Will the up-coming 'Conan Bestiary' be considered essential?

[blue crane]

Hi there!

For those in the know, will it be 'necessary' to obtain a bestiary for 'Conan'? Are we 'lay people' missing much in terms of creature coverage within the existing releases? Is there alot more still out there in terms of inhuman foes of which we are not aware?

The reason being is that I have found that the number of 'Conan' books that I own quite nicely cover any further need for beasts and monsters. Am I mistaken? Are there countless other creatures - that traverse 'Hyboria' - that will add significant value to my gaming experience of Conan, of which I am still ignorant?

With kind regards,
Blue Crane

 

[VincentDarlage]

Hi there!

Hi.

For those in the know, will it be 'necessary' to obtain a bestiary for 'Conan'?

Only if you want one. An imaginative person could play a lifetime with just the core book. I could probably play for years just on Across the Thunder River.

Are we 'lay people' missing much in terms of creature coverage within the existing releases?

Depends. Are you in interested in gods in bowls and Snakes-That-Speak (serpent-men)? While I could put the critter described in"God in the Bowl" in the Stygia sourcebook, the serpent-men live in Yanyoga, below the Fires of the South. So far as I know, there is no planned sourcebook for that area at this time - thus the bestiary will be the only book that has them in it. There are other creatures in similar situations. Also, the book will present corrected versions of certain monsters. Whether or not that qualifies as 'much' depends on one's point of view.

Is there alot more still out there in terms of inhuman foes of which we are not aware?

I am not entirely sure what you are aware of and what you are unaware of.

The reason being is that I have found that the number of 'Conan' books that I own quite nicely cover any further need for beasts and monsters. Am I mistaken?

Nope. If you feel that way, then you are quite correct. However, there have been many calls on these boards for certain monsters, for example: Kull's serpent men, so you may be incorrect for other people - but I am sure you are quite correct in your own findings.

Are there countless other creatures - that traverse 'Hyboria' - that will add significant value to my gaming experience of Conan, of which I am still ignorant?

I cannot answer that. I do not know how you measure value in regards to gaming to know for sure if my work will be significant or not for you, nor do I know the level of your ignorance.

 

[LokiOne]

I am sure that a lot of new Conan gamers would appreciate a centrallized tome collating all of the Creatures in the Thurian Continent. Saves a lot of 'page flipping' throughout the other books.

I am particularly interested in seeing a regionalized listing or 'normal' animals. IE: the Komodo Dragons in Khitai's wilds, Mammoths in Nordheim/ Northern Turan, some nasty Demon listings, and demonic races, etc.

I'd use it pretty much all the time - as I do 'The Road of Kings', which is indespensable for my scenario creation.

It could include the necessary corrections and updates, as in Atlantean Edition (Which I still haven't got around to ordering yet ...)

 

[Padre]

I don't need a monster manual. Page flipping? I usually use one/no creature per adventure, so having all those stats in one place is not necessary. I believe however, that Mongoose will make it worth buying anyway (I was sceptical about Conan classbooks, too ).

 

[pa11ad1n]

As the game is based on Howard's vision....(the original) the world is not one with countless monsters around every corner. In fact too many monsters would detract from it - you might aswell play D&D if you want that sort of thing. You should be careful about puting monsters in...yo don't need a whole bestiary it just covers options for you...

The game I ran involved only humans...and an npc tired of being a human...Monsters are not [needed] at all. They can be useful though.

I'll propably get the bestiary, but I don't consider it to be essential. The Scrolls of Skelos provide plenty of options if I need to freak my players out with really odd um oddities. (They would have to be really freaky to get to my players though.)

If you do like using monsters don't forget Howard was a Lovecraft fan (Incidentally, I'm not.)

 

[René]

The same for me: some adventures are totally monster-free, in the others there is usually one (just one scenario with two different types).

With this gamestyle there is for my group no need for an encyclopedia of monsters.

 

[Mortepierre]

As the game is based on Howard's vision....(the original) the world is not one with countless monsters around every corner.

.. except Conan meets one in nearly each and every adventure. OK, so that's one monster, but still...

 

[strategoi_nikolai]

There's always some dangerous, mighty and non-magical beast to be taken out to protect some village or to hunt just for the sake of hunting (or to provide food). I find that if I simply have stats for common (or not so common) wild creatures, I have pretty much everything I need in terms of "monsters".

In fact, in the first adventure my players undertake (this coming Saturday!) they may well face an angry bear.

Having said that, the humans they will DEFINITELY run into are much more dangerous! :twisted:

 

[Raven Blackwell]

In fact, in the first adventure my players undertake (this coming Saturday!) they may well face an angry bear.

Having said that, the humans they will DEFINITELY run into are much more dangerous! :twisted:

I dunno. In one of my first low-level adventures, the party made the mistake of attacking a bear that was just looking at them curiously. The poor fool who ended up being grappled by it would probably have preferred running into a mere sword wielding human.....

Raven

 

[slaughterj]

I'm looking forward to the bestiary, providing it pulls together regular animals and monsters from all the previous works, adds others that don't fit into planned works, and includes others (including ones from upcoming works, so that it is as comprehensive as possible).

 

[pa11ad1n]

As the game is based on Howard's vision....(the original) the world is not one with countless monsters around every corner.

.. except Conan meets one in nearly each and every adventure. OK, so that's one monster, but still...

The adventures of Conan are the exception not the rule. This is a low magic setting.

Of course there is nothing stopping you from making your adventures the same kind of cases, but I feel it is important that the players feel that monsters are out of the ordinary not the norm (as Conan does). This is difficult if they run into monsters on every adventure.

I don't consider rabid animals monsters for this purpose...real world 'monsters' are more than ok for any situation (where they would be found.)

Just my prefered way of representing the source material of course, this is a matter of opinion not a defininate answer.

I'll just kill anyone that isn't loyal to the original..... :x

 

[slaughterj]

The adventures of Conan are the exception not the rule. This is a low magic setting.

The adventures of Conan are the archetype, not the exception. Yes, his encounters with mythical/supernatural/etc. creatures are the exception for those in the Hyborian world, but not for bold adventurers such as Conan. But yes, as you noted, it is "important that the players feel that monsters are out of the ordinary not the norm." The way to do this, while including them in many adventures, is to have the adventure have enough encounters.

E.g., the adventure starts with the party fleeing a large band of bandits, perhaps with an initial skirmish (Bing! One normal encounter.) Putting some space between them and the bandits, the party stumbles upon some hidden ruins, and while exploring, is set upon by a pack of wild animals (Bing! A second normal encounter.). The party notices something odd about the animals (starved? broken leash on one?), and find a recently gnawed corpse of an apparently mauled handler. Exploring further while continuing to evade the pursuing bandits, the party hears chanting ahead. Pushed by the pursuing bandits, the party peers into an underground chamber filled with those engaged in ritual chanting, and see a large statue in front of the chanters with luminous gem eyes. Either spotted by the chanters due to their own lack of stealth, or due to the noisy pursuers, the chanters (degenerated humans with great strength due to their single-minded purpose, balanced by starving from chanting for days on end) attack the interlopers (Bing! A third encounter, still fairly normal.) As the battle nears completion, the party sees the lead chanter, seeing the battle going badly, stab himself to death at the feat of the statue, which animates after blood from the chanter touches it, completing the ritual (Finally! The "weird" encounter!) - which leads the party into a battle with the statue, chanters, bandits, and whatever else.

While a blantant knock-off of various movies/adventures, the above example is intended to show how a typical adventure would include many normal encounters, with a "weird" one to provide the "sorcery" in the swords & sorcery game. The weird still stands out, as compared with D&D where one might enter a dungeon to battle gray oozes, beholders, and a whole litany of other exotic beasts, all in a day's work.

 

[VincentDarlage]

The adventures of Conan are the archetype, not the exception.

Hurray! Excellent, most excellent. You hit the nail on the head.

 

[slaughterj]

The adventures of Conan are the archetype, not the exception.

Hurray! Excellent, most excellent. You hit the nail on the head.

In the worst impersonation of Elvis "Thank you, thank you very much!" :lol:

 

[pa11ad1n]

That is like saying that Lovecraftian horror is the archetype not the exception.

Fact is that most characters (npc and starting pc) in the setting have no experience with the supernatural beyond folk lore and superstition. Most 'sorcery' they will have seen are tricks.

The point of course is that adventurers are the exception...but you are missing the point of conan, he was a warrior, a mercenary, a pirate and a thief that became a hero not because he set out to be a 'bold adventurer' (he was bold, but that was just his personality). He became a Hero and a King through his courage and 'barbarian' principles as well as his strength of arms...not because he was hunting evil doers and monsters.

You want to put your adventurers into this world make it feel right, make sure they feel the setting. Otherwise you may as well play a high fantasy game.

Perhaps adventurers will come across monsters...certainly sorcerers are more likely to...hell, they create monsters.

The adventures of Conan are the archetype, not the exception

Going back to this point...are they really the archetype at all? Certainly they are what other sword and sorcery ideas are based on, but most of those are high fantasy. Most adventurers won't become kings. They won't meet aliens with god like abilities and kill them. They won't be given the oportunity to kill frost giants (well, ok they might do). Conan is an exceptional character, get over it.

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

Going back to this point...are they really the archetype at all? Certainly they are what other sword and sorcery ideas are based on, but most of those are high fantasy. Most adventurers won't become kings. They won't meet aliens with god like abilities and kill them. They won't be given the opportunity to kill frost giants (well, ok they might do). Conan is an exceptional character, get over it.

Interesting stance pa11ad1n, but to me it seems ironic. Howard is considered the father of Sword and Sorcery, and Conan was the main character in that genre. You are playing in a game modeled after Howard's vision and world, but you maintain that the very elements that Howard included in the entirety of his works are the exception?

The supernatural should feel 'wrong' and extraordinary, and PCs should never truly become accustomed to it. That is the onus of the DM to maintain the proper feel for the setting.

The PCs are heroes, who will cleave out great destinies for themselves by the strength of their sword arms. The will encounter the supernatural along the way. This is because the game is based off of Conan! If you are not running your campaign in that mold, why are you playing Conan?

Is it because you like the rule set? The well developed world? The frequent product support?

I like Conan for all of those, but most of all, because I love the Conan stories and look to immolate them in my games.

 

[MightyCthulhu]

I like Conan for all of those, but most of all, because I love the Conan stories and look to immolate them in my games.

What I try to immolate in my games is my player's expectations of being faced with encounters that they can walk through with a little effort. :wink:

I have in fact only hit them with 2 "Monsters" in 6 sessions, but both times were very memorable. Other foes have been animals (3x) and men (3x).

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

What I try to immolate in my games is my player's expectations of being faced with encounters that they can walk through with a little effort. :wink:

I meant emulate.

 

[slaughterj]

That is like saying that Lovecraftian horror is the archetype not the exception.

Lovecraftian horror IS the archetype for Call of Cthulhu games - and adventures of the sort Conan went on are the archetype for the Conan world/game!

The point of course is that adventurers are the exception...but you are missing the point of conan, he was a warrior, a mercenary, a pirate and a thief that became a hero not because he set out to be a 'bold adventurer' (he was bold, but that was just his personality). He became a Hero and a King through his courage and 'barbarian' principles as well as his strength of arms...not because he was hunting evil doers and monsters.

You want to put your adventurers into this world make it feel right, make sure they feel the setting. Otherwise you may as well play a high fantasy game.

Exactly, adventurers are the exception, and just like Conan, they encounter the abnormal in their adventures - that is what makes the world feel right. Sure, you have to remind them that such things are the exception, which you do through normal encounters, but most adventures should include the supernatural/arcane/weird/etc. in them to have the Conan game world feel.

Conan is an exceptional character, get over it.

Yes Conan is an exceptional character, but the game is made to play characters in the same vein - there is nothing to "get over." Superheroes are exceptional as well, but if someone invited me to play in a Marvel Superheroes game, I wouldn't expect them to say "well, Spiderman and the other superheroes are exceptional, so get over playing one of them - you'll be playing a normal in this world. So, what shall it be, shopkeeper? Cop? Librarian?"

Conan's exceptional adventures are the archetype on which the Conan RPG is based, and it is in the spirit of those adventures that the game play in based on. If the majority of adventures didn't involve some aspect of fantasy, well, why bother playing Conan RPG, just play a medieval game.

 

[Raphael]

Yes Conan is an exceptional character, but the game is made to play characters in the same vein - there is nothing to "get over." Superheroes are exceptional as well, but if someone invited me to play in a Marvel Superheroes game, I wouldn't expect them to say "well, Spiderman and the other superheroes are exceptional, so get over playing one of them - you'll be playing a normal in this world. So, what shall it be, shopkeeper? Cop? Librarian?"

Exactly the point. Very nice comparison Slaughterj. If you want to play a shopkeeper, cop, or librarian--especially librarian--play CoC :wink:

Maybe the confusion lies in the use of the terms exception and archetype. It seems that we are saying that Conan was both the exception to his setting (he faced encountered many weird antagonists) and the archetype for this sort of story (S&S). It was because he was the exception that he was the archtype. :? Confused yet?