Do you want classic monster variants?
Added 2022-08-27 14:45:10 +0000 UTCHey everyone,
We've got a lot of great feedback so far on the new format.
We've heard multiple times now that people still want to see some simpler monsters, like minions and such.
To be clear, I don't think we're talking only about low CR here, as monsters under our new format will include lower CRs on a regular basis.
One aspect of simpler, minion-ish monsters is classic monster variants, like goblins, gnolls, hill giants, etc.
We could, for example, create our own goblin tribes, with their own lore, and then provide three variant statblocks for a bruiser, caster, or ranged dex fighter.
Is this something people would be interested in, say, once biweekly, or once a week, instead of a new, entirely unique monster?
This isn't the only poll we'll run, or the only way we're thinking of doing "simpler" monsters. Just the start of what we're thinking about.
Comments
Hmm, it grabs my attention when someone says they're missing that interconnectedness. One thing we had come to believe (rightly or wrongly, I don't think we know for sure) was that it was hard for people to plug a faction of monsters into their campaign, and that people were much more likely to use individual monsters. So, we thought, we'll lean into that. We think the old format was certainly great value for people, but how often are you going to use 7 or 14 new monsters of a particular theme in your game (I honestly don't know)? We were uncomfortable with the idea that the content looked good maybe, but wasn't super usable in the format we were producing - and - this is the more strategic bit - it was harder to market because it wasn't as easily digestible on social media. Which can maybe sound cynical and shitty, but we need to make sure we're supporting ourselves here. because we're not currently "in the black" so to speak. Anyway, I won't ramble too much, but all that to say - always good to keep getting feedback. We're continuing to think of a lot of things and we want to bring back some interconnectivity in general instead of JUST one-off creatures.
2022-08-27 15:22:53 +0000 UTCWhat I loved about the old format, and what got me to subscribe on patreon in the first place, was the fact that I could instantly plug a small faction of monsters, from minions to a boss, into my campaign. I love the new format, but I'm missing that interconnectedness a little. I love the lore and additional tables of the new format, but in reality I don't imagine me using the harvesting tables all that often. And something like the Goblin Sky Pirates is amazing and could immediately fill several sessions of play.
Jasper van Nieuwenhuijzen
2022-08-27 15:05:31 +0000 UTCYeah, though I didn't mention it, the same format we'd use for "new goblins" could easily be used for this stuff as well. We touched on it before with squiglings and blackcaps, and its for sure something we could easily return to.
2022-08-27 14:57:01 +0000 UTCThere's sort of a third, unwritten option that I'd vote for if I could: simpler groups of stat blocks for some kind of new, unique monster. Examples being mushroomfolk, or Roswell-style alien beings, etc. There are already SO many reimaginings of goblins, gnolls, etc over the many RPG products out there that I don't see the need for more, but there IS still a need for groups of simple enemies.
Joseph Yull
2022-08-27 14:50:41 +0000 UTC
