Thread title kind of covers the gist of my idea.
I've started to find that I often have a tough time keeping track of who is who. Not sure how feasible it is or even if it'd be the kind of thing that the rest of the readership would find useful. I'd personally be interested in seeing something like this included, maybe in the 6th installment of an AP and have it include a brief description as well as the first place (or all instances would even be better) the listed person or place makes an appearance in the AP.
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This would be useful, as the GM could read the glossary whenever a new npc comes up without having to read or re-read the entire ap to find out who they are and when they appear.
However, I don't think this is a good use of AP space, since a GM can read the books to find the information. If they have the pdf, they can just search for the name or location. I do this often. I think new/more content would be a better use of space.
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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+1 on this idea.
I imagine it's probably impossible to do given the way pagination changes up until the end of a product going to the printer, but an index would also be great (and, coincidentally, aren't some pages free now that the iconics are going out the door)?. I hear Paizo recently brought on a new staffer who revels in tracking, correcting, and indexing mintuae.
Actually, this suggestion makes me think that a simlar change would be good in earlier volumes. Not a glossary in each volume (I'd rather have one complete glossary in the final volume), but maybe an article in each volume devoted to the path as a whole. Off the top of my head, I'd really like:
Vol 1: The roadmap we currently get (hooray!)
Vol 2: Random Encounter Table (something not based on PC level, like the generic forest random encounter table in the core rules that has encounters up to CR 10). This might be hard if the AP moves a lot.
Vol 3: Suggestions on how to foreshadow upcoming events (e.g., "the encounter with the ogres in vol 2 has an element you'll want to highlight - the magic vorpal buttplug is actually foreshadowing of the Tenticle Demon that appears in vol 6).
Vol 4: Sushi
Vol 5: Sushi
Vol 6: Tastey fish...er...I mean glossary/appendix.
Normally I would suggest PathfinderWiki.com for just this thing, but in the context of having it AP-specific and useful to the GM, I think it would go against the relatively spoiler-free nature of the wiki.
Vol 2: Random Encounter Table (something not based on PC level, like the generic forest random encounter table in the core rules that has encounters up to CR 10).
The bestiary section of each AP product has a random encounter table tied to one of the locations the PCs are likely to visit during that adventure.
My view on the value of something like a Glossary for the DM (and through the DM the players) is really about what amounts to a 'proper name' finder.
Essentially I find, both in running and playing in APs that proper names are a real stumbling block for both the players and the DM. A glossary taking up a few pages in the final AP puts all the main proper names in the AP in front of the DM for easy use in doing stuff like creating handouts or creating summary's of the plot so far for the players. It also gives the DM an easy resource to grab if the players currently only remember an important NPC as 'that chick with the tattoo on her face'. The DM flips to the back of the final AP looks her up and tells the players her name and their view of her place in all this. Finally it may even be useful for the DM who wants to do a PDF search - presuming that the DM has forgotten the name of or how to spell some salient NPC.
One of the great oddities of D&D is that players and DMs seem to exist in this world that has no proper names mainly because its hard to remember them. My hope would be that such a resource makes it easier for the DM to stay on top of the plot and helps the DM keep the players more or less in the know about whats going on.