Interview with Jean of Table Master
If I want to run a totally unique adventure, I can start with one of the donjon maps and produce some random monsters from here, quest details from there, and so on, put it all together in my head or on paper so it fits my ideas and my world, and there I've got something new, unique, and custom-tailored for my game and my players in a way that no $50 hardcover adventure book can come close to.
READMORE
There are so many people creating so many excellent and amazing things right now, that if I could think of something, there's probably someone else already doing it. Rand Roll's first follow-up interview is with the creator of donjon
One of the most enjoyable things about putting together random tables is the inspiration I get for my own games. Writing down a list of strange plant life or coming up with the names of mysterious books immediately triggers story threads in my mind that the characters in my games can discover or explore
That's really how Fantasy Calendar started out, by looking into how it was set up and expanding on what it could do, and now, 2 and a half years later, it's used by over 13,000 users! Who would've thunk?
A while ago I asked several generator and table creators one question: What is your favourite RPG tool or ideas tool not built by you?
"So, my campaign or adventure prep consists more of finding existing stuff (tables, lists, etc.) that I can use in my upcoming game sessions, rather than building anything from scratch...". An interview with Tim Bannock, author of the DM's Guild bestseller Old School Hacks Vol 1: Hexcrawling - Wilderness Exploration and Random Encounters. And other titles at DM's Guild
....having a project and online community I can point to and say "I help with that!". It's a really good feeling, especially with the tiny team that popped up, and our regulars are a great little crew. - tinkan
In an unusual interview I talk to some of the folks running operations over at Dungeon Master's Vault (DMV) on their Discord server.
"Coming up with all the different items and trying to imagine what would be helpful to gamemasters. I want GMs to have more fun at the table and if I create useful tables then I've done my job."
"Another idea I've toyed around with is a character avatar generator where someone can choose a species, adjust height, weight, looks, weapons and whatever else to create a character. Unfortunately, art isn't in my skill set. However, if anybody out there can draw it up, we should talk."
In today’s world we are under constant pressure to add new options to our games. New mechanics and options aren’t the be-all and end-all, though. Whether you use random tables or not, concentrating on the flavour and style of your campaign is far more important, and much more likely to create memorable, fun game sessions—which is what it is all about at the end of the day.