Who is this set for?
These Monsters Have Minds of Their Own is for:
DMs of all skill levels who want:
1) A tactical plan and a narrative structure for their monsters before combat starts. 2) A roadmap for monster behavioral change that solves the problem of combat uniformity and reduces DM decision fatigue.
Players who enjoy:
1) Fear, and the comradery it brings. 2) Deadlier, more diverse combat. 3) Learning monster tactics and adding new tricks to their own combat playbooks. 4) Reading unique content about monster psychology, culture, and special abilities.
Note: Also works great for solo players who want access to 750 d100-rollable combat narratives, 200 rollable Traps organized by lethality and environment, 200 rollable Combat Insults, and extremely brutal d100-rollable Critical Hit and Deathblow Tables.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:16
How does it work?
1) A few d100 rolls on our Monster A.I. Cards give DMs monster Aggression Level, General Intelligence, Weaponry, Special Units, and Special Abilities immediately, before combat begins. These features alone will introduce significant theme interruption into your combat, giving your playgroup less of what you’ve grown used to. In our system, not all Goblins are Dimwitted. Not all Dragons are Brilliant. And not all Orcs attack fanatically.
2) Linchpin Combat Events alter monster Aggression Level, leading to changes in monster behavior as combat unfolds. Detailed blueprints for each of our five A.I.s (Horde, Heroic, Undead, Aberrant, and Mythical) provide DMs with instant options during each stage of combat.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:16
Isn’t this what good DMs do already?
The goal of These Monsters Have Minds of Their Own is twofold: Introduce theme interruption, and reduce DM decision fatigue.
Theme interruption makes combat unknown, fearful, and exciting again. These are the feelings that bring players together.
DMs get decision fatigue because running a campaign is a huge job. Especially in combat-heavy campaigns (our favorites) most players are familiar with the feeling of combat uniformity: “The combat we just had with the Giants felt sort of like the combat we had earlier with the Ogres, which felt a bit similar to…”
It can be tempting to think that good DMs wouldn’t benefit from theme interruption, and don’t feel the effects of decision fatigue.
If you’re a player with this opinion, you might ask your DM about it. Our system was invented by DMs in a 33-year playgroup to give themselves a break, reintroduce fear into combat, and ensure that the vibe of combat changes enough between encounters.
And if you’re a DM, ask your players! Most players are down for a deadlier, more diverse version of combat. In our system, sometimes the Goblins will act how you expect them to. Other times they’ll behave in brand new ways that no one could have anticipated, forcing fresh PC thinking and new PC tactics.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:17
Do we have to use it in every combat?
No. Think of These Monsters Have Minds of Their Own as a resource for your campaign.
Use it in the combats where a change would be appreciated, where some theme interruption would help wake up the room.
And for any combat, you can use parts of our system, rather than the whole. For example, our DMs often note the results of the initial five d100 rolls on the Monster A. I. card to get instant information about the monsters they command, then run the rest of the encounter as they normally would.
Simply knowing the Aggression Level, General Intelligence, Special Units, Special Abilities, and Weaponry for your monsters at the outset of combat is surprisingly helpful, and provides detail for a combat narrative you might not otherwise take the time to flesh out.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:18
Is combat deadlier?
Yes. Monsters you’ve known for years suddenly have new special abilities, new tactics, and new behaviors. And unless they’re in the Dimwitted or Mindless classes of our new rating scale, General Intelligence, they’ll no longer make the mistakes you’ve grown used to: Dividing their numbers equally between PCs, not adjusting to combat as it unfolds, and never fighting at peak ability.
These changes have reinvigorated our campaigns, and we think they’ll add fear and excitement to yours.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:20
Can I use These Monsters Have Minds of Their Own with other RPGs, like Pathfinder?
Yes. Because These Monsters Have Minds of Their Own is based on Aggression, General Intelligence, Special Units, Special Tactics, Special Abilities, Psychology, and Grudges, rather than being based solely on stat blocks, you can use it in Pathfinder, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, GURPS, or any other RPG that has fantasy monsters.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:21
I shared your Kickstarter campaign to my Facebook, how do I get my 5 Bonus Monster A. I. cards?
Make sure to tag us in your post! Our FB page is called (predictably) These Monsters Have Minds of Their Own. Then, when you take the BackerKit survey at the end of our campaign, mention in the Notes section that you shared us to your FB. That’s all it takes. The 5 Bonus Monster A.I. cards are yours.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:25
I saw you’re offering high-variance A. I. dice as part of your campaign. What are the numbers on those?
HV d10: 1,1,2,3,4,7,8,9,9,10.
HV d20: 1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,19,20,20.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:25
Your high-variance d10s have two 9s, instead of two 10s?
Because the 0 on a d10 acts as both a 10 and a 0, having two 10s would result in more 0-9 d100 A. I. rolls than you’d appreciate. Two 1s and two 9s has provided a better high-variance A. I. experience for our groups.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:26
Some high-variance d20s have three 1’s and three 20’s?
In our opinion, this is too much “variance” (technically, it’s a lack of variance.) At our tables, we’ve enjoyed playing with twice the critical hits and twice the horrific failures.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:26
Will this oversimplify my experience of D&D? I don’t want anything in my tabletop campaign that stunts creativity.
Great question.
No. Remember, These Monsters is a tool designed to increase theme interruption and decrease decision fatigue. It does this by giving DMs access to quick, d100- generated combat narratives. Don’t use our system in fully developed encounters that already have a detailed combat plan and a rich narrative arc. Instead, use it during interstitial encounters: Those in which you want the dice to drive the action, or those that weren’t completely fleshed out.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:31
Will the PDFs be sent to ALL backers $25 and over?
Yes! We’ll send you the PDFs as soon as they’re professionally laid out, fully linked, and looking great.
So you can start using These Monsters in your campaigns while you’re waiting for the beautiful print versions to be manufactured.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:42
Not many of my Facebook friends play DnD, is there a way to get the first stretch goal by sharing it in different forum like twitter or discord, where it'll be more useful?
Thanks for spreading the word! Absolutely. Anywhere you’d like to share the campaign will fulfill our first Stretch Goal and get you the 5 bonus monster A.I. cards.
Last updated: August 04, 2020 05:51
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