-->It is with a certain
measure of pride that we at TSR bring you this 2nd part of the new DUNGEONS
&
-->DRAGONS releases,
the long-awaited MONSTER MANUAL for ADVANCED D & D. We
are doubly proud of the format
-->of this book -i.e.,
its special hard cover, a “first” in the gaming world and another step
in our continuing quest for
-->top quality products.
As time goes
on, the D & D phenomenon shows no sign of subsiding -indeed, the popularity
of DUNGEONS &
-->DRAGONS continues
to grow and grow. This trend is very gratifying to us at TSR, and encourages
us to devote even
-->more time and
attention to D & D (witness this series of ADVANCED DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS) and related materials
-->-playing aids,
accessories, etc. Our aim is to provide a top-quality family of products
for use with the DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS game system,
items that we hope you will find useful, innovative, and enjoyable.
With the outstanding
growth of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS has come the growth of TSR Hobbies, since
it is no
secret that
the fantastic response to D& D has allowed TSR to expand and explore
many new directions in the gaming
hobby. Therefore,
we owe our thanks to you -the many devoted gamers -who have supported TSR
through your
enthusiasm,
your encouragement, and finally, your purchases. Our livelihood depends
upon your continued support,
and we intend
to keep earning it by continuing to bring you innovative products in the
future. We appreciate the
widespread
audience that our games (and especially D & D) have achieved, and we
look forward to increasing the
exposure
of our games and rules. Without such an enthusiastic and loyal following,
this would not be possible. So,
we THANK
YOU!
The success
of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS has spawned a considerable number of imitations
and spin-off products,
-->perhaps inevitably.
Some of these have merit; many, however, do not -and although we may concede
their right to
-->exist (however
dependent they may be on D & D’s audience), we would caution the prospective
buyer to consider
-->their true value
and not to be confused with those items which bear the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
or ADVANCED
-->DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS name and constitute the official D & D family of products.
As for value, let the others be
-->measured against
the standard of quality we have striven for -a hardbound encyclopedia of
monsters, for instance,
-->as opposed to
a low quality collection which is poorly assembled and bound. (cf. UA,
ea?
-->This present work,
as will be apparent from its sheer bulk alone, is the result of a considerable
amount of work
-->and preparation
by many persons. All this has been undertaken with an eye toward providing
a final result which
-->can be regarded
as the definitive collection of monsters for ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS-an
encyclopedic
-->collection of
information certain to be of invaluable use to players and Dungeon Masters
alike, complete with game
-->specifications,
background details and, in many cases, with an illustration in addition!
Of course, no work can be
-->truly definitive,
for as long as players possess an active imagination, many new and fascinating
monsters will
-->continue to arise-
and this is only as it should be. <link
-->One final note:
as valuable as this volume is with its wealth of information, some DMs
may wisely wish to forbid
-->their players
from referring to the MANUAL in the midst of an encounter, since it will
be considerably more
-->challenging to
confront a monster without an instant rundown of its strengths and weaknesses
-and besides, a
-->D & D player’s
true mettle (and knowledge) will be put to the test. And as even the most
casual D & D player knows,
-->that’s what this
fascinating game is all about. . . 52.62, 49.80, 79.60
Read on, and enjoy!
Mike Carr
27 September 1977
