Melee is Broken


Book Description

In a world where most video game players crave the newest hardware or the latest game, one tight-knit global gaming community, thousands strong, has stood alone for nearly two decades: the competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee (SSBM) scene. SSBM's release for the Nintendo GameCube in 2001 signaled an exciting moment in gaming history: a continuation of the popular Smash Bros. franchise, boasting even more characters and iconography from players' favorite Nintendo properties. Melee is Broken argues that SSBM's unique staying power is sourced from its reliance on hardware objects from the early 2000s, through which new life is breathed into ostensibly "dead" media objects. Through blending textual analysis with artistic research-creation, this book interrogates the ideologies and principles that have sustained the competitive SSBM scene for so many years through examining hardware, software, community discourse, and the formation of universally adopted techniques both in- and out-of-game. This groundbreaking work aims to invite everyone from long-time SSBM competitors to those on the peripheral of SSBM, or even gaming in general, to inquire and learn more about the passion and dedication that defines competitive SSBM.




Broken Oath


Book Description

A powerful Lord Supreme obsessed with a Lady of stature imprisons her in his fortress. She escapes to safety by accepting an Oath to uphold the duty as the Lady of Time. With her new powers; the ability to manipulate Time, she banishes her gaoler to another dimension where his memory is erased, he is given a new name; Karob and is forced to take up an Oath; to uphold Karma. Over 3,000 years have gone by and the Lady of Time, confident she will never meet the Lord again, diverts from her Oath and starts a new life on Earth. Perchance Karob is executing his duty on Earth when he catches sight of her and breaks his Oath in favour of his original intention; to possess and incarcerate her once again. Forces are put into play that will make both choose between pursuing their own personal desires or upholding their Oaths; but the wrong choice will have severe consequences, as some Oaths cannot be broken.




The Book of Melee


Book Description

Since its 2001 release, Nintendo's crown jewel, "Super Smash Bros. Melee," has inspired multiple generations of players to sustain a grassroots community. The Book of Melee is a deep dive into the universe of competitive Melee, gaming's greatest and most unlikely underdog story.In The Book of Melee, longtime Melee enthusiast and gaming journalist Edwin Budding covers the history of competitive Melee through the lens of its greatest legends, including "The Five Gods of Melee." Simultaneously absurd, heartwarming, and tear-jerking, The Book of Melee tackles the evolution of the most passionate cult following of the 21st century, from crowded restaurant basements to packed arenas.




Original Edition Campaign


Book Description

After running an original edition campaign for about seven years i have decided to compile the house rules and procedures that i use during play into a booklet similar to the original three. It is not intended to be a "retroclone" as much as a toolbox of ideas and a source of inspiration for anyone looking to run a similar campaign. This is not in any way an authority on how to run a fantasy campaign. I want to celebrate the modularity and customizability of the original fantasy role playing game and share my experiences and houserules.




Broken Legions


Book Description

The Roman Empire rules the civilised world with an iron fist, seemingly all-powerful and limitless. And yet, the power of Rome is secured not by its mighty legions, but by small bands of warriors and agents fighting a secret war. Tasked by the Emperor to explore ancient temples, forgotten labyrinths and beast-haunted caverns, they seek out artefacts hidden by the gods themselves, hunt creatures of myth and face enemies that would use dark magic against the empire. Broken Legions is a set of fantasy skirmish rules for a war unknown to history, fought in the shadows of the Roman Empire. Various factions recruit small warbands to fight in tight, scenario-driven battles that could secure the mystical power to defend – or crush – Rome. A points system allows factions to easily build a warband, and mercenaries and free agents may also be hired to bolster a force. Heroes and leaders may possess a range of skills, traits and magical abilities, but a henchman's blade can be just as sharp, and a campaign can see even the lowliest henchman become a hero of renown.




Chosen Men


Book Description

Chosen Men is a set of fast-action skirmish rules detailing the bloody skirmishes between light troops in the Napoleonic Wars. The primary focus of the game is on soldiers and NCOs in light 'flank' companies, as they scout ahead of larger forces and take part in man-to-man actions against enemy skirmishers. Although the game allows for the formation of accurately sized companies of light infantry and cavalry if you wish, these formations are broken down into small groups of up to a dozen men. For the most part, officers are not swashbuckling super-heroes, but staunch commanders who rally and direct their men to achieve the battlefield objectives. Although the game uses an alternating action turn sequence, officers can use their influence on multiple units at the same time in an effort to steal the initiative. With all rolls resolved using standard 6-sided dice, this game combines a classic wargaming feel with modern wargame mechanics.




A Mended and Broken Heart


Book Description

Francis of Assisi is Catholicism's most popular saint. Tens of millions of spiritual seekers summon his name and example. But the real Francis-both his complicated personality and his complex theology-have been misunderstood for centuries. In 1228, Pope Gregory IX rushed to canonize St. Francis only two years after his death. Soon thereafter, the Church eliminated significant aspects of his biography from the public record. For Francis's early life was defined by his profligacy; shortly before dying, Francis himself warned his brothers: "Don't be too quick to canonize me. I am perfectly capable of fathering a child." In A Mended and Broken Heart, journalist Wendy Murray slices through the bowdlerized version of Francis's life promoted within the Catholic tradition and reveals instead a saint who was in every way also a real man. Murray stresses in particular the crucial but completely neglected role that Clare of Assisi played in Francis's life, both pre- and postconversion, and his theology. A profoundly humane portrait of a misunderstood saint, A Mended and Broken Heart makes a powerful case that St. Francis's life and thought make him a role model for religious seekers of every faith.




APOCalypse 2500 Main Rule Book


Book Description

APOCalypse 2500(TM) is a tabletop role-playing game, set in a post-apocalyptic future world of sci-fi technology and ancient magic. 400 years after the vortex humankind's great nations are gone, the planet has changed, and ancient magic and magical creatures have returned to a modern high tech earth. In 22nd century scientists blunder: The Vortex forms: Magical species appear: Accelerated continental drift happens: Neo-Pangaea forms: War happens: Nations fail, feudalism arises: Time passes: It is now the year 2500 and your adventure begins... This game is designed for 2 or more persons and requires dice.




The Wargaming Compendium


Book Description

An extensive reference guide to the exciting hobby, for beginners as well as longtime players. Wargaming is a fascinating, engrossing, and exciting pastime that encompasses a wide range of different talents. The average wargamer uses the skills of artist, designer, sculptor, illustrator, historian, librarian, researcher, mathematician, and creative writer, as well as the more obvious ones of general, admiral, or air marshal for large games, or perhaps lieutenant, commodore, or squadron leader for skirmishes. Aside from calling upon many skills, wargaming also covers many aspects of combat, spanning the history of Earth. With science fiction gaming, we plunge into imagined worlds many thousands of years into the future, and a fantasy gamer, of course, deals with eons of imagined history, as anyone who has read The Lord of the Rings will know. A wargamer may find themselves recreating an encounter between a handful of adversaries one day, or a massed battle involving perhaps hundreds of miniature troops the next. Moreover, it is possible to play wargames that recreate warfare on land, on sea, in the air, or even in outer space. This book demonstrates the wonderfully varied hobby of wargaming with miniatures, looking at the broad scope of what it has to offer as well as detailed explanations of how to get involved, including comprehensive rules for gladiator combat, Wild West skirmishes, and the horse and musket era, as well as lots of advice for anyone new to wargaming. Whether you’re a complete newcomer to the hobby, or a veteran of many years, you’ll find plenty in The Wargaming Compendium to entertain and inspire you.




Playing to Win


Book Description

Winning at competitive games requires a results-oriented mindset that many players are simply not willing to adopt. This book walks players through the entire process: how to choose a game and learn basic proficiency, how to break through the mental barriers that hold most players back, and how to handle the issues that top players face. It also includes a complete analysis of Sun Tzu's book The Art of War and its applications to games of today. These foundational concepts apply to virtually all competitive games, and even have some application to "real life." Trade paperback. 142 pages.