No comments about Pathfinder Chronicles: Guide to Absalom.

4 comments about Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names (Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds Volume IV).

1. I have always wondered about finding names for other cultures, but could not find any good source, especialy for surnames. This book has names for all areas on earth, along with ideas for the future and generating names for demons and creatures of magic.
   
   The only negative aspect of this book is that the names are not arranged in any random rolling tables, but a very useable book otherwise.



2. Looking for names? Try a phone book!
   Gary Gygax invented D&D, appeared in the best episode of Futurama, and is now credited with the most pointless 208 pages ever published. What an achievement, the nerds really will rule the Earth, and when they do they can use this book to name their new utopia, their children, pets, D&D characters, imaginary girl friends, etc...
   About as useful as the gelatinous cube hooker I plan to play in my next adventure.



3. Right, I love this book. Alot. That's about all there is to it. I'm a wannabe writer by trade, and my biggest problem in writing is that I can never come up with realistic sounding human names. THis book has... more than I could ever need, Male, Female, and Surname, arranged first by nationality, and then alphabetical order if I remember correctly.



4. This book is not only useful for gamers (of which I know so very little about) but for writers as well (of which I am a struggling one). I have at times resorted to my local phone book, which is not as useful as you would think. And yes, this book is a bit pricey, but well worth it to save myself hauling out a near useless phone book and/or different baby-name books chock-full of meanings for each name that I really don't need. What I love most about this book are all the surnames. This is the only one which features such extensive lists of surnames from all around the world. The sections of this book include:
   
   Guide to Names and Naming
   
   People
   Britain (Anglo-Saxon, Cornish, English, Medieval English, Scottish, Medieval Scottish, Irish, Med. Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Med. Welsh)
   
   Africa (African, Berber, Ancient Egyptian)
   
   American (Amerindian, Aztec, Inca, Mayan)
   
   Asia (Chinese, Med. Chinese, Indian, Sanskrit, Japanese, Med. Japanese, Korean, Mongol, Tibetan)
   
   Europe (Armenian, Dutch, Finnish, French, Celtic, German, Germanic, Gypsy, Hungarian, Norse, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish)-throw in Medieval for most of these cultures
   
   Mediterranean (Arabic, Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Med. Italian, Roman, Jewish, Hebrew, Phoenician)
   
   Oceania (Aboriginal, Papuan, Polynesian)
   
   Epithets, Titles, and Groups
   
   Places (British place names, world place names, fantastic place names, Inns and taverns)
   
   Fantastic (Creating fantasy names, generic, strange syllables, fantastic species, comical)
   
   I highly recommend this book for all writers (and gamers). I'm sure it will replace quite handily all your other baby name books and ease the burden on your back as you no longer need to haul out that heavy phone book.

2 comments about Classic Battletech: Master Rules (FPR35000).

1. Unless you're an extremely casual Battletech player (as in maybe play once a year and with interest in playing outside family), skip the Classic Battletech Boxed Set and go straight here, do not pass Go. The Classic 'Tech box contains the very minimum to play, but to really get rolling as well as use any of the 'Mechs in the Technical Readouts, this is the book to go with. Includes all the rules to play any game up to tournament level, including miniature scale play, create your own 'Mechs or use 'Mechs from the Record Sheets or Technical Readouts. Literally a must-have for playing Battletech.



2. This is exactly what it says. It's the classic battletech core book. Other than the starter box set, which you may need to play, the core book is what you really need. This is the main rule book with optional combat rules and construction rules. It also has rules for vehicles, naval, infantry, battle armor, and the new protomechs. This book is a step into the open door of the Battletech universe. Have fun gaming.

3 comments about Master of Magic: The Official Strategy Guide (Secrets of the Games).

1. This is an excellent strategy guide! the master of magic strategy guide is an absolute must for the beginning player. It goes into battle tactics, Race comparisons, charts, and stratgies for winning! If you like MoM, you'll love this



2. Whether you are just discovering this game or have been playing it for years, this guide is a must-have. It contains information on all aspects of play--spells, skills, races, combat, urban planning, etc, and discusses computer-controlled elements such as treasures, random events, and monsters. The book does contain some debatable rankings and recommendations, but the wealth of helpful information overshadows these few flaws. The authors also did a fantastic job of considering various play styles and game settings when writing this book. This guide is an excellent resource that deserves a place by your computer!



3. I had forgotten about this book, but as we've reorganized the home office, I rediscovered it and the game. I think the book manages to capture and enhance the original spirit of the game which is saying quite a bit. I've played the game for hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours, but 75% of the book's insights are still new to me. Master of Magic can be won with many, many different strategies and styles of play (part of what makes it a great game). These authors have obviously looked at the game from every angle with every strategy and obviously pestered the good folks at the developer to get all kinds of detail about how the innards of the game actually work. This should be required reading for anyone looking to develop a turn based strategy game (computer and otherwise). If only the computer players in MoM weren't quite so dim at the end of the game, this book would be even more useful

No comments about Vampire: The Eternal Struggle; Set 1.

No comments about Spell Law (Rolemaster #5522).

2 comments about Spells & Magic (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying, BAS1004).

1. I started my gnome as a gemcrafter, wondering if there was something I could do to make that skill useful. I took alchemy, and craft wonderous items as a lark. Turns out, I made the perfect pre-cursor to the Jewel-mage.

   He started his elf as a wizard, in a dragon cult. He took all the other craft item feats for fun. Turns out, he also is the pre-cursor to a Dragon-mage.

   If you're looking for something more to do with your character and the prestige classes you've seen so far just don't cut it, then check out this book!




2. This book doesn't really stretch into new areas. Instead, most of the material are tired old rehashed that you could find simply by googling for it. Sure, it is nice to have it all in one place - and the design is acceptable - but for the price I expected more than you would find in the various net books.

1 comments about Tribebook: Uktena (Werewolf).

1. Honestly, I may be somewhat biased as the Uktena are my favorite Tribe, but I would have to say this is the best Tribebook that was printed for Werewolf: the Apocalypse. The intro fiction was quite enjoyable, introducing us to Erishka Derr, a young Choctaw Uktena who just liberated a stolen Native American fetish from a museum and is acting as a body guard to Jolon, a kinfolk travelling to various Uktena septs around the world (and to Erishka's journal, a very clever plot device the authors used to insert differing opinions and commentary into the book). Together their travels help to introduce the Uktena Tribe in a really enjoyable manner.

   Chapter One: Smoke Talk takes our protagonists to a small Seminole Sept in Florida where they learn about the Tribe's history from their arrival in the Pure Lands to the present debate about the Red Star, and everything in between. The Tribe's claiming of Uktena as a totem, the Anasazi, the arrival of the Wyrmbringers (Aztec Uktena were the first to meet them, starting with Shadow Lords who followed the conquistadors), the fall of the Croatan, the Trail of Tears, the War of Tears and the Tribe's arrival in Australia, the war for the Plains and much more gets covered. Even details on the Uktena's decision to include worthy outsiders. In addition, several sidebars provide info on stuff like a small Uktena cult that ate the hearts of it's enemies, the Ghost Dance (allegedly started by their Paiute kin), occult practices in the modern world, slavery and even opposing views on creation and the arrival of the Wyrmbringers. The chapter also closes out with a nice timeline, showing major events both in Uktena history and Native American histroy, with a definate focus on Nations of the california, southeast, southwest and Central America, like the Aztecs, Cherokee, Choctaw, Comanche, Navajo and Hopi. Enough here for any historical game, even if you know next to nothing about Native American history.

   Feathered Dances, Hidden Hearts, covers the culture and society of the Uktena Tribe, and finds Jolon and Erishka going to a Cherokee Sept in Appalachia, a Navajo-Hopi Sept in Arizona, a Hawai'ian Sept, a Sept on the Texas-Mexico border and finally an Aboriginal Sept in Australia's Outback. Along the way we learn about Uktena views on the Litany, Auspices, Rites of Passage, Moots, Breeds and the Triat. A deeper look is taken at Uktena Totems, including Uktena himself and his home realm of Galunlati, and theres lots on Kinfolk both Native and non-Native. Theres also a look at the Camps, like the Earthguides, Bane Tenders, Scouts, Ghost Dancers and others. A new Camp, the Web Walkers (who study the Weaver), has formed, and the Society of the Bitter Frost has fallen to the Wyrm (a lesson in the dangers of hatred). Info on the Uktena's territories, from the Americas to Siberia and the Pacific Islands, is also given. It closes out with a look at outsiders, including other Tribes (even the Bunyip and Croatan), other Fera and various odds and ends like vampires, Nunnehi, shaman and witches.

   The next Chapter, Deep Waters, gives all kinds of gaming goodies. Theres advice for fleshing out Uktena, such as culture, tribal relations and magic/spirituality, in addition to suggestions for Backgrounds. Amongst the crunchy bits are some new Abilities (Stickball, Gesture and Tribal Lore), lots of Gifts (some adapted from the old Tribebook and the Wild West, others being entirely new; Another's Moccasins, Indian Giver and Becoming Uktena are all pretty cool!), several new Rites (Mockery Curing Way and the Rite of Bane Binding are particularly memorable) and even new Fetishes and Talens (Snake Bow, Flint Arrow Shirt, Ulunsuti and Vision Paint, amongst others, are really neat). Theres also new Totems, like Gila Monster and Wild Turkey, and new spirit allies (including a wild turkey-gaffling). This chapter goes on examining key Septs across the world, including not only updates of Uktena Septs from Rage Across Appalachia, Rage Across Australia, Caerns: Places of Power and Rage Across Russia, but also a new Caern in Arizona that studies Aztec magic! It then ends with some advice for making it scary and mysterious, and some recommended reading. The selections are all excellent, ranging from the fiction of Manly Wade Wellman and Tony Hillerman to Native American mythology, Hawai'ian native activism and James Mooney's History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee. All are good reading.

   The book ends with Bottomless Pools, which provides five Uktena templates as usual, one for each Auspice. Suprisingly, all of them are pretty cool and innovative, and they include a healer who mixes modern medicine with shamanism, a museum curator who liberates tribal fetishes, a lupus who seeks out new indigenous kinfolk, a traditional Navajo Singer and a investigator of the occult. Theres also a look at some Uktena of note, including not only the signature character Amy Hundred-Voices but a number of the characters from the text. Theres others too, like Tysoyaha a Miccosukee Ragabash who travelled to Africa to learn about the black slaves the Wyrmbringers brought to Florida and met with one of the Ananasi! And of course, theres an Uktena character sheet you can use in the back of the book.

   All in all, this was an amazing book. Everything about it really captured the feel of the Uktena. It was especially interesting to see the focus on making them connected to Native cultures, especially the Maya, Ute, Zuni, Pueblos, Apache, Chickasaw, Seminole and other southern groups. While definately Native American feeling, the book makes it pretty clear that they are not connected to any one culture (in fact at one point they mention how sandpainting is something of the Navajo, not of theirs) yet at the same time open to all manner of indigenous peoples throughout the world. Occaisonal reference is made to Haitian voudon, the Hmong, Pacific Islanders, Maori, Lapps, Bedouin, the Ainu of Japan, Mongols, Yakuts and other native peoples the Uktena have taken in. It really is a nice book, probably one of the best resources for Werewolf. Check it out.

2 comments about Caine's Chosen: The Black Hand.

1. Well I have to say this book definitely puts the Black Hand into a new light; the sect (or subsect) is just as mysterious as the Inconnu to many and this book really fixes the mistakes 2nd edition made. It clarifies all of the True Hand/Severed Hand etc.. stuff that 2nd Edition tried to confuse us with; alot of good information is given but it's only essential if you play a Black Hand in Tabletop or on a MU* (Mush/MUX etc..).

   If you enjoy reading or collecting the various books or even playing the Pcs I'd say buy this book




2. As I approached ending my story of six summers I wanted to get the Black Hand and others involved, give the players, all fairly powerful by now, some intense challenges. However while this book gave information on the types of Kindred who run in this secret groups it didn't really give me much guidance in creating NPCs. No big list of sample characters or detailed instructions on how to create them. I was disappointed -- I could have made those NPCs without the book frankly.

1 comments about GURPS Traveller: Starports : Gateways to Adventure (GURPS Traveller).

1. Whether you play Traveller or Gurps-Traveller, this is an excellent supplement. The details and game ideas are at the level of excellence that we've come to expect from Steve Jackson Games. Players often spend a lot of time at a world's starport, and this helped me to bring them alive in ways I'd never thought of before. The first time your players goto an otherwise mediocre world specifically because they like its starport, you'll know you got your money's worth. Maps of several starports, buildings, and small craft are included. I didn't give it 5 stars only because the book should really be titled Imperial Starports, as it gives less than a page of data on ports outside the Imperium.