of your choice.
Thanks for posting this, Laughing Penguin. I just pre-ordered.
13th age
It's pretty fun!
https://www.amazon.com/13th-Age-RPG-Core-Book/dp/190898340X
I actually purchased this at gencon and am planning on using it, plus I have my trusty brown grid mat.
https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Book-Battle-Mats/dp/1912803038/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/141-9624869-6105618?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1912803038&pd_rd_r=5980c30a-cecc-4651-87fa-84c442fd513d&pd_rd_w=zqnQk&pd_rd_wg=yGrDz&pf_rd_p=1c11b7ff-9ffb-4ba6-8036-be1b0afa79bb&pf_rd_r=KM5JJTRQ28HQE8D3ERR9&psc=1&refRID=KM5JJTRQ28HQE8D3ERR9
I've started fooling around with the Red maps and Gimp. I'm just lost as to how big the cropped bits will print out.. wil they be in scale still etc etc. my photo editing skills are a bit lacking. hurm...
https://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Core-Rulebook-Margaret-Productions/dp/1936685329
Not exactly, friend.
The old DC Heroes system (published by Mayfair at the time) has held up great. Look for a book called Blood of Heroes. It's the DCH system with improved magic, but with DC's trademarked material removed. Completely compatible with old DCH modules. The art in the book is butt ugly, but it's a great system. It's easy to use, but still capable of handling any power or power level you throw at it. And it has a thriving online community.
Blood of Heroes on Amazon
Writeup.org: Biggest DCH community online. Very active, updated at least once every week or so, with THOUSANDS of character write ups and tons of updated, tweaked, or optional game material.
just going to leave this here
The core rulebook of the sg1 roleplaying game. We should definitely play this over skype
I will be creating my own (because I love projects like this) but I have also considered getting this book for when my players go somewhere I am not prepared for. :)
https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Book-Battle-Mats/dp/1912803038/
I don't know if I'd go Revised for a group like that, Revised is fairly similar to 3.5 in general IIRC. Personally, I prefer the Saga system, I feel like it flows a bit better overall.
They used to put out books like this back in the day. Box sets for the more popular ones. 5e doesn't really have any official ones except for the aforementioned Sword Coast one. There are third party ones for Middle Earth and Midgard etc.
Honestly I would just trawl through the various wikis for the different settings like Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Eberron, Dark Sun and the like. Or hit up Ebay for the older setting books.
There's the d6 game by West End Games, the d20 game by WotC similiar to D&D 3rd edition, there's saga edition by WotC (which would have made a better basis for D&D 4th edition), and then there's the series of games by Fantasy Flight; Edge of Empire, Age of Rebellion, and Force and Destiny.
Given you like scifi, and if you happen to like Firefly, there's a Firefly RPG and a tabletop Firefly: The Game.
Just describing this mods, not advertising I promise.
https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Book-Battle-Mats/dp/1912803038
(Just read on the page that it's not even available right now. And I can't really see the price either, pretty sure I paid about $50 - $60)
I bought this and I absolutely love it. Really only works for 5 or less people in terms of party size imo, but I honestly prefer using this over my big battle mat because I have to role up my big one.
You might be able to find something similar, but instead of getting terrain, I use this instead. Very handy.
As others have mentioned in this post, dice, sourcebooks, and dice trays are also all excellent ideas.
The only thing I might say is to stay away from mini's if he's on the cheaper side. Wouldn't really want to tempt him into buying a bunch of minis, because they can get extremely expensive.
If you do see the book of battle mats available, I highly recommend getting it.