5 comments about Player's Handbook: Core Rulebook I (Dungeons & Dragons, Edition 3.5).

1. The revised 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game was one of Wizards of the Coast's least popular moves. It's not because the revision failed to improve the system, but rather because it was released less than three years from the original 3rd edition (or 3.0) core books. It was seen as a blatant money grab by Wizards of the Coast, and as such angered a lot of the D&D community.
   
   That said, the revised 3rd edition is a definite improvement. It cleans up a lot of minor problems with the original release, and most of the changes it makes are for the better. Rangers are no longer the poor cousins to other warrior classes. Spells have been cleaned up. Skills have been streamlined, and animal companions now level up with their master. All in all, the game is improved -- not to the same level as moving from 2nd edition to 3rd edition did, since that would require the release of an entirely new edition, but the improvements are there and plain to see.
   
   Unfortunately, the product here suffers a little in the same way that the original 3rd edition books did. Namely, the text isn't terribly accessible to new players. The ability scores chapter, for example, gives a comparison of ability scores to monsters that include gelatinous cubes, mummies, and wyvrens. However, they provide no description of said monsters, leaving someone who hasn't played the game before in the dark. Similarly, some of the rules are poorly laid out -- the Hide skill, for example, is kept very separated from the Spot skill, despite the two being very linked. The best way to get into the game remains to find someone who knows how to play already; the rules are useful for reference, but not great as an introduction.
   
   Overall, if you're even passingly familiar with the D&D game, this book is a very useful update of the 3rd edition. The rules are cleaned up enough to be useful, but aren't so dramatically changed that you should feel compelled to update if you are partial to the older version. However, the D&D game remains one of the very best role-playing games on the market, and this new revision only serves to enhance that fact.



2. Being a new book, the price was great. I saved money over buying it in the store. Even after the shipping, which was well handled, I had this book in just a few days, and now I am using this book every day.
   
   As for the item itself, if you have an interest in D&D you must get this book. It is a must for any D&D player. And on top of the endless supply of information this book provides, it also has great art to go with it. I found this book in itself fun.



3. I recently bought this product for use playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends. The book is extremely well-written and even though D&D can become very immersed in technical rules at times, the book does an excellent job of explaining everything from creating your first character (and his/her background, characteristics, physical features, etc) to an entire list of spells and their descriptions. Updated for play using version 3.5 rules, so you'll be up-to-date with everything new. The book is littered with colorful and well-done drawings of the material which ranges from visual depictions of weapons and armors to individual races and classes.
   Whether you're new to the game or an experienced veteran looking for the basics, the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook is an excellent choice to get into the game.



4. Dungeons and Dragons is still the best and most popular table top role-playing game on the market today. My only complaint about this book and the game in general is the sheer volume of companion books you have to get in order to play the game. It'd be nice for them to break down one day and make a good all-in-one product for a change.



5. Really it doesn't need reviews by me, there are plenty. If you're ordering it you've probably already held one and you know what it does and what is in it.
   All I can really say is that Amazon shipped it out fast, UPS (or who ever delivered it) got it here in 2 days, regular shipping, and it was in perfect condition.

No comments about Dungeons & Dragons Character Record Sheets: Roleplaying Game Character Sheets, 4th Edition.

1 comments about Exalted Abyssals (Exalted Second Edition).

1. Exalted Abyssals is a well written book with a good deal of wit. It is clear from the beginning that White Wolf wanted to make these characters more playable, so their moral ambiguity is certainly played up. The text itself is set up much like the past books in this series, giving an intro to the history and world of the Abyssal, followed by a character generation chapter and then one explaining the traits in more detail, a chapter on new Abyssal charms, a chapter on Necromancy and technology ("necrology"), and finally a Storyteller's chapter.
   
   The general information this book yields is useful. Granted much of this is either rehashing what was already discussed in the Second Edition base book or further explanations, the Neverborn are better explained as is the Underworld. I would have liked to have seen a new map of the Underworld included in this book as it was in First Edition, or even a map of where the Deathlords' lands are. Such things exist on-line, though that is not always an acceptable option in the middle of a game.
   
   The artwork is up to Exalted standards, and the comics have a very dark humor to them. As my friends and I pealed through the pages, we found ourselves chuckling on a regular basis at some of the more disturbed bits of evil. Make no mistake that this book is dark, and should have come from the Black Dog press at White Wolf. Brief nudity is in this book, though only a minor amount (no more than in the core book). The blackness of the book is pretty intense, which can become training on the eyes. Everything is black and dark gray, so you will occasionally have to squint to see what you are reading or to fully see what is in the picture.
   
   If you have a gamer who tries to pull Mr Welsh style stunts in your games, do not give them access to this book. It is full of devilish ideas that, while funny, are fairly asinine. That is a major feeling one gets from this game.
   
   Gripes about the book are pretty small. In general, the Abyssal Exalted seem pretty confining to play. When reading the Dusk caste, for example, the author all but shoves down your throat that you are an uncontrollable psychopath who must kill every living thing she sees. Exalted has usually been good about not making those kinds of comments limiting play-style, so it was a little disappointing to read. It felt like they were sucking some of the fun from the character creation process. Aside from little problems such as that, the book fits in well with the rest of the game. Again, it is not that suggestions are not good for character concepts, but telling the player they must strictly play this did not seem right.
   
   In the end, this book is incredibly useful for both ST and player, though for most games this will likely become a book for generating NPCs rather than something characters will make a regular use of. That is, of course, you are playing a rare Abyssals game. Get the book. Read the book. It at least has pretty pictures.

No comments about Threats of the Galaxy (Star Wars Accessory).

5 comments about Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. As mentioned in other reviews, the Maps chapter was omitted from the actual printing.
   To make it clear, for people who have purchased the book and made this discovery, that chapter is available for download on Prima's website page for the book.



2. First let me say that the omissions noted by the other reviewers are correct. A detailed index to the quests would be helpful. I've have had to thumb through the various quests within a general category to find the side quest I'm solving. Once you are on a major category, like the Mages Guild stuff, the manual trundles right along, quest after quest, and you can follow them in order as you proceed, with no need for an index, just a book marker. The trick is to stay off random side quests that someone in the game requests. Just say no. Stick to the main categorical quests and the manual can be your best friend.
   
   If you get duped into a solving a random quest while solving individual quests under a general category, there is plenty of online help for locating random quests; one site provides a detailed world map. My old friend google helped me find them.
   
   So, why buy this laboriously-written manual?
   
   First of all, it's beautifully illustrated, well-written, and almost devilishly detailed. To locate a random quest - I should have said `no' to the bugger -- I go to a website which is nicely indexed, and follow the walk-through. Usually, the Prima version when I find it is more complete and helpful than the on-line walk-through.
   
   The world map the game itself provides (Play Station 3) is helpful, as well as its individual maps. The game provides pointers on the map to follow and also on its compass when your role-playing hombre is trudging through hill and dale.
   
   From my experience, I have found the manual well-worth purchasing. I recommend buying it, and am giving it five stars.
   
   Someone put tons of work into this manual, a work of love, and should be financially compensated, this at the very least.



3. This book provides helpful maps and walk thrus for all missions. It's easy to use too so if you get stuck on a part of the game it won't take you long to find the answer to your problem. It was well worth the very reasonable price I paid for it.



4. Just yesterday I received my copy of this Prima guide from Amazon. I've not had much time to look at it but I did want to mention right away that my copy does indeed have the missing maps that some buyers did not get. When I ordered the book I went ahead and downloaded and printed the missing pages from Prima's website, but this turned out to be unnecessary!
   
   Maybe I got lucky, or else they've corrected the mistake and the newer editions have all the maps.
   
   Can't comment on the content just yet, but the book itself is beautifully illustrated and of high quality.



5. This is an excellent guide and I would like to point out my book does have the map section printed out at the end of the book, awsome!

No comments about Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Screen.

3 comments about Dungeons of Dread booster (D&D Miniatures Product).

1. When I first heard that D&D minis was going to be revised, I was at first very upset. Why, after so many years of being just fine, was the game being totally changed? After reading the new rules and getting used to the idea, I started to be ok with this change. And I was not wrong. But there are two aspects to this release: the Good and the Bad.
   THE GOOD - the good things about this product are just marginally better than the bad. The new rules are very interresting and, I think, balancing. You no longer have to worry about losing a 60 pt piece to a bad morale save. The game also is trying to come more in line with D&D 4th edition, which to some people will be a plus as well (I could care less). The new models themselves are amazingly sculpted and the plastic seems to be of a good quality. I've not gotten any "leaning" pieces that I did with previous sets, the the boxes are more managable and harder to steal from (and, as a customer of this product from a store that is almost always ravaged, this is a good thing). The new cards are also very sharp, and the layout on the cards is mostly logical. So, with all this, why did I rate the product only 3 of 5?
   THE BAD - the main thing I hate is this: in the set, there are only 11 commons, but 25 uncommons, and 24 rares. Each pack comes with 1 rare, 3 uncommons, and 4 commons. This means that, at least, you have to buy 22 packs to get all the rares. It also means that you're going to have 88 commons, out of a pool of 11 different ones, which means you'll have at least 8 of each common. The packaging is horrible, I hate it. Another minor complaint is the paint jobs. They're only sub-par most of the time. Some times they are good, but not often enough to get a good mark.



2. This set has a few nice sculpts, but some of the "remakes" of minis from older sets are fairly sub-par (the Grick comes to mind). A couple are just horrid, but that gives an opportunity for players to repaint them.



3. My friends and I just recently got hooked into the wonderful world of D&D miniature gaming. We got the D&D miniature Starter Kit that came with the new revised rules (called Dungeons of Dread rulebook), and we had a blast. After having so much fun with the starter kit, we decided to buy some boosters and we picked up several of these Dungeons of Dread packs and really liked them.
   
   What's nice about the Dungeons of Dread boosters is that they come with updated stat cards that use the new rules, so you can immediately play them with your starter kit (if you bought the recent version). These new stat cards are in full color and look better than the old stat cards, and apparently they will tie the game closer to the new 4th edition D&D RPG game. I don't play the RPG game, but I may plan to in the future.
   
   Like others have mentioned, these boosters do recycle some miniatures from older booster sets so veteran collectors may be unhappy about this, but this was done to help new players so they won't have to search to find old booster sets, which go back as far as 15 expansions back. As a new player, I think this is great way to introduce players into the game.
   
   I also bought some boosters from the older series like Desert of Desolation, Night Below and Unhallowed, so I was able to compare the quality of the minis. I thought Dungeons of Dread overall had a better consistency in quality and paint job than Desert of Desolation. While both Desert of Desolation and Dungeons of Dread has some mediocre minis, I found Dungeons of Dread to a bit better. Night Below however seemed the worst, while not horrible, it was not as good as Dungeons of Dread or Desert of Desolation. Unhallowed however, was the best with consistently good paint jobs and the minis tended to be larger.
   
   Important: one thing to be aware is that if you buy older booster sets (anything pre-Dungeons of Dread), is that the packaged stat cards were designed to be used with the original (now called "vintage") rules. But fear not, you can go online to the publishers website, Wizards of the Coast, and download the updated stat cards in PDF format for printing. As of this writing, only Desert of Desolation and Night Below have been updated. Unhallowed will be updated in May/June 2008. The other booster sets will be available later.
   
   So if you're new to D&D miniature gaming, I think these are great introduction, and overall I've been pretty happy with them. They use the newer stat rules that help to streamline gameplay, so it's a great time to jump in and learn the game.

No comments about Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook: Roleplaying Game Core Rules, 4th Edition.

No comments about Keep on the Shadowfell (Dungeons & Dragons, Adventure H1).

No comments about Dungeons and Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set, 4th Edition.