[AMBIENT] Everyone Else

[HellHound]

As of noon yesterday (just before we ran off to the wedding and everything else Dextra mentioned we had to do this weekend in her Amero-Centric thread on this board), Ambient Inc. released our fifth d20 e-book.

Everyone Else

Yeah yeah... it still isn't up on RPGnow, but I'm on their case to get it on the site ASAP. Honest

A book of statblocks for Innkeepers and Farmers may not make compelling reading, but with over 80 NPC professions and 320 stat blocks, Everyone Else is a valuable resource for game masters who are short on time and need to know the seneschal's Sense Motive modifier in a jiffy.

Getting hassled by the tax collector? PLONK... level 3 Expert with all the right skills and stats for being a tax collector coming right up. Players decide to complain about the tax collector to the local constabulary? PLONK... level 5 warrior with the right skills and stats for the town guard at your service... Time to go over his head and take matters up with the prince? PLONK... first you have to work your way past the level 1 and level 7 seneschals that run the palace before you can meet... PLONK... the level 5 aristocrat (idle noble) that supposedly runs this town that the players were only supposed to be in to restock their rations...

For DMs with a bit more time on their hands, value-added advice and suggestions for customizing NPCs, brief background on each NPC type, as well as rules to remember are included. If someone isn't certain about what is involved in being a lawyer in a pseudo-medieval setting, the introduction will give a overview of the information needed to put a lawyer to work in the game.

Taking full advantage of the electronic medium, the book includes comprehensive Bookmark choices, breaking the NPCs down by chapter sequentially as well as an alphabetical listing for ease of reference. Your download (or CD) includes two versions: one full colour version complete with graphics and bookmarks, another "Low Impact" edition without the backgrounds so those printing the book can save on toner! Being in PDF format, a DM can cut and paste the desired statblock into her game notes and then customize to suit her campaign or adventure in the wordprocessor of her choice. And since all of the text is 100% open game content, everyone can cut and paste to their heart's content.

Ready-made statblocks are faster than any PC generator, and far more portable! Not just a "rogues gallery", Everyone Else's NPCs are non-adversarial and non-adventuring NPCs, and reduce prep-time needed for the space between adventures, allowing a DM more freedom to work on the fun stuff -- the dungeons, quests, and thwarting the evil villains. This is one book in your DM's collection that won't collect dust!

Authors: Richard Ruthman & Michael S. Thibault
Page Count: 68 pages of content (not counting cover and OGL)
Price: $6
Release: October 18 2002

Product page http://www.dreadgazebo.com/dnd/everyone.html

 

[Dextra]

It's up!

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=324&

Please please please people, if you buy it, review it! Leave comments on RPGNow, here, or on the Ambient forums! http://www.dreadgazebo.com/cgi-bin/forums/YaBB.cgi?board=ambientd20
What did you think of the art? The layout? Did you find big glaring errors? What did you think of the descriptive text, the customization rules, the "rules to remember", the statblocks, the huge index at the back, the bookmarks? Did you buy it for yourself, or for your favourite DM? Did the two versions (full pretty pdf & low impact) make any difference?
Yes, I know, it's early yet, and only five copies sold in the first five hours it was up, but I'm really excited about this new product, and since it's such a departure from our usual style, I'm very interested to see what reaction is!

 

[Krug]

Looks interesting. by the way, who did the art? Impressive.

 

[Dextra]

art, and a contest

Looks interesting. by the way, who did the art? Impressive.

Thanks, Krug!

If you're referring to the sample page that's on the web site, that was actually a woodcut we found in an old book. We only have four "original" pieces commissioned exclusively for the book, and they were done by Juan Navarro.

I just expanded the home page with a little bio and pic for the authors and illustrators, BTW.

Oh yeah, we're having a little contest:
If you buy the book and post an honest comment (we're not trying to buy good reviews here, we want honest opinions) on RPGNow, your name is entered in a draw for free Ambient e-products (past and/or future). If your name isn't picked in the first draw, it is entered into the next. There will be three draws. Reviews on ENWorld will be treated the same (you can be entered twice if you do a review at ENWorld and a comment at RPGNow).