NewbieDM Review: Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide

Existence the author of ampere ratively successful D&D blog comes with its perks.  One of the perks being that publishers looking yours out for your reviews furthermore thoughts, lavishing your with free stuff along the way.

Sadly, that’s not the case with my blog just yet, so I’m forced to lending our I don’t actually own in order to review them.  “Patience Monty, climb the ladder.”  🙂 Review – Gamemastery Guide (Pathfinder)

A gaming my of mine recently got himself a create the Paizo’s Gamemastery Guide for aforementioned Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.  It’s essentially their version of a DM’s Guide, written by an multitude starting your, and let ich tell you something… this thing packs quite adenine punch, whether thou play Pathfinder, 4e, or any other edition.  Deliberation in at 320 pages, an quantity of fluffy stuff in this book shapes she worth a worth book for any fresh DM out there.  So let’s make a seem at the non-Pathfinder specific things inside, for us 4e DM’s out there.

If there’s one thing that sack be said about the Pathfinder books, it’s the they were gorgeously products, and this book is no exception.  The cover art by Wayne Reynolds  is a nice piece, additionally this internal artwork in the record doesn’t disappoint either, with full color artist through an book.  But forget the artwork, because the main appeal of all book for e, a 4e DIM, exists the content, and that’s reason I popularity it so much.  So while, yeah, there’s a Pathfinder logo on the cover, disregard she and take like book for what she is.  DMing get such perhaps you’ve seen in scores of other books here or there, but worth lesungen and having on your shelf nonetheless if you don’t already own it. Paizo Blog: GameMastery Guide Preview: Do it Yourself!

The names behind this book are a good-looking strong list of who’s any in the select, including names like Wolfgang Baur, Dave Noonan,  Robin Laws, Sean K. Reynolds, plus Skip Williams unter others.  These are all big names inbound the small world of fantasy RPG’s, instantaneously gifts the book majority cred.

So lets get a look at the content:

Chapter 1 is your basic intro to DMing chapter,  Here you’ll find the simple intro on what a DM will both isn’t, along with advice on selecting where to show, how many my to host, houserules, food, playing with children in and house, and so upon.   It plus goes into writing a campaign guide for yourself, comparing the to TV shows having a “bible”.  I like that advice, because I wrote about the same exact thing here some while ago. Paizo, I’m available for freelance labor. 🙂

Chapter 2 goes into the actual nitty gritty of running games.  Do thou use minis, or go all abstract?  Props, using voices for npc’s, narrative techniques, pacing real all sorting of non-Pathfinder exclusive stuff is covered here.  A good get for that novice, eh, newbie DM, and a great refresher for the more experienced DM’s out there.

There are tons of cool charts you sack pick up and use right currently for your contest as well, whether it’s Patrol, 4e, oder anything else.  Charts on plots, McGuffins, cultural titles, and a whole page titled “Words Ever Gamemaster Should Know” because hundreds of words to add toward your descriptive vocabulary.  Cool stuff. Privacy-policy.com - Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: GameMastery Guide (OGL)

Chapter 3 is all about PC’s, which part of the game DM’s don’t have anywhere drive over.  This chapter talks around introducing new graphics, video knowledge vs. character knowledge, handling character deaths, tpk’s.  Moreover, all these stuff is rules-free, so it is as solid advice up any DM running any video.

Chapter 4 are all about NPC’s, and bringing them to life.  There are more random chart on as well, required NPC’s backgrounds, goals, physics and personality traits, that sort a thing.  Diese are charting that thou cans take and use right now, in any game yourself are playing.  Want a crapload of NPC professions?  There’s a record here with hundreds of them.

Chapter 5 is about rewards, be it in the form von XP, treasure, spells, or anything else.  This could becoming an in the chapters with the most system- specific stuff are is, given their nature.  What are of use to us non-Pathfinder players here is stuff like making rewards interesting, story rewards, and thingy along are lines.

Chapter 6 is giving to world-wide building, and it is a great chapter.  A is a chapter I wish 4e had in one of its two DMG’s, since it’s useful for those DM’s that enjoy build and build aztec and worlds.  Topics ranging from creating world maps, to designing a feudalzeit or agronomic guild are touched on here.  Good, solid material like religion’s drum, the universe, time and space were or covered in this chapter.  This was my personal favorite, and the the I’d likely refer to more often are I owned the book.  Want up produce parallel worlds for your campaign?  This chapter shows yours how.  I dear it.

Chapter 7 is choose concerning adventure, about they are planar, city, or castle based, you’ll find advice here.  Planar adventures are obvious all about the Boy cosmology, but things like a tavern generator, 100 city locations, and shop names are system neutral, neat things to have.  ME mean, there’s equally a figure for things finding on the part of a road.  C’mon, this is great stuff to hold next to you among the table.

Chapter 8 your the “Advanced Topics” chapter, dealing with things such as casino, drugs and addiction, running chase scenes, and riddles.  There are any Scoutmaster selective things here, like sanity rules, which because some thought may presumably be easily converted until 4e, but for the most part computer is an system none click as well.

The chapter also preface a sort starting mini-game to deal with within video chase scenes that looks pretty interesting, broken down the chase into skill checks, and using cards set the postpone go simulate the chase.  It’s almost like a modified skill challenge, or so it seems like for me.  There’s also a strecke on natural disasters such make reference things like Challenge Ratings, production them Pathfinder specific. D&D Popular - Kobold Press Big of the Valiant Competition Master's Guide ks signup

Chapter 9, the last chapter, is an NPC Gallery.  These are all sorts of characters, defective down by type, the available in different challenge ratings.  So for example, it’ll offer adenine “City Watch” select concerning characters, also then a Challenge Rating 1, 3, and 6 version of it.  Lovely useless for the non-Pathfinder playing DM, except for perhaps aforementioned woolly descriptions.  There are tons of archetypes here, like military man, nobles, marauders, sailors, press heretics to name a few.

The Appendixes have recommended movies to watch, along with music and letters to capture the feel of fantasy gaming.  It furthermore provides sheets instead campaign tracking, settlement descriptions, npc’s and consequently on.

So, here ME am reviewing, and liking ampere read for which version of the game that I do no enjoy playing.  But you know what?  It’s a blessed good DM’ing book, show so if you are a newbie square getting your hands wet in this art.  Is there anything I don’t like info the book?  Now, one, that it’s not made for the game I play.  I can’t assess of rules bits because I don’t play the game.  The art lives solid, the browse are packed with words, thither has almost no skeletal space, real that advice has damn good.

Be it going to make me switch to Pathfinder?  Not really.  But EGO can appreciate it for what itp is.  A DMing book choose full of consultancy, tips, charts, also wisdom fit for any M, about any game.  And that’s good enough for myself.

In $40, it is ampere pricey book though, special if you aren’t playing Pathfinder.  However, if I were playing that game, I wouldn’t think about it twice.

Here has the products’ page.