First, this is not a rant, an attempt to bash anyone or any company or an attempt to start a flame war just because I'm bored.
This is an honest attempt to provide constructive feedback on two topics that come up time and time again over in the general forum. In fact, the subject came up again in a "Gaxmoor" thread, so I thought if I move my reply over to here, maybe it'd serve some useful purpose.
d20 Writers/Publishers, please pay careful attention to the games mechanics and maps in your products. If your introductory material is a little flat, don't sweat it. If your "canned" descriptions don't make people stand up and go "wow," don't let it keep you up at night. If your game mechanics are not sound and/or maps are not servicable game aids, please spend a little more time in those areas. Why? Because if the mechanics are sound and the maps are useful, regardless of anything else, the product can still be used.
A few common mechanical errors:
CR's/EL's A CR applies to an individual critter. Most "stock" monsters in most products are OK in this regard. When "templates" are put into use, however, the CR's tend to go all over the place. EL's work in a similar fashion, although they apply to the encounter as a whole. Again, when "stock"-type encounters show up in a book the EL is usually pretty good. As soon as someone gets a little creative, however, wow, the EL is usually way off and typically on the low side.
Attacks, Damage and Armor: In most products, the stat block is fine if the critter is straight from the SRD (that's what I mean by "stock"). If the author changes the weapons and/or armor of the critter, however, these numbers more often then not are way out of whack.
Maps
Don't worry about how pretty your maps look. I'm all for artwork, but not at the expense of usefulness. Graph paper, inkpen and ruler work just fine. Two common problems--grid/scale and numbering conventions. Opinions may vary, but I like a grid on a map. If you have a grid, please note the scale (i.e. 1 square = 10'). If you do not have a grid, please note some sort of scale anyway. This is helpful. When numbering maps, please be consistent with whatever style you use.
I'm not "rules lawyering" here, nor am I looking to bash anyone. Mechanical errors and next to useless maps are problems common to many d20 products.
I do hope this is helpful,
Walter
This is an honest attempt to provide constructive feedback on two topics that come up time and time again over in the general forum. In fact, the subject came up again in a "Gaxmoor" thread, so I thought if I move my reply over to here, maybe it'd serve some useful purpose.
d20 Writers/Publishers, please pay careful attention to the games mechanics and maps in your products. If your introductory material is a little flat, don't sweat it. If your "canned" descriptions don't make people stand up and go "wow," don't let it keep you up at night. If your game mechanics are not sound and/or maps are not servicable game aids, please spend a little more time in those areas. Why? Because if the mechanics are sound and the maps are useful, regardless of anything else, the product can still be used.
A few common mechanical errors:
CR's/EL's A CR applies to an individual critter. Most "stock" monsters in most products are OK in this regard. When "templates" are put into use, however, the CR's tend to go all over the place. EL's work in a similar fashion, although they apply to the encounter as a whole. Again, when "stock"-type encounters show up in a book the EL is usually pretty good. As soon as someone gets a little creative, however, wow, the EL is usually way off and typically on the low side.
Attacks, Damage and Armor: In most products, the stat block is fine if the critter is straight from the SRD (that's what I mean by "stock"). If the author changes the weapons and/or armor of the critter, however, these numbers more often then not are way out of whack.
Maps
Don't worry about how pretty your maps look. I'm all for artwork, but not at the expense of usefulness. Graph paper, inkpen and ruler work just fine. Two common problems--grid/scale and numbering conventions. Opinions may vary, but I like a grid on a map. If you have a grid, please note the scale (i.e. 1 square = 10'). If you do not have a grid, please note some sort of scale anyway. This is helpful. When numbering maps, please be consistent with whatever style you use.
I'm not "rules lawyering" here, nor am I looking to bash anyone. Mechanical errors and next to useless maps are problems common to many d20 products.
I do hope this is helpful,
Walter
