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Will the MM2 have more than monsters...Forked from "advice to anyone still ..."
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<blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 4648950" data-attributes="member: 2067"><p>I look at this from a practical, at-the-table perspective.</p><p></p><p>I use maybe 4-6 monsters per session.</p><p></p><p>At three sessions per month, that's ca. 150 unique monsters per year.</p><p></p><p>With the original MM, I have more than I need. With that + compendium + dragon + dungeon + supplements, I have WAY more than I will EVER use. Add to that templates, and easy monster creation rules, and I ALREADY have overload.</p><p></p><p>I don't need stat blocks. Stat blocks are pointless and useless, and especially so given 4e's "fluff what you want" mechanical approach that makes a given goblin stat block useful for any creature you can think of, goblin or no.</p><p></p><p>What I need are underpinnings -- how the monsters actually get used at my table. Which, believe it or not, isn't just about rolling dice in combat (which is just about all statblocks are good for). I don't need much quantity (though I certainly need a good amount -- 150 is nothing to shake a stick at!). I need more quality.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>At the same time, this goes too far in the other direction. While it's amusing to learn of the mating habits of red dragons, I don't need to know that, and it doesn't really help me use them at the table. </p><p></p><p>A middle path, something between IKEA assembly instructions and a treatsie on classism in vampire societies, is ideal. This "a whole lot of focus + a whole lot of stat blocks" approach leaves both sides under-served (especially if I don't happen to use dragons or undead or whatever the Coasties determine is cool enough for a focused monster book next). </p><p></p><p>Something like a page per stat block average is, I feel, an acceptable middle ground. Not everything will need an entire page, and some things will need more, but, on average, this is a pretty good mix (books like <em>Denizens of Avadnu</em> and the <em>Tome of Horrors</em> series all follow this to good results). </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>How many monsters do you use in a year? How many maps? How many traps? How many NPC's? How many adventures?</p><p></p><p>How many unique stat blocks do you actually use? And how is MORE STATBLOCKS going to help you actually use what's there?</p><p></p><p>Of all the monsters out right now, what percentage have you used? And why did you use the ones you did use?</p><p></p><p>I've used a grand total of about a dozen stat blocks so far with 4e. Another 300 won't do anything for me. Especially without much of a reason to use them beyond their simple existence.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="I'm A Banana, post: 4648950, member: 2067"] I look at this from a practical, at-the-table perspective. I use maybe 4-6 monsters per session. At three sessions per month, that's ca. 150 unique monsters per year. With the original MM, I have more than I need. With that + compendium + dragon + dungeon + supplements, I have WAY more than I will EVER use. Add to that templates, and easy monster creation rules, and I ALREADY have overload. I don't need stat blocks. Stat blocks are pointless and useless, and especially so given 4e's "fluff what you want" mechanical approach that makes a given goblin stat block useful for any creature you can think of, goblin or no. What I need are underpinnings -- how the monsters actually get used at my table. Which, believe it or not, isn't just about rolling dice in combat (which is just about all statblocks are good for). I don't need much quantity (though I certainly need a good amount -- 150 is nothing to shake a stick at!). I need more quality. At the same time, this goes too far in the other direction. While it's amusing to learn of the mating habits of red dragons, I don't need to know that, and it doesn't really help me use them at the table. A middle path, something between IKEA assembly instructions and a treatsie on classism in vampire societies, is ideal. This "a whole lot of focus + a whole lot of stat blocks" approach leaves both sides under-served (especially if I don't happen to use dragons or undead or whatever the Coasties determine is cool enough for a focused monster book next). Something like a page per stat block average is, I feel, an acceptable middle ground. Not everything will need an entire page, and some things will need more, but, on average, this is a pretty good mix (books like [I]Denizens of Avadnu[/I] and the [I]Tome of Horrors[/I] series all follow this to good results). How many monsters do you use in a year? How many maps? How many traps? How many NPC's? How many adventures? How many unique stat blocks do you actually use? And how is MORE STATBLOCKS going to help you actually use what's there? Of all the monsters out right now, what percentage have you used? And why did you use the ones you did use? I've used a grand total of about a dozen stat blocks so far with 4e. Another 300 won't do anything for me. Especially without much of a reason to use them beyond their simple existence. [/QUOTE]
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