Shortly after receiving the pdf, copy (for these review purposes;) of the 'Morgalad' FRPG Creature Compendium, I found myself both intrigued and charmed, by this brave, little, tome.
Mcnabb's, familiar but simplified, stat-block, formatting, is concise and smartly, conceived (literally; "at a glance";) also well thought out is the breakdown of individual, ecologies along with physical, social, behavioral and inter-species, observations made for each creature. Entries are written with a pseudo-zoological, voice and while occasionally, a bit wordy, are interesting and descriptive enough to keep one turning the pages.
This handy, compilation of beasties, contains many of the, to-be-expected, standbys, eternally, regarded as archetypical to most FRPGs, but with a nice twist or change added, sometimes, beside a bit of original, history or cryptic, lore. A more literary and folkloric, take on some classical, monsters such as the cockatrice and basilisk was also refreshing. Best of all are the 'Morgalad' originals and though some did not overly, wow, me, most are cleverly, thought out and many are truly inspired. Of particular note, in the category of originality and concept: Alphynn, Bjornigar, Spritemare, Buggane and Manavore.
Artistically the book shines; particularly for a self-started and relatively, young, publishing venture. The artwork and experience of the artists varies some, but as a whole the book is something of a visual victory.
Many illustrations are good enough to give one pause and in several instances, are startlingly well rendered. Worth checking out, a.s.a.p. in the art-dept. are: Centaur, Ablican (dragon), Kobold, Cockatrice and Balaur.
There are some typographical and formatting issues that bely a 5-star, rating, but this ten-dollar, purchase from a budding, young RPG company is at the very, least, a conscientious and pragmatic decision. The reference-material/ inspiration-value and surprisingly, excellent, artwork, makes it's current, price-tag seem more than a tad, too low.
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