Book picks similar to
Tome of Beasts Pocket Edition by Kobold Staff
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The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat: A Guide to Essential Features, Gear, and Handling
John Vigor - 1999
[Vigor's] practical wisdom gives you the know-how and confidence to prepare your boat for the sea.--Cruising World. Here is the book that answer the sailor's fundamental question--Can my boat take me offshore safely?--then shows how to make it happen.
Legend of the Five Rings RPG
Rich Wulf - 2005
For one thousand years, the Empire of Rokugan has stood as a bastion of nobility, honor, and virtue. These lands are ruled by the samurai, powerful heroes who carry the katana and wakizashi as their badge of rank. Eight Great Clans vie with one another for supremacy over these lands, all under the eye of the mighty Emperor. And to the south, the Shadowlands, the eternal enemy of Rokugan, waits for the next opportunity to disrupt all that these foolish mortals have built. It is a land of intrigue, wonder, and adventure. Welcome to the third iteration of the Legend of the Five Rings Role-Playing Game. This player's guide will provide players and GM's with all of the setting, culture, and rules needed to create characters in the Legend of the Five Rings world and stage ongoing campaigns in Rokugan. While this book contains an updated version of the familiar rules, conversion rules will be included so that none of the many previous volumes set in this world will ever be obsolete. The best Asian style fantasy setting roleplaying game of this generation returns to its roots with its release this summer. Legend of the Five Rings 3rd Edition returns focus to the Roll and Keep(R&K) system originally released in 1996. Conveying a deeper sense of realism, the R&K system best simulates the tension, reality, and lethality of Samurai drama. Look for it more information in the coming weeks here at L5R.com. * Thrilling fantasy setting based on the myths and culture of Japan, China, and other Asian nations * A new generation of the beloved Legend of the Five Rings roll and keep system.* Streamlines existing rules without making previous products obsolete.* Excellent sourcebook for Rokugani culture and history
A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying
Robert J. Schwalb - 2008
In spite of the promises of justice and prosperity for all, this perilous time is marked by the political maneuvering of ambitious nobles and foul plots hatched in secret councils.
Nobilis
R. Sean Borgstrom - 1999
Once human, each character has been forever changed, imbued with awesome power and terrible responsibility. Heaven and Hell, angels and devils, the Giants and the Old Gods - in Nobilis, all are united in the Great War against the Excrucians, whose goal is to destroy all Creation - but all are divided by their own plots and ancient rivalries, as well.
The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights
James Knowles - 1860
The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians. The sparse historical background of Arthur is gleaned from various sources, including the Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum, and the writings of Gildas. Arthur's name also occurs in early poetic sources such as Y Gododdin. The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain). However, some Welsh and Breton tales and poems relating the story of Arthur date from earlier than this work; in these works, Arthur appears either as a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatural enemies or as a magical figure of folklore, sometimes associated with the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn. How much of Geoffrey's Historia (completed in 1138) was adapted from such earlier sources, rather than invented by Geoffrey himself, is unknown. Although the themes, events and characters of the Arthurian legend varied widely from text to text, and there is no one canonical version, Geoffrey's version of events often served as the starting point for later stories. Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established an empire over Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Gaul. In fact, many elements and incidents that are now an integral part of the Arthurian story appear in Geoffrey's Historia, including Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, the wizard Merlin, the sword Excalibur, Arthur's birth at Tintagel, his final battle against Mordred at Camlann and final rest in Avalon. The 12th-century French writer Chretien de Troyes, who added Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story, began the genre of Arthurian romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature. In these French stories, the narrative focus often shifts from King Arthur himself to other characters, such as various Knights of the Round Table. Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the centuries that followed until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century. In the 21st century, the legend lives on, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media. The Sir James Knowles version of King Arthur is considered as the most accurate and well known original story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D
David Kushner - 2017
Like the game itself, the narrative casts the reader into the adventure from a first person point of view, taking on the roles of the different characters in the story. Gygax was the son of immigrants who grew up in Lake Geneva, WI, in the 1950s. An imaginative misfit, he escaped into a virtual world based on science fiction novels, military history and strategic games like chess. In the mid-1970s, he co-created the wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons game. Starting out in the basement of his home, he was soon struggling to keep up with the demand. Gygax was a purist, in the sense that he was adamant that players use their imaginations and that the rules of the game remain flexible. A creative mind with no real knowledge of business, he made some strategic errors and had a falling out with the game's co-creator, his close friend and partner, David Arneson. By the late 1970s the game had become so popular among kids that parents started to worry -- so much so that a mom's group was formed to alert parents to the dangers of role play and fantasy. The backlash only fueled the fires of the young fans who continued to play the game, escaping into imaginary worlds. Before long, D&D conventions were set up around the country and the game inspired everything from movies to the first video games. With D&D, Gygax created the kind of role playing fantasy that would fuel the multibillion dollar video game industry, and become a foundation of contemporary geek culture.
Ten Candles
Stephen Dewey - 2015
It is played by the light of ten tea light candles which provide atmosphere, act as a countdown timer for the game, and allow you to literally burn your character sheet away as you play. Ten Candles is described as a "tragic horror" game rather than survival horror for one main reason: in Ten Candles there are no survivors. In the final scene of the game, when only one candle remains, all of the characters will die. In this, Ten Candles is not a game about "winning" or beating the monsters. Instead, it is a game about what happens in the dark, and about those who try to survive within it. It is a game about being pushed to the brink of madness and despair, searching for hope in a hopeless world, and trying to do something meaningful with your final few hours left. Ten Candles may be played with any number of players and one gamemaster. It takes between 2-4 hours for an average session. While there are some components that need to be gathered to run a game (such as ten tea light candles), the game requires no addition preparation by the gamemaster. The setting of Ten Candles will change game to game as the gamemaster selects different "modules" to run for an ever-changing lineup of doomed characters and scenarios for them to play within. The antagonists of the game also change, leaving you to fight nightmares in one session only to fight sentient shadows, bloodthirsty clowns, or the gods themselves in the next. Every session of Ten Candles is unique and will present an entirely new tragic story for you to tell.The standard setting of Ten Candles is this: Ten days ago the world went dark. The sky betrayed you. The sun vanished. The fall into chaos was sudden and predictable. The world was filled with riots and fear. You were told that the sun was not gone, and that it was still out there beyond that black sky. Order returned. Five days ago, They came. Now the lights flicker low and the dark is where They hunt. Now you can hear the screams. Now They're coming for you. Keep moving. Don't lose hope. And stay in the light.
Princes of the Apocalypse
John-Paul Balmet - 2015
Are these events all some bizarre coincidence, or is there a deeper reason behind them?Working through its prophets, the Elder Elemental Eye has emerged to spread chaos across the Forgotten Realms. How will the adventurers prevent absolute devastation?A Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters of levels 1-15
Faiths & Avatars (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms, Campaign Expansion/9516)
Julia Martin - 1996
Detailed in this 192-page core supplement are the most prominent religions and deities of the Realms. Each divine power is covered in depth by an entry that includes information about the deity's appearance, personality, worshipers, portfolio, aliases, domain name, superior, allies, foes, symbol, worshipers' alignments, avatar, manifestations, church and specialty priests. The information on each religion includes its core dogma, day-to-day activities of priests, holy days and important ceremonies, major centers of worship, affiliated orders, and the priestly vestments and adventuring garb of members of the clergy. Finally, each entry contains spells specific to each of the religions - some new, some long unavailable or hard to find and some updated to conform with the current AD&D game rules. Faiths & Avatars includes: • All the greater, intermediate and lesser deities of the Faerûnian pantheon • The honored dead, including Bane, Bhaal, Moander, Myrkul and Leira, among others • Expanded and clarified specialty priest classes and specific spells for all religions with priesthoods • Color illustrations of priests from every faith in ceremonial dress • Four additional general priest classes now official to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting: crusaders, monks, mystics and shamans.
The Complete Bard's Handbook
Blake Mobley - 1992
The Complete Bard's Handbook gives you everything you need to create a bard the world will never forget!
Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns (Kobold Guides Book 6)
Margaret WeisRobert J. Schwalb - 2016
Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns shows how to begin a new campaign, use published adventures or loot them for the best ideas, build toward cliffhangers, and design a game that can enthrall your players for month or even years. Want to run an evil campaign, or hurl the characters into unusual otherworldly settings? Want to ensure that you're creating memorable and effective NPCs and villains? We've got you covered. Complete with discussions on plotting, tone, branching storytelling, pacing, and crafting action scenes, you'll find all the tips and advice you need to take on the best role in roleplaying--and become an expert gamemaster, too! Featuring essays by Wolfgang Baur, Jeff Grubb, David "Zeb" Cook, Margaret Weis, Robert J. Schwalb, Steve Winter, and other game professionals.
Ranger's Apprentice 7-volume Set:
John Flanagan
The first book in the series, titled The Ruins of Gorlan, was released in Australia on 1 November 2004 and in the United States on 16 June 2005. So far, nine books have been released in Australia and New Zealand, with other countries including the United States and United Kingdom following behind. The series follows the adventures of Will, an orphan who is taken as an apprentice Ranger, as he strives to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors and threats. He is joined on his adventures by his mentor Halt and his best friend Horace among others." - Wikipedia
Rusty Wilson's Canadian Bigfoot Campfire Stories
Rusty Wilson - 2014
These 12 all new and original stories from Rusty Wilson, the World’s Greatest Bigfoot Storyteller, will keep you intrigued, hanging onto the edge of your seat, or wishing you could travel up north and see what all the excitement’s about for yourself. Come read about a young man who finally gets his wish to visit one of the world’s wildest places, where he quickly realizes that maybe his parents were right after all—then read about the strange case where a Sasquatch discovers a rare fossilized dinosaur skeleton—and then, if you dare, read about a woman who stops for a break on a remote Canadian backroad and ends up taking something home with her that she really doesn’t want—and there’s the Sasquatch that ends up saving peoples’ lives by stealing all their food in the dead of winter—and a Sasquatch that brings a couple together through its death—one who decides it wants to be in a painting—another who likes the taste of loons—and a man who discovers a secret Bigfoot food source—all these and more great campfire tales are guaranteed to make you happy you’re safe and sound in your house instead of listening to a Sasquatch screaming in the darkness from inside your thin nylon tent, deep in the Canadian wilds. Or, if you’re truly the adventurous type, maybe you’ll want to buy a thin nylon tent and head to British Columbia or Alberta. Fly-fishing guide Rusty Wilson spent years collecting these stories from his clients around the campfire, stories guaranteed to scare the pants off you—or make you want to meet the Big Guy! “I suspect that Canada has more wild things than we could imagine in our wildest dreams. If you take a look at a map, you’ll see just how immense and rugged many parts of this country are, especially those regions in the north and around the Canadian Rockies and Coastal Mountains. I’m sure there are things out there we could only imagine, one of them being Bigfoot—or Sasquatch, as our northern friends call him.” —Rusty Wilson
Stronghold Builder's Guidebook
Matt Forbeck - 2002
This book is stocked with everything needed to design any fortified structure imaginable, including: Over 150 new magic items . More than two dozen magical augmentations for stronghold walls. Rules for magic portals, mobile strongholds, and trap creation. Five complete strongholds, including maps, ready for immediate use. Players and Dungeon Masters who want to create customized strongholds will find all the construction materials they need within these pages. To use this accessory, a player or Dungeon Master also needs the "Player's Handbook."
The Redemption of Desmeres - Episode 1
Joseph R. Lallo - 2015