[GR] Advanced books? Anyone else excited?

[MerricB]

I am not impressed at all by the sound of the Monster book. I hope there's more to it than first appears.

Cheers!

 

[BrooklynKnight]

I'm looking forward to their d20modern line. Martial Arts Mayhem from the Game Mechanics.

 

[Gothmog]

Wow! I had no clue about these. Looks very cool, I'm eagerly awaiting more.

I don't get it.

What's so exciting about these books? Seriously. Why is the Advanced Bestiary any different than Savage Species?

The blurb says "not just more of the same", but the monster book is a bunch of templates, which is just more of the same.

Not cutting 'em down. I'm interested in more tools, but the info so far really doesn't have me excited.

Can't answer for everyone else, but I can at least tell you why I'm excited.

Its Green Ronin. Seriously, they haven't had a stinker of a book yet, and their ideas are always way more useful to me than WotC's. There have been a few WotC books that I felt were a waste of money (Deities & Demigods, Draconomicon, Song & Silence, Enemies & Allies, Arms & Equipment Guide, and to some degree Savage Species). In contrast, I think many of the GR books (Book of the Righteous, Legions of Hell, Skull & Bones, Testament, Mindshadows, Hammer & Helm, Unholy Warrior's Handbook, Shaman's Handbook, Witch's Handbook, and the list goes on) FAR outshine anything WotC has done since the orginal 3 core books. Plus, the cover art for these books doesn't stink, and isn't dungeon-punky. I have faith that anything GR does will high quality, and worth every cent. I can't wait for these. HOODY HOO!

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Gothmog: Might interest you to know that the upcoming Green Ronin Book of Fiends will combine the Armies of the Abyss, the Legions of Hell, and a supplement on Yugoloths, if I recall correctly. Another product you may not have known about.

 

[Silveras]

Seconding MerricB, I too hope that the Advanced Bestiary is more than just a big book of Templates. I like templates for some things (especially Undead, for example) but I don't get all giddy over them in general.

I hope the DM's book is far enough out that it is not too late to suggest something for it:

1) Expanded discussion of cities and their population. The DMG's section is very short on this, and serves as an OK base, but there are some things that could be better handled. Like, *IF* you choose to use Prestige Classes, how to determine their highest level & supporters. Some classes, it seems to me, would be more prevalent in smaller settlements and less so in larger; while other classes would be the reverse of that. That might also vary by culture.

2) PC Domain Management rules ? Please ? This is an area that has been done, but so far, I haven't seen it "done right". That *IS* Green Ronin's motto, right ?

Ok, in all seriousness I can hope that #1 will fit into the scope of such a project, but #2 would probably be a book all by itself... maybe the Advanced Game Master's Guide vol II ?

 

[Nikosandros]

Hmm...

I agree that GR has an excellent track record, but does anyone have a clue about what the Advanced Player's Handbook is actually about?

 

[darklight]

Hmmm...if the adv. bestiary is merely a collection of templates it would be rather disappointing, wouldn't it? I have just read/skimmed the 81 page demo of "The Elements of Monsters" and it seems very comprehensive. I haven't exactly playtested it, but if the author is right, it presents a simple system to create any monster, balanced and with the correct CR in about one hour! That would be something I'd expect in an advanced bestiary, then again Green Ronin does have a pretty impressive track-record, so I guess I'll just wait and see.

 

[Psion]

Hmmm...if the adv. bestiary is merely a collection of templates it would be rather disappointing, wouldn't it?

Dunno. I'm pretty impressed by STG's Book of Templates. I like spinning new monsters.

 

[Golem Joe]

Hmmm...

Somehow I have a feeling all of this has been covered in two or three dozen other books.

I like Green Ronin's stuff, but these leave me feeling empty inside.

 

[FireLance]

What I'd be hoping for is a series of "how-to" books. How to design a monster and assign the correct CR. How to adjust the monster's CR for various party compositions so that you don't get either a walkover or a TPK. How to design your own balanced core classes and prestige classes. How to modify an existing core class or prestige class to what the player or DM wants (e.g. rangers without spells, rangers without weapon styles, rangers without evasion, rangers without Hide in Plain Sight , etc) and maintain game balance. How to design balanced feats. How to design balanced spells. How to design scenarios that allow each PC a chance to shine. How to run games with higher-powered characters (e.g. 36 point buy, an ability score increase every even level, a feat every odd level, etc). Stuff like that.