Thieves' World Player's Manual


Book Description

Since 1979, Sanctuary has been the nastiest, ugliest, and grittiest city in fantasy fiction. This summer, Sanctuary returns to roleplaying for the first time in over 20 years and the excitement begins with the Thieves' World Player's Manual. This book includes a detailed overview of the city in the classic and current eras, a culture and background system to customize your adventurer, over twenty core and prestige classes, a unique magic system, and a brand new Thieves' World short story by Lynn Abbey herself. Explore the Maze, enjoy the delights of the Street of Red Lanterns, or take part in the fight against Dyareela's cultists. The Thieves' World Player's Manual is your gateway to adventure.




Librarian's Guide to Games and Gamers


Book Description

Helps librarians who are not themselves seasoned gamers to better understand the plethora of gaming products available and how they might appeal to library users. As games grow ever-more ubiquitous in our culture and communities, they have become popular staples in public library collections and are increasing in prominence in academic ones. Many librarians, especially those who are not themselves gamers or are only acquainted with a handful of games, are ill-prepared to successfully advise patrons who use games. This book provides the tools to help adult and youth services librarians to better understand the gaming landscape and better serve gamers in discovery of new games—whether they are new to gaming or seasoned players—through advisory services. This book maps all types of games—board, roleplaying, digital, and virtual reality—providing all the information needed to understand and appropriately recommend games to library users. Organized by game type, hundreds of descriptions offer not only bibliographic information (title, publication date, series, and format/platform), but genre classifications, target age ranges for players, notes on gameplay and user behavior type, and short descriptions of the game's basic premise and appeals.




Blood Ties


Book Description

A ruined city rebuilds in the ninth entry of this shared-world fantasy series. Hakiem, storyteller and adviser, surveys the city of Sanctuary from a palace window and is heartbroken by what he sees. The city of outlaws and adventurers now lies in shambles, ravaged by war, plague, riots, and magical destruction, and many citizens are dead or wounded. Hakiem is not the only one thinking of leaving . . . Now, without gods or magic, the people of Sanctuary face the task of rebuilding their homes and their lives. It will be their toughest struggle for survival yet. Featuring stories from some of fantasy’s best authors, including Robert Lynn Asprin, Diana L. Paxson, Janet and Chris Morris, Robin W. Bailey, C. J. Cherryh, Diane Duane, Lynn Abbey, and Andrew and Jodie Offutt.




Thieves' World®


Book Description

Missing Game of Thrones? Dare to “be pulled into political intrigues, watch new gods replace old, and witness fortunes rise and fall and rise again” (Book Riot). A classic series for a new generation of fantasy adventure fans, Thieves’ World® paved the way for the shared-world anthology tradition with epic worldbuilding, unforgettable characters, and nonstop action thanks to the legendary authors who contribute to it. The series’s groundbreaking debut features stories by John Brunner, Lynn Abbey, Poul Anderson, Andrew J. Offutt, Robert Lynn Asprin, Joe Haldeman, Christine DeWees, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, who populate the lawless city of Sanctuary with orphans and wizards, fortune tellers and emperors, merchants and madams, spies, assassins, and, of course, thieves. “Sanctuary was the city where anything could happen, where characters created by some of the best fantasy writers of the generation crossed paths and shared adventures.” —Black Gate “A bold and daring experiment in fantasy storytelling . . . We are introduced to the cast of characters, including beggars and crime lords, wizards and soldiers, minstrels and thieves, as this new chapter in the life of Sanctuary begins, life under the governorship of Prince Kadakithis.” —Fantasy-Faction




Medieval Player's Manual


Book Description

The Medieval Player's Manual gives you everything you need to have exciting adventures in the age of Christianity and crusade. This is not Hollywood medievalism, but the real thing. The Medieval Player's Manual has been exhaustively researched to provide rules that reflect the actual beliefs of the period. Ars Magica line developer David Chart has written a book that is both authentic and playable. Take your d20 game back to the Middle Ages with the Medieval Player's Manual. The book includes: Three new magic core classes (cunning man, natural magician, and theurge) and two support prestige classes (necromancer and theophanist). New systems for medieval magic like folk charms, alchemy, astrology, astral charms, and theurgy. Three new religious core classes (priest, canonist, and saint) and five supporting prestige classes (crusader, templar, prelate, hermit, and mystic). The introduction of Charisms, new feats representing gifts of miraculous power granted by God. Rules for holding academic disputations, creating theories, and writing books. Non-combat core classes like scholar and artist.Overviews of the Christian Church, the political history of the time, philosophy and the arts, and medieval laws and beliefs. Suggestions for alternate campaigns, like the Abbey Campaign and the Court Campaign, and intriguing historical What ifs?. Backgrounds and stats for important people of the day, like Empress Matilda, Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, and natural magician Adelard of Bath. The book also presents Kin of the Conqueror, a campaign setting detailing the anarchic period after the death of King William the Conqueror. From 1087 to 1154 the British Isles and northern France were convulsed by wars over his legacy. Plunge into adventure with Kin of the Conqueror, or use the rules to explore other parts of the medieval world. Either way, the Medieval Player's Manual is your starting point for a new d20 experience.




Sea of Thieves: Heart of Fire


Book Description

The pulse-pounding origin story of Captain Flameheart, sure to delight new and veteran players of Rare’s thrilling game Sea of Thieves in this official prequel novel. The Sea of Thieves is a world of adventure. A world of buried treasure, sea monsters, and, of course, pirates. But one name strikes fear into the heart of all who sail there. Captain Flameheart, dread pirate of the Sea of Thieves, is a ruthless warmonger and captain of the Burning Blade. Together with his skeletal fleets he terrorizes these waters and seeks the insatiable thrill of battle. In desperation, the legendary Pirate Lord hires the crew of the Morningstar to stop Flameheart’s reign of terror. Meanwhile, a crew of misfits swears allegiance to Flameheart who offers them an intriguing opportunity to upheave the status quo. In a frenzied race to decide the fate of the Sea of Thieves, these daring pirates must outfight and outwit one another in a quest to uncover an artefact capable of defeating Flameheart once and for all. Plunge into the thrilling tale at the heart of Rare’s multiplayer adventure; the origin story of the Skeleton Lord, Captain Flameheart, and the terrible sacrifices made to ensure his downfall.




Runescape: The First 20 Years--An Illustrated History


Book Description

A full-colour hardcover companion tome that offers a look behind the scenes as the iconic online fantasy RPG celebrates its 20th birthday! In 2001, RuneScape transformed the world of MMORPGs with a magical world that was free-to-play in your browser. Assuming any number of fantasy roles, players carved their own adventures in a fantasy land filled with vibrant characters, daring adventure and mystery. In an industry where success can often be short lived, RuneScape has defied the odds by not just surviving, but thriving over an incredible two decades. Now you can get an insider's look at the tremendous talent and enormous effort that went into creating the land of Gielinor and the magical races who inhabit it. Jagex and Dark Horse present a guide to the history of the RuneScape franchise, exploring the detailed tapestry of RuneScape and Old School RuneScape through exciting and exclusive art and behind the scenes interviews!




The Art of Sea of Thieves


Book Description

A high-quality collectible art book featuring over 200 pages of behind-the-scenes content from the hotly anticipated, shared-world video game Sea of Thieves! With Rare's new high seas multiplayer adventure Sea of Thieves, players will crew up in search of fortune and glory on their quest to become pirate legends. Now, with The Art of Sea of Thieves, Dark Horse Books is pleased to offer an unprecedented look at the ships, characters, and loot of this revolutionary online gaming experience! Featuring hundreds of pieces of art with commentary from the game's creators, this gorgeous volume explores the creation and development of a fantastical pirate world.




Thieves' World


Book Description

Azehur, Firaqa, the Rankan Empire, the Kingdoms of Ilsig and more have resonated in the stories and deeds of the famous heroes and villains of Sanctuary. The Thieves' World Gazetteer presents all new information on the world of Sanctuary, expanding the focus to reveal the peoples and places in the Known World. From the Cold Lands in the northeast to the Gate of the East, Mrsevada, the Thieves' World Gazetteer is packed full of information. In addition, this volume includes extensive details on the gods of Thieves' World, a comprehensive history, and a discussion on the cosmology and planes, along with a slew of new cultures, backgrounds, and other supplementary information. With the Thieves' World Gazetteer, Sanctuary is just the beginning of a larger world of adventure!




Tree Thieves


Book Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM J. ANTHONY LUKAS BOOK AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 PEN/JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION FINALIST FOR THE NELLIE BY CHANTICLEER INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FOR JOURNALISTIC NON-FICTION A gripping investigation of the billion-dollar timber black market “and a fascinating examination of the deep and troubled relationship between people and forests” (Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts). There's a strong chance that chair you are sitting on was made from stolen lumber. In Tree Thieves, Lyndsie Bourgon takes us deep into the underbelly of the illegal timber market. As she traces three timber poaching cases, she introduces us to tree poachers, law enforcement, forensic wood specialists, the enigmatic residents of former logging communities, environmental activists, international timber cartels, and indigenous communities along the way. Old-growth trees are invaluable and irreplaceable for both humans and wildlife, and are the oldest living things on earth. But the morality of tree poaching is not as simple as we might think: stealing trees is a form of deeply rooted protest, and a side effect of environmental preservation and protection that doesn't include communities that have been uprooted or marginalized when park boundaries are drawn. As Bourgon discovers, failing to include working class and rural communities in the preservation of these awe-inducing ecosystems can lead to catastrophic results. Featuring excellent investigative reporting, fascinating characters, logging history, political analysis, and cutting-edge tree science, Tree Thieves takes readers on a thrilling journey into the intrigue, crime, and incredible complexity sheltered under the forest canopy.