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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sir Trent" data-source="post: 2010324" data-attributes="member: 6434">Monsters of the Endless DarkGoodman GamesArtist: Andy HoppWritten by: Jon PollumMonsters of the Endless Dark: The Wanderers Guild Guide to Subterranean Organisms is a book of new monsters found solely within the twisting tunnels of the earth. These creatures are explained to us by the author from the personal accounts of Bessimus Camphor, a scholar, adventurer, explorer and member of the Wanderers Guild. The Wanderers Guild is a society of members dedicated to the exploration of things and places unknown. Expeditions funded by the Guild travel the world in search of new races and creatures, submitting written accounts of all information gained to the Guild archives for study. Bessimus Camphor was an expert on the extensive subterranean world that in the end took his life. I first encountered the Wanderers Guild when I visited the website upon the advice of a friend. When I contacted the website administrator about doing a review, they were kind enough to forward my request to Goodman Games who provided me with a copy of the Endless Dark.The book opens with a one-page history of the Wanderers Guild and a half-page about Subterranean Habitats. Next is a story about the esteemed Camphor, telling of his life and contributions to the knowledge of the Endless Dark. Sidebars give an explanation of the various symbols used to denote the various habitats, activity cycles, and diet of the organisms detailed in the book.Next come two pages dedicated to a new prestige class of use to those yearning to explore the endless tunnels. It is called the Deeprunner, and gives bonus’ to close-quarters combat and an improved ability to see in the dark, as well as a few less-obvious skills such as a form of contortion to allow the Deeprunners to squeeze through tunnels and holes that would otherwise be too small for a member of their race.     Then begin the unique creatures. Each creature is given two pages of detailed information that I would categorize as slightly more extensive than that found in a typical monster entry of most books. The style of the descriptions includes a direct quote from Camphor speaking of an encounter of his with that particular organism and then a summation of information taken from his journals. A large illustration of the creature is included and the sidebars, a feature that is maintained throughout the book, give D20 stats and suggested encounters for the creatures for low, medium, and high level parties. These encounters are usually interesting and occasionally humorous. One low-level encounter based on a creature with a CR of 18 is “the heroes and eight hundred of their friends…”It is explained that the information contained in the sidebars are to enable the GM to easily cover that info while leaving the illustration and basic information available for all to see. While this may not be deemed necessary to all GM’s, I can see the appeal of this feature to many. The creatures of the book cover a large spectrum and are by-and-large well thought out. There are the basic humanoid-type tribes, as well as fungus, insects, and hideous monsters like the ones I used to dream about. The CR’s of the group run from 1 to 18 and seem to be fairly accurate ratings. The suggested encounters allow characters of any level to find something interesting and competitive to explore. A size chart is added to allow the players to truly grasp the size of each beast in relation to one another.    Monsters of the Endless Dark is a combination product. The art of the book is every bit as important as the gaming information and will be attractive to the growing number of Andy Hopp fans. For those that focus more on the gaming side, there is plenty of crunchy stuff available to liven up a campaign. The associated website (www.wanderersguild.com) is available to anyone and joining it is free. There you may submit art, writing, new spells, new magic items, join in-character discussions, or view the submissions of others, as a member of the Wanderers Guild. All submissions to the website remain the property of the submitter.  Downside: There are some annoying typos in the book, but I’ve yet to see a product that didn’t have any. Stories towards the front of the book refer to creatures detailed further into the book as if you already know what they’re talking about. I had to read some out of order to understand exactly what was intended. Monsters of the Endless Dark is a 64-page book reasonably priced at $18.00.    Goodman Games has a winner here. This book is, overall, very interesting and usable. You may find it enjoyable for the art, the gaming, or the stories. It seems likely that most everyone will be able to find some portion of the book to enjoy, even if some portions of it do not appeal them. The layout represents a refreshing new twist over that of most recent products I’ve seen. The unique twists of the creatures and the GM-friendly layout are also a plus. It’s obvious that the designers put a lot of thought into this book and didn’t just throw it together haphazardly like some companies do.I recommend this book and look forward to future Wanderers Guild products.</blockquote>

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