5 comments about Revised Core Rulebook (Star Wars Roleplaying Game).

1. Overall, Star Wars RPG is a good system. Its very easy to learn if you've played D20 Modern especially. I wouldn't say that there are any big problems with the game system, but there are certainly a lot of minor problems that would be very confusing/frustrating to someone without a rules lawyer who understands game balancing. Its a fun game for roleplaying, but I'm not sure Wizards had any really competant game-balancing rules lawyers actually look over the system, or maybe they didn't play test it enough. Either way, the system has a number of very minor game unbalancing things that spring up in game from time to time that require a comptetant GM to resolve. Nothing especially terrible, and overall I enjoy the system as do many of the people I play with. So I would recommend the system to any Star Wars and roleplaying enthusiasts (in that order).
   
   The book itself is well-laid out, I can find the info I need with relative ease.



2. So, When the revised book came out for Star Wars roleplaying I was excited. I thought the first release by wizards of the coast was way to much like D&D. Everything was about the same other then the 3-D Space combat. I was very disapointed when the second one released prior to the Revenge of the Sith, leaving not thought out plot holes regarding the books. Other then that what makes Star Wars so interesting is not the feats, skill, or items but the fact that 'you' can play a Jed i Knight. I believe this is the only thing going for this game and the fact that it is a copy of Dungeons and Dragons. So if you like 3.5 and love Star Wars this game is great but you will find it may limit your game play and I would rather play D&D which invites more world building rather then a fully established universe and plot line. I mean come on if Luke and his gang are already saving the galaxy, what do your characters have to do, Shot some low level stormtroopers and get some data?



3. I recently came to d20 from AD&D (which I think is HACKMASTER now) and I was often confused when trying to play d20 D&D. I think the old and new ways of resolving saves and ability and skill checks were warring in my mind. I don't know if STAR WARS RPG does a better job of explaining the core rules or if it was just a fresh perspective, but I understand the system much better now. Everything is very clearly spelled out so that it is easy to follow.
   
   STAR WARS RPG is a great adaptation of the STAR WARS universe to d20 roleplaying. It captures the epic combats, both individuals and spaceships. It covers play in the three STAR WARS eras, the Old Republic, the Empire, and the New Republic. All of the well-known species are there, available for play, and player classes that cover scouts, scoundrels, nobles, and jedi of multiple stripes. There are rules governing lightsaber creation, starfighter combat, and interstellar travel. I particularly appreciated that all the rules for play are included, so you do NOT need to buy the D&D PHB separately. There's only one experience table for all classes (a big simplification in my mind). I also really like the replacement of hit points with wound and vitality points. Vitality is like D&D hit points, increasing with level, and cover blows in regular combat. Wound points are determined by your Con. score and remain constant and represent real damage.
   
   I think there are some big issues with the system, though. It isn't clear why anyone would want to play a non-jedi character. The jedi have no real disadvantages and so many overwhelming advantages that the only purpose to non-jedi PCs is to add flavor to a game. As others have noted, the vehicle rules are pretty clunky. Hint: if you need a whole chapter to describe rules for something fast-paced like a chase scene or space combat, a rules-summary at the end is in order. All in all, it's a good game and an interesting alternative to d20 FUTURE.



4. Unfortunately this product feels a lot like Dungeons & Dragons in space. I guess with the transferability of the d20 rules that was always going to be more or less the case, but there are just elements of this book that don't really feel like they're grounded in the Star Wars universe; instead, they feel like they're bits of the D&D universe that have been altered and retrofitted to make sense in a Star Wars context. The book is even laid out in a similar fashion to the D&D Players' Handbook.
   
   I would have much preferred to see something that was all Star Wars from the ground up. I don't know what licensing arrangements Wizards have with Lucasfilm and the other Star Wars franchises, but seeing crossover from all the various elements of Star Wars to this book would have been preferable.
   
   Putting those disappointments aside, the book presents workable rules to run a Star Wars campaign, and it's quite clear in most of its descriptions and detail.
   
   There's nothing better out there to run a SW campaign (although I haven't read the Saga edition), but it's not hard to imagine something that could be better.



5. The purchase was performed without problems. The delivery was fast, and the article was exactly as expected. 100% reliable, 100% satisfaction.

5 comments about D&D Player's Kit with Free Miniatures Booster.

1. The PHB is a necessity to any D&D adventurer. You really need your own so your not fighting over them every time you level up or gain some treasure. You also really need your own dice. This set combines the two for cheaper than you could get them separately. You even get some miniatures to boot. EXCELLENT!!!



2. This set is probably one of the best bangs for your buck around. Not only do you get a copy of the Player's Handbook (worth the whole cost of the set by itself), there is a really nice set of dice and a booster pack of discontinued minis. If anyone needs a PHB, this is the way to go.



3. I just started playing a couple of months ago. There are no superstitious *don't touch my dice* kind of gamers in the group, and up until getting this, I had been borrowing dice and the PHB as needed. It got really annoying and I even missed out on bonuses as I leveled up because I didn't have time to do it right. (Of course, I didn't know what I missed until I actually got my own book and could take the time to look stuff up.)
   
   The soft-cover handbook is just like the hardcover except it's not as easy to write on (the table is often full of snacks). I like the feel of the dice and how they have several D6 so I don't have to borrow them from others. I don't like that the colors of the dice don't match exactly and that they come in only a plastic zip-lock type bag which pops open in my pocket.
   
   I agree with what someone else said about the character sheets-it would have been nice to have more of them although I can always copy what's in the book. I don't use the minis, either, but, I like them.
   
   Overall, for what I needed, this worked and even though I was just looking and wasn't really planning to buy, it was a good package deal that had everything I needed at a good price. I'm happy with the purchase.



4. The Player's Handbook is the main advantage, I had the 3.0 Ed, this way I got the 3.5 version.
   The dice set is not quite very good, dark colors, not so visible in dim light.
   Didn't try yet the adventures, the miniatures pack is a bonus, still, they are not suited to represent the characters.



5. This box is literally all a player of D&D needs. There are other necessary books, but those are the DM's responsibility. For twenty bucks you can get the necessities for players: the Player's Handbook and a full set of dice. The PHB, while softcover, is otherwise identical to the hardcover version, and the dice are excellent and very cool. Since the list price of the softcover PHB is the same as Amazon's price for the Player's Kit, everything else in the box is essentially free.
   
   That being said, all you really need is the PHB and the dice. If you're just starting, though, the other stuff is helpful too. The miniatures can be fun and useful, even though they're technically for a separate game.
   
   I recommend this kit to absolutely any D&D player, old or new

5 comments about World of Warcraft Bestiary (Brady Games Official Strategy Guide) (Brady Games Official Strategy Guide).

1. Why do most folks want from a book like this? Well, you would expect to see a fairly comprehensive listing of the monsters that you meet in World of Warcraft, but you should get more. An effective book would not only provide very basic information, but indicate where these monsters roam and maybe a line or two of information about what/who they are. You won't find any of that extra information here and it is very disappointing. Thumbing through the book, you stumble upon interesting creatures and you wonder, "Hmmm where will I see this one?" yet the book provides zero information in this regard.
   
   The book's organization is rather odd, they don't put similar monsters together because they state that more significant mobs of that species deserve their own entry. Nice concept, but in the end that means there is zero reference that those other significant mobs exist if you only read the main entry for that species. To make matters worse, they have placed an index in the back of the book requiring you to look up mobs by other names that aren't indicated by those other names in the main listings.
   
   Part of the biggest attraction to Warcraft is the extensive lore, and Brady missed a large opportunity to provide fans with lore/context/history on all of these monsters. In the end, it is more of a pretty picture book with information that could have been gleaned online with much more detail. Brady Games really missed the point of a book like this and how valuable it could have been. It just leaves you wanting more than it offers and doing more research on WowHead or Thottbot to get that info. For that reason, the book loses two stars in my review. It might be better to pick up this one on the markdown table somewhere.
   
   One interesting item that it does show you is how often Blizzard utilizes the same character models with just a few different colors!



2. Excellent product and is a pretty good help for looking up beasts info in the game. It does help to let you know what you may be up against in a given area.



3. This book is purely academic, with no applicable use in the game. Yes, it gives you the stats, etc, but nothing else. If the book was going to be of any use, it needs to include the location of the mobs, what they drop, and any quests (if any) they're the target of.



4. I concur with the other reviews of this book. Without disclosing the actual location of NPC this book is not very useful. Considering the other Dungeon manuals also include the loot that drops from bosses this information could also have been included.
   
   Pass on this book and get the strategy guide or the dungeon guides instead.



5. When I heard Bradygames was making this guide, I was excited! Wow, comprehensive information about all the denizens of World of Warcraft in my lap! No more looking them up individually online!
   
   Sadly, this guide is woefully lacking such key information as:
   - Where they are located (even a general zone would've been helpful)
   - Immunities/weaknesses
   - Elite/Non-Elite
   
   Because of this, I find myself not looking anything up in this guide, and still go online for all of my bestiary needs.
   
   If you just want to know how many different creatures inhabit World of Warcraft, and want to see what so-and-so boss looks like, then this guide is an interesting read. If you need any crucial information to keep you alive in an encounter, or even just to FIND a creature, this guide is really no help at all.

5 comments about The Decorated Page: Journals, Scrapbooks & Albums Made Simply Beautiful.

1. I've kept a plain-jane journal for 30 years, but after seeing this book, I want to change my ways. Diehn really opened my eyes to ways of customizing a blank book and altering books for journaling. There are so many approaches to a page with columns, grids, mandalas and more. She demonstrates filling the pages with storytelling, mapping, changing forms and "spilling."
   Some sections feature other journalers so you see a variety of styles and personalizations. It may be awhile before I get my nerve up to put watercolor washes on a page, but the book guides you through that and how to transfer copier images to a page. The sample journal pages shown throughout the book are sometimes messy, but always exciting and creative. I must rethink my buttoned-down approach.



2. This book is intended for the "sketchbook wanna-be" and it succeeds wonderfully. Beautiful on its own, it is filled with ideas and examples of sketchbooks. If you need a push to start your own sketchbook this is it. If you just want to look at beautiful creative things this is that also.



3. The sub-title of this inspiring book has an interesting play on words. The full-colour illustrations are indeed beautiful and the author/artist illustrates, in simple steps, how journals can contain pages "that sing and weep, inform and beguile, transport, soothe, and excite". I am enthralled by this book, but I don't recommend it as bedtime reading. It will keep you awake with ideas!
   
   Gwen Diehn uses her own journal pages as well as examples from many other contributing artists to guide readers through basic materials, art supplies, techniques, layouts (proportioning and balancing of elements) and applications. Before I read any of the words, I was intrigued and inspired by the variety of inventive approaches to daily journaling.
   
   My travel journals are full of drawings, mementoes, photos and ephemera but now I've realized the same can be done in my daily journal. Visual elements can enhance the written word. Or, in some cases, the visual becomes an easier way to explain something. Diehn sometimes uses "a small set of watercolours to paint a color swatch of the feeling of each day." She has found that keeping a journal with both written and visual elements opens up "new processes of thinking, feeling, observing, focusing, and experiencing life." What to call such an approach to journaling? Hannah Hinchman, a nature journalist featured in the book, uses the term "the illuminated journal." Bruce Kremer calls it "the textured diary." Some of his journal pages are also included in the book.
   
   Even the photos of art supplies are artistic, such as an array of pens and bottles of ink. But then I'm a big fan of art supplies. Diehn really encourages experimentation. You don't have to follow the steps exactly, and she particularly steers people away from cliche. By that she means, for instance, paper with a repeated pattern or inlaid flowers. She says, change it in some way so that "parts lose their individual identities" and disappear into the overall design you have created.
   
   Collage is a favourite pastime for many of us, and journals can become full of collections of tickets, receipts, notes, napkin sketches, wrapping paper, sugar packets, seed packages, labels, magazine and newspaper clippings, pressed flowers, stamps, fortune cookie fortunes. The ephemera can be used as the base of designs, in patterns or as the starting point of a drawing. Be inspired by one piece you have glued on a page and continue the pattern by drawing it with ink or colour. (You can also stitch collage elements to a page and that way add fold-outs, small booklets and envelopes.)
   
   Ever since reading the book, I've been collecting wine corks as Diehn shows how you can carve shapes into them to make your own small relief printing stamps. And I've been inspired to assemble a travel supply kit so if I'm going on my favourite walk through the rain forest and along the seashore, I'll have tools, along with my journal, to draw my impressions.
   
   There's even some advice on writing in an article called "Writing Small" by Ann Turkle. Make lists, she suggests, describe, witness and listen. "An unintended payoff of paying attention is that we simply begin to take pleasure in our noticing, and suddenly, the collecting notebook becomes a 'pleasure journal', the repository for unexpected moments of delight."
   
   There are many applications for a visual journal or "textured diary". "Information gathering" for instance, can be recording what you see around you while on a walk. Back at home, you can reflect further on the experience. "Storytelling", "lists and collections", "patterns and motifs", "bird's eye view", "decision making", "memory books", "spilling", and "reflections" are among the various approaches, each of which has detailed, visual examples.
   
   I found "decision making" a particularly useful approach. The author believes "it's important to go beyond rational and logical thoughts when making decisions". When trying to decide which house to buy, Diehn used watercolours to depict each house. There were just two of them, so she had two pages with blocks of colour, not drawings, that represented what she remembered about each house. When the pages were dry, she made lists of attributes for each of the houses. She then did a sort of analysis of the paintings with their lists. Over time, with her journal open, Diehn gravitated towards her yellow and brown images and the house they represented.
   
   Gwen Diehn teaches drawing, printmaking, and artists' books in the Art Department at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, North Carolina. She includes journaling and sketching in the courses she teaches and has developed many activities to help novices learn to make both verbal and visual records of their experiences.
   
   by Mary Ann Moore
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   www.storycirclebookreviewsorg
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



4. I have read or browsed through nearly ALL of the hundred or so "art journaling" and "collage" books out there. After a while they start to look the same. How many times can I possibly put an "instant ancestor" in my journal or scrapbook before it's not interesting anymore? Why do I need to solder and use Victorian valentines and expensive pre-made knick-knacks? Where do I even FIND that stuff? It's unnecessary, and this is the book I keep coming back to over and over as a reference. It is the happy medium between not-decorated and TOO-decorated.
   
   The key here is simplicity. Gwen lists several simple items and techniques you can use to sketch or even create your own journal from scratch (though not mandatory.) She recommends starting with as neutral a canvas as possible, and describes how fancy papers can detract from your work. Her technique relies on enhancing your own style of writing and sketching, rather than using kitschy found objects and materials. Lots of washes and watercolors are used, which give your pages an elegant look, and are very easy to use. Supplies you need start out with are the basic color pencils and watercolor, and other semi-advanced techniques are enough to keep you challenged but not overwhelmed. The box of supplies that is shown actually looks USED rather than a bunch of expensive brand new things. Which is what your things are supposed to look like after you've "dived in." I know I'm not alone, but if something is too fancy I just don't want to use it, waiting for the "perfect" moment which doesn't exist.
   
   I have been itching to take one of Gwen's workshops for a while now, but apparently she only does one a year in some foreign location. A majority of the examples in the book are travel journal pages about Italy, which I find annoying because it is more fulfilling to me to write and draw about the not-so-obvious things in our daily lives, rather than one's personal awakening across Europe (which strikes me as cliche.) However judging on pure technique I give this book 5 stars.
   
   Combine this with Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Shambhala Pocket Classics) and that's all you need to be inspired for the imagery and words.



5. Great ideas and beautiful examples of journal pages. One of the best books on the subject of art journaling.

No comments about Polymer Clay and Mixed Media-- Together at Last: Incorporating Craft Materials and Found Objects in Clay Figures.

5 comments about Easy Latin Crossword Puzzles.

1. The reviewer below is barking up the wrong tree. Classical Latin was written in all-caps and without accents or macrons. Even when later Latin came to be written in both upper and lower cases, there were no accents or macrons. Perhaps a little harder for beginners, but that's what textbooks are for (also beware that V will represent both u and v, much as in the Oxford Latin dictionary, because the Romans didn't have two separate letters. Hence why v is pronounced like w or u.) This isn't Greek, and by and large accents don't matter. They're completely regular, in any case, and similar to English - with a little practice you'll put them in the right place naturally. If all caps are annoying, at least they'll teach you to read Latin without the artificial aids of modern editors, and that's a valuable skill to have.



2. It's so nice to find a supplement that really is easy and can be used by fairly novice Latin students - especially one that is so reasonably priced!!! 50 Crossword puzzles are offered in this volume (with a mix of Latin to English and English to Latin translations) with a list of possible words to choose from at the bottom of each page. (This feature is nice both because it makes it easier for beginning students to choose from a limited vocabulary and because it eliminates confusion about which ending should be used to fit precisely in the crossword.)
   
   This is a fun and easy way to practice vocabulary and have a little variety in your Latin studies.



3. Great for Latin learners or for those who want to go back and brush up their skills. Each puzzle has a word list at the bottom to help with the answers.



4. Hey it got here quick and it's in really great condition... I think it's all right...
   
   Marty



5. These puzzles really are easy, but provide so much information!!! The Appendices give even more useful information.

5 comments about The Big Messy Art Book: But Easy to Clean Up.

1. I have been teaching preschool for many years and I love messy media... this book had some really neat ideas, things I had never tried before. When I got my copy, I couldn't wait to try out some of the ideas right away.



2. THIS BOOK IS A FOR-SURE WINNER. IT ENABLES THE KIDS TO HAVE FUN AND GET DIRTY AT THE SAME TIME. I AM NO LONGER AFRAID FOR MY CHILDREN TO GET DIRTY! IT'S CLEAN UP IS EASY TOO. IT'S AN ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR FUN.



3. This book is my kids' favorite! Everything is either very LARGE and exciting, or SILLY and exciting, or ADVENTUROUS and exciting, or extremely INTERESTING and exciting. Don't buy this if you want your child to sit in a corner with crayons for the rest of her/his life and never look beyond the expected. This is for the kids that will challenge their imaginations and explore art from a new view, building who they will be as adults.



4. I am a special education teacher and I am always looking for new ideas to enhance my sensory awareness program. This book has some awesome ideas and I can't wait to start using them this year.



5. This book has been out in the hands of good teachers/parents/child care folks/kids for awhile now, but I've found that it is new to many kids who are just discovering it. One little guy I worked with recently as a visiting author to his school told me: "I didn't know a tennis ball could be so interesting, did you?" He was referring to painting with tennis balls. Our group tried several approches with painty tennis balls....rolling them around in a wading pool covered with paper, tossing them at a wall of paper outdoors, holding and pressing on paper, bouncing on paper on the floor, and a few other ideas that kids thought up that are NOT in the book, but should have been. Read on: The little guy who told me tennis balls are interesting had thought up a idea where he rolled the ball deliberately through paint and then along the border of large paper. Within the border, he made dot-prints with different colors of paint. When it was dry, he outlined each dot with a black marker. The result was a huge bubbly design painting. I was impressed with his process, and the resulting painting was delightful and all his own! I love when my books give kids a boost to be their own artists and live in their own creativity. What a great day spending time with kid-artists. Someday I'll collect all their unique ideas and write a new book called "Kids Are More Artistic Than I Am!" Keep having fun with kids, from your friend, MaryAnn Please visit my website for free art ideas: www.brightring.com.

5 comments about The New York Times Easy Crossword Puzzles Volume 8: 50 Monday Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times (New York Times Easy Crossword Puzzles).

1. If you like the Times "Monday" puzzles then this is great. I love it



2. I found this book just what I had ordered and very fun. Thank you



3. Really enjoyable, interesting but not the Sunday Times puzzle!
   
   Fun and interesting.



4. Just recently I become interested in crosswords for the first time, so I picked up this book. The puzzles in it are for the most part very fun and pretty doable, even for a crossword beginner.
   
   My one complaint about this volume is that there are way too many recycled clues in the fifty different puzzles. Perhaps there are just certain basic clues that are common to most puzzles, but I found -- and I am not exaggerating -- no less than 50 clues which were used in multiple puzzles. And I am not talking about just the same answer, but essentially the same clue. After a while this became very annoying. Not a gigantic deal, but it is something that bugged me a little.
   
   Three stars.



5. After really enjoying volume 1 through 4 of this series, I bought volume 7. The puzzles are just as great in this one as in volumes 1 through 4, but the titles of the puzzles are missing! This removes some of the fun, as part of doing a crossword is figuring out how the title relates to the puzzle theme. This is an incredible oversight to me--the book claims it was edited by Will Shortz, but I doubt he even looked at it or surely this would have been caught. You're better off sticking to the volumes that are complete.

2 comments about Rock Band: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. I bought this book mainly for advice (or tricks) about how to play (guitar or drums) and sing better. Very little advice is given about actually playing the instruments and singing and what advice they do give is already contained on the tutorials section of the video game. The advice on setting up to the drums was fair information. Besides that, the Prima guide did not help me to improve my play.
   
   They also suggest starting at medium skill level. Not everyone is a video game junkie or Neil Peart, Frank Zappa or Sting. Starting at medium would put some of my friends off the game for good! (especially drums) Yet the medium skill level is mainly ignored and they talk mostly about hard and expert. It is not an explanation on how to get to Hard or Expert or even what to do once you're there. Prima suggests practice and gives advice at what sections of the particular songs to practice to be able to get through the song. Imagine that... practice! Who would have guessed?
   
   I guess I can re-evaluate the book to see if it is more useful once I am attempting to play at the hard level (right now, I'm challenged on medium). However, I doubt it will be used for little more than a casual reference to the songs. Save your money and do the Rock Band tutorials that come with the game.
   
   I am 0 for 2 with Prima guides. The other was Madden 08. I have a PS3 and I found that many items in the book are not available to me. Also, they switch back and forth from platforms as the PS3 is often ignored.



2. I was happy to see this priced lower than many of the game guides I've bought before, but I was still disappointed in the content.
   
   There is no more instrument-specific information here than in the little pamphlet that comes in the game package.
   
   Things it does not answer but should have: what the blue background means when playing bass (I've since determined it means you've exceeded the 4x multiplier that Lead is limited to, and you're in a "bass groove"), what the difference between "static" and "scrolling" for voice is, exactly how voice difficulty changes (does it get stricter? use speech recognition? etc.)
   
   Instead, it regurgitates the game pamphlet, provides hints straight out of the in-game tutorials, then pads out the majority of the pages with useless song-by-song information. The "history" of the song is basic copyright dates and authors, no trivia or actual history of the songs, followed by someone's opinion of how hard they found it at medium and hard (nothing for easy or expert) where my mileage definitely differed. What appears to be little bits of trivia scattered around the page is straight out of the game load screens.
   
   This really ends up being worthless, which is a shame. The excellent game deserves so much more.

2 comments about Puzzles in Wood: Simple Patterns for Creating 45 Classics.

1. Heads up woodworkers! If you are good at reading technical drawings and need very little in the way of explainations, this is the book for you. If you are either a beginner (alluded to by the word "Simple" in the title) or need detailed instructions, stay away from this one.
   I'm a mid-level woodworker and like to make puzzles and games for kids in my shop. I got this book realizing that it wasn't going to be easy just by looking at the project on the cover. Boy was I surprised! There are a few introductory pages at the front and the rest of the book is filled with technical drawings of how to build the puzzles. No detailed instructions or step by step instructions, just drawings and diagrams.
   I might delve into it to try to get a pattern or two but this little bitty book (almost more of a pamphlet really) is very intimidating.



2. This is a great little book if you are looking for ideas. Warning!! you will need to produce your own shop drawings. But if you like puzzles that is part of the fun.