Francesca Viganò
Before we delve into this review of the Dragonbane Bestiary together, I thank Free League Publishing for sending us a digital copy of the volume.
Suppose you would like to purchase the volume, after this overview. In that case, you can find it on the publishing house’s official store at a cost of just over 38 euros in the standard edition and, in the collector’s edition at a cost of just over 67 euros.
Please note that the Bestiary is a supplement for the Dragonbane role-playing game and requires the basic manual or introductory set to be used.
To make the gaming experience even more exciting, a set of all the cardboard monster markers (with their bases) is available on the site to place them on the game map. The cost of this set is approximately 23 euros. If you don’t know the game, we refer you to our review of the core set.
Structure of the Book
Wanting to analyze the volume from a mere content management point of view, we can undoubtedly say that it is designed with extreme criteria and absolute functionality. Thanks to a handy index, the creatures present in the bestiary are divided by type. In total, nine categories are indicated: Nightkin, Rare Kin, Insectoids, Trolls, Giants, Beasts, Undead, Dragons and Demons.
Each type of creature brings together a large number, up to 63 new creatures.
The introduction to the volume already offers a pleasant narrative inspiration in itself. The bestiary is the diary of Theodora Sneezewort, a curious and adventurous young halfling. She claims to have met, in her travels, all the creatures that she included in her work. The tone is perfect and defines not only the author’s personality but also some curious character aspects of halflings.
A Versatile and Engaging Bestiary
As we said previously, the first supplement for the new edition of Dragonbane, the Bestiary, contains 63 creatures to introduce into your game sessions.
Each new monster is presented with a table of its characteristics and a precise description made by Theodora. In addition to these two fundamental indications, a possible chance encounter and a starting point for an adventure are provided. This way it’s easy to integrate creatures into any story.
Even more interesting is that the first two chapters, one for the Nightkin and one for the Rare Kin, present creatures that, at the discretion of the gaming group, can be used as player characters.
Among my absolute favourite creatures are Cat People who, with their Nine Lives ability, are capable of emerging unscathed from any dangerous situation; Also notable is the Medusa, which can petrify anyone within a 30-meter radius.
Dragonbane Bestiary Aesthetics Review
Masterfully illustrated by Johan Egerkrans, the Dragonbane Bestiary undoubtedly ranks among the supplements that deserve a prominent space in our libraries. The layout follows that of the core manual, the font is very readable and the tables are perfectly integrated and very usable.
Each creature has a full-page or almost full-page illustration and I can assure you it is not a waste of space. The detail and quality of the images are such that they immediately convey to players the tones of the game and the creatures they encounter.
The solid print that simulates aged pages does not disturb reading at all and makes each sheet a graphic product of evident quality. This volume is available with two covers; the standard one has a wonderful classic illustration, while the collectable one is completely green, with the same illustration in golden relief.
Conclusion of the Dragonbane Bestiary Review
This Bestiary is the first official supplement for this new edition of Dragonbane; we sincerely hope there are many more. The quality to which Free League Publishing has accustomed us is not denied even with this volume.
The product is designed not only for the Game Master but also for players; in fact, it provides useful setting cues in the descriptions of the monsters and 17 other playable bloodlines, provided that the group agrees.
In conclusion of the review, I can only recommend the purchase of this interesting and aesthetically beautiful supplement.
