Best Monster Manual For ShadowDark! ~ [or ANY TTRPG]

[@Sartre_Existentialist]

I like how the SD book magically appears on the shelf behind you at 0:44 😂

[@ElderGoblinGames]

ShadowDark is from the Arcane Library after all 😆

[@Gliiitchy]

The great thing I've found about Shadowdark, is that any monster manual from any book is so easy to convert to that system that you basically have an endless supply of monsters. This book does look awesome though. I may have to grab it. I think monster manuals should be done like this in general.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Yeah, it's pretty easy to adapt most monsters, that's one of the strengths of that system! Hope you get to check out overhaul!

[@richardgarrettjr4431]

Just bought this book from my local game shop. Have only flipped through it, but it is awesome. Cant wait to put it to use.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

It really is a great resource, I love to pick it up when I'm just not feeling inspired, and get some ideas to shake up normal monsters.

[@gingerwhiskered]

Thanks for the Shoutout! Soooo rewarding seeing your channel flourish!

[@ElderGoblinGames]

You are so welcome! And thanks 💚

[@Heritage367]

You have totally sold on this mighty tome! I love customizing monsters in Shadowdark, but as awesome as those charts are, they are relatively small. TMO looks like it was created in the same delightful spirit as SD, but on a much larger canvas. P.S. I hope you and your family are safe, and I hope they're all enjoying their introduction to TTRPGs.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Hope you enjoy it. And thank you 💚

[@LibrariesandLattes]

Love the shoutouts, it’s always nice to see someone supporting other channels like their own (or not like their own)! Nice book too, even if it doesn’t fit on the bookshelf 😂

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I need to give you another shout out too! It's been a while.

[@peedee5324]

In the era where it seems like everything is headed down or has arrived at enshittification, it's such a delight to find someone who posts only to share what they are passionate about. Cheers!

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I do make a conscious effort to only make content I would enjoy. Thanks for noticing.

[@EpicEmpires-pb7zv]

Great video! The Monster Overhaul is a real standout when it comes to resources that you can use to play more interesting and exciting. Some of those random tables included in monster descriptions are hilarious. I love the reasons mercenaries can't fight today tables.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I'll have to look at that one. Doing some adventure prep right now!

[@brown1971]

Compelling review! Thank you! I really appreciate the universalist TTRPG angle you take with your channel. On the mark for my tastes.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching 🧌

[@red_wullf]

I can only second this review. I love this monster book.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Thanks! It's a great book. It has made my standards go way up for monster books.

[@kind_of_old]

I got this thing on kickstarter and boy was it worth it! As you said, it's a fantastic source of inspiration. I am running an Ironsworn campaign and I still can use it.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

That's awesome! It makes me happy to see how many systems it works for.

[@film-lars3412]

Great video, Goblin. I have a mountain of Monster books - and this is one of the best. Looking forward to your next video. Rock on !

[@ElderGoblinGames]

If I ever write a monster book I want to call it "Monster Mountain" Paper on!

[@wasabiburger3047]

Thanks for the shout out! I absolutely love this book

[@ElderGoblinGames]

You're welcome! Love your adventure reviews. They're very frank, in the best way.

[@Frederic_S]

I ordered a hard cover copy of this book at my friendly lokal game story today because of this video.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Awesome! I hope it's beneficial to you! Enjoy.

[@swordsnstones]

awesome monster tome...i have the pdf and cant wait to get the hardcover......and yes the more bestiaries the better :)

[@tHeInEvItAbLePaRtY]

I honestly love the ease of play with ShadowDark. The problem I have is not having enough money to feed my new addiction

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Oh 💯 same. I think of this more as a prep tool when you want to break out of your usual mold and shake things up.

[@the-real-Lovefist]

I have this book, and it’s great !!!

[@ToddPutnam]

I agree. I love that book.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

💚🧌

[@imemmag]

I have the pdf and I truly love it! Love the flavor ideas u can get from a couple of lines

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Exactly! I tend to stick too much to the familiar, tables like these are the inspiration I need to shake things up.

[@WhisperingWisp357]

Thanks for the vid! I am going to look for the book as soon as this ends.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@DavidAlastairHayden]

Every D&D style tabletop rpg 😁 Good review. I might pick this one up.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

If you do, I hope it serves you well!

[@yagsipcc287]

I agree I use this even with myself for solo play it is great for ideas and adding extra flavour. I love Goblins but what I do so lets say I am in a new region (,fsr fsr away from where we were before) i would roll on the chart thats in the goblin section one time I got i think it wss rubberised Goblins not sure on the wording but its how I played them so I had it that blunt objects would do less damage, slashing would do normal damage and stuff like fire or ice would do extra damage and ice would slow them down but falling they would be near immune from damage. Just a really cool way to add extra flavour and spice up your games

[@ElderGoblinGames]

That's awesome and a great idea!

[@FrugzillA]

Great video, did not know the channel before

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Welcome to the Goblin Gang! 🧌

[@bhorrthunderhoof4925]

I can only second that. For the moment it is the best.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I just love that it works for about any game you'd want to play!

[@bhorrthunderhoof4925]

@@ElderGoblinGames Which suits me perfectly as I have my own rules and own world 😄

[@divideby000]

I might have to pick this up

[@ElderGoblinGames]

If you have the means I highly encourage it! It's a really cool book.

[@juauke]

Strongly agree! I have two of those and The Monster Overhaul is so good! My only small issue with it is the fact that the endpapers at the beginning and at the end are the same! And I agree that the size is a double-edged sword but without it, it wouldn't be so filled to the brim with so much content! Otherwise, best bestiary bar none! And indexes + ribbon is just chef kiss! (A5 would help but I understand why it's not)

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I agree, the end section could have had more. But it is just such a quality book all around. It definitely makes you look sideways at some of those big name RPGs you spend about 60 bucks on.

[@juauke]

@@ElderGoblinGames yeah, that is what I think too: such a small defect for such a jewel! And yeah, I can feel you! PS: I'm looking forward to Skerples' next book The Treasure Overhaul which he is revealing on his blog bit by bit

[@ElderGoblinGames]

@@juauke 👀 this is news to me! Now I'm super excited about that! I have been saying for a bit now that one of the things games like Dragonbane really suffer from is the lack of a treasure book. I'm wondering if it will be close enough to fit.

[@juauke]

@@ElderGoblinGames eheh, I'm glad to let you know! And to that I extremely agree! Even though I loved using modified versions of items in ICRPG and old D&D for these instances but it never felt like I had enough

[@SummaJamz]

Can't wait to get a hardcover, that thing looks beautiful! I've been using the pdf in my DCC campaign to great success. It seemed like a good match as they have lots of tables to roll on and lean in to letting the dice decide. Would love to hear your thoughts on DCC. The magic System and how they handle cinematic fighter maneuvers with the deed die are both gems that keep me coming back. The monsters in the core book are sparse, but there re lots of great third party releases with unique monsters and most of the modules they put out have unique monsters with stat blocks, albeit very simple and OSR-y. The core book is also a beautiful beast i feel you'd enjoy.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I love DCC! I talk about it briefly in my top 13 non-D&D TTRPGs video. I need to do a steal from DCC video and talk about some of my favorite things in it (spoiler, the daring deeds mechanic is one of them). Totally agree. I think the two go hand in hand really well. And until we get that huge Dungeon Denizens book from Goodman Games, Monster Overhaul will continue to be my favorite monster book for that game as well. And it may continue after that other book comes out, who knows!

[@TwinSteel]

🥳🫂👍🏿 Hey, I’ve got that book - can we take a moment to bask in the quality of its construction - the content goes without saying, but the cover just feels so good in the hand; you open it up and there are tables right on the inside before it even gets started; the stitching - the construction is just a work of art in and of itself

[@ElderGoblinGames]

It is exceptional quality. I am so glad I grabbed a physical copy of it while it was still in stock. It's my favorite monster book. By a long shot.

[@TwinSteel]

@@ElderGoblinGames Love me some physical media

[@ElderGoblinGames]

@@TwinSteel Same! There's nothing like reading a book you can hold in your hands!

[@RPG_Bliss]

Never heard of the redmage before I’ll go check them out. Also I’d love to see your review of those zines!

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Maybe I will. I am going to run a few of them soon enough, so maybe after I give them a proper shake down.

[@ricklmire6593]

I love the PDF, the price on the hardcover though completely justified is just too much for me. Might make a nice christmas gift though.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Fair enough. A lot of folks have gotten used to the big glossy books being about $60, but yeah, it can be hard to swing in an era of so much great old school content being sold on the cheap. I'm definitely the collector type who just has to have the physical copy 😅

[@aristospagang2446]

if more GM resources were like this then it wouldn't be so daunting for players to try out GMing

[@torq21]

sounds cool!

[@ElderGoblinGames]

"It's quite cool I assure you!" *(Insert Gandalf in sunglasses meme)*

[@paulhepworth3659]

👍 Rad! Subscribed!

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Welcome to the Goblin Gang!

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

Both redmage and wasabi are awesome

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Their channels have been instrumental in helping me find great adventures to run.

[@arrowodd7695]

bought the pdf on drivethrurpg and found out about the hard copy, guess im buying that too haha

[@ElderGoblinGames]

It's a great book, you won't regret it!

[@arrowodd7695]

@@ElderGoblinGames dude I stayed up all night reading the PDF. Yes I want a hardcopy.

[@TalesFromElsewhereGames]

It looks like the contents of the book are mostly fantasy monsters, right? Does it cover anything for sci-fi, horror, western, or other genres? Looks like an absolutely awesome book that every game designer should have on their shelf as a reference!

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I would say it's pretty much fantasy. It may have a few of those genre bending entries that most fantasy monster books have nowadays, but nothing too far outside the norm.

[@TalesFromElsewhereGames]

@@ElderGoblinGames Makes sense! Still looks like a masterclass in creature design and guidance!

[@dadapotok]

honestly it's so good I partially got it to teach myself to layout prep and procedures. Talking for sci-fi ± horror, did you check out Runehammer's Viking Death Squad approach and contents?

[@TalesFromElsewhereGames]

@@dadapotok I haven't read Runehammer's Viking Death Squad! I'll have to track it down :D

[@FamilyTableTop]

Great video! That’s a really cool monster manual. Have you had a chance to use it for game prep?

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Using it as I type. I'm gearing up for a ShadowDark West Marches style game.

[@FamilyTableTop]

@@ElderGoblinGames tell me more… do you have a video about this?

[@ElderGoblinGames]

No but that's not a bad idea, ShadowDark feels naturally suited for a west marches game so I'm going to give it a shot.

[@FamilyTableTop]

@@ElderGoblinGames I have been thinking about doing the same thing… A West Marches campaign (not a video about one)

[@Darth_Harvey]

The Grey Horse makes this book worth the purchase alone.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

💯🐎

[@dadapotok]

got pdf after seeing a single page with Druid at Jorphdan or Thaumavore. Skerples' manual is perfect, but you know what else is? Poetry book masking as monster manual. Please let me to introduce you to "Volume 2 Monsters &" by the one and only Luke Gearing.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

I'll have to check that one out!

[@dadapotok]

@@ElderGoblinGames HD 6† AC AS PLATE DAMAGE 2D6 3d6 Fire Breath cone every other Round. Unharmed by normal missiles. Gather the wealth of a nation, tribe or kingdom. Ensure you are the last of the line. Build a mound. Squat upon your hoard and slumber. This is but one of the paths a man may walk to leave mortality behind.

[@Joshuazx]

Cool book. IMO, this book has too much stuff I don't need.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Out of curiosity, what games do you run most? And what are your favorite monster books for those games?

[@Joshuazx]

​@@ElderGoblinGames I like system modularity b/c no one game does it all for me. I'm currently interested in mostly vanilla Basic Fantasy RPG, some plugins from OSRIC. I could list a few games I have. Usually, the basic monster book for any game is more than enough for me. Mostly, the idea of a monster is what's valuable to me because I read Index Card RPG and now I just read monster entries for the concepts and grossly oversimplify all monster stat blocks to 2 or 3 functional stats, maybe a special power, and go.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

While I totally agree, ICRPG is one of my favorites, sometimes I just need some outside inspiration that's not from my own head. That's what a book full of tables is really good at!

[@Joshuazx]

@@ElderGoblinGames I like low fantasy. A bit of research on cryptids, folk lore, and mythology suit me fine.

[@dadapotok]

@@Joshuazx I'm also only using fav parts of the systems I like, what OSRIC plugins are you talking about?

[@BX-advocate]

Ew mentioning Shadowdark gross. I'm not even going to watch the video.

[@ElderGoblinGames]

✌️

[@Joshuazx]

2:19 "Where They Find You (Out of Doors)." Out of Doors??? Not just Outdoors?

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Yeah, honestly I'm not sure if that was a translation issue or if they were just being humorous. It is kind of a funny wording though.