The Monsters are Coming

RPG Superstar's round 2 map-only challenge is a great way to display, assess and judge the creative talents of the contestants. Those following the contest already know that conceiving and presenting an interesting location in a clear and concise fashion is a critical component of putting together a great module. And, as a voter, it's fun to visualize and imagine adventuring in the cool surroundings and environments submitted by the contestants.

That being said, I'm really looking forward to the monster round. It's just my personal taste, but I find monsters and monster-design to be the single most interesting and exciting area of RPG design. This holds true when I play in or run games, too—it's always a highlight of the evening for me when dangerous monsters appear on the tabletop. I took these photos of a half-fiend minotaur out of that same enthusiasm for monsters.


Study of a half-fiend minotaur—click individual photos to enlarge: