Say you've already purchased a game that is reasonably complete and playable, what additional resources would you like for it?

Some examples;

Cool new powers/classes/character options?

New setting details?

Expanded GM tools.

Combination of all the above?

Or something else?

Ways to tweak the core rules to get exactly what I want from the game.

I prefer books that let you expand on one area of the game, in new powers, GM tools, and setting.  That way if I like that area I can get that suppliment.  I don't want them assuming I'll buy everything that comes out.  Some books like this that I rather liked was The Draconomicon for D&D and Magic Box for Buffy.

For me it would be new powers and then GM tools.

Free support downloads.  Small ones, like character sheets, GM worksheets, a demo adventure.

And nothing else.  Literally.  I don't like actual supplements.

for a sci-fi tech-based game i like to see supplements that have updated gear and such (TRs for battletech, for example).  other than that, not much.  i would say setting specific details, but i rarely use *stock* settings anyways so that would be kinda pointless...

and ditto the free downloads; im a neat freak when it comes to gaming so al the little tables and charts i can get make me happy...

1#
I want a box of pieces I can use or not use without concern.  I want the new pieces to be matching in power.

OR

2#
I want a new place, idea or way to play the game that doesn't add to the rules, complexity, or require me to retool by hand everything else to make it work.


Example: #1  I don't like books full of new feats and prestige classes for 3.5 D&D that are so much better than any of the old stuff.  In 2nd edition D&D I didn't like how the complete handbooks made there group more powerful as time went on.  The rework the Gnomes and Halflings got compared to the Dwarves was obscene.

#2 I loved Dark Sun from 2nd Ed D&D but it was difficult to use out of the box without going over spell lists with a fine tooth comb and figuring out how you were going to handle psionics rules that weren't robust enough for what they tried to do.

Quote from: Levi KornelsenFree support downloads.  Small ones, like character sheets, GM worksheets, a demo adventure.

And nothing else.  Literally.  I don't like actual supplements.

As a business model though, it falls apart and kills the system.

However I lik the idea of the small additions, worksheets and the like.  Add on a potential world book, adversary book (if nothing else it gives you the examples to work your own if you must) and ways to expand the game.

Supplements that let you change things -- a new setting, a new genre, variant rules.  The 3e Unearthed Arcana is my favourite 3.5 splatbook and probably my most used book besides the core 3.  Even though half the stuff are things I'd never use, the other half are things that I use all the time.

So, not more of the same, but something different.  If WotC put out a book with a bunch of feats and prestige classes and none of them were directly tied into combat, that would be fresh and new and "better" than what they do put out (more of the same, cranked up to 11).

Quote from: Phantom StrangerAs a business model though, it falls apart and kills the system.

If the book is treated as "evergreen" (always in print) and has an active user base providing material such as new characters, locations, and so on, it can avoid most of the problems associated with that.

I don't generally want a heck of a lot of new rules. I'd prefer a setting supplement that gives specific details about one country or kingdom, or even one city. Enough specifics to run a full campaign in that specific locale while still keeping it open as a location for PCs in a larger campaign to stop by and visit..

I'm pretty minimalist on my non-core books, myself.

I like to keep things tight & simple.  I like to have one to three core books and then mostly disregard everything else.  If the core rules are done right, that serves as a springboard to everything else I want to do.

Arcana Evolved is a perfect example - it has characters, spells, setting, monsters, and rules all put together.

If I'm using a premade setting, I want one book or boxed set.  Past that, I won't buy it.

I will not use treasuries of spells, prestige classes, feats, or magic items.  I don't like having to potentially retool everything, and I don't like scampering around for references.

I would use a spell treasury if it included all the core spells with it.  I know this would never be done, but damn would it be nice.

I can and do use the hell out of monster supplements.  Monsters are simple to use piecemeal.

In short, I want to reference no more than two books at the gaming table, not including monster books.  I consider the PHB+DMG as one book.

This means I'm a lousy RPG customer.

-O

I like the following things in order:
1) A fun read/ good flavor text (a book that is all crunch that puts me to sleep is not going to get used, but one that is all fluff has no use).
2) Nifty crunchy bits (Disciplines and Bloodlines for Vampire; mutant animal species for TMNT; Character classes, Spells, Magic Items, Races, and Monsters for D&D [or Rifts or Palladium Fantasy]).
3) Adventures or strong hooks

As long as the material is good quality and is interesting, I want more of everything.  I can always take the bits I like and scrap the rest.

By my own guidelines given above, some of the best RPG sourcebooks ever include:

Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand (for Vampire: The Masquerade):  A good balance of flavor-text to crunch for a White Wolf book.  The flavor-text was actually quite exciting (to the point that it has actually upset enough people to have created a sort of anti-fan club for this book).  The crunch was quite usable too.

Powers Unlimited and Powers Unlimited 2 (for Heroes Unlimited):  The exception to one of my rules: crunch that is well written and needed can just about entirely cancel out any need for flavor text.

The dragon Compendium Vol. 1 (for D&D/ d20 fantasy):  Like most D&D books, the crunch factor is quite high, but the flavor is excellent too.  I like the background provided for the races.  I like the way classes are explained.