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D&D Monster Manual (Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook)

4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 29,381 ratings
#2 Most Gifted in Fantasy Gaming
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2014 Edition
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About this item

  • Fill your Dungeons & Dragons games with pesky goblins and mighty dragons for players to battle or beguile, outwit or outrun
  • Over 150 ready-to-play D&D monsters
  • Over 400 stat blocks—with all the info a Dungeon Master needs to run encounters
  • Detailed descriptions and beautiful illustrations
  • 1 of 3 D&D Core Rulebooks for 5th edition—the Player’s Handbook (rules for playing the game), the Dungeon Master’s Guide (how to run the game), and Monster Manual (creatures to encounter in your game)
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Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Monster Manual (D&D Core Rulebook)
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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
29,381 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the illustrations beautiful. They also say the book has great content that makes things challenging and the statblocks are very handy. Readers describe the monster selection as extensive, consistent, and covers the bases extremely well. They find the book very easy to read and navigate, with bold headers to call out highlights. Customers also mention the monster content as realistic, frightening, and easy to find stuff at a glance. They describe the book as excellent, a great addition for 5e, and well organized. Customers say the monster blocks are easy to use when DMing.

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VisualsContentMonster selectionReadabilityMonster contentCompletenessOrganizationDming
391 customers mention "Visuals"369 positive22 negative

Customers find the illustrations in the book beautiful, awesome, and striking. They also say the cover is awesome.

"...Its comprehensive content, detailed illustrations, practical utility, and inspiration make it an essential resource for any Dungeon Master...." Read more

"...main profile pic in full, glorious color, and there’s always neat concept-style artwork, plus there’s the occasional half-page or 3/4 page set-piece..." Read more

"It’s a really cool book with beautiful illustrations. My niece is learning D&D but also using it for inspiration for her drawings." Read more

"...The art is outstanding. So much better than the various incarnations of the Monster Manual from the 1970s and 1980s...." Read more

229 customers mention "Content"226 positive3 negative

Customers find the book has great content, encouraging creativity and helping DMs craft unique stories and challenging scenarios. They also say the monster reference cards are great for planning and playing, with fun options for challenging players. Readers also mention that the statistics are organized in a useful way to make game-playing easier. Overall, they say it's a joy to read and a great addition to the D&D Multiverse.

"...rich lore and diverse creatures encourage creativity, helping DMs to craft unique stories and challenging scenarios that keep players engaged and..." Read more

"...There is valuable information about the habits and lifestyles of these monsters...." Read more

"...After a certain creature's entry, it is fun to imagine a small little scenario featuring them which makes use of the lore: their habits and diets..." Read more

"...the book itself is very enriching and has great content and lots of it (at least for the beginning)." Read more

165 customers mention "Monster selection"154 positive11 negative

Customers find the monster selection in the book rich, diverse, and encouraging creativity. They also say it contains updates to classic monsters and new ones, and that it does not disappoint. Readers also mention that the book is extensive, beautifully drawn, and has a variety of indices and appendices. They say the monsters feel real and terrifying, and have a good balance of all editions.

"...The rich lore and diverse creatures encourage creativity, helping DMs to craft unique stories and challenging scenarios that keep players engaged..." Read more

"...The celestials look majestic, the fiends look dangerous and some of the aberrations are just creepy, like the gibbering mouther...." Read more

"...The artwork is just absolutely fantastic, realistic, frightening...." Read more

"Such a good version this last go round has been and the monsters are top notch as well...." Read more

111 customers mention "Readability"107 positive4 negative

Customers find the book very easy to read and navigate. They say the creature stats and abilities are laid out very clearly. They also appreciate the great text formatting and streamlined rules. They mention the book is well organized and accessible, with bold headers to call out the highlights.

"...Well-Organized and Accessible:..." Read more

"...The information in the book is easy to access, well organized, and easily understood...." Read more

"...each of the multitude of creatures are described very clearly in easy to use format with just enough information to give any DM ideas for their..." Read more

"...The typeface used is easy on the eye.Don't get the pages wet. My old 3.5 PHB has what looks like an acid burn in one page...." Read more

66 customers mention "Monster content"55 positive11 negative

Customers find the monster content in the book fantastic, realistic, and frightening. They also appreciate the manageable descriptions that make it easy to find monsters quickly. Readers also mention that the background material is helpful and the book is user-friendly.

"...Comprehensive Content:The Monster Manual is packed with a vast array of creatures, from classic monsters like dragons and beholders to lesser-..." Read more

"...The descriptive text, though short, is both concise and frankly GOOD; it makes you want to go find one of these suckers and see if you can murder it..." Read more

"...This one gives the actors for such a story...." Read more

"...The artwork is just absolutely fantastic, realistic, frightening...." Read more

49 customers mention "Completeness"49 positive0 negative

Customers find the book complete. They say it's an excellent addition to their collection, and an excellent update on the classic game. They also appreciate the subtle things it does to enable them to do.

"...I like how 5E gives you just what you need, and does subtle things to enable you to do far more with it than 3E seemed to want you to do, but in a..." Read more

"Great addition to the collection. Fast service. Like new condition. Product as described." Read more

"This book is full of everything you need to get going being a dungeon master...." Read more

"...Great addition to the collection!" Read more

40 customers mention "Organization"32 positive8 negative

Customers find the book well organized, with every creature segregated by pages. They also say the monsters are fairly well streamlined and simplified. Readers also mention that the book is well indexed and neatly formatted.

"...This organization streamlines the game preparation process.Versatility:..." Read more

"...The information in the book is easy to access, well organized, and easily understood...." Read more

"...A lot of monsters, and all the classics- More, better organized info about each monster, and like literally EVERY MONSTER...." Read more

"...My only complaint, which isn't that big, Is that the book doesn't go in alphabetical order, rather it sorts monsters in clumps of type - sort of -..." Read more

28 customers mention "Dming"28 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great asset when DMing, an essential resource for the 5e DM, and perfect for a D&D fan.

"This is absolutely crucial for a DM, but also amazing for illustrators and creature designers...." Read more

"Helps when the DM when he need to quickly research a monster for the fight...." Read more

"This is a fantastic resource for DMing...." Read more

"I find this book to be instrumental in DMing. If for some reason I do not know the stats/abilities of a monster its very easy to just look it up...." Read more

An Essential Resource for Every Dungeon Master!
5 out of 5 stars

An Essential Resource for Every Dungeon Master!

The D&D Monster Manual is an indispensable core rulebook that earns a full five stars for its comprehensive content, detailed illustrations, and invaluable utility in any campaign.Comprehensive Content:The Monster Manual is packed with a vast array of creatures, from classic monsters like dragons and beholders to lesser-known entities and unique new creations. Each monster entry is rich with lore, abilities, and stats, providing Dungeon Masters with endless possibilities for encounters.Detailed Illustrations:The artwork in the Monster Manual is stunning. Each creature is vividly brought to life with detailed illustrations that spark the imagination and add depth to the descriptions. The visuals alone are enough to inspire countless adventure ideas.Utility in Campaigns:This book is an essential tool for Dungeon Masters. It provides ready-to-use stat blocks, making it easy to drop monsters into any campaign. The detailed descriptions offer insights into each creature's behavior, habitat, and tactics, allowing for more immersive and dynamic encounters.Inspiration and Creativity:Beyond its practical use, the Monster Manual serves as a wellspring of inspiration. The rich lore and diverse creatures encourage creativity, helping DMs to craft unique stories and challenging scenarios that keep players engaged and excited.Well-Organized and Accessible:The layout of the Monster Manual is user-friendly, with creatures organized alphabetically for quick reference. The book includes helpful appendices and an index, making it easy to find specific monsters or categories of creatures. This organization streamlines the game preparation process.Versatility:Whether running a high-fantasy epic or a gritty, dark campaign, the Monster Manual has something for every style of play. The range of monsters ensures that Dungeon Masters can tailor encounters to suit the theme and tone of their game.Enduring Value:The Monster Manual is a timeless resource that remains relevant across multiple editions of Dungeons & Dragons. Its enduring value lies in its ability to enhance gameplay and storytelling, making it a worthy investment for any D&D enthusiast.Conclusion:The D&D Monster Manual is a cornerstone of the Dungeons & Dragons experience. Its comprehensive content, detailed illustrations, practical utility, and inspiration make it an essential resource for any Dungeon Master. This book truly elevates the quality of any campaign, earning it a well-deserved five stars!
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Top reviews from the United States

Kelly Lienemann
5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Resource for Every Dungeon Master!
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
The D&D Monster Manual is an indispensable core rulebook that earns a full five stars for its comprehensive content, detailed illustrations, and invaluable utility in any campaign.

Comprehensive Content:
The Monster Manual is packed with a vast array of creatures, from classic monsters like dragons and beholders to lesser-known entities and unique new creations. Each monster entry is rich with lore, abilities, and stats, providing Dungeon Masters with endless possibilities for encounters.

Detailed Illustrations:
The artwork in the Monster Manual is stunning. Each creature is vividly brought to life with detailed illustrations that spark the imagination and add depth to the descriptions. The visuals alone are enough to inspire countless adventure ideas.

Utility in Campaigns:
This book is an essential tool for Dungeon Masters. It provides ready-to-use stat blocks, making it easy to drop monsters into any campaign. The detailed descriptions offer insights into each creature's behavior, habitat, and tactics, allowing for more immersive and dynamic encounters.

Inspiration and Creativity:
Beyond its practical use, the Monster Manual serves as a wellspring of inspiration. The rich lore and diverse creatures encourage creativity, helping DMs to craft unique stories and challenging scenarios that keep players engaged and excited.

Well-Organized and Accessible:
The layout of the Monster Manual is user-friendly, with creatures organized alphabetically for quick reference. The book includes helpful appendices and an index, making it easy to find specific monsters or categories of creatures. This organization streamlines the game preparation process.

Versatility:
Whether running a high-fantasy epic or a gritty, dark campaign, the Monster Manual has something for every style of play. The range of monsters ensures that Dungeon Masters can tailor encounters to suit the theme and tone of their game.

Enduring Value:
The Monster Manual is a timeless resource that remains relevant across multiple editions of Dungeons & Dragons. Its enduring value lies in its ability to enhance gameplay and storytelling, making it a worthy investment for any D&D enthusiast.

Conclusion:
The D&D Monster Manual is a cornerstone of the Dungeons & Dragons experience. Its comprehensive content, detailed illustrations, practical utility, and inspiration make it an essential resource for any Dungeon Master. This book truly elevates the quality of any campaign, earning it a well-deserved five stars!
Customer image
Kelly Lienemann
5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Resource for Every Dungeon Master!
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
The D&D Monster Manual is an indispensable core rulebook that earns a full five stars for its comprehensive content, detailed illustrations, and invaluable utility in any campaign.

Comprehensive Content:
The Monster Manual is packed with a vast array of creatures, from classic monsters like dragons and beholders to lesser-known entities and unique new creations. Each monster entry is rich with lore, abilities, and stats, providing Dungeon Masters with endless possibilities for encounters.

Detailed Illustrations:
The artwork in the Monster Manual is stunning. Each creature is vividly brought to life with detailed illustrations that spark the imagination and add depth to the descriptions. The visuals alone are enough to inspire countless adventure ideas.

Utility in Campaigns:
This book is an essential tool for Dungeon Masters. It provides ready-to-use stat blocks, making it easy to drop monsters into any campaign. The detailed descriptions offer insights into each creature's behavior, habitat, and tactics, allowing for more immersive and dynamic encounters.

Inspiration and Creativity:
Beyond its practical use, the Monster Manual serves as a wellspring of inspiration. The rich lore and diverse creatures encourage creativity, helping DMs to craft unique stories and challenging scenarios that keep players engaged and excited.

Well-Organized and Accessible:
The layout of the Monster Manual is user-friendly, with creatures organized alphabetically for quick reference. The book includes helpful appendices and an index, making it easy to find specific monsters or categories of creatures. This organization streamlines the game preparation process.

Versatility:
Whether running a high-fantasy epic or a gritty, dark campaign, the Monster Manual has something for every style of play. The range of monsters ensures that Dungeon Masters can tailor encounters to suit the theme and tone of their game.

Enduring Value:
The Monster Manual is a timeless resource that remains relevant across multiple editions of Dungeons & Dragons. Its enduring value lies in its ability to enhance gameplay and storytelling, making it a worthy investment for any D&D enthusiast.

Conclusion:
The D&D Monster Manual is a cornerstone of the Dungeons & Dragons experience. Its comprehensive content, detailed illustrations, practical utility, and inspiration make it an essential resource for any Dungeon Master. This book truly elevates the quality of any campaign, earning it a well-deserved five stars!
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Tim Bannock
5.0 out of 5 stars A great-looking tome of dangerous (and fun!) monsters for all levels of play.
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2016
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
A neuronphaser.com review.

CONTENT (4/5)
With 153 entries, and many featuring multiple statblocks per entry (goblins have the Goblin and the Goblin Boss; Dragons have all of the chromatic and metallic dragons at four different ages) you get an awful lot of monsters in this book. I’m not great at the mathz (English major and all) but I count something like 432 individual stablocks. That’s like 1/10 of the number of times I’ve played D&D, probably, but that’s still significant.

Outside of statblocks, most monsters take up multiple pages, which means you get a pretty in-depth look at how the creature exists in the D&D world (always pretty setting-agnostic, but occasionally with a slipped-in reference to the Forgotten Realms), as well as story hooks and lair information. That’s a lot of content.

Monster Ecologies
Taking a deeper-dive into the information, one finds that there’s a few traits that don’t show up in the statblocks: these are the more “story-oriented” details, and there’s nothing in the statblocks that sum up any organizational ecology notes like in the Monster Manuals and Monstrous Manuals and Monster Compendiums of yesteryear. While I could complain about nostalgia and all that, take a look at the HackMaster: Hacklopedia of Beasts (2011). Not only is it gorgeous, but you also get:
*A picture of the creature’s tracks,
*It’s typical homelands/ranging grounds,
*A size comparison to humans (i.e. adventurers A.K.A. prey) and
*Not one but TWO ecology-type blocks of info.

The Yield is especially cool for a monster-hunting campaign. Just sayin’.

All that info can be way too specific for some people, but when you have the legacy of D&D behind you, it’s not like this information hasn’t already been detailed somewhere before (raise your hands if you read one of the thirty-thousand Monster Ecology articles in DRAGON/DUNGEON mags or on the D&D website over the past 30-odd years), requires zero rules-mechanics updates or conversion work, and can be formatted to fit in a small area of the page if you do some layout wizardry. Compare to a typical Monster Manual entry:

Don’t get the wrong impression here: the monster entries look great! The concept art tells you volumes about the creature through art. The statblock is tight and contained. The descriptive text, though short, is both concise and frankly GOOD; it makes you want to go find one of these suckers and see if you can murder it and take its stuff! I’m just saying that they could’ve done a little more with some of that white-space and added a little extra world-building at little cost.

Building Monsters
Okay, so there’s a teensy-eensy missing, but overall the thing looks great. End of review? Hardly. Let’s actually look at some monster stats, and compare them to the rules in the Dungeon Master’s Guide to see how things stack up if you want to build monsters that fit with the designer’s own rules and regulations.

The Goblin is a Challenge 1/4 creature. Doing out the math from the DMG (p. 274-ish), I came up with Defensive Challenge of 1: 7 hit points, but bumped up due to a higher-than-average AC of 15, and then another two bumps from the Nimble Escape ability, or so the table on p. 280 would have me believe. Goblins have an Offensive Challenge of 1 as well, since they deal out the lowly amount of 5 damage on average, but receive two bumps from Nimble Escape, again. Well, that averages out to a Challenge of 1, not 1/4. Not 1/2, but 1. Hmmm.

What’s the Earth Elemental got going on? Well, he gets a Defensive Challenge boost from multiple Damage Resistances (bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks), so you multiply hit points by 1.5 (assuming a target Challenge of 5) and you get an effective Defensive Challenge of 8. His Offensive Challenge is strictly made up of his attacks, so that’s a rating of 5. Do the math and you get 6.5, but the Earth Elemental has a Challenge rating of 5. Hmmm, again.

Fine, let’s go ultimate-whackadoodle, as I like to say, and check out the Tarrasque, one of the scariest French-looking words I know. He’s got a ridiculous amount of immunities, Legendary Resistance, Magic Resistance…by my calculations, the Tarrasque operates at an effective 935 hit points and AC 27. That’s WAAAY off the charts, by nearly 100 hit points and 8 points of Armor Class. Offensively, we’re looking at a Challenge of 28 (deals about 224 damage/round if you use Swallow in place of Bite, and the +19 to hit bumps it up from 25 to 28). So I guess Challenge 30 makes sense (you’d get 29 mathematically, but considering how far past the charts for Challenge 30 the Tarrasque is in terms of defense, I think 30’s fair).

On the one hand, we aren’t quite meeting expectations with the Challenge rating calculations in the DMG. But on the other hand, we’re not exactly far off on any of these: goblins are worse by 2, earth elementals are worse by 1, and the Tarrasque is about as close to dead-on as we can expect. The DMG tells us that this is as much art as science, and when you look at just how low a goblin’s hit points are, that seems fine, and the earth elemental is — if nothing else — a little bland in terms of combat, and extremely stupid.

Let’s just say the stats are like a B+: they admitted the faults inherent in this system, and while it can be easily broken to a horrible degree, you’d have to pretty much intend to abuse the advice and ignore all existing monsters in order to muck things up too badly.

D&D’s New Sexiness
The new sexy in this edition of the game comes in the form of three things that you absolutely need to keep your eyes on and revisit time and time again as a reminder of how to make 5th edition D&D more tactical, more set-piece battle-ready, more “fantastical” in terms of environments and situations, and generally, just the best of all previous editions. Here they are.

The Introduction
The intro to the book does a fantastic job of providing excellent story hooks and encounter locations for monsters. It’s such a short section, but literally every sentence in there is jam-packed with “Hey DM! D&D may have a legacy so long it seems like ‘generic fantasy’ but here’s a bazillion ideas on what makes D&D adventure-ready, mysterious, and most of all, fun!” You get locales, lairs, and some very evocative ideas.

Lair Actions
Several creatures known for being territorial and carving out nasty lairs get a set of actions called Lair Actions. These show up in the descriptive part of the monster’s entry, because they are made up of three parts:

A description of the types of places that the creature lairs in, usually with enough ideas to develop your own maps.
A set of Lair Actions that occur on initiative count 20 (losing ties) and don’t eat into the creature’s normal actions. The Lair Actions are crazy terrain-based effects, or additional magical abilities that the creature can access due to how their nature suffuses the location of the lair.
A set of Regional Effects that usually cause far-ranging, thematically pertinent changes to the natural terrain and landscape surrounding the creature’s lair.
Aboleths, beholders, dragons, kraken, liches, vampires and more all get lair write-ups, Lair Actions, and Regional Effects. That’s a lot of world-building material that immediately turns into adventuring possibilities, and whether you plan out your campaigns or settings long in advance, or if you go week-to-week, it’s not hard to use this information to really show off the mood and feel of certain powerful creatures. Moreover, you can use these sorts of ideas to beef up individualized NPCs or custom monsters, giving them that extra oomph.

Legendary Actions
Many of the most powerful creatures gain Legendary Actions, which is usually three extra actions the creature can take at the end of another character’s round, and they regenerate each round. It’s kind of like extra reactions, but they are usually more devastating than an opportunity attack, or involve additional means for the creature to gain a significant tactical benefit before taking their turn. For example, a vampire can make a move, or perform a couple different types of attacks (biting is one, and kinda makes a lot of sense for a dude with long canine teeth, I’d say).

In every case, the creature’s Legendary Actions have to be mixed up; you can’t use the same Legendary Action twice in a row. This forces the DM to mix things up and use the variety of actions — not all of which are going to be damaging attacks — to create more tactical combat encounters and feature more movement across the battlefield.

And then there's Buffagoat.

What?

A short sidebar on page 317 explains how to re-skin statistics to represent a variety of new monsters. It’s great advice, but one of the examples is getting buffalo by way of using the stats for a Giant Goat. Yeah, a Giant Goat. Awesome.

FORM (5/5)
5th Edition hit the deck running with some lovely hardcover books that are filled to the brim with artwork, and has some seriously professional binding. The Monster Manual is the biggest of the three core rulebooks (at least, I’m fairly certain it is), and looks great. Layout and all that is clean, it’s easy to find stuff at a glance — which is hugely important with monster statblocks — and the individual pieces of artwork themselves are phenomenal.

One of my biggest complaints about most RPGs is the lack of “pictures for everything,” and that complaint is absolutely NOT here: there’s a picture for everything. Every monster gets its main profile pic in full, glorious color, and there’s always neat concept-style artwork, plus there’s the occasional half-page or 3/4 page set-piece showing monsters in weird settings, or a kuo-toa summoning what looks like a a dapperly dressed Cthulhu, and so on.

I could go on and on — there’s silly sketches, awesome little “here’s how this thing moves” sketches — but the point is that D&D came back with a crazy art budget, slapped it all together in a gorgeous format, and matched it with ideas and rules that scream ADVENTURE! and FUN! when it comes to building evocative, dangerous monster encounters.
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Brandi Kosloy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift!
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2024
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
It’s a really cool book with beautiful illustrations. My niece is learning D&D but also using it for inspiration for her drawings.
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Jesse Ellyson
5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable addition to your D&D library
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2023
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
This is a fantastic volume, one which you simply cannot play Dungeons & Dragons without. Wel, I suppose you could, but you shouldn't! Whether you're a player or the DM, this book contains information you need to have quick access to. But, if you're into the game, you already know all this. But if you don't know the game and are purchasing this as a gift for someone else, rest assured that this is money well spent. This book will be valued by the recipient.

On to other things. What's in it? Again, if you know the game, you already know what's in here. But it's not just a list of monsters and their game stats. There is valuable information about the habits and lifestyles of these monsters. Referencing these details in-game will allow for a much fuller game experience. The information in the book is easy to access, well organized, and easily understood. Of the three core D&D books, this is, by far, the most enjoyable.

The art is outstanding. So much better than the various incarnations of the Monster Manual from the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, there was another sourcebook called the Monstrous Compendium which did have some artwork that was slightly better than what we are seeing in this current volume, but the Monstrous Compendium was not bound together in a book; it was sold in packages of individual pages which you then had to stick into a looseleaf binder from which pages were inevitably lost.

This new Monster Manual is really one hell of a book.
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Top reviews from other countries

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VK
5.0 out of 5 stars Monsters manual
Reviewed in Sweden on July 18, 2024
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
Great
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Camiel
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative
Reviewed in Germany on January 12, 2024
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
Must have for every and player
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Pedro Silva
5.0 out of 5 stars Top
Reviewed in Spain on December 31, 2023
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
Excelente produto
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Engin Iyimen
5.0 out of 5 stars Harika paketleme!
Reviewed in Turkey on December 20, 2023
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
Kitabın kondisyonu kusursuz ve şu ana kadar gördüğüm en özenilmiş paketlemeye sahip. Teşekkür ediyorum.
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Elisa
5.0 out of 5 stars Molto bello ma non come primo libro
Reviewed in Italy on October 6, 2023
Edition: 2014 EditionVerified Purchase
Il libro è bello, molto gradita la copertina con effetto tattile.
Oltre a questo vi consiglio per iniziare di perdere anche il manuale del giocatore e quello del master.
Questo senza quei due libri è di limitata utilità
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