Frugal GM Review: Automata Run Amok

Earlier this week i was asked to review a new PWYW adventure called Automata Run Amok and I said, "Sure, why not?"

If I had not been asked, I'd never have even considered picking up this download as the subject matter just isn't my style: "Out-of-Control automata have driven a wizard from his shop. He would like the PCs to solve the problem (without damaging his creations) while his rival will pay for evidence of the wizard’s dabbling in forbidden knowledge."

Nope.....just doesn't work for me.*

Free GM Resource: Libib

I'm willing to go out on a limb and guess that a significant portion of my 12 regular readers tend to collect certain RPG items, like cool OSR material, old games, etc. I myself just stumbled across an old 80's Thieves World game to add to my collection.

It has been my experience that most of us couldn't remember every item in our collection and since most of us also have a limited budget, doubling up on some items means we don't have the resources to pick up new things instead.

Not so much with RPGs, but in the last few months I can think of three separate occasions where I picked up a new movie that I already owned. Returning the ones I could return was a bit of a PITA.

This is where Libib comes in. Libib is an online database that lets you keep track of your media collections. You can add stuff through a bar-code reading app, do an online search, or just add stuff in manually. You can publish the collections online if you want, which means that anywhere you have access to a web browser you can see what you have in your collection. The free version is quite robust as it isn't really a feature-limited (or size limited, as in only cataloging 100 items, but technically there is a free limit of 100,000 items...I can live with that) and if you needed the paid version, which included things like generating your own item bar codes or managing lent out items, the service is $5 a month.

Libib is a great option for helping manage your collections, not just the RPG stuff.

Frugal GM Review: River in a Mountain Landscape - I from 3rd Supplement

This week's Frugal GM Review is a PDF map that really blew me away, enough that a minor thing or two I see as possible downsides just pale in consideration.

Seriously, I don't think I've seen a better PDF map product to date. I'm almost a bit jealous because the publisher, 3rd Supplement, is able to pull off a few things I've been wanting to do but can't until I get some better software (which is on my wish list).

I might as well get some of the downsides out of the way. There really isn't a preview of River in a Mountain Landscape - I. You can tell 3rd Supplement tried to make a preview available, but the link ends up 404ing on me, and some of the pictures/links on the product page just don't work. As a small publisher myself I'm all-too familiar with DTRPG just not playing nice with external links and PDF previews, so 3rd Supplement gets a bit of a pass here.

Seriously though, trying to share links on a DTRPG product page is near impossible far too often. It's gotten to the point where I don't even bother and just put urls in plain text for cuting & pasting.

I'm rather surprised that River in a Mountain Landscape - I comes in at only 6.92 MB. It is 12 pages long (really 11 with the title page, making 12) and just packed with awesomeness. First off this PDF is not secured, which makes sense because I think locking it down would makes some bits & bobs unusable. 3rd Supplement really makes full use of everything the PDF format has to offer. The pages are not all sized the same, with the GM-use pages being Letter sized and the main map pages are 22" x 17" (ANSI C). The PDF is bookmarked and one map page has layers so you can toggle certain features on and off with ease.

While you can toggle the features on & off on one of the maps, there is a dedicated map page for hexes, grid, and elevation, along with one "pure" map devoid of any markings.

To date River in a Mountain Landscape - I is the most expensive map from 3rd Supplement at $3.45. I haven't checkout out their other $1.99 offerings, but based solely on my experience with this map, I'm going to grab them up, and you should too.

This product is a great example of what the PDF format can offer and means I'm going to have to up my game (so to speak).

Free Computer RPG Game (Limited Time Offer)

Normally I don't post twice in relatively quick succession, but when a cool, limited-time freebie pops up.....time for a post.

Neverwinter Nights (Diamond Edition) is FREE for the next day and a half (or so) over at GOG.com

You have to have an account (no big whoop) and it is free for the taking. I've loved every D&D computer game I've played so this is a no-brainer for me.

I'm downloading it now....

December's Free/PWYW d30 Table is now Available!

Another month, another d30 table.

The month I've put together an Alternate Familiar Generator. What's so alternate about it you ask?

Well, this table comes complete with a new Find Familiar spell, should your RPG not have that spell, or as a variant if it does. This version has 25 different animal spirits that can be called to service, the ability to call in several spirits and choose one to take physical form to become the magic-user's familiar.

Oh....and each familiar has some possibly cool strengths and weaknesses. You roll your dice and takes your chances.....

This table is now up at DriveThruRPG and you can click on either graphic in this post to go to the product's page, or use this link. My patrons over at Patreon get the tables when I first create them, which is usually a couple months ahead of their release. Right now this is the last d30 table in my Patreon "buffer" so I'll have to make some more tables this month.

Free GM Resource: The Craft Planner

OK guys, this one might seem a little odd for a Free GM Resource, but I think it could help a lot of folks out.

A month or two ago I bought-in on a Kickstarter for the Cräft Planner from the folks over at Cobbery. Basically this planner is aimed not at just keeping your appointments and such, but helping you work on specific projects. Brainstorming, breaking down the big tasks into smaller achievable goals, etc.

Now I don't know about you, but I've had several "big" projects "planned", but have been going nowhere. I thought a little more organization.....plan the fight versus fighting the plan, as it were, would be helpful.

The Kickstarter didn't fund, so no planner for me......or so I thought. Cobbery is still selling the Cräft Planner, but you can get a free digital copy for the cost of an email address (if that is an issue you can easily bypass the address by going here.)*

I thought this might be a good tool for some GMs to use in planning some of their RPG projects. I plan on printing me up a copy to put to good use and if I like it, pick up the nice copy from Cobbery.





*Normally I wouldn't suggest jumping right to the download, but I figure that is better than giving a junk email address and the goal is to introduce folks to the Cräft Planner in the first place.

Frugal GM Review: Grimtooth's Traps Ate!

This morning I let nostalgia get the better part of me and I sunk $4.95 into the digital download of Grimtooth's Traps Ate!, which is normally $14.95. As a budding GM I adored Grimtooth's Traps and I still do enjoy reading up on the various traps.

I'm sure that by now you've seen the whopping two stars I gave  Grimtooth's Traps Ate! and wonder why I rated it so.

First off, the cover you see in the lead-in graphic and on the products DriveThruRPG page is not part of the PDF download! Seriously? The PDF starts on the title page and ends on a page of Flying Buffalo ads.

Second, and a big thing for me, this PDF isn't "digitally redone by the artist". It is clearly just a scan of a printed book, albeit cleaned up some. If I wanted a scanned copy of this book I'm sure a little sleuthing could have gotten me a torrented copy or three. Now I tend to stay away from those sorts of books if the product is available legitimately. Since it is just a scanned document I cannot use the search function to locate anything in particular.

Speaking of searching, while this PDF is bookmarked, the bookmarking is useless. Each bookmark is noted as "TrapsAte page ##" if I wanted to just go to a specific page number, it would be easier to just use the toolbar and type in the page I want to see.

Of course, the PDF is secured so I cannot just go through and remove the crappy bookmarks and add my own.

Overall I did enjoy reading through the 100 traps in  Grimtooth's Traps Ate!, but the PDF's production quality leaves much to be desired. I really don't think this download is worth $14.95, but at $4.95 it is OK.

Free GM Resource: Free 3d Printer Files from Rocket Pig Games

OK folks, this week's Free GM Resource is a bit convoluted and not appropriate for everyone (when has a resource ever been for everyone?), but bear with me and hopefully it'll all work out.

Rocket Pig Games is nearing the end of their Kickstarter campaign for their Tilescape Dungeons, which is even more 3D printer terrain. If you've been considering getting a 3D printer you might want to check out the Kickstarter, which ends on November 29th.

There is the almost-requisite Kickstarter campaign video that lets you look at some of the finished prints, but I really don't think that video really shows them in that great of a light. My assumption is that they needed to show "finished" product as it would look out of your 3D printer....not actually "finished" models all painted up. Good thing that Rocket Pig Games gave a set over to a previous Free GM Resource of Drunkens & Dragons:


So at this point you might be wondering, "Where is the GM Freebie?!"

If you head over to Rocket Pig Games's publisher page on DriveThruRPG you'll see a bunch of 3d printer models for sale, and over 20 free models. Basically Rocket Pig Games is pushing out one free model a day for the duration of the Kickstarter campaign.

With only a week to go, you might want to check out the free models and see if the Kickstarter is for you.