What "GM improvisation aids" would you like to see in a medieval "sandbox" setting book ?

A list of male and female names, a list of swords, another list of male and female dresses and a list of coins from each region.

A structure of the formal and informal institutions in each state of the setting with who responds to whom, and the ones dealing with law enforcement being noted.

A list of weird beliefs of the region which might or might not be based in fact, with more than one suggestion about the reasons behind them.

A list of geographic features, towns, rivers, forests, etc.

A list or generator for tavern names.

A list of interesting or unusual scenes and events that PCs might witness, these might or might not serve as inspiration for adventure seeds.

Simple floorplans of commonly encountered medieval buildings (eg.: farm, tavern, shop, guild hall, warehouse etc...)

Random loot tables (non-magical, non-treasure) 'cause PCs are always looting bodies, houses, evil dens.

Floor plans and also village layouts, etc. Simple maps for commonly encountered areas.

Lists of interesting objects. Sometimes I just want to throw in a little color. A carved wooden box - carved with what decorations? What does the tapestry depict? That sort of thing.

"While you were away": It has been days/weeks/months since you've been to this village/fort/coaching inn. What, if anything, has changed during that time?

"What are they doing?": There are six [creatures] in this room, presumably in guard duty. What are they actually doing to pass the time?

"Just another day in the City": What makes this day different? A public feast? Religious pageant? Military parade?

Taking notes in the event I get motivated to fire up Campaign Cartographer.

Thanks a lot all I've added some suggestions to my list, cheers!

A nice combination of random generators/tables and lists are always helpful. Random settlement table, random conflict table, adventure seed tables, etc. Big lists of names and titles are always helpful for improvising.

A list of thematic hooks to spawn (or inspire) interesting situations on the fly. Ie: a rival earl lays a claim on your lands; a band of bandits ravages the countryside; the local bishop accuses a sibling of heresy; a pagan warship is seen on the river; a noble guest dishonors your family on dinner; a reubritter demands protection taxes; a poor but honorable landowner offers his daughter for marriage; your lord asks of you an unjust task; etc.

Quote from: Necrozius;931715Simple floorplans of commonly encountered medieval buildings (eg.: farm, tavern, shop, guild hall, warehouse etc...)

Random loot tables (non-magical, non-treasure) 'cause PCs are always looting bodies, houses, evil dens.

I really like this idea. I'd also add random dungeon generation ala the 1e DMG. This could extend to other tactical terrain where combat may take place. Forest, roads, towns, sewers. The stuff the Dungeon Master's guide has was great and I could totally use that for a 5e game today. If it was updated, it would basically be a set of tiles. But unlike other sets of tiles, it would be a set of tiles with tables that you roll on to see what tile you use. I have no idea what kind of art style Low Fantasy Gaming uses, but I will find out once my copy arrives.

The simple floorplans thing though. I really like that idea. As a DM/GM I like to branch off even if I am using a premade adventure. Having some prefab places to set up encounters would be an awesome thing to have.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;931751A nice combination of random generators/tables and lists are always helpful. Random settlement table, random conflict table, adventure seed tables, etc. Big lists of names and titles are always helpful for improvising.

Yes I'm just grappling with the "random settlement table" concept at the moment. I hadn't really thought about that one!

Quote from: Krimson;931811I really like this idea. I'd also add random dungeon generation ala the 1e DMG. This could extend to other tactical terrain where combat may take place. Forest, roads, towns, sewers. The stuff the Dungeon Master's guide has was great and I could totally use that for a 5e game today. If it was updated, it would basically be a set of tiles. But unlike other sets of tiles, it would be a set of tiles with tables that you roll on to see what tile you use. I have no idea what kind of art style Low Fantasy Gaming uses, but I will find out once my copy arrives.

The simple floorplans thing though. I really like that idea. As a DM/GM I like to branch off even if I am using a premade adventure. Having some prefab places to set up encounters would be an awesome thing to have.

Yeah I can definitely see the usefulness of that too

Quote from: Itachi;931761A list of thematic hooks to spawn (or inspire) interesting situations on the fly. Ie: a rival earl lays a claim on your lands; a band of bandits ravages the countryside; the local bishop accuses a sibling of heresy; a pagan warship is seen on the river; a noble guest dishonors your family on dinner; a reubritter demands protection taxes; a poor but honorable landowner offers his daughter for marriage; your lord asks of you an unjust task; etc.

Yes I agree definitely a bunch of hooks is a must

Quote from: Psikerlord;931701What "GM improvisation aids" would you like to see in a medieval "sandbox" setting book ?

See my "Cults of Chaos" for an example on how to do it with a singular theme (creating a villainous cult and scenario through a series of random tables).