AEG Toolbox

[Mark CMG]

AEG Toolbox - What do you like? What do you love? What parts of it have made a difference in your game?

 

[Teflon Billy]

It's a wierd prouct.

I love it, and I'm sure I've ben subconsciously inspired by it, but I am relatively certain I've never used the tables to "Randomly generate" anything.

That said, just reading the thing gets the creative juices flowing.

Like I said...it's an odd beast

 

[EricNoah]

In theory it should be just the thing to whip out when you're "stuck" on some odd bit of information.

In practice, for me, I never think to whip it out until it's far, far too late.

 

[Wraith Form]

In practice, for me, I never think to whip it out until it's far, far too late.

That sounds like a personal problem.



:: ducks ::

 

[Orryn Emrys]

That sounds like a personal problem.



:: ducks ::

*snickers* Ah... the power of out-of-context quotes....

Toolbox. Is that the book of lists that Jeff Ibach put together...? I've never used it, but I actually bought a copy for a friend of mine who said he used it constantly in the games he was running. It wasn't that I didn't feel that it would be helpful for my own games as well, but my goal has long since been to minimize the page-flipping I have to do at the table, not add to it. Now, I'm a laptop DM... so online or electronic resources of a similar nature would be invaluable to me.

Incidentally, Jeff has a website with some cool articles on it.

 

[Mark Hope]

Great product - I use it all the time, both in preparing for the game and at the table. Last session I used it to come up with a bunch of names and simple motivations for some "background NPCs" who were working on a merchant caravan with the PCs - the kinds of folks that they are unlikely to spend much time with, but if they do, you want something more than "Er, yeah, his name is, er, Thag, and he likes, er, fighting evil..."

I've used it at the table for example, when the PCs were in a tavern. I had the book open to the pages about tavern patrons. So when one player wanted to know what the dwarves at the next table were doing, I had their conversation material and motivations right there in front of me.

That's where it gets the most use - in whipping up random people and places at the drop of a hat. Names, locations, motivations - all that kind of thing. None of it is the sort of stuff that I couldn't come up with myself, but the book's main strength is as a timesaver - it's all right there for you when you need it. No DM can cover every possible NPC or angle beforehand, so I like having a resource that I can smoothly turn to an incorporate quickly and easily.

I get less use out of the encounter tables, mainly because they are 3.0. I'd love to see a 3.5 version of those lists (especially the people as opposed to the monsters) but there you go.

One player, after leafing through it, described it as "a campaign in pieces, waiting to be assembled". Good description - it really is all the component parts. Just add DM, stir gently and serve ...

 

[DM_Jeff]

Is that the book of lists that Jeff Ibach put together...?

Yes indeed, that's the one my wife and I did. Glad it's still getting some attention!

Incidentally, Jeff has a website with some cool articles on it.

Wow, I haven't been there myself in ages. I don't update it anymore. But I'm glad you like the archives! As it is, there's a super-detailed index on that site many may find useful when using the book at the table, and a few extra charts we threw together, too.

For some behind-the-scenes scoops now that the project's long over, Dawn and I fought tooth and nail to get the "monster lists" AEG thought should fill the book OUT. We were positive we had enough lists to fill the whole book, but they were insistant on it being just like the last quarter of the 1st Edition DMG, so those lists stayed.

That said, we're still very happy with it. I still use it myself, especially when the party goes into a city I hadn't expected them to. That's something that always caused be pause back in the day. I'd like to do a 3.5 version.

-DM Jeff

 

[JustKim]

I'd like to do a 3.5 version.

What would be different in a 3.5 version?

 

[DM_Jeff]

What would be different in a 3.5 version?

Well, all the NPC stat lists would be updated. I'd remove the mmonster lists and add all the extra charts we have! That said, still only 25% of the book would need updating, the rest is edition-irrelevant.

PS Attachments for fun.

-DM Jeff

 

[Mark Hope]

Wow, that index is wonderful - thanks so much for that! It bears repeating that you guys did a great job with Toolbox. It really stands the test of time imho. Funny to hear about the monster lists - they're about the one part that I never use ...