Full disclosure, I did receive a review copy of this book. I have received no other compensation for this review, however, these are my free and fair thoughts.
Of all the games that I’ve taken up in the past year, Dragonbane is at the top. It boasts incredible art, easy character building, terrific lore, and fast action. I’ve played it online, where the Foundry VTT module is the best I’ve seen on that platform, and in person, where everything speeds up. It’s a great system.
The only thing for which I wished, when I reviewed the box set, was for more creatures. Free League took care of that this past winter with the release of the Dragon Bestiary.
The Book
The bestiary is a “full-size” book, printed on 8 ½” x 11″ sheets. It’s both hardbound and boasts stitched binding, so it lays open with ease. With the back material, including a clean index, the total page count is 150 pages. Much to my disappointment, the tome does not boast a book ribbon. This may be my only knock on the product.
The book is printed on flat paper, which accomplishes two things. First, it provides a dramatic reduction of glare. I can read this book in any lighting condition without feeling like I have blind spots where the glare is shorting out my retinas. Second, it allows the subtle parchment texture printed on the page, to disappear into background.
The most shocking aspect of holding the bestiary, however, is how light it feels in the hand. It is not a cheap product, the cover is sturdy and the paper weight is excellent, I’m not worried about tearing or creasing pages through normal use. When I compare it to other books of similar size and page count, however, it is lighter. I am willing to hazard a guess that the flat paper weigh less than glossy paper, but I have not confirmed that suspicion1.
The Art
This may be the most beautiful monster book I’ve ever read. The presentation begins with a dramatic in-universe confrontation on the cover, created by Johan Egerkrans, between an adventurer and a Lindworm 2. This is a perfect tone-setter for the volume, and prepares the reader for what’s to come.
The individual creatures portraits boast the same colored pencil & chalk feel as the previous books. This makes sense, as a note on the product listing lets the reader know that much of the artwork in the book came from the 2016 Swedish printing of the game. Dragonbane is the first time this system has been released in English, so I am appreciative of the way Free League is making an effort to keep this game linked to its legacy.
Some may see the words “colored pencil” and think the interior art is somehow “lesser quality.” This would be incorrect. The detail in each piece of artwork is stunning. Movement, size, motion, wonder, and danger can be experienced through each piece. The style is a perfect compliment to the overall design of both the book and the Dragonbane system itself.
Layout and Design
The interior design language is the same as the Dragonbane rulebook from the box set. The header and footer decorations, as well as the borders for the call out boxes, all look as if they’ve been carved from jade. If my information is correct, these elements were hand-drawn, and the care and quality shows. Call out boxes are set in faux parchment, complete with ripped edges and, when combined with the hand-drawn elements which adorn each page, it is a perfect pairing.
Flipping through the pages presents a reader with an amazing experience. Elements pop off the page, but are not distracting. I am a huge fan of Dragonbane’s design language in general, and the bestiary is stunning.
The Contents
The Dragonbane Bestiary contains sixty-three new adversaries to throw at an unsuspecting party, broken up into nine different sections. Many of these new creatures are straight-up monsters, which have randomly generated attacks that automatically hit and are always dangerous. A number of the listings are NPCs, who function in and out of combat using the same types of skills the players use for their characters. Nine of those NPC creatures can also be utilized as kin for a player character. The bestiary even includes, on page 3, a new random table for choosing a kin during character creation. I appreciate this type of quality of life inclusion for players who want to keep their overall Dragonbane experience the same, even as they expand the world. New kin include Goblins, Hobgoblins, Ogres, Orcs, Cat People, Frog People, Karkion (flying cat people), Lizard People, and Satyrs. It’s a nice expansion, and using them at all is optional.
The book itself has an immersive element. The preface is “written” by a halfling naturalist named Theodora Sneezewort, who penned it as her demise was drawing near. This makes parts of the book take on a “found footage” feel. Each section begins with a several paragraph reflection by Theodora on the cover page. Theodora’s presence is also felt in the individual listings. A quote, which the halfling took down during an interview, opens each entry and a short blurb on the creature is written in her voice. I love this idea and am impressed with both its inclusion and the way it doesn’t overwhelm the game aspects of the volume.
In addition to Theodora’s blurb, each creature entry includes basic stats for the adversary in an easy-to-read table, examples for how to use the creature in a random encounter, and an adventure seed which can be used for centering an entire adventure around the creature. Monster entries include a 1d6 table of attacks GM’s can unleash on their players. NPC listings, on the other hand, expand the creature stat block to include the creatures skills, willpower points, armor, and typical weapons. A number of the kin will also present variants for that kin’s culture–such as mage, scout, warrior, and merchant. These help expand the personality displayed by communities of more rare kin, and I appreciate their inclusion. Entries which are able to be used as PC kin also have their special kin ability listed in a call out.
Conclusion
This is a must have expansion for the core Dragonbane set. The variety of monsters, the expansion of playable kin, and the sheet beauty of the volume makes it a must buy. At time of this writing, the Dragonbane Bestiary can be purchased through Free League’s website for $41.80, which is a steal for a book this level of quality.
