Board, table top and strategy games Books

Book SynopsisA Real Simple gift guide pick for 2017A fun board game based on the best-selling Listography journal series:Listography: The Game invites players to create and share lists based on fun and thought-provoking topics - from geography and pop culture to toothpaste and constellations! With the goal of being the first around the game board, players score points according to the number of similar or unique answers. Every round in the game results in creative thinking, surprise outcomes, and lots of laughs. May the best list win! • Small and compact for travel and to take to dinner parties• Game makes a fun and unique housewarming gift• Lisa Nola is the creator of the Listography book series and the popular list-making website, listography.com. With over one million copies sold, her books inspire creative auto-biography and reinvention through list-makingListography: The Game will appeal to list-

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Book SynopsisA dynamic two-player card game of competitive area control, careful planning, and very hungry bears.Every summer, dozens of ravenous brown bears descend upon the majestic Brooks River in the Katmai region of Alaska. Here they gorge themselves on its summer bounty of salmon that swim up the beautiful, glacial-fed rivers of the Alaskan wilderness.In Katmai, you will be playing bears to advantageous fishing spots along Brooks River in order to gain dominance, satisfy challenges and catch delicious salmon. As the fishing spots fill up, you will need to choose your bears carefully, triggering unique abilities that will allow you to take advantage of situations and outwit your hungry opponent. Katmai weaves together simple mechanics with rich decision making to create an experience that is contemplative, competitive, and tense. Winter approaches and the wilderness is yours. It''s time to feast!Players: 2Ages: 14+Playing

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Book SynopsisTake your first steps towards mastering the world''s greatest game - and understand tactics, improve your game and outwit your opponents! From the history of chess and the aim of the game to essential tactics and taking your skills even further in clubs, tournaments, and championships, Chess for Beginners covers it all.Before explaining techniques, this chess guide gives you the lowdown on each piece to boost your understanding of its value, power and importance. Then different chessboard graphics illustrate different scenarios, so you can visualise different moves and their potential outcomes and learn the best move to make in any given situation to get to endgame and checkmate.This ultimate chess book for children offers: - Content written by International Master and chess tutor Michael Basman, founder of the UK Chess - - Challenge - the world''s largest children''s chess tournament.- A guide suitable for beginners and child

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Book SynopsisThis family-friendly game is packed with ocean creatures for hours of bingo fun. Includes such favourites as the emperor penguin, sea otter, killer whale and Pacific seahorse as well as lesser known sea inhabitants like the yellow-bellied sea snake and the bioluminescent octopus. Boasting 64 weird, wonderful and beautiful species, Ocean Bingo is filled with fun facts and glorious illustrations that are guaranteed to delight aquatic afficionados. Mark each species off on your card as it’s called and be the first to shout BINGO!

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Book SynopsisPlay bingo with a huge Giganotosaurus, an armour-plated Stegosaurus and many other fearsome dinosaurs in this fun and engaging take on the classic game. Easy to play and full of weird and wonderful creatures, Dinosaur Bingo will engage and delight children for hours. It can be played with three to eight people, making it the perfect game for dino-mad children and their families. Dinosaur Bingo contains 48 illustrated dino chips and a cardboard dino head to store them in, a game board, eight double-sided bingo cards and Jurassic counters for you to mark up your card.

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Book SynopsisThe abstract game of Qwirkle consists of 108 wooden blocks with six different shapes in six different colours. There is no board, players simply use an available flat surface. Players begin the game with six blocks. The start player places blocks of a single matching attribute (colour or shape but not both) on the table. Thereafter, a player adds blocks adjacent to at least one previously played block. The blocks must all be played in a line and match, without duplicates, either the colour or shape of the previous block. Players score one point for each block played plus all blocks adjacent. It is possible for a block to score in more than one direction. If a player completes a line containing all six shapes or colours, an additional six points are scored. The player then refills his hand to six blocks. The game ends when the draw bag is depleted and one player plays all of his remaining blocks, earning a six point bonus. The player with the high score wins.

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Book SynopsisThe classic chess reference book – as seen in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit. This text is a comprehensive guide to opening moves in the game of chess. Covering every standard line of play, it provides the essence of contemporary opening theory, and is indispensable to both club and tournament players. The standard reference work on chess openings for more than half a century, earning the epithet 'the chess player's bible', Batsford's Modern Chess Openings is the most comprehensive single-volume work on the openings. Covering every standard line of play, it provides the distilled essence of contemporary opening theory. This edition is an indispensable reference work for club and tournament players. International Grandmaster Nick de Firmian is a three-times US Champion and an expert on opening theory. He helped develop computer Deeper Blue's opening repertoire in its match victory over arch-theoretician Gary Kasparov.

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Book SynopsisTwo of the most powerful traders in Jaipur compete for the privilege of being invited to the Maharaja's court. The acclaimed two-player card game of hand-management and risk-taking returns in a sleek new edition!

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Book SynopsisEngaging Murder Mystery Game: Dive into the world of crime solving with our immersive murder mystery game. Analyze evidence, follow clues, and use your detective skills to solve the case. Perfect for mystery lovers and aspiring detectives.Unsolved Murder Case File: Experience the thrill of solving an unsolved murder case. Our game provides a realistic case file filled with various types of evidence, from witness statements to maps, adding depth and authenticity to your detective experience.Stimulating Detective Game: Challenge your cognitive abilities with our detective game. It's not just about finding the murderer, it's about piecing together a complex puzzle, making connections, and thinking outside the box. Ideal for those who enjoy a mental challenge.

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Book SynopsisTravel 2000 years back in time to re-live one of the most influential episodes in Western history: The Last Supper. Players control one of the different clans that inhabit the city, collecting stones, bread, fish and dinars while trying to become the most influential group by sitting their followers closest to Jesus and the apostles. The immersive game and interesting decisions will appeal to a broad audience and become a must-have for the most enthusiastic of gamers.

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Book SynopsisA game of observation and quick reflexes. In Dobble there is always 1 matching icon between any 2 cards. Spot it first and you win! 55 cards, 5 quick party games for 2 to 8 players. Now themed with all your favourite Star Wars characters! Every card is unique and has only one symbol in common with any other in the deck.

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Book SynopsisWHAT IS IT? Stand-alone cooperative role-playing strategy game for the family set in the fantasy realm of Andor. HOW DO YOU PLAY? Choose your character and work with your team of heroes to roll dice, explore unknown regions, and forge new alliances while avoiding - or attacking - countless dangers lurking in the snow.

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Book SynopsisIn this game, the players take on the roles of Bitoku spirits of the forest in their path towards transcendence, with the goal of elevating themselves and becoming the next great spirit of the forest.

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Book SynopsisFAST PACED: a speedy observation game where players put their reflexes to the test as they race to spot the creature.EASY TO LEARN and addictive to play, family fun for all ages.REVERSIBLE PLAYING BOARD: with multiple board combinations and 300 animals to spot, for hours of fun.DISCOVER 300 SEA CREATURES from around the globe.LAURENCE KING PUBLISHING has been capturing imaginations and inspiring creativity in new and unexpected ways for over 30 years, with playful and eye-catching games, gifts and books.300 sea creatures are hiding on this gameboard, can you be the first to spot the barracuda or the whale shark? How about the roosterfish and the vampire squid? Take a chip from the box and see who can find the creatures first!Now in a square box, I Saw it First! Ocean includes a double-sided hexagonal board and 300 counters with charming animal illustrations by Caroline Selmes. Simple to understand and addictive to play, this fun and challenging game will delight adults and children alike.

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Book SynopsisDobble is a game of observation and quick reflexes for all! Featuring some of the most iconic Disney Princesses - Belle, Tiana, Jasmine, and more.

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Book SynopsisThe smash-hit game of speedy observation meets the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe! Featuring fan-favourite characters in expressive emoji-style designs, this fast-paced and travel-friendly game challenges players to spot the single matching image between two cards.

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Book Synopsis"You need this Millennial Loteria for your next game night." -Latina Magazine "Loteria cards got a genius millennial makeover." -The Chicago Tribune OMG, can you even? Millennial Loteria is a hilarious and insightful parody of the classic "Mexican Bingo" game called Loteria, but this time, it's like way more millennial. Born from the viral Instagram account @MillennialLoteria, this game reimagines La Dama as La Feminist, El Catrin as El Hipster, and Las Jaras as La Hashtag. Filled with nostalgia and ironic humor, it's guaranteed to make your next fiesta be lit AF. So grab your bitcoins, get a couple of your fave followers together, and prepare to yell "Yaaaaasssssssssss, Millennial Loteria!" Each set includes: - 46 cards - 10 boards - 80 bitcoin tokens - and a collectible Millennial Loteria pin!Trade Review"You need this Millennial Loteria for your next game night." -Latina Magazine "Millennial Loteria se ha vuelto un icono de la sociedad actual latina y un hit en Instagram" -Cosmopolitan Magazine Mexico "Loteria cards for Millennials exist and they are too perfect." -PopSugar.com "Someone made loteria for millennials and it's for sure gonna sell out fast." -Vivala.com "Perfect for the woke generation." -HipLatina.com "This guy gave Loteria the millennial makeover they deserve" -Huffington Post "All hail Millennial Loteria, the brilliant rendition of the game created by Mike Alfaro." - HelloGiggles.com "Loteria cards got a genius millennial makeover" -The Chicago Tribune "A witty, introspective, and at times, critical version of the game that many Latinos grew up loving." -Remezcla.com

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Book SynopsisThe RAF faces the Luftwaffe in this two-player deckbuilding game of aerial WWII combat.Summer, 1940. The German war machine has rolled across the continent in less than a year, crushing all before it. Britain is all that stands in the way of German victory in Europe. Command the pilots of the battle-tested Luftwaffe, looking to extinguish all resistance and pave the way to invasion, or the resourceful and determined RAF opposing them at every turn.Undaunted: Battle of Britain is a standalone game in the Undaunted series, adapting the core gameplay of the previous games to recreate the dynamic dogfighting of aerial combat. Maintain cohesion between your pilots, evade anti-aircraft artillery, and leverage talented aces to win the battle for the skies!Ages: 14+Players: 2Playing Time: 45-60 minutesContents: 116 cards, 31 large map tiles, 4 dice, 58 tokens, Scenario booklet

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Book SynopsisImprove your RPG campaign with this comprehensive and interactive guide to making the most out of your gaming experience. Whatever RPG game you play, from D&D to Call of Cthulu to licensed games like Star Wars, every detail is important. From setting the scene to choosing the right music or even adjusting the lighting to create the right atmosphere, every choice helps maximize your gaming experience. The Ultimate RPG Gameplay Guide provides practical advice for everything from pre-game preparations and in-game improvisation to working out a plan of attack with your teammates to learning how to lean into the setting of your game. Including instructions, prompts, and activities, it offers everything you need for successful, fun role-playing with your friends every time you play. Create hours of narrative and make the most out of your storytelling skills by setting the perfect scene for your adventure. Whether you need advice on your character or working better with your gaming group, James D’Amato includes everything you’ll need to take your game to the next level.Trade Review“James D’Amato is one of those rare storytellers who can not only make those delightful and unexpected choices that make the table laugh or their eyes go wide, but he has that second, rarer gift. When doing it, he can build upon what’s already been established, weaving a little more and passing the tapestry to someone else to be inspired from.” —Alan Linic, writer for Saturday Night Live and cohost of the tl;dm podcast “Look, I’m gonna level with you: James D’Amato is doing the coolest, most exciting, and original work in tabletop game design right now and provides a truly vast assortment of tools and techniques for you to immediately and profoundly improve the narrative experience of your game. If I were you, I’d be getting this book in my hands as fast as possible!” —Brennan Lee Mulligan, host of CollegeHumor’s Dimension 20 D&D RPG show“I’ve been role-playing for thirty-five years and I’m still learning how to make our sessions more fun and more emotionally resonant by listening to the great One Shot podcast. James has put together a great collection of ideas that’ll appeal to a wide range of players, from newbies to old hands.” —John Rogers, writer and showrunner for Leverage, The Librarians, and Jackie Chan Adventures“This is a book you’ll get hours of helpful enjoyment out of… a required resource.” —Outright Geekery“Buy this book and use it to make your gameplay more entertaining for all audience members.” —Game Vortex“Incredibly useful.” —Game Industry“A great tool.” —The Gaming Buddha“A joy to read.” —Game Industry “A good primer on the ins-and-outs of playing an RPG.” —Venturebeat

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Book SynopsisHelp the animals find their missing bottoms in this silly matching game! Bright and engaging illustrations will entertain young players, while promoting learning through play. Plus, find extra instructions inside for additional fun games to play. Includes 1 game board, 48 tiles, 4 counters, a spinner and an instruction booklet. Encourages concentration and develops matching skills. Perfect for ages 5-8 years.

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Book SynopsisIn this fun kids edition play bingo with a gorgeous blue bird-of-paradise, a three-banded armadillo and even the poisonous automeris moth caterpillar. Discover these and many other fascinating and beautiful jungle creatures in this fun and engaging take on the classic game. Contains 48 illustrated animal chips and a cardboard creature''s head to store them in, a game board, eight double-sided bingo cards and jungle counters for you to mark up your card.

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Book SynopsisAn International Master's instructive guide to essential tactical strategies and positions in chess. A comprehensive book from the Swedish International Master Thomas Engqvist for understanding the most important tactical chess positions in the opening of a game, the middle game and the endgame. It cuts to the chase on the most useful tactical positions at each stage of the game. Knowing the positions is one thing but this experienced coach shows you how to create them, even out of nothing, in the spirit of Tal and Alekhine. It covers other important facets of tactical play, including calculation (how to calculate with the help of stepping stones), attacking play such as defence and counter attack, and even psychological tactics. Each numbered position can be seen as a test-yourself quiz (with answers given below the diagrams) to help cement tactical understanding. Since it's advisable to revise the positions from time to time, this book can be your life-long companion, enabling you to dramatically increase your tactical chess understanding. The perfect guide for players who want to reach a higher level but don't have time to spend hours every week on less productive study.Trade Review‘An excellent read for any player serious about getting better at chess’ -- American Chess Magazine

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Book SynopsisThe perfect stocking filler for lovers of Bridge.When you open this little book, the state secrets of the game of bridge lie in your hands. They cover everything you need to know to go from being a bridge beginner to an international mastermind!The book is split into short, concise and easy-to-follow tips that will help to improve all aspects of your game and strategy. They reveal how to play a good defensive hand, how to devise a bidding system, what you can read from an opponent's play, plus lots more.The beautifully decorated pages and luxury pocket style make this book something a little bit special. With it by your side you'll always come up trumps!

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Book SynopsisBe the player who matches the most animal pairs in this farm-themed adaptation of a classic game! Bright and engaging illustrations will entertain young players, while promoting learning through play. Plus, find extra instructions inside for additional fun games to play. A memory game to promote colour and picture matching.Includes 42 tiles and an instruction booklet. Encourages concentration and develops memory skills. Perfect for ages 3-5 years.

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Book SynopsisThis beautifully illustrated bingo game features 64 breeds of dog from around the world. Spot all kinds of dogs – from the tiny chihuahua to the noble Great Dane, from the sleek saluki to the dreadlocked Hungarian puli, mark them off on your card and bingo! Dog Bingo brings a fun and educational twist to the traditional game as players learn the names and colourings of both their favourite breeds and weird and wonderful exotic dogs. Contains 64 superbly illustrated dog tokens, one board, 12 bingo cards and brightly coloured counters for you to mark up your card, as well as a leaflet containing basic information and a few quirky traits for all of the dogs featured.

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Book SynopsisBring the excitement of an escape room to your tabletop with three scenarios that pit you against the clock to find a way out by solving clues and puzzles! Includes three cases and a tutorial.

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Book SynopsisDoes your cat have whiskers? Is your cat cuddly? Do you think your cat looks evil? Is your cat Special Agent Mittens?This is a fun and feline twist to the classic tabletop guessing game. The rules are simple, but the process of elimination is purrfectly tricky!Each player gets a tray and a pack of beautifully illustrated cat cards. They display their cards in the slots on the tray and the players take turns to ask yes or no questions to deduce their opponent’s cat. The more interesting he questions the more fun you’ll have with the wonderfully inventive and eccentric range of feline characters found here - from Cindy Clawford to Picatso, Jennifur to Colonel Snazzypants. These cats will test your skills - and how well you know your opponent! - as you try to win the game and guess that kitty!

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Book Synopsis'Timely... wonderfully entertaining' - The Wall Street JournalIn It's All A Game renowned games expert Tristan Donovan opens the box on the incredible and often surprising history and psychology of board games. He traces the evolution of the game across cultures, time periods, and continents, from the paranoid Chicago toy genius behind classics like Operation and Mouse Trap, to the role of Monopoly in helping prisoners of war escape the Nazis, and even the scientific use of board games today to teach artificial intelligence how to reason and how to win. With these compelling stories and characters, Donovan ultimately reveals why board games have captured hearts and minds all over the world for generations.Trade Review[A] timely book... It's All a Game provides a wonderfully entertaining trip around the board, through 4,000 years of game history. * The Wall Street Journal *A brisk and hugely readable account of some of the world's great board games and the amazing people who played them. Packed with fascinating tales from ancient Egyptian senet to Google's AlphaGo. Highly recommended. -- Ian Stewart, author of SIGNIFICANT FIGURESTable of Contents0: Introduction 1: TOMB RAIDERS AND THE LOST GAMES OF THE ANCIENTS 2: CHESS: THE 'MAD QUEEN'S GAME' 3: BACKGAMMON: THE FAVOURED GAME OF INTERNATIONAL PACESETTERS AND ANCIENT EMPERORS 4: THE GAME OF LIFE: A JOURNEY TO THE UNIQUELY AMERICAN DAY OF RECKONING 5: THE FORGOTTEN MESSAGE OF MONOPOLY 6: FROM KRIEGSSPIEL TO RISK: BLOOD-SOAKED AND WORLDSHAPING PLAY 7: I SPY 8: CLUEDO'S BILLION-DOLLAR CRIME SPREE 9: SCRABBLE: WORDS WITHOUT MEANING 10: PLASTIC FANTASTIC: MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION AND THE WILLY WONKA OF TOYS 13: RISE OF THE MACHINES: GAMES THAT TRAIN SYNTHETIC BRAINS 14: TRIVIAL PURSUIT: ADULTS AT PLAY 15: PANDEMICS AND TERROR: DISSECTING GEOPOLITICS ON CARDBOARD 16: MADE IN GERMANY: CATAN AND THE CREATION OF MODERN BOARD GAMES

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Book SynopsisHigh Score is an ingenious dice game with unique challenges by Dr Reiner Knizia. Turning over a new challenge card tells players how to score points this round and how you can re-roll your dice. Will even numbers score 0 points this round? What effect will the vortex have this round.

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Book SynopsisYou must never play dominoes with a dinosaur... except in this game! Join the playful Never Touch characters in this exciting game, perfect for the whole family to enjoy. Perfect for ages 3-5 years.

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Book SynopsisYou are one of the thirty Knights Templar who awoke on Friday, 13 October 1307, only to find themselves wanted criminals and branded heretics by the King of France. Abandoned by the Vatican and sent away early in the morning, you must leave Paris on a day of reckoning and try to find your way across a dark, mythic Europe to a mystical utopia where you can rebuild!Heirs to Heresy starts as a historical-fantasy roleplaying game, but is heavily influenced by Gnosticism, European Folklore, esotericism, and the myths and legends that surround the Templars. The game will ask you to craft the secrets of the Templar treasure, the enemies, and mysteries they will face, as your Knights undertake a mystical journey to the center of themselves along the road to Avallonis.The mechanics are a blend of narrative, storytelling rules, and classic adventure-gaming inspired roleplaying rules that work to create rich aspect-driven characters. As Templar Knights, your skill at arms is unquestionable

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Book SynopsisJoin the crew and sharpen your role-play skills with this all-new card game of open-ended questions to create an unforgettable story in just thirty minutes from popular podcaster and Ultimate RPG series author James D’Amato.Oh Captain, My Captain! is a short form worldbuilding role-playing game (RPG) that explores heroism and the complicated relationships we have with people we admire. It’s approachable for players who have never tried an RPG before and satisfying for players who have been gaming for years. It’s also compact enough to tell unforgettable stories in just thirty minutes. The game revolves around players drawing from a deck of cards with open-ended questions. Each question players answer helps them learn about their character, their world, their captain, and the complicated relationship they have with a living legend. Players use these answers to make connections between their stories leading up one of three final questions

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Book SynopsisFarm Bingo is a family-friendly game packed with wonderful farm animals for hours of bingo fun.Beautifully packaged, Farm Bingo is gorgeously illustrated by award-winning illustrator Caroline Selmes the game also includes a booklet with all the things you wanted to know about farm animals. From the farmer, the scarecrow and the tractor to the pigs, chickens, cows and ducks, along with classic crops like sunflowers, corn and pumpkins, Farm Bingo has it all!Farm Bingo comes complete with 48 illustrated chips and a cardboard hay bale to store them in, a game board, eight double-sided bingo cards, and farm counters for you to mark up your card.• FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY: Easy to play makes Farm Bingo suitable for the whole family, children 3+. Fill your game card first with all the farm favorites. From the farmer, the scarecrow and the tractor to the pigs, chickens, cows and ducks, along with classic crops like sunflowe

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Book SynopsisAelin Galathynius has given up her freedom for the sake of her people. Held captive by the Queen of the Fae and tortured for information, her only companions are a silent prisoner and her own mind. The image of her mother, her lover, her friends. The embers of her memory, and a voice, deep inside...You will not yield.Embers of Memory: A Throne of Glass Game is a two-player co-operative card game set during the events of Kingdom of Ash, the epic climax to Sarah J. Maas'' Throne of Glass series. Working together, you must delve into the memories of the young queen and help her face her inner demons before she is overwhelmed. Be warned each challenge you face is more complex than the last, testing the bond between you and your partner to its limit.Players: 2Ages: 14+Playing Time: 45 minutesContents: 97 oversized cards, rulebook

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Book SynopsisUp your game with everything you need to run your next tabletop roleplay game with expert advice, gameplay guidance, and playable content from RPG expert James D’Amato.How do I make combat more interesting? How do I encourage my players to role-play? How do I avoid my sessions ending in disaster? Leading an RPG can be a challenge, but The Ultimate Game Master’s Guide is here to help! With advice from RPG expert James D’Amato, you’ll find answers to all these questions and more, along with guidance for bringing your game to life from behind the GM screen. James covers everything you need to know to bring your GM game to the next level including: -How to make player decisions meaningful -How to add more roleplay to your adventure -How to keep combat interesting—and memorable -How to make NPCs dynamic, but keep them from stealing the show -And so much more! Add excitement to your game and keep

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Book SynopsisEnjoy this all-new way to play on game night and between campaigns in this collection of 400 trivia questions all about your favorite RPGs that’s fun or peruse solo or to quiz your friends between rounds.Test your knowledge with The Düngeonmeister Book of RPG Trivia. With questions and interesting details about the history of tabletop gaming, your favorite game genres, and the media and video game connections you know and love, this new trivia book is sure to be a hit for seasoned gamers and newbies alike. Featuring tons of questions to test your nerd cred, including: CHOOSE ONE: In the popular Netflix series Stranger Things, the RPG-playing kids of the main cast routinely contextualize the monsters they encounter with famous creatures of D&D lore. Which of the following creatures have the not utilized as of season 4 as a name for a monster? Vecna Mind Flayer Aboleth Demogorgon <

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Book SynopsisEverything you need to to host your own escape room with added murder mystery twist

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Book SynopsisRamp up your role-playing game (RPG) and make your character your own with this fun, interactive workbook—an essential addition to any player’s gaming kit.You’ve chosen your class, bought your weapons, and rolled for your stats, and you’re now the proud owner of your own RPG (role-playing game) avatar. But before you begin your adventure, there’s so much more you can do with your character to make him or her your own! Just how evil is she? What does his dating profile look like? Where did she get that scar? What does he want for his birthday? With fill-in-the blank narratives, prompts, and fun activities to help you customize your character at the start of the game, or build out your backstory as you play, The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Book will help you fully imagine your character and bring them to life for the ultimate gaming experience!Trade Review"Your character creating journey itself seems like a game, there’s space available to write in the book which I feel helps add to pencil and paper feel to the famed tabletop RPGs! What I like about this book is even if you don’t want to play with others, you could entertain yourself by creating characters for fun OR to help you create characters for a book or short story. From what I’ve read so far, this book is pure fun. If someone like me who knows little to nothing about traditional RPG’s could enjoy this book, then other newcomers to the genre and returning heroes from past fellowships will find something in this for them." * Horror Fuel *"I took my time reading through this book, trying out exercises with new and existing characters, and handed it off to friends, both those who D&D players and short story writers. I was pretty quickly getting questions about how much it cost, ($14.00 USD MSRP, though it’s currently on sale for a lower price several places), when it comes out, (October 2nd) and if I’d be willing to let them borrow it, which I think speaks volumes. I’ve found myself reaching for the book when trying to come up with a clever little something to fit into a character’s backstory while writing a script, and have had other writers suggest they’d use it to do the same. It’s not only a useful tool for building and fleshing out characters, it’s also written in an incredibly entertaining way, making it fun way to get the creative juices flowing." * Gaming Trend *"James D’Amato has thought about the novice and the experienced player and has put together ‘The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide’ to essentially have you be an RPG superstar…. Taking fear into account can make your role-playing character come to life by giving them a sense of humanity and creating interesting gameplay. That’s something only D’Amato has realized and gamers will be the better for it…. James D’Amato has done something special with his new book ‘The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide.’ It’s akin to a graduate school course in role-playing games." * Reviewfix *"This is a great book for any player of RPGs and can be a valuable resource for those that act as a Game Master. Much of this book is addressed in the third person and it gives the feeling of a great attentive Game Master working out character creation you the reader as the player. We should all be so lucky to have such a GM and we should all be such thoughtful and creative players." * Game Industry *"I can give The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide the following praise - it's inspired me to want to kick off a new RPG Campaign for the first time in a year and a half. I want to DM a campaign and I want to play in a campaign. I want to pick through the guide for nuggets of inspiration, for added depth to my next game world. I can think of no better endorsement other than "this book will be used". Sadly, I can't say that for the vast majority of my gaming collection." * Tenkar's Tavern *"For me as a founder of Halo: The Lost Keys a text based RPG played via discord it really was fun and entertaining to do, and I look forward to writing some more in it." * Nation Fusion *"It truly is an RPG guide that hopes to make everyone a bit more excited for the RPG experience. Again, as mentioned above, it’s incredibly useful for those trying to get a kickstart into creating a story for their friends… I can dig this guide and its purpose… Anyway, there isn’t a lot to dislike about this book. It shoots straight, it works for what it is, and it feels open. I particularly enjoyed the fact that there are spaces for writers/game masters to fill in the blanks to answer questions, as well as make notes… it is a good book that does truly act as a guide. It will certainly help to kickstart ideas for characters, stories, and situations that pure RPGers can get behind." * Digital Chumps *"The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide is the perfect way to create a unique character for yourself, and no two characters made using this book will be the same… Even if you don’t intend to use your character for anything, going through this book will give you an appreciation for the skill of creating characters. Whether for video games, literature, D&D or even comic books… The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide is a gem for all dungeon masters, and for anyone who may find themselves with the need to create characters with depth. I could even picture indie developers who may not have their own creative resources, utilizing this book to flesh out characters in their RPGs. At $10.39 for the paperback currently, this book is completely worth the price." * Koalition *"In what seemed like it would be a novelty item to your RPG adventure, The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide comes off far more as a requirement for crafting your character… I absolutely enjoyed this. I tried to be a bit critical and think what this book lacked. There’s really not much… The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide is still a really essential guide for crafting your player character to their fullest. For me, this gave me the opportunity to delve a bit deeper into my own character in some rather interesting ways that I never thought about. Highly recommended." * Outright Geekery *"James D'Amato's The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide contains a wealth of exercises that can be used to enrich RPG characters and their interactions with others through the use of improvisational storytelling techniques, something James has a great deal of experience with, having trained at Second City and iO in Chicago in improvisational comedy." * Game Vortex *"Whether you are a DM/GM that wants to encourage their players to have deeper characters and create more engaging Non-Player Characters (NPCs), or a player looking to bolster their roleplaying by establishing more about a character’s origin, or even an author in need of a tool to assist in building believable characters, relationships, and establishing world building, The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide is a perfect supplement to any game’s character creation process. Ever activity is well thought out and cover a broad range of impact to the character and the world they live in. Some are silly and fun, while others dig deep into a character’s major events. For RPG veterans and new players alike grabbing The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide is a sure way to expand your overall RPG experiences!" * Marooners Rock *"This guide is a great addition to any adventurers’ library." * Gaming Buddha *

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Book SynopsisLearn how to play mah-jong with this beautifully illustrated mah-jong set!Animal Mah-jong takes the traditional Chinese tile game and updates it for a new audience in this affordable card format. Rather than the traditional line drawings of bamboo and Chinese characters, it features Ryuto Miyake''s beautiful animal illustrations - each suit features Asian animals from the land, sea and air. Get ready to pong, chow and kong like you never have before!Stunning illustrations by Ryuto MiyakeAffordable new card formatScreen-free fun - a high quality non-digital game for all agesSuitable for children and familes to play together

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Book SynopsisDive deep into the history of the world's most popular fantasy RPG livestream with the cast of Critical Role in this definitive guide featuring never-before-seen illustrations and photos.From its unassuming beginnings as a casual home game between friends to the role-playing phenomenon it is today, Critical Role has become the stuff of legend. These pages chronicle how a circle of friends who all happen to be talented voice actors built the most-watched tabletop role-playing livestream of all time.Discover dazzling new illustrations and richly written insights into the locations, characters, and adventures featured in the hundreds of episodes across Critical Role's two campaigns, Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Go behind the scenes with archival photos and exclusive interviews with Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and the entire Critical Role cast as they explore their characters' most triumphant moments and darkest hours. And celebrate the massive community of Critters who support and expand the show's world through a highlighted tour of the crafts, cosplay, and art they create every day.Featuring a foreword from the cast, lush illustrations, and the inside story you won't find anywhere else, this book is your indispensable guide to Critical Role.The adventure begins!

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