Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/03/monstrous-mondays-ad-2nd-ed-monstrous_28.html
The Monstrous Compendiums would eventually move over to an annual format of perfect-bound soft-cover books. These followed on the footsteps of the combined, hardcover Monstrous Manual, which people liked much better. The idea was to publish a collection of all the published monsters from other products in a Monstrous Compendium style format. But the days of perforated and loose-leaf pages was over and the Annuals and the other books that followed were all bound collections.
To my knowledge, there were four of these in total. I never owned the print copies, at this time I was getting married and moving into a new house, though I have been able to get the PDFs from DriveThruRPG. Curiously, Annual Vol. 2 has not made it to PDF yet.
Monstrous Compendium Annual - Volume III
PDF 130 pages, Color cover art, color interior art, $4.95. 131 monsters, Alaghi to Zhentarim Spirit.
This third annual takes on the trade dress of the later printing AD&D 2nd material when the "2nd Edition" subtitle was removed. The formatting looks transitional. That is I see here the original Monstrous Compendiums eventually morphed into the style I associate with the last years of 2nd ed (and TSR for that matter).
The volume includes a lot of monsters I had seen in various Ravenloft and Forgotten Realms publications at the time and a few that I assume got their origins in the Dark Sun and Planescape product lines. There are some that also first appeared in the Creature Catalog from Dragon Magazine (Lillend for example).
There are few more dragons here too and, in a surprise, two demons / Tanar'ri. So something here for everyone.
This book also includes the Ondonti, the Lawful Good Orcs. So don't try to tell me that "Good" orcs are a new thing.
These annuals certainly represent the widest variety in monsters I have sen in any of the other compendiums. If I were to play AD&D 2nd Ed again, I think I would start with these as my sources for new and different sorts of creatures. I am sure that people that were still playing at this time (I had gone on an AD&D sabbatical from 1996/7 to 2000) might be more familiar with these books and these monsters, but it is a joy to open a book, even one 20-25 years old, and see something new.
I am now at the point if I print these out I am going to need a third 3-Ring binder.
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