Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design (Studies in Macroeconomic History)

One of the most interesting "how to" books that I have read in a while is the Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design, by Wolfgang Baur and including essays from such Role Playing Game Design superstars as Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, Michael A. Stackpole, Keith Baker and others. The word "complete" is no misnomer, as this tome contains over forty essays, some original to the volume and others drawn from three previous volumes of game design advice.The book covers everything from rule creation and setting creation, to campaign design, to understanding your audience, right down to how to craft a pitch for a publisher and how to handle rejection. It is valuable both for creating game systems from scratch or for writing inside existing properties. Michael A. Stackpole's essay "Designing Magic Systems" is priceless, likewise Rob Heinsoo's "Seize the Hook". But despite all the luminaries in the volume, it is Wolfgang Baur's own essays that stand out for me as the most useful, applicable advice of the book.In fact, Baur's "The Process of Creative Thought" is worth the price of the entire collection alone. In the essay, Baur attempts to "systematize and demystify creative thought for the engineering and technical professions." His result, breaking creativity into the stages of 1. Defining the Problem, 2. Borrowing Ideas, 3. Combining and Connecting the Borrowed Ideas, 4. Incubation, 5. Judging the Work, and 6. Enhancing not only articulates processes that I have used for decades but provides a structure to writing collaborations that is invaluable to any team product. This is an essay that, like much of the Guide, has applications outside game design for any creative endeavor. Likewise his essay on "Using and Abusing Misdirection." And I wish all writers would read "The Three Audiences."I have read a great many books on creativity and writing across the years and very few of them offer much of lasting value. The Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design sets in a place of honor amid this very select list. I highly recommend it not only to game designers but to anyone involved in any creative narrative undertaking. And look, Baur has just come out with the Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding. I don't see how I can resist the urge to start into that soon.

The concepts here in games are pretty universal, but there is a slant towards RPGs, this knowledge has given me much confidence in my development of a wargame. I would say the information about specifics would be more useful to an RPG person, but the notion and development of theme alongside any product is especially important. This is best exemplified by products like Android Netrunner, Warmachine/Hordes, and Magic the Gathering as well as countless RPGs like Star Wars Edge of the Empire and The One Ring.I am a noob in terms of gaming experience, but this has been vital lesson after vital lesson on a conceptual and practical level.

Hubby loves this.

If you are planning on writing exclusively for Dungeons and Dragons, this is not a bad book. It's dated but the advice is not bad. You may be out of the loop on some of the jargon, but it mostly hangs together.However, this is a "you can do it" self-help guide, not a bunch of design best -practices. If you are waiting for permission, this is a helpful book. If you need advice, you'll find none here. Middle through and trust your process. Go fight win. Hardly illuminating.

I actually gave this book to my husband for Christmas this past year; but have read quite a bit myself. The book is not only on pen and paper game design; but includes some suggestions for designing computer RPGs. The book consists of short essays on various topics of design and presents them in a logical manner. Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design is a must read for anyone who designs and creates games of any kind.

I went into this book thinking it was one way, feeling disappointment that it wasn't what I thought it was, then or elation at what I learned! Fantastic book they made me want to play D&D, which I never wanted to play before

Bought as a gift and they were impressed with the information.

Great book for anyone who's into world building and game design

Eu só fiquei meio decepcionado porque não sabia que era o mesmo conteudo dos outros três livros, mas ainda sim vale a pena pela revisão e por não ter que passar pelos artigos mais fracos.

Ricco di spunti di riflessione. Non è un manuale step by step e non vuole esserlo, ma offre molte dritte. ne consiglio assolutamenten la lettura

Bought as a present. Well received!