Rating: 
Summary: Much better than the first Creature Collection
Review: "Creature Collection II" contains a lot of interesting monsters, most of which can be used in most campaigns (a few entries are a little too world specific to use if not playing in the Scarred Lands). For the most part, this book is well written, and the artwork is very good except for a few rare cases. Most of the creatures are well balanced (in my opinion anyway), and of course there are the critters which make you wonder why did they put that in here. I definitely like the amount of detail and information they give for each monster (this is something I miss from 2nd edition AD&D). This book would be an excellent addition to any game master or person adventuring in the Scarred Lands.
Rating:
Summary: More Bad guys for your buck!
Review: For those that are NOT familiar with the idea, WOTC has offered an 'Open Game License' to any publisher that would like to contribute to the further growth of the d20 system that has been implemented with D&D3Ed.Sword and Sorcery Studios is one of the leaders in the race to see who will dominate the d20 market (outside of WOTC). With White Wolf Games as Publisher/Printer of their materials they stand a good chance. The Creature Collection II is the much anticipated sequel to the sometimes maligned Creature Collection. Though I really enjoyed the creativity that went into the Original CC, CC2:Dark Menagerie is by FAR a better product. The illustrations are of a much higher calibre (though still black and white) and it is obvious that the creators had a great time putting this work together. Much like the Original CC, the whole collection manages to work well and add some very nice elements to what appears to be an exciting campaign setting. Unlike the Original, CC2 seems to be more geared towards the minions of the Dark Titans that once ruled the Scarred Lands. These creatures run the gamut from the Frighteningly deadly to the just plain DISGUSTING... but it all manages to work, giving the GM (whether he is using the SL campaign setting or not) a veritible army of bizzare minions to delight and confound players in his/her d20 game. By far, this is one of the most pleasing products recently released for the ever expanding d20 game system. Finally, SSS has stated their manifesto to be "3rd Edition D&D with a 1st Edition feel"... with that goal in mind... I'd say they are succeeding.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent sourcebook
Review: I love Sword & Sorcery Studios. I've loved 'em since they came out with the Creature Collection 1, before the official Monster Manual came out. They're a high quality publisher, backed by one of the biggest companies in the biz, White Wolf, and it shows. This product is of great quality, much better than the first Creature Collection, which was admittedly mediocre in several departments. There are a huge range of monsters and other assorted things tailored for the Scarred Lands setting, but most if not all of them can be dropped into any setting with little if any change. Also, you get a wide range of different sorts of monsters, because the book was not just written by a few individuals. Rather, they had open writer calls, so anyone could send in a permission form and their own monsters to be included in the book, so you get the cream of the crop from the collective minds of the entire D&D community.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent sourcebook
Review: I love Sword & Sorcery Studios. I've loved 'em since they came out with the Creature Collection 1, before the official Monster Manual came out. They're a high quality publisher, backed by one of the biggest companies in the biz, White Wolf, and it shows. This product is of great quality, much better than the first Creature Collection, which was admittedly mediocre in several departments. There are a huge range of monsters and other assorted things tailored for the Scarred Lands setting, but most if not all of them can be dropped into any setting with little if any change. Also, you get a wide range of different sorts of monsters, because the book was not just written by a few individuals. Rather, they had open writer calls, so anyone could send in a permission form and their own monsters to be included in the book, so you get the cream of the crop from the collective minds of the entire D&D community.
Rating:
Summary: bruuHAHAHAHAHA
Review: More monsters, nastier monsters, wierder monsters. Few "good guys", but who needs 'em? I want to see more from SSS on the Carnival of Krewes. Whenever I need to freak out the players, this book comes out. If you like Call of Cthulhu and want a little more of that flavor in your campaign, this book does it. SSS continues to crank out hi quality stuff for DMs. I don't think I'd use their setting, but they give you a lot of inspiration to do your own thing. Any of the setting "specific" monsters in here can be put in your own setting quickly. The "specifics" just flesh out the monsters more, but my experience is that players aren't neccesarily gonna care.
Rating:
Summary: Creature Collection II: Dark Menagerie Core Rulebook (Sword
Review: Shipped immediately. Received in excellent condition. Very Satisfied. Would do and will do business with in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Creature Collection II: Dark Menagerie Core Rulebook (Sword
Review: Shipped immediately. Received in excellent condition. Very Satisfied. Would do and will do business with in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not the Monster Manual
Review: This book is good. Really good. It shows what the Open Gaming License can do. The monsters in this book are for the most part creative and interesting. Swords and Sorcery Studios obviously put some thought into a lot of the monsters. True, there are monsters in the book that lack the pizazz that you would want in a campaign of heroism that Dungeons and Dragons is suited to. Yet with 300 monsters or so, it would be irrational to expect them all to be perfect. I have to complaints with the book, each of which cost the Creature Collection II a star. My first gripe is a personal one, but I think it's significant. The CC2 is in black and white. While this is usually issue, I feel that in role-playing, hardcover books should come in color. You may disagree, and if you're happy with black and white, then consider this book a four star supplement. Gripe two is more significant. Whoever came up with the challenge ratings (CR) for the monsters has (...) never played the D20 system (...). They are way off. There are monsters in there with CRs of 5 who I would pit my not-so-buff group of 1st level PCs against without any fear for their lives. On the other hand, there are monsters who have Crs way lower than they deserve. Example: The "Time Killer" has a CR of one, yet can use a touch attack to send players ahead in time, thus seperating the group, and it's touch attack also ages players 1d10 years. It also has a sizable number of hit points. I would have reservations pitting 4th level PCs against this monster. Two notes that are neither pros nor cons: The book is a bit campaign specific (for the SSS campaign "Scarred Lands"), but with minimal work the DM can change the monsters to any campaign. Also, this book is very dark. Lots of undead and grisly aberrations. You could call them demons or devils and have all of the Planes fleshed out with evil. If you want some scary monsters, here they are. Overall, good, but not the MM.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Monsters
Review: This is probably my favorite monster book for D&D so far. The monsters are dark, scary, and threatening to all player characters. They are interesting to read about and good to throw at players and surprise them if they are expecting standard monster manual type creatures. A pretty good investment compared to a lot of other stuff out there :)
Rating:
Summary: Dark Monsters
Review: This is probably my favorite monster book for D&D so far. The monsters are dark, scary, and threatening to all player characters. They are interesting to read about and good to throw at players and surprise them if they are expecting standard monster manual type creatures. A pretty good investment compared to a lot of other stuff out there :)
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