Books

The people who brought you this website (let’s be honest, it’s really just me) are also behind a series of books about the hobby. 

 

The Book of Board Games

“Full of good humor and lots of interesting comments and strategy. Probably the best book about games ever.”

~ Alan R Moon (designer of Ticket to Ride)

Perhaps you have been hearing about the many fantastic modern board games and card games that are out there? You want to get into the hobby, but you don’t know where to start?

Well, you have come to the right place. Author Steve Dee shares his enthusiasm for gaming, and introduces you to the many different games and genres, with passion and a sense of humour. Find out about gateway games, co-op games, wargames, Euros, RPGs, CCGs, LCGs, and many more.

Welcome to the best hobby you will ever have. Welcome to the world of modern tabletop gaming.

Available in paperback from Amazon.

 

The Book of Hive

Hive is a board game with a difference – it does not have a board. If you enjoy strategy games like chess, and so long as you do not have an irrational fear of creepy crawlies, Hive could be the game for you.
In this entertaining and easy-to-read book, Hive addict Steve Dee will introduce you to the game and give you some tips on how to become a good player. You will find out about pinning and pin releases, blocking, circling, piece selection, openings, elbows, pockets, deciding whether to attack or defend, controlling placement, how to use the pieces most effectively (including the new expansion pieces), playing defensively, and common mistakes to avoid.

“I like the book, it does do a good job in introducing the game and has some good elements of tactics.”~ John Yianni, inventor of Hive.

Available in paperback from Amazon.

The Book of Carcassonne

Carcassonne, the classic tile-laying Eurogame designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede, has been translated into 16 different languages and has sold over six million copies worldwide.
The Book of Carcassonne is a strategy guide that will help you improve your game. Written in a light, conversational style, it also includes the history of the game, interviews with many of the key figures in the game, and a few jokes here and there.

Steve Dee is a writer, board gamer and Carcassonne fan, currently living in the South West of England.
Dan Chard is one of the most highly rated and well-known UK Carcassonne players and currently lives just outside of London.

Available in paperback from Amazon

The One-Hour RPG

In these ten adventures, written for use with the 5th edition of the world’s oldest role-playing game, the player characters are all members of The Port Perro City Watch. Their duties include patrolling the streets, manning the city gates, investigating crimes, and doing whatever their boss Lyza, the captain of the guard, tells them to do.

Though simple, these adventures have many unexpected twists – things are rarely as they seem!

The player characters begin at level one, and the adventures are all written with inexperienced Games Masters and players in mind – they are fun to run, with minimal preparation needed.

• A giant bird swoops down and carries off a child.
• A deserted pirate ship mysteriously docks in the city at night.
• A huge creature tunnels underneath the city walls.
• A hag who is refused entry to the city puts a deadly curse on the guards.
• Somebody has released a Rust Monster into the armoury!

All of the adventures are stand-alone (except the last one, which is a two-parter), though there are recurring characters, and there is a thread that runs through them all so that they do link together very satisfyingly if you want to play them as a campaign.

Most importantly, each adventure is playable in less than an hour, and advice and alternatives are offered to the GM to ensure this happens. However, experienced GMs could easily expand each adventure to two or more hours, if that would be preferable.

Available at DriveThruRPG

Tabletop Tales

These ten fantastic short stories all share the common theme of tabletop gaming, and they are all written by talented writers, who also happen to be gamers. The stories are, however, all very different in subject, style, and tone. Some will make you laugh out loud, others will have you nervously turning the page to find out what happens next.

Available in paperback from Amazon.