================================================ Rating Results for Dungeon Master's Miscellany I ================================================ Compiled by: brooks@odie.ee.wits.ac.za (Goth) ============== Points Ratings ============== In order for a product to appear on the points rating table, it must have at least five votes. Products are listed in points order, from highest to lowest. /-------------------------------------------------------\ | - Key - | | | | Score = the product's average rating | | Low = the lowest rating anyone gave this product | | High = the highest rating anyone gave this product | | Voters = the number of people who rated the product | \-------------------------------------------------------/ Product Score Low High Voters ------- ----- --- ---- ------ Dragon Mountain Adventure 6.2 1 9 13 Battlesystem Miniature Rules 5.7 2 9 11 Council of Wyrms 5.7 0 9 10 Dungeon Master's Screen (2nd Ed) (REF1) 5.4 1 10 57 Rogue's Gallery (2nd Ed) (REF6) 5.2 0 9 21 Battlesystem Skirmishes 4.5 3 6 8 Character Record Sheets (2nd Ed) (REF2) 3.9 0 10 54 Magic Encyclopedia (two volume set) 2.9 0 7 24 ======== Comments ======== This next bit is a selection of comments people have sent in. I've removed some remarks which were very similar, especially for products which provoked large quantities of comment and I've done some minor editing for grammar and spelling. Other than that, this is how they were sent in. Magic Encyclopedia (two volumes) -------------------------------- The Magic Encyclopedia is utterly useless unless you already own gobs of reference works. The Magic Encyclopedias are neat, and a decent reference, especially if you allow the purchase of Magic Items. (Chemcheauxes are now popping up in all my campaigns' cities.) "It is a tale told by a idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." This is by far the worst piece of offal TSR has ever had the nerve to print. The only reason it got a "0" is that your rating system doesn't go any lower. The idea of a reference of magic items is good, but things other than a simple weapon with a plus, should have a simple description instead of a pointer to the "long-out-of-print-so-you-can't-get-it-anyways" supplement that contains the description This sucked. It was advertised as being closer to the Encyclopaedia Magica (the new release). All it had going for it was a complete listing of all TSR products. Magic Encyclopedia didn't even include the stats on the items. Totally useless! I was very disappointed in the Magic Encyclopedia... the only good thing in it was the random charts. The lack of descriptions of items in the Magic Encyclopedia makes it worthless as a source of magic items, but the complete list of TSR products is usable. :-) This is redeemed only by the description of the magic shop. This would be a supplement of passing interest to DMs if it were a file posted on the 'net; NOT worth $20! I haven't bought the Magic Encyclopedia, but after looking at it, I'd much rather buy the 4 leather bound books if I had the choice... a lot of the stuff in it is useless... The Magic Encyclopedia now serves as an index to the Encyclopedia Magica. As such, it may still be useful -- only if you made the mistake of buying it before the latter work came out. TSR is, unfortunately for us, glaring evidence in support of the idea of taking copyrights to information away from entities that cannot manage them competently. What's the use of a reference book if you would not be able to get the books listed in the reference? Why they do not warn you of what is inside? This item is obsolete and not worth a cent. DM's Screen (REF1) ------------------ Well, it saves you making your own, it's colourful, and "Terrible Trouble at Tragidore" has some bits and pieces that are worth stealing. However, it's not all that hard to make one just as good on your own, and customized to your own campaign, to boot. Incidentally, the Item Saving Throw table should be printed on the inside. I, at least, make a fair amount of use of that particular table. The artwork is okay, and the tables are pretty well chosen. I wouldn't consider playing without it. The screen is good, but needs improvement. Some charts need to be added, some moved to a better place on the screen, and some removed altogether. Very handy, except the reaction modifier. I never use it. Useful, though not overly so. The included adventure has a few interesting ideas. The screen is quite adequate. The screen and character sheets are average products in every sense of the word, but how special do you expect them to be? The Tragidore adventure is pretty good; I've used it as the basis for several one-shot adventures. Would have liked more than just the one screen, but the 1995 Revised DM screen will correct this. I didn't like the screen and my friend who has it made his own on one of his Compendium packages -- you know the punched sheets come wrapped in this flimsy cardstock that opens like a folder -- because he got frustrated that the stuff he needs is never on the screen. I found the Ravenloft screen that came with the new Rav. Boxed Set is much more useful. I thought that the DM Screen could have had a better layout, with more information from the PHB and DMG and should be updated with information from their many other Handbooks. Of course this would mean more then one screen (fine) and a porportional price increase (sigh). The Dungeon Master's Screen is very useful. It would be perfectly useful if they'd just managed to get the right information onto those "essential" tables. Sigh. And duplicated tables? Again, sigh. TSR is a publisher; what do they give priority attention to if not their publications? An incredibly bad adventure to rise the price of an item you certainly must have. The Dungeon Master's Screen is useful if you do not have anything else, but if you get Planescape, Ravenloft, etc... Boxed set with them in, the screen is just extra money. The Dungeon Master's screen is essential, though you don't have to necessarily use TSR's. I happen to just use an old D&D one I had lying around. Character Record Sheets (REF2) ------------------------------ Take a word processor and make your own or get some from a friend who does. TSR's sheets have to have a space for everything, including stuff that your group never uses, and probably don't give enough space for stuff that your group places a lot of emphasis on. How hard is it to draw up your own character sheet??? I find these relatively useless. I'd rather make up my own character sheet format than be held to someone else's. What a waste of paper. It's more fun to do your own, but for those without the time, or gameplaying experience it could be a useful aid. They're not handy. The Ravenloft ones are much better. I now use my own sheets. Useful, but I prefer to use my own. Most players I have played with don't use TSR's Character Record Sheets, they make their own. I actually spent nearly a year designing a record sheet with the aid of several groups of players. We came up with a generic PC sheet and a specific sheet for each PC class which suits our needs very nicely and it's a lot cheaper than those supplied by TSR. Actually, who _needs_ these sheets? I have designed my own ones, customized for each class I play, leaving out all the unnecessary stuff but including handy references for a few vital numbers (like an ST table, levels at which to gain proficiencies, etc.) I bought one packet, and between that system, and the ones detailed in the "Complete Whatever" Handbooks, I made up my own (vastly superior, **cough-cough**) ones. ;) Actually, they're ok, as long as you don't get a packet printed on that damn glossy, ink and pencil-resistant paper. Aside from that, get a copier! The character sheets are fine, but the Ravenloft sheet is a big improvement. Please don't buy them. You'll throw your money away. I feel the Char. Sheets need an overhaul, I play in campaigns that use them -- and they're bearable, but in my own campaigns I usually use other sheets I've found on the net... or in the case of Ravenloft, I use the sheets from the orig. Realm of Terror box sets. In one group we've started to use the sheets from the back of the Dwarves or Elves handbooks even for humans... don't ask why 'cause I don't know. I bought these and still use these in my game. Unfortunately, the first set I bought had the wrong backgrounds printed throughout layout of the page. It made the possiblity to photocopy them dismal. However, I noticed that they fixed that problem and I bought a second set. I've used computer files to keep track of character (and DM) information ever since I started gaming. Character record sheets I find irrelevent. For one thing, there is no consensus in the gaming community how much space each of the aspects of a character requires. I think TSR should scrap this product and save a few trees. I've never used character record sheets and I don't plan to. Nobody in my RPG groups do, either. It's cheaper and easier to use a computer, typewriter or just a sheet of notebook paper. Rogue's Gallery (REF6) ---------------------- The 2nd Ed Rogue's Gallery is far superior to the 1st Edition version. The Rogue's Gallery is bull. I was _so_ dissapointed by this when it came out. I recently re-read it though, and it's not as bad as I'd thought. My main dislike is the narrow range of characters. None of them are extremely interesting; there are no multi-classes to speak of; the descriptions lack creativity and life. But I suppose these are meant as emergency, drop-in NPCs, and are not supposed to be as interesting as ones we create for ourselves. I just bought these recently, on a whim and gift money. I was somewhat dissapointed with it. I would have thought that a company could come up with better NPCs then what is in here. Ah well, there are some, that with some extra work, could become useful. But I find that true with most TSR products (which is fine). Sure, I've punted on giving that NPC cameo a personality. This collection is useful. It'd be better to assemble every NPC out of one's own fiendish imagination, and a crowd (or even a squad) built from here won't be brilliant, but they'll get by. The resourceful DM won't need this supplement but helps when in a hurry. Dragon Mountain --------------- Dragon Mountain is by far the best module ever. Boring. No ideas. Been there, done that. Excellent adventure, I love goblins!! I am currently DMing a group through Dragon Mountain and I think everyone is enjoying the adventure. I would say that there are the normal caveats for any prepared module -- no matter how carefully a situation or NPC is set up, a good party will find a way to screw things up for you. I think that the set provides good value in the sense that our group has been playing for at least four sessions with probably two more to go and I don't think that they have explored more than a third of the mountain. I plan to incorporate the unused portions in adventures for years to come. Council of Wyrms ---------------- Council of Wyrms looks like fun. Interesting idea; I would like to hear, as time goes by (play it again, Sam) whether a long-term campaign is viable. My first inclination would be no; it would be interesting as a role-playing experience, but it sems impossible to gain "levels". I would have liked LOTS more information on Io as a setting for exploration. Council of Wyrms was a great idea and with some creativity and touching up, this could've been a great boxed set. But once again TSR has fallen short of my expectations. A great idea, but with very little true thought put into it. I did like the gem dragons though -- they were pretty cool. I played an Amythest Dragon in a friend's campaign and although it was fun for a while, how shallowly the game was planned really started to come out, and my friend DMing was very visably trying to smooth things over during the session. It isn't as if he's a bad DM in fact he is very sought after at local conventions and his sessions fill up lightning fast. I dislike the concept of Council of Wyrms; I think the chairman of that board is named Tielie (anyone on the FR list knows what I'm talking about). Fun rules but limited to stay there. Battlesystem ------------ Battlesystem Rules is a great set of rules for a fantasy wargames. It's only flaw is the points system, but many wargames have flawed points systems. The rules for converting characters work very well, and I have implemented them into my campaigns in which mass battles occur. I prefer to roleplay large battles. Battlesystem Skirmishes ----------------------- Battlesystem Skirmishes is one of the most pointless accessories I have ever seen. It is basiclly AD&D with Hits instead of hps. Anybody could easyily come up with the rules. Skirmishes doesn't even speed up mass combat very much. I'm still not sure why they came out with "Skirmishes" rules. ======= The End =======