The Inside Scoop on Gaming

(Written some years ago when AD&D 2nd edition was new)

The detail of material in the Compendium's volumes far surpasses the old Monster Manuals and Fiend Folio. The art work is more numerous, but is only marginally better. It does contain an excellent introduction and the blank monster sheet provides a format for the creation of new creatures. The ability to organize creatures in any manner, add new ones, and keep specific campaigns monsters unique are invaluable. The convenience of carrying only those creatures you need with you is likewise fantastic. Finally, it combines all of the variants of races for easy reference. There can be no argument about the flexibility and usefulness of a binder system such as this.

Unfortunately I feel it lacks quality. The binder itself is heavy, laminated cardboard and could use a more durable plastic covering. The rings are the state of the art slant D type but lack the tabs with which to open them without mis-aligning the rings. A plastic sheet lifter, in the front of the binder, would have been helpful in protecting and moving the pages to the right before closing the book. The pages themselves are of a light bond with the holes precariously close to the edge. A heavier bond with reinforcements would have been more appropriate. Likewise the dividers, although strikingly decorated on one side only, could have been more durably constructed.

Of course none of the above improvements are practical due to the already prohibitive cost. My advice is to check several volumes out before deciding between the new Compendium and the old Manual/Folio combination. Then make an informed decision based on what you have observed. Obviously the factors involved are different for each DM:

Do you already own both Manuals and the Folio? Do you have none or some of the original monster tomes? Is the Compendium so much better than the old tomes, that I can't play without it? Do you play only Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Spelljammer, or etc., campaigns? How many volumes of the Compendium will I need? How much am I willing to spend?

Personally I would like to see a system using cards not unlike those sold on TV for animals, WWII or sports. These cards are plastic coated, about 5"x5", have full color pictures and large amounts of data on the back. The AD&D monster cards lack the indexing reference symbols that the TV cards have. Such symbols would allow the cards to be organized by level, habitat, campaign, region, etc. With a carrying case, this type of system affords the DM all the organizational flexibility of a binder and the added benefit of a picture to show the players without revealing other information.

My thrifty advice is to keep using the old tomes, they will work just fine with the 2nd Edition rules. If you don't already have them, then compare prices and look for sales. Purchase only those Compendium volumes that apply to your campaign, if you are using one of TSR's.

If you do go all the way with the Compendium consider getting two new binders as well. One should be large enough to hold your Compendium volumes and additional creature pages you may wish to add. The other should be small enough to hold one game sessions worth of creature references. This way when your game hits the road, you don't have to bring a phone book sized binder with you. Both binders should be plastic coated with slant "D" rings, opening tabs and a page lifter.

To protect your pages and dividers, buy some reinforcements. It'll take several taste torturing hours to do all of your pages but considering the money you laid out for them, its worth it.

Monstrous Compendium
Monstrous Compendium Capsule Review by Papyrus on 07/10/02 Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) The AD&D2 Monstrous Compendium: a great idea that lacks material quality. Product: Monstrous Compendium Author: TSR staff Category: RPG Company/Publisher: TSR Line: AD&D 2nd edition Cost: Page count: Year published: ISBN: SKU: Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Papyrus on 07/10/02 Genre tags: Fantasy	(Written some years ago when AD&D 2nd edition was new) The detail of material in the Compendium's volumes far surpasses the old Monster Manuals and Fiend Folio. The art work is more numerous, but is only marginally better. It does contain an excellent introduction and the blank monster sheet provides a format for the creation of new creatures. The ability to organize creatures in any manner, add new ones, and keep specific campaigns monsters unique are invaluable. The convenience of carrying only those creatures you need with you is likewise fantastic. Finally, it combines all of the variants of races for easy reference. There can be no argument about the flexibility and usefulness of a binder system such as this. Unfortunately I feel it lacks quality. The binder itself is heavy, laminated cardboard and could use a more durable plastic covering. The rings are the state of the art slant D type but lack the tabs with which to open them without mis-aligning the rings. A plastic sheet lifter, in the front of the binder, would have been helpful in protecting and moving the pages to the right before closing the book. The pages themselves are of a light bond with the holes precariously close to the edge. A heavier bond with reinforcements would have been more appropriate. Likewise the dividers, although strikingly decorated on one side only, could have been more durably constructed. Of course none of the above improvements are practical due to the already prohibitive cost. My advice is to check several volumes out before deciding between the new Compendium and the old Manual/Folio combination. Then make an informed decision based on what you have observed. Obviously the factors involved are different for each DM: Do you already own both Manuals and the Folio? Do you have none or some of the original monster tomes? Is the Compendium so much better than the old tomes, that I can't play without it? Do you play only Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Spelljammer, or etc., campaigns? How many volumes of the Compendium will I need? How much am I willing to spend? Personally I would like to see a system using cards not unlike those sold on TV for animals, WWII or sports. These cards are plastic coated, about 5"x5", have full color pictures and large amounts of data on the back. The AD&D monster cards lack the indexing reference symbols that the TV cards have. Such symbols would allow the cards to be organized by level, habitat, campaign, region, etc. With a carrying case, this type of system affords the DM all the organizational flexibility of a binder and the added benefit of a picture to show the players without revealing other information. My thrifty advice is to keep using the old tomes, they will work just fine with the 2nd Edition rules. If you don't already have them, then compare prices and look for sales. Purchase only those Compendium volumes that apply to your campaign, if you are using one of TSR's. If you do go all the way with the Compendium consider getting two new binders as well. One should be large enough to hold your Compendium volumes and additional creature pages you may wish to add. The other should be small enough to hold one game sessions worth of creature references. This way when your game hits the road, you don't have to bring a phone book sized binder with you. Both binders should be plastic coated with slant "D" rings, opening tabs and a page lifter. To protect your pages and dividers, buy some reinforcements. It'll take several taste torturing hours to do all of your pages but considering the money you laid out for them, its worth it.

Monstrous Compendium