Rules Void?

[Crothian]

Which ones?

All of them

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

WTF?

See Storyguide3's responce above for most of this. I will simply point out that if I had not mentioned d20 Modern, someone would have called me on it. The same way someone called me on mentioning it.

there most likely is a renaissance setting. and anyway, the DMG 3.5 provides some rules on the subject.

I am not aware of any generic settings with that time period as a theme and the rules in the DMG are few.

although there is no official setting for amirican/indian kish, it should be pretty easy to come up with something using the core rules.

I could make up all my own rules and settings and then never worry about buying another book ever again. But the point of this thread is to discuss what books should be published by RPG companies, not what books we should cook up on our own.

comedy? you need rules for comedy? you most be joking!

If we have books on horror in a game and horror setting, why not have books on comedy?

 

[Janx]

You missed Sailing and underwater adventures.

Seafarer's Handbook and Book of the Sea cover those 2 topics.

But to be thorough, they needed mentioning...

I'd steer clear of actually judging any of the product categories out there (such as are the poison rules good?). The point is, has the category been covered.

Environmental categories seem open. WotC was starting to hit that niche, with their arctic book. But categorically, they would have been:

arctic
jungle
desert
forest
mountain
plains
coastal
tropical
volcanic

Historical Cultures topics are also popular:
roman
greek
african/zulu
aztec
Indian (as in India)
eurpean/renaisance
Aztec
Mayan
aborigine (australian)
Norse/Viking
Chineese
Japanese
Indonesian
Arabic
Egyptian
Spanish conquistador period
Celtic
Scottish
Inuit (alaskan indians)

A couple of other odd environments to for the list:
space
underwater
underdark
other planes

You can also go crazy on people and places products:
NPCs (ala Everyone Else, a real product)
Castles
Hovels
Inns
Cities
Villages
Towns
Dungeons
Businesses (places of, maps, npcs)


There's a lot of categories. I'd make a list of categories, then see what products cover that category. What you can't find products for, might be the thing to make...

Janx

 

[Crothian]

If we have books on horror in a game and horror setting, why not have books on comedy?

And we have it: Snarf d20

 

[Crothian]

arctic

Frost and Fur

underdark
other planes

Goodman's games Underdark
For Planes we have Portals and Plans and the Book of Planes; though there really is a lot of room for more

Inns

Book of Taverns

 

[kolikeos]

A couple of other odd environments to for the list:
space

that would be fun
once one of my players rolled a 1 on the d% for a teleport spell, he ended on an airless planet some lightyears away, that was back in the 3e when teleport distence was unlimited as long as you stay on the same plane

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

And we have it: Snarf d20

I did not know they had a game for this. Is it any good?

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

You missed Sailing and underwater adventures. Seafarer's Handbook and Book of the Sea cover those 2 topics.

I have never heard of these books. Are they any good?

But to be thorough, they needed mentioning...

I'd steer clear of actually judging any of the product categories out there

An argument can be made if a subject has only been covered once and then poorly, it should probably be tackled again. If it's been tackled a dozen times, then one of those books is bound to be good enough it does not need to be handled again.

Environmental categories seem open.

This is an interesting idea, but what is the differnce between "tropical" and "jungle" and a book on "mountians" could also handle "volcanic."

Historical Cultures topics are also popular:

Perenially popular. However, a book on Aztec could also cover Maya and Inca. A book on Chineese could also cover Japanese, Indonesian and Indian (as in India).

You can also go crazy on people and places products:

Some of these also sound interesting. Except hovels. I don't think we need a book on hovels.

 

[Macbeth]

Hmmmmm... I've thought about the same thing a fair bit. It seems a lot of topics are well covered, leaving little territory to be covered. But what I can think of:

Commerce/Trade
Computer Use in modern games
High Level threats that don't involve the end of the world
Adventuring (discussing how PC-type characters would fit in a fantasy world, especially with regard to the typical D&D party)


I know I've had more ideas of topics that could be covered, but they escape me at the moment.

 

[Incenjucar]

The most needed books are "How to" books. That is -the- largest gap in the industry. It is also the least likely to be filled, because if it's done right, it lessens the need for ready-made material.

Another large gap that I see are "Random Mechanics" books.

Rather than a book of classes, feats, or whatever else, I'm talking books of just possible rules of various size that can be inserted in to monsters, feats, PrCs, environments, equipment, or whatever.

Things like:
Uncanny Dodge
Rage
Automatic Trip (Ala wolf)
Light Emination
Elemental Radius Conditions (Things from "Hot Weather" to "Static-Filled Environment)
Rend


Etc etc etc.

A big giant book full of effects and abilities that could be shoved on to any number of things without setting them as a single item, PrC, or whatever. Just the big giant list of stuff to use in one big reference or a series of them.