Each of them must seek to discover the treasures of a fallen empire and master long-forgotten but incredibly powerful magical lore. Each player takes on the role of a wizard from one of ten schools of magic, and builds his band of followers. While the wizard's apprentice will usually accompany his master, more than a dozen other henchmen types are available for hire, from lowly thugs to heavily armored knights and stealthy assassins. Wizards can build their magical knowledge by unlocking ancient secrets, with the potential to learn up to 80 spells in total. As players gain power and wealth, they can develop their headquarters on the outskirts of the city, turning one of a dozen different basic locations into bastions of their art, equipping them with alchemical laboratories, mystical forges, astronomical telescopes and other magical resources. While individual games of Frostgrave are quick and can easily be played in an hour or two, it is by connecting these games into an ongoing campaign, that players will find the most enjoyment. The scenarios given in the book are merely the beginning of the limitless, thrilling adventures that can be found amidst the ruins of the lost city.

    - Business is Fun, the book that goes behind the company that was synonymous with the popularization of 'video games.'Nearly 8 years in the making, Atari Inc. - Business is Fun is comprised of thousands of researched documents, hundreds of interviews, and access to materials never before available.An amazing 800 pages (including nearly 300 pages of rare, never before seen photos, memos and court documents), this book details Atari's genesis from an idea between an engineer and a visionary in 1969 to a nearly $2 billion dollar juggernaut, and ending with a $538 million death spiral during 1984. A testament to the people that worked at this beloved company, the book is full of their personal stories and insights. Learn about topics like:* All the behind the scenes stories surrounding the creation of the company's now iconic games and products.* The amazing story of Atari's very own "Xerox PARC" research facility up in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains* The full recounting of Steve Jobs's time at Atari, with comments from the people he worked with on projects and the detailed story of the creation of Atari Breakout, including input by Steve Wozniak on his development of the prototype, and how it couldn't be used and another Atari engineer would have to make the final production Breakout arcade game instead.* The creation of "Rick Rats Big Cheese Restaurants" which later became "Chuck E. Cheese's"* How Atari Inc. faltered and took down an entire industry with it before being put on the chopping block.If you've ever wanted to learn about the truth behind the creation of this iconic company told directly by the people who made FUN for a living, then this is the book for you!

    Clay Steward's gripping journey takes him to a small town in the pacific Northwest where he follows in the tracks of best-selling author Alan Wake and renegade FBI Agent Robert Nightingale. There he travels ever deeper in the woods and ever farther into the heart of darkness to unravel a series of mysterious events that reach hundreds of years into the past and chillingly into the present.

    Six deadly FOXHOUND renegades control a nuclear disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island in the icy Aleutians. If their demands are not met, a powerful, top-secret weapon will be unleashed upon the world. The solo mission is to breach the heavily fortified base, rescue hostages, and destroy the superweapon. His only obstacles are brainwashed commandos, DNA-enhanced troops, and six extraordinarily able assassins. But nothing is as it seems - secrets, a hidden agenda, and revelation to Snake of secrets from his dark past that would shake any man to his core.

    

    This book not only examines content creation and the concepts behind development, but it also give readers a background on the evolution of game development and how it has become what it is today. GAME DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS also includes chapters on project management, development team roles and responsibilities, development cycle, marketing, maintenance, and the future of game development. With the same engaging writing style and examples that made the first two editions so popular, this new edition features all the latest games and game technology. Coverage of new game-related technology, development techniques, and the latest research in the field make this an invaluable resource for anyone entering the exciting, competitive, ever-changing world of game development.

    Zombies from the zombies' point of view! The Art of Plants vs. Zombies is part zombie memoir, part celebration of zombie triumphs, and part anti-plant screed, as well as a treasure trove of rare concept art, sketches, and more covering Plants vs. Zombies, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Plants vs. Zombies Adventures, and Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare. It's a must-have for any fan and an insider's view of zombies with some Wall-nutty surprises and never-before-seen awesome art. Even Crazy Dave wants a copy - if only to learn more about his fun-dead foes!

    Brownstone books 19 - 22 (The BBQ years)(including Road Trip: BBQ and a Brawl, BBQ Delivered with Attitude, BBQ With a Side of No Apologies, BBQ and STFU)Road Trip: BBQ and a Brawl:Barbecue is life. Everything else is just details...AGAIN!Things are going a little too well for Brownstone as he sticks around the house, and Shay is getting agitated. Can a bounty hunter be happy when he has nothing to do?James goes on a road trip expecting to just eat some barbeque. Unfortunately, trouble is waiting when he arrives. The bounty hunter likes to keep things simple, but those who are working to beat up the Oriceran BBQ pitmaster's new place didn't account for him arriving.Will those attacking give up? Is stupid contagious?Instead of a simple BBQ road trip, now he is embroiled in helping a fellow BBQ lover he followed on TV as he helps bring the BROWNSTONE BEAT DOWN.BBQ Delivered with Attitude:Can't a man just enjoy a bit of BBQ without getting into a fight?Apparently not.One day, James comes home and finds his pregnant wife with drawn gun, a ready knife, and an unknown assailant in their living room. The problem is, the person in the living room is hoping the Granite Ghost will help her retrieve some valuable cargo that has gotten...lost.Now, James has to decide if he will allow an annoying female to persuade him to go on another road trip. Even if the road trip takes him to Texas, a state known for its brisket.Will those who want the artifacts find out he is involved?Fortunately, there are a lot of BBQ places between Los Angeles and Texas. It just so happens Brownstone gets a chance to stop at a few.BBQ With a Side of No Apologies:It’s hard to live a quiet life when you’ve left a trail of beatdowns and men in walls, but sometimes that’s the only way to achieve peace.James isn’t happy when the head of a Mafia family comes into his restaurant and demands his help. The reputation of James Brownstone is supposed to keep peace in the L.A. underworld, but a few new arrivals didn’t get the memo.Sometimes you don’t preserve the peace by preparing for war. You go straight to war.All James’ local trouble might be annoying, but there’s a shining light in the distance: a respected filmmaker wants to film a barbecue documentary with James at the center.A documentary BBQ road trip up the West Coast is just what James needs to relax, but the filmmaker seems more interested in capturing him beating down magical criminals than his thoughts on brisket.At the same time, dark forces from beyond Earth are on the move, and they don’t care about barbecue.James thought he had settled certain problems at the Battle of L.A., but sometimes a personal demonstration is necessary for someone to learn their lesson.BBQ and STFU:There is one thing you do not do… go after Brownstone’s family.Powerful entities on Oriceran listen to prophecy and fear a threat to their home world.That isn’t the only threat they should worry about.Whispy Doom is forever trying to get James to upgrade, perhaps for the last time?What will happen when beings who believe themselves to be invincible do the unthinkable?Now, there are Brownstones on two worlds, and one young son growing up.And amongst it all, you have Shay Brownstone as well. There

    

    Just over 350,000 words) Outbreak Ruin Infested The Ark Noah’s Story Red’s Story Betty and Lennie’s Story Doctor Lazaro’s Story Echo’s Story Coco’s Story The Black Spores False Hope The Pods The Long Road No Turning Back A Friend in Need All Aboard New Hope Keep Running and The Seven Seeds of the Gods – Ancient Egypt Mankind is no longer at the top of the food chain. THE SIXTH EXTINCTION (Books 1 to 4) The Sixth Extinction is an apocalyptic tale about a pandemic that sweeps the globe, decimating the human race, leaving humanity struggling to survive. Within three weeks everything has changed. Social structure has collapsed. The police are non-existent, and the army concentrates on the cities. Gangs of yobs rule the streets. It becomes everyone for themselves. The story follows three main characters, Noah, Red and Doctor Melanie Lazaro, as well as Betty and her simpleminded grandson, and a Squad of military personnel. It follows all their journeys of self-discovery through the changing world. Noah Morgan is just an average twenty-one-year-old. He has no aspirations in life, no girlfriend, few friends, and a dead-end job. Red is a nineteen-year-old female runaway, with a sad past and a disturbing secret. Together they leave behind everything they have ever known, looking for a safe haven. Betty and her grandson Lennie are just trying to stay alive, and find somewhere safe to hide while they try to make sense of all the madness around them. The Squad is a small group of military personnel who are trying to get back to the safety of their large base – a base that holds a secret. Doctor Melanie Lazaro is working around the clock, under military supervision, in Exeter University’s Biomedical Sciences Department, trying to create a cure for the new pandemic that is turning humans back to their primordial roots, creating mindless killing machines with only one purpose − to eat. The four-part series is a fast-paced story, all set within a twenty-four-hour time frame. THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: THE FIRST THREE WEEKS (Books 1 to 4) The four part series is a prelude to The Sixth Extinction series. We get to see what happened within the first three weeks of the outbreak from the point of view of the five main characters, set out in four new books. THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: THE SQUADS FIRST THREE WEEKS (Books 1 and 2) The Sixth Extinction continues with two short prelude stories about the main military characters. We get to follow Echo and Coco as they find themselves thrown into the pandemic that is sweeping the globe. THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: AMERICA (Books 1 to 9) We cross the ocean to America to see how they are coping with the infection on the other side of the world. The Story follows a group of fourteen strangers, who lived in an apartment building in the Fordham Heights area of New York City; they decide to band together, seeking shelter in a shipping container, on the back of a truck heading towards Pennsylvania. Along the way they run into other groups who will do anything to survive. There is a group of military misfits who run a small town that forces other survivors into slavery.

     Catch up with old characters and meet new ones in the sixth volume in the Scattered and the Dead series, the penultimate entry. War rages across the empty world. Those who follow Father, the Crusaders, creep through the woods to fight the Raiders from the Sovereign Cities. Bloody battles separate limbs and torsos, heads and necks. It's a struggle for control over resources and territory, but the shape of the future hangs in the balance as well. Meanwhile, a year has passed for Izzy and Erin, and their world keeps shifting into a meaner one. Harsh and violent and hateful. A trip to the market morphs into a horrifying affair. Pits them face to face with thieves, murderers, and slavers. Shoves them into a life and death conflict. After all this time, the apocalypse still holds many secrets. How did this happen? And why? Catch glimpses of the darkest visions yet. Vivid and grim. Are the people we know really who they seem? Does the future hold any hope at all? BOOK 2.6 picks up where BOOK 2.5 left off, so grab it now and get caught up in the apocalypse. Praise for The Scattered and The Dead series: "Comparable to The Stand... I don't say this lightly. This book is amazing." - Rain "It is a heart pounding, nightmare inducing read that is also sad and nostalgic, poignant and even endearing." - Queen_of_Chaos "Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus have written yet another spectacular and vivid story." - Heather Di "Best book in this genre I've EVER read!" - Krycek "I loved the characters and their stories, can't wait to see who makes it to the end. Very entertaining!" - Dina "Man, got sucked in from page 1. Very well written, hard/impossible to put down. Love being immersed in this world with relatable dialogue and story to boot. 10 out of 10 would read again." - Paul King "Dark and fast paced, with vivid imagery." - Michael J "The best zombie series you will ever read! Love King, Cronin, or Koontz? The Scattered and the Dead is for you." - Kurt Robair Recommended reading order of The Scattered and The Dead series: The Scattered and the Dead (Book 0.5) The Scattered and the Dead (Book 1) The Scattered and the Dead (Book 1.5) The Scattered and the Dead (Book 2.0) The Scattered and the Dead (Book 2.5) The Scattered and the Dead (Book 2.6)

    

    Red Sox. Lakers vs. Celtics. And now . . . Team 3D vs. CompLexity. That would be America’s next celebrated rivalry if the men in Game Boys had their way. 3D and CompLexity are two of the top professional “e-sports” teams in the U.S. Their battle for dominance, as juicy as any feud in “real” sports, leads the action in Michael Kane’s engaging and lively chronicle of the lifestyle and business of gaming. We’ve come a long way since Pac-Man. Today’s games are more elaborate, popular, and addictive than ever. For the elite players, gaming is a full-fledged career that pays big money in prizes and corporate sponsorships. Gamers win, lose, strategize, fight, sign with rival teams, get berated by sideline-pacing coaches. Some use performance-enhancing drugs. And now they’re going on TV. Are they really the “athletes” of tomorrow? They act like they are. Game Boys is a pioneering narrative of the rivalries, quirks, and dramas of a subculture on the cusp of big things. At its most personal, it’s a classic sports tale of victory and defeat, punched up for the millennial generation. It’s also an engrossing business-meets-popculture narrative that reveals the entrepreneurial ingenuity involved in bringing gaming onto broadcast TV, in the vein of the X-Games or televised poker. Game Boys is an engrossing read for technophiles, gamers, parents, and anyone interested in the business of sports and trends in pop culture.

    Often, a photographer will spend long days capturing photos only to return with a set of images that he or she is not completely satisfied with. Sure, the lighting and exposure may have turned out great, but the overall composition of the photos leaves something to be desired. In short, they lack that “wow” factor that they see in other photographers’ shots.Composition is the foundation in which great photography is built upon. A photo may be properly lit and contain good subject matter, but if it is doesn’t have good composition it will never be considered more than an amateur shot. How can you overcome this? We’ll teach you in this book. Finally, a Book on the Art of Photography that Teaches Tips and Tricks for Creative Composition! Our intention with this book is to teach you the tips and tricks professionals use to craft a great image design and learn how to incorporate these into composition that will lay the foundation for you to create amazing photos. Once you master the art of photography composition, you’ll know exactly what elements it takes to compose a great shot before you even touch the shutter button! As a result, it will free you up to concentrate on the other ingredients that go into making a beautiful photograph.Digital photography composition techniques you'll learn include: - How to develop the ability to see and shoot great digital photographs- Multiple ways in which to compose the best shot, regardless of subject matter- What the rule of thirds is and how to use it to your advantage- Where to place dominant vertical or horizontal subjects within the frame for maximum results- How to effectively use symmetry in photography- Understanding balance and visual weight within a photo- How to use lines in photography- How each type of line (horizontal, vertical, diagonal and curved) can be used to evoke a specific feeling within the viewer- How to instantly make a boring composition more dynamic- Ways in which to use different camera angles to add interest to a photo- How to master Out of Focus Foreground Framing, a signature style of many professional photographers- Unique ways to composing better backgrounds in any situation- How less can actually be more in photography- and much more!If you own a camera you owe it to yourself to learn how to master the art of composition in photography. The lessons taught in this book will provide you with knowledge you can use or the rest of your life as a photographer. Throughout this book you’ll find multiple examples of great photography composition that you can use for inspiration for your own shots. Secure your copy of this book and start your journey to better photography today!

    The first in a four volume series, this book has more interesting tidbits than a hundred pop up videos. Learn about the colorful history of TSR and the wave of D&D inspired games (and gaming companies) to follow, and dip your toes into wargaming trivia. Whether you’re a long-time gamer who greets each mention of a ’70s title with “I remember that!” or a new-to-the-hobby sort who wants to know how we got here in the first place, Shannon Appelcline’s meticulously researched history won’t disappoint.