Board Games Books

This is our only potty book, so I don't know how it compares to others, but it's been a big hit in our house. We started reading it to my twin girls at about 18 months and it's now essential potty time entertainment. Their favorite part is confirming -- loudly -- that potties do not, in fact, go on your head or your feet. (I was worried they would want to imitate this, but they seem to realize that it's just silly.) I also like the gentle "Take your time, there's no rush" aspect. And I like that it has photographs of real little girls sitting on real potties -- I think they connect with it more than they would with more creative illustrations.

It doesn't go all that much into the mechanics -- it says "Can you go pee-pee? Can you poop?" but without ever specifying what that means. However, I think any 2-year-old who's in the throes of potty training has a good handle on those concepts already. It also makes it sound like if you can do those things, then you are a big girl and can wear underwear -- there's no recognition that training is a gradual process. So far, that hasn't been a problem for us -- they aren't insisting that they're ready for underwear when we know they're not.

I don't think any book can "teach" children how to go potty -- at best, a book gets them excited about using the potty. This one has certainly done that for us.

...so now we have it memorized!! Yes, this book is very simple. It does not attempt to over-analyze or explain why you should go potty or talk about stuff that a 2 year old doesn't understand or care about anyway. It is a bunch of different girls exploring the potty. My daughter would sit on the potty and "read" it to herself over and over. She would giggle when the little girl put "potties on her feet" and say "noooo..." The important part for her was that there was no pressure filled words about why you should use it, and it was filled with pictures of girls that she could relate to. We had a hard time potty training her until we found this book. My daughter was stubborn and just didn't want to take the time to go potty. She would have accident after accident and didn't care if she made a mess, as long as she didn't have to stop what she was doing right then. Once we found this book, potty time became enjoyable to her and she stopped having accidents.

My daughter loves this book, but I hate it. It shows pictures of a little girl standing in a potty, and with a potty on her head. The accompanying text says that this is not what you do, but the pictures are compelling. AFter reading this book, my daughter started standing in the potty, saying "no, no, no!" I think the book would be a lot better if it only showed positive pictures.

This book has a great shape which my 18 month old loves to hold, and great photos, but as far as a potty training book goes, you can do much better. Once Upon a Potty is probably the best one out there, though it's kind of a long story and my daughter won't sit through it. Still, it has a good amount of detail to it. My daughter's favorite potty training book is by far A Potty for Me! by Karen Katz. Just the right amount of detail with nice pictures and a great story.

So what's wrong with My Potty Book? It's too simple. It shows a bunch of kids playing with a potty, then they sit on it then it tells them to wee, use toilet paper, wash their hands and they're done. It's almost too simple even for a child. Every other potty book I've looked at deals a little with the anxiety that a child might feel. The two other books I mentioned explain how babies use nappies, and then when they're ready, they move onto a potty. They try it, but it might not feel right. They try and try and after some practice and patience, they finally use the potty. Both are very cute, sweet and supportive. My First Potty Book is more like a collection of photos of kids playing with potties with a few lines of text thrown in. If you're hoping this will be your only potty training book, I think you will be very disappointed.

Why are all potty books illustrated with white/pink girls?? Finally, here is a potty book for the rest of us, one that shows children who look like *my* kids learning to use the potty.

I had been stuck below 1500 on FIBS internet backgammon server for over a year. After studying this book for about a month, my rating increased by 100 points. I have since read Bill Robertie's other books, and I am now at 1650 on FIBS. The basic tips highlighted in this book are worth the cost of this book alone. To get the most out of this book, you need to use a backgammon board and play along with the diagrams, and compare what you would usually do compared to what an expert would do in the same situation. Great for beginners and intermediates!

I didn't know anything about backgammon: notation, strategy, etc. I read this book and found it was easy to follow the games and his annotations. Then I started beating people who previously would easily beat me. 'Nuff said.

Don't wait to find here great secrets or crunch positions to study, in this this book, Bill Robertie reviews 5 whole games, between top flight players. There are good tricks on then, as he chose particular matches with diferent points of strategy.You will find basic rules of the modern way to play backgammon, by reading Robertie's reviews, but if you already mastered basic strategies and want something more instigating, look for Kit Woolsey's New Ideas in Backgammon.

i'm a backgammon player for more than 20 years and this book has given me many solid and useful insights in statistics, common situations during the game, strategies etc. I loved it! Not to mention that the writer has a great gift of putting his ideas clearly and objectively.

Dr. Robertie presents over 100 backgammon situations in this book. All of them have serious analysis. Not for the novice, but if you're a backgammon hound, it's worth the read. His analysis of the end game is especially good.

As a beginning woodworker, I can't recommend this book enough. It covers just about everything to get you going - laying out a shop, table saws, hand tools, ideal tools to own, dovetail joints, finishes, the list goes on and on. I'm constantly referring back to it as questions pop up.

This is not too bad a book, very informative of the basics, if you have at least a rudimentary knowlege of the jargon used by woodworkers. If you don't, you will be a jargon expert by the books end, alternativly, you may end up totally confused.

Also, the first project they give for a beginning woodworker involves owning a biscuit joiner. Noone brand new to woodworking even THINKS about buying such a thing, and at $100 a pop, they may be a bit spendy for someone who just plopped down a truckload of cash on tools.

but I digress.... Overall a very handy reference, and comes reccomended.

This is not a good book for those without any woodworking experience. There is too much jargon that is unexplained, and no real starting projects. I'm certain that there is excellent info for beginners who are looking to expand their knowledge and skills, but for people with no background who are looking for the most basic advice, I would look elsewhere.

I don't recommend this book. It was too general in the information that it provided and was not very useful.

My desire to get back into woodworking after many, many years has led me to purchase about a dozen different books on setting up shop, buying tools, woodworking techniques, etc. Now I wish I had found this book much sooner.

The book itself is a collection of articles from "Fine Woodworking" magazine. For the most part, the editor's choice of articles is excellent. For example, the Setting Up Shop section has three articles: 1)outfitting a shop, 2) buying used hand tools, and 3)converting your garage into a workshop. Although I found little of interest in the 2nd article, I learned as much from the other two has entire books on the subject. I especially liked the fact that the article on outfitting a shop had the pull-no-punches opinions of 3 different woodworkers. This lets the reader see that no two experts agree on the subject, but there is enough agreement that it should help a beginner make wiser choices.

The 4 articles on buying wood, sheet goods, glue, and sandpaper were all full of practical information normally lacking in other books.

The Tools and Techniques sections have 13 well-chosen articles, although the collection is far from being a comprehensive survey of the subject. The only power tools covered in any depth are the table saw and router. You may want to supplement your education with other books on these topics.

I found the sections on "First Projects" and "Finishes" to be a little weaker than the other parts. These articles suffer from the fact that this type of book no flow of logic from one chapter to the next. The chapters on finishing suffer from considerable overlap and some conflicting information. Still, I found the individual articles interesting.

In summary, I think this book is an excellent place to start if you are new to woodworking. After buying this very inexpensive book, you can go straight to more definitive books on only the topics you have real interest in. From what I have seen, you can safely skip the other introductory books.

Here is a good book with some great ideas for teaching chess to young and old alike. Although written for children ages 9 to 12, I think its best use is for a teacher or parent wanting to teach a a young child (or anybody for that matter) the game of chess in an easy-to-understand kind of way.

The book succeeds splendidly at this by introducing small "chunks" of chess knowledge. Using a variety of chess game variations, puzzles, and activities, the student gradually learns all the rules of the game in a fun and interesting way.

Take for example "The Pawn Game". What's so great about this is that you can begin to play a simplified form of chess having only learned how a single piece moves and captures! Even better, you are actually learning solid chess fundamentals as to how to use pawns in the full game of chess.

In addition to "the Pawn Game" the authors introduce many other "mini" chess activities like the "Attack of the Mad Queen" game and the "Knight Driving Test" challenge.

Because of this approach, learning the rules of chess becomes something fun and not a confusing and overwhelming experience for the new player.

Highly recommended!

An ok book when it first came out, but things move on and content looks dated now. There have been books before and after by other publisheres with the same title.
Most recent and to be recommended is the Gambit Publishing version, Chess for Children by Chandler/Milligan, in hardcover and with modern chess graphics and illustrations. Also available via Amazon.

This book rates just ok with me because I have seen and read better books to get a kid started in chess.

This book needs some serious updating in graphics (it reads and looks like it was written long ago and the explanations could be made more clear). When I was smaller I learned how the pieces moved with "YOU CAN PLAY CHESS" which had fun pictures for me. When I got older I found that "CHESS FOR JUNIORS" was great and had a lot of detail in not just rules but the strategy you need to get started and then some!

I hope they update and upgrade this book. It would be a really good book then.

I have this and "Chess For Juniors" (Random House). This book is just ok. It doesn't build on the lessons and does not come accross nearly as clearly as "Chess For Juniors".

Chess is a game of skill that has been around for thousands of years. The exact origins of the game are not well known, but there has been very little change in the rules over all this time. It is rightly regarded as the king of all board games, as there is no luck or outside influences involved, and the two participants are fully in charge of their own destiny.

It is also a rare game where children and adults can compete on equal terms. There have been many child prodigies over the years. Sammy Reshevsky and Bobby Fischer were two of the most noteworthy. It is common for good junior players to compete in adult tournaments, and often with success.

Because chess involves planning and logical thought many teachers and schools like to introduce it.There is some evidence that children who play chess improve at other subjects as well.

Recently there has been a large amount of publicity on how older people too might benefit from the mental stimulation that chess provides.

Children as young as four or five years of age are able to learn the moves of chess, although they might need help with a couple of special rules (like castling, which is the only time a player can move two pieces at once).

Chess is a board game with equal, that has stood the test of time. Everyone should learn to play!

We have all 4 of these Helen Oxenbury books. They have been great favorites around here.

The illustrations are simple but sweet. They depict things babies usually do. There are just enough words on each page so the baby has time to look the pictures but not get bored. I like that the images are multi cultural even though the books are not specifically about diversity.

I will say I think these books are most appropriate for babies and young toddlers. Now that my son is two he is interested in illustrations with more detail.

Clap Hands, together with Tickle, Tickle, Say Goodnight, and All Fall Down, is a lovely set of books showing babies having fun together. Sweet, simple illustrations are just right for little ones. Oxenbury's babies look like they could toddle right off the pages!

In my grad school children's literature classes, Helen Oxenbury was held up as the model for good books for babies. Unlike so many board books that are abridged versions of picture books written for older children, Oxenbury's books are created for babies. The illustrations, length, and text of each book are perfectly age-appropriate and great fun for little ones.

I tell library visitors all the time that it's never too early to begin reading to a child. Books like these are the ones I recommend again and again for the youngest listeners.

All 3 of my girls enjoyed this book (a series of 4). I even bought the set of 4 books for my nephew and niece. They are quick, catchy reads. Kids love the big pictures of the babies.

I can't say I understand all of the great reviews on this book. Out of all the books my son has, and he has a ton, this is my least favorite. It almost seems like the author wanted 4 lines that rhymed and it didn't matter if they went together, just rhymed. Well if that is what you want, this is the book for you. With so many other great baby books out there, I would recommend looking at some others over this one. Maybe some people liked it because it really is only 8 pages (4 double sided pages) and doesn't have much text. In fact the first two pages only say: Clap hands, stomp feet. My son is 1 and he won't sit through a long book but this is too short and not interesting enough.

I would recommend these books: Brown Bear and the rest of the series (my husband reads them to my son with different voices for all the animals and he loves it!), I love you through and through (my absolute favorite), Dr. Seuss' books (a few are short and are aimed at a younger audience)

The talented and prolific Helen Oxen bury ("We're Going on a Bear Hunt," the "Tom and Pippa" series) is a master at board books as well as picture books aimed at a slightly older audience. Clap Hands is a large format board book (there should be more of these!) showing four adorably dressed youngsters at play and snack time. For once, we see kids as they really look: Wearing oversized hand-me-downs that show evidence of the kids' pulling and tugging at them, and generally flopping around.

"Clap Hands" has a joyful feeling, and somehow Oxenbury captures the spontaneity of baby and toddler play, and the conflicting demands of seemingly unlimited energy and inevitable fatigue. Our four kids dance, eat snacks play cardboard "horns" and pots-and- pans percussion, and give big hand waving smiles to Daddy and Mom.

Board books are so brief--eight pages here--that they're like short stories, the best ones pay attention to every word and detail. Oxenbury uncannily gets it all right, from the above-mentioned clothing, to the off-kilter movement, the mix of solo and cooperative play, and even the utensils and slices of fruit at snack. The uncluttered, large format pictures have a nice color balance, and the playful text reads easily ("Clap hands, dance and spin, open wide and pop it in...") One of several in Ms. Oxenbury's baby book series, this is just right for reading to either one listener or a group.

This book has a delusive title. A more honest title would be "Puerto Rican
Block Dominoes for Pairs." If you play Draw Dominoes there's absolutely
nothing here for you. Even if you play Block, but not in Puerto Rican style
or in pairs, there's nothing for you here either. If you do play Puerto Rican, go ahead and buy it. But make sure you also buy a crystal ball or a
pendulum because the author gives rules that assume you know your opponent's
hand. You must also be fluent in Spanish to make use of the bibliography the
author recommends. Go ahead! Have fun!

Although I play regularly, until reading Dr. Lugo's book, I never realized the many ways to properly play. I assumed that the game was basically luck. Dr. Lugo instructs in the basics then takes the reader into an in depth analysis of the game. Strategy, training and proper playing of tiles are discussed. There are drawings which guide the reader with the strategy being taught. His instructions are well written easily understood. This is a book which can raise your level of play. It is written for competative partners domino games, but is easily applied to Muggins and other scoring or blocking games. It is not for bidding games such as Texas 42.

Very informative and helpfull in the strategy of the latin dominoes.

I liked this version of dominoes by Mr. Lugo. It is about most of a one game variation which is a Block game for partners, but there is a lot explored too. I play every day on a small hand-held Radica domino electronic game a similar variation of Block. I can't get enough of it just like Mr. Lugo with his Block game! His book really helped me to appreciate more and more all Block dominoes and stay interested with it too - which is saying a lot! I think I will soon start my own league too!

Although I play regularly, until reading Dr. Lugo's book, I never realized the many ways to properly play. I assumed that the game was basically luck. Dr. Lugo instructs in the basics then takes the reader into an in depth analysis of the game. Strategy, training and proper playing of tiles are discussed. There are drawings which guide the reader with the strategy being taught. His instructions are well written and easily understood. This is a book which can raise your level of play. It is written for competative partners domino games, but is easily applied to Muggins and other scoring or blocking games. It is not for bidding games such as Texas 42.

Like the reviewer, Jonathon, I had high hopes for this book but I was disappointed. I was looking for a gentle introduction to Morphy but this just doesn't cut it.

The pseudo- or minimalist algebraic notation is extremely distracting away from a board and a nuisance at the board. There are no capture indications nor check indications. This is a serious distraction when trying to focus on the game content - it's not like somebody at the target level can afford a lack of focus. The most disturbing thing is that this is so totally unnecessary - it's like a personal challenge to the reader. Hasn't regular algebraic or figurine notation been established as the standard for decades? If the author wants to include perverse visualization exercises in a book then let him write another one and tell the buyer.

The book is just not good enough to overcome the nuisance factor and I abandoned it. I've moved on to Beim and I'm already seeing more benefit, even though it's much harder.

A great way to learn the fundamental principles behind chess. You can learn a strategy and go over a game of Paul Morphy. Apply the things you learned from this book and you will definitely see your game improve!

I had great hopes for this book. I love Morphy's games and wide open attacking play. However I was very disappointed with this book. The first reason is that the notation is very strange -- he does not use "x" to signify captures even when it is a piece capturing. The diagrams are fairly infrequent. Both these features make it impossible (for me ~1300) to follow without a chess board. The typesetting has some errors too. The pattern used to display the black squares is very odd and looks unprofessional. Much better books in this area are Chernev's classics Logical Chess Move by Move and The Most Instructive Games of Chess ever played.

As previous reviewers have said before, the book is fantastic.

Unfortunately it has a peculiarity that makes it somewhat hard to read. The author wants to do without any indicators (!, !!, ?, !?, etc), which says have been abused in the past.

Well, the author takes that premise to the extreme, removing all indicators, including the capture and check symbols. For example, Nxc3+, Nxc3, Nc3 and Nxc3# are written as Nc3 on this book. It may not sound as a big deal, but it eventually gets tiresome. It is specially annoying when side-lines are given.

Here is to hoping the next revision is printed on Algebraic or Descriptive notation.

I am still new to the study of chess so my opinion could change with hindsight in a couple of years, but I have to say this book was just okay. I was really excited when I ordered the book, as it was going to be my first game collection focused on one person. (I have gone through Chernev's Logical Chess, which obviously has games featuring many different players)

It has been fun to play over Morphy's games but the book's layout is a little awkward to me and the annotations are somewhat dry, especially for a book that acts as if it is going to be an instructional book.

I know that it has been a worthwhile experience to go through Morphy's games but I am glad to be done with this book and looking forward to studying some Tarrasch and maybe some Tal.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will say that at this VERY EARLY stage of my chess study, I seem to prefer playing over games that are strategic struggles instead of quick and flashy "brilliancies". The games I really enjoyed in this book were the few that took Morphy awhile to win (and even the one he lost to Anderson!!)

This IS a worthwhile book to study just because of Morphy's tactics and sound principles, it just hasn't gotten me as excited about chess as some other ones I have worked through.

The FOLDED board should come flat, no folds. IT is a cheap cardboard that will not lay flat, the beautiful colorful board wears too quickly and becomes a distraction while trying to see or read it.... Too Many nice things are ruined by the cheap quality used for items like this as well as the cards....What could have been a lifetime of enjoyment lasted but a few months and it is time for a new one. A market Ploy?

I barely used this one once and probably should have returned it. I'm not saying this board is ineffective, however, I don't feel comfortable using a board that a Shaman or someone well-versed in Indian practices would be more qualified to use respectfully.

I'VE REALLY ENJOYED THIS ITEM SO FAR.IT ARRIVED IN A TIMELY MANNER WHEN I ORDERED IT. SO FAR I HAVEN'T HAD ANY COMPLAINT'S TO GIVE ABOUT THE BOARD. IF YOU LIKE A OUIJA YOU'LL LIKE THIS.

When 'The Pathfinder Psychic Talking Board' arrived I couldn't wait to take it out of the box and give it a try. The board is colorful, very friendly feeling and with all the information available on it - looks to be very fun. This could be a focal point of some interesting parties.
But to my dismay, I couldn't use it right out of the box. I have bought many games where the board is cut and folded so it will fit in the box. Unfortunately, when you take this out of the box, it is cut up one quarter of it and folded in fourths so when you open it up full, there is a deep crease going across the board one way and a nice slice going the other way for a half of the board. When I tried to glide the 'answer finder disc' across the face of the board, it would drag over the crease - actually change direction to follow the crease - and if I ran it over the sliced area, it would catch on the lip of the slice and stop unless I pushed a little harder. To use the board as it is intended, I think it will take a bit to smooth the seams. I am planning to mount it on a table and put a glass cover on it - that way the plastic disc will glide smoothly over the 'affected' areas of the board.
I feel it was worth what I paid and that the little bit of effort to make it operate smoothly will not affect that fun.

When I first got the Pathfinder, I was trying to find a Ouija board to use with friends. I had never done it before and thought it would be interesting to see what it did. Looking at the colorful board and all the illustrations made me think that it certainly wasn't anything but a game because it was just too colorful to be mystical. When we cracked it open there was that crease another reviewer mentioned, and I thought that was kind of strange. I figured it was part of the design and no big deal. We asked for some benevolent spirits to come talk to us by candlelight and incense and found ourselves sitting there for 45 minutes with nothing happening. We decided to move the planchette(sp?) around for a second to see what it would feel like, and it did do weird stuff with the ridge. Shortly thereafter, the friction went away and the ridge didn't affect it at all. There were benevolent spirits talking to us. It was really cool.

I DO NOT understand how the Ouija or other talking boards could be marketed as a toy, though. Seems like something you should truly have respect for, regardless of the appearance of it. Seriously. I wouldn't call it a tool of the Devil or of angels, it just seems to be a means to connect with spirits... or maybe even your higher self. I would think if you have respect and invite only positive, you only receive positive.

I strongly suggest that you read the booklet and prepare according to the instructions. Nothing negative happened for us, but as they say, better safe than sorry, right?

Also...I have done a lot of reading on the Ouija after having this personal experience. It is an interesting read with lots of history behind it. If it is your first time as well then before you get one, I think it would be a good idea to do some reading for yourself to decide if this is the type of thing you can feel comfortable with.

This is a great role-playing system, which focuses on combat and skills, and makes magic much less overpowering and tolerable than some other games I've played. I particularly liked the armor piercing concept and the defense rules. I knocked off a star only because the editing errors are fairly numerous. Quite a number of pages have entire portions of text cut off, leaving the reader to wonder what they're talking about.

I am so pleased to be entering the gaming world of Conan and this game is a great example of how to play a d20 game as well as doing justice to Howard's works.

This is a great book. I looked at the hardcover version, and while it has alot more pictures (plus they're in color), the softcover is alot cheaper and has all of the written material. They also fixed some of the typos. The hardcover is a beautiful book, and I recomend it--if you can afford it.
For me (someone who hasn't read the conan novels or comics), this book is a great low magic setting, and is the way D&D should have been as far as the combat system goes. Armor provides damage reduction, and a characters ability to avoid getting hit, is based entirely on their combat skills and natural abilities. So characters actually parry and dodge blows. All the races are human variants, and the whole thing is very grim and gritty. Adventurers go on adventurers either because they come to them, or to get loads of silver (not platinum and gold) to blow on luxury and entertainment (not to bank ever copper piece just to get another +1 on a magic item). And if you're a conan fan, this book apparently did a wonderful job of mimicking the original novels.

The Conan the Roleplaying Game ("Conan RPG") Pocket Edition is a pared-down, paperback version of the "Atlantean Edition" of the Conan RPG, with all (or almost all) of the rules, but little of the artwork and almost none of the "flavor text." For US $19.95 the Pocket Edition is a relative bargain as a roleplaying game "core" rule book.

The Conan RPG is a D20-based Open Game License ("OGL") system game, substantially the same as the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons, but geared towards roleplaying in the Hyborian Age of Robert E. Howard's famous character, Conan of Cimmeria (a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, etc.). As opposed to the more usual "high fantasy" of most fantasy roleplaying games, the Conan RPG is in the gritty "sword & sorcery" style familiar to readers of Howard's Conan stories and their pulp fiction kin. Magic, far from being so commonplace as to be almost hum-drum as it is in most fantasy games, is a dark and terrible thing in the world of Conan and the Conan RPG, and usually the only way to fight it is to wield even more terrible magic or, as Conan himself did, face it with courage and sharp steel (and the occasional solid silver bench hurled with one's mighty thews).

This book contains everything necessary for a gamesmaster or player to create a Conan RPG character and to run a Conan RPG game. The lack of artwork makes the text seem dense and heavy at times, but presenting the rules without the artwork (including the scroll-enclosures of the "flavor text") cuts more than twenty dollars from the price tag. This savings ought to be greatly appreciated by players who don't need all of the folderol which GMs require in a rulebook, and by GMs who are familiar with Howard's stories and want to run a campaign in the Hyborian Age without spending a fortune on books. GMs can also safely permit and encourage players to buy the Pocket Edition without either fearing that the player will learn secrets of the campaign setting which ought to be the GM's domain alone or fretting too much at the expense which the book will impose upon the player's wallet; unlike D&D books published by Wizards of the Coast, this edition of the Conan RPG rules doesn't contain "GM knowledge," and comes in substantially cheaper because it ISN'T packed with maps and illustrations and factoids which a GM would prefer to keep secret from players until an appropriate moment in a roleplaying campaign.

For those unfamiliar with the stories of Robert E. Howard, or who know Conan only from the movies, the "flavor text" with which the full-sized (and expensive!) hardcover "Atlantean Edition" is peppered can be invaluable to help understand the actual origins of certain rules which are meant to help recreate things from Howard's writings, and the lack of the flavor text in the Pocket Edition may pose a slight obstacle to their appreciation and understanding of some rules. Many of the magic spells, for example, are written to allow players to roleplay spells actually described (but never named, of course) in Robert E. Howard's own Conan stories. The descriptions of character races (all humans, incidentally, or mostly so) and their national costumes, names and customs, spring from the Conan stories themselves, however curiously anachronistic some of the information may seem. The flavor text helps to place such matters firmly within the traditions of Howard's Conan stories, and also demonstrates that the RPG is based primarily on HOWARD's stories, not upon the pastiches of L. Sprague De Camp, Lin Carter, and other writers up to the present day, most of whom lack Howard's particular panache.

For those already familiar with Howard's original Conan stories, however, the flavor text is often just a nicety, as it is in many game books produced by Mongoose Publishing. It certainly helps to place the rules within the sphere of Howard's work, but it is not essential to the knowledgeable GM or player. The essential rules are here, and that is what matters.

This Pocket Edition contains (thank goodness!) elucidations of rules which were unclear in earlier incarnations of the Conan RPG rules, rendering unnecessary a visit to the Mongoose web site to consult the Frequently Asked Questions. (For the record, though, if you notice a discrepancy between the text of a rule and a chart, the text of the rule itself is to be followed, and the text of this book corrects and amends earlier rules which were published in on-line previews.)

I discovered only one serious error in the Pocket Edition: the "Goods and Services" list on page 210 seems to be missing most of a column of information ("Containers and Carriers," described on pages 215-216, which is only partially covered in the "Dry Goods" column); items which are clearly explained in the text do not have price listings, which is quite annoying, since the economy of the Hyborian Age differs from that of most D&D worlds. Experienced players and GMs can probably make logical inferences about the prices of the unlisted items if they have (as they probably do) a copy of the D&D Player's Handbook published by Wizards of the Coast and compare the items listed there to the items listed in the Conan RPG Pocket Edition, but that extra step is annoying and time-consuming.

The small format of the Pocket Edition causes footnotes to many of the charts (especially those describing weapons and armor) to become lost within the grayscale (not full color) border artwork. This has led me to pull up short several times and forced me to study the text intensively instead of being able to quickly glean information from a chart. A GM who intends to run the game using the Pocket Edition would be well-advised to study the bottoms of the charts CAREFULLY to be certain that some vital piece of information is not overlooked. The relatively low cost of the book means that players as well as GMs are likely to have a copy of this book, and unless a GM likes to be shown up by a "rules lawyer" player, verifying the information in the charts is essential.

Unlike Wizards of the Coast, Mongoose Publishing often makes an effort to include indices (or at least handy rules summaries) in their books, and the Pocket Edition includes one. Unfortunately, however, the layout is far from perfect (I suspect a margin setting error at some point during word processing), and some lines which apparently ought to have been indented are not. This causes the index to appear hopelessly jumbled. "Benefits of Worshipping a God," for example, is not listed under "B," it is listed under "W," clearly intended to be a sub-category under "Worship" but appearing as an out-of-order entry instead. Such a sight may be jarring to those who like absolute perfection in their books, but I think that most reasonably intelligent readers can figure out what's where in the index. It certainly beats being forced to find information by scanning the Table of Contents, as is necessary for most books published by Wizards of the Coast, who seem to think that the extra ten cents per book which an index might cost is an unnecessary expense in a multi-hundred page book; it is not!

One startling omission from the Pocket Edition is a complete lack of statistics for animals and "monsters." On the one hand this means that players do not have access to "GM information," but, on the other, it also means that neither players nor GMs have the statistics for the animals which are summoned by any of several Nature Magic spells, including the basic spell, Summon Beast. Consultation with the D&D "Monster Manual" core rule book provided D20 stats for many animals, but I'm far from certain that the statistics given in the Monster Manual are fully consistent with the intent of the Conan RPG author, Ian Sturrock. Nevertheless, because the Conan RPG is an OGL game, the statistics are probably very similar.

Having mentioned Mr. Sturrock, I must commend him on his work on the Conan RPG. Adapting the Hyborian Age to a D&D setting is far from easy because of the radical differences between most D&D campaign settings and the world Conan knew -- or *knows* as the case may be in one's own campaign. There is a world of difference between many well-known and well-intentioned wizards of fantasy literature and the barely sane spellcasters who frequently appeared in Howard's Conan stories. Xaltotun, who wants to destroy the current world in a paroxysmal holocaust of bloody war as a enormous sacrifice in order to work mighty magic is certainly no Elminster (nor Gandalf, either!), and the only parallels to such as Natokh, the undead (?) wizard who uses his magic and summoned demons to fulfill ambitions of conquest are arch-villains like Sauron and Voldemort. There are no Tom Bombadils nor Madame Mims nor Dumbledores in any of Howard's stories; the kindest, gentlest wizards in Howard's Conan stories are a witch whose pet wolf tears a man apart, a priest of a forbidden religion, and an obsessed priest of a dying faith, and the Conan RPG rules faithfully reflect that difference. One of the easiest paths to magical success is to forge a demonic pact, and the route to casting truly powerful spells includes a near-total obsession as the least cost; for those seeking quick and dirty means to magical power, the methods include the consumption of addictive drugs and human sacrifice, preferably by means of slow and agonizing torture. A typical wizard in a Howard story (and in the Conan RPG) is much more likely to reek of Saruman than of Harry Potter. The path to "good" magic in the Conan RPG is often long and arduous, but there is always a sense that ALL magic is corrupt, changing the world by unnatural means tainted with the darkness of Hell or the Outer Void beyond human ken. In the world of Conan, it is far better to be a thief, a pirate, or a bloody-handed mercenary than someone whose very soul has been corrupted by the foulness of ... magic! More than once Howard explicitly stated that it was better by far to die a "clean" death than to perish at the hands of a wizard.

One very good aspect of the Conan RPG books which I have so far read is their repeated insistence on the full independence of the GM to decide which rules shall apply to his or her campaign and to what degree. Many optional rules are presented in the Conan RPG which the GM is free to use or not, and there is a strong sense that this decision personalizes and improves the game rather than detracts from it. Some products from Wizards of the Coast seem to have the opposite intent: despite what the core rules say, there is an impression in many Wizards D&D books that a GM who doesn't use ALL of the rules (i.e. BUY all of the book$) isn't playing "correctly" and a player who owns more books than the GM is somehow "more right" than the GM, which ought NEVER to be the case. The Conan RPG makes it clear that the Hyborian Age is mysterious (i.e., what the GM says is correct ... *is* correct).

The Conan RPG is an outstanding addition to roleplaying, and the "Pocket Edition" of the Conan rules is an outstanding bargain. Despite the flaws which its reduction in size and paring-down have caused, this is a five star book. *****

This was a nice release by Mongoose Publishing, as it's affordable and has virtually everything a player needs for the game. Mongoose copied the contents from their Atlantean Edition of the RPG and pasted it into this smaller, softcover book. This book does NOT have any of the illustrations or maps found in the hardcover Atleantean Book from which these contents are taken, and see below for omissions, but for the frugal or mildly interested, this was made for you.

It is missing two sections from the AE book that you should be aware of before purchasing: 1)It doesn't list demons, monsters, beasts found at the back of the AE, and 2)it doesn't have the Hyborian World, which gives information on the lands & peoples of the campaign world created by Author Robert E. Howard in the 1920s & '30s. If you or the GM is planning on purchasing the sourcebook _The Road of Kings_, which is the world gazeteer, then you won't need the latter, but if you're a GM or enterprising scholar character, these omissions will be missed.

Also, there are a couple of minor typesetting mistakes (a couple pages' contents are repeated on the next pages), but not terrible. NOTE: the AE this book is based on had grammatical errors & omissions, but much improved over the original edition release.

I rated 4 stars because this game was thoroughly researched by the game designers, and is more faithful to Conan and the Hyborian Age than any I've seen, is thorough and detailed. It is based on the OGL d20 system created by Wizards of the Coast for their Dungeons & Dragons 3.x editions, so many people are familiar with it, but it has been 'customized' to fit the character and lethality of the Hyborian Age setting. And it's easily affordable. But it is not without grammatical or editing errors, and some may object to no maps, illustrations, or the black & white printing. To which I recommend you buy the much more expensive Atlantean Edition book.

So, in summary, if you're into collecting books, want to play the game but not run it as a GM, or are just curious, then this book would make a great purchase. It's excellently priced & fairly complete.

All of his works are excellent if you play pool for pleasure or have a very competitive approach. I was "fair" at playing pool -- primarily 8 Ball. Now, I'm known as "The King" because of applying the information in his books.

If you wanna be a real player read byrne's books and gamble that's it

If you've already read Byrne's standard book, don't waste your money on this book, unless you're really in to 3cushion billiards. There is very little new info in this book. Borrow it from a friend, or check it out in the library if you can. Some stuff is useful, but you'll be disappointed if you've already read Byrne's.

...I don't claim any good talent in pool, but i do enjoy reading up on all the strategies and thought processes, and attempting to apply them when I play. Byrne's Advanced Technique isn't so much for advanced players only, but covers some specific topics that aer very interesting as well, such as the half-ball hit, the masse shot, the physics of the heavy tavern cueball, and so on. The section on Three-Cushion billiards is somewhat redundant, though, if you have his Standard. but it has some other topics, including more shots from master play, to keep one engrossed. He also writes some stories on several of the games greats, including three-cushion legends like Ceulemans and Blohmdal. Overall, a very good buy if you want to know as much about the game as you can.

This book contains very little information that will be of use to an 8 or 9-ball player and close to half of the book is spent discussing specific 3-Cushion shots. I bought this book for the defense section hoping to learn some more about that but again it related to 3-Cushion rather than anything for 8 or 9-ball. Since I don't know the first thing about 3-Cushion billiards, I can't say whether or not the information about that is good or not.