Who's happy about MMV being MMIV again?

[BryonD]

Maybe MMIV sold really well. So well in fact that they are producing another in the same format. I wonder where I could have come up with such a crazy idea.

I don't have a way to know.
But I do know that I've seen a lot of people say they bought all the previous ones and not this one. I have seen very few that bought this one and not the prior ones. And the overall feedback I have seen also supports that as much as a segment may love MMIV, the overall appeal is down. Four people being satisfied that they bought MMIII is better for WotC than 3 people loving MMIV and the 4th not buying it.

Bring on 4E. Hell bring on 5E 3 months later.

I'm fine with 4E any time as well.
But I see people whine about it already and then have silly comments made that sales of current products to as wide as possible an audience is meaningless. I mean, you can't get more short sighted than that.

 

[Fishbone]

Talking about the pregens, right?
Rather than maps and mini tie ins I think it would be nice to fit in another 20 to 30 monsters in that 2-9 level range. Most of the time I've used monsters in that range and either advanced, classed them, gave out size increases, elite/rolled scores, more of them, etc. The single digit monsters are the meat of the game but they continue to be underrepresented.

 

[Troll Wizard]

Do you just recycle the same monsters over and over?

I mean there just are not THAT many to choose from. And it gets even smaller if you assume you are picking from your groups approximate party level.

I still use standard/generic monsters, but I like at least one encounter to include something more interesting. Thus far I have not had to repeat anything, but I only have had the book for ~4 sessions thus far. Most interesting thus far from MMIV has been the Ogre tempest, a pair of them gave the parties fits as they moved around cutting and slicing the party members. Also Redspawn Arcaniss (armored sorcerer), despite being only a CR6 gave the party (level 7-8) a very hard time. I have also used some of the standard monsters from MMIV, the necro carnex and some of the spiders.

Before MMIV I pulled monsters from the monster themed books, like the goblin sorcerer/dread witch from Heroes of Horror, who lasted two sessions and the Necropolitan 5th? level wizard from Libris Mortis, who only lasted 1 encounters. I have lots of monster books, but I find I really enjoy using augmented (classed/leveled/HD raised) monsters/villains and I believe (hopefully) the PCs find them more interesting to fight.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I liked the classed critters in the MMIV, but I still hate the new stat-block. The new stat-block makes me cry.

Later
silver

 

[coyote6]

Absolutely. For me, I don't have the slightest problem with offering this product concept. I just think that doing it one tenth of the way stinks. If you want to help people without the time then offer a book FULL of a range of NPCs with a variety of levels.

I'd buy that (for a couple-three dozens of dollars); I'd buy a series of those, even. Books of various permutations of orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, drow, githzerai, githyanki, providing ready-made challenges for (almost) all levels -- that would be sweet. I could make up the occasional special villains, and not worry about the mooks, lieutenants, & the like.

However, I would rather have it as a separate product from a book of new monsters (where "new" includes "updates of critters from previous editions").

(Now, I'd buy even more if such books were offered as non-DRM-encumbered PDFs, at reasonable prices for a book that isn't being printed . . . I do nearly all game prep at a PC, and I can keep a lot more PDFs handy than hardcover books. I have a laptop for GMing, if I need on-the-fly references, or can print a few pages to have a hard copy.)

In the end, though, I'll look at MMV, and buy it (or not) based on its contents.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Youch. :\

Well, uh. I'll be, er, looking forward to seeing what they put in this one. Um, if that's OK with you guys. . . ?


In all seriousness, I'm curious to see who contributed to the writing and design of MMV (and/or who will contribute, perhaps). That information will have an impact on whether I even check it out. There are certain game designers whose work I will avoid, and others whose work I will sometimes buy sight unseen (like, over da net). . . and hey, a substantial number where it's a case of wait and see.

Another MMIV? Not the first thing I'd leap up and bankrupt myself for, but I am *always* inquisitive when it comes to monster books. It's just the way I am.

 

[the Jester]

When the MMIV came out, I ran to my FLGS intended to snatch it up. When I got there, I eagerly- almost greedily- thumbed through the pages.

That convinced me not to buy it.

If there were more new monsters and less classed monsters, many of which I can prolly pull straight from modules or issues of Dungeon, I prolly would have gotten it anyway. Hell, I tried to talk myself into buying it, and I still do when I have a lil spare cash to blow on gaming stuff... but I can't bear how stuffed full of not new MMIV seems. The same thing kept me away from the Arms & Equipment Guide, though that one I've never even thought twice about- I guess the MMIV has enough new coolness in it to keep me pondering getting it.

Now, don't get me wrong- I think I book of all advanced monsters would be really cool, and I'd buy it in a heartbeat. But that's not what a Monster Manual is for, imho. I want new monsters to be in there! I would be absolutely fine with a MMIV that had 1/3 of its content as advanced versions of the new monsters in it, and I think MM3 did a great job as an intro to that idea- I would prefer more advanced versions of things than in MM3, frankly. But please, I've had 6 years to stat up a 2nd-level gnoll ranger under 3rd edition rules. I have it covered, thank you.

Now, honestly, if there were only a few advanced monsters from the MM1, I would be okay with it. Hell, I'd prolly really dig a book that was 50% new monsters, 25% advanced versions of those new mosnters, and 25% advanced versions of monsters from a variety of other monster books- and no more than 10%, overall, being from the MM1.

I also agree with the comment that advanced monsters are more useful when some of the advanced ones are suitable high level foes.

 

[Kunimatyu]

I just want them to seperate the classed versions of existing critters from the new monsters. Call the classed book "Monster Manual: Legendary Foes" or something if having Monster Manual in the title is so key, but please, please, please keep the new monsters and the old classed monsters seperate.

I like the concept of classed versions of existing monsters, don't get me wrong, but having them sprinkled through multiple Monster Manuals, instead of being nicely presented in one basic book, is awful and defeats a lot of the purpose of having an easy-to-use repository of classed monsters.

 

[Sidekick]

Heh I won't be buying it. Heck I don't even own the original MM. SRD for me please!

I was thinking of getting the multitude of MMs but the monsters have been getting a little bit silly if you ask me. our group jokes about it all the time.

I'm anticipating that MMV will contain the following
* A gnoll with a plant template - thats right people a Grassy Gnoll,
* The dreaded Car insurance Demon,
* The A golem made of navel lint, and
* some other useless and make no sense crappy monster.

The format is good, the inclusions of FR & Eberron stuff is good. its just the monsters that it's using are by and large totally naf

 

[Vocenoctum]

But I see people whine about it already and then have silly comments made that sales of current products to as wide as possible an audience is meaningless. I mean, you can't get more short sighted than that.

I think the issue is that a limited sampling isn't representative, and that WotC's market data might be more expansive then that.
I remember lots of folks complaining about MM2, 3, FF... everything.

Regardless, how many monster books have come out since 3.5e? I think the format shift might be based on more than just "this will pad out the word count".