Tome of Adventure Design is now available for Pre-order at www.talesofthefroggod.com!
It’s Friday night, 6 p.m. You haven’t prepared an adventure and you still need to get to the store and buy snacks.
The group is heading over to game in 2 hours.
What do you do?
DON'T PANIC
Frog God Games is proud to present to you a comprehensive guidebook for designing your own fantasy adventures.
The Tome of Adventure Design by Matt Finch presents advice and tables on topics ranging from villainous motives to monster design to dungeon creation.
Whether you’re a veteran game master or a total beginner at the fine art of creating adventures, you will find that the Tome of Adventure Design is an invaluable resource when it’s time to prepare for the game.
Whatever you need for your adventure, you’ll find ideas and tables for it in this book.
You’re on your own with the snacks.
Available for the low price of $42.00
That link (from the first post) seems to be not working, although I know how to find your site.
Two questions, how long does the pre-order period last? And when (roughly) will the final product ship?
I definitely want a copy, but it'll be at least a month before my gaming budget recovers.
That link (from the first post) seems to be not working, although I know how to find your site.
Two questions, how long does the pre-order period last? And when (roughly) will the final product ship?
I definitely want a copy, but it'll be at least a month before my gaming budget recovers.
EDIT: Oops - the two links below don't work -- apparently the board uses html rather than BBS coding ... and i don't like to screw with html codes...
Here's the cover:
[img]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/Mythmere/ToADFrontCoverWeb.jpg[/img]
Bill hasn't mentioned to me when the pre-order period will end. I imagine that it will be slightly longer than normal since we have Tome of Horrors selling at the same time, and we don't want people to miss one of the books because their budget is tapped out from the other one. I can't guarantee anything about the pre-order period but I will point this out to Bill if it looks like the pre-order period is too short.
For the first brand-new Tome in however long it's been, we don't want to run into the same shortage we did with the Tome of Horrors.
No idea when the product shipping date will be, obviously, since that depends on the timing of the pre-order period, and I don't know that answer to that threshold question.
I will try to post a bit of information about the product, possibly in a separate thread because it's about content rather than ordering. There's a preview (this is a direct link to the pdf, so you're downloading when you hit it) here: http://www.talesofthefroggod.com/files/UBADPre.pdf The preview uses the working title, not the final "Tome" title.
That's okay Matt. Chuck's link to the Frog God facebook page with the cover works.
Here's a direct link to the ordering page: The Tome of Adventure Design.
-- Andy
Thanks Andy. My technology skills aren't perfect; I drew a wall-painting of a computer with a functioning hotlink, and ... nothing.
I love the HHGttG reference on the back cover. Is there a table that tells me where the best Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters are served?
No, but you're missing one more reference to HHGttG that's involved with this book. :)
Is this book geared more towards a specific game system (like Pathfinder)?
Or is it written to where it is very general and can be used for any system?
Me too, what is HHGttG?I love the HHGttG reference on the back cover. Is there a table that tells me where the best Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters are served?No, but you're missing one more reference to HHGttG that's involved with this book. :)
Took me a minute to figure out the acronym. Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Is this book geared more towards a specific game system (like Pathfinder)?
Or is it written to where it is very general and can be used for any system?
Essentially it's like the way to create a very detailed and unusual outline of the adventure, the opposition, the background, the villain's plan, a patron's motivation, traps, tricks, map, etc. right up to the point where you'd start filling in numbers and rules to complete the outline, if that makes sense. It's a conceptual outline that you're building, not a strict set of by-the-numbers steps; you take what you need.
I wouldn't exactly say that it's general, because it goes into deep details if you choose to pursue them all the way through the tables, but the focus is on that "outline," or upon getting specific inspirations for where you're stuck.
It works for any system in the D&D family up until 4e. Even with 4e it would be useful, but would contain concepts that were dropped. Basically it's already 300 pages at the general level without getting into any game mechanisms at all except in a very few places and then only as large categories.
For example, the dungeon design section focuses on how a tactically powerful dungeon (analyzed as a gameboard, which is something I constantly drum upon as a criterion for judging maps) is made up of several relatively discrete, granular areas that have only a couple of connectors between each of them - "pinch-points," if you will. Then it goes into randomly generating the arrangement of such areas, the contents and internal arrangement, possible themes in specific areas, etc. Then it's broken down into things like "special rooms," "landmarks," "traps," "tricks," etc. which would appear in such areas.
Thanks for the great explanation, Matthew! (Or do you prefer Matt?)
I actually just preordered. I am not DMing at the moment, but am thinking about starting up a Pathfinder campaign.
And feel a bit silly right now, if I would have looked more closely, I would have noticed it says right on the cover that it is a sourcebook for Swords and Wizardry and for Pathfinder.
Thanks for the great explanation, Matthew! (Or do you prefer Matt?)
I actually just preordered. I am not DMing at the moment, but am thinking about starting up a Pathfinder campaign.
And feel a bit silly right now, if I would have looked more closely, I would have noticed it says right on the cover that it is a sourcebook for Swords and Wizardry and for Pathfinder.
I prefer Matt -- I'm not very formal. In fact a lot of my author credits are as "Matt." But I figured if I'm writing one of the official Tomes I better sound more ominous when the other guys have names like "Orcus" and stuff. :)
Here's what I've got so far:
"Bravo sir! I'm only up to page 27 and this book is already so cool. This is going to one of those tomes that is going to be hard to put down. It's so easy to pick up, flip to any page, and just start designing. "
"I think this one will go like hotcakes."
"WOW! Nice work Mythmere. Just wow."
[Mythmere is me: that's the username I use pretty much everywhere]
The Frog guys making a TOAD book?
Weird!
The Frog guys making a TOAD book?
Weird!
Green amphbibians must stick together. It's not easy being green, after all. :)
Curious, any PDF/Print Bundle?
I am beginning to think that I will never buy again Print Only or PDF Only. The two have their uses in more ways than one and I cannot see having one without the other.
If you buy it from the Frog God website, you get the PDF right away when you order a print copy. They still have to print the book though.
They had the PDF as a solo purchase too I believe for those that just want that.
What Sniggevert said, if you purchase a print product directly from Frog God you get the pdf for free.
Edit: Ninja'd by the Frog God himself. :)
There was finally a break in Paizo's release schedule. I had the chance to give my bank account a rest. Then Frog God Games came along. My poor, poor bank account. Why, FGG? Why? ;)
I just preordered. Downloaded the pdf. Love it. Thanks FGG.
How long will preorder last?Tome of Adventure Design is now available for Pre-order at www.talesofthefroggod.com!
The jury is still out on that, but no one has proposed anything before November 10th, if that helps. We're juggling the twin concerns of leaving the pre-order period open as long as possible versus making sure that the book can arrive by Christmas. At the moment, the tentative date is December 1, which I think would miss Christmas, so I am lobbying to push it forward. But I'm not the decision maker, just a jolly old soul who thinks game masters should have a huge and weighty book of evil tricks to read by the light of the yule log while imbibing potions of eggnog.
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I was actually more excited about this than the ToHC (since I have all the original books), it looks like it's going to live up to expectations.
Good Work Mr. Finch and FGG.
I pre-ordered and DL this yesterday (still trying to take it all in) and then I arrive at home to find the nifty/terror-inducing ToHC sitting on my doorstep. Overall a very good day for this DM.
I was actually more excited about this than the ToHC (since I have all the original books), it looks like it's going to live up to expectations.
Good Work Mr. Finch and FGG.
I pre-ordered and DL this yesterday (still trying to take it all in) and then I arrive at home to find the nifty/terror-inducing ToHC sitting on my doorstep. Overall a very good day for this DM.
I'm the same way -- I love having two new things at the same time. Here's a fun game - I played this when I got my review draft of ToAD: (1) open the Tome of Adventure Design to a random page (or a 3d100 would work, too). Roll up a result on the most interesting-looking table on that page. (2) Then roll a d1000 to get a page number from Tome of Horrors.
Now, the mwahahahaha exercise: link up your randomly determined monster with your randomly determined adventure concept, whether it's the details of a hallway, a backstory, a clue, a trap ... whatever. I guarantee that the result will be unusual, deadly, or both! :)
For example, I got page 94 for my ToAD page,and rolled on the description of a visitation this: "Caused by the attenuation of the aether, phlogiston, or astral substance at a particular point. Alternatively, it is the attenuation of material matter which causes the visitation."
Then I got a brain rat on page 452 of Tome of Horrors. So I immediately had a gap in the aetherial membrane of reality that was letting in swarms of brain rats using ESP and mind thrusts (this was with the S&W version -- it's probably more specific in the PFRPG book). Totally cool stuff. Then I thought of backing them up with a brain-wererat, and then I thought that maybe something is chasing them ... (!) What sort of extra-dimensional cat-equivalent eats brain rats is pretty scary to contemplate...
The two books work insanely well together.
That's a really fun game so I started a thread with the rules in it,if anyone wants to post fun results:
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/licensees/theDeadlyGameOfTwoTomeBingoRulesToPlay&page=1#1
That's a really fun game so I started a thread with the rules in it,if anyone wants to post fun results:
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The jury is still out on that, but no one has proposed anything before November 10th, if that helps. We're juggling the twin concerns of leaving the pre-order period open as long as possible versus making sure that the book can arrive by Christmas. At the moment, the tentative date is December 1, which I think would miss Christmas, so I am lobbying to push it forward. But I'm not the decision maker, just a jolly old soul who thinks game masters should have a huge and weighty book of evil tricks to read by the light of the yule log while imbibing potions of eggnog.
Nov 10th is fine. It givs me Oct to get things together.
There was finally a break in Paizo's release schedule. I had the chance to give my bank account a rest. Then Frog God Games came along. My poor, poor bank account. Why, FGG? Why? ;)
I just preordered. Downloaded the pdf. Love it. Thanks FGG.
Because we're pooling all the available funds of gamers the world over in order to build our massive Doomsday weapon! Mwahahahahaha!
We thank you for your patronage.
Now I feel tempted to get the book even though I don't usually make my own adventures, simply to give you guys development aid. I mean, if you poor guys still have to buy massive doomsday devices, you're in the villainous stone age. Modern doomsdays devices fit into a pants pocket.
For example, the device that obliterated the planet that is now known as the Diaspora was so small it slipped out of a small hole in my trousers. It taught me a valuable lesson: Holes in pockets kill planets! (This message was brought to you by the Association of Tailor Villains)
Have you seen the TOHC? What can I say, size does matter at FGG.
No, I haven't seen the Tome. Because you cheapskates didn't go for Teleport Delivery, using regular delivery instead!
;-P
Have you seen the TOHC? What can I say, size does matter at FGG.No, I haven't seen the Tome. Because you cheapskates didn't go for Teleport Delivery, using regular delivery instead!
;-P
As of today, I can change my statement to "Yes, I have seen the Tome."
And held the tome, giggling to myself in a sinister manner. Maybe it was more a chortle than a giggle, but it sure was sinister. You should have seen the look the cat gave me!
Anyway, I actually had to make sure the book was the same format as other books. It's so think I thought its height and width were not the same as other RPG books.
The thing distorts time and space it seems!
In related news, a dreadful thunderstorm with summer-time hail, many dire lightning strikes and a wind fit to blow away our sturdy stone houses totally failed to appear when the postman arrived today with the book. Sometimes, the weather has no sense of style or timing!
And I've got mine preordered. :D
I've only had time to skim the PDF a little so far, but looks really good from wnat I've seen.
Shipment of ToAD has been delayed by weather. Expect late next week at the earliest for orders to start being processed.
Still should me my targeting ship date of December 1. I talked w/ the trucking company yesterday--I should have them Weds next week--so will ship the following week
Yessssss another book to read and add to my collection. I've found that even when using this book it works on High Level material just fine. The randomness of it all is glorious.
The Frog God has indicated to me that shipping for Tome of Adventure Design starts today.
The Frog God has indicated to me that shipping for Tome of Adventure Design starts today.
Woot! That is excellent news! Hmm, now I'll have to make sure I have the money for postage, and to preorder Black Monastery... My poor bank account...
How do we handle postage again?