ISBN 1-894525-57-4 #02-109, 96 pages,
$15.95 US ($23.95 CAN)

reviewed by Chairman Aeon

I recently picked up the Big Eyes Small Mouth (BESM) Fantasy Bestiary. It contains a lot of D&D-type monsters, but is heavily focused on mythological beasts rather than a BESM version of the monster manual. The book is grouped into beasts of similar type, then alphabetically within those groups. It would have been nice to have a purely alphabetical list, but that's what a good index can do. Too bad it doesn't have an index.

The book itself is a standard 6-by-9 trade paperback and is printed in black and white. The only pictures are the ones available in GOO's BESM Fantasy Calendar, which also gives three monster templates in a sidebar. I'm sure that among aficionados there is heated discussion as to which is a better deal – the full-colour 12-month calendar or the 96-page black-and-white bestiary – but let's move on.

Each monster entry starts with a few paragraphs of information about the creature – nothing earth-shattering, but simple, to-the-point information. It's nice that the book also gives advice about playing creatures against type.

After the fluffy text comes the crunchy template. Players can buy any template (with GM permission) out of their character points, and the stat modifications, traits and creature skills are clearly listed. After the generic template, most creatures get two specific complete creatures and the points cost of each. If you are wondering where the "basic" creature stats are, then you are probably new to BESM and the Tri-Stat system.

The average human has three stats that are each equal to four. All traits and skills refer back to the traits if need be. So, a template becomes an average creature by just adding four to the stat modifiers. Now I'll stand back while you admire the simplicity and brilliance of the Tri-Stat system.

All in all, you get 60-plus monsters and two small sections on treasures for around $24 (CAD). While not the hundred or so monsters available in a Monster Manual, BESM Fantasy Bestiary is all killer and no filler! And every creature in this book is playable as a character or NPC.

Chairman Aeon is evalu8.org's resident Dark Man. Please check out the Chairman's other writings.