Monster Manuals no more

[Olaf the Stout]

Yeah, I can't see this happening anytime soon. Not unless they want to alienate the majority of their player base.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Drowbane]

I had a seriously disturbing thought....

As part of the 4e marketing strategy, WoTC does away with monster manuals, instead printing only cards as part of a collectable monster series?

Or perhaps releasing plastic minis of D&D monsters along with cards that contain stats for a simplified minis game and all the relevant stats for D&D on the reverse?

Yeah, I can't see this happening anytime soon. Not unless they want to alienate the majority of their player base.

Olaf the Stout

Such as, say, throwing away Dungeon and Dragon mags for... "Gleemax geekmax"?

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

When using D&D monsters, I've been pretty much using the stat cards from D&D minis anyway, and I print up my own for non-WotC monsters because the convenience is orders of magnitude greater.

As with all collectibles, the secondary market exists, and people's Paypal paranoia is NOT a justification for claiming you can't get this stuff non-randomized.

Sadly, the SW Minis cards don't have quite everything I need to use them for Saga.

 

[Glyfair]

There are so many times that, as DM, I want to have multiple monsters open in front of me and/or don't want the players to see that I'm looking in the Monster Manual (for, say, stealthy critters) that I can't even begin to count.

I'm far from in favor of moving away from the standard book format. However, in addition to it, I can see monster books being the first products to have significant, innovative support.

The 2E Monstrous Compendium was an idea that was great in theory, but poor in practice. The ability to have all of your monster together in an order that makes them easy to find is invaluable.

You can do this electronically. You can have the base Monster Manual. When you purchase a new book (Fiend Folio, Monsters of Faerun, etc) the product merges with the original Monster Manual alphabetically. In fact, it's pretty likely you'll be able to apply filters to find exactly what you want (an aberration that has a CR between 3-5, is found in forests and is never found in large groups).

Find the monsters you need and print them out or even have your computer available at the table.

I own two non-collectible card games (Gloom and Ziggity), as well as a deck of Bicycle playing cards, which are all clear... Ziggity uses the clarity as more of a gimmick than anything else (you sometimes have to "complete the puzzle" by getting cards with each of three different puzzle pieces, but that could just have easily been "get an A, B and C"), while Gloom actually uses the clarity to good effect by having you stack cards with modifiers on top of characters, where the modifiers can be in 3 different spots and only the top-most (i.e. visible) modifier applies in any given spot.

As a side note Gloom has a D&D connection, as it was created by Eberron's Keith Baker.

 

[Pants]

You can do this electronically. You can have the base Monster Manual. When you purchase a new book (Fiend Folio, Monsters of Faerun, etc) the product merges with the original Monster Manual alphabetically. In fact, it's pretty likely you'll be able to apply filters to find exactly what you want (an aberration that has a CR between 3-5, is found in forests and is never found in large groups).

This could be an interesting program for the DI. I'd, at least, find such a thing useful.

 

[Asmor]

As a side note Gloom has a D&D connection, as it was created by Eberron's Keith Baker.

Huh, can't believe I didn't know that. Thanks for the info!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I'd fly out to Renton to lead the riot in front of the WotC building.

 

[Set]

Actually, that's not as far out as you might think...

Imagine if all monsters were printed on cards with empty spaces next to each of their stats. Then you get a clear "template" card to overlay, that tells you the template's bonuses/penalties to each stat. Bam. Instant template.

That's the coolest idea ever. I have no idea how feasible it would be, but dayum!

 

[Destil]

I had a seriously disturbing thought....

As part of the 4e marketing strategy, WoTC does away with monster manuals, instead printing only cards as part of a collectable monster series?

If their not random? It could be awesome. Include a database of monsters and a text version (on par with d20srd.org, not a worthless PDF) and I'd be all over it.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

It doesn't "seem to assume." It states explicitly in the required materials to play section that you need Star Wars collectible miniatures.

I don't own it, which explains my use of "seem". Just going by what I have heard.

On the other hand, if you, as a theoretical owner of the game book, lack the perspicacity to realise the difference between dice as a required item for play and official, collectible miniatures . . . you might lack a few crucial brain functions for actually playing the game anyway.