Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs, Volume 1
Product Description
Open Game Table, The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs aims to bridge the gap between the RPG blogging community and the broader table-top gaming fan base by showcasing the best talent in the RPG blogosphere. Within these pages are nearly fifty blog posts from dozens of top-quality RPG blogs chosen by the fans who read them. An expert panel of RPG bloggers, editors, and game designers judged the hundreds of blog posts that were nominated to the anthology, but only… More >>
Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs, Volume 1
Categories: Books | 
Tags: Anthology, Blogs, Game, Open, Roleplaying, Table, Volume | 
6 Comments »
It’s about time RPG literature was collected in such a legible format–especially so much of it, and of such quality. I can’t wait for volume two!
Rating: 5 / 5
This book will quite simply give you the tools to get what you want out of an rpg experience whether as player or DM. It’s not that it provides a strict set of rules on how to run a great game- in fact some of the articles flat-out contradict each other. But all of the articles provide good explanations and analysis of their advice so that you can get a better understanding of what you want and how best to get it.
Reading the book will also help you identify your assumptions and help you talk to others about their assumptions, so that the whole group can communicate about expectations. And that’s just the first half of the book.
Then you get some interesting characters, weapons and classes that you can use as they are or as a spur to further creativity. And if all that isn’t enough there’s a great series of articles on the history of D&D that would be worth it all by themselves.
I do know that before I join another campaign I want the DM and all the other players to read this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
When I today crawled out of bed I found my copy of “Open Game Table – The Antholohy Of Roleplaying Game Blogs, Volume 1″ in my mailbox. And I have to admit it looks great in print! The faux tome cover has a certain steampunk feel to it, which I like very much and the quality of the printing is top notch.
The book you get for your hard-earned money is worth every cent, you can trust me with that! Jonathan Jacobs and his assistant editors and the members of the judging panel have chosen only the best of the best roleplaying blog posts.
The translation from the blog posts to the book format works surprisingly well and if you want to check out the original posts, you can just point your browser at the URLs provided. The appendix of the book also contains a list of all members of the RPG Bloggers Network, so you get a good starting point if you want to delve into the world of RPG blogs yourself.
The “Open Game Table” contains ten chapters and a foreword written by Wolfgang Baur (www.koboldquarterly.com):
Chapter 1: Play Style
Chapter 2: Game Play
Chapter 3: Characters & Players
Chapter 4: Monsters & NPCs
Chapter 5: Encounters, Settings & Location
Chapter 6: Adventure Design
Chapter 7: Campaign Setting Design
Chapter 8: Classes, Action & Equipment
Chapter 9: RPG History & Commentary
Chapter 10: The RPG Tool Box
Especially Chapter 8 is a bit heavy on D&D 4th Edition material, so if you don’t play the latest edition of D&D you wont get too much out of this chapter but the rest of the book contains great articles that can be used with every roleplaying game. But if you are using D&D 4th Edition you get a complete class, a warlock pact variant and rules for firearms and additional ranged weapons!
One of my favorite articles in the book is Berin Kinsman’s “Get Your Dice Off My Lawn!” on page 110. It’s a very humorous posts that I actually missed when it was posted at his blog. And there are a lot of other articles that I never read on the web although I try to keep up with things on the forum. So even if you read the RPG Bloggers Network member blogs from time to time, you should get this book.
If you want to spend $[...] on any RPG book this year, make sure it’s the OGT. You’ll never get so much RPG goodness in one book for less money! And don’t forget to spread the word and tell your friends, family, neighbours etc. about it. The more copies Jonathan can sell the higher the chances are, a Volume 2 will see the light of day! So, don’t hesitate and order your copy now!
I have also posted this review on my blo http://www.stargazersworld.com!
Rating: 5 / 5
In these tough economic times, it’s hard to know where to spend money. For those who’s favorite hobby is Role-playing games, it’s becomes increasingly hard to justify spending any money. More so, since this is a collection of entries that you could just find on the web. However, I think those that think this way are missing out on two important factors. This is something you can read without a computer and can hold in your hands. The other being that the hard work of find the best of the best has already been done for you. I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a better collection of Role-playing material. If you play RPG, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this excellent material today.
Rating: 5 / 5
The Open Game Table Anthology presents a broad selection of 2008 blog posts related to roleplaying games: collected, edited, and set into print with original artwork added. Jonathan Jacobs and his volunteer editors have done an excellent job. Even for a habitual reader of these blogs, having these articles in print form is invaluable.
There are nearly 50 posts here in all, their topics ranging from the very first roleplaying games — there’s an article on Braunstein, the wargame that developed, more or less accidentally, into an RPG — to the newest edition of D&D, released less than a year ago. The articles sift through history, mull game theory, provide helpful tips, offer new mechanics (including an entirely new homebrewed fourth-edition D&D character class) to plug into games, and even include how-tos on such topics as creating your own tokens (a cheaper substitute for the miniatures some games employ).
If you play or run roleplaying games, there’s something here for you. The material’s as good as anything you’d find in an official sourcebook, and most of it is applicable to a wide variety of games. This is an impressive first volume featuring some very talented authors.
I can’t wait to see volume 2.
Rating: 5 / 5