This is not really about The Northlands Saga Complete (804 pages) pictured above, it's just an example of a type of game aid I find especially exciting. As far as these products go, Frog God Games, the publisher of Northlands..., makes a number of very fine big setting books. Rappan Athuk needs no introduction inside the hobby and for years has set the standard for megadungeons. Slumbering Tsar is a prequel to Rappan Athuk and tells the tale of the destruction of the abandoned City of Orcus. All three are offered by Frog God Games, as well as a number of other products.
You may note the small "Pathfinder" logo on the cover of Northlands... This designates it as the Pathfinder version of the play aid which also comes in a Sword & Wizardry version. I think the contents are probably the same with the exception of stat blocks for monsters/NPCs. I ordered this version because I am thinking of using it with a regular group I play Pathfinder with when it's my turn to referee. I greatly dislike designing stats for the more complex versions of "The Game" such as Pathfinder. Having a number of ready-made encounters is helpful.
The way I plan to make use of this play aid is by turning it into a sandbox. I'll take it on vacation, read through it, taking notes and by the time I return will hopefully have a pretty good idea of the area, NPCs, factions, etc. and things likely to happen. Plop some PCs into the setting and see where it goes. I nice big book like this is full of setting details, critters and NPCs...oh and it probably has a story arch, but only pieces of that are likely to get used by me. Nothing goes to waste, however and ideas I read, whether novel plots/subplots or story arcs in play aids, often get recycled as an improvised idea inserted someplace else.
A good referee has a lot of varied skills. One of those is to have lots of ideas freely floating around one's brain from which to drawn on when an opportunity presents itself. Those ideas can come from anywhere...other players, film, art, literature, music, the imagination and big play aid books like Northlands...
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