What are DnD Monsters EVEN FOR!?

What are DnD Monsters EVEN FOR?! What do Vonnegut, Tolkien, and Beowulf tell us about Dungeons and Dragons? We talk about what the purpose of monsters are in terms of game design and narrative impact! 5E uses the images of myth, folklore, and fantasy literature, but the monster design is somewhat flat in the story department. The metaphor of the monster in a game should be designed with more than just stat blocks and combat abilities.

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I use 6B and 6B pencil, some soft charcoal, a kneaded and a mechanical eraser, and a wad of paper towel. This was drawn on 100 pound Strathmore bristol board.

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00:00 Introduction
00:32 What Are Games?
01:21 What Are Stories For?
03:54 What Are Monsters For?
07:12 Monster As Inevitable Despair
08:47 The Metaphor of the Hero
10:08 Other Monster Metaphors

[mapcrow]

I use 6B and 6B pencil, some soft charcoal, a kneaded and a mechanical eraser, and a wad of paper towel. This was drawn on 100 pound Strathmore bristol board.

[brothertaddeus]

This video brings to mind one of my favorite quotes:

“Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon." - G.K. Chesterton, in his essay 'The Red Angel'

[jacobcampbell]

I know the manticor is an astonishing piece of art, but that little bug is breath-taking.

[kalibaba_vr]

Standing ovation, my friend! 👏👏👏 This is a much needed (and wonderfully narrated!) reminder to us all to be the hero and face the monsters not just in roleplay at the table, but in our lives. ⚔

[jeffreyoutcalt]

I met you as CXC and was so happy to learn about your youtube. I've been a fan since! Love these critical analyses on the nerdy games we all love.

[tHiSfUgGgiNdUdE]

damn dude. Listening to you unpack all of that hit home in my own life, given some personal struggles I find myself going through at the moment. Thank you for unpacking that. It was exceedingly helpful on an emotional level, as well as an artistic and creative level (I too am an authour and Dungeon Master.)
Also, watching you draw these monsters is amazing. I'm working on my own tabletop rpg game system, and when I go to publish it I'll be in the market for an illistrator. Granted this won't be for some time in the future, but I'd be interested in working with you if you're down. Thanks for all you do Map Crow.

[tednagasawa]

Thank you for the excellent video. The idea of monsters as an obstacle in a literary sense reminds of a book I read a while back. It described the function of the living dead in Norse Mythology as a number of things, but chief among those roles was as an obstacle to what the still living hero of a tale wants. So what you say in this video really lines up with that. Which I think is really neat.

[eastonhedrick]

Just wanted to say I love your work, it’s always so inspiring.

[truesightrpg]

This was honestly inspiring. It can be easy to forget that these blocks of stats should still be monstrous when players have killed their 100th goblin, so thanks for the reminder that we can always emphasize these aspects and not fall into a narrative rut. Also love a good surprise Tolkien quote. Great video, thanks for doing what you do!

[jubeisato]

Love this topic! And love your take on it. Buzzing now, going to create things that are difficult to kill.

Shout-out to Arcane for nailing this topic, when Silco says: "To fight. To survive. And all the while, this question lingers before you... Have you had enough?"

[Gouka]

I am a Christian man drinking deeply from the well of responsibility, leadership, and yes - slaying monsters. It was such a delight to find this little gem randomly on YouTube. Whether you’re a man of faith or not, based on how you unpack this topic, I thought you might also enjoy the Babylon Bee interview of Jonathan Pageau. He’s an Eastern Orthodox iconographer so he basically lives in the space of artistic symbolism.

In that interview, he talks about monsters in a way I’d never heard before but which echoes you here: guardians of the boundaries between spaces and cultures, and increasingly bizarre and dangerous the further we are from home.

Regardless, wanted to let you know how much I appreciated and enjoyed this video. It resonates with the season I’m in and it’s nice to feel a little saner for having good company, haha.

[shivernaut]

Before watching the video i want to say that monsters ARE the point for SOME of us. Seeing the Balrog as a little kid is what invested me in LoTR and made me a fantasy nerd. Monsters bring me JOY of COURSE I want them in my game!

[jodofe]

The only thing worse than a monster is a monster with an existential crisis.

[Typheaus]

The whole video is a masterpiece and that academically dramatic narration was awe inspiring. Bravo!

[mabelodinson]

amazing video, and stunning artwork as always, Kyle. I feel that same simulated fear, and tension in my own games, and its the sole reason i play, to be honest.

My life in the real world is dull, and grey, and lacking in any adventure or falir. But when I play TTRPGs with my friends, i get to experience some excitment first-hand.

My own TTRPG I'm writing is a survival horror game, and i think your view on monsters representing real world fears and anxieties fits perfectly. My entire system is built from the ground up to maximize tension, and to feel that very feel you descrive in your video.

As always, this video was a big help, and I implore you to keep making these amazing videos and resources.
P.S. Wheres my demons at? lol :)

[morgangleave]

Now you got me thinking about monsters and what they represent! Much food for thought for my own game - which has natural monsters in the form of large versions of British wildlife. Loved hearing Vonnegut - one of my favourite authors. I'll be hitting the books shops this weekend!

[EvilDMJosh]

Wooo, that got pretty intense there! I think I need to go sit down.
Great video, Kyle!

[cydeadhunter]

That was a hilarious dramatic tangent towards the middle there! 🤣

[griffynbellah]

Hey Kyle, just wanna say this was another banger of a video! Well done :) I appreciate how you bring in scholarly text so much and I wanna read more of the stuff you tap into! Would you consider creating a reading list or set of suggestions for us? Thanks for the great work! Keep it up :)

[snickerking]

This video is beautiful and your rant about life and meaning gave me hope and helped me with my personal struggle, thank you for making this. Loved your manticore piece as well.