5 comments about Lords of Darkness (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Setting).

1. Truth be told, you probably have enough information in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting to pass through or conduct simple quests with regard to most of the evil groups of Faerun. All of the organizations in this book are mentioned, with varying detail, in the campaign. They are also described in Forgotten Realms novels, so if you have read a great deal of those, you might not need this accessory.

   If you want to get into real detail with the powers of darkness and haven't read that much fiction, then this is the book to have. Even if you have done your homework, there's quite a lot of original material in here. As an example, if you'd like to actually visit the City of Shade, Lord of Darkness contains a wealth of information about how you would describe it. The campaign provides more simple demographics and locations than in-depth detail, so this is most welcome. There are also new encounters, weapons, and spells for the organizations, as well as some pre-made dungeons to explore. Specific points of interest in lands held by the enemy are also noted, as well as details on particular leaders of each order.

   In all, every major evil organization is covered, as well as a host of lesser ones. Lords of Darkness has enough info about how they operate and what they look like to give a DM totally unacquainted with the FR setting the capability to correctly portray enemies and guide adventurers through enemy territory.




2. Wonderfully put together, beautiful maps of the bad guyz' hideouts you can use for anything, the organizations and details on the NPC's can likewise be used with other side treks, etc. I personally look forward to using the Cormanthor Drow Elves and the Cult of the Dragon in my campaign.



3. Good detail and a great number of organizations makes this a decent addition to anyone's FR library.



4. This is one of the FR books you should own. It's excellent, has lots of great prestige classes, depicts major and minor evil organizations in Faêrun, and also describes each organization's most important sites (with site maps and their respective keys, and NPCs). This is really useful, you can insert these sites in any adventure, in any geographical site in the realms, and build an adventure around it. Also, great spells and magic items. You won't regret buying this book, it's simply great!



5. This was a relatively good book, in terms of the FR accessories. Some of the art seemed half-assed (not bad, just rushed), but its the book's content that really shines through here. As a FR Dungeon Master, i had plans to incorporate some evil organizations from what i learned in the Book of Vile Darkness (BUY IT! It's the best D&D book to date), and this book helped a lot.Aside from giving me some solid info on the organizations and characters i had planned on using, it also gave me some ideas for the campaign and quests, among other things. My only big complaint? The PRICE. i didn't get it on Amazon, because i hate waiting for anything (i want everything yesterday, if possible), and it was 24 bucks. Jesus! For a 150-page paperback! Other than that, it's a great book, and a very useful one for FR.

5 comments about Innovation Games: Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play.

1. The process of eliciting requirements suffers from some of the same problems as the process of collecting information for expert systems. A person does not really know how much he or she knows about a subject. Each of us knows something so well, that much of what we know is not part of our conscious awareness. It is hard to bring that information to the conscious mind to share with another person.
   
   What this tells me is when I am in the role of eliciting requirements from another person, I need many different ways of getting information, because different means will achieve different results. I can take an analytical approach (tell me about...), a physical approach (show me ...), and a creative approach (let's play a game ...). The more approaches I use, the more information I will get.
   
   What I love about Innovation Games is that games use a part of the brain that we tend to ignore when "at work", bypassing the analytical parts and tapping into the fun, creative areas. This is a great way to find new information about the requirements of a product or service. I think it works especially well because most people I interview are expecting an analytical approach, and using games brings a fresh perspective.
   
   Luke Hohmann has really captured a great set of games. He explains the games very clearly, and gives detailed instructions for how to organize an Innovation Games session so that everyone can make effective use of his techniques.
   
   Thanks so much Luke for bringing us another great book.



2. Most of the content of this book belongs in sales brochure not a book. A large proportion of this book is a long, overblown ad for the author's services.
   
   Some of the ideas, while creative, are just repackaging of many well-known and established techniques.
   
   In addition, there is one reality the author ignores. The exercises are not going to work well with "average," everyday people. They require a degree of creativity and acumen that quite honestly, most people (including very well-educated ones) just do not possess. I work in this industry everyday and if there is one thing I've learned it is most individuals are much better reacting to ideas than creating them.



3. Luke Hohmann's Innovation Games bring an extension to the complex areas of software requirements. The games bring out the essence of requirement gathering, namely the importance of the users' feedback to the requirement gatherers and close relationship between the user and the requirements gatherers. Two thumb up for this book!



4. Luke Hohmann's Innovation Games makes current paradigm obsolete.
   What if the decay in the learning rate from kindergarten to high school is not only related to wrong educational policies and practices?
   What if adolescent are treated "seriously", when being serious is a barrier to learning?
   Hohmann's exported the "learning by playing" environment from kindergarten to market research and other fields.
   The panoply of games he proposed support an ample variety of opportunities.
   I'm glad I dedicated the time to read Innovation Games, and organized to use them.
   Let life be fun!



5. We had been using Innovation Games to find the real market of hundred of ideas that companies in our program are developing. It is amazing, how a simple game can be a powerful tool to develop marketing strategies. Our companies had learned the magic of seating with their customers and play games, and then new products are developed. The cost of doing this learning is very low and the results are so big that reading this book has the highest ROI that you can image. Never less, playing the games are very valuable when you read from the book, the real learning experience is when you play them several times or you are able to bring an expert consultant that gave you the insights of the experience.
   
   Reading the book is half of the story, you must play several of these games to take the best experience. I highly suggest trying it.

No comments about Omaha High-Low Poker: How to Win at the Lower Limits.

5 comments about Behind the 8-Ball: A Guide for Families of Gamblers.

1. I thought this book is one of the most thorough and helpful books regarding dealing with gambling addiction. It enlightens on how you can protect yourself from the throes of gambling. It provides information that will help you understand and deal with the illness. Excellent book!



2. This book is an excellent resource for family members in a variety of situations. Whether they are just starting to learn about gambling as an addiction and need to know what signs and symptoms to watch for or whether they are well beyond that stage and needing to know what to do with an early or later recovery family member this book provides a clear, easy to read resource that is a good adjuct to counselling, group work or even as a stand alone resource.



3. I'm struggling to get through this book. If you are looking for something positive to get yourself through a difficult time, this book is not for you. It does tell you what to look for and how to protect yourself, but does not instill any hope for a future for the compulsive gambler, whether you are staying with them or not. Again, if you are looking for hope, this book isn't it. All it does is leave you depressed.



4. This book is an excellent resource for an ever-growing problem in our society. It very effectively explores the origins, family responses, treatment, and prognosis for this form of addiction. It will help the spouse and family of an addicted gambler begin to understand and to get a grip on an addiction that has destoyed many families in recent times. It will give an understanding you may not find outside of a support group.



5. I am Clinical Psychologist who treats gambling addiction. This book is an important tool for spouses of gamblers who are starting to come to terms with the problem. As one prior reviewer noted, it does not provide false hope for families who are being destroyed by this difficult addiction. What it does to is help a spouse wake up to the reality that if the gambler does not stop their lives will be ruined as well as that of the gambler. Pathological gambling is a very treatable issue and most people that I have worked with get better, but it certainly is not a perfect line from wanting to get better to never gambling again. This book will help prepare the spouse (it is more for a spouse than a parent or sibling) for the worse-case out come. Strongly recommended.... Eric Geffner, Ph.D.
   www.stopgamblingnow.com

No comments about Pretty Little Felts: Mixed-Media Crafts To Tickle Your Fancy.

1 comments about Purge the Unclean (Warhammer Dark Heresy).

1. The production value of the book is well worth the price. I am amazed by the high-quality of what has been put out by the DH line so far. This is not an FFG reprint, but the original Black Industries printing distributed by FFG. This has more new backgrounds to create characters. It also had package deals for starting characters, alternate career paths, elite advance paths, as well as a new career . Furthermore, the equipment section is to drool over...A must for PCs and GMs alike!

2 comments about Dragondown Grotto (Dungeons & Dragons Fantastic Locations Accessory).

1. Like the other Fantastic Locations, this one has two battle maps (double sided) and an encounter booklet. The art is uniformly well done and the maps can be easily flattened and laminated at your local office supply store to increase their durability.
   
   These are some of the nicest accessories published by WotC, in my opinion. They get plenty of use in DDM Skirmish and my home RPG campaigns.



2. Next to nothing has been said about this product--I think in part to avoid spoiling the mystery of the module. It makes sense, but its tough to buy something if you have nothing to go off of but the (admittedly pretty awesome looking) front cover art. I hate sealed packs for just that reason. So here you go...details!
   
   The Premise: Your adventurers happen to discover the location of a hatchery, deep underground in the forested wilderness, that has been taking in discarded but still viable dragon eggs, hatching the wyrmlings and selling them to evil persons as guardians or mounts. You are to go and retrieve some of the eggs for an interested collector, but things take an unexpected turn...
   
   What you need: The pack contains maps and the adventure, but you need to buy all the minis yourself (or acceptable stand-ins). It seems a shame to go all out and get these lavish maps and then have to represent the monsters with dice. I would recommend picking up a few packs of the War of the Dragon Queen (Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Product) minis and then buying what you don't get piecemeal on one of the stores that sell individual minis (Paizo.com is good).
   
   1 cool looking kobold
   8 lizardfolk + leader type (preferably blackscales)
   2-4 ogres (met in twos, so you can recycle the minis)
   1 cool evil mage guy
   6 hobgoblins + leader
   4 specters
   1-4 dragonnes (met individually, so you can recycle the minis)
   1-2 cadaver collectors
   
   Some dragons (these can get pricey so you might want to improvise...)
   1-2 red dragon skeletons
   medium silver dragon (v. young)
   small black (v. young)
   large green dragon (young adult)
   huge black dragon (mature)
   
   There's indications I've seen advertised that the kit also includes adventure seeds for other adventures, but haven't seen anything about that from looking over the materials.
   
   The maps themselves however are beautiful and a lot more varied than I would have imagined. They unfold to 21x30" each and are lavishly drawn and colored. Three are full page maps (Spawnscale Hatchery--a big underground aging temple/dungeon locale, Dragondale Grotto--which is rocky badland with copses of trees sinking into a wide circular chasm in the middle, and the Dragon Graveyard--a big gray wasteland with walls of mounded dragonbones piled up like hedges and a big dias in the middle) and two interconnected half page maps (Forest Cliff Lair which is half underground passages with a treasure hoard in one corner, and half wilderness with a river cutting diagnally through it and a little magical stone circle)
   
   I thought the adventure was a good romp, definitely on the higher power end of things, but more of a "situation" adventure than a "Fantastic Location". Certainly it has the most dungeons and dragons I've seen in a Dungeons & Dragons adventure. They say it's scaled for "mid-level" play, most of the encounters are from around 6-11 CR.
   
   So yeah, that's the details without ruining the adventure.

5 comments about Sklansky on Poker.

1. I've probably read (and own) most of David Sklansky's poker books. I have never failed to learn something of value (usually a lot of value) from reading and studying one of his books. I recommend this one.



2. The only purpose of buying this is for the razz section. If you have read a number of other Sklansky books, a good portion of the advice given on poker in general you have seen before.
   
   There is extremely little published about razz that is available. This book, by far, is the most complete, even though the basic text is only about 60 pages after you subtract the problems and Q&A section. The discussion is more detailed and specific than what you'll read in the Michael Craig's FTP book interview with Ted Forrest and Huck Seed. It gives instruction on why and when to raise instead of call, as well as whether you should bet or check on each street.
   
   Even so, there are a number of things to would improve this text. More statistics on the chances of making a hand under certain conditions would help re-enforce the unsupported advice. For example, it would be helpful to players to understand that if they start with a three cards 8 or below, there's less than 50% chance of making their hand even when the cards are moderately favorable. The reason you look to muck on third street with three cards 8 or below if a lot of the cards you need are exposed is that this completion rate can drop to under 40% to make your hand. That puts you at a significant disadvantage to players whose cards are live.
   
   Information could be given on how to read hands. Yes, it is easier than in other games, but knowing the % chance of someone showing four cards 7 or below actually having a 7 high hand on sixth street is of value. A number of beginning players are unaware that the third highest card showing tells all of the other players what the best hand they could possibily have.
   
   While razz isn't the most difficult game to play, I believe that a full volume could be written. An good text would encourage more people to try it. With the increasing popularity of HORSE, many more people are looking to improve their razz game and would be delighted to have a more detailed source of information.



3. this is a collection of David Sklansky essays with a section on Razz.
   
   If you play me in Razz or HORSE do not buy this book.



4. The previous reviewer, Venice10, is right on target with a couple of statements. It IS surprising that there aren't some tables in the book which compare razz hands, according to the cards that are dead. Considering how math-based Sklansky's work is, it's strange that there aren't at least a couple of appendices at the end of the book for the more studious players. Still, this book is enough in itself to make you a winning razz player. In H.O.R.S.E. tournaments, this is a big advantage because you can pick up chips during the razz portion of the tournament from the clueless players. I like the Questions and Answers format, because it makes it easy for me to flashcard each concept and study it before bedtime every night. Like Venice10, I would like to see more good information on razz, but I don't think that'll happen since it's the Hold'em books that sell. Maybe it's best this way. One thing is for sure: if you understand the concepts in the book, you will make money at razz. The variance isn't too bad in this game, if you choose low-ante cash games. Today, there are a number of those to choose from online. As for razz tournaments, solid play will get you the money in the end. Sklansky's books will keep you from bleeding off money, unlike those players who don't read up on razz. And that's about 95% of them, I think.



5. With writings on razz few and far between, this book is a must read for anyone who plays HORSE. With the abundance of weak players across the internet and world in razz, you cost yourself money by not buying this book.
   The other ideas on holdem are concise and to the point, usually 3-4 pages a topic are great review especially if youve read theory of poker by david sklansky.

1 comments about Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles, Volume 24 (LA Times).

1. LA Times crossword puzzles are attractive for two reasons: they are more contemporary than most, and they are funny. So many crossword puzzles refer to TV shows, movies, and cultural events that happened 50 years ago. The Times is focused more on recent history. Not to say there's no depth to them -- there certainly is. You'll find plenty about Western history in the puzzles, as well as the occasional obscure word. On top of clues that are focused on the recent past there is the humor inherent in them and their corresponding answers. If you like puns -- or if you even like groaning at puns -- you'll enjoy these puzzles. You've got to approach these from a particular perspective -- one that's not too serious. It is, after all, a crossword puzzle and not brain surgery. But speaking of brain, studies are showing that we older folk (I mean older like 50) can keep our brains active and our memories sharp by doing things like crossword puzzles. These puzzles are recommended for a certain type of person -- the one who likes popular culture, and enjoys a certain kind of humor. If you've started forgetting why you came into a room, you'll like them all the more.

2 comments about Checkmate!: My First Chess Book (Everyman Chess).

1. In my first week of the fourth grade, the teacher announced that everyone in the class was going to learn how to play chess. She believed that it was the best game to be incorporated into an educational scheme and she was right. We all learned and certain times each week were set aside for games of chess. It was a very popular time, as playing any game was preferable to doing other things like spelling and writing practice.
   I am in complete agreement with this philosophy, firmly believing that everyone should learn to play chess. This book is an excellent way to start, which is what you would expect, given that Kasparov is considered the best chess player ever. He starts with a description of the pieces, how they can move and their power rankings. From this, he sets up the game and explains the basic goal of the game as well as the algebraic notation used to represent the movement of the pieces. Kasparov uses a series of situations to illustrate problems, such as how to force a (stale)mate from a specific orientation. Solutions to these problems are given at the end and many of them are nontrivial. You are really required to think hard before finding the answer to some of them.
   Basic strategies such as classical openings, defenses, the pin, a skewer and back rank mating options are covered. The illustrations are very high quality and it could have been used as the textbook for my fourth grade class, where I first learned how to play. Adult beginners will also find it an excellent way to learn.
   
   Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.



2. I have been researching for months to find a good 'starter' book to begin a chess club. I have searched online and made many stops at book stores and even asked many questions. Some of the books out there are excellent, but the cost was a little more than I wanted to spend as I am starting the club for homeschoolers and wanted to do it more as a ministry than a money-making enterprise.
   To me, a great technician doesn't always translate to a great teacher. No doubt Kasparov was the former, but after reading this book he is definitely the latter as well. I believe it is an excellent book for beginners and even intermediates will find clear and colorful information here. It is also fun to read (a great quality especially for young people). The contents are:
   1) the basics
   2) the pieces and their moves
   3) notation
   4) winning and drawing
   5) more about the pieces
   6) tactical play
   7) checkmate
   8) opening play
   9) endgame play
   10) solutions to puzzles
   11) glossary
   
   For my needs it clearly achieves a 5 star rating. It is an inexpensive way to start a club or even to teach children. Not only that, but I will be teaching my wife tonight using this very book.
   Thanks Gary!