D&D 5E Is the 5e Monster Manual the best MM ever?

[Thank Dog]

Being Aussie, I wasn't able to pick up my MM until today. And then someone had to go and interrupt any opportunity of me perusing it by running a game. So it was only just in the last fifteen minutes that I've been able to look through it and that is enough to convince me that it's my most favouritest Monster Manual everest in the history of ever.

So, is this the best Monster Manual ever?

EDIT: I said Monster Manual which I thought clearly implied "D&D lines from WotC only". Other systems and other publishers don't have a role to play in this poll.

 

[Thaumaturge]

Very unbiased poll choices. And highly scientific. Well done.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Paraxis]

No it is not.

Monster Vault for 4e was better, the 3rd party Monsternomicon for Iron Kingdoms 3e was just amazing, the creature collection for Scarred Lands 3e is also better. The 2nd edition Monstrous Manual was pretty cool too.

Now, is the 5e MM good oh sure great book, but not the best MM ever by a long shot.

All of the above, as always in my ever so humble opinion.

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's certainly up there for me, but I don't know if I'm ready to say best ever yet. I think you're gonna get vastly different opinions based on what people want out of a MM.

For me, I like the MM to have a lot of monsters (it does), and to have art/flavor text that inspires me in ways to include the monsters into the adventures/campaigns I run. I does this well to.

However, for someone who wants most of all, monsters that have a bunch of mechanical special abilities unique to each monster, they may not rate it so highly.

 

[Grazzt]

I like it, and it's a good book. But best MM ever? Nope.

 

[DM Howard]

It's certainly a great book, but have you even seen the Hacklopedia for Hackmaster? That thing is a masterpiece of awesome with a can of whoop-ass on top.

 

[Sailor Moon]

The Pathfinder beastiary series blows the 5e MM out of the water.

 

[Morrus]

This arrived today, and my nostalgia gene went into overdrive.

 

[TDarien]

I don't know about it being the best Monster Manual ever. However, when the 5e PHB was published, I said repeatedly that it was the best-looking D&D book ever published.


That is no longer true.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Monsternomicon for me, I don't think it was the first to have a size comparison but that should be standard to all Monster books. Plus, the monsters were cool and added to the setting.