D&D for Dummies - any good??

[Mercule]

Hell, it doesn't even have to be plugged in. It just has to look like a camera.

There is at least one company that sells fake cameras that look like the real thing. The thinking is pretty much the same. By my understanding, they do gangbusters business.

 

[HellHound]

I give it a big "Meh".

I'm an old timer, like many here, but unlike many, I have little patience for introductory material, or books that try to teach you how to do something you already do. For example, one of the 'best' books for CyberPunk 2020 according to many is "Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads" which is a book of advice on running a CyberPunk game. It's full of supposedly excellent advice, tips and ideas. I found the whole thing painful to read and felt like it was condescending, patronizing or just plain talking down to me half the time (no offense to the authors, whom I know). I can't stand it. AT ALL. And this book goes through and does it again... all the little tips you need to decide what class to play, and how to play it (as long as you are sticking to the primary core classes). What the hot spells are, the cool monsters, and so on.

A great big MEH.

With some almost funny cartoons.

 

[thalmin]

Wish I could see the book, but it sounds like it does what it says. It is for those that want to learn about the game. For those that have played the game for quite a while, it is at best a curiosity, maybe something to give to friends/family so they might understand better what we play. It's not written for D&D players. It's written for, wait for it, D&D DUMMIES. Just like all the other Dummies books out there, it is for people that (1) know little or nothing about a subject; and (2) would like to learn more.
I don't expect to learn anything new about the game, but I do hope to learn maybe a better way to explain the game to others.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

It'll be a long commute to Hotlanta, but luckily for you we only play about once a month!

Too far for me! I only make one trip to Hotlanta every YEAR. And that's for Dragoncon.... So unless you guys run a game there....

 

[Darth K'Trava]

So, if you have a B. Dalton near you, make sure to buy a book or two from there once in a while. We REALLY need it...lol.

If it wasn't 45-bloody-minutes from my house....

Waldens, Barnes and Noble, and Borders are closer.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

In our area the books most likely to be stolen, at least ten years ago, were RPGs, H.P.Lovecraft hardcovers, and the Bible.

The Auld Grump

I guess if you're gonna steal the Bible, then you're sorely in need of it....

 

[Greylock]

The town I live in, being a largish Southern city on the mighty Mississippi, has a decent supply of book stores and a one remaining very good FLGS. Being as I am currently on disability all I do is troll bookstores and antique shops day in and day out. New books, old books, current WotC, best of the newest print d20. I see it all given enough time and gasoline.

Haven't found this new Dummies book anywhere though, and I've looked for it. I'm thinking the Dummies release sched/dates aren't as important to them as to say, a movie co. or rock band...

 

[thalmin]

This is a snip from my Wizards of the Coast weekly email update 5/2/05

D&D for Dummies still MIA-
This book still hasn't arrived in our warehouse, which makes it rather
impossible for us to ship it out to those who preordered it. It should
be in any day now, and we will fill & ship all the preorders we had for
it ASAP. We apologize for this mess, but unfortunately things like this
can happen when working with another manufacturer.

Last week, they had this message:

D&D for Dummies:
This title's release has been delay a little. It should be in our
warehouse sometime this week to ship out to those of you who preordered
it. Due to it's delay, it will not have a specific on-sale date, so you
may sell this one title as soon as you receive it. We appreciate your
patience with this book, as it's one of the first times we've really
been able to offer a book like this to the core.

We seem to be at the mercy of the shipping industry, and also Wiley Publishing, Inc., the publishers of the Dummies series.

 

[diaglo]

This is a snip from my Wizards of the Coast weekly email update 5/2/05



Last week, they had this message:



We seem to be at the mercy of the shipping industry, and also Wiley Publishing, Inc., the publishers of the Dummies series.

i got my 6 copies last week before i left for my trip.

not exactly what i was hoping for. but it was a good stab.

the top tens are a bit... meh...

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Got mine yesterday. But as I was recovering from surgery earlier in the day, I didn't read much of it. It looks fairly well done, from what I've seen so far.