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The Game Master's Book of Random Encounters: 500+ customizable maps, tables and story hooks to create 5th edition adventures on demand (The Game Master Series)

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Description

In a game packed with infinite possibilities, what are GMs to do when their players choose what they have not prepared? As every GM knows, no matter how many story hooks, maps or NPCs you painstakingly create during session prep, your best-laid plans are often foiled by your players' whims, extreme skill check successes (or critical fails) or their playful refusal to stay on task. The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters provides an unbeatable solution. This massive tome is divided into location categories, each of which can stand alone as a small stop as part of a larger campaign. “Taverns, Inns, Shops & Guild Halls” section includes maps for 19 unique spaces, as well as multiple encounter tables designed to help GMs fill in the sights, sounds, smells and proprietors of a given location, allowing for each location in the book to be augmented and populated on the fly while still ensuring memorable moments for all players. Each map is presented at scale on grid, enabling GMs to determine exactly where all of the characters are in relation to one another and anyone (or anything) else in the space, critical information should any combat or other movement-based action occur. Perhaps more useful than its nearly 100 maps, the book's one-shot generator features all the story hooks necessary for GMs to use these maps as part of an interconnected and contained adventure. Featuring eight unique campaign drivers that lead players through several of the book's provided maps, the random tables associated with each stage in the adventure allow for nearly three million different outcomes. The book also includes a Random NPC Generator to help you create intriguing characters your players will love (or love to hate), as well as a Party Makeup Maker for establishing connections among your PCs so you can weave together a disparate group of adventurers with just a few dice rolls. Locations include taverns, temples, inns, animal/creature lairs, gatehouses, courts, ships, laboratories and more, with adventure hooks that run the gamut from frantic rooftop chases to deep cellar dungeon-crawls, with a total of 97 maps, more than 150 tables and millions of possible adventures. No matter where your players end up, they'll have someone or something to persuade or deceive, impress or destroy. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Media Lab Books; Illustrated edition (September 15, 2020)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1948174375


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 74


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.8 x 0.8 x 11 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #6,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3 in Pathfinder Game #3 in GURPS Game #15 in Dungeons & Dragons Game


#3 in Pathfinder Game:


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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Saturday, May 4

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • It is What 5E D&D Was Missing For Me
I picked this up on a whim as it was on a sale price of under 17 bucks and looked interesting. The moment I opened the box I was immediately impressed with the quality of the book. The hardcover and binding is really nice, especially for a book in this price range. I'd say the initial quality of the book surpasses what you get in WotC offerings that cost much more. After sitting a couple of weeks I finally got a chance to start going through the contents. It has several one shot adventures that you could incorporate into you campaign with ease. What really caught my eye when I was looking at it on Amazon was the locations. Those did not disappoint as there are numerous locations, complete with maps and tables for random activities going on in the location. I thought that was pretty cool and will make the areas come to life. You get some good NPCs and magic items in the book as well but some of the magic items seem as if they could be a tad over powered. In the end this book is well worth the money if you want to add some flavor to your world. More thoughts below on why I like this and what 5E is lacking in my opinion but my main reasons for liking the book are already noted above. Like the title of the review says, this is what was lacking in 5e for me. I did most of my playing and DMing in the late 80's early 90's in high school. I ventured back briefly in the early 2000's with 3e coming out. What I recalled for source material of the 2e days was campaign boxed sets that gave you general locations and maps and ideas for your own story hooks. They usually had NPCs of note as well. It gave you the world and useful tools to help pre populate it. The campaign settings were augmented by monster compendiums and stand alone modules to augment the world and give the DM some premade adventures to work into their take on the campaign setting. A year or so ago my son expressed interest in role playing so I started picking up 5e books. I've been a little disappointed that most of it is books of ready made adventures that are linked together to form a very linear campaign. They are like campaigns in a box. I was expecting more of what there was in the 2e days with a lot more left up to the DM. The new stuff works and seems a great way to get new players and DMs into the game but seems to be mostly ready made. With the time constraints of a full time job, running an outside small business, and raising two teenagers this seems like it would be perfect but I have found what I really wanted was just some general world info that I could just customize with my own flair. You can still do this but it just seems a little harder. This particular book is more what I had in mind as an aid. After running some of the premade stuff I decided my next attempt will be a complete homebrewed world starting with the small town the party starts out in. I'll populate that town with a lot of the stuff in this book and some of my own as well. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2022 by Joseph A. Orsini

  • Not what I expected, but no regrets!
I bought this thinking it would help me create combat encounters for DnD 5e, include monster stats and stuff, but that was my bad. I should’ve read the sample pages which clearly state what the book is for. It’s actually meant to help DMs by providing locations and non-combat encounters with NPCs, shops, towns, and potential traps. It does mention monsters that could be encountered and offers tips to balance the encounters (when combat is appropriate), but you’d need your DnD books for the stats for each suggested creature. I give it 5 stars anyway because it’s still immensely useful and very detailed, plus it includes some pretty cool adventures meant for beginner DMs/parties and seasoned players alike. It also includes a bunch of detailed information I’m sure any DM will find useful in a pinch or just to get the ball rolling when designing a campaign or even short adventures. Definitely recommend as it shortened my campaign prep time from a couple of hours down to just 1 1/2 for enough material for more or less two sessions. I’m looking to buy the rest of the books in this series if they’re as good as this one. Definitely worth a read and for less than $20 you really can’t go wrong. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024 by Joe Gonzalez

  • Great for learning dms
Love all the tables and the one shots are great for my group of teens.
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024 by Staci Edwards

  • Book Of Encounters
This book is full of random tables, random corridors, random towns and of course random encounters that the DM can build on. There is also about eight or nine fleshed out adventures that the DM can use as a springboard for other things. The book is well worth the price. it is in hardcover format which makes it rather durable and you will find hours of valuable material inside. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024 by Frank Bayer

  • Not Quite What I Had In Mind
Let me first say that this book is FANTASTIC. The one-shots in it are great for throwing curve balls at your players and giving them some creative content that you can scale to their level. It's well done, has lots of maps, and hooks. It's a good addition to your library. HOWEVER, my idea of a "random encounter" is just that. An encounter that happens randomly. To me, the stuff presented here goes above and beyond that level, offering more of a "short adventure" format that wasn't what I was looking for. For example, there's a really fun bit where the players are participating in an event, and things go horribly awry. It's fun, and funny, but you couldn't possibly play through it in a single session, so if you're trying to insert it into a campaign, it just wouldn't work. (Not the way my players play, at least.) Like I said, if you're looking for something to throw at your players to take them out of the campaign for a bit, you can't go wrong here. I was looking for more of a way to build short, mildly disruptive encounters, and this book didn't work for me. I can HIGHLY recommend the Game Master's Book of Astonishing Random Tables, and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the Proactive Role-Playing one. What I'm getting at is: This series is GREAT, but this book didn't work for me. Your mileage may vary, and I hope it does. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023 by Jas Rock Jas Rock

  • A must have for every GM
This book has been a wonderful addition to my GM library. When I need a quick one-shot scenario - this book. When I need random NPCs - this book. This resource is an absolute must for any GM!
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2024 by R.flewellen

  • IT HAS A BOATLOAD!
First, let me state I'm a new DM/GM. For me, this book is invaliable as a resource for planning encounters and events AND when the party goes in their own direction, a must have for random encounters and NPCs. I feel it is well organized, compliments Jeff's other books, and truly inspires me to make stuff my own. I feel it is a valuable tool to have AND USE before and during games. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2023 by Norm

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