In your opinion is this book good?
I've been looking for a dungeon fantasy version of the GM tools found in Stars Without Number and this seemed to fit the bill.
The YouTube reviews have caught my attention. Seems like a great book.
Quote from: Rhedyn;1094894In your opinion is this book good?
I've been looking for a dungeon fantasy version of the GM tools found in Stars Without Number and this seemed to fit the bill.
That is not what this does. It is super focused on creating an adventure
before the game. For in game stuff, check out the Ultimate Tool Box (I believe this is still in PDF on DTRPG).
Now, with that said, ToAD is super detailed. I can't imagine a DM coming out of this process without the adventure they wanted. And likely filling in several blanks they had no idea they wanted. :-D
I use ToAD extensively when making stuff - it never leaves me hanging, I always get a great idea after wrestling with the tables for a bit.
Between ToAD and then Kellri's netbooks for pre-made variable stuff like caravans, pilgrims, liches, etc., prep time is greatly reduced.
It is one of the most useful game books I own, and I do use it extensively to generate ideas. The TOAD has an impressive range from creating basic adventure concepts to building very specific kinds of encounters (there is a random magic throne table that'd let you build The Dungeon of Thrones if you wanted to). It is also just weird enough to take your mind in unexpected directions, but not too weird to make the results useless - it is pretty much in the sweet spot for me.
It has two minor flaws. One, the layout and organisation are not optimal (Frog God Games is rather careless in that department), and it does not offer as much good stuff for wilderness and city games as it does for dungeons (which are its main focus). These are very small quibbles. All in all, it is a rock solid utility product that can be listed in the ranks of the AD&D DMG's appendices, Ready Ref Sheets, and Kellri's netbooks.