The Game Master's Book of More Random Encounters: A Collection of Reality-Shifting Taverns, Temples, Tombs, Halls of Power, Labs, Lairs, Extraplanar ... Standard Fantasy Realms and into the Stars

Description

As most TTRPG fans know, one of the most exciting elements of any roleplaying game is that the story can go anywhere at any time. Unfortunately, Game Masters can’t possibly prepare for every unpredictable request, unfortunate die roll or unbelievably bad player decision that might unfold at their table. That's where this book comes in: Featuring more than 500 more maps, roll tables and story hooks, The Game Master’s Book of More Random Encounters will save readers hours of planning by providing all new enchanting adventure maps, perilous plot twists and unexpected NPCs that they’ve come to expect from the Game Master series in an easy-to-follow format that's compatible with all their 5e adventures. Featuring plenty of practical places like taverns, inns and alchemist's labs as well as unexpected locations in far-off realms, farther-off planes and even the farthest reaches of the galaxy, The Game Master's Book of More Random Encounters is everything readers loved about the first book in the series—but EVEN MORE. Whether they’re assigning a destination following a teleportation mishap, wondering what it would be like to dine at chain restaurant in the Abyss or looking for a simple spot for their players to kick their feet up for a few hours (careful, that coffee table is a realm unto itself), this action-packed tome is the remedy for maladies Game Masters didn't even know they had. Includes: · Dozens of plug-and-play encounter locations suitable for most fantasy settings · Variant roll tables to mix up the action for every map · Three one-shot adventures to flow into your own campaigns · and more! Review: Excellent addition to my 5e collection. - Love these books! Review: The Farthest Shores - Following on from , unsurprisingly, "The Game Master's Book of Random Encounters", "The Game Master's Book of More Random Encounters" shares with its predecessor a slightly unimaginative title. Fortunately it also shares a dedication to maximising ideas and providing usable material for imaginative GMs with players who enjoy memorable and fun sessions. (Which, at least hopefully, is most of them.) The format is the same as the earlier book, with a selection of One-Shot adventures (though only three this time) , a collection of unusual sites to explore (really, these are single page adventure ideas) and lots of random tables for generating people, places or items on the fly. Every page of "More Random Encounters" brims with ideas and suggestions that will be able to be shoe-horned into an ongoing campaign or turned into a one session delight. Some of the ideas are not really fully formed enough to run straight off the page and will need expanding or amending by the GM. This, I stress, is a strength not a weakness of the book. As an example, "The Cryptid Sanctuary" p96 , is a description of a refuge for mysterious creatures that may , or may not, exist. Both options (ie, this IS a refuge for crypto-zoological specimens and it is NOT, being, instead a elaborate ruse) are covered. A list of 20 possible inmates is short on detail but long on potential for play, eg The Jerseythulhu is a name only but suggests a fun spin on two fantasy classics, and a selection of 6 possible encounters within the zoo is given. At the very least, some prep will be required to decide which of this material is used, as some of it is contradictory , but , with a bit of thought , this could form the basis of a short side-trek, could be the foundation of a campaign where the 20 cryptids are met, one session after another, or could be a set location the pcs return to again and again , maybe every time they capture a suitable inmate. This is an awful lot of possible use, and repeated use, for a two page Lair location. The book has 263 pages of material ! This work has less "standard" fantasy locales and situations than the earlier "Encounters" . Rather than Taverns and Tombs and Shops and Temples this time we have (as well as some more mundane places) Outer Space Stations, Different Planes of Existence, Time Travel and Interstellar Pop Concerts. These may seem less immediately usable than more commonly encountered places, but, for my money, provide more interesting opportunities for unusual and fun adventures. Too many great entries to list all my faves, but "The Marshes of Regret" (p122) and "The Home For Wayward Children" (p134) are two of the standouts .