Review: “The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters”
Do you have a passion for tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) but a fear of being the dungeon master (DM) or game master (GM)? I personally have only been a player of various TTRPGs and was always too nervous to try being a game master. Luckily, Topix Media Lab is coming out with The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters. This book has everything you will need to build an amazing campaign for yourself and your friends.
“The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters”
When opening the book, you are presented with a table of contents with various settings, such as actual campaigns, various buildings, and non-playable character (NPC) cheat sheets. In total, there are over 500 customizable maps, tables, and story hooks to help you with your 5th-edition TTRPG adventure in this book!
“The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters”, table of contents spread
A foreword then follows, telling you that this book is to help you “run great role-playing games.” These can be customizable. If you do not like various NPCs, you can swap them out for something you as the GM would prefer to assist you in building an amazing and unique campaign.
“The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters”, foreword
The book has eight “One-Shot Adventures,” which gives you a story to follow for your first campaign as GM. Each adventure tells you what level it is suitable for (because I most certainly would not want to send my Level 2 dwarven bard on an adventure that is suitable for Levels 8+).
As you’re building your world in these adventures, the book gives you pages to go to for the map of that particular location and a detailed description of the surroundings as well as potential creatures you may encounter and have to fight. At the end of the book, there are “Randomized Tables & More.” For these tables, you as the GM will roll various dice (four-sided, six-sided, ten-sided, twenty-sided, etc.) to truly make a unique experience in your world. Such randomized tables are Non-Playable Character, Adventure-Specific Category, Random Tavern, Random Curse, and Party Makeup.
“The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters”, map
The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters is a great source for TTRPG players who want to GM and are just unsure how. It gives you everything you need and the ability to modify the game as you see fit. The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters comes out on September 15.
A copy of The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters was provided by Topix Media Lab. All opinions belong to the reviewer.
