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Message: <blockquote data-quote="KirayaTiDrekan" data-source="post: 7319686" data-attributes="member: 6755061">The Rogues GalleryOriginally published January 1980Version being read and reviewed: <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17024/The-Rogues-Gallery-1e?it=1" target="_blank">The Rogues Gallery</a> by Brian Blume with Dave Cook and Jean WellsThis is basically a big book of tables of NPCs of every class (AD&D 1st Edition specifically).  While interesting, the intro which explains the various abbreviations used in the tables notes that things like AC and to hit bonus don’t take into account magic items, or even Dex bonuses.  The magic items belonging to these NPCs are “purposely left sketchy and incomplete.”  The usefulness of these pregens is thus also sketchy.  I suppose they’re handy as starting points, but for something a DM needs right now in an encounter, there’s still far too much work to be done.  The table for clerics in the PDF version I have is missing the brief introductory paragraph the other classes have, possibly due to a scanning error.  Each table uses a percentile roll except the bards table, which only uses a d20 (since bards are a pseudo-prestige class and are thus supposed to be quite rare).  There is also a table for multi-class characters.  There are also tables for sages, o-level characters, caravans (which are heavily guarded - makes sense - I always wandered just how trade even exists when the wilderness between towns is often full of hostile critters), city guards (and watches and patrols), pilgrims, and bandits and buccaneers.  We then get sections on a few monsters that are particularly complicated to run - couatl, ki-rin, shedu, liches, and NPC dungeon parties.  The dungeon parties are just a list of classes and specific magic items owned by individual members.  So, you have to go back to the previous tables if you want at least some of their combat stats.  Interestingly, the lower level parties have a few men-at-arms on hand while the higher level parties have henchmen and hirelings.  Finally, there are individual descriptions of various personalities, aka the player characters of Gary Gygax and his various players.  A few of the names attached to various spells throughout D&D’s history can be found here.  Bigby (a reclusive, mostly retired 13th level magic-user), Mordenkainen (a 16th level magic-user and the highest level character in the book), and Tenser (a 14th level Lawful Good magic-user who loves combat).  The bard, Fletcher, reminds me of a bard NPC named Piper I created for my own campaigns - a scheming, inscrutable type who is always a couple of steps ahead of everyone else.  Grimslade, a Neutral magic-user, seems like the sort of character played by someone who just wants to be disruptive and contrary.   Most of these characters are Neutral at best, with several being outright evil.  One wonders what sort of campaigns these folks were playing.   While useful for its time, this is one of those books that didn’t age well.Sidenote: The original version of this review was lost during a EN World crash. Next up: S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks</blockquote>

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