Empire of Imagination

Empire of Imagination PDF

Author: Michael Witwer

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2015-10-06

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1632862794

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The life story of Gary Gygax, godfather of all fantasy adventure games, has been told only in bits and pieces. Michael Witwer has written a dynamic, dramatized biography of Gygax from his childhood in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to his untimely death in 2008. Gygax's magnum opus, Dungeons & Dragons, would explode in popularity throughout the 1970s and '80s and irreversibly alter the world of gaming. D&D is the best-known, best-selling role-playing game of all time, and it boasts an elite class of alumni--Stephen Colbert, Robin Williams, and Junot Diaz all have spoken openly about their experience with the game as teenagers, and some credit it as the workshop where their nascent imaginations were fostered. Gygax's involvement in the industry lasted long after his dramatic and involuntary departure from D&D's parent company, TSR, and his footprint can be seen in the genre he is largely responsible for creating. But as Witwer shows, perhaps the most compelling facet of his life and work was his unwavering commitment to the power of creativity in the face of myriad sources of adversity, whether cultural, economic, or personal. Through his creation of the role-playing genre, Gygax gave two generations of gamers the tools to invent characters and entire worlds in their minds. Told in narrative-driven and dramatic fashion, Witwer has written an engaging chronicle of the life and legacy of this emperor of the imagination.

Gary Gygax's Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds Volume 1

Gary Gygax's Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds Volume 1 PDF

Author: Gary Gygax

Publisher: Troll Lord Games

Published: 2002-05

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781931275088

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In The Canting Crew, volume I of the Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds, Gygax explores the underworld of city life. Theives, their guilds, organization, a complete dictionary of the language they speak, the signs they use, everything a player or DM may want or need to know about the underclasses, new weapons and more this book is a must have.

Gary Gygax's Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds Volume 3

Gary Gygax's Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds Volume 3 PDF

Author: Gary Gygax

Publisher: Troll Lord Games

Published: 2002-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781931275224

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For the vigilant writer, driven publisher or game designer, Volume 3 of the Gygaxian Fantasy World series drives forward the gathering host of information brought to you by the Gygaxian Fantasy World series. From the encampments of common folk and wanderers to the teeming streets of walled towns, this work brings the fantastic world of magic to life. Game designers captain their own creations when they master knowledge of the high and low, the hamlets and towns, cities and castles and all that accompanies life in a world of our own imagining. More than that, Everyday Life breathes strength into the arms of your imaginings with pirates and palace life, eating and entertainment, villains and vagabonds, communications and commerce. Whatever is found in the daily life of a typical fantasy world is covered herein. Sound the note of world creation with Gary Gygax's Everyday Life.

Designing Virtual Worlds

Designing Virtual Worlds PDF

Author: Richard A. Bartle

Publisher: New Riders

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 768

ISBN-13: 9780131018167

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This text provides a comprehensive treatment of virtual world design from one of its pioneers. It covers everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.

Gary Gygax's Hall of Many Panes

Gary Gygax's Hall of Many Panes PDF

Author: Jeff Ibach

Publisher: Troll Lord Games

Published: 2005-06-15

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781931275330

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As with most adventure modules, this one is packed with action...confrontation and combat. There is more, though. The players must think, as must their game personas. There is sufficient problem solving herein to suit most, even hardened veterans. The same is true for being in character, and role-playing with proper dialog-comedic, dramatic, and the rest are all possible here. As for the other elements of the game form, well, only unless you, the Game Master, wish to work them in will they be found. The adventure doesn't include much in the way of extensive exploration, as you'll see, although there are many unique and wonderful places to visit. Business, intrigue, politics, and so forth are not likely given the setting, save for innovative addition to the work. As for story, other than the backstory that opens the adventure, that must await the conclusion of the action, can then be told as a tale of what occurred. This is for gaming, not stage presentation, after all. This adventure is suitable for a party of six d20 adventurers of 8th or greater level. If the party is to be given a free hand in deciding the order in which the panes are accessed then a few of the characters should be of the 9th or 10th level. With just a little work of the GM's part characters of 11th-14th level could adventure here-simply increase the number of monsters encountered, add extra levels to the NPCs, or place horrific guardian creatures here and there as pickets for the areas already detailed.

Xenomorphs

Xenomorphs PDF

Author: Russ Morrissey

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2017-11-07

Total Pages: 62

ISBN-13: 9781387350216

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Dare to enter a gritty setting of sci-fi survival horror! In these pages you will find a survival horror setting for your science-fiction WOIN games detailing known space, careers, equipment, monsters, and more; plus a detailed terraforming colony on a small, weatherbeaten moon some 40 light years from earth, and a terrifying adventure which charts the events just prior to the colony's loss of contact with the Chen Zua Corporation, the company behind the terraforming technology that oversees the United Planets Terraforming Contracts. Terror and monsters await in the depth of space! So welcome to Somerset Landing and hold on tight... as all hell is about to break loose! Requires the use of a What's OLD is NEW core rulebook.

How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck

How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck PDF

Author: Jobe Bittman

Publisher:

Published: 2024-05-14

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781946231086

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Goodman Games has established a reputation for publishing some of the best adventure modules in the industry. Now we present our advice on how you can write great adventures! This compilation of articles is authored by two dozen of the industry's best-known adventure writers. Each article gives a different perspective on how to write adventure modules that don't suck, written by authors with decades of experience and prominent published credits. By the time you're done reading this book, you'll be on the path to designing great adventure modules on your own. Bonus: This PDF includes a digital copy of the original How To Write Adventures Modules That Don't Suck (2007). Whether you're an experienced writer or an aspiring novice, you'll find something of value in this book!