I’m very slowly unpacking my RPG materials in my new office space. I’ve got cases of classic World of Darkness material to go through and categorize and shelve, and of course piles and piles of old D&D goods.

Speaking of which, this one turned up the other day:

I found all four sets of the classic 1982 AD&D Monster Cards. This is just a sampling of the awesome found within those 80 cards. Each 3×5 index card-sized card has a colour illustration on one side by the then current stable of D&D artists (the set I’m showing off here is mostly Erol Otus, Willingham and a bit of Jeff Dee and Roslof), with the full AD&D creature stats on the back.

I was kind of surprised to discover that I have the four sets (minus one card from set 3, the Mummy), as well as full duplicates of set 1 and set 2. They are awesome and a great visual aid for when I’m throwing beasties at the party. The roper (upper right card in the above photograph) is distinctly appropriate for my last DCC game where it would be perfect for the weird stirge queen nest mass that had grown inside the old tower at Imp Brucke. I think it’s interesting that the roper was illustrated in a very different elevation style than the traditional pillar with tentacles.

I definitely get why the 2nd edition monster books were produced in loose-leaf format now that I use these things.