Virtual Scribe Reviews

http://www.dmsguild.com/product/202630/Gems

First Impressions: 3 Stars, 29/50 Points
This is a fun little module that shows the potential towards becoming the ultimate gem tool for DM’s; but, it’s only about two-thirds of the way there right now. It has a large list of various gems with multiple size categories and some random gem and parcel generators. But, the documentation is basic, the generators are of limited use, and some really useful generators are absent. It’s a good start and I hope Agmar keeps on improving upon it as I would like to see it fully developed.

Quality: 12/15 Points
This module is easy to use and intuitive. Unfortunately, the single story entry which provide use directions is more like a developer’s log than a user’s guide. It provides interesting insight into Agmar’s thoughts creating the module and links to the useful tools, but isn’t organized the way a user might prefer. Everything seems to work just like intended, all the random generators, links and such are valid and give no errors (though, with hundreds of items, it’s impractical to test everyone). The other organizational complaint I have is with the group names used in the items list, “Tier 1”, “Tier 2” etc. have no explanation and without a name referencing the module (i.e. “Gems! Tier 1”) they may become confused when a GM has numerous other modules opened.
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Completeness: 5/10 Points
This module has some neat tables and some random parcel generators, but as I learned more about it, I came to first question what the weighting of the various values used in the random generators (the values seem to be somewhere between 1 and 5 million), and second that as a GM I would not be able to easily predict or limit the value of a generated parcel. For example, I could generate a parcel of 1d10 gems, but anyone of those gems could end up being worth thousands or millions of gold pieces. And unless you are really familiar with the gem names and values, a cursory look at the parcel would not tell you how much treasure you are about to reward.
I would love to see parcel generators like; “1d10 gems up to 100gp value each”, “1d10 gems of 500gp value”, or maybe “1d4x100 GP in random gems”. Something where as a GM I could predict or somewhat control the value of the reward/parcel that is created.
Another missing item that is almost out of scope, but would be really nice, is a handful of images of gems. Singly and in small piles or hoards. This would help a DM not just award some gems as part of a treasure, but to share a vision of what they party now has.

Creativity: 5/10 Points
This is not the only module of gems available for Fantasy Grounds, but it does more than any of the others I’ve seen and expands upon what is available in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. There are still a great many things that can be added to this module and it just seems to scratch the surface of the creativity that might emerge.

Value: 4/10 Points
A dollar is not a lot of money, and I don’t recommend that RPG products usually are sold for less so I don’t suggest buyers should hesitate to spend one, but it’s a stretch if this is worth it. Just for what the module has today, I would have to say it’s not a good value, but for encouraging the author to keep developing and enhancing this module, then yea, spend a whole dollar. The module is useful today and hopefully will grow to what it can become in the near future.

Versatility: 3/5 Points
Right now the list of gems is very usable and can be used both during play and adventure/campaign creation. The limitations or concerns around the random parcels though limit their usage to what will probably require heavy DM scrutiny.