The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The third core rulebook for the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons is, of course, the Monster Manual.

Honestly, the Monster Manual is basically here to do one thing: give monster stats. This it does very well, but it doesn't have the style of the other books. Little information is included that doesn't directly relate to the beasties in this tome.

Now, before you go thinking this is a BAD thing, it's not, really. The Monster Manual does it's job VERY well.

The book consists of an introduction, the main part of the book and three appendixes. The art throughout the book is of good quality for the most part. The creatures are interesting and well defined. The descriptions are rather short and to the point, which could be a good thing, for it will allow you to tailor the creature somewhat for your own campaign.

The layout, though, can get annoying at times. It can be difficult to tell when one monster ends and another begins, at least for the first read-through. Once you get used to it, it's not as bad, though. On the other hand, very little space is wasted in this book. There is almost no space that doesn't have either words or art.

Two neat things I found in here were concise, clear rules for training certain animals (like giant owls) and constructing certain beasties (like golems).

Another interesting thing is the advancement guidelines. That should keep even players that read the MM on their toes for years to come. :-)

Appendix 1 has mundane animals in it, Appendix 2 contains vermin (such as giant beetles) and Appendix 3 has templates (like celestial or half-fiend or vampire). The templates are very interesting, and a half-fiend dire shark will probably scare the bejeesus out of your players.

Overall, I'd say this is a very good book, even if the layout is a tad confusing. It's chock-full of PC killing goodness, which, as you know, most DMs can never get enough of.

It's definitely needed to complete the game. :-) So, if your a DM, it's indespensable. If you're *just* a player, I wouldn't bother getting it.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, 3rd edition
Author: various Category: game Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Line: Dungeons and Dragons Cost: 19.95 Page count: 224 ISBN: 0-7869-1552-8 SKU: tsr11552 Capsule Review by Prince Nightchilde on 10/17/00. Genre tags: Fantasy	The third core rulebook for the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons is, of course, the Monster Manual. Honestly, the Monster Manual is basically here to do one thing: give monster stats. This it does very well, but it doesn't have the style of the other books. Little information is included that doesn't directly relate to the beasties in this tome. Now, before you go thinking this is a BAD thing, it's not, really. The Monster Manual does it's job VERY well. The book consists of an introduction, the main part of the book and three appendixes. The art throughout the book is of good quality for the most part. The creatures are interesting and well defined. The descriptions are rather short and to the point, which could be a good thing, for it will allow you to tailor the creature somewhat for your own campaign. The layout, though, can get annoying at times. It can be difficult to tell when one monster ends and another begins, at least for the first read-through. Once you get used to it, it's not as bad, though. On the other hand, very little space is wasted in this book. There is almost no space that doesn't have either words or art. Two neat things I found in here were concise, clear rules for training certain animals (like giant owls) and constructing certain beasties (like golems). Another interesting thing is the advancement guidelines. That should keep even players that read the MM on their toes for years to come. :-) Appendix 1 has mundane animals in it, Appendix 2 contains vermin (such as giant beetles) and Appendix 3 has templates (like celestial or half-fiend or vampire). The templates are very interesting, and a half-fiend dire shark will probably scare the bejeesus out of your players. Overall, I'd say this is a very good book, even if the layout is a tad confusing. It's chock-full of PC killing goodness, which, as you know, most DMs can never get enough of. It's definitely needed to complete the game. :-) So, if your a DM, it's indespensable. If you're just a player, I wouldn't bother getting it. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, 3rd edition