Free GM Resource: Pyromancers

This week's Free GM Resource is a bit of a twofer.

Pyromancers has two online programs that Frugal GMs might find useful for their games. The first is a simple browser-based mapping utility called Dungeon Painter and the second is a rather cool "map" sharing utility called Forum Scene Viewer.

The Dungeon Painter creates online maps that can be exported as two different picture files (PNG and JPG) and can be exported as a PDF for printing and assembly as well. They also offer a B&W export option, but I haven't played with that any.

One of the cool things about this mapping program is that the resources aren't static. When you build a floor tile, for example, the patterns swirl about some as you expand your flooring so the resulting floor tile isn't an obviously repeating pattern. The program creates layers for your objects and you can manipulate the layers somewhat like you do in Photoshop.

Overall think of it as an online version of Dundjinni.


The second browser-based program from Pyromancers is basically a way to share a map online, or more specifically to share changes to a map that is already online. It sounds a bit confusing but basically you start with a map online already, like in a forum post. You add links to your tokens and the program creates a custom URL that directs others to your creation of map + tokens. People can make changes, like moving their PC token, and creates a new URL.

Basically it is making a static map interactive for online forum or play-by-post games.

Frugal GM Review: Adventures! Monster Cards

This last week (or so) I've heard a little chatter about this ultra-light RPG called Adventures!, from Gramel Publishing. The draw to the game is that each book is supposed to be only two pages. The main game has a two page GMG, a two page PHB, and a "bonus" character sheet.

This download is a bonus creature card for use in the game.

Now I've made monster cards before and I'm aware that it can be a pain, but I'm also keenly aware of how they usually get used. Right off I have to admit I like the idea of these cards much better than the execution.

First off, the download is rather large at 9.59 MB....zipped. The card sheet itself is large at 1.48 MB,
which is HUGE considering what that file is made of......basically eight simple cards with cut lines and a header. No color, no form fields, nothing that warrants such a large file.

Please bear with me a moment because the size of the file is important unless you simply keep one copy on-hand and print them off as needed. If you want to keep a small library of filled-in cards to pull from as needed you really want a form-fillable PDF file. Depending on the program you use for PDFs you might be able to type in notes or create a form yourself, but it is best to start with a more efficiently-sized file.

While I'm at size, these cards come in at 2.44 inches wide by 3.61 inches (61.98 x 91.69 mm) tall. Standard trading card size is 2.5 x 3.5 inches or (64 x 89 mm).  This is important because if you want a library of these cards you may choose to protect them using standard card sleeve protectors. Since these sleeves vary a bit in size, it might not be an issue, assuming you are great at cutting these cards out. The wavy border along the edges looks cool on paper, but can become problematic when you go to use these cards.

The more math-minded of you might have noticed that there is a big discrepancy between the size of the download (9.59 MB zipped vs. 1.48 MB PDF). This is because there is a second file that I'm not quite sure of. It is a 7.91 MB picture that doesn't make too much sense. At first I thought it might be a card back of some sort, but it is a solitary PNG, not a series of the same pictures laid out side by side in another PDF that is ready for printing the card backs. This picture is nearly 12 x 18 inches at a resolution of 177.8 DPI.

While extremely useful for me making a small header picture, I cannot fathom a ready as-is use for the file.

Overall monster cards can be a great way for a GM to run a combat encounter without having to make a lot of notes or refer back to the source books too often. Done right, a series of monster cards can be created easily for one session and reused in subsequent sessions.

Free Map(s) 005

With the recent posts regarding the Roleplaying City Map Generator allowing you to generate a city and this week's City Generator allowing you to make a map.....I decided my next project had to be a marriage of the two.

The cool thing with the map generator is that you can plug in some specifics from the city generator, like a certain number of gates, buildings, and wall dimensions.

After generating my city I plugged in the parameters into the map generator and cycled through a series of random maps until I found one I liked. Next I exported the map into 16 sections, giving me a HUGE map to play with. Stitching up the sections and extending the roads out of town left me with this to play with.  The larger map is 300 DPI and 24" square....which you can find here.

Now I realize that simply sharing this map isn't really worthwhile because if you got the City Map Generator you can get this far without any real effort.

Free GM Resource: City Generator

Last month I posted about a pretty cool city map generator that gave you a lot of options for building any sized city on the fly. The only real problem I saw with that program was that while a map is useful, it is only part of what a GM needs to build a city.

This City Generator, from CrystalBallSoft, is a simple & easy to use generator that has a number of options that really lets you tweak the city to your needs. The greatest part of this generator, the thing that puts it above just about every other generator I've ever seen, is that you can tweak the number & type of city wards. Combine this with building & profession generation and you've got a decently fleshed out city that doesn't take up a lot of space.

Frugal GM Review: Under Fogbreath Peak

Under Fogbreath Peak is a free one-page Labyrinth Lord adventure by Joe Johnston (Taskboy Games). I find it interesting that this is actually the third review of his DriveThruRPG products:
          Brave the Labyrinth #1
          The Manse on Murder Hill

When you factor in that I don't even play this system.....

I was drawn to each item for different reasons. The Zine because....well because it was a Zine. The adventure caught my eye initially because the cover reminded me of the old AD&D adventures. This particular adventure caught my eye because it was a simple one-page (landscape) adventure.

Instead of a free map, how about a free font?

I have a couple of map ideas I'm taking far too long working on, including a few ideas for a vertical dungeon tile set to share on Dave's Mapper.

One map I wanted to do with Dundjinni, but for some reason my program would not run properly. I decided to update my 1.04 version to 1.07 and.....well it didn't go well. A fresh install was in order and that created even more problems.

In the end there was far too much wasted time and while I do have Dundjinni 1.07 on my computer, the initial problems that necessitated the jump-through-hoops effort still remained.

So....instead of a map today you get a different file. This last week I've been messing with font creation and on a whim I made a simple RPG cuniform font. The whole idea was to make a font using a small set of shapes. The font is the same for capital and lower-case letters and this set has numbers, but no punctuation.

Here is an example of the font used to mark off a section of an older map.

Here is the shortcut for the font.

Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay Kickstarter

Personally I have had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Kickstarter, and "professionally" I'm not one to usually push a project unless it resonates just right. IIRC correctly I've only promoted the Reaper Bones Kickstarter because that was a great deal for GMs and it could only make getting cheaper minis easier down the line.

I've reviewed a couple of products from Small Niche Games (or are about to....I tend to work ahead on some entries) and while they were all geared at Labyrinth Lord for the underlying game system, I've found them all quite useful for conversion to just about any Fantasy Role Playing Game.

Yesterday I discovered that SNG has a modest Kickstarter for an upcoming City Guidebook. As of this post, the project is already funded, but any more funds are intended to be used to add extra/better art.

The cool part is that this project will be made available to everyone using DriveThruRPG's Pay What You Want Program. If stretch goals are made then there will be some additional product made available at a reasonable cost, or free for certain donation levels.

This is the kind of Kickstarter I can get behind and it seems like a win-win for everyone.

Free GM Resource: Dave's Mapper

Even if....or maybe especially if...you have a large selection of maps, sometime you just need something quick and easy.

Dave's Mapper is definitely quick and easy.....and pretty fricken cool to boot.

A quick overview: you can quickly make a number of map types (Dungeons, Caverns, City, Side View, and Sci-Fi Ships). Select a type and your desired size and whammo! A new map is made. You can deselect map tiles from certain artists, if you wanted, and editing the new map is quite simple.

Dave's Mapper is easy enough that you can use the website from your tablet.

There are tons of options for creating a map: size, offset, grids......you can even create foldable map cubes!

Although there are already 32+ artists creating tiles, the program is still accepting new tiles and there is a weekly contest (#TileThursday) for new tiles.

This is a great project and a wonderful tool for GMs.