Request to publishers

[thundershot]

I'm probably in the minority, but when publishing adventures, could more of you please put the NPC and monster stat blocks on the same page as the monster or NPC is encountered? I've been running RttToEE and flipping to the back constantly to check the stats of the NPC. While other adventures have the monster stat blocks right there. To make matters worse, many monsters aren't even in the book, and you have to keep the Monster Manual handy. I don't know about most DMs, but I have enough crap around me constantly to have the MM there AND flipping through pages to find stats. Kenzer modules would be PERFECT if they had the stat blocks right there for you...

Sorry if I'm in the minority, but I just wanted to see if it made a difference...

Thanks
Chris

 

[Mouseferatu]

I think you'll find that the reason many publishers put the stat blocks in the back is because it saves space.

For instance, let's say you have four different encounters with, oh, wraiths over the span of a single story. If you have the stat blocks at the back, you only have to print it once. If you have the stat block each time the wraith appears, that's four times the word count. Doesn't sound like a lot, but when you do that for multiple monsters it adds up quick. End result, either you have to cut the story itself short, or you have to up the page count--and thus the cost of the module.

 

[thundershot]

You know, I can understand why they do that, but it doesn't make it any easier for me to DM. Perhaps if they had a removable section attached inside with rubber glue like many maps are included, it would work. Like for RttToEE, the maps are a separate entity, the NPCs would have been GREAT as a separate booklet, y'know?

Not complaining. I've been happy with most of my purchases. I just wanted to convey my opinion..


Thanks!
Chris

 

[danzig138]

I agree that it is easier to have the stat block with the encounter. That's what I do in the adventures I type up for my self. You might try stopping at a Kinko's for a few minutes and making copies of the stat blocks in the back, so you can have them handy with the encounter descriptions.
As for having the MM handy, I like that. Back when I first started, I would write down all the stats for every encounter I had ( I was younger and dumber then):> Of course, when I run a game, I don't actually have that much stuff around me. I usually stack my books on a small table next to me except the DMG and MM, and all my papers are on a clipboard.
I like the idea of removable pages with the stat blocks.

 

[RangerWickett]

I hadn't been a player for several, um, years, until yesterday mornin, when I played in a friend's Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil game. It was the first part of the mine section, the very entrance. And, as we expected, we got into a fight. I was really eager, since I had a character who was fun, and I hadn't been able to beat up on random NPCs for a long time.

And then I just waited. The DM looked at the book, then flipped to the map, then back to the book, then back to the map. Then he got out his markers and (checking with the book again) drew the map very carefully, took out some gnoll minis. Once he'd spent about 5 minutes setting up the map board, he still kept checking back to the book during combat to make sure the stats were all totally accurate.

I dunno, I'm just used to my own winging-it play style, but it went really slowly for me. I wish we could put big letters into adventures telling GMs, "If you haven't had time to get to know what these critters can do, use something you're more familiar with."

Dang, I must be coming across as a really angry gamer today.

 

[thundershot]

The mines are where I had problems too.

I've DMed for almost 15 years now, so it's not because I'm new.

There were Gnolls, Humans, and other creatures involved, and I had to keep checking who had what attack bonus, who had what weapons, and what STR bonuses they had. If it was a special NPC, I had to look them up separately in addition to making sure I use the items and spells that they have... It was just frustrating for me. Not that it was HARD, it was just annoying having to flip back and forth for specific groups. Oh, and shuffling the monster manual in with it as well (which I do usually keep around, but geez...)


Chris

 

[Khur]

Uh...

I never had any problems with the issue you refer to. Of course, I photocopy everything I need out of the module I'm using, including the maps. I'd recommend this, even over a detachable book section, just because you can make notes on the photocopies without messing up a book. You can also note who's dead, what they've used up, and etc.

As a DM, if I need something special from the MM, I usually have it on a note card behind the screen. It's handy for the same reasons mentioned above. Beyond that, it's just a matter of familiarizing yourself with the NPCs before the battles start.

Have your players pitch in a bit for the photocopies and such, if you need to. They'll enjoy the game more for them anyhow.

 

[Dextra]

DMing

I found that some advance preparation usually works well.
On the few occasions when I'm going to DM, I get out a table printout I made which has a line or two for each critter the characters are likely to encounter that sesison. BAB, saves, lots of scratch space for HPs, AC, dmg, special attacks, init base...
Then as we go, the numbers are right there. Also makes it easier to track XP.
Honestly, I like having all the critters at the back. Especially if there are a whole bunch of the same kind of monster.

 

[Mouseferatu]

You know, I can understand why they do that, but it doesn't make it any easier for me to DM. Perhaps if they had a removable section attached inside with rubber glue like many maps are included, it would work. Like for RttToEE, the maps are a separate entity, the NPCs would have been GREAT as a separate booklet, y'know?

I agree, that would be pretty cool. OTOH, you're once again talking about something that would raise the price of the module.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but as I understand it--and I'll admit, being that I'm a writer and not in production, my understanding could be way off--anything that changes the basic ink-and-pages format of a book is going to up the price far more than the size of the change implies.

I wish there was an easy way around this. I don't run many modules, but I too have occasionally had to do the "flip back and forth" bit from time to time. I really think the best solution, much as I hate to sound like I'm passing the buck, is simply for the DM to take notes and make preparations ahead of time, as others have suggested.

No other solution isn't going to cost us all money at the FLGS.

 

[Master01]

Being a Publisher and a DM, I understand perfectly what do you mean. For this reason all Øone Games adventures have stat blocks in the same page of the encounter.... I hate to flip the pages too