5 comments about Exalted, Second Edition.

1. I haven't personally played too many White Wolf games but I have played 3rd Edition D&D a lot so I liked the fact in this game that I started out beefy instead of a character who could easily be killed off. I think the style is also very different from D&D in that its pulling more from Eastern style medieval period instead of the European one typical in D&D. Most impressive to me was how they did mass combat rules an item that doesn't typically occur much in other RPGs. My issues with this book is that it can be hard to find particular rules at times and some rules aren't entirely fleshed out enough that we've spent about 30 minutes debating on how a rule should work. The other issue is that this book gives you the entire background to the world which players themselves shouldn't always have because this book tries to be a combination of a GM and Players handbook. Overall, its has been a very enjoyable game to me and I would recommend any D&D player give it a chance.



2. you might be apprehensive about switching over from 1st edition, but if the hollidays are coming get your friends to buy you the 2nd edition core. they've cleaned up a lot of problems, both in the setting and the mechanics, granted they've added a handful of new problems, but that was to be expected.



3. Just as the Japanese meld influences from Europe, the Americas and Africa into media (and Scotch!) that is uniquely Japanese, White Wolf has crafted a uniquely American RPG with vast influences from both Asian myth and pop-culture as well as Classical European mythology. The synthesis is nothing short of an amazing collaborative work of fiction.
   
   The Fluff, as it were, is entirely engaging and as a fantasy series, and even bereft of the RPG mechanics, all the books are pretty fine reads. In Second Edition, not only have the mechanics gelled, but the backstory has matured as well. What White Wolf has laid out in this core book is a giant buffet of Fantasy and HiFi-sciFi that Storytellers can pick and choose what type of campaign they wish to play--whether it's taking down errant gods, swords and sorcery, or post-apocalyptic survival very similar to Gamma World, or a straight, in-canon campaign of Solar Exalted against the hated Scarlet Empire. Suffice to say there is an incredible amount to explore in the backstory and swaths will probably never be touched in the published materials.
   
   Fluff aside, the mechanics of the game as presented in the core book show a long, hard road of playtesting and years of refining game rules. Somewhere in the early 90's there was a reason that White Wolf published the Street Fighter RPG: Exalted is that reason. The combat system is simply amazing, incorporating stunting (much like the Daedelus RPG, Feng Shui) which opens combat to the highest level of narrative, as well as an incredibly deep skill and charm system. The additions of Mass and Social combat round out what is one of the best combat systems for an RPG to date. Good stunts and on the fly imaginative play will always win out over the Min/Max (which in Exalted is mostly MAX), but there is plenty of depth for the Min/Max player to excruciatingly choose the best charms for the job of giving fatal beatings, tongue lashings or driving the armies of the Jade Dogs before them.
   
   The book itself has held up very well over the last couple years and is very solidly produced. The physical size of it is simply intimidating. The art has taken a major step up over first edition, obviously due to the inclusion of color, but also moving away from the cartoonish anime style to a more hybridization of say Frazetta and Katsuya Terada.
   
   The writing, while a bit dry in certain areas as is typical of RPG books, is extremely clear in it's presentation of both the rules and the backstory. The index is surprisingly useful and the inclusion of sidebars where White Wolf felt certain aspects of the rules needed clarification outside the narrative are all exceedingly helpful figuring out what can, at times, be quite complicated. The Storyteller section is not only essential reading for running a game, but a solid discourse on running a high-powered, pulpy RPG.
   
   As for things that could have been done better, there are some typos as well as some flat out confusing mistakes here and there. References to splitting dice pools, a mechanic thankfully removed from the system with second edition, appear in the back half of the book.
   
   Also the antagonists section, while touching on what's coming up in the new books, really doesn't help the fledgling storyteller as most are either far too powerful (Octavian the Living Tower), too localized (Gri-Fel the god of the Imperial City), or too abstract (The Fair Folk) to be easily fit into a starting campaign. I would have liked to see a chapter dedicated to Dragon Blooded antagonists and a full list for a sample Wyld Hunt because that's who typically will be getting the first fatal beatings in a vanilla campaign.
   
   The lack of a starting adventure in a book this size was also confusing. White Wolf released a free module for the game on release, but the module itself breaks the cardinal rule set forth in the Storyteller section of the book--start with a bang! With a set of mechanics and background this large, it's a bit intimidating for a new storyteller to know where to begin.
   
   Bottom line, this is an amazing start to what I expect will be a long and healthy product line for White Wolf and an incredible world for players to explore. More importantly, Exalted is triumph in RPG system design that fits perfectly with the high powered background.



4. 
   
   Exalted second edition 1th edition wos good 2edition is epic
   it a great game so buy it at amazon for $26 not $40!?!



5. If you're tired of the archtypical Fantasy RPG, if you like Anime and Manga, and want to be able to destroy armies single-handedly, then Exalted is for you. Unlike other RPGs where you begin barely able to hold your own against an angry goblin, in Exalted you begin as the holder of a shard of godly power known as a Solar Exalt and can wipe out ordinary troops without breaking a sweat. There are five different kinds of Exalted; Solars, Lunars (Wild, shape-changing exalted), Sidereals (Fate-meddling hidden manipulators that others have a hard time remembering), Dragon-Blooded or Terrestrial (Weakest of the Exalts, but their numbers more than make up for it and they don't like the other types of Exalted) and the Abyssals, who are nasty, evil Solar Exalted created by the Deathlords, who in turn are servants of the Neverborn. The last four Exalted types are fully detailed in their own Manuals of Exalted Power. Unbelievable stunts such as running up the sides of buildings, martial arts that defy human ability and spells able to annihilate cities are the norm in Exalted. Although it deals (as do all White Wolf products) with mature themes, it's not hard to do a game with younger players, as long as the Storyteller is careful about it. Exalted has a rich background that gives almost limitless possibilities with stories, and this Second Edition streamlines the combat, charms and spell rules so battles go by a bit faster. And if you played 1st Edition, the supplements are still just as valid and converting stats of NPCs aren't going to be major headaches. All in all, Exalted is a welcome break from the typical hack-and-slash dungeon crawl style RPG and recommended for fans of that genre as well as those who enjoy something different.

No comments about The Attacking Manual: Basic Principles.

No comments about Spot the Differences: 100 Challenging Photo Puzzles.

5 comments about Break the One-Armed Bandits.

1. I laughed so hard at certain chapters in this book that my sides hurt. I also learned a great deal about how the slots work and their history. There are some excellent strategies in this book as well. Definitely a book worth buying.



2. I have read just about every book on slots but I resisted buying this one because I thought the information would be old and stale. Now having read it I have to agree with other reviewers that just about all slot books "borrow" heavily from Scoblete's work and are nowhere near as comprehensive. The book is a masterpiece of research and it is well written and extremely fun to read. I recommend this as the first and only slot stop you'll need before you try your hand at the one-armed bandits.



3. I am not crazy about playing slots--but to get free room at the Venetian (LV) I need to put in hours each day, each visit. The Scoblete book is the most informative overall I've read so far on a subject where random chance is the rule. The chapter about which slots are loose was probably good advice--but people don't hear coins falling into the hopper any more--coins have been replaced with paper receipts. Paper payoffs also skew the advice in that excellent chapter on money management. These days most people deposit bills, not coins, into the slot machine and there is no bucket of coins to use or to reserve. Mr. Scoblete needs to revise this book. If he still gambles, I'm sure his well-thought 1994 guidelines would benefit from updating. I would be first on line to buy the new book. The organization and research of "One-Armed Bandit" are outstanding.



4. I found this to be extremely interesting reading, as well as entertaining and informative. I don't think any of the tips and tricks in ANY slot machine book will apply at "Indian Reservation" casinos, but this book is a must read for any fan of Jersey, Vegas, Mississippi, or other non-reservation casinos.



5. I bought this book few days ago. I finished reading in a day. This book spent most of the time telling stories about gamblers but not the method to win a jackpot. The author does not have much experience in playing jackpot machine, he merely did some interview with real gamblers and casino employee. There is no pictures, no facts or figure to illustrate. In my opinion, It can only be consider as a easy to read book on jackpot. Do not expect to win anything after reading it.

5 comments about Player's Guide to Faerun (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Accessory).

1. I'm usually a pessimist when it comes to the glut of D&D monthly products, but this book is entirely character options, and while none of them are top notch, it's got very detailed info on deity and regional stuff that pertains to players. Very useful, and although some of it is only a rules update from the F.R. campaign book (3rd edition), it's also a lot easier to skim through for bits of information. It's definitely a solid book, a must-have for DMs, and I'd give it 5 stars if it weren't campaign-specific.



2. A USEFULL GUIDE FOR FAERUN PLAYERS
   
   This book contains 3 specification
   - 3.5 Updates of FR Realms Campign Setting
   - A gathering book from other FR Rule Books
   - Some new addition things
   
   The most important thing of this book that is care us; it is a gathering guide book from main books of Forgotten Realms. (FR Campaign Setting, Faiths & Pantheons, Races of Faerun, Magic of Faerun) This Guide takes the important things for players from these 4 books and collects together. It is a Summary of them.
   
   Player Guide to Faerun includes nearly all things for Forgotten Realms players. The players can find necessary knownlodge for their characters in one book. But if they wants more details and other specific things they should to have ektra books.
   
   The main reason for to get this book is; The standard Faerun Players may use this book without need the other books. They may take only two book to games; The Players Handbook and Players Guide to Faerun. This may be second main book for them.
   Also, they can create their characters and play after for dont need the FR Campaign Setting.
   
   It is only few new additon things whose is not other books. So dont think to buy for only new additions.
   
   If you thing to have minimal number books to play in Forgotten Realms, you should buy only two books; FR Campaign Setting, Player Guide to Faerun. (After to have 3 core rule book of D&D)
   The players who have other FR books, they may also get this book if they want quick summary guide under their hand during their games.
   
   Includes the Collection of these:
   Races, P.Classes, Skills, Feats, Domains and Spells, Magic Items, Epic Levels.
   
   This was my fifth FR book, I have had before these books; FR Campaign Setting, Faiths & Pantheons, Races of Faerun, Magic of Faerun, but I want to take this guide also because I want a usefull thin guide for bring it to games. Sometimes it is some difficult to look and find your needs other 4 books, it may took time.
   
   I recommended this book for Players of Forgotten Realms Players, but not for any DM. It is a Player Guide like name. And I repeat this; it is a summary book for FR players.



3. I'm always a little leary about buying "Player's Guides" since I'm a DM most of the time, but this one was almost necessary to correct the errors and region system in the original Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Dungeons & Dragons). Also upgrades spells from the Magic of Faerun! Very cool and worth every penny I spent so far.



4. This book was well worth the money I spent, it was delivered to me in quick timing, and was in almost perfect sondition.



5. Player's Guide to Faerun is a very good FR supplement, but it lacks any information on the facts that happened (are going to happen depending on the year your campaign is going on) after the Year of The Rouge Dragons. It focus a lot on the planes other then the material plane and prestige classes, but not much on geography and politics between the realms.

5 comments about Lost Empires of Faerûn (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Supplement).

1. I always loved the 3.5 (3.0) Forgotten Realms accessories, but I must say that this book is perhaps the best in the series.
   
   This books gives you a +10 competence bonus to your Ancient History(Faerun) skill, as it offers you in-depth knowledge on almost all of the great empires of the past. You can learn all, about the great elven empires, about the history of the Sword Coast, about the phaerimm manace, etc.
   
   Also, you will find some great feats, prestige classes and spells in the book. Some of them are not really for players, but for the DM (and to the NPCs). Players will also find it interesting, if for nothing else, then to add some flavour to the game.
   
   I found it also great that young DMs get some help in a separate chapter to create adventures based on the "ancient theme". Of course, even old DMs, like myself can learn a lot from it.



2. I greatly looked forward to this book and was not disappointed. The Forgotten Realms is extremely rich in history that has been developed over the long years of its publication and this is truly a comprehensive source of that. The authors have touched on just about every area I can think of and they have done it well.
   
   The book is divided into several sections, each dealing with a different geographic or cultural area. For instance, one section deals with the crown wars (wars between elves almost exclusively) and the elven nations involved (which covers a large area of Faerun) while another area covers the North and includes detail on several elven realms that had little part in the crown wars. They have timelines for each section of the book.
   
   To be clear though, these histories are given not as a tool to play during those times, but as reference points to incorporate the locales of these ancient empires into the current timeline and an existing campaign. They bring the histories up to the current timeline and give you a good idea of what is going on in the ruins of these empires and the doings of the decedents of these empires.
   
   On top of all of this rich history and information is a great deal of good crunchiness. There are several prestige classes, all of which seem well balanced and a great section on new spells and magic items. They even have specifics on mythal creation which is just plain cool to me. Going back to the integration of the past to the present, there is a section about Hellgate Keep and there they specify magic items of goodly races know to have been lost by fallen heroes there (items from the PGtF and this book).
   
   All in all, a great tool for ANY dungeon master running ANY Realms Campaign for its information on ruins (dungeon - hint, hint) and its balance of historical information and crunchy bits. By far one of the most useful Realms products for any edition.



3. Very well detailed and has a great amount of information that can be used in adventures. I would give it 4.5 if I could because of the usual lack of REAL MAPS that Wizards of the Coast seems to neglect. Great book though and a must have for DM's and Players in the forgotten realms.



4. If you're interested in the history of Faerun, this is a excellent book. It goes into great detail and has a lot of extras, like relics and historical weapons. Great art and a good read.



5. I found this title the best supplement ever written. That says a lot, since this series has been around since 1987. At last, in one volume, the history of this magical world is laid bare. I have speculated and wondered in the past why the world is like it is. This volume has given up most of those secret! I stand in awe of most of them. This is the flower of Realms lore. Most are not intended for most gamers. I read the novels and continue my illustrations outside this "gamers" world.
   
   I can only say that the Forgotten Realms have come alive at last with a rich and frightening history in its past. Long live Netheril!

5 comments about GURPS Basic Set: Characters, Fourth Edition.

1. The idea behind GURPS is that it provides a set of core rules that can be adapted to any setting (thus the "universal" part of General Universal Role-Playing). It does a good job of this, although it is better suited to a somewhat more realistic feeling than heroic wackiness. A human isn't going to take too many sword hits and shrug them off.
   
   The strong point of GURPS is character generation. Players are allotted a number of points to build their characters, and may buy characteristics, skills and "Advantages" (things like the ability to use magic, being wealthy, or any of hundreds of other things), and may get additional points by taking "Disadvantages."
   
   This new 4th edition is in by far most ways an improvement over 3rd edition. They closed a lot of loopholes and fixed a number of less-than-optimal things. I like the changes to combat especially.
   
   There are a couple of things I would have done differently.
   
   1) They took the skills out of psionics (and every other supernatural system, for that matter), making it purely advantage based, but they left magic as skill based. They really should have made each magic spell into an advantage too, because now it's not as well balanced with the rest of the system as it could be. Couple this with the fact that you can now take IQ at 10 points a level if you don't take the associated Will and Perception, and you can easily have a Wizard character with an IQ of 17 or so in a 100 point campaign, who can buy spells at a very high skill level with 1 point.
   
   2) They should have dumped the "earn character points through study" system. Yes, it's easy to just ignore it, but if you get stuck with a GM who goes by the book you may very well find yourself wasting a lot of time with tedious accounting issues.
   
   4th edition institutes a good set of rules that allows the GM to create powers and abilities by modifying Advantages with an extensive set of Enhancements and Limitations. This is really nice for the workaholic GM, but the GM who lacks huge amounts of free time is going to be hoping for supplements with a lot of sample powers worked out for him or her.



2. 
   The "Gurps 4th Edition" just fixed all "Gurps 3rd Edition" weakness. The two books are so great. The color and hardcover look and feel are some big diference between the books and the the old versions.
   
   The bad comercial thing: are two books, and you need to have both if you want to be a Game Master.
   
   The "Characters Guide" have lots of resources to make a rich character and the "Campaigns Guide" have a good Game Master stuff.
   
   If you want to have some good RPG System, well, you need to buy "Gurps 4th Edition", but you need some time and practice, cause the game system is so rich, then the rules number is high.



3. An awesome upgrade to GURPS 3rd Edition. Full colored and illustrated book, some new rules added and some old rules banished, creating a better balanced and understandable system.
   Five stars again to SJG.



4. I have played GURPS since it first came out and I was shocked and horrified by this version. I can't believe people are raving about it. The new version barely addresses the problems of the previous one, is poorly laid out and hard to read, and many changes were made to parts of the game where there were no problems to address. There's none of the humor of Steve Jackson's original work. The book reads like a technical manual. Thank you, but I'll stick with the old version or switch to a different system.



5. Been a long time GURPS fan and I think the 4th edition is absolutely great.

5 comments about Design Your Own Coat of Arms: An Introduction to Heraldry.

1. This book provides a very elementary introduction to Heraldry. The basic layout of a Coat of Arms is discussed, including a very brief history, along with the rules of placement and description for the major elements. The author also includes some discussion of the prevailing Heraldry of countries around the world, including medieval countries. The appendixes include elements for the user to trace or imitate when creating their own Coat of Arms. Lastly there is some contact information for organizations involved with Heraldry.
   
   The book lacks depth. It provides nothing resembling an exhaustive list of elements; only a few basic forms and styles are covered. Further there is nil discussion concerning the meaning of the elements presented. The most a reader can learn is that crowns and lions rampant are symbols of Royalty, and some of that we have to infer. The work feels directed to early middle school children and should probably be marked as Young Reader.



2. In this book there is more historical information, and descriptions. Great for older children that can draw well.



3. Great book for beginner Heralds!!!



4. Perfect resource guide for my unit on the Middle Ages. Very quick shipment and in perfect condition. Great job!



5. a very good book, as it explains heradlry terms, and makes it simple to create your own device.
   
   pity amazon so hard to deal with if not in america

5 comments about Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine.

1. I like the book. but i wish to warn buyers about outdated parts. in the book and on the cd it lists many links. but many of the website have gone down and are dead. in the description for the book it says it gives details on making controls, but some cases it just gives links. some of are dead. but it does give good info on emulator, encoders and many other things that are hard to find on the web. but i think the man should have cut some parts short and added controle construction.



2. This book covered so much more than what I was expecting. If you have never built an arcade cabinet before then I would recommend this book if only to see how many different ways it can be done.



3. This book is a lot more "Techie" than I expected. It involves taking apart and reconfiguring quite a few things to get what you need. Sure it shows where to buy the components if you wish, but then why not just buy the arcade game already made. It does show you how to build the case. I thought it would show how to take your X-Box or Playstation and build an arcade enclosure to get the arcade feel. That is not what this book is about. You take a computer and several components, plus a moniter to make an arcade game. It is very informative but not quite what I expected. It is not a 1 or 2 weekend project. Do a search for mame to see what I mean. Mame is very important to this project.



4. This is a good book.
   My only thing is most of this is on the internet and may even be more updated if you find the right websites.
   
   But it is helpful as for the beginner will help you plan things out in advance. Would be nice to have a few more illustrations like some sample wire diagrams of the controls etc.
   
   But again..it has lots of reference websites listed in the book that can also assist.
   
   My suggestion is -> don't build a Mame Cabinet if you don't have the internet...because you will need it.
   
   Seems to have covered all the basis and the added cd is a nice touch.



5. Following the Arcade scene for a few years, I've been promising myself this book once I'm ready to sit down and start building my own MAME Arcade cabinet.
   
   After getting the book and skimming through the pages, I was disappointed to find it's either information I've already discovered on my own by surfing the Internet, or the links to additional content or files are severely outdated and a number of external links no longer work. The copy of MAME they provide you is ver 0.7x (Latest incarnation of MAME is over .100)
   
   Don't get me wrong, this book is great for those who haven't already done the research and want an all-in-one book on how to do it. For me however, I gained nothing from the book.

5 comments about Mensa Kakuro (Mensa).

1. Since the puzzles are hard (challenging?) I find the paper quality in this book to be poor. If I can't see the solution right away and need to mark in some possibilities, I find that the paper deteriorates when I erase and does not erase cleanly. There are other books out there that have paper that stands up to erasing nicely.
   
   The difficulty aspect is awesome for those looking for puzzles that take awhile to complete. What good is a puzzle that is finished in just a few minutes? You won't find those in this book.



2. Puzzles are challanging and require thought but can be completed with a modicum of concentration. So far I have completed the first 30 puzzles and I have enjoyed them although at times they can stress your patience. A good challange for the experienced Kakuro fan.



3. I, too, am a long time solver and love the big very difficult puzzles. This fits the bill! Large puzzles and lots of them, fun to solve, easy to read. Right up there with The Everything Kakuro Challenge Book as the best collection of these puzzles I've seen.



4. I gave this book to my mom for Christmas and she loved it. She is always looking for cross-sums by Dell and these are the same type of puzzles that have been renamed since the sudoku craze. These puzzles are much more fun than sudoku.



5. Book with 250 puzzles not ranked by difficulty level but pick up complexity after #6 and become very difficult at the end. Limited list of unique sums and good introduction. Best for the advanced puzzler.