Dungeons and Drawings: An Illustrated Compendium of Creatures

"Dungeons and Drawings: An Illustrated Compendium of Creatures" is a fun collection of D&D inspired creatures and illustrations.

First off, thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this book for me to take a look at!

This book is exceptionally well put together! The information on all the creatures is fantastic, and the illustrations are bright and colorful and really interesting to look at! It's honestly a very fantastic compendium of creatures that any GM/DM for Dungeons & Dragons, or other tabletop games might want to keep in their library/arsenal. There's also a wonderful set of references in the back of the book that includes other books that could be useful, as well as films and television!

For anyone who just wants a simple, at-a-glance guide to some really interesting monsters and creatures, this book could certainly be useful for your next campaign, or just to have on your shelf to admire the wonderful artwork!

'Dungeons and Drawings: An Illustrated Compendium of Creatures' is a fun collection of D&D-monsters. The drawings are awesome! Somehow they're cute and sometimes terrifying at the same time. I will probably buy it, and use the drawings for my own campaigns, to show the players what they encounter.

Artistic, descriptive, and extensive. What a selection of references! Take a minute to delve into those creatures you've experienced over time. The art is deceptively anime in design. The descriptions include excellent references. Beware! There is always a creature that haunts you....if there is a young artst or seasoned gamer in your midst, this is a must read.

This is such a fun and unique take on a monster manual. The art was flipping fantastic. I loved how the style stayed cohesive but shifted slightly to fit each monster. I know this will give me so many world building and encounter ideas in the future. I can't wait to use it in my dungeons and dragons game.

The art inside this book was not at all what I expected, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Being D&D related, I went in expecting some very typical high fantasy-type art – you know, like, Monster Manual type of stuff:
Image result for dungeons and dragons monster manual.

That is not at all what I got, and honestly it was kind of refreshing. They are stylistically very interesting – almost having a sort of Powerpuff Girls-meets-60s cartoon drawing style. I wish that I could show you an example picture, but with this book being as-yet unpublished, I don’t think I can really do that. But trust me, they are in no way what you would expect, and they are mostly very cool (some I wasn’t wild about, but whatever – art is subjective, right?).

The inclusion of character attributes, stats, and monster history was really neat. I learned some things about some stuff, and I’m never going to be upset about that. I think the illustration of the Bajang was probably my favorite in the bunch. Additionally, book runs in A-Z format, so if you’re looking for stats on the fly, this book has got you covered too.

I loved this! The illustrations are beautiful! I would definitely use this in a game; although it's not a replacement for the Monster Manual, it's enough for a player to get some basic information on the creatures they encounter. Definitely recommend for any D&D lover.

Dungeons and Drawings is a gallery bestiary with annotations for magical beasts and creatures. Due out 12th Nov 2019 from Andrews McMeel, it's 280 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

I was (and am) a fan of tabletop RPGs. I remember poring over the D&D rulebooks, mapping out campaigns, and spending hundreds of hours painting miniatures. This book brings back a lot of fun nostalgic memories for me.

The short introduction and author statement provide some background for the genesis of this project as well as some context which will be mostly familiar to readers familiar with gaming in general. I liked the stylized alignment, elemental, and type (humanoid etc) markings as well as the characteristics such as combat, magic, and other abilities.The book progresses directly from the introduction into the bestiary/compendium starting with ahuizotl and ending with zombie (because Z is -always- for zombie! :) ). Each of the entries includes a short description with ratings for combat, magic, smarts, loot, and dangers.

The art itself is stylized and cartoonish in a good way. It's simple, colorful, direct, and bold.The book also includes a comprehensive links and further list of resources including films, books, and games.

This would be a good selection for younger readers up through adults who are fantasy game enthusiasts. It would also likely be enjoyed as a source of inspiration by readers who are interested in drawing fantasy and monster subjects. There are a lot of sources here to practice drawing.

Four stars.

This book was adorable. It's perfect for DMs who want to be thoughtful with their inclusion of various types of monsters based on setting, theme, or influence. It would also be great for players who may be less familiar with monsters who don't come straight out of folklore/mythology, so they can get an idea of what they're up against (figuring out what a kobold was took my campaign, like, way too long). The art is lively and animated, and it practically jumps off the page. I really loved this.

Dungeons & Dragons is having a major revival this decade, in large part thanks to Stranger Things and shows like Critical Role. I'm a not so secret Fantasy-lover, so D&D has always been on my radar even if I haven't actively played it in years. In their Dungeons & Drawings de Riuerri and Sparrow re-imagine creatures from folklore old and new. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Martínez de Rituerto and Sparrow started off posting drawings online after discovering they shared a passion for tabletop RPGs and Dungeons & Drawings is very much a best-of collection. Each creature, be it spirit, monster or alien, gets a brilliant drawing that draws (ha!) both on the folklore and legends around it as well as on more modern visuals. The drawings are very easy on the eye and somehow very recognizable, yet that belies how intricate they are as well. Martínez de Rituerto and Sparrow didn't go for the easy get with their drawings, often highlighting features of the creature that have been overlooked before. Dungeons & Drawings walks the line between nerdy excitement and artistic venture. It's as much about the art as about the creatures, which means that those looking for an in-depth bestiary or for a Dungeons & Dragons starter guide, will probably be disappointed.

Dungeons & Drawings covers the world, with creatures from Japan, Mexico, Ireland and everywhere in between. Each creature's illustration is prefaced by a short introduction that rates it, according to different, partly Dungeons & Drawings-related categories. How dangerous are they, are they smart or can you outwit them? The introductions give you an idea of how they might be defeated and what their powers are. It also digs into the the history of the creatures' names, the different regions from which it hails and the different forms in which it can be found. I loved those sections the best, as a lot of creatures actually have a fascinating background story.

Dungeons & Drawings is a beautiful compendium of mythological creatures with modern but layered illustrations. It's perfect for those looking for a stunning book to lead through to gather some inspiration for their own RPG games.

'Dungeons and Drawings: An Illustrated Compendium of Creatures' by Blanca Martínez de Rituerto and Joe Sparrow is an illustrated bestiary of creatures that one might encounter in role playing games.

In alphabetical entries from Ahuizotl to Zombie, the reader learns on one page about the stats and dangers of every creature. A system of icons gives alignment, element, and type. An infographic ranks each monster on a scale of 1 to 5 for things like combat, magic and loot. There is a description of what an encounter with the creature might be like and some interesting text noting where in the real world the origins might have come from.

The second page is a full page drawing of the creature. There are some nice variations of drawings for things like vampires or a colossus. The drawings are colorful and some are kind of funny. The book ends with sources for further reading.

What could be more fun than an encyclopedia of monsters? I had a fun time reading this.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Dungeons and Dragons and some great drawings. They really are interesting and well drawn. There are many people who would love this book.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. I really liked some of the illustrations, and there was a good range of monsters represented. This book isn't just for gamers, it would be handy for writers too. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

While I don't play TTRPGs, I have a good friend who does, and I know enough about the games to be able to tell this is a very useful book. Even if you're not into TTRPGs, it's a good read- the information is interesting, the art is really cool, and there's a nice long bibliography at the end to help you find more info. For gamers, there's a key at the beginning to help you figure out a creature's stats at a glance- tables for alignment, abilities, type, etc. The folklore information in each entry is also helpful and interesting. A great book for the geek/nerd in your life (which might be you)!

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