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My review at this point is based on a skim (with more detailed reading on one or two creatures).
The fluff is light, like the 4E MM, and I'd want more. There is the occassional piece of more fluff, but I really think that MMs suffer from being as generic as the current iterations. I have no idea how a new DM, that had not played the game much if at all, could build stuff around the lack of fluff. I'd hoped that since this was tied to a world that was supposedly going to be re-released, that we'd get more fluff.
My review at this point is based on a skim (with more detailed reading on one or two creatures).
The fluff is light, like the 4E MM, and I'd want more. There is the occassional piece of more fluff, but I really think that MMs suffer from being as generic as the current iterations. I have no idea how a new DM, that had not played the game much if at all, could build stuff around the lack of fluff. I'd hoped that since this was tied to a world that was supposedly going to be re-released, that we'd get more fluff.
Edited: after buying this, i think it has MUCH more fluff than the 4e monster manual, and this is actually a fun book to read. Good job FD!
I got it. I like it. On a skim, monster's are low power like the MM. I really like Goodman Games on these points. They build their monster with some Whoop-ass installed.
__________________ "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and give glory to your Father
who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 - One of Gary Gygax's favorite bible verses.
So this is just 4ed stats on a lot of the old Scarred Lands monsters, with the same artwork and no new fluff?
Damn, I was going to get this. I guess not now.
There are over 50 pieces of new artwork. Just from me there are two new Aasatthi, a new Bat Devil, Angler Ooze, Vengaurak, Ratman, Spider-Eye Goblin, Valraven and Charfiends. FDP's Todd Secord did a lot of new pictures, including two new Proud, Narleth, Wrack Dragon, Crown and Hollow Naga and more. Rich Thomas contributed a few pictures as well.
Creature Collection 4e definitely has more fluff per page than the first MM. Some of the fluff entries are in fact quite long, like the Hollow Knights, Coreanic Steed and more. While I didn't compare to earlier CCs, the fluff has at least been re-organized and streamlined.
As for "fluff," to me it is comparing close to the AD&D MM. You can argue about quality, but the amount is about the same (several monster groups have most of a page of description).
Art is comparable to the first Creature Collection, IMO (if you throw out the few abysmal pictures in the original).
__________________ David A. Blizzard
"The only constant I am sure of is this accelerating rate of change" - Downside Up by Peter Gabriel
There are no new stuff (I didn't check exactly, but no fluff entry seemed really new). To the authors, here you have some feedback:
* some times you use eladrin, elsewhere forsaken elves, and even elf-flok in an entry to describe the forsaken elves. I suggest that you use only one term, and don't change anywhere.
* Furthermore, you used "eladrins" to describe Urian elves. According to the Ghelspad Campaign Setting, Urian elves are relatives from the wooden elves of the Ganjus. In fact, the Uria realm was just created during the Divine War. So I would think that the Urian elves are the same race than the Ganjus elves, and since I think that the Ganjus elves are 4e elves and not eladrins, therefore I think that Urian elves are 4e elves and not eladrins.
* some piece of arts are "eaten" by stat blocks (I don't remembre exactly which however, but the Narleth is one of those)
* there are some layout problems with the stat blocs of the pisceans
* I would have prefered information on the races of the Scarred Lands, or more archetypes, or information on the Scarred Lands, instead of Appendix 2 and 2A. Furthermore, your book won't attract any new player (or GM) to the Scarred Lands: the world is nowhere described, even if its only 1 page, and a short description of the main gods and titans!
* So it's a really great work, I enjoyed reading it, but it might still be improved.
EDIT
* Some spider-like monsters indicate in their typical encounters dark elves. In Scarred Lands, dark elves does not have that special relation with spiders like in other typical fantasy campaign setting. I would suggest to rework those entries...
__________________ There is no dark side of the moon really. Matters of fact, all is dark.
Last edited by ranig; 17th April 2009 at 02:08 AM..
As for "fluff," to me it is comparing close to the AD&D MM. You can argue about quality, but the amount is about the same (several monster groups have most of a page of description).
Art is comparable to the first Creature Collection, IMO (if you throw out the few abysmal pictures in the original).
Personally, that level of fluff works for me. Keeps everything nice and loose so I can easily integrate it into my homebrew. That was one of the things that definitely appealed to me about the 4e MM as well.
Thanks for the update. It has become even more appealing. Once I scrape the cash together I will be picking it up.
Personally, that level of fluff works for me. Keeps everything nice and loose so I can easily integrate it into my homebrew. That was one of the things that definitely appealed to me about the 4e MM as well.
Agreed--if the book had been done like the first Creature Collection with massive amounts of Scarred Land fluff to work through, I wouldn't be interested in buying it. But what's been described here? I could easily work most of this into my own world.
I hope I've been clear, despite my desire for even more fluff, this is a book worth buying if you like monsters.
And, there is new art (as there are more versions of monsters - except I could use a whole book on the "ratmen"), there is just some of the old art I didn't like (and some I really did - love the gorgons).
I hope I've been clear, despite my desire for even more fluff, this is a book worth buying if you like monsters.
And, there is new art (as there are more versions of monsters - except I could use a whole book on the "ratmen"), there is just some of the old art I didn't like (and some I really did - love the gorgons).
Don't forget the Dryad (first one anyway)
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I bought it from RPG DRive Thru... there's 4 downloads yet for me. If there's some errata or small update PDFs will be updated also so I can download the errated version?
__________________ And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make
Well, i broke down and bought it too from rpgnow, and...I like it. I really like it so far, although i'm not too deep into it. Claudio did a nice job on the art, and i have to say, that initial asaatthi snakeman entry makes a better yuan-ti variant that the real yuan-ti. And there was a lot of fluff too, imo.
EDIT: actually all the artists did a good job, and i like this monster book better than Dangerous Denizens.
I bought it from RPG DRive Thru... there's 4 downloads yet for me. If there's some errata or small update PDFs will be updated also so I can download the errated version?
I pretty positive that any changes done for the print run will be done to the PDF as well. That's just how Fiery Dragon rolls.
I can't speak for the long term, but I do know I've already started working on the Relics & Rituals 4E book. There has been talk (but only talk!) of maybe a setting book or something like that, and some adventures, but honestly, treat that all as hearsay at this point in time. We really need to see how well the monster book does and to discern what kind of interest there might be in further titles.
As someone noted earlier, we're a small operation (just five guys, all of whom have other jobs and, for the most part, families), and we all do this more or less for fun. But we'll do our best to get this stuff out to you as fast as we can.
Cheers,
__________________ Scott Holden
~The writer formerly known as Red Baron~ www.fierydragon.com
I'm back on the boards, and now on this thread. Here are a few generic answers that may satisfy curiosity.
The Creature Collection is our first release under the licensed Sword & Sorcery imprint. We're hoping it does well, and would certainly like to do more with the S&S products. As Scott noted, we're at work on the 4E version of Relics & Rituals, although that's going to be a much more complicated book than Creature Collection (which had the basic building blocks in the 3 and 3.5 versions... Relics & Rituals would be a lot tougher to do a conversion due to the rules changes between editions).
At FDP, our focus is not on rpg product, as shocking as that may seem. That's certainly what got us into the business and is our primary passion. But, our evergreen products are our line of mini-games, the Counter Strike series. After that, our counters have really picked up with the introduction of 4th Edition, especially in the digital realm. Aside from those lines, anything without Monte Cook's name on it is a tougher row to hoe, as it were, and at this point in time, resources are allocated according to risk. We picked up the Scarred Lands stuff after I sold my house and had some extra coin in my pocket -- that's not the case anymore, so we're going to take it slow.
Definately interested in Relics & Rituals. Definately interested in Creature Collection 2, if the first one does well -- more new monsters, less conversion of old stuff (but including any missing favorites).
As far as Scarred Lands, I've done some preliminary work and had a group of brainstormers, but haven't been able to dig in depth again until now. It looks like more of it will be done in-house, with sweat-equity as our investment. I'd like to release it as a series of PDFs over time and then release it as a boxed set in the future.
I don't see Relics & Rituals hitting for GenCon -- we'd have to have it done a few weeks ago for that to happen. But, the Creature Collection will be there (unless PDF sales totally tank and we have to rethink it.)
These are big properties for us, and have lots of personal worth, so we wanna do them right instead of rushing.
Any tweaks, updates or changes to the PDF will certainly be available to re-download, so no worries about buying it early. We always make sure that our customers are covered.
Beyond that, please keep the ideas coming. What would you like to see? What would you put in Creature Collection 2?
- James
__________________ Fiery Dragon Productions, home of Sword & Sorcery 4E, Iron Heroes, Counter Collection, Tunnels & Trolls, Official Ptolus and Arcana Evolved Products, and Counter Strike Mini-Games.
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