Anyone got the Dummies book?
- Thread starter JoeGKushner
- Start date
Quasqueton
First Post
So I guess everyone but me calls it a d90? I'm the only one who's never heard that term for the 10s half of the d% (d100)?
Quasqueton
Quasqueton
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
Yep, never heard of a d90 until I saw it in the book. Guess I'm a Dummy.
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
Olgar Shiverstone said:
In the 25+ years I've gamed, I've yet to run across players or DMs that spend that kind of money on each other. To drag out the tired Seinfeld-ism, who are these people? I've considered myself lucky if all my players actually had a copy of the rules of the game we were playing.
wingsandsword
Legend
We aren't the target market here. We not only are veteran D&D players, we know enough to look at 3rd party materials, regularly discuss the game online with fellow players, and many of us go to gaming conventions or even write our own materials. We're a little beyond "dummies". This book is pretty clearly for somebody who has heard of D&D, is vaguely interested in what it actually is, but is too daunted by normal channels to get into the game.
If somebody who knows only the vaguest things about D&D (It's a game with elves and wizards and stuff, and it's kinda like Lord of the Rings), and they walk into the RPG section of their local chain bookstore, they're not going to know what to grab first. Hmm, "Basic Game", sounds like a place to start, but "D&D Miniatures Starter Set" also sounds like something to start with, or maybe "Player's Handbook" since I want to be a Player, or "Epic Level Handbook" because I'd like to play something epic like LotR.
". . .For Dummies" is a trusted brand for demystifying the obscure, which D&D can be to an outsider. The "Dummies" books are also shelved separately from gaming books, which means people who might never look at a D&D book will see this book and have a chance to pick it up and consider the hobby. Some people might pick it up out of curiosity, and find that they had big misunderstandings about what the game is and a few might even take up the hobby.
If the book explains the basics of the playing the game, what books they need to buy first, and how to enter the Gamer subculture, then it works.
As for not putting any d20 products or ENWorld on their resources list, realistically that would never happen. Explaining the d20 market and license to a total newbie is another layer of complexity that could be avoided in an introductory book, and if they were going to list a web site it would be http://www.wizards.com. WotC is in it for the money, they aren't going to direct anybody to anything they aren't going to directly make money off of.
If somebody who knows only the vaguest things about D&D (It's a game with elves and wizards and stuff, and it's kinda like Lord of the Rings), and they walk into the RPG section of their local chain bookstore, they're not going to know what to grab first. Hmm, "Basic Game", sounds like a place to start, but "D&D Miniatures Starter Set" also sounds like something to start with, or maybe "Player's Handbook" since I want to be a Player, or "Epic Level Handbook" because I'd like to play something epic like LotR.
". . .For Dummies" is a trusted brand for demystifying the obscure, which D&D can be to an outsider. The "Dummies" books are also shelved separately from gaming books, which means people who might never look at a D&D book will see this book and have a chance to pick it up and consider the hobby. Some people might pick it up out of curiosity, and find that they had big misunderstandings about what the game is and a few might even take up the hobby.
If the book explains the basics of the playing the game, what books they need to buy first, and how to enter the Gamer subculture, then it works.
As for not putting any d20 products or ENWorld on their resources list, realistically that would never happen. Explaining the d20 market and license to a total newbie is another layer of complexity that could be avoided in an introductory book, and if they were going to list a web site it would be http://www.wizards.com. WotC is in it for the money, they aren't going to direct anybody to anything they aren't going to directly make money off of.
joeandsteve
First Post
Nope, don't have it. I knew you all wanted to know that.
Quasqueton said:
No you just wouldn't let me post before asking again.
As far as I know this is an invention of the Basic DnD game. A friend opened up his own game store, http://www.blackdiamondgames.com/ and one of the things we do is occasionally try a new product. One night we tried the Basic game. One of the handouts has a picture just like the one in that pdf preview and the "percentile d10" is called a d90. (I think we have our first true hint at what 4th edition will have).
Tharen the Damned
First Post
Henry said:At this point, I'm a little short on cash, so all that's left for donation are a little toe, and some fingernail clippings.
I happen to know a Pawnbroker. Mr. D. Vell he loans Cash without you having to pay it back!
All you have to do is sign some contract (written on starnge vellum with red ink). There are a lot of footnotes, but Mr. Vell said that those are just the standard conditions and that one should not worry about it and just sign the contract.
I did it and got 20 Bucks for free!
Ha, I outsmarted the old Pawnbroker with those strange two bumps on his forehead.
Go ahead and sign a contract fast!
Keeper of Secrets
First Post
It looks like kind of a cute book, actually. The local gaming store had it last week and I almost picked it up but figured I could wait.
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