of an online article series with some added depth. Having it all in one physical place, however, is helpful. Even so, the game of D&D technically only requires three books: the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual. But if there's a fourth book every tabletop group should pick up, it's probably Xanathar's. In terms of usefulness, Xanathar's is arguably equally useful to both players and Dungeon Masters. The first and third chapter are heavily player focused while the middle chapter is specifically all about tools for the DM to use. That includes sections on sleep, random encounters, traps, and more. If you're familiar with the Unearthed Arcana books from previous modern editions, this treads similar territory for 5th Edition. The question most groups will likely be asking themselves is whether the $49.95 MSRP is worth the sticker price". In a review of Xanathar's Guide to Everything in Black Gate, Howard Andrew Jones said "It's a great 5E book, maybe even an essential one. Giving it 4.5 out of 5 isn't quite fair to all the excellence within. Maybe 9.5 out of 10 would give you a better sense of its value. In other words, it's not a B, or a B+, it's an A, right on the border of A+." Viktor Coble listed Xanthar's Guide To Everything as #8 on CBR's 2021 "D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks" list, stating that "unlike a lot of the other books in 5e, it is a lot more versatile. Not only does it have the feeling of a campaign plot hook, but it also offers a lot of new subclasses, spells, and tools for new ways to play and understand the game." References External links Free excerpts (PDFs) released as rewards during the D&D Extra Life 2017 fundraiser: $10k Reward: Sample list of random encounters $15k Reward: Sample list of suggested character names $20k Reward: Sample life events for characters $25k Reward: List of new wizard spells $30k Reward: Subclass preview $40k Reward: Table of Contents Forgotten Realms sourcebooks Origins Award winners Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2017