Where´s Hyboria´s Bestiary?

[High Lord Dee]

I used to like Blue vs Grey as a war boardgamer but I don't know about this Blue vs Red.

Red vs. Blue is a popular Internet cartoon series based on the HALO series of games. My responce was a popular punchline from the second season.

Don't forget the classic Superman Red versus Superman Blue. It was so cool, that I could not wait for it to end.

P.S. Going back to the original subject, is there any updates, rumors, or opinions on when the Bestiary may be released?

HLD

 

[MGBM]

P.S. Going back to the original subject, is there any updates, rumors, or opinions on when the Bestiary may be released?

HLD

For my part there´s nothing to report. No rumors, nothing. I hope Mongoose didn´t cancel this title.

 

[Strom]

I sure hope this is on schedule - every RPG worth it's salt has a bestiary! The newest one for Warhammer 2nd edition showed that the material can be presented in a unique but still informative way. The 'beasts' could be presented in a short story format, a la Howard. Just an idea.

 

[LokiOne]

I would like to put my 5c in to the Vote for a Bestiary .... It would be just SO handy to collate and present all of the Conan craetions into a single tome.

It could be internally organized into 'Catagories' of Creatures: Ie - Demons, Outsiders, Elementals, Unique Creations, Animals, Marine, Undead, Swarms, Constructs, etc.

Oh ... Yes .... I love Monsters .... Conan stories always seem to have them. I'm not a purist, or a literary expert ... but I alone reserve the right to play My Conan game as I see fit ...

I generally stick to the theme, but I'm a Gamer/ Roleplayer/ and long-time GM, and as far as I can recall, Gamers have always used, adapted, modified or otherwise 'picked-and-chosen' as they so desire.

Mongoose could always issue updated 'Editions' of this proposed Bestairy over Time. The problem with many of the new soucebooks and products is that theres a spread of all kinds of new rules and options with every new publication. This means that I have to continually keep updating and collating all kinds of relevant data in the catagories of new ...

Feats
Spells
Prestige Classes
Creatures

etc.

Maybe We'll need an updated Atlantean Edition sometime down the track too ??? (Just like D&D History).

PS: I STILL haven't got around to getting an AEd through Sons of Cimmeria. Still got the order form floating around somewhere.

 

[Evil_Trevor]

I have been raiding other games for beasts, TSR's Planescape which featured a lot of 'demons' and Call of cuthulu are a good places to start.

 

[LokiOne]

Yes .... I am currently running just one lone PC in the aftermath of an old Conan Intro Campaign.

Currently my friend Danny has a Kusanite Pc named Lin Tau who is an Intuitive Archer (Courtesy of someone who designed some Eastern martial schools templates).

Lin Tau is a Childe of the Elements (Actually a sub focus of Earth and Air), and is on a two-parter Quest from the Great Elemental Temple, to find the second 'component' Elementalist (Immortal) female (Fire) who will 'combine' with the male (Earth) to form a "new line" of Elementalist humanoid Guardians for the Great Temple. (There's much more detail to this Scenario that I've been relating to Raven).

Anyway - Lin Tau is currently in southern coastal Iranistan, at a place that I have created called the "Boiling Seas" (Water/ Fire in the seas .... Yep: an undersea (coastal) volcanic region - also a "gateway" to the elemental Plane of Fire. See the text and sources on Genies in either the v3.5 Monster Manual and the Manual of the Planes. Modified to Conan RPG of course)

I'm also using the article posted here some time ago by a Middle Eastern fellow who designed the Post on 'Iranistani Fire Magic'. I'd be grateful if he could 're-surface' to claim his due, 'cos I've lost the initial source due to a catastrophic computer crash (lucky I print off essential and unique articles).

The Al Quadim setting is/ would be useful for a guide to doing Iranistani stuff as well, as it is very similar. I will keep a lookout for some of the old stuff from this setting (To happily dismantle and re-use)

I'm using a selection of suitable v3.5 Monsters from the (D&D) Monster Manual .... Many useful critters inside. EG: the Sphynx's for the deserts of Eastern Shem or Stygian tomb guardians ... and so on.

The RPG Police haven't yet broken down the door to Sunday Night gaming for the infraction(s) ...

I hope that Mongoose has been 'listening' to Everyone, since We are the end of the line Users of the products. I don't buy every RPG product that I see, and I'm selective about what constitutes 'useful' to Me .....

Good to finally see some separate Scenarios coming through though.

 

[Strom]

Looks like this project is no more. It's not listed in the Future Releases section and is not mentioned in Matt's look ahead for 2006 thread in general discussions...

That's not good. I enjoy the supplements and boxed sets but a bestiary would've added a diversity to this schedule that's needed. Otherwise, it's kind of repetitive - adventure, supplement, supplement, adventure. A Bestiary could've added some much needed chatter about the game. No disrespect to the supplements or adventures _ I'm buying them all (just ordered Heretics) - just think the schedule needs a jump and a bestiary could've done that.

 

[LokiOne]

Agreed. It would have been nice to have all of the currently published Conan Creatures in one grabb-able text, instead of 'page flipping' through myriad other suppliments to find what you need ....(sigh)

Then Mongoose could update any missing stats from the info blocks; such as Scent, classification AEd Updates, etc.

I am sure that GM's buying the basic of the Conan set would appreciate it too. Seeing as Mongoose has started off the suppliment sets with detailed additional rules for the human Classes ... (which I am enjoying)

LokiOne

 

[Padre]

Otherwise, it's kind of repetitive - adventure, supplement, supplement, adventure.

A bestiary is a supplement . Besides, the schedule looks more like "adventure, nothing, adventure, nothing, supplement" right now - take a look at the scheduled "Distributor on sale dates" (no supplements until April).

 

[The King]

IMO I wonder whether the bestiary is really interesting because many beasts are already found in the published books and moreover there are always new creatures in each new books.
I don't see what new things the bestiary might have proposed.

 

[MGBM]

IMO I wonder whether the bestiary is really interesting because many beasts are already found in the published books and moreover there are always new creatures in each new books.
I don't see what new things the bestiary might have proposed.

For me, the attraction of a Bestiary wouldn´t be the new, or old, monsters but lots and lots of human NPCs stats. That would be very nice, it would save a lot of time. I know, there´s already pre-made NPCs posted on the downloads section and here in the forum, but it would still be nice to have a book with at least some pages with NPCs.

 

[The King]

Then it wouldn't be a bestiary but something like Hyboria villains or heroes or whatsoever because bestiary imply beasts natural and weird.

 

[Padre]

I have to agree here: bestiary is little more than a compilation of already published monster stats. I would think twice before paying for a book that would save me a minute or two of page flipping once in a long while. I'd prefer to see more new stuff instead.

 

[The King]

I have to agree here: bestiary is little more than a compilation of already published monster stats. I would think twice before paying for a book that would save me a minute or two of page flipping once in a long while. I'd prefer to see more new stuff instead.

like the Conan and the shadow of the sorcerer campaign? :wink:

 

[Padre]

I have to agree here: bestiary is little more than a compilation of already published monster stats. I would think twice before paying for a book that would save me a minute or two of page flipping once in a long while. I'd prefer to see more new stuff instead.

like the Conan and the shadow of the sorcerer campaign? :wink:

If it's good - yes. Otherwise - any of the remaining 'big releases' would be okay

 

[Walkurë]

For me, the attraction of a Bestiary wouldn´t be the new, or old, monsters but lots and lots of human NPCs stats. That would be very nice, it would save a lot of time. I know, there´s already pre-made NPCs posted on the downloads section and here in the forum, but it would still be nice to have a book with at least some pages with NPCs.

I Agree a nice rougues gallery would be more interesting to read and more helpful. than more monster i already have from all my other game books. It could have lots of backround and plot hooks. it would probably sell better to and is more specific to the line and the setting.

 

[Strom]

Well, the new Runequest RPG is getting a Bestiary. Damn Conan fans are so fickle...

I agree that a book with just statistics would not be the way to go but that is why they pay these creative writers to come up with a format and hook that will make it not only a useful non-geographical supplement but a must have addition to the game. I bet Vincent would have an idea or two. It could include conversion tables for converting D & D monsters. How about some sheets of counters a la the boxed set of Shadizar but these would be for NPC's and monsters. I just think any game worth it's wait in gold pieces should have a Bestiary. Friggen Runequest is getting one... :lol:

 

[MadDog]

If a person wanted to do so for his own use, you could scan the monster sections of each book and combine into a single PDF file.

Mad Dog

 

[Raven Blackwell]

I saw this on Yahoo News. Speaking of beasts, perhaps Howard wasn't far off on the idea of soem of Hyboria's giant wildlife. 8)


LONDON - A scientist in Scotland has discovered tracks made by a huge water scorpion 330 million years ago, the first of the species ever discovered and the only evidence showing it could survive outside of the water, according to the journal Nature's edition to be published Thursday.

Martin Whyte, a lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Sheffield, discovered the fossil of a hibbertopteroid — a type of scorpion — in Scotland's Midland Valley.

"There has been in the past discussion centering around hibbertopteroid gills, feeding structures and limb strengths and whether or not these animals could come out of the water. Here at last is independent evidence that they could," he told The Associated Press.

According to Whyte's analysis of the fossil, the creature was a six-legged water scorpion measuring 5 feet long and 3 feet wide. The length of its stride indicates that the animal was crawling extremely slowly. Evidence that it was dragging part of its body suggests that it was probably moving out of water, Whyte said.

"The central groove shows that the tail of the animal was not buoyed up or supported by water and striations on the side of the groove show that motion was jerky. Though this might not be typical, it does suggest that this animal was not very adept at moving out of water," he said.

Whyte said he has been keeping the exact location of his find secret until he can make a replica of the trackway.

 

[The King]

I believe all these authors writing of giant species were quite true. The main question is how did they become extinct?
I mean a meteorite couldn't eradicate all the giant races on earth without doing the same to smaller species.
I wonder if this was a question of food because there were plenty of forests and greenlands for herbivores, insuring their reproduction and therefore the survival of carnivores.
And there were no organized human civilizations to eradicated all those lives.
I don't believe either to extreme climatic condition because these gigantic species existed in the North as well as in the South.