Started playing in '81, moved thru all the versions up to 3.5 and I stopped there. The OGL boosted 3.5 to a phenomenal level, because of the 3rd party content that was created in those days.... fantastic! So I stopped there, and still playing 3.5 today. :) I may have missed it, but the 4 environmental books were awesome as well. (Cityscape, Dungeonscape, Frostburn, and Sandstorm). Good review/survey video, thanks!
I cut my teeth on 3.5. To this day, it's still probably my favorite edition to play, even with all of the insane optimization gaps between player classes. Greyhawk as the default settings was brilliant. Eberron is probably my favorite setting to this day.
Once sold your RPG collection. Ouch! That hurts. I, myself, moved quite a few times. I threw out many items (e.g., vinyl records, toys, comics, books, etc.) that would have been worth a fortune by now. But the one thing I could never get myself to throw out was my D&D stuff.
I definitely wouldn’t have sold off my collection if I didn’t need the money at the time. It hurt to let it go, but that’s life sometimes. Luckily, all these years later, I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to rebuild my collection. And on top of that, it’s even better than it was before!!! Thanks for watching! We really appreciate it a lot!!!
This is an awesome video! It's interesting how similar our opinions are on a lot of these books. I never did pick up the Rules Compendium, which I am kicking myself over now. I was hoping it would be reprinted like the Spell Compendium and Magic Item Compendium but they never did. Just a couple of notes, Monster Manual 3 is fully 3.5 it released in 2004 a year after 3.5 launched. The Player's Guide to Faerun does convert some of the player options from 3.0 to 3.5. It doesn't cover everything but is a good starting point. 3.5 was a great system, but the quality of writing really dropped off in it's last couple of years. Drow of the Underdark by many accounts was the last really good book they released. I must admit I really thought I was done with D&D 3.5, but lately I have been feeling a bit nostalgic for it. I never did get the chance to run the Savage Tide Adventure Path from Dungeon Magazine, and feel the urge to do so.
Thanks Dave! For some reason I thought MM3 was 3rd Edition. It’s been so long! We do have very similar tastes on a lot of different things and that is why I’m such a huge fan of your channel. It’s fun to find like minded people out there in the world and UA-cam is a great way to connect with people who enjoy the same hobbies that you do! I’ve been super nostalgic for 3.5 as well. I showed Ava your D&D Retrospective series because she wanted to watch it and learn more about the history of each edition and when we got to the 3.5 video I was feeling super nostalgic. It definitely makes me want to run a 3.5 game again. If you ever get a chance to pick up the Rules Compendium for a good price you should jump on it. It’s a HUGE help!!! Thanks for checking out our video!!!
Complete mage I loved for the reserve spell feats. Makes it so a wizard is still useful in the regular battles before the boss instead of having to either sit back at low levels or smoke it while they got it and hope they don't run out of gas. Much needed for low level casters in my opinion, but I rarely get to play levels higher than 5th level. I 100% agree that 3.5 options was its draw and is why I still play it.
Nice video, but I do love how you answered your own complaint about the sword coast being the focus of the realms and by default the vast majority of dnd 5e material. The reaction you had to the oriental adventures book is exactly how WOTC looks at anything that could be "problematic."" There were so many cool settings, but the things people like about them are taboo to wizards target audience. Dark sun, has slavery. Al-Qadim/oriental adventures, cultural appropriation. Greyhawk or blackmoor, don't get me started on how much they would like us to forget Gygax (the dead one, not the one that works with them on some stuff), and Arneson. This is why we get so shafted on so much dnd stuff now and is a huge problem. Both wizards and the community don't want to offend anyone or have hard discussions in their game, so it's down to cookie cutter European kitchen sink settings and dragonlance, apparently. But one cool note is that in the oriental adventures guide was set in the forgotten realms like Al-Qadim, both being good options to add diversity and other cultures to the world. Hell, I'd love an African inspired continent, but we do have 3rd party fan stuff to look forward to.
Hey there thanks for this series I hope to hear more! I actually started on Pathfinder 1e but I knew of its origins and I'm grateful for your work! I'm working on my own mechanics and I'm a collector of sorts so this was very helpful
I remember one of the first things that struck me about D&D 3rd edition was the art. I liked the faux leather and clasp cover design and the faded yellow pages, although I know it's not everyone's style. There was a lot of leather and buckles - hmm maybe the artist was going through a phase?
Hahahaha. Yeah I really enjoyed 3rd edition art. Todd Lockwood’s dragons are the way I picture dragons ever since I first saw the 3rd Edition Monster Manual!
I’m not entirely certain, but I do think that they did release a print-run of MM II & III in 3.5… I still need the Planar books and MM IV & V to complete my collection.
The soft cover player's kit is the first D&D thing I ever bought. That's a blast from the past. Loaned out that PHB years ago and never saw it again. Still have the dice and minis though, but they are mixed in with my hoard.
that forgotten realms cs book is the best setting book. i also love silver marches i used to set all my games there. draconomicon too is so great but i try to keep dragons off the table most of the time
Great series! Please keep going. Been playing 5e for about 2 years now, and I'm alreday getting bored with the hardwired railroading in characters creation and developpement. hopefully 5.5 will fix a few things, but i'm not too optimistic tbh.
This is hitting me RIGHT in the nostalgia. We started playing 3.5 my senior year (08-09) and have been playing ever since! This makes me sad my 3.5 books are gone, but I don't think I'd want to play because I've spent so much time trying to unlearn the rules haha! Also Players Handbook 2 and the Duskblade are the BOMB!
Yeah, 3.5 was such an amazing time to be playing D&D. Starting April 25th I'll be adding another game to my Sunday D&D game day. From 4pm to 9pm I'm running my usual 5th Edition game, but before that I'm adding a new 3.5 game that I'll be DMing in the mornings from 10am to 3pm! It'll be a lot of work, but it'll be so fun!!!
My 12 year old is now very enthusiastic about playing D&D. I have the books for 3.5, so that's what we're going to play. I'm not sure how integrating the younger kids into the game will work, but I'm open to the adventure.
Oh, hi! Maybe you guys could help me with something. So, I have the premium versions of the PHB, MM and Magic Item Compedium. I never found the premium DMG (believe me, for some reason, 3.5 books are incredibly difficult to find here in Brazil now). However, I could buy the regular 3.5 DMG. What are the differences between the regular and premium versions of the DMG other than the obvious aesthetic ones? Thank you for your time, and for keeping my favorite version of the game alive!
I dont know how i missed the 3.5 draconomicon, i just ordered it from Drive Thru...If you want a good read, the 2nd edition Draconomicon is also very interesting. PS thank you for 3.5 content in 2021!
It’s not exactly like the old basic games. There’s a lot that comes with this set, including miniatures! It’s got several pregenerated characters to select from. I have a video where I do an in depth unboxing of it that you can check out.
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews I will! Thank you! I would like to see a full review of Drow of the Underdark. A lot of people need to know how awesome Elder Evils is as well!
@@midnightgreen8319 Ava and I are definitely going to be going through Drow of the Underdark and taking notes so we can give it a proper video review!!!
Thanks for the series! I hope to see more about playing 3.5e - starting a new campaign soon and I haven’t played this in decades. Question - how do you think that Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons stands up to Draconomicon?
I would love a review of both of the books in the Fiendish Codex. I have a mountain of 3.5 books but missed those and for over a decade I have debated whether to pick them up.
Amazing video! Thank you so much. Any recommendation for 3.5 Planescape books? Any 3.5 adventure books you'd recommend? Thanks a ton for the 3.5 content
Of course you prefer the Blue Dragon kit ;-) Metagaming... boooooooo lol Older edition books for monster lore is a GREAT move. Way too many people limit themselves to 5e and you can surprise a lot of players out there! 5e dropped the ball HARD with the Forgotten Realms. I need to read the 3.0 book! I would love to see videos on some of the evergreen books you have/know about and why you feel they translate into any edition. Especially that dragon one!
I agree about 5E dropping the ball a bit. I wish they would do a few more monster books. We appreciate you taking the time to watch our video!!! 24 minutes is a time commitment and it means a lot to us that you chose to spend your time with us!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews Time well spent :-) Volo's & Mordenkainen's are decent but they don't have the feel of past editions. Even 4e had some really great stuff to pull from.
Absolutely! I love 4E because it has such a unique feel compared to any other edition of the game. I think people hated 4E because of how different it was from 3.5, but different doesn't equal bad.
The beautiful thing about 3.5 is you can get it for free, legally, through the SRD. Sure all you have is core and psionics, but that's enough if that's all you can afford
I have almost all the hardbacks from 3.0/3.5, minus the expedition books and the Ebberon stuff. When 4.0 came out I owned it for about 24 hours, and then sold it to a coworker. Drove me batty. I started playing with the Holmes edition, and then into AD&D. So, the oversimplification of movement and ranged combat was not to my liking, nor was the faux balancing act of the characters to each other as well as the monsters. I still like to play Old School, So I have no issue with "out of balance" encounters, some things are just not to be trifled with.....yet. But pesky adventurers will push the limits. Always thought the equipment list needed caskets and funeral services added.
3.5 was a refinement; four years of exposure to thousands of players and DMs exposed some definite cracks in 3.0. FYI: after 4E was released, Paizo created Pathfinder (First Edition), which refined 3.5 even further; many of us call PF1 "D&D 3.75". Worth the look, especially how PF1 streamlined the skill mechanics.
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews It's all together and in good shape. Unplayed. The tokens are separated but together and all the figures are there. All the paperwork is like new. The box has shelf wear but looks good still. I was thinking like 20 dollars plus shipping. I usually sell through ebay under Swanezy.
Started playing in '81, moved thru all the versions up to 3.5 and I stopped there. The OGL boosted 3.5 to a phenomenal level, because of the 3rd party content that was created in those days.... fantastic! So I stopped there, and still playing 3.5 today. :) I may have missed it, but the 4 environmental books were awesome as well. (Cityscape, Dungeonscape, Frostburn, and Sandstorm). Good review/survey video, thanks!
I cut my teeth on 3.5. To this day, it's still probably my favorite edition to play, even with all of the insane optimization gaps between player classes.
Greyhawk as the default settings was brilliant. Eberron is probably my favorite setting to this day.
Once sold your RPG collection. Ouch! That hurts. I, myself, moved quite a few times. I threw out many items (e.g., vinyl records, toys, comics, books, etc.) that would have been worth a fortune by now. But the one thing I could never get myself to throw out was my D&D stuff.
I definitely wouldn’t have sold off my collection if I didn’t need the money at the time. It hurt to let it go, but that’s life sometimes. Luckily, all these years later, I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to rebuild my collection. And on top of that, it’s even better than it was before!!! Thanks for watching! We really appreciate it a lot!!!
They'll have to pry my books from my cold dead hands. They are the hoard to my dragon.
@@TrackerRoo Mine Too! :-)
This is an awesome video! It's interesting how similar our opinions are on a lot of these books. I never did pick up the Rules Compendium, which I am kicking myself over now. I was hoping it would be reprinted like the Spell Compendium and Magic Item Compendium but they never did. Just a couple of notes, Monster Manual 3 is fully 3.5 it released in 2004 a year after 3.5 launched. The Player's Guide to Faerun does convert some of the player options from 3.0 to 3.5. It doesn't cover everything but is a good starting point.
3.5 was a great system, but the quality of writing really dropped off in it's last couple of years. Drow of the Underdark by many accounts was the last really good book they released.
I must admit I really thought I was done with D&D 3.5, but lately I have been feeling a bit nostalgic for it. I never did get the chance to run the Savage Tide Adventure Path from Dungeon Magazine, and feel the urge to do so.
Thanks Dave! For some reason I thought MM3 was 3rd Edition. It’s been so long!
We do have very similar tastes on a lot of different things and that is why I’m such a huge fan of your channel. It’s fun to find like minded people out there in the world and UA-cam is a great way to connect with people who enjoy the same hobbies that you do!
I’ve been super nostalgic for 3.5 as well. I showed Ava your D&D Retrospective series because she wanted to watch it and learn more about the history of each edition and when we got to the 3.5 video I was feeling super nostalgic. It definitely makes me want to run a 3.5 game again.
If you ever get a chance to pick up the Rules Compendium for a good price you should jump on it. It’s a HUGE help!!! Thanks for checking out our video!!!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews I'm holding out for it to appear on DM's Guild. I've never seen it in stores where I live.
@@DravenSwiftbow I wish DMs Guild would have more 3.5 print on demand than what they do.
Sold your collection? Oh man. She’ll never let you live that down.
Nice collection there for 3/3.5
Luckily I’ve been able to rebuild it better than ever!!! Thanks for checking out our video! We really appreciate it!
My rating for this video: 3.5 out of 3 ! :-P
😂 We definitely appreciate that a lot!!!
Subbed! I love 3.5 content! Please do more!
Thank you! We appreciate your sub and your views! We will definitely be doing more 3.5 content in the near future!
Complete mage I loved for the reserve spell feats. Makes it so a wizard is still useful in the regular battles before the boss instead of having to either sit back at low levels or smoke it while they got it and hope they don't run out of gas. Much needed for low level casters in my opinion, but I rarely get to play levels higher than 5th level. I 100% agree that 3.5 options was its draw and is why I still play it.
Same!
you guys should do a live play of one of those box sets. that would be dope af to see
That’s a really cool idea! Maybe we could do that! Thanks for watching!
I would like to second this!
@@JNJTabletop I’d like to third this!
Fourth! There are several 3.5 modules that look like a lot of fun - Red Hand of Doom and Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde in particular.
Nice video, but I do love how you answered your own complaint about the sword coast being the focus of the realms and by default the vast majority of dnd 5e material. The reaction you had to the oriental adventures book is exactly how WOTC looks at anything that could be "problematic."" There were so many cool settings, but the things people like about them are taboo to wizards target audience. Dark sun, has slavery. Al-Qadim/oriental adventures, cultural appropriation. Greyhawk or blackmoor, don't get me started on how much they would like us to forget Gygax (the dead one, not the one that works with them on some stuff), and Arneson.
This is why we get so shafted on so much dnd stuff now and is a huge problem. Both wizards and the community don't want to offend anyone or have hard discussions in their game, so it's down to cookie cutter European kitchen sink settings and dragonlance, apparently.
But one cool note is that in the oriental adventures guide was set in the forgotten realms like Al-Qadim, both being good options to add diversity and other cultures to the world. Hell, I'd love an African inspired continent, but we do have 3rd party fan stuff to look forward to.
Hey there thanks for this series I hope to hear more! I actually started on Pathfinder 1e but I knew of its origins and I'm grateful for your work! I'm working on my own mechanics and I'm a collector of sorts so this was very helpful
We’re glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
Just bought the 3e Forgotten Realms book to flesh out the world for my Tyranny of Dragons campaign. I love it!
I remember one of the first things that struck me about D&D 3rd edition was the art. I liked the faux leather and clasp cover design and the faded yellow pages, although I know it's not everyone's style.
There was a lot of leather and buckles - hmm maybe the artist was going through a phase?
Hahahaha. Yeah I really enjoyed 3rd edition art. Todd Lockwood’s dragons are the way I picture dragons ever since I first saw the 3rd Edition Monster Manual!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews Yes, the dragon art is beautiful!
I’m not entirely certain, but I do think that they did release a print-run of MM II & III in 3.5… I still need the Planar books and MM IV & V to complete my collection.
The soft cover player's kit is the first D&D thing I ever bought. That's a blast from the past. Loaned out that PHB years ago and never saw it again. Still have the dice and minis though, but they are mixed in with my hoard.
Great memories of 3.5! Thank you for watching! I appreciate it a lot!
that forgotten realms cs book is the best setting book. i also love silver marches i used to set all my games there. draconomicon too is so great but i try to keep dragons off the table most of the time
Great series! Please keep going. Been playing 5e for about 2 years now, and I'm alreday getting bored with the hardwired railroading in characters creation and developpement.
hopefully 5.5 will fix a few things, but i'm not too optimistic tbh.
This is hitting me RIGHT in the nostalgia. We started playing 3.5 my senior year (08-09) and have been playing ever since! This makes me sad my 3.5 books are gone, but I don't think I'd want to play because I've spent so much time trying to unlearn the rules haha!
Also Players Handbook 2 and the Duskblade are the BOMB!
Yeah, 3.5 was such an amazing time to be playing D&D. Starting April 25th I'll be adding another game to my Sunday D&D game day. From 4pm to 9pm I'm running my usual 5th Edition game, but before that I'm adding a new 3.5 game that I'll be DMing in the mornings from 10am to 3pm! It'll be a lot of work, but it'll be so fun!!!
Oh man! That is gonna be awesome!
Yeah I can’t wait!
My 12 year old is now very enthusiastic about playing D&D. I have the books for 3.5, so that's what we're going to play. I'm not sure how integrating the younger kids into the game will work, but I'm open to the adventure.
While controversial among some circles, I consider Tome of Battle an essential addition.
One thing you didn't have was the Race option books like Races of Stone and Races of Destiny... Races of Stone is a particular favourite of mine.
I have the PDF version of those race books but I haven’t read them in forever.
Oh, hi! Maybe you guys could help me with something. So, I have the premium versions of the PHB, MM and Magic Item Compedium. I never found the premium DMG (believe me, for some reason, 3.5 books are incredibly difficult to find here in Brazil now). However, I could buy the regular 3.5 DMG. What are the differences between the regular and premium versions of the DMG other than the obvious aesthetic ones?
Thank you for your time, and for keeping my favorite version of the game alive!
Also, the MM2 has one of my favorite DnD monsters ever: the Moon Rat!
I think the only difference is the errata is added into the premium copy.
Your 3.5 collection is inspiring! I’d love to hear more about the Draconomicon :D
Thank you! We can absolutely do that!
I dont know how i missed the 3.5 draconomicon, i just ordered it from Drive Thru...If you want a good read, the 2nd edition Draconomicon is also very interesting.
PS thank you for 3.5 content in 2021!
I have the 2nd Edition Draconomicon as well and I plan on doing a video on it some point. Thanks for the kind words!
I had no idea there was a Basic 3.5 set. Is it like the old basic games from the 80s, but with distinct race & class plus skills?
It’s not exactly like the old basic games. There’s a lot that comes with this set, including miniatures! It’s got several pregenerated characters to select from. I have a video where I do an in depth unboxing of it that you can check out.
I did not know it, but this was the video I was looking for.
I appreciate that a lot!
I did not know Drive Thru RPG had POD for any of these!!! Thank you!!
No problem!!! I link to each of these in the description and if you use our link then we get a little kickback from DriveThruRPG!!!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews I will! Thank you! I would like to see a full review of Drow of the Underdark. A lot of people need to know how awesome Elder Evils is as well!
@@midnightgreen8319 Ava and I are definitely going to be going through Drow of the Underdark and taking notes so we can give it a proper video review!!!
Ah, 3.5, my weapon of choice to this day (and I started with 1E).
Thanks for the series! I hope to see more about playing 3.5e - starting a new campaign soon and I haven’t played this in decades. Question - how do you think that Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons stands up to Draconomicon?
Draconomicon is 💯 better in my opinion. That’s not to say that Fizban’s isn’t good though. It’s just hard to top Draconomicon.
I would love a review of both of the books in the Fiendish Codex. I have a mountain of 3.5 books but missed those and for over a decade I have debated whether to pick them up.
Amazing video! Thank you so much. Any recommendation for 3.5 Planescape books? Any 3.5 adventure books you'd recommend? Thanks a ton for the 3.5 content
I wanna know more about all them monster books
We can definitely do more in depth videos on the 3.5 monster books!!! Thanks for checking out our video!!! We really appreciate you!!!
dang that’s a nice collection and I want to see more about them aberrations for sure 😎
Awesome! We can totally do that! Thanks for checking our video out!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews let’s hear about them beholders 🔥
Of course you prefer the Blue Dragon kit ;-)
Metagaming... boooooooo lol
Older edition books for monster lore is a GREAT move. Way too many people limit themselves to 5e and you can surprise a lot of players out there! 5e dropped the ball HARD with the Forgotten Realms. I need to read the 3.0 book!
I would love to see videos on some of the evergreen books you have/know about and why you feel they translate into any edition. Especially that dragon one!
I agree about 5E dropping the ball a bit. I wish they would do a few more monster books. We appreciate you taking the time to watch our video!!! 24 minutes is a time commitment and it means a lot to us that you chose to spend your time with us!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews Time well spent :-)
Volo's & Mordenkainen's are decent but they don't have the feel of past editions. Even 4e had some really great stuff to pull from.
I agree! The 4E book Open Grave was one of my favorite supplements ever released about undead. And the 4E Underdark book was incredible as well!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews I know 4e was different than what so many were used to but I think it was an excellent product
Absolutely! I love 4E because it has such a unique feel compared to any other edition of the game. I think people hated 4E because of how different it was from 3.5, but different doesn't equal bad.
The beautiful thing about 3.5 is you can get it for free, legally, through the SRD.
Sure all you have is core and psionics, but that's enough if that's all you can afford
Absolutely!
Nice collection guys.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Qué bonitos libros, gracias por compartir.
Gracias, se lo agradecemos mucho.
I have almost all the hardbacks from 3.0/3.5, minus the expedition books and the Ebberon stuff. When 4.0 came out I owned it for about 24 hours, and then sold it to a coworker. Drove me batty. I started playing with the Holmes edition, and then into AD&D. So, the oversimplification of movement and ranged combat was not to my liking, nor was the faux balancing act of the characters to each other as well as the monsters. I still like to play Old School, So I have no issue with "out of balance" encounters, some things are just not to be trifled with.....yet. But pesky adventurers will push the limits. Always thought the equipment list needed caskets and funeral services added.
I agree!
I am pretty sure MM III was a pure 3.5 book. Not a big deal, but just saying.
Yeah, you’re correct. MM lll was a 3.5 book.
I'm sad you didn't mention the Dragonlance 3.5 books when talking about world books.
no oppinion on elder evils? and book of exalted deeds?
I didn’t mention them since I don’t own them, but I’ve read Exalted Deeds and found it underwhelming. Not bad. Just left me wanting more.
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews i came to watch this video didn't remember watching it... I commented 2 years ago on it
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews It's been another year and didn't realize I watched it before ... I might have a memory issue but have some watch time
3.0 and 3.5 are very compatible I heard
3.5 was a refinement; four years of exposure to thousands of players and DMs exposed some definite cracks in 3.0. FYI: after 4E was released, Paizo created Pathfinder (First Edition), which refined 3.5 even further; many of us call PF1 "D&D 3.75". Worth the look, especially how PF1 streamlined the skill mechanics.
Hmm. Maybe time to sell that blue dragon starter set.
Wouldn't sell it for much as I'm not using it and most of my collection is in D&D BECMI/CYCLOPEDIA world. I just borrow my daughter's 5e books.
How much would you want for it? I know someone who is interested in it!
@@BlackDragonRPGReviews It's all together and in good shape. Unplayed. The tokens are separated but together and all the figures are there. All the paperwork is like new. The box has shelf wear but looks good still. I was thinking like 20 dollars plus shipping. I usually sell through ebay under Swanezy.
@@timd4524 ok awesome! I’ll let my friend know about it and then let you know if he’s interested! Thank you’
@@timd4524 Would you happen to have pictures I can send to him? You can send them to my email if you like: bluedragonarcana@gmail.com