September 27, 2011

The Essentials of gaming

     It was inevitable, wasn’t it?

I was talked into trying out D&D last year when Brad and I started a homegame on a regular basis. It turns out I really liked it, and even started going to GameDay this year almost every month. Now, this Fall I’ve been going to Encounters once a week.

Then I started browsing the bookshelves at the store we play at.

It’s not my fault!

Dungeons and Dragons@ has a semi-new line of books called “Essentials”, which I just completely adore. They are in the smaller, paperbacked format which I find so readable, that I just had to have them.

ALL OF THEM. ahem.

They are an updated version of the hardback, full size gaming books that everyone has been collecting since the beginning of time (er, for gamers that would be THE BEGINNING OF TIME IMMEMORIAL . . .) is there an echo in here? I like them. A lot. I think they are easier to read, have prettier pictures (ahem. I love picture books. I’m just sayin. You put pictures in your book, I’m probably buyin it. ahem.) AND they have up-to-date information in them, so now I don’t have to go lurking on the message boards anymore. Not that I ever did- there are too many of them, and the boys make boy comments all over them. just sayin.

There is just one teensy, weensy little problem. There aren’t any more! There are three main ones: the Rules Compendium; Heroes of the Fallen Lands; and Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms. There are two or three- maybe four, I haven’t checked their publishing schedule lately- boxed sets that contain the Monster book (drool) and a whole slew of gaming “tools” that are completely and totally necessary for running the game. ahem. (obviously, this is not true. Most people wouldn’t need the neat little pogs that represent monsters, or the tile sets that make the little towns you play in, or those cool maps that illustrate the towns, or countryside's, or bogs; and you definitely won’t find a DM screen in every gamers backpack, and just how many dice does one gamer need, anyway? Um, LOTS. We need lots and lots of sets of dice. And some more for just looking at. And a few extra in case our favorites go cold. and don’t even get me started on the crafting/decorating possibilities of these little babies!)

So yeah, I’m sold. Show me the cute, little, sparkly, or crafty, and I’m there! Just don’t tell my husband, he thinks I just like the Goblins cause they’re Pyromaniacs . . .

3 comments:

  1. Plus if you have enough dice, then your dice bag doubles as a weapon. Not that it should ever be used that way, but just saying...;)

    On another note, I really don't like the screens. I feel like it makes it harder to get into the game, since it harder to see the GM's face.

    This entry has made me want to read the Essentials books!

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  2. Ha! A +1 Dice Bag! That would be so awesome- what bonus would a handbag get?!

    I display my screen as a piece of Art- we have a little shelf thingie that it fits on perfectly. Wonder where that is. . .

    Don't you just love the power of the written word?

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  3. The bonus of a handbag is clearly dependent on what you have inside it. A +1 Handbag must also contain a +1 Wallet (and so on). :)

    I do! I'm looking forward to reading Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms. It's certainly much more conveniently-sized than the traditional gaming books.

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