Encounter Tables - cont.

And what would complement the Encounter Table better than a complete, handy monstrous manual?
I have just come across a great site designed by Seva (I believe) providing access to the complete AD&D2e Monstrous Manual.
To all you GM's out there! No longer you shall fear that the players will catch you monster-less and unprepared (provided you have internet access at all times).
I added to the Bibiliotheca mainly for my convenience, but should you take advantage, all the better!

A few words on Encounter Tables

In every Game master's career there comes a time when one has to tackle the subject of encounter tables.

It is a controversial one, caught between fires of the Creationists and Referees. By Creationists I mean GMs who leave nothing to fate and accident, laboriously defining every slight detail of the campaign and the adventures. There is no place for a random encounter here, nothing can escape the almighty GM's attention.

By Referees I obviously mean the GMs who allow a certain amount of hazard, they focus more on the interaction with the players and less on creating and telling a story of their own design.

Creationists would rather invent and run their own adventures. Referees allow for a commercial campaign.

Of course I am aware that this division is superficial and does not embrace the whole complexity and variety of the GM's lot. But let's accept it for the sake of argument.

 I, being of a rather creationist sort, never ever accepted random encounters and thus deemed encounter tables redundant. 

Lately however, thanks to my deepened experience with boardgames I came to understand the usefulness of such tools.

Facing the fact that I no longer have so much time to design a new adventure and ponder over the tiniest detail I must admit that I run a risk of being repetitive. There is only so much information my troubled mind is able to store at a time with fast access to memory slots. And in order to populate an area with creatures I come to reach for a limited range that I remember at the time. And how fun it is for the players to constantly battle orcs and goblins? How much more alive the world feels if they encounter strange and exotic (or at least rare) creatures instead of bandits and wolves?

The fantasy setting is based on all things wondrous. And I don't necessarily mean there should be a  unicorn around every corner. But a well prepared encounter table might serve as a crib sheet when the GM needs to come up with an encounter right off the bat. I personally do not even need to roll the die, it suffices to look at the chart and instant inspiration is granted.

Say you want to run a game in the caverns. How many subterranean creatures can you name at this moment?

Well, my encounter table provides you with almost three dozens of interesting foes that might make the player's time pleasant in the underdark. This also helps to give its own particular feeling to every surrounding that the player's find themselves in. If you wish to provide for a deep swamp atmosphere, then beside moody descriptions use its denizens to make the players feel it. They might get the idea that the setting you play in actually makes some biological sense. This will help them get "in the zone". And help yourself focus on controlling the plot while still providing a rich background. Of course, you can create a thick atmosphere with  two zombies and all human campaign setting. But should you be toying the idea of running a high fantasy setting - consider encounter tables. They will make your life easier.

My concluding thought would be that the encounter tablea are a great idea, one just needs to find its purpose in one's gaming. I sure have.

P.S. Basing on that notion I have re-read the AD&D2e Monstrous Manual and put together a collection of Encoutner Tables to meet my needs. It can be accessed in the Bibliotheca should anyone liked to use it.

The Bibliotheca - library, is now open!

Dear Friends and Fellow Gamers.

Today your humble scribe has finally achieved his long time goal which is setting up an open & free library.

In the Bibliotheca section to your right you will be able to access parchments and scripts that you may find useful in your future journeys.
I have either tediously prepared them myself or gathered during my long and wondrous journeys.
The initial collection of documents is as follows:

• A summary sheet for the new combat rules presented in one of the first articles
• A summary sheet of the new magic system
• A summary sheet of the new combat rules & manoeuvres
• A collection of encounter tables
• An ornamental and comprehensive Character Sheet for AD&D
• A not less ornametal annexure for wizards, mages and priests

I hope you will find these documents to your liking.