Monster Vault: Mages of Saruun

[Matt James]

Aegeri, would you happen to be coming to Gen Con? A bit off topic, I know.

As for the product, I think it will turn out great. The parts people are not as interested in can be ignored, while I am sure most will find some areas to be very cool and to their liking. It's impossible to design a product to be everything to everyone, so where the Hurly Burly bros. won't be your favorite, they will be awesome to someone else. Hopefully, it inspires you to do some cool new stuff in your games.

-Matt

 

[Aegeri]

Aegeri, would you happen to be coming to Gen Con? A bit off topic, I know.

Sadly, as much as I would absolutely love this it isn't actually possible. Currently still getting myself sorted in a new country, so trips to galavant about the world are not on the immediate agenda.

But you know, next year?

As for the product, I think it will turn out great.

From what I've seen I am 100% certain it will be great (no "think" on my part, it will be).

Hopefully, it inspires you to do some cool new stuff in your games.

-Matt

I've already made a version of the Hurly Burly brothers I rather like, to say the least (My players will be meeting them in fact!).

Edit: I find it really funny that the posts where I'm critical seem to get far more attention than when I express my undying love for something (like the topic on the Hound of Ill Omen).

 

[Drammattex]

Edit: I find it really funny that the posts where I'm critical seem to get far more attention than when I express my undying love for something (like the topic on the Hound of Ill Omen).

Truth? The internet was out at work, so I had to work from home where the temptation to crawl the forums was too great to resist.

Plus, it would be in bad taste to only show up for the monsters you really liked.

 

[Aegeri]

Well that's all good, I expect to see you in the Penanggalan thread at some point to receive your well deserved praise

Edit: And personally receive your coveted Grimdark award in person.

 

[Drammattex]

Woot woot! I am honored.

 

[MrMyth]

Which just shows the flaws in Wizards approach here, because honestly Vestapulk and the Hurly Burly brothers are not what I want from a new MV product. A Dungeon article that updates them or adds them into an adventure (with such minor alterations especially)? Sure, I can see that. But in a product I'm paying for? They're pretty dead weight unless they truly do something mechanically interesting: Which neither does.

Yeah, but I think the argument there is more about execution than the premise. If the Hurly-Burly brothers actually had cool rules connected to them, and were well-designed mechanically, they would be just fine. The Nerath flavor or theme doesn't really change that.

I get the sense that WotC wants to avoid seeming like they are selling MM4 or MM5. And figures a setting tie-in will draw in more than saying, "Its just another monster book!" I think they are wrong, in this, since more monsters at the level of quality of the Wandering Tower would easily sell to plenty of gamers.

But so it goes. The boring entries are the peril of multiple writers working on a book - some go all out, and others might get tossed in at the last minute or not receive quite as much polishing.

 

[LostSoul]

Which just shows the flaws in Wizards approach here, because honestly Vestapulk and the Hurly Burly brothers are not what I want from a new MV product. A Dungeon article that updates them or adds them into an adventure (with such minor alterations especially)? Sure, I can see that. But in a product I'm paying for? They're pretty dead weight unless they truly do something mechanically interesting: Which neither does.

I can see using the Hurly Burly brothers as antagonists and getting 1-3 sessions worth of play from them. That seems worth it to me.

With this book, the Nentir Vale will have a map that is populated by NPCs with goals and motivations. You know what that sounds like to me? A sandbox.

It will be interesting to see if the different entries have connections to other ones, or if the DM will have to infer relationships based on the entries.

 

[Matt James]

So. Who's running around the Nentir Vale now that MV2 has been out for several weeks now?

 

[MerricB]

So. Who's running around the Nentir Vale now that MV2 has been out for several weeks now?

Certainly not us! We're off exploring the Kingdom of the Ghouls... a bit removed from the low-level threats overrunning Nentir Vale in our absence.

(And then, just to spite you, we'll go play oD&D instead! )

Sorry, Matt! It'll probably be be 2012 by the time I get around to using the monsters in MV... if 5E isn't out by then, of course.

Perhaps Martin will use some of the monsters in our 5th-level Eberron game. I'll go ask him...

Cheers!

 

[Dice4Hire]

My friend bought it (and I am thinking of buying it) for his campaign we will start sometime inteh fall. I am looking forward to it.

But for now, I do not see myself using it, even if I borrow it form him

We are doing DArk Sun, hitting late Paragon.