Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Deluxe Edition
Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Deluxe Edition

Author: Stu Horvath

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2023-10-10

Total Pages: 457

ISBN-13: 026204823X

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A richly illustrated, encyclopedic deep dive into the history of roleplaying games. When Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson released Dungeons & Dragons in 1974, they created the first roleplaying game of all time. Little did they know that their humble box set of three small digest-sized booklets would spawn an entire industry practically overnight. In Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Stu Horvath explores how the hobby of roleplaying games, commonly known as RPGs, blossomed out of an unlikely pop culture phenomenon and became a dominant gaming form by the 2010s. Going far beyond D&D, this heavily illustrated tome covers more than three hundred different RPGs that have been published in the last five decades. Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground features (among other things) bunnies, ghostbusters, soap operas, criminal bears, space monsters, political intrigue, vampires, romance, and, of course, some dungeons and dragons. In a decade-by-decade breakdown, Horvath chronicles how RPGs have evolved in the time between their inception and the present day, offering a deep and gratifying glimpse into a hobby that has changed the way we think about games and play. The deluxe edition will include a foil-stamped cover and slipcase with a cloth binding, a ribbon, gilded edges, and an 8.5x11-inch card stock poster of the regular edition.

Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground
Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground

Author: Stu Horvath

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2023-10-10

Total Pages: 457

ISBN-13: 0262048221

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A richly illustrated, encyclopedic deep dive into the history of roleplaying games. When Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson released Dungeons & Dragons in 1974, they created the first roleplaying game of all time. Little did they know that their humble box set of three small digest-sized booklets would spawn an entire industry practically overnight. In Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Stu Horvath explores how the hobby of roleplaying games, commonly known as RPGs, blossomed out of an unlikely pop culture phenomenon and became a dominant gaming form by the 2010s. Going far beyond D&D, this heavily illustrated tome covers more than three hundred different RPGs that have been published in the last five decades. Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground features (among other things) bunnies, ghostbusters, soap operas, criminal bears, space monsters, political intrigue, vampires, romance, and, of course, some dungeons and dragons. In a decade-by-decade breakdown, Horvath chronicles how RPGs have evolved in the time between their inception and the present day, offering a deep and gratifying glimpse into a hobby that has changed the way we think about games and play.

Monster of the Week
Monster of the Week

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2015-01-27

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781613170922

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Most people don't believe in monsters, but you know the truth. They're real, and it's your task to bring them down. This revised edition of Monster of the Week brings that adventure to life.Monster of the Week is a standalone action-horror RPG for 3-5 people. Hunt high school beasties a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer, travel the country to bring down unnatural creatures like the Winchester brothers of Supernatural, or head up the government investigation like Mulder and Scully.This book contains everything you need to tackle Bigfoot, collar a chupacabra, and drive away demons. In this revised edition, you'll find:

Gadget Guides
Gadget Guides

Author: Steve Kenson

Publisher:

Published: 2017-06-13

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13: 9781934547571

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"Where do you get all those wonderful toys? Right here! Gadget Guides is a collection of diverse devices for the Mutants & Masterminds Superhero Role playing Game, from armor and weapons to psychic crystals and steamtech. In this book are twenty-two individual guides, each looking at a particular type of gadget, putting together the effects and modifiers from the Hero's Handbook to create a catalog of dozens of ready-to-use items. It includes: Weapons from guns and blasters to archaic and martial arts weapons, even weapons of mass destruction!; Constructs like artificial intelligences, robots, piloted mecha, and a wide variety of vehicles; Enhancements from biotech, cybertech, and nanotech to power devices, psychic gadgets, and magical items; Information compiled and stored in computers and the sensor and spy-tech to protect and get at it; Installations from hidden lairs to orbiting satellites, along with security systems and deathtraps to challenge your heroes! What Power Profiles did for super-powers, Gadget Guides does for gear, making it a great character creation and in-play resource for both players and gamemasters."--Publisher description.

Steampunk Cthulhu
Steampunk Cthulhu

Author: Brian M. Sammons

Publisher: Chaosium Fiction Series

Published: 2014-06-17

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 9781568823942

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"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." So said H.P. Lovecraft in the first chapter of his most famous story, "The Call of Cthulhu" (1926). This is also the perfect introduction to Steampunk Cthulhu, for within these stories mankind has indeed voyaged too far, and scientific innovations have opened terrifying vistas of reality, with insanity and worse as the only reward. The Steampunk genre has always incorporated elements of science fiction, fantasy, horror and alternative history, and certainly the Cthulhu Mythos has not been a stranger to Steampunk. But until now there has never been a Steampunk Cthulhu collection, so here are 18 tales unbound from the tethers of mere airships, goggles, clockwork, and tightly bound corsets; stories of horror, sci-fi, fantasy and alternative realities tainted with the Lovecraftian and the Cthulhu Mythos. Here you will discover Victorian Britain, the Wild West era United States, and many other varied locations filled with anachronistic and sometimes alien technology, airships, submersibles and Babbage engines. But the Victorian era here is not only one of innovation and exploration, but of destruction and dread.

Touched by an Alien
Touched by an Alien

Author: Gini Koch

Publisher: Astra Publishing House

Published: 2010-04-06

Total Pages: 371

ISBN-13: 1101186321

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Sci-fi action meets steamy paranormal romance in Gini Koch’s Alien novels, as Katherine “Kitty” Katt faces off against aliens, conspiracies, and deadly secrets. • “Futuristic high-jinks and gripping adventure.” —RT Reviews Marketing manager Katherine "Kitty" Katt had just finished a day on jury duty. When she stepped out of the Pueblo Caliente courthouse, all she was thinking about was the work she had to get caught up on. Then her attention was caught by a fight between a couple that looked like it was about to turn ugly. But ugly didn't even begin to cover it when the "man" suddenly transformed into a huge, winged monster right out of a grade Z science fiction movie and went on a deadly killing spree. In hindsight, Kitty realized she probably should have panicked and run screaming the way everyone around her was doing. Instead she sprinted into action to take down the alien. In the middle of all the screeching and the ensuing chaos, a hunk in an Armani suit suddenly appeared beside her, introduced himself as Jeff Martini with "the agency," and then insisted on leading her to a nearby limo to talk to his "boss." And that was how Kitty's new life among the aliens began... Touched by an Alien is the thrilling first installment of the Alien novels.

The Worldbuilder's Journal of Legendary Adventures (Dungeons & Dragons)
The Worldbuilder's Journal of Legendary Adventures (Dungeons & Dragons)

Author: Official Dungeons & Dragons Licensed

Publisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers

Published: 2020-05-12

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 1984824635

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An official Dungeons & Dragons journal featuring 365 writing prompts to help role-players of all levels get their creative juices flowing. Building something from scratch is exciting, but it can also be a challenge. Within this journal lie 365 prompts to help you start your journey. Every page will steer you to strengthening the details of your world, whether you're playing within the vast Dungeons & Dragons cosmos or creating a landscape of your own design. You'll encounter insightful questions that encourage you to delve deep into the backstories of your characters and their enemies, and what drives them to a life of adventure. You'll also see prompts that reference D&D myths and legends, some familiar and others more obscure. Answer them as best you can or let them be the spark that starts your journey into the endless realms of D&D lore. Above all, this guided journal, like D&D itself, is driven by your imagination. There are no wrong answers, paths, or rolls here (though once the game begins there are no guarantees). Nor do you need to be a master storyteller, writer, or artist. You just need to aspire to create and have the courage to build something you may have never before imagined.