textfiles/rpg/rating04.txt

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         Rating Results for Dungeon Master's Miscellany I
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          Compiled by: brooks@odie.ee.wits.ac.za (Goth)

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                          Points Ratings
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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

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                             Comments
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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.

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