(Part 2) Best video games handbooks according to redditors
We found 1,534 Reddit comments discussing the best video games handbooks. We ranked the 48 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
99 Critical Shots is overrated and one of the worst books for a beginner in 2018. Before you jump down my throat, remember that being old and popular doesn't make something good.
It was a good book in 1977.
I'll let Bob Jewett point out the issues (page 13). He's much more generous than I am—I honestly don't think 99CS worth reading considering the wealth of other excellent material that's available.
Better books would be Illustrated Principles, Byrne's Standard, and Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots. Even PYBP or Science of Pocket Billiards would be better.
99CS is outdated and surviving largely on nostalgia, and personally there is not a single piece of information in the book that I didn't learn better from somewhere else.
Actually it gives some 100% incorrect information at least once, regarding rail shots. I literally had a guy defending it by saying "well beginners won't understand the complicated truth so the (incorrect) rule of thumb is fine." Right then is when I realized that some fools will defend the book because they think they should, rather than on its merits.
Don't be that guy.
Rant: Over
PoSM is easily the best book ever written on the mental game.
Kinda funny, the best and the worst right next to each other.
Alright I just grabbed the first stack of my books in the 3 - 3.5e range and I need a way to sort them to see what I have, and sort between 3e and 3.5e. I'm going to list them here,
don't worry if you don't see all of them I'll be editing this comment to add more as I pull more out of storage.
Once I have a full list i'll post their pictures with today's paper and then start doing some research to figure out what a fair price is for each of them.
EDIT: My list of books and sorting is complete (who stole my v.3e core books god damnit!)
My books are pristine. I used (and still do) post-it page markers to not only ensure I didn't mark any pages, but also to use as quick reference so not to create dog ears.
Removing one of them shows they did not mark the pages. I'll leave them in for the pics, but am going to remove them after.
I'm going to take pics of the 3 core books with today's Brampton Guardian, and then start looking at prices.
Just a quick note though I looked at Amazon because wikipedia didn't have my special edition, leather bound version of the Player's Handbook, and the used copies listed at $300 just to give an idea of where prices might be.
I'm going to check a variety of sources to get an idea of fair price on used books and will happily share where I am getting my pricing from. May stop in at the Comic Warehouse later and get their advice too.
Because I will be using a variety of sources the prices I list will not be negotiable.
If you see any of my compendium or extended core books you are interested in let me know and I'll take pics and calculate prices.
3e
Monsters of Faerûn
Hero Builder's Guidebook
Arms and Equipment
Savage Species
Fiend Folio
Manual of The Planes
Psionics Handbook
Epic Level Handbook
Deities and Demigods
Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Challenges
Stronghold Builder's Guidebook
Ghostwalk
3.5e
Core Rule Books
Special Edition Player's Handbook v.3.5 Deluxe Edition, Leather Bound
Proof
Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5
Proof
Monster Manual v.3.5
Proof
Expanded Core Rule Books
Players Handbook II
Monster Manual II
Monster Manual III
Compendium Rule Books
Expanded Psionics Handbook
Planar Handbook
Complete Arcane
Spell Compendium
Races of Stone
Complete Warrior
Complete Divine
Book of Exalted Deeds
Complete Adventurer
Weapons of Legacy
Map Folio I
Map Folio II
Frostburn
Magic of Incarnum
Unearthed Arcana
Draconomicon
Mueller and Pajeken's How to Play Chess Endgames for under $10 USD in the Kindle edition:
https://www.amazon.com/Play-Chess-Endgames-Karsten-M%C3%BCller-ebook/dp/B00JKR7DKO
The above can be considered the chess endgame strategy followup to Mueller and Lamprecht's Fundamental Chess Endings, also for under $10 USD in the Kindle format:
https://www.amazon.com/Fundamental-Chess-Endings-M%C3%BCller-Karsten-ebook/dp/B00BJ64LMW/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MAV2EHEBWJ3GWDHBN3WM
Alternatively for more complicated endgames, you can study them broken down into every combination of two or fewer pieces in Glenn Flear's Practical Endgame Play:
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Endgame-Play-Definitive-Endgames/dp/1857445554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505233193&sr=8-1&keywords=Glenn+Flear
A few I haven't read, but have heard good things about here and elsewhere:
is still gonna be hard, but john Nunn's "Solving in Style" is an excelent introduction to chess compositions.
https://www.amazon.com/Solving-Style-John-Nunn/dp/1901983668
You'd want to CYA, right? Consulting with a lawyer shouldn't cost more than $100-$200 for a first time visit. I would hope that would be worth the peace of mind.
As far as Amazon, a quick search there shows that at least one dude has done it, so Amazon apparently doesn't care too much. But just because something gets by Amazon's standards doesn't mean it's lawsuit-proof.
This book will give you insight into all kinds of things it would normally take years of experience to figure out on your own.
There's a few pretty awesome YouTube channels out there that have some awesome instructional videos, here's a couple of my favorites:
forcefollow
FargoBilliards
Kindle Edition
Paperwhite Edition
:D
​
Kobold Guide to Game Design: https://smile.amazon.com/Kobold-Guide-Game-Design-2nd/dp/1936781034/ref=sr_1_1?camp=1789&encoding=UTF8%3F&keywords=kobold+game+design&linkCode=ur2&qid=1574184648&sr=8-1
The Board Game Designer Guide: https://smile.amazon.com/Board-Game-Designers-Guide-Process/dp/1775189201/ref=sr_1_4?camp=1789&encoding=UTF8%3F&keywords=kobold+game+design&linkCode=ur2&qid=1574184709&sr=8-4
And then, just get him more games. New ideas and new mechanics.
There are potentially more. A number of boardgames such as Maori by Rio Grande Games come up when searching for Prime-eligible items, but they're not Prime unless you click the 'other sellers' link. I can't test whether the other sellers qualify for the discount because I've already used the coupon.
I have a copy of the GURPS Discworld setting at home - it's such a brilliant resource for simple world building stuff.
EDIT: added link to the version I have, though I bought it from my LGS here in the UK.
As I remember it, the products weren't out before the movie was released, but a book was, which is how I prepared for the eventual release, I want to say six months or so later?
There's Runequest 6 which was published in 2014, and a new Gloranthan RQ being worked on currently under the title of RUNEQUEST: Roleplaying in Glorantha by Chaosium.
I have RQ6, and it's a nice edition.
Actually I've just noticed that the quickstart of the new RQ was published end of 2017 by Chaosium.
>Is it OK to read the Apocrypha books in the Bible?
Why wouldn't a book be OK to read? You can read the DM manual to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons if you like, and if you want to vomit you could always read Freak Legion. Reading isn't much different from allowing yourself to hear what someone has to say, and we would hardly feel good about saying "Yo! Plug your ears, someone is saying something controversial today!"
>What is the difference between the Apocrypha and Gnostic books?
Maccabees covers a historic period that Kings and Chronicles simply miss. Tobit describes... well it describes something weird. The three additional chapters of Daniel give us some good stories for gaining wisdom and fairness. You get the idea.
There's a book, if you really want to go hunting https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Mickeys-Walt-Disney-World/dp/1484727789/
I think this is still the most recent:
The Hidden Mickeys of Walt Disney World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1484727789/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OD8CAbQ8CC758
Currently? No.
Historically? Not really. Sort of. But only for Spells and Magic Items. And Rules.
The thinking is, that these sorts of books would cut down on the purchases of the current books. They've historically only been released towards the waning/tail end of an Edition.
So in 5 years, they might. Not yet, though.
Three copies of the original novelization of Star Wars: a New Hope for $2 each!
I thought for sure I'd found some kind of crazy bargain that would sell for hundreds, but nope. Looks like these still go for mad cheap. Still cool to have though
This is actually a really good read.
It's been a while since I've read it, but I remember it being very comprehensive. I read it as an already experience raider, but found it very beneficial as a guild leader. It has information for people at varying levels of experience, from people new to raiding, to those managing and leading raids. I recommend looking at the table of contents in the preview and some of the reviews to get an idea of the contents.
This won't give you the exact add ons you're looking for, but it will give you in depth knowledge and strategies that apply to raids in any MMO.
https://www.amazon.com/Raiders-Companion-Adam-Ferrel-Trzonkowski-ebook/dp/B00719SHLM/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Amazon is pretty cool but then you have turds like this...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07B88MCS5/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&condition=new