Monster Cards Continued

Rob from Bat in the Attic discusses the 4 sets of 20 Monster Cards that came out in '82. What I intended to use them for was when I DMed I would show the players the card instead of naming the monster. Back then everyone had memorized the monsters, knew their stats down to what treasure type and used knowledge their character would not have had at the time. So the cards would provide an element of surprise. The players would have to guess at what the monster was. This worked fine for a short time until everyone memorized the cards. The artists did a fantastic job depicting the monsters. And it wasn't hard to figure out the guy with the pinchers on his face was an Umber Hulk. So the cards novelty did not last long and what they were to add to the game no longer worked.

The Monster Cards were one of those additions to the game where you wanted them to work. You wanted them to be useful because they were cool. But the usefulness did not last. Back then you could carry only so much from friend's house to friend's house (unless you were Rob and he would bring crates full of stuff). The Monster Cards were one of those items you left at home. I think the Monster Cards were the first (that I remember) supplements that didn't work. But still, they sure looked good.