Science fiction. Role-playing games. People around the globe turn away from the "real" world to inhabit others. Movie fan-freaks design costumes and collect "Lord of the Rings "action figures. Some attend comic book conventions and Renaissance fairs, others play live-action role-playing games (LARPs). The online game World of Warcraft (WoW) has lured twelve million users worldwide. Even old-school role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) are still wildly popular. What could one man find if he embarked on a journey through fantasy world after fantasy world? In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, forty- year-old former D&D addict Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds--from Boston to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar. On a quest that begins in his own geeky teenage past and ends in our online gaming future, he asks gaming and fantasy geeks how they balance their escapist urges with the kingdom of adulthood. He speaks to grown men who build hobbit holes, and to grown women who play massively multiplayer online games. He seeks out those who dream of elves, long swords, and heroic deeds, and mentally inhabit faraway magical lands. What lures them--old, young, male, female, able-bodied, and disabled--into fantasy worlds, and for what reasons, whether healthy, unhealthy, or in between? Our noble hero battles online goblins, trolls, and sorcerers for weeks on end. He travels to pilgrimage sites: Tolkien's hometown, movie locations, and castles. He hangs out with Harry Potter tribute bands. He LARPs. He goes to fan conventions and gaming tournaments. He camps with medieval re-enactors--12,000 of them. He becomes Ethor, Ethorian, and Ethor-An3. He sews his own tunic. He even plays D&D. What he discovers is funny, poignant, and enlightening.

    DestinyQuest: The Legion of Shadow uses an innovative map system to allow readers to experience exciting quests, battle fearsome monsters and discover valuable rewards.

    Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: The game has had a profound influence on our culture. Released in 1974—decades before the Internet and social media—Dungeons & Dragons is one of the original ultimate nerd subcultures, and is still revered by more than thirty million fans. Now, the authoritative history and magic of the game is revealed by an award-winning journalist and life-long dungeon master.From its origins on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, and to its apotheosis as father of the modern video game industry, Of Dice and Men recounts the development of a game played by some of the most fascinating people in the world. Chronicling the surprising history of D&D’s origins (one largely unknown even to hardcore players) while examining the game’s profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences. An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America’s most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment.

    Maybe you and your girlfriend figured you could scare your wife into a divorce, but things went pear-shaped and now a gang of cranked-up Mexicans with latex gloves and a pit bull are looking for you.It seemed like such a good idea at the time.Fiasco is inspired by cinematic tales of small time capers gone disastrously wrong - inspired by films like Blood Simple, Fargo, The Way of the Gun, Burn After Reading, and A Simple Plan. You'll play ordinary people with powerful ambition and poor impulse control. There will be big dreams and flawed execution. It won't go well for them, to put it mildly, and in the end it will probably all go south in a glorious heap of jealousy, murder, and recrimination. Lives and reputations will be lost, painful wisdom will be gained, and if you are really lucky, your guy just might end up back where he started.Fiasco is a GM-less game for 3-5 players, designed to be played in a few hours with six-sided dice and no preparation. During a game you will engineer and play out stupid, disastrous situations, usually at the intersection of greed, fear, and lust. It's like making your own Coen brothers movie, in about the same amount of time it'd take to watch one.

    Although not a game supplement, it serves as a handy reference guide for players and Dungeon Masters seeking information on specific historical events. In addition, the book features an exclusive Forgotten Realms short story by best-selling author R.A. Salvatore and new revelations for Realmslore aficionados.

    Maybe you’re looking for the ideal pickup roleplaying game. Or you’re a first-time gamer looking to try something new without investing hours of your time. Regardless, Fate Accelerated Edition will bring something special to your table.Fate Accelerated, or FAE, is a condensed version of the popular Fate Core roleplaying game that brings all the flexibility and power of Fate in a shorter format. Inside, you’ll find a method for making fast, fun characters and simple systems to support whatever story you can dream up on the fly. With FAE, you can be playing in minutes.3… 2… 1… GAME ON!

    We buy shelves of thick books. We plan detailed adventures. We memorise rules.In Play Unsafe, Graham Walmsley explores what happens when you throw the serious stuff away: when you stop working, stop planning and start playing.This book explains how to make roleplaying less like work and more like play; stop killing other players' ideas and build on them instead; and put stories at the heart of your game.

    In addition to 25 new regional feats as well as new prestige classes, spells, monsters, and magic items, there is also background content on 60 cities and sites of interest, including extensive story content gathered from a multitude of Forgotten Realms products and articles.To help both players and dungeon masters use the book without players stumbling onto things they shouldn't, additional material for running a campaign is isolated in a single section of the book and includes adventure hooks.To use this accessory, you also need the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual.

    Sure to be popular with both Dungeonmasters and players, this supplement to the D&D(R) game provides descriptions for a vast array of new creatures. Each monster is illustrated and utilizies a new statblock format that facilitates faster gameplay. In addition, each monster gets more pages than used in previous supplements to detail sample encounters and pregenerated treasure hordes. Also included are details on how to incorporate creatures in a Forgotten Realms(R) or Eberron(R) campaign. This product is tied to 2006's Year of the Dragon theme, which will be the target of marketing from RPGs, novels, and miniatures brands.

    The scattered goblin tribes of Varisia are unifying in ways no one has ever seen before. At the heart of this strange evolution is an ancient force of evil looking to establish itself anew in the world of Golarion!Paizo's award-winning fantasy world, fiction line, and tabletop RPG is now the ultimate fantasy comic! With an action-packed story written by Jim Zub (Street Fighter Legends, Skullkickers) and incredibly detailed artwork by newcomer Andrew Huerta, this first volume introduces readers to a richly envisioned fantasy world filled with compelling characters and impressive sights.This collection features:- Issues 1-6 of the hit series by Jim Zub and Andrew Huerta- The exclusive, never-before printed tale, "The Last Mosswood Goblin," by Jim Zub and Ivan Anaya- All 31 beautiful covers by Matteo Scalera, Lucio Parrillo, Erik Jones, Tyler Walpole & Dave Dorman- An introduction by Paizo Publisher Erik Mona- 42 pages of encounters, characters, and world detail for the Pathfinder RPG- An all-new, removable poster-map of the region explored in the comicAnd more!

    You spend hours setting up the perfect encounter, your players are out for blood, the swords are drawn—and then you realize that you've forgotten to build statistics for the enemy characters. Or perhaps your players go left when you expect them to go right, leaving you without any encounters prepared.Such problems are a thing of the past with the NPC Codex. Inside this tome, you'll find hundreds of ready-made stat blocks for nonplayer characters of every level, from a lowly forest poacher to the most majestic knight or ancient spellcaster. Whether you're planning out future adventures or throwing together encounters right at the table, this book does the work so you can focus on playing the game.Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex is a must-have companion volume to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. This imaginative tabletop game builds on more than 10 years of system development and open playtests 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.The 320-page Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex includes:- Statistics for more than 300 characters, including at least one for every level of every class in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.- Tactical suggestions for every character, ensuring that you get the most out of each individual's gear and abilities in a fight.- Tons of flavorful names and backgrounds to give characters personality, plus ideas for using them in both combat and roleplaying situations.- Statistics for characters with lower-powered NPC classes to help populate your world with ordinary people, as well as characters with specialized prestige classes.- Animal companion statistics for druids and rangers, from level 1 through level 20.- Multiple versions of each Pathfinder iconic character, perfect for pregenerated player characters.- Encounter groups for conveniently crafting battles on the fly.... and much, much more!Cover art by Wayne Reynolds

    Stations and plot seeds are provided for each of the inner worlds and the factions that occupy them. Background and information on the Planetary Consortium, the most powerful political and economic force in the solar system, is also provided.

    While struggling to control her new power and curb the pain she learns a powerful truth that could thrust an entire continent into civil war.The stones of power protect the five kingdoms of Wayland - and have done so for two hundred years. Now those stones are failing and a dark power threatens to take control. With the help of her brother, and a young thief, Shaeleen sets out on a dangerous journey to gather and restore the power of all the stones.Will she succeed before the endless lies destroy her? Readers of YA fantasy, unique magic, mighty wizards, reluctant heroes, coming of age, and sword and sorcery will thoroughly enjoy the TruthSeer Archives!

    In their place, an iron-fisted empire has arisen, one that has finally brought order to the war-torn lands. An empire that has outlawed magick for anyone but itself.At last, it seems that peace has come to Emaneska. Or, that is what the emperor would have Emaneska believe. On the fringes of the Arkan Empire, a different story is being written. Those who show magick talent must join the empire, live as an outlaw, or hang for their crimes.The Last War is still being fought, homestead by homestead, and a young peasant girl is about to be thrust into the violent world that exists beneath the lies of empire.Welcome back to Emaneska.

    Contains all three books in the epic fantasy series. The Gods and Kings Chronicles box set includes: A Wizard's Dark Dominion The Guardian The Guardian Stone When Demetry, a promising young wizard at Taper Academy, discovers a fire-damaged book hidden in the headmaster’s study, he can hardly believe his luck. The book contains the original teachings of the gods, spells and enchantments that grant men the power to manipulate the elements and bring life to the inanimate. Ignorant of the consequences, Demetry delves into the book’s dark arts. But when he fails to control the book’s most treacherous spell, it sets off a deadly chain of events that leads to war, the fall of kingdoms, and the reemergence of gods long thought dead. What Reviewers are saying: "It's dark, intense, and character-driven. The setting is full-to-bursting with palpable magic and struggle. And if I say much else, I think I'll be giving far too much away. Like most good books, it's best discovered for yourself." "A dark take on the old sword and sorcery genre that is refreshing and doesn't irk you with tired clichés. Read it now!" "Can't wait to see what's next. Worth the price of admission and then some."