L&L 4/16 - A Walk Down Monster Lane

[Mercutio01]

I despise, hate, loathe, disdain, dislike, and abhor the binder format from the 2E Monstrous Compendium. There's not likely much that would keep me from getting all the D&D Next core books, but that'd come awfully close.

Really? I think that alone was one of my favorite things about 2E. But then I also want all of my cookbooks and other common reference books to be open ring binder format. Lays flat, easy to pull out only the necessary items for a particular use, expandable, and perfect for reference.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Really? I think that alone was one of my favorite things about 2E. But then I also want all of my cookbooks and other common reference books to be open ring binder format. Lays flat, easy to pull out only the necessary items for a particular use, expandable, and perfect for reference.

I found it far too bulky/awkward for ease of use--be it carrying to games or just sitting down to read or, hell, eve just storage. I have also never personally met anyone--literally no one--for whom the pages didn't prove too fragile/easily torn.

(Note I said "personally." I'm sure some of the people posting on this thread can make that claim. That's fine. It was still a major issue for me and lots of other people.)

 

[Mattachine]

While I figure dragons are iconic,with them putting Catastrophic dragon (!?!) on the list, I'm a bit suprised the didn't list "dragon, chromatic", "dragon, metallic" (and most of all) "dragon, gemstone" to at least figure out which dragons to put in there.

Metallic and chromatic dragons are a given, belonging to all editions. That list was for creatures above and beyond the "standard list".

 

[Mercutio01]

I found it far too bulky/awkward for ease of use--be it carrying to games or just sitting down to read or, hell, eve just storage. I have also never personally met anyone--literally no one--for whom the pages didn't prove too fragile/easily torn.

(Note I said "personally." I'm sure some of the people posting on this thread can make that claim. That's fine. It was still a major issue for me and lots of other people.)

Fair enough, I'm not disputing your experience at all. It just at odds with my own, and I was curious as to why. I thought the fact that it opened flat made it easy to use, and I only brought the sheets to games for creatures I planned to use. I also used the ring enforcer things (these things -- link) which solved a lot of problems.

 

[Andor]

Fair enough, I'm not disputing your experience at all. It just at odds with my own, and I was curious as to why. I thought the fact that it opened flat made it easy to use, and I only brought the sheets to games for creatures I planned to use. I also used the ring enforcer things (these things -- link) which solved a lot of problems.

For binder stuff I personally love the clear plastic pocket style page holders, yeah they add bulk, but they are tough, protect your pages, and best of all you can write on them with a dry-erase marker or grease pencil and then rub it right off.

And Centaurs were in that poll? Centaurs are like .05% less iconic than orcs.

 

[Hussar]

For binder stuff I personally love the clear plastic pocket style page holders, yeah they add bulk, but they are tough, protect your pages, and best of all you can write on them with a dry-erase marker or grease pencil and then rub it right off.

And Centaurs were in that poll? Centaurs are like .05% less iconic than orcs.

Heh, I didn't realize until very recently, that centaurs didn't make the MM1 cut in 4e.

Again, it's a case of monsters that just virtually never get any official support. How many modules out there feature centaurs? How many settings make centaurs a central idea or even more than a footnote? Where do centaurs live in Greyhawk? Forgotten Realms? Eberron?

When you think plains dwelling horsefolk, I think of the Horde from Forgotten Realms, or the halfing dino riders in Eberron. Does anyone immediately jump onto the idea of centaurs?

For an "iconic" race, I would think that at least a few modules, maybe a novel or two or a video game or three would feature them prominently.

 

[Andor]

When you think plains dwelling horsefolk, I think of the Horde from Forgotten Realms, or the halfing dino riders in Eberron. Does anyone immediately jump onto the idea of centaurs?

I dunno, it just seems wierd to me. I'm actually designing a homebrew setting where centaurs have a central place in the plot having conquered all the region some time ago (being essentially unbeatable in any open terrain) with their humanoid Jannisarries doing most of the static defense and police work. And then they all up and vansihed some months ago without explanation. The goblinoids are getting restless and confused and the PCs will represent the local powers starting to explore the possibility of an uprising.

 

[Greg K]

I voted for: Aarakocra, Brownie, Catoblepas, Centaur, Dao, Dragon Turtle, Dragonne, Ghast, Gremlin, Hippocampus, Homonculus, Invisible Stalker, Kelpie, Ki-rin, Kraken, Lammasu, Larva, Leprechaun, Lecrotta, Marid, Merfolk, Nixie, Nymph, Peryton, Phoenix, Pixie, Revenant, Shambling Mound, Sprite, Sylph, Thri-Kreen, Triton, Weird , Wemic

I almost voted for the following: Blink Dog, Bullywug, Cave Fisher, Cloaker, Ettercap, Gibberling, Intellect Devourer, Kenku, Ixitxachitl, Modron, Rot Grub, Su Monster, Sverfneblin, Trapper, tasloi. However, I would rather save Ettercap, Gibberling, Tasloi for a FR monster book, Kenku for an Oriental Adventures product and Modrons for something Planescape. The others do nothing for me despite their history- especially, the Cloaker, Rot Grub, and Trapper. I would rather have the space used for something else not mentioned that I might want to see I might in an MM1. I would not mind them being in a later MM product.

 

[Hussar]

I dunno, it just seems wierd to me. I'm actually designing a homebrew setting where centaurs have a central place in the plot having conquered all the region some time ago (being essentially unbeatable in any open terrain) with their humanoid Jannisarries doing most of the static defense and police work. And then they all up and vansihed some months ago without explanation. The goblinoids are getting restless and confused and the PCs will represent the local powers starting to explore the possibility of an uprising.

Heh, funnily enough, I'm borrowing a map from the Cartographers guild site called the Beastlands, that has a very similar concept for a campaign I'm trying to hash out.

Cartographers' Guild

 

[Greg K]

Heh, I didn't realize until very recently, that centaurs didn't make the MM1 cut in 4e.

When you think plains dwelling horsefolk, I think of the Horde from Forgotten Realms, or the halfing dino riders in Eberron. Does anyone immediately jump onto the idea of centaurs?

I think of the Horde (or other horse nomads) or centarus. I don't think about halfling dino riders which were one the elements of Eberron that I did not like (dinosaurs are also something I would like to see in their own supplement and not the first MM).