TarionzCousin
Second Most Angelic Devil Ever
Dibs.The signed rat made me laugh out loud when I saw it. I wonder if it would fetch a good price on ebay?
We need to see a picture first.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Forked Thread: 3.5 Discounts (FREE TOOLBOX)
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We need to see a picture first.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
It was indeed the Adventuring Group Names.
I have another game of 4e tomorrow and I'll be using this book again prior to writing a review that has (gasp!) actual game play experience with it.
I have another game of 4e tomorrow and I'll be using this book again prior to writing a review that has (gasp!) actual game play experience with it.
jim pinto
First Post
how embarrasing
ugh
okay
20 more names coming shortly (maybe 40)
i can't believe we missed this
i blame jeff's cat
EDIT: Okay. I took Jeff's list, edited it, and added 80 more, so there's 100 mercenary companies on my blog. Just follow the obnoxious banner below to my extra-needy website. Enjoy.
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DM_Jeff
Explorer
My cat pleads the 5th. I know. I'm going to go through the index and see if my cat can find any other charts that somehow slipped through our clenched fists.
-DM Jeff
DM_Jeff
Explorer
I just came across a snippet I took out of my original submission for UT. As folks already know the book is mostly tables, but it's also loaded with some great advice peices and sidebars (one from jim regarding thinking outside the box involving storytelling is a favorite). Here's one I didn't include. I think at the time I thought it sounded too preachy.
As of January 2010 I’ll have been GMing for 30 years. And In all that time I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all-powerful force controlling everything. Oh, no, wait. There is…it’s called the GM Screen. And the GM behind it. And oh, the life-altering and time-changing decisions made back there can control life, death, success and failure!
Over the years my players and I have come to find a more interesting solution. Because I like playing the game sometimes instead of always running it, but hardly ever get the chance, I found it’s easier to simulate playing if I make many die rolls right out in the open. Then, instead of knowing what I need to happen will happen, I can roll with the unexpected punches and stay on my toes. Sure, it’s easier to roll back behind a screen and make up whatever number you want or need, but I’ve come to believe that’s not as much fun for me.
As a player, part of the fun was always the unexpected change in tactics or roleplaying thanks to an unexpected really good or bad die roll. It’s funny, there are some GMs who are nearly petrified at having to do improve and change their static plans when something goes off the beaten path. I’d like to think that by letting the dice fall out in the open it helps you exercise your impromptu skills and your own playing ability.
True, there are some who prefer to keep dice so much in the background so as to keep suspension of disbelief and storytelling in the fore, but dice are part of our game! I find it also gets the players more involved and excited to see their perfect plans ruined by watching my d20 roll ‘cross the table and come up a 20 on a key saving throw. Or the cheers that come out when I roll a 1 when the tyrannosaur tries to power-attack the weakened paladin.
One of the best pieces of advice ever was from Mr. Clark Peterson who suggested in your gaming career always try a game or situation you never thought you would (that’s how I wound up running an Eberron game for a year). One time, if you normally roll all dice in private, try a game where you roll out in the open. You might discover a hidden talent within!
-DM Jeff
As of January 2010 I’ll have been GMing for 30 years. And In all that time I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all-powerful force controlling everything. Oh, no, wait. There is…it’s called the GM Screen. And the GM behind it. And oh, the life-altering and time-changing decisions made back there can control life, death, success and failure!
Over the years my players and I have come to find a more interesting solution. Because I like playing the game sometimes instead of always running it, but hardly ever get the chance, I found it’s easier to simulate playing if I make many die rolls right out in the open. Then, instead of knowing what I need to happen will happen, I can roll with the unexpected punches and stay on my toes. Sure, it’s easier to roll back behind a screen and make up whatever number you want or need, but I’ve come to believe that’s not as much fun for me.
As a player, part of the fun was always the unexpected change in tactics or roleplaying thanks to an unexpected really good or bad die roll. It’s funny, there are some GMs who are nearly petrified at having to do improve and change their static plans when something goes off the beaten path. I’d like to think that by letting the dice fall out in the open it helps you exercise your impromptu skills and your own playing ability.
True, there are some who prefer to keep dice so much in the background so as to keep suspension of disbelief and storytelling in the fore, but dice are part of our game! I find it also gets the players more involved and excited to see their perfect plans ruined by watching my d20 roll ‘cross the table and come up a 20 on a key saving throw. Or the cheers that come out when I roll a 1 when the tyrannosaur tries to power-attack the weakened paladin.
One of the best pieces of advice ever was from Mr. Clark Peterson who suggested in your gaming career always try a game or situation you never thought you would (that’s how I wound up running an Eberron game for a year). One time, if you normally roll all dice in private, try a game where you roll out in the open. You might discover a hidden talent within!
-DM Jeff
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DM_Jeff
Explorer
I think my favorite part in the book is the first sentence on page 248.
For a while I wondered if they'd keep it in there.
I remember this well because it came up when Dawn wanted to combine one of the pickpocket charts. She turned one backpacket chart in and jim liked it so much he requested another.
Glad you are enjoying the book!
-DM Jeff
jim pinto
First Post
For a while I wondered if they'd keep it in there.
I remember this well because it came up when Dawn wanted to combine one of the pickpocket charts. She turned one backpacket chart in and jim liked it so much he requested another.
Glad you are enjoying the book!
-DM Jeff
Yeah. Originally, these were overly complicated pickpocket charts. I turned them into backpacks (remembering the old D&D backpacks in adventures like U1 and U2) and then we edited and compiled 40 of them, trying to make sure they didn't duplicate too many of the same themes. Some are randomly weird (which I think is great) and others you can tell belonged to a very particular person.
I think Jeff and Dawn did a lot of things right with the initial pages of this book. And once Jeff and I started to edit it, some real magic started to happen. Chapter six is an example of Jeff and I just writing and writing until we couldn't see straight. Before I started it was maybe 10 pages long. Now it's 50.
And before I sound like I'm bragging, let me make it very clear how fun it is to work with Jeff on this stuff, because he doesn't get married to a single idea. I hope some of our cooperative styles come through. And I hope my anal wordsmithing doesn't.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Unknown Monsters
Diseases
Disease Symptoms
Bone Carvings
Maps
Here Be Monsters
Knightly Titles
Military Honors
Weapon Names
Unknown Fauna
Diseases
Disease Symptoms
Bone Carvings
Maps
Here Be Monsters
Knightly Titles
Military Honors
Weapon Names
Unknown Fauna
