Wiz-War

Wizards clash in a magical dungeon, zapping each other to be the last one standing! Designed by Tom Jolly, this new (ninth!) edition of the legendary Wiz-War features art from the esteemed Phil Foglio, as well as double-sided modular game boards, dice, standies, and more.

Get the treasure and Fireball your friends!

For two to six players.

Gameboards, cards, standies, and counters for 2-6 players; seven dice and a rulesheet. Stock #1751, ISBN 080742096233. $39.95.

Tribes Pocket Box

The Stone Age is now, and your children are the key to your future!

In Tribes, the players are cave men and women. They hunt and gather food, make their tribal laws, and deal with natural disasters. But the object of the game is simple: Look after the children! In this game, the way to win is to have the most kids . . . and do whatever you have to do to make sure they survive. The players must know when to cooperate, and when to cut their losses and protect their own families.

With a referee, it is possible to have several tribes at once (as many as 40 people can easily play in the same "extended" game). Each tribe will have its own laws and social pattern. The tribes can compete, trade, exchange people, or even make war on each other. Tribes has been an underground favorite for years. Designed by Steve Jackson and award-winning science-fiction author David Brin, it's a roleplaying game with a difference.

Record sheets, counter sheets, birth record sheets, and a game track board, along with a dry-erase marker and a rulebook Stock #1130, ISBN 080742096103. $24.95.

Game Design Vol. 1: Theory and Practice (Reprint)

Out of print for decades, and still often requested, Game Design Vol. 1: Theory and Practice is back as an affordable reproduction of its original printing.

Written for the serious game designer – or for the amateur who'd like to be published professionally – this book, by one of the field's top designers for decades, combines practical advice with theoretical background. Beginning with a discussion of the theoretical background of gaming, Game Design covers the historical development of the modern adventure game . . . from an occasional pastime for a dedicated few to today's multimillion-dollar game industry.

Chapters include:

• Theoretical Foundations
• Historical Background
• Mapping and Movement
• Terrain
• Combat and Play Sequence
• Combat Strength and Resolution
• Advanced Combat Systems
• Research
• Components
• Playtesting
• RPG Design
• Designing for the Market
• Game Evaluation

Steve Jackson says:

This book was based on a series of articles that Nick Schuessler and I wrote for Space Gamer in 1980 and 1981. We edited and updated them and added new material, and released the book in mid-'81. It was supposed to be Volume 1, to be followed by a Volume 2 that would have included, among other things, more about component design and a discussion of marketing, and maybe a Volume 3 with a worked example . . . but we never got around to it.

Some of this book is VERY dated. I expect it will be hard to find any of the texts discussed in the bibliography, and of the 17 magazines listed, only White Dwarf still exists. Many of the games cited as examples are likewise hard to find now. And the occasional mention of computers looks pretty naïve 25 years later. But on the whole, it holds up well. All the basic considerations of game creation are still true, and component design and production works about as it always has. And playtesting is still important, darn it . . . So, on the whole, I'm very glad to have this available again, and I hope the hobby finds it useful.

(This is a scanned reprint of the original print product, including the ads; there will be imperfections compared to modern all-digital releases. The advertisements do not represent any current information or offers, and are provided for historical purposes only.)

50 black-and-white pages. Softcover. Stock #01-6156, ISBN 978-1-63999-043-6. $15.95.