Old School Renaissance – Adventures Dark and Deep -Book of Lost Beasts

Adventures Dark and Deep, Old School

Publisher: BRW Games

Review: Adventures Dark and Deep Book of Lost Beasts

If you are looking for a new monster book to spice up your old-school campaign, you might want to check out Adventures Dark and Deep Book of Lost Beasts by Joseph Bloch. This book contains nearly 200 new monsters for the First Edition of the world’s most popular RPG, as well as some optional rules and guidelines for using them in your game.

What’s inside the book?

The book is divided into two main sections: Monsters and Appendices. The Monsters section lists all the new creatures alphabetically, with detailed descriptions, stats, illustrations, and notes on their ecology, behavior, and combat tactics. The Appendices section provides some additional information on monster types, special abilities, treasure, and encounter tables.

Some of the monsters you will find in this book are:

  • Angels: Celestial beings that serve the forces of good and can take various forms.
  • Bladegrass: A carnivorous plant that resembles a patch of grass with razor-sharp blades.
  • Undead Dragons: Dragons that have been reanimated by necromantic magic or other dark forces.
  • Rakshasa Nobles: Powerful shape-shifting fiends that rule over lesser rakshasas and plot against mortals.
  • Quasi-Elementals: Creatures composed of a combination of two elemental forces, such as fire and water, or air and earth.

The book also introduces some new concepts and rules for monsters, such as:

  • Animal Lords: Paragons of their respective animal types that can grant boons or curses to those who encounter them.
  • Daemonic Familiars: Quasits and imps are not the only options for evil spellcasters who want a loyal servant. This book presents several other types of daemonic familiars, such as worry hags, blood bats, and skull spiders.
  • Prehistoric Monsters: If you want to add some dinosaurs or other ancient beasts to your campaign, this book has you covered. You will find stats and descriptions for creatures such as ambelodon, deinonychus, megalodon, and pteranodon.

What I liked about the book

There are many things I liked about this book, but here are some of the highlights:

  • The variety and creativity of the monsters. The book offers a wide range of monsters for different environments, levels, and themes. Some of them are based on mythology, folklore, or literature, while others are original creations. I especially enjoyed the quasi-elementals, which are a clever twist on the classic elementals.
  • The quality and consistency of the writing. The book is well-written and edited, with clear and concise language. The tone is informative and engaging, without being too dry or too humorous. The author also does a good job of explaining the origins and motivations of the monsters, as well as giving some tips on how to use them effectively in your game.
  • The layout and design of the book. The book is easy to read and navigate, with a logical structure and a clean layout. The illustrations are black-and-white, but they are well-done and complement the text nicely. The book also has a comprehensive index and a handy bookmark ribbon.

What I didn’t like about the book

There is not much I didn’t like about this book, but here are some minor issues I noticed:

  • The lack of color illustrations. While I appreciate the retro style of the black-and-white artwork, I think some color illustrations would have added more visual appeal and impact to the book. Some of the monsters are quite colorful in their descriptions, but they lose some of their vibrancy in grayscale.
  • The scarcity of female monsters. While I understand that most monsters are genderless or male-dominated in traditional fantasy lore, I think it would have been nice to see more female monsters in this book. There are only a handful of female monsters in this book, such as houris, marid nobles, and worry hags. It would have been interesting to see more female versions or variants of other monsters, such as angels, demons, dragons, or rakshasas.
  • The compatibility with other old-school games. While the book is designed for Adventures Dark and Deep (ADD), which is a faithful emulation of AD&D 1E, it might not be compatible with other old-school games without some conversion work. Some of the stats and rules might be different or incompatible with other systems, such as B/X, OSE, or OSRIC. It would have been helpful to have some conversion notes or guidelines for using this book with other old-school games.

Final verdict

Adventures Dark and Deep Book of Lost Beasts is a great addition to any old-school gamer’s library. It offers a wealth of new monsters to challenge and delight your players, as well as some optional rules and guidelines to enhance your game. The book is well-written, well-edited, and well-designed, with a retro feel and a modern touch. If you are a fan of AD&D 1E or ADD, you will love this book.

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