To professional players, it is the hardest part in practice, as well; in championship games that last two days, for instance, the first day is usually spent playing and thinking about the first 50 moves, and the second day is spent finishing all the rest. Such is the consistency of professional play in the middle game and endgame that if a player comes out of the opening with a bad position, it is almost impossible for him to catch up. Amateurs sometimes rush through their initial moves, saving their powers for the fighting later, but this is more an indication that they do not understand the opening than a sign of talent. The number of possibilities in any opening position is so vast that a player must rely on his feeling for the game rather than on rigorous analysis for guidance. Here he has the greatest chance to use his imagination, play creatively, and develop a personal style. This is the one phase of go that has shown any significant evolution during the past few centuries, and it still defies absolute comprehension. No book can develop a person's imagination or personal style, and this one does not make the attempt. In a sense, therefore, it is very incomplete: the reader will not find a prescription for every situation and in actual play he will have to make his own choices most of the time. What we have tried to give him is a basis to start from: some sound moves, some useful ideas, some good examples. If we have succeeded, the following pages will help him to increase both his skill at and enjoyment of the game.

    

    Delve into incisive lore to discover how the economic decline of the United States created a crippling dependence on devious corporations and birthed the Free State of California. Explore the various districts, gangs, and history of Night City. Learn all there is to know about the technology of tomorrow and research the cybernetics, weapons, and vehicles of Cyberpunk 2077.Dark Horse Books and CD Projekt Red present The World of Cyberpunk 2077--an extensive examination of the rich lore of Cyberpunk 2077. This intricately assembled tome contains everything you need to know about the history, characters, and world of the long-awaited follow-up from the creators of The Witcher video game series.

    Brilliant burglars and easygoing farmers. Now The Complete Book of Gnomes and Halflings reveals the secrets of these two popular races - their culture, beliefs, and subraces (including two new subraces), as well as twenty-eight new character kits, from the gnome Goblinsticker to the halfling Forestwalker. If you enjoy playing gnome or halfling characters, or if you're a DM interested in creating an all-gnome or all-halfling campaign, this is the book for you!

    The well-stocked pages of this book hold an impressive inventory of merchandise to get you into and out of all manner of trouble, including:A caravanload of equipment, trade goods, alchemical items, poisons, mounts, and vehicles. Over 230 magic weapons and armors, such as the flameshroud axe, lance of the unending charge, and vampire hunter armor. Over 125 magic items, including new artifacts, such as elixir armor, rings of the hive mind, the ghost rod, and the bag of endless caltrops. Rules for vehicle combat on land, sea, and air. Within these pages, players and Dungeon Masters will find what they need to outfit their characters for nearly every contingency.To use this accessory, a Dungeon Master also needs the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide. A player needs only the Player's Handbook.

    Find out about the fast and furious growth and evolution of video games (including how they are quickly taking over the world!) by looking at some of the most popular, innovative, and influential games ever, from Pong, the very first arcade game ever, to modern hits like Uncharted.Learn about the creators and inspiration (Mario was named after Nintendo's landlord after he barged into a staff meeting demanding rent), discover historical trivia and Easter eggs (The developers of Halo 2 drank over 24,000 gallons of soda while making the game), and explore the innovations that make each game special (The ghosts in Pac-Man are the first example of AI in a video game).Whether you consider yourself a hard-core gamer or are just curious to see what everyone is talking about, Game On! is the book for you!

    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."

    Baseball Prospectus 2010 brings together an elite group of analysts to provide the definitive look at the upcoming season in critical essays and commentary on the thirty teams, their managers, and more than sixty players and prospects from each team.Contains critical essays on each of the thirty teams and player comments for some sixty players for each of those teamsProjects each players stats for the coming season using the groundbreaking PECOTA projection system, which has been called "perhaps the game's most accurate projection model" (Sports Illustrated)From Baseball Prospectus, America's leading provider of statistical analysis for baseballNow in its fifteenth edition, this New York Times bestselling insider's guide remains hands down the most authoritative and entertaining book of its kind.

    Whether one wants to explore ancient Maya ruins, zip through rainforest canopies, or search out the best surf breaks, this seventh edition is the key to adventure in Central America.

    These new casual games are now played by men and women, young and old. Players need not possess an intimate knowledge of video game history or devote weeks or months to play. At the same time, many players of casual games show a dedication and skill that is anything but casual. In "A Casual Revolution," Jesper Juul describes this as a reinvention of video games, and of our image of video game players, and explores what this tells us about the players, the games, and their interaction. With this reinvention of video games, the game industry reconnects with a general audience. Many of today's casual game players once enjoyed " Pac-Man, Tetris," and other early games, only to drop out when video games became more time-consuming and complex. Juul shows that it is only by understanding what a game requires of players, what players bring to a game, how the game industry works, and how video games have developed historically that we can understand what makes video games fun and why we choose to play (or not to play) them.

     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.

    In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games. Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like play, design, and interactivity. They look at games through a series of eighteen game design schemas, or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance.Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.

    Incredible powers also await existing characters, with more than a hundred new archetypes and class options. Prepare characters for their most legendary adventure ever with massive selections of never-before-seen spells, magic items, and more!The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Class Guide is a must-have companion volume to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 15 years of system development and an open playtest featuring more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Class Guide includes:- Ten new base classes—the magic-twisting arcanist, the ferocious bloodrager, the cunning investigator, the daring swashbuckler, the formidable warpriest, and others.- Variant class abilities and thematic archetypes for all 29 base classes, such as the counterfeit mage and the mutagenic mauler.- Nearly a hundred new feats for characters of all classes, including style feats, teamwork feats like Coordinated Shot, and more.- Hundreds of new spells and magic items, such as feast on fear and skullcrusher gauntlets.- An entire armory of amazing equipment, from vital new adventuring gear to deadly alchemical weapons.... and much, much more!Cover art by Wayne Reynolds

    It shows readers how to make their own great beer that is virtually identical to popular European brands, and provides all of the information needed to successfully emulate the world's best commercial brews for a fraction of the cost. This book is a must-have for both beginners and experienced brewers looking for great new recipes. It begins with an overview of the brewing process, covering the ingredients needed for brewing, essential equipment, basic concepts, techniques and brewing aids. With complete instructions for first-time brewers, readers will get to know their Fuggles from their Bullions and be "sparging the wort" in no time at all. The 107 detailed recipes provided here include teal draught ale, bottled and keg beers, lagers, and stouts. Full instructions are provided for recreating the flavor and quality of the world's great beers—at a fraction of their price. The recipes are based on information provided by commercial brewers who produce some of the most famous beers: Youngers Tartan, Carling Black Label, Carlsberg Special Brew, Guiness, Stella Artois, Lowenbrau, Grolsch, Whitbread Best, Newcastle Amber and Brown Ales and Mackeson. The book has been revised to take account of modern equipment and homebrewing techniques, with recipes adapted for contemporary ingredients and tastes. Brewing British-Style Beers tells readers everything they need to know to economically produce beers of commercial quality, giving them the opportunity to enjoy their favorite beers at an affordable price.

    Player's Option Rulebooks present an alternative approach to AD&D characters. Custom-craft your next PC, selecting the profession, skills, and abilities you want! Characters can even have additional ability scores such as Stamina, Muscle, Balance, and others. New proficiencies, talents, and updated psionics round out the Player's Option character. Be ready for anything with Skills & Powers!