Free GM Resource: Weather Underground

Today's Free GM Resource is a bit of a twofer in that it is also a GM Prep Tip.

I've tried a couple of weather generators in the past and I've always had issues with them being a little too random, and usually fantastical. The possibility of a freak snowstorm in the summer and tornadoes in the winter just don't sit right with me. Sure, you can always just ignore those results, but if you random generator isn't "fire & forget" than you either need to tweak your parameters or get a new generator.

Now I loves me some random table generators, but I don't necessarily like to spend time creating or tweaking what feel, to me, to be tables of secondary (or even tertiary) importance. I'd rather just come up with something that works.

New Frugal GM Product: Lookout at Logger's Lake

With the extra work I initially put in on that map from last week I decided I should go ahead an "do" something with that map. I had an initial idea for a "Tweak & Toss" encounter set that ended up getting a bit sideways in my head, which required even more work to the "extra" work I had done on the map.

In the end I'm glad I decided to make some changes to the map instead of twisting the ideal around to fit the map I already had. Winterizing the map wasn't too difficult, but it made me rethink how I could use some of the tools I had. Initially I thought I'd do things in a completely different fashion, but playing around I found a better way. Always fun to learn how to use your tools better.

Anyway Lookout at Logger's Lake is not much more than a map and some ideas on how to use it. The setup is deliberately generic so you just have to add the appropriate stats instead of changing what is already in there. Now the setup is for a late winter/early spring, but you could easily change things by using one of the other maps and making some common-sense changes.

Originally I had put this in as a $1 product, but I changed it to PWYW, which is line with the other, similar items. Please feel free to download it and tell me what you think. I always appreciate feedback.

Free Map(s) 038 Do-Over!

There are few things in this world that I hate more than re-doing work. I actually procrastinate far too often because I wait for this, that, or the other in order to have the optimal results. "Good Enough" is OK some of the time, but not as a matter of course.

The map(s) I put out Wednesday weren't bad, but the source map was of an area I hold near & dear and the results just weren't what I wanted. For may folks they may have been just fine and I'm not begrudging people using those maps (basically I'm not taking them down), but I want to use this map in something else so I needed.....I'd argue I had to re-do them.

While I was at it I played around with Adobe Illustrator and the results weren't quite what I wanted. Actually the individual layers came out great, but trying to put everything together like I would in Photoshop was a nightmare because of the massive memory requirements. I think if I need a huge map I'll just work on the re-sized layers in Photoshop and call it good. I have to redo my tree layer in AI, but that won't be a big deal....I just forgot to tell AI to "ignore white" so I didn't get the opaque layer I wanted.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the maps, with the new maps available after the break. Maps A & B are the old ones and C&D are the new ones.

Frugal GM Review: Doors (Brick by Brick)

Diving back into the group of items I cleared out of my DriveThruRPG Wishlist  I went and took a look at Doors: Brick by Brick from Moebius Adventures.

I remember back to when I had put this product in my wishlist because it was based on the recommendation from the guys over at the Roll For Initiative Podcast, specifically Volume 3 Issue 139.

Free Map(s) 038: A Large Lake

It has been far too long since I've put up a new map. My original intention was to try and re-create the effects of Map034, but that took a LOT of work and frankly I didn't have it in me. I'm supposed to be working, I'm still not quite done with my Christmas "shopping", much less decorating, and truth be told I've been down a bit from some overly-stupid "drama" from some friends.

Still, those are my issues and you know what sometimes cheers my ass up? Trying to engage that creative side of my brain.

Below are two maps from an area I practically grew up in. I started with the appropriate USGS map and made some much-needed alterations, like removing a couple of silt dams. After cropping the much-larger map I started hand placing the trees, but I wanted this map started and finished today...so I took a different tact. Since the map actually covers a much larger distance than the river section in Map034, I don't think this was as big of a deal as I originally made it out to be.

Free GM Resource: Tunnels & Trolls

Today I decided I'd check out Tunnels & Trolls, pretty much for the 1st time. I do have a copy of the 1st printing from the old Kickstarter, but I went ahead and downloaded the free rules-sampler from DriveThruRPG.

The rules are a bit sparse, but enough to roll up my new, extremely un-charismatic Dwarf, Mög the Defiler. Mög has a Charisma of 4, so stealing a name from the Uruk-hai in Shadows of Mordor seemed fitting.

Of course I need a PC sheet, which wasn't provided, and by complete happenstance the one I found I wanted to use was from my internet buddy Billiam Babble over at Inked Adventures. I was probably so engrossed in rolling up a PC that I didn't even realize I was on his blog until I went to source the PC Sheet. Go figure.

Of course rolling up a PC wasn't nearly as necessary as I thought since the free solo adventure has you starting out as a Goblin. Wouldn't you know my poor Gobbo died during his first contact with another living being...and then again, and again, and again. OK, he only died twice before I decided to quit. They were both quite stupid deaths that could have been avoided had I even a small sliver of self-preservation in mind.

There really isn't a lot to the rules and what was there was a bit confusing for a while, but it mostly comes together enough to give you an inkling of what the full rules might be like. These rules let you create a Warrior or a Wizard and there are four race options. It's enough to get you to see if you want to pick up more.....which is kind of the point.

Frugal GM Review: #30 Cursed Treasures

Some of you may know that I used to work in retail management, and that my wife still does. On several levels I just don't "do" Black Friday. Getting up super early to save a few bucks and fight crowds largely over crap I don't need is something I don't need. Usually the stuff I want is on sale at "close-enough" to the Black Friday prices.

"Close Enough" being that when you compare the savings versus the resources-other-than-cash price it isn't worthwhile to me. I like to consider all resource allocation when determining if something is worthwhile.

Of course I still usually get up at oh-dark-thirty to support the Mrs. This morning I drove her to work before the 4 AM sale started and I'll pick her up from work when she's spent from the working side of Black Friday.

Now I actually did me some shopping, or at least some shopping that readers of this blog might care about. Instead of flipping through DriveThruRPG looking for stuff I might want to review, I bought a bunch of stuff off of my wishlist that I wanted for my own use.....and will review anyway. The first thing I chose to review had been on the wishlist for some time and I'm glad I finally put it into my online shopping cart.

Free GM Resource: TimeRef

The other day I was looking for some castle floor-plans and I came across this most excellent website: TimeRef

TimeRef is a great source for general medieval and middle ages history in general, with not only a bunch of info on castles (sadly not the floor-plans I was looking for), but a good amount on general life in that age as well.

What really drew me to this website was a large collection of 3D castles, keeps, and general buildings. You'll need a couple different plug-ins to use them, but they are really worth checking out.

Using my computer to walk around "A Medieval Stone Keep" was almost like playing a video game, but there was a serious lack of furnishings. My initial thought was it'd be cool to take screen-shots and then dress them up as player props......but I couldn't take a screen shot.

It might be cool to use this with my TV to have the players navigate around the keep, or maybe just use my laptop and my projector. On the right surface I could draw my own props or even use my own monsters to create an interesting one-off adventure. Project onto a magnetic whiteboard and slap my own magnets on there.

Actually I think this would be a ton of work for a one-off, but as a re-occurring convention game, maybe a storm-the-castle learning game? Some serious potential.

At any rate, I think you should check out TimeRef and have some fun.