Tabletop Gaming Manual

Tabletop gaming is enjoying a huge renaissance. Sales of hobby board games have risen in double digits yearly for the past decade, with more people enjoying the physical, non-digital aspects of playing, along with the social interaction. It's one of the biggest sectors in crowd-funding platform Kickstarter.

Don't Be a Beardy Gamer "A very funny and useful read on its own, but it also makes a great gift for that sore loser in your life." --The New York Times "An indispensable, laugh-out-loud guide to the pitfalls and pleasures of gaming." ~Graham McNeill, Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 novels author; former Games Workshop designer "For anyone looking to be a part of one of the greatest communities in the world!" ~Brittanie Boe, editor of GameWire "A warm, insightful guide for exploring one of geek culture's oldest realms." ~Aaron Dembski-Bowden, author of New York Times bestselling book The Horus Heresy: The First Heretic Whether you're new to the world of tabletop games or a veteran gamer, The Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming is your go-to game-night etiquette guide. Expert gamer Teri Litorco, of the gaming site Geek and Sundry, helps you to get along as you play and make the most out of your time with your gamer group. Packed with insider advice and etiquette tips, this essential guide includes advice on everything from sharing crib sheets and meeples to avoiding drama and poor sportsmanship at the game table. With 100 gaming etiquette rules, The Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming provides you and your group with all you need for a fun and respectful game night--without rage-quitters, bad losers, terrible winners, and Incredible Sulks!

Don't Be a Beardy Gamer "A very funny and useful read on its own, but it also makes a great gift for that sore loser in your life." --The New York Times "An indispensable, laugh-out-loud guide to the pitfalls and pleasures of gaming." ~Graham McNeill, Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 novels author; former Games Workshop designer "For anyone looking to be a part of one of the greatest communities in the world!" ~Brittanie Boe, editor of GameWire "A warm, insightful guide for exploring one of geek culture's oldest realms." ~Aaron Dembski-Bowden, author of New York Times bestselling book The Horus Heresy: The First Heretic Whether you're new to the world of tabletop games or a veteran gamer, The Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming is your go-to game-night etiquette guide. Expert gamer Teri Litorco, of the gaming site Geek and Sundry, helps you to get along as you play and make the most out of your time with your gamer group. Packed with insider advice and etiquette tips, this essential guide includes advice on everything from sharing crib sheets and meeples to avoiding drama and poor sportsmanship at the game table. With 100 gaming etiquette rules, The Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming provides you and your group with all you need for a fun and respectful game night--without rage-quitters, bad losers, terrible winners, and Incredible Sulks!

Tabletop and board games aren’t just for rainy days or awkward family events anymore. As the game industry grows, people of all ages are jumping to play “the original social network.” In our ever-increasing technological world, playing old-school games is a welcome retreat from the overexposure to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and the rest of social media. Over the past few years, board games have become the hot new hobby. Instead of friends sitting around the same table and staring at their phones, they are now either working with or against each other. Millions upon millions of new fans have begun to join their friends in real life for a fun game of Pandemic, 7 Wonders, or Ticket to Ride. The Everything Tabletop Games Book shows how to play some of the best tabletop games in the world, from classic strategy games like Settlers of Catan to great new games like Gloomhaven. Throughout the book, you’ll learn the different genres of tabletop and board games; how to play each game; rules and strategies to help you win; and even where to play online—including new expansions to keep your favorite games fresh and exciting. So gather up some friends, pick a game from this book, and start playing! You’ll be having a blast in no time.

Unlike chess or backgammon, tabletop wargames have no single, accepted set of rules. Most wargamers at some point have had a go at writing their own rules and virtually all have modified commercially available sets to better suit their idea of the ideal game or to adapt favourite rules to a different historical period or setting. But many who try soon find that writing a coherent set of rules is harder than they thought, while tweaking one part of an existing set can often have unforeseen consequences for the game as a whole. Now, at last, help is at hand. Veteran gamer and rules writer John Lambshead has teamed up with the legendary Rick Priestley, creator of Games Workshop’s phenomenally successful Warhammer system, to create this essential guide for any would-be wargame designer or tinkerer. Rick and John give excellent advice on deciding what you want from a wargame and balancing ‘realism’ (be it in a historical or a fantasy/sci-fi context) with playability. They discuss the relative merits of various mechanisms (cards, dice, tables) then discuss how to select and combine these to handle the various essential game elements of turn sequences, combat resolution, morale etc to create a rewarding and playable game that suits your tastes and requirements

Whether you are a novice or experienced pro, this easy-to-follow guide to designing board games is for you! In Your Turn! The Guide to Great Tabletop Game Design, veteran game designer Scott Rogers—creator of tabletop games including Rayguns and Rocketships, Pantone the Game and ALIEN: Fate of the Nostromo—delivers a practical walkthrough to help YOU create over a half-dozen game prototypes, including dice, card, euro, miniature, and party games. The book is packed with easy-to-follow instructions, charming illustrations, and hands-on lessons based on the author's proven knowledge and experience. And once you've made your game, Your Turn! will teach you how to prepare, pitch and sell it whether through crowdfunding or a publisher. You’ll also learn how to: Write and create elegant and crystal-clear rules of play Playtest your games to improve quality, fix problems, and gather feedback Learn what players want and how to design for it Learn the secrets of the Six Zones of Play and why they are so important to your game design! Your Turn! is the essential guide for practicing and aspiring tabletop game designers everywhere! Why wait to make the tabletop game of your dreams? Grab this book and prepare to take Your Turn!

This core rulebook introduces an innovative monster stat block format, that makes running monsters easier for the Dungeon Master, and presents a horde of iconic monsters that fit into any campaign.