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Encounters ~ Plots ~ Places is the kind of fast toolkit you can actually use when you're short on inspiration and time, or when your players take a turn you didn't expect and you suddenly have to come up with a new NPC or encounter. Unlike products of this kind that sometimes feature hundreds of generic and barely-useful "seeds" or encounters, Encounters ~ Plots ~ Places actually has some thought and craft behind the material, and it shows.
The first thing I noticed about this product was the quality. There are three versions of the file: normal, print-friendly, and tablet-optimized. There's also a tidy and organized PDF index / table of contents. I can't tell you how much I wish more indie developers would pay attention to these details. A good index makes all the difference.
Since Encounters ~ Plots ~ Places is system-neutral, each entry is focused on the story details, not on statistics. Each NPC, for example, has the following attributes: name, motivation, strength, weakness, and a relative "power rating" for incorporating the material into your own game world. So be advised that if you're going to drop this stuff in, you're going to have to come up with your own game stats.
Each entry is concise and easily digestible. Each of the NPCs, places, and items come with at least one or two "plot hooks" for incorporating them into your game. Personally, I love that there were multiple hooks for each -- I love having a choice. The NPCs and encounters range from the rather typical to the truly bizarre.
The interior artwork by Hisham is also great -- none of it looks like stock art or random illustrations that bear no resemblance to what's on the page.
Finally, the book has a sentient sword called ULTRAMIND. You heard me.
Although I received a free copy in return for a review, I would gladly have shelled out the six bucks for this product.
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Encounters ~ Plots ~ Places focuses on the quality of the material as opposed to quantity. That said this product is still filled with dozens of interesting NPCs, curious creatures, intriguing items and plot-worthy locales. Game masters will find no lack of inspiration in this product and will get a lot of mileage out of it no matter what game system they are using. The material in this book is written independent of game system which means it can be used with any fantasy roleplaying game with very little work.
Not only is each entry well written Benjamin Gerber took the time to develop adventure hooks for each as well. Then on top of that he included a section at the back of the book with additional adventure hooks to add even more tools to a game master's toolbox.
For the most part the layout of the book and the art were superb although there are some questionable art choices. Visually the book is not as cohesive as I would have liked it to be which disappointed me because the written portions of the book are top notch. The book also have some problems with editing and/or formatting; there were a lot of broken paragraphs, missing periods and things like that.
Full Disclosure: I received a free PDF copy of this product for review purposes. Regardless I would happily pay $6 for this book. I believe it is worth every penny and I think you will too.
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Publisher Reply: |
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Hi Michael,
I thought I had stomped out all of those formatting bugs! The broken paragraphs/missing periods and whatnot should all be addressed in a maintenance release coming out later today. Thanks for the review! |
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(Full disclosure: I was provided with an advance copy of this book for copyediting purposes. I was not involved creatively.)
Encounters ~ Plots ~ Places serves one function: providing a GM with evocative characters, locations, items, and story hooks.
The key word is "evocative." There are plenty of books that offer dry lists of characters and items, almost as though they were computer-generated. Ben Gerber describes each character, location, or item in enough detail to pique the reader's interest and clearly explain its uses. While the book is system-neutral, each element includes a standard block of basic stats: size, motivation, strengths, weaknesses, and a "power level" ranking from 1 to 10.
Better, each character, location, and item includes a set of adventure hooks, so they're easy to work into an ongoing campaign.
This is not a huge list of characters; EPP has "only" a few dozen NPCs, encounters, items, and places total. This is about quality over quantity. That is exactly its strength: each element is vivid and charged with potential for conflict.
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A wonderful assortment of items, many of which I had been considering purchasing for awhile. I am allways a big fan of the charity packs at Drive Thru RPG. While there is some duplication of items that have been included in earlier charity packs like the one offered for Doctors without Borders. There is suficient variety to offset this. Overall this This bundle does not dissapoint, and since the proceeds go toward a great cause I feel like a double winner.
George D'Amato
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Argyle and Crew is a fun structured romp through the wonderful world of role-playing for children. The system is simple, well conceived, and looks like fun! This should prove to be a great way to introduce children to role-playing and provide structured play time. Gamers with little ones will find this well worth it.
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It's a little strange to be reviewing a freebie, but I wanted to advise people that the title is somewhat misleading: it is NOT a guide to naval combat with paper ships; it is the barest bones of an outline for playing an extremely simple game using ships. It is suitable for children from 5 or 6 to about 10, even though the rules say it is suitable for age 12 on up. I was disappointed, as I had hoped it would help me design a naval wargame for kids in the 11-14 age range, but it really isn't.
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Interesting and well written. A useful tool for any GM to have handy when you need to put some flesh onto an NPC but might not really have the time to do it right then.
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It says "an adventure for 1 to 25 kids" and I can see that. I can see a parent running this for their own child, or someone running this at a school, a convention, or a game store demo for a larger crowd of kids. It could easily be adapted to any other holiday but changing some names, which gives it a nice replayability.
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The educational aspects of these Argyle and Crew adventures is amazing. The scenario is simple, and the players have a lot of input in figuring out how to resolve the issue. Roleplaying advocates always say that RPGs promote problem solving, and a copy of this ought to be sent to anyone who still thinks RPGs promote negative behavior.
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The creators of Argyle and Crew did an excellent job of picking out some Creative Commons-licenced music that helps capture the feel of the land of Skcos! Wonderfully fun, age appropriate, and very inspirational.
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How simple can an adventure be? Think of a moral and build a story around it! The great thing about the Argyle and Crew game is that just about any basic story can be turned into an adventure, and it's a great, interactive way to teach these lessons to kids!
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This is incredibly fun for kids or for adults who just want to act like kids. I grew up watching Mister Rogers, Kukla. Fran & Ollie, and local kids shows like Captain Noah & His Magical Ark, so puppets were a huge influence on my imagination. It's great to come full circle and have a puppet-based roleplaying game! A great way to bring young people into the hobby.
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An excellent collection of articles on various RPG-related subjects. I particularly enjoyed "Zen and the Art of the Fireball," and the articles on the social contract and bringing the party together. Great content for a price you can't beat!
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As an educator, parent and designer I would have to say that Argyle and Crew: Adventure in the Land of Skcos is one of those games that's a MUST have for many different reasons. The first big thing that popped out for me was the compassion in the writing itself. The game promotes real world interaction for children that reminds me of shows like Mister Roger's Neighborhood. It understands that each child will respond differently, but that it's ok to feel the way you do as long as you understand why and are having fun.
The basic concept of Argyle and Crew is that players create sock-puppets called Soppets. Players break out a sock and craft box to built their character. That part of the game is great for family time. Having kids myself I can tell you that this part of the game is just the beginning of the excitement. From there the adult becomes a 'Guide' who keeps the players focused on the quest at hand. Daycare workers should really look at this game. I'd recommend it to anyone who works in childcare. The quests are pretty simple. Kids go on searches for a specific item throughout the home and each clue leads to the next until someone accomplishes the requirements. Argyle and Crew also makes it a point to address any type of conflict that might arise from competition. Again, this is a MUST have for childcare workers.
But the game isn't just for kids. Adults can have fun with it too. Just reading the PDF made me think that my family all needed to create Soppets and every time someone loses something or needs help finding something then we could break out the Soppets!
And the price is well worth it. I'm surprised that I haven't seen this on TV. HIGHLY recommended!
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A handy magic item with an unfortunate drawback. I'm a big fan of giving quirks and glitches to magic items and artifacts, and this is one of the more clever examples of that sort of thing.
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![Devious NPCs and Curious Creatures [PFRPG]](images/3250/89516-thumb100.jpg)
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