Review Fix chats with authors Jef Aldrich and Jon Taylor discuss their new book, ‘The Düngeonmeister Random Monster Generator.’
About the Book:
If there weren’t enough monsters in your realm already, watch out because there’s about to be even more! The Düngeonmeister Random Monster Generator (Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, July 16, 2024) is the latest addition to the Düngeonmeister Series by authors and RPG experts Jon Taylor and Jef Aldrich. This interactive, illustrated flip book allows game masters to dream up the most terrifying beasts as challenges for their game group, with just the flip of a page or two. With more than 120,000 possible creature combinations, players will be on their toes as they fight the surprising and terrifying monsters of their realm.
With each page split into three separate sections (head, torso, and legs), this mix-and-match flip book assembles unique creatures with stats to match each of the beast’s body parts. For instance, GMs can create a zombie-headed kobold with spider legs, a monster with a snake head, skeleton torso, and tentacles for legs, or a dragon that’s more than a dragon when you mix in a gelatinous body and a giant’s legs. Illustrated by award-winning artist, Sara Richard, players are sure to be wowed by the beautiful (and terrifying) creations they’ll encounter.
Fully compatible with 5E, this book is perfect for GMs looking for something functional and fun to help them fill out dungeons and encounters with surprising and challenging enemies. The Düngeonmeister Random Monster Generator is a testament to the creativity and innovation of authors Jef Aldrich and Jon Taylor, who continue to showcase their popular Düngeonmeister series in panels at conventions like San Diego Comic Con and Emerald City Comic Con, from coast to coast.
Review Fix: How did this book come to be?
Jef Aldrich: One of our favorite ways to approach a new project is by asking ourselves “What if this thing was two things? Could it be three?” Our favorite projects combine humor, a useful tool for gamers, and a unique format that people are excited to see. In this case, the book is basically exactly as described in the very first pitches, a combination of a useful book of 5th Edition D&D compatible monsters and a kid’s multi-section flipbook. As soon as the idea hit us, we knew it had to happen.
Review Fix: How is it different from other books of the same ilk?
Jon Taylor: Honestly, I’m not sure there are other books of the same ilk, at least not yet. Sure, there are a great number of monster manuals in the world, including quite a few that are built around the concept of randomly created creatures, but we’ve taken a few extra steps, notably bringing art into the equation. Your randomly created creature (one of 125,000 possible!) will always have a complete art piece via our page combining trickery. This ensures that the book is just plain fun to play with, even if you don’t currently need a random new monster to battle.
Review Fix: Who inspires you creatively?
Aldrich: We’ve been playing RPGs of all kinds since we were both little kids, and the creativity on display across a wide range of game systems throughout the decades has always served as an inspiration and a drive to create for ourselves.
Review Fix: How else is this book different or special?
Taylor: It took a lot of work to ensure that no matter what pages you combine in the Random Monster Generator, you’re going to get something in the CR 3-4 range (That’s challenge rating, if you’re new to D&D terminology). We were concerned that a book capable of this much random change could present monsters that are no threat at all or capable of wiping an unsuspecting party off the table without warning. Our solution was to target the most common range of encounters that players in D&D tend to play in. It was a major balancing act, and we hope it’ll be something readers can make use of!
Review Fix: Who do you think will dig it the most?
Aldrich: Fans of big full page fantasy art are in for a weird treat, and anyone that needs a few surprising new monsters will have a great time, as even if you turn all the sections to the same page, we worked to ensure that no monster in here, even at the core, is as basic as a skeleton or an orc. We think it’s a great gift for gamers too, since even if you don’t need random monsters tomorrow, it’s just such darn fun to mess around with.
Review Fix: How do you want your books to be remembered?
Taylor: Oh, if they were the books that catapulted us to being billionaires with our own moon base, that’d be great. If we had to set our sights lower, we’d be content with a series of useful, funny books that folks enjoyed. Every time someone finds us at a convention and tells us about a party that our cocktail deck made fun, that’s a reminder of why we’re doing all this.
Review Fix: Any possibility of an app based on the book someday?
Aldrich: We’ve had that conversation, for sure. Still having it in fact! Stay tuned on that one.
Review Fix: What are your long-term goals for your work?
Taylor: We’ve been slowly but surely moving from writing about games to writing supplementary materials for games, so its probably not unreasonable to hope that we can someday write a few games of our own, from scratch. Whether those games take the form of board, card, or tabletop RPG, we’re bursting with ideas for games we’d like to see in the world.
Review Fix: Why should someone support your work?
Aldrich: We make quality products that are funny and useful. And our publisher has really gone above and beyond in packaging, not to mention keeping the MSRPs super competitive. The Random Monster Generator retails for $19.99! That’s not a bad deal for 125,000 possible monsters. As an aside, Jef has an adorable six-year-old daughter and bug-related summer camps are getting expensive, so that’s also a pretty good reason.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Taylor: One thing we’re definitely hoping now that the Random Monster Generator is out in the world is that it does well enough that Adams Media, our wonderful publisher, asks us to make more just like it. We’ve got a ton of ideas for more random monsters as well as a variety of other wild ways to utilize the unique form factor. So, readers, get this book, not just because it’s really really good (it is) but because that’s how we make more books that are also really, really good (they will be)!
Review Fix: What’s next?
Aldrich: There are two products from us in development that we’re allowed to talk about right now, a book of historic RPG trivia written in a quiz format to test your knowledge or your friends, and a big book of hundreds of fantasy gaming stickers perfect for the D&D gamers in your lives. Beyond that, we’re always sending pitches out to our publisher, and we have a few projects in development that I’m not yet at liberty to disclose.
Review Fix: Where can people find out more?
Taylor: Well, our podcast is always good place to find more stuff both about our books and in the same style of humor, so I’d always start by recommending systemmasterypodcast.com. We’ve been reviewing weird old RPGs from used shelves across the country for a decade, giving us a somewhat unique perspective on that genre of entertainment. You can also follow us (@systemmastery) or our publishers (@adamsmedia) on X (can I get away with just calling it Twitter? Please say yes).
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