Gurps Fantasy Bestiary

Rating:
Summary: I was very disappointed.
Review: Only about 1/3 monsters have an illustration, which is particularly disappointing since most of them are obscure monsters from (non-Greek) mythology whose names mean nothing to me. There aren't really any guidelines about the monsters' relative power either. Additionally, monsters you'd expect to find (goblins, orcs, minotaurs) are absent. On the whole, a very disappointing product.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it!
Review: Previous viewers have noted that "GURPS Fantasy Bestiary" was nothing like TSR's monster manual, i.e. it does not include fantasy races like goblins and minotaurs, and it doesn't include made-for-gaming creatures like beholders. Instead, it presents samplings from various mythological traditions (European, Chinease, even rural America). Unlike previous viewers, I applaud this approach heartily. The fantasy races were best covered in another book where their uniqueness could receive the proper attention, and most made-for-gaming monsters are agonizingly lame. Any of you AD&D players remember the Flumph? My point exactly.

With this book, players can go toe-to-toe with creatures that have a solid mythological history, but are not necessarily so cliche that the fight becomes an exercise in dice rolling. Perhaps your players have heard of the bunyip, but do they know what it can do? How about the hodag? The Chon-Chon?

My number one gripe against this book is the large numbers of unique monsters in it, such as Cerebrus and Scylla. While some of these could be used as guidelines to create breeds of monsters (as is often done with, say, the hydra) others seem to be there just to take up space. The Scylla of myth was more of a force of nature than a foe to be fought, why give it valuable space in a book of foes to be fought?

Aside from that, this book provided me with considerable food for thought in designing fantasy adventures. It even includes chapters on monstrous plants and dragons (although the latter may be outdated with the publishing of GURPS Dragons). I recommend it to any GURPS fantasy GM.

Rating:
Summary: Little bites out of a vast pie
Review: This book provides a wealth of game-relevant information on creatures from the myths and legends of many different cultures. It's not the Monster Manual; if you're looking for "typical" fantasy races (such as the aforementioned orcs, goblins, and minotaurs) pick up a used copy of GURPS Fantasy Folk. You'll find them all there. Or just wait: Fantasy Folk is due for a reprinting before the end of the year.

I found the book fascinating and very appropriate for my games. Having all of the creatures cross-referenced not only by name but also by type and native habitats makes it very quick to find a genre-appropriate beast for your players' situation. Need a tough challenge for your players that fits in a Chinese-style game, and naturally appears in the mountains? It's just a quick glance at the included tables to find three.

Another very useful point of the book is the entire chapter devoted to dragons. Fantasy Bestiary goes far beyond the typical Tolkien-style dragons, encompassing them in addition to dragons from many different cultures around the world.

As noted in another review, one of the weaknesses of this book is its sparse artwork. However, while disappointed at this at first, I've come to realize that I never show creature illustrations to my players anyway; anything I come up with will pale in comparison with what they will create in their minds from just a few well-chosen descriptive words. See any Call of Cthulhu reference book for more detail on this GM method.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to any GM interested in exotic creatures, or beasts from cultures other than our own. If, however, you need GURPS stats for lizard men and orcs, GURPS Fantasy Folk is the book you want.

Rating:
Summary: Little bites out of a vast pie
Review: This book provides a wealth of game-relevant information on creatures from the myths and legends of many different cultures. It's not the Monster Manual; if you're looking for "typical" fantasy races (such as the aforementioned orcs, goblins, and minotaurs) pick up a used copy of GURPS Fantasy Folk. You'll find them all there. Or just wait: Fantasy Folk is due for a reprinting before the end of the year.

I found the book fascinating and very appropriate for my games. Having all of the creatures cross-referenced not only by name but also by type and native habitats makes it very quick to find a genre-appropriate beast for your players' situation. Need a tough challenge for your players that fits in a Chinese-style game, and naturally appears in the mountains? It's just a quick glance at the included tables to find three.

Another very useful point of the book is the entire chapter devoted to dragons. Fantasy Bestiary goes far beyond the typical Tolkien-style dragons, encompassing them in addition to dragons from many different cultures around the world.

As noted in another review, one of the weaknesses of this book is its sparse artwork. However, while disappointed at this at first, I've come to realize that I never show creature illustrations to my players anyway; anything I come up with will pale in comparison with what they will create in their minds from just a few well-chosen descriptive words. See any Call of Cthulhu reference book for more detail on this GM method.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to any GM interested in exotic creatures, or beasts from cultures other than our own. If, however, you need GURPS stats for lizard men and orcs, GURPS Fantasy Folk is the book you want.

Rating:
Summary: Steve Jackson I need a bestiary!!!
Review: When I bought this book,I was convicted that all my problems with
monsters are over...I was wrong. Fantasy Bestiary is a compendium of uncharismatic monsters of unnusual cultures.The good ones like beholders and goblins aren`t present on this book.
One more time the Gurps team don`t look for tradicional fantasy RPG style and the players need to do adaptations for a good session