Tell me about the Advanced Gamemaster's Guide from Green Ronin


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A bit of a composite repost:

Here's my review on the reivews page.

Between the AGMG and DMGII, I think I prefer the AGMG. If you are a modest to intermediate GM, the DMGII probably has more for you to "take it to the next level". The AGMG has a bit of the same style of advice, but if you have already read Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering (which overlaps a bit with the first chapter of DMGII), you might find the perspective of AGMG's advice fresher. The AGMG is a bit more about experimenting and expanding on your gaming experience and has more pure utility material and variants that will be of more use to more advanced GMs.

Here's a recounting of the content of both books and how useful I personally consider them to be (make your own judgements, natch.):

DMG II Useful
  1. Play styles and player traits (though it will be old hat if you have Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering)
  2. Other GM advice
  3. Archetypal Locations (love this sort of stuff)
  4. Political plot hooks & courts (though some of this is old hat)
  5. City and town plot hooks
  6. 100 instant NPC agendas
  7. Magic events (but R&R's ritual system fills this niche for me pretty well)
  8. Saltmarsh (well done and useful)
  9. Contacts (sort of)
  10. NPC unique abilities (sometimes the D&D system can make things a little too predictable.)
  11. Business rules
  12. Designing prestige classes (we've seen it before, but IMO it's essential)
  13. Signature traits
  14. Bonded magic items
  15. Magic locations (iffy - not sure if I'd use it. Too dependant upon PC interest.)
  16. Synergy abilities - just barely said to myself "I wish there was something like this." That's usually a good sign
  17. Magic Item Templates (iffy, but used right can have interesting flavor)
DMG II Not so useful
  1. Extra traps (sorry, dull and I already own Song & Silence and Traps & Treachery I&II. Book of Challenges is much better IMO.)
  2. Miniatures & Battle Grid Notes
  3. Encounter Tables
  4. Campaign Building (unless you are really a basic GM)
  5. Town minor NPCs & establishments
  6. Modeling law and justice (at one time I would have dug this; I have no time for this level of emulation before, and I certainly don't keep the last 100 years worth of transitions for every city.)
  7. Complex NPCs (one or two might be useful. They need the DMG 3.0 ready to run stock NPCs back; Ultimate NPCs also fills this niche much better.)
  8. Mentor/apprentice rules - interesting idea, not compelling enough.
  9. PC Organizations - don't think I needed rules or guideance here
  10. Guilds - likewise.
  11. Teamwork (blah)
  12. Artifacts (again, old hat)
AGMG Useful
  1. Sensitive Subjects - too many GMs are NOT sensitive to their player's, um, sensitivities.
  2. Knowing your group / play style - similar to DMG II, but might be fresher perspective if you have read Robin's Laws before.
  3. Combat rules variants - esp. class dodge bonus
  4. Speeding play
  5. Hex based movement - my preference for outdoors (iffy, though, cause it's old hat)
  6. Magic rules - esp metamagic points and self limited spells.
  7. Preparing adventures
  8. 40 basic plots/40 fight scenses/100 urban details / 100 wilderness details
  9. Simplified NPCs
  10. 40 campaign themes
  11. Cosmology choices
  12. Tweaking campaign rules (feats/bonus points)
  13. Designing feats & PRCs
  14. PC power level variants
  15. Ability score generation variants
  16. Training variants
  17. Innate abilities - AT LAST! Lots of great ways to reward players without magical bling.
  18. Levin (power component rules done justice, and eschewing the permanent "butcher shop" mentality.)
  19. Sovereign materials - appeal to the munchkin in me
  20. New special qualities - farms out those nifty abilities formerly locked up in special weapons.
  21. Inconveninces
  22. Mystic Locales & Holy sites
  23. Initiative cards (though I already use these)
AGMG Not so useful
  1. World Design - old hat, for the most part
  2. Play environment - old hat
  3. Fortune points - sorry, AFAIAC, action points are the standard
  4. Designing antagonists and allies (might be useful for newer GMs)
  5. APM NPCs (which I don't use any of except eldritch weaver)
  6. Character backgrounds (would never use these)
  7. Calendars and events (too simple, wouldn't use)
  8. Advancement options (none struck my fancy)
  9. Item characteristics
 

Gundark said:
Is the Advanced Players book any good?
Click to expand...

Less enthused about that one. I really liked the Eldritch Weaver (which, with its spells and suchnot, actually takes up a good chunk of the book), but little else in there I see using.
 

Psion said:
A bit of a composite repost:

Here's my review on the reivews page.

Between the AGMG and DMGII, I think I prefer the AGMG. If you are a modest to intermediate GM, the DMGII probably has more for you to "take it to the next level". The AGMG has a bit of the same style of advice, but if you have already read Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering (which overlaps a bit with the first chapter of DMGII), you might find the perspective of AGMG's advice fresher. The AGMG is a bit more about experimenting and expanding on your gaming experience and has more pure utility material and variants that will be of more use to more advanced GMs.

Here's a recounting of the content of both books and how useful I personally consider them to be (make your own judgements, natch.):

DMG II Useful
  1. Play styles and player traits (though it will be old hat if you have Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering)
  2. Other GM advice
  3. Archetypal Locations (love this sort of stuff)
  4. Political plot hooks & courts (though some of this is old hat)
  5. City and town plot hooks
  6. 100 instant NPC agendas
  7. Magic events (but R&R's ritual system fills this niche for me pretty well)
  8. Saltmarsh (well done and useful)
  9. Contacts (sort of)
  10. NPC unique abilities (sometimes the D&D system can make things a little too predictable.)
  11. Business rules
  12. Designing prestige classes (we've seen it before, but IMO it's essential)
  13. Signature traits
  14. Bonded magic items
  15. Magic locations (iffy - not sure if I'd use it. Too dependant upon PC interest.)
  16. Synergy abilities - just barely said to myself "I wish there was something like this." That's usually a good sign
  17. Magic Item Templates (iffy, but used right can have interesting flavor)
DMG II Not so useful
  1. Extra traps (sorry, dull and I already own Song & Silence and Traps & Treachery I&II. Book of Challenges is much better IMO.)
  2. Miniatures & Battle Grid Notes
  3. Encounter Tables
  4. Campaign Building (unless you are really a basic GM)
  5. Town minor NPCs & establishments
  6. Modeling law and justice (at one time I would have dug this; I have no time for this level of emulation before, and I certainly don't keep the last 100 years worth of transitions for every city.)
  7. Complex NPCs (one or two might be useful. They need the DMG 3.0 ready to run stock NPCs back; Ultimate NPCs also fills this niche much better.)
  8. Mentor/apprentice rules - interesting idea, not compelling enough.
  9. PC Organizations - don't think I needed rules or guideance here
  10. Guilds - likewise.
  11. Teamwork (blah)
  12. Artifacts (again, old hat)
AGMG Useful
  1. Sensitive Subjects - too many GMs are NOT sensitive to their player's, um, sensitivities.
  2. Knowing your group / play style - similar to DMG II, but might be fresher perspective if you have read Robin's Laws before.
  3. Combat rules variants - esp. class dodge bonus
  4. Speeding play
  5. Hex based movement - my preference for outdoors (iffy, though, cause it's old hat)
  6. Magic rules - esp metamagic points and self limited spells.
  7. Preparing adventures
  8. 40 basic plots/40 fight scenses/100 urban details / 100 wilderness details
  9. Simplified NPCs
  10. 40 campaign themes
  11. Cosmology choices
  12. Tweaking campaign rules (feats/bonus points)
  13. Designing feats & PRCs
  14. PC power level variants
  15. Ability score generation variants
  16. Training variants
  17. Innate abilities - AT LAST! Lots of great ways to reward players without magical bling.
  18. Levin (power component rules done justice, and eschewing the permanent "butcher shop" mentality.)
  19. Sovereign materials - appeal to the munchkin in me
  20. New special qualities - farms out those nifty abilities formerly locked up in special weapons.
  21. Inconveninces
  22. Mystic Locales & Holy sites
  23. Initiative cards (though I already use these)
AGMG Not so useful
  1. World Design - old hat, for the most part
  2. Play environment - old hat
  3. Fortune points - sorry, AFAIAC, action points are the standard
  4. Designing antagonists and allies (might be useful for newer GMs)
  5. APM NPCs (which I don't use any of except eldritch weaver)
  6. Character backgrounds (would never use these)
  7. Calendars and events (too simple, wouldn't use)
  8. Advancement options (none struck my fancy)
  9. Item characteristics
Click to expand...
Did someone say hexes?!

Thanks for that post, Psion. AGMG has now been bumped to the top of my list of books to buy.
 




genshou said:
Does this cousin have any interest in role-playing games? =D
Click to expand...

Not that I am aware of. I was sort of scratching my head over how you were able to get a group together. ;)
 

Psion said:
Not that I am aware of. I was sort of scratching my head over how you were able to get a group together. ;)
Click to expand...
I don't have a local gaming group, at least not yet. I'm working on that, though.

That's why I play online.
 

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