by IncrediSteve
Over the months the FFG preview articles usually tell you everything about a Hero and Monster collection's contents, except for Act I monster stats [and quest details of course]. Well it turns out there's one more bit of information they hide: Base Size. Up until now, all the base sizes have remained unchanged between editions. When I opened my copy of Guardians of Deephall today, I discovered that Wendigos are now on large bases.That's a pretty big buff for what was already one of the best Monster Groups. You've now got an increased threat radius, and the master's Freezing ability is more likely to be relevant.
Crypt Dragons are okay; it is unlikely their blast will be relevant outside of Illusionists or an odd party with multiple abilities that trigger on adjacency. Usually Shadow Dragons will be better, but they're a nice option for when you're tired of using Shadow Dragons all the time. Although in quests featuring the Cursed trait you could of course use them both for double dragon action.
Dark Priests are interesting. If the heroes want them dead, they can't really say no, and it's a red letter day if they kill anything. But the revised Dark Prayer gives them some interesting utility. It doesn't require Line of Sight, so the Dark Priests can hide behind tougher monsters, or a locked door, or a wall if the stars truly align [given the loose LOS rules in D2E]. These are a definite group to take if the hero party is low on willpower.