Empire of Ghouls product requirements - why?

[tenebnonahs]

Saw the Empire of Ghouls adventure in the newsletter today, and it looks like it would fit nicely in my campaign. Then I saw that it requires both the creature codex and tome of beasts... so I need $100 of product to run the additional $40 module? It seems to me that would significantly limit interest in the module. Is this a typical practice for FG modules?

[Myrdin Potter]

My experience has been that any monsters or NPCs needed have been included with the module. For example, all the WoTC modules. In this case, I happen to have backed the Kickstarter for the adventure and have the module. Sure enough, they directly linked to the Kobold Press Monster books.

That is pretty poor practice, but I checked the PDF version and it mirrors the PDF as well. The PDF does not have the stat blocks for monsters from Tome of Beasts nor the Creature Codex, just a reference to them and a page number. Sound more like a Kobold Press decision rather than a Smiteworks decision.

[LordEntrails]

It's not normal for FG modules. As Myrdin says, this is something possibly unique with KP products. WotC products and all others that I've encountered do not have such a requirement.