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So guys, just a quick one here. I was having a sort out of my games room and finally uncovered the bottom two thirds of the bookshelf. I had a lot of boxes infront of it. There were a few gems there that I hadn't seen for a long while and it got me to thinking.

Be it rules, resource, hobby, fiction, factual what is your favourite wargaming book?

Is it a relic from times gone by that remind you of better days, the rose tinted first magazine, a technical book on colour theory, a ruleset that can never be bettered, the military history book of a given conflict or the fiction that informs your entire outlook of the hobby?

Do your worst, I'll post in a bit as I have a few in mind but it'd be nice to see yous first.

The Necrons' 3rd edition codex changed my outlook on 40k and completely sold me on the hobby. Xenology as a follow up was perfect. BL had a string of great fiction at the same time, like Eisenhorn, Ciaphas Cain and so on. Each of those supported the others, so it is really difficult to point at a single book or novel and say, "It's that one." However, the Oldcron codex that started tying it all together is the closest to "that one" in the bunch, so I guess that's my answer.

Outside of GW, AT-43's Red Blok codex is everything I want in a sci fi game fluff book, and the best in a good setting. Plus, that's how you do Space Soviets the right way.

Dropzone Commander's core book is also really well put together in terms of design and narrative. It gives me the same feeling when reading it as the old Aliens Colonial Marines Technical Manual, which is the best tie-in sci fi technical manual of all time.

I've always loved 40k Compendium, has tons of rules for thing we now expect as standard, this compilation of WD articles is just great. Army lists for Marines, Squats, IG and Harlequins! My fav rules of all time are in there, the fantastically complex robot programs. Amazing.

Rogue Trader rule book every time. I've had that book for 25 years and never tire of reading through it.

Battletech Technical Readouts, especially the early ones. It was all the military style fluff you could handle plus relevant stats and even notes on notable pilots and engagements for that model.

For historical interest, Index Imperialis.

There's absolutely nothing new in that book, but instead it's reprinted goodness from various yesteryears in one handy volume.

Imperial Armour Volume 4: The Anphelion Project.

It's the smallest of the IA books, and it is my fav.

Additionally the 2nd Ed Guard and Tyranid Codices are my fav Codices of all time.

Not strictly wargaming, but for sheer influence on me when I was younger, Out Of The Pit.

4th (?) edition Tyranids codex - with pick your biomorphs. That was fun!

Oh! and vehicle Design Rules....

Ere we go.

I have always considered this the pinnacle of narrative war gaming:

I'm not sure if I have a favorite but there are certain specialist publications that still give me a warm, fuzzy feeling...

White Dwarf 139. I was 10 and this was my 2nd ever 'Dwarf.

Tim Prow's Blood Angels inspired much of what I still love about sci fi games and miniature armies. It was also my first experience of the 'you can't possibly have done that with a brush and some paints' effect. I used to pour over that magazine for hours!

In more modern times I have a soft spot for the novela 'Fire Caste' by Peter Fehevari. One of the few Warhammer 40k stories I've made it to the end of and it manages to capture the bleak hopelessness of the setting. It also has Tau in it being the true bastards that they are.

 Azreal13 wrote:
Not strictly wargaming, but for sheer influence on me when I was younger, Out Of The Pit.

Nice one, that was also a massive influence on me and probably the most worn of all my books as a young 'un. My favourite and probably most influential FF Sourcebook was Titan, and when I outfitted my games room recently I made sure to put up a large framed print of the cover artwork (Dragonspell by Chris Achilleos) with pride of place on the wall.

Most influential wargaming book for me has to be the the 2nd ed Codex Chaos. Got it when it came out and still love flicking through it now. It wasn't the first wargaming book I had by a long shot, but it's definitely my favourite!

Imperial Armour Volume 4: The Anphelion Project.

It's the smallest of the IA books, and it is my fav.

Additionally the 2nd Ed Guard and Tyranid Codices are my fav Codices of all time.

Seconded. IA4 was just so damn atmospheric and broody.

The 6th edition Bretonnian Army book for Warhammer Fantasy Battles is a favourite of min. It is quite the complete package of art, fluff and interesting rules.

Another favourite is the Clan War Daimyo Edition rule book for the fluff.

The Imperial Armour Vraks titles. The fluff alone made those books worthwhile. The story was top notch.

"An Introduction to Wargaming" by John Sandars. Written in the 1970s I think.

I came across this book in a local library when I was about 8 years old. I had never heard of wargaming before this, and it opened up a whole world.

I started with WWII wargames using some of the rules suggested in the book. Later I discovered White Dwarf (issue 116), and I was just, "wow, wargames can be set in Sci-Fi/Fantasy!"

I've literally never been the same since. it all started with that book.

EVERY single book in Chronopia, followed closely by Cadwallon and Wrath of Kings!

Citadel Miniatures red and blue section.

The 3rd edition 40k rulebook. That thing hooked me for life.

That old 4th edition IG codex i bought second hand. I never played in that zdition, of course, bit i really love all those pictures of minis set as if they were fighting in gorgous sceneries, really depicting 40k's universe. I often re read it for the sheer pleasure of thise pictures.

Plus, the French translation, as opposed to those of newer and other codices, is actually pleasant to read!!

Vampire the Masquerade. More than any roleplaying books, this was my coming of age game.

I'm on the Battletech bandwagon. The game books for that had a really nice combination of rules, stats and cool fluff , personalities, and tiny little tweaks that my group loved (like "this guys mech is damaged so only runs 8, etc) The game holds a special place and nostalgia is a factor of course. As a teenager this game replaced Car WARS (remember that beer and pretzel gem?) as our go to free for all style game. Probably played it 2-3 times a week with a great dedicated group etc. Had a great set of writers for that run who influenced my formative years greatly.
My favorite from the run?
Shrapnel, a collection of great short stories. Sure, I am completely biased etc, but it pulls in the more realistic military sci fi I loved (as in, it fit my suspension of disbelief, and seemed very close to how I see mercenaries if that world did exist). Far more than GW, who in their defense do not aim for the same level of our world, just in the future. (not a knock, just taste difference)

The first edition Necromunda rulebook and Campaign rulebook.

Got me into Wargaming. Still fondly remember them...

I've been thinking on this one for a while, and I think I have to say it's the Battletech 3025 TRO. Moreso than anything else in that book, the unit action tidbits were fun for me to read moreso than the actual mech game stats.

Imperial Armour The Anphelion Project

Warhammer Armies- 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy

Also love the old Compendium and Compilation books for 40K 2nd edition.

Tamurkhan, The Throne of Chaos

The FW Badab War books, having started with the original fluff in the Rogue Trader Compendium it was nice to read the expanded story in those books (though I did miss some of the original garish colour schemes)