D&D Retro: Explore the Fiend Folio
The Fiend Folio is one of the biggest influences on the game of D&D as we know it. If there’s a cool monster that you like, odds are real good it came from this book–join us as we step back in time to look at the collection of creativity that is the Fiend Folio.
D&D’s Fiend Folio occupies an interesting corner of the game’s 45 year history. As a collection of monsters, it fits right in with the Monster Manual, for certain, but what you might not know is that many of the monsters in this book came from fans and players. Truly this is a community-created compendium, with ties all the way back to the halcyon days of Games Workshop and writers whose intertwined histories bring even George R.R. Martin into the mix (but not in the way you’d think). So come join us as we take you through the Fiend Folio.
One of the most interesting things about the book to me is its origins in GW’s White Dwarf. Many of the monsters featured in the book originally appeared in that publication’s Fiend Factory column, including monsters like the Hook Horror and the Githyanki.
At the time, White Dwarf was a gaming news magazine–and GW were the ones licensed to publish D&D in the UK. Until the Fiend Folio came out, which took some doing, owing to a dispute between TSR and Games Workshop that would eventually result in TSR launching its own UK division. But, many of the monsters in the Fiend Folio owe their existence to White Dwarf. And to authors like Charles Stross, Ian Livingstone, and Tom Moldvay, all of whom would go on to continue their contributions to TSR (and their own body of works).
Modern D&D owes a lot to the creativity on display here. Monsters in the latest edition have taken on that same creative/fun feeling that these early monsters had going for them–and indeed, many are found in these pages. It’s difficult to picture D&D without Kuo-Toa or Flumphs or Drow–and though they first appear in the Against the Giants series of modules, they are first featured with rules and Lolth under the Fiend Folio’s auspices.
If you’re looking to learn more about your favorite monsters, or are looking for some inspiration for other monsters to update and include in your own games, check out the first edition Fiend Folio.
Happy Adventuring!
