Book Description
An Eclectic Collection of Fiction That Inspired Film
Memento, All About Eve, Rear Window, Rashomon, and 2001: A Space Odyssey are all well-known and much-loved movies, but what is perhaps a lesser-known fact is that all of them began their lives as short stories. Adaptations gathers together 35 pieces that have been the basis for films, many from giants of American literature (Hemingway, Fitzgerald) and many that have not been in print for decades (the stories that inspired Bringing Up Baby, Meet John Doe, and All About Eve).
Categorized by genre, and featuring movies by master directors such as Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Frank Capra, and John Ford, as well as relative newcomers such as Chris Eyre and Christopher Nolan, Adaptations offers insight into the process of turning a short story into a screenplay, one that, when successful, doesn’t take drastic liberties with the text upon which it is based, but doesn’t mirror its source material too closely either. The stories and movies featured in Adaptations include:
•Philip K. Dick’s “The Minority Report,” which became the 2002 blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise
•“The Harvey Pekar Name Story” by reclusive graphic artist Harvey Pekar, whose life was the inspiration for American Splendor, winner of the 2003 Sundance Grand Jury Prize
•Hagar Wilde’s “Bringing Up Baby,” the basis of the classic film Bringing Up Baby, anthologized here for the first time ever
•“The Swimmer” by John Cheever, an example of a highly regarded story that many feared might prove unadaptable
•The predecessor to the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Story, “Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid” by Jean Shepherd
Whether you’re a fiction reader or a film buff, Adaptations is your behind-the-scenes look at the sometimes difficult, sometimes brilliantly successful process from the printed page to the big screen.
Customer Reviews:
How the story becomes a film.......2007-05-06
Interesting in that it allows film lovers to see what preceded the screenplay and the subsequent film.
Any film buff will enjoy this book.
Learn About the Connection Between Short Stories and Movies.......2006-12-16
Have you ever waited with great anticipation for the arrival of a movie where you love the book? Then you watch the movie and are disappointed because it wasn't anything like the book. Movies and Books are connected through story. The story has to be good in each form for it to achieve the desired result.
Stephanie Harrison has written a fascinating look at the connection between 35 short stories and the great films which resulted. This book includes the short stories and insight into how the story was adapted into a movie. The key message which I received is that whether it is a short story or a movie, the foundation of storytelling has to be excellent to achieve the desired result.
If you love movies and short stories or just want to learn about the skill of adaptation, I highly recommend this book.
Adaptatons: From Short Story to Big Screen.......2006-04-18
This is a wonderul collection of stories that have been adapted for film. The book provides revealing commentary from screenwriters and directors and fascinating tidbits of unknown filmography. It is a wonderful find for screenwriters and short story writers and film lovers. Stephanie Harrison writes insightful introductions to each genre. A real treasure.
Learn how short stories are turned into movies.........2005-04-29
I just came across this at my local bookstore. Wow! I had no idea that so many famous movies were adapted from short stories. A Face in the Crowd is one of my favorite films, but I never knew it was a short story first. Also, I'm a fan of Harvey Pekar's, so I was particularly happy to see that his graphic story, "The Harvey Pekar Name Story" was included (the film is American Splendor). The introductions to each section are interesting and contain a lot of information I was unacquainted with. Who knew that F. Scott Fitzgerald once tried his hand at adapting his classic story "Babylon Revisited" as a vehicle for Shirley Temple? Good reading for movie fans and people who enjoy short stories.
Book Description
Everything from the inception and critical thrashing to the complex development of the genre is included in this definitive guide to Progressive Rock music.
Customer Reviews:
"Lucky" to have this.......2005-09-10
Jerry Lucky has compiled a history of progressive music- quite a monumental task. I think this book is refreshing and an interesting read. It might not be complete but it is a pretty good representation of all that's prog. I especially like the A-Z listing of progressive bands. I have discovered a number of bands through this terrific section. I have one minor complaint but it really irks me. Jerry forgot one of the most influential prog metal bands Fates Warning and he also forgot the underrated Hoax. Oh well, still worth it for prog fans!!!
The Value Of The Book.......2002-05-12
Here is the value I see on this book:
1) Excellent introduction to progressive rock: A novice will be trapped by the reading, will get a quick undestanding of what defines progressive rock, and will be strongly motivated to start listening and researching.
2) Excellent reference: the book contains a very complete reference that serves as a start point to search for new music and information.
3) A fantastic and pleasant reading for the veterans.
Some people say that the critic is simplistic, but J.L. merely compiled information here from different sources and put them together in a nice reading. The book does not focus on music critic.
If you are looking for extensive critic, you should look for the specific artist you are interested on in more detailed sources like their official web site, biography books, magazines, review websites, etc.
Some people say the reference is too basic. However I think it is very complete for the purpose of simply citing many bands which are often ignored even in the best sources, and placing them in certain sub-genre. Longer reviews would make the reading hard, the book too extense and they wouldn't add much value.
The book does have a few historical errors and it's a pity that they haven't being corrected for the second edition.
Not very useful, not very informative.......2001-07-30
I have to agree with the negative reviewer who said words to the effect of, 'I hate to give a negative review to a book about prog but I have to.' Having read considerable progressive rock internet information and reviews for the last 6 months, and almost exhausted that source (except for the hard-to-read Gibraltar Encyclopedia) I picked up the book looking for a little more in-depth info on history and bands, but there was little of either. Before buying this book you should really be aware that the history is very brief, simplistic, and repetitive, and is really informative only to a complete novice in prog or even rock history. Some of the statements, such as that "Days of Future Passed" is the first progressive album, are quite silly. Because of the layout of the pages in this section, for some unfathomable reason only about two-thirds of each page contain text, the rest highlight names, thus reducing drastically the information content. The band reviews at the end are equally laughable since they consist of at most two or three sentences, most of which believe it or not are a sentence of the nature, "sounds like Genesis." In fact those three words are repeated probably four times per page in the last 50 pp of the book!! Without a downloadable mp3 site like audiogalaxy it would be absolutely hopeless to weed through the hundreds of entries about prog bands in the reviews section since the music is described so unimaginatively and without any kind of indication of the overall quality or status of a given band. God help the unfortunate individual who buys a CD based on Jerry Lucky's [...]reviews! Anyhow, there being so few books about prog, it's really disappointing to say this one is so awful, but it is. Don't buy!
More fun than useful - dubious assumptions abound.......2001-07-17
Jerry Lucky's approach to this complex subject is to give his opinion without backing it with facts, examples, or offering counterpoints. Some of his assertions are downright wrong and embarrasing, i.e. that contrived, pretentious, and self-indulgent are good things to be. Doesn't Lucky own a dictionary? Or does he choose it ignore it? A reader won't get any good information from this book. Compared to other writers on the subject, this fan's outporing is sophomoric, inessential, and unenlightening.
I'm sorry to give a bad review to one of the few books on Prog, but this one is at the bottom of the heap. Read Stump, Macan, or even Martin for an intelligent assesment of the genre and its meanings.
A waste of space-the Progressive Rock Files.......2001-06-17
This book was a complete joke. I was excited to see info on 1,400 bands when I ordered it and then I saw that they were spoken of in about 2 sentences each! I mean, c'mon! I know there are space limitations, but it's such a hatchet job. Years are wrong, some bands have no years listed for their albums (yeah, I know he states that prior to this section, but if you have no info-don't put the album or band in!). And, to list only 3 albums from a band as legendary as Uriah Heep is a disgrace! as for the rest of the book, what prog fan wouldn't know what's in it? Lucky's "history" of prog-rock is a joke (only a total novice would find it useful and they wouldn't be reading it anyway) and so is this book. What a waste of my money and time. Also, he mocks Asia which is just what a pretentious [person] would do. Hey ... they didn't want to do 20-minute epics anymore-why do you think they were one of the biggest bands in the world? Beacuse they wanted to write SONGS! And, of all Yes albums to put covers of he chooses "The Yes Album" and "Open Your Eyes"? Great choice,pal.
Book Description
Revised and updated with new information from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, including game statistics, characters, creatures, and vehicles.
Containing all the rules needed to play the popular Star Wars Roleplaying Game, this rulebook has been updated and expanded to include changes based on customer feedback and all-new Star Wars: Attack of the Clones material. The book spans all Star Wars eras, including The Rise of the Empire era, The Rebellion era, and The New Jedi Order era, with material that has never been compiled into a single source.
Added features of the revised rulebook include rules for playing droid characters, a new starship combat system, and expanded creature design rules. New species, skills, feats, character classes, prestige classes, and equipment will be extremely well received by the players and fans who have asked for them.
The revised rulebook, which features all-new cover art and interior design, is 100% compatible with previous Star Wars Roleplaying Game products.
Customer Reviews:
D20 IN SPACE.......2007-04-30
I recently came to d20 from AD&D (which I think is HACKMASTER now) and I was often confused when trying to play d20 D&D. I think the old and new ways of resolving saves and ability and skill checks were warring in my mind. I don't know if STAR WARS RPG does a better job of explaining the core rules or if it was just a fresh perspective, but I understand the system much better now. Everything is very clearly spelled out so that it is easy to follow.
STAR WARS RPG is a great adaptation of the STAR WARS universe to d20 roleplaying. It captures the epic combats, both individuals and spaceships. It covers play in the three STAR WARS eras, the Old Republic, the Empire, and the New Republic. All of the well-known species are there, available for play, and player classes that cover scouts, scoundrels, nobles, and jedi of multiple stripes. There are rules governing lightsaber creation, starfighter combat, and interstellar travel. I particularly appreciated that all the rules for play are included, so you do NOT need to buy the D&D PHB separately. There's only one experience table for all classes (a big simplification in my mind). I also really like the replacement of hit points with wound and vitality points. Vitality is like D&D hit points, increasing with level, and cover blows in regular combat. Wound points are determined by your Con. score and remain constant and represent real damage.
I think there are some big issues with the system, though. It isn't clear why anyone would want to play a non-jedi character. The jedi have no real disadvantages and so many overwhelming advantages that the only purpose to non-jedi PCs is to add flavor to a game. As others have noted, the vehicle rules are pretty clunky. Hint: if you need a whole chapter to describe rules for something fast-paced like a chase scene or space combat, a rules-summary at the end is in order. All in all, it's a good game and an interesting alternative to d20 FUTURE.
Star Wars Roleplaying Game.....isn't this just D&D?.......2007-04-01
So, When the revised book came out for Star Wars roleplaying I was excited. I thought the first release by wizards of the coast was way to much like D&D. Everything was about the same other then the 3-D Space combat. I was very disapointed when the second one released prior to the Revenge of the Sith, leaving not thought out plot holes regarding the books. Other then that what makes Star Wars so interesting is not the feats, skill, or items but the fact that 'you' can play a Jed i Knight. I believe this is the only thing going for this game and the fact that it is a copy of Dungeons and Dragons. So if you like 3.5 and love Star Wars this game is great but you will find it may limit your game play and I would rather play D&D which invites more world building rather then a fully established universe and plot line. I mean come on if Luke and his gang are already saving the galaxy, what do your characters have to do, Shot some low level stormtroopers and get some data?
Insect Bites.......2006-07-23
Overall, Star Wars RPG is a good system. Its very easy to learn if you've played D20 Modern especially. I wouldn't say that there are any big problems with the game system, but there are certainly a lot of minor problems that would be very confusing/frustrating to someone without a rules lawyer who understands game balancing. Its a fun game for roleplaying, but I'm not sure Wizards had any really competant game-balancing rules lawyers actually look over the system, or maybe they didn't play test it enough. Either way, the system has a number of very minor game unbalancing things that spring up in game from time to time that require a comptetant GM to resolve. Nothing especially terrible, and overall I enjoy the system as do many of the people I play with. So I would recommend the system to any Star Wars and roleplaying enthusiasts (in that order).
The book itself is well-laid out, I can find the info I need with relative ease.
Excellent Book.......2006-02-17
If your thinking of buying this, then do. This book has provided many hours of fun just reading it, let alone playing star wars rpg.
Still a disappointment........2006-02-12
The 2002 version of the Star Wars core rulebook is an improvement over the original. It upgrades some underpowered character classes, adds some breadth, and makes much-needed improvements to the very abstract and annoying vehicle operation system used in the 1999 rulebook. Unfortunately, the central, crippling problem with the 1999 version remains: the d20 system just isn't well-suited to Star Wars storytelling. Playing this game is nothing like playing out a Star Wars story, and a lot like playing Dungeons and Dragons in space.
Star Wars is fast-moving, fluid, and dynamic, and not much concerned with power balance. A kid fresh off the moisture farm can fight his way past elite enemy troops to save the princess, and one Sith Lord can arrange the downfall of the entire Jedi order. Audacity and heroic (or villainous) attitudes matter more than experience and number-crunching. Major characters rarely die, and then only if there's a strong dramatic reason for it. Plotlines are loose and free-form. A game based on Star Wars should reflect that.
By contrast, d20 is very cut-and-dried, and very regulated, and much too lethal. Concepts like "level", "class", and "hit points" are fundamental to the d20 system, but are not very applicable to the Star Wars universe. The system has a lot going for it, and it's great for Dungeons and Dragons, but here it's a case of trying to stuff a square peg into a round hole.
I prefer the West End Games "d6" version released in the late 1980s. It has its flaws - it doesn't deal with very powerful characters as well as it might, and character creation could use some tuning (particularly for Force-sensitive PCs) - but it captures the feel of Star Wars. A revision of that rule system, or a completely new system incorporating the best features of both d6 and d20, would have been a much better choice than using the d20 system as a "one-size-fits-all" set of mechanics.
However, it seems unlikely that Wizards of the Coast will forsake their flagship d20 system for something as high-profile as Star Wars. So I suggest that if you really want to get into gaming in the Star Wars universe, look for a used copy of the West End Games version.
Book Description
The graveyard is cold and still. Bright moonlight deepens the shadows. The silence is disturbed by a throaty moan. Breaking through the soft, recently packed earth, a claw extends, sharp and grasping. A sickly sweet stench rises with the corpse. Desperate hunger is etched on it s cadaverous face - a hunger for your blood! Now you can join the Slayer's world! Inside these lustrous covers, you will find: an introduction to roleplaying and the Buffyverse; a role-playing guide to all seven season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; detailed character creation (including pre-constructed Heroes and White Hats for your quick-play pleasure); role-playing specifics for the entire Original Cast; from Buffy to Dawn, including their wild and wacky changes; the Buffy Unisystem; a guide to Buffyspeak to add sparkle to your dialogue; and much, much more!
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Fan-Service RPG, But Lacks Mass Appeal.......2006-04-20
Thanks to a fanatically loyal audience and the supernatural nature of the source material, the Buffy franchise has been squeezed and molded into all kinds of related products and merchandise. Toys, video games, soundtracks... you name it, Buffy's face is probably on it. While I'm not normally a fan of relentless franchise-milking, the world o' Buffy lends itself quite well to the table-top RPG format. Thankfully, the developers didn't drop the ball, and they've managed to create an interesting game system that captures much of the television show's charms, from the vampire face-kicking to the offbeat humor. The game lacks a lot of the 'hard numbers' stuff that many hardcore types prefer, and I doubt it will have much pull for anyone that isn't a devotee of the show. But for Buffy fans and anyone hunting for a quirky RPG that isn't a typical dice-fest, this would be a fine choice.
What I liked best about the Buffy RPG is how it shines a spotlight on my favorite character type: the average Joe/Jane. While many will be keen on role-playing as a Slayer, said Slayer will have a supporting team (just like Buffy) that helps her fight the forces of darkness. With that in mind, you can be a Xander-type who has no special powers and astonishingly mediocre fighting prowess, yet you can still contribute in your own way. The game uses a cute gimmick called Drama Points which allow characters to pull off feats beyond their normal capabilities. There's a special satisfaction in having your loyal little sidekick survive (and even thrive) in near-death situations, as opposed to being a monstrous sword-waving barbarian that kicks down doors and beheads every beast in sight without breaking a sweat. You can be a supporting character with special powers, of course, like a witch or a Watcher. You don't even have to have a Slayer, if you don't feel like it. But the game works best if you emulate the Scooby Gang model, and most gaming groups probably will. A good Director (the person running the game) will create situations where the non-Slayers can use their unique talents or quirks to solve dilemmas that supernatural strength alone can't handle. (Don't leave the Slayer hanging, though... toss in a demon or two that needs a good beating.) Needless to say, so-called munchkins who gauge their RPG enjoyment on how 'powerful' their guy is will not be overly fond of the game, unless they always get to be the Slayer.
Another of the game's strengths is the character creation method, with the excellent Quality/Drawback system. Qualities are positive traits or powers that you 'buy' with points, and Drawbacks are negative traits that you take on to give yourself more points to buy Qualities or statistic points with. Qualities/Drawbacks run the gamut, from physical prowess to glaring personality defects. Some of these are very well thought-out; for example, the Honor trait is considered a Drawback, because it can hamstring your character in certain situations. (For instance, Buffy would never take a pile of money if it came from a nefarious source, even though she'd theoretically use the money towards noble ends.) What makes this system so appealing is that it really helps the players define their characters right off the bat. Many role-players (especially rookies) have a lot of trouble coming up with interesting personalities for their new creations, and end up being 'some fighter guy.' The Quality/Drawback system will alleviate a lot of this, as players will find all kinds of interesting quirks to choose from, and will inevitably take on some entertaining Drawbacks to pay for a Quality they really want. Some players might even take on some Drawbacks for fun (lechery or greed, for example), which will make the game more enjoyable for everybody. Good stuff.
If the game has a weakness, it lies in the somewhat vague presentation of the overall rules. Many sections of the gameplay dynamics seem to boil down to 'the Director's discretion,' which adds a lot of flexibility, but puts a lot of weight on the Director to come up with reasonable rules decisions on the fly. Characters can have a lot of basic skills like driving or computer use, but by the end of that section, the manual basically shrugs and throws in a 'wild card' category that includes anything and everything. And adjucating Drama Points can be quite tricky. If these are supposed to create minor miracles, what are the limitations? The book does a pretty good job of outlining the power of the Drama Point, but players will inevitably come up with new possible uses that seem perfectly reasonable. Unless you want the game to come to a screeching halt during a major combat, the Director will need to have to make a serious yes-or-no decision pretty quickly. A Dungeon Master in Dungeons and Dragons has dozens of tables, charts, and piles of numbers which answer almost any question that arises with simple, hard data. "You're a Level 8 wizard suffering from a poisonous snake bite? Here's the number you need to roll to survive." A Buffy game Director doesn't have the same luxury. A good mantra is "it's just a game. Do whatever makes things more fun, as long as reasonable game balance is preserved." Even with that in mind, the Director should be someone with considerable RPG-running experience.
The overall presentation of the book is excellent. The production values are high, tons of memorable Buffy quotes are sprinkled throughout, and you get character sheets for every major character from the show's seven-year run. Buffy fans will enjoy thumbing through the book even if they never intend to play the game. Of course, many chapters (monster types, spells, etc.) seem underfed... so the developers can sell you supplement books, of course. This is par for the course in table-top gaming and I'm not going to whine about it, but if you plan on getting serious about the game, it will involve a fair amount of money.
When all is said and done, this is an easy product to rate. If you and your friends really enjoy the Buffyverse and role-playing, this is an easy thumbs-up. If you prefer combat-intensive games with a lot of dice-rolling and 37 kinds of swords, you'll probably be underwhelmed. Having a group of easy-going, creative people would help a lot as well. Nice work from C.J. Carella and company.
Almost everything..........2006-01-19
This review is meant for a specific audience. That is, people who have played the BtVS RPG before or own the original BtVS core book. I will focus on the changes that have been made.
The primary changes are to the rules and the character templates. This isn't BtVS 2.0, more like 1.5.
I like all of the rule changes (the majority are to character creation. Ie, changing the cost of qualities and attributes so that PCs advance a little more reasonably. Some are combat changes such as clearer mass combat rules).
The other major difference is all the templates (except Riley, which is done away with in favor of a Riley quick sheet) are completely redone. Instead of giving the stats of the main cast at the end of Season 5 (or at the end of their last season as with Cordelia and Angel), they give the stats of each character at the beggining of Season 1. Then each character gets a page or so to themselves that gives their seasonal adjustements (and episode by episode adjustments)all the way through Season 7 (even people who just guest star). Some of the quick sheets on villains also have seasonal adjustments (see Johnathon).
Overall, it includes everything I wanted excpet one thing. The Angel RPG core book contains rules on how to create your own qualities. Other than a real brief paragraph that just scratches the surface of quality creation, the core revised misses where Angel hits. This is a HUGE dissapointment for game masters that do not own the angel core book, making this book 4 rather than 5 stars.
I love this game!.......2006-01-07
Buffy: Alright, I get it. You're evil. Do we have to chat about it all day?
-3.10, Amends
The book opens with a double introduction to the concept of role-playing games and the show. This includes a general synopsis of the first five seasons of the show, stopping there because the sixth season was currently underway at the time of writing. This section starts in using short quotes from the show as part of section headers and the like that is used through out the book to help provide plenty of Slayer feel to the text. Given that quotes are a means of gaining experience in this game, it could also be considered game play training. The second chapter turns to the main bulk of player concerns with the character creation system. The character creation uses a point system with separate base points dependent on character type for attributes, qualities, and skill points. Character type also defines base drama points, which can be spent in play for bonuses, and set limits on how many points worth of optional drawbacks that can be used to earn points for the other elements. There are six basic, open-ended stats with a nominal maximum of five for normal humans, forty-nine qualities and drawbacks, and eighteen relatively broad skills with one wildcard for potentially very specialized training not covered by the defined skills. The attributes are split between three physical and three mental statistics, which is fairly normal. The qualities and drawbacks, which are listed together, range from acute senses (a good thing) to zealot (a bad thing). There are even some package qualities like Slayer and vampire that give both bonuses and disadvantages. All of these are worth varying points, sometimes based on the severity of the condition, specific variants, relative inherent potency, or as levels of power. The skills are generally broad and loose, making for ease of play and reflective of the natural fluidity of skills portrayed by many television characters as is only fitting. They also have entertaining names like Gun Fu and Getting Medieval, although some have more basic names like Driving and Knowledge. In addition to the creation system, there are two sub-sections to the chapter, the first providing twelve basic character types completely detailed and the second twelve of the cast members as of the end of the fifth season or their last appearance. These last are also given guidelines for modifying to reflect their potency in earlier seasons.
Chapter three and four rounds out game play for players, providing the rules, weapons lists, and the basics of magic. There are some game master elements included as well, such as the introduction to the Quick Sheet format for foes and non-player characters. The basic Unisystem conflict management uses a d10 plus a relevant attribute and a relative skill for all checks against a target number of nine or an opposing target's relative defense value. For checks not involving a particular skill, such as lifting a body, sometimes double the attribute is applied the specifics given in this chapter. The greater the total of the roll and relevant character bonuses over nine the more success levels one has to really impress (or damage) the other characters. Combat is kept simple with basically two rolls per round, one for attacks and one for defense with modifiers for dealing with multiples in either case. There is some complication of different attack combos or weapon uses having different modifiers, but these are recorded during the character creation stage to keep combat fast. Rules for using drama points for heroic feats or reducing damage and gaining more to replace those used are given, as well as some for giving and using experience points to improve characters as they survive whatever adventures befall them. The magic system is similar to the combat system in that there is a fair bit of set up to create a spell, but it is a fairly versatile system with guidelines for crafting spells in any shape or form to produce a resulting power level. A spell caster must roll enough success levels to match a spells power level or things go awry. It is a fairly basic system, but it gives a feel for the magic seen from the show, which is the aim. Those who want greater detail can buy the supplement or use a magic system from another Unisystem game.
The remaining four chapters turn to game master details. It starts with a review of sites, organizations, and people from Sunnydale, the setting of the show. The people included cover three generic character types, students and cops, and several supporting characters from series. The next chapter provides a broader focus of the game, introducing vampires, demons, shape shifters, robots, and assorted undead. Some general rules for creating different beasts and using them in general are discussed. There is little detail on creating monsters systematically, but enough general rules are given to get a game master started until a proper supplement on beasts is printed. This chapter includes several samples of each group of villains and the six of the more prominent villains from the first five seasons. Again, it is not entirely thorough, but enough to get started. All of the characters listed in these two chapters use the Quick Sheet, a simplified description for secondary characters that covers basic game needs without as much work. The main shift here is that the extensive combinations of attributes and skills for various contests are reduced to three relevant statistics. The seventh chapter gives general game running suggests, emphasizing the episodic nature and style of play that should be run for a Buffy game. There is some excellent advice here for any game master using any game here. The last chapter provides a complete sample adventure. An appendix provides a little more flavor with some guides to speaking like characters from the show, some conversion guides to other Unisystem games, helpful tables and charts, and a glossary of show terms.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Core Rulebook provides everything a starting playgroup needs to play this game. There is plenty of source material from the show to aid in a game that truly captures the slightly gritty fun with a gaming system that is fast and easy to use for the fast pace of television combat. While the magic spells and bestiary are quite limited for a complete game, this book contains enough to get started and enough explanation to allow the more creative individuals to make their own. With numerous sourcebooks already released, what need there might be for more is pretty well covered. The editing and layout are good, using clear fonts, headers, and full color to the best effect and a light narrative tone similar to the style of the show. The use of different color page edges in each chapter is also a nice touch in speeding reference searches. The majority of artwork is just images of characters, locations, and monsters from the television show. There are some illustrations of archetype characters in the character creation section and a few of the generic character types, also in color format. If there is a downside to this product, it might be that it is a little more expensive than competing products and there are occasional publishing errors. The sample reviewed had the last two pages glued into a folded back cover page. Still, given all the positive features, this is still a book to stake out on some evening. Stormy weather is optional.
Revised Buffy.......2005-09-07
I'm extremely excited about this book after talking to the Eden Studios guys at Gen Con about it. I proudly own the orginal run thru of the Core Book. I'm buying the Revisied book out of share fandom. Because its going to have the updated Charecter sheets for the main cast plus other updates thats happen to the storyline up thru Season 7. A nice way to give the book itself some closure. Cause it really didn't happen with the others.
Plus the real excitement for this book is, it brings along the expansion I and ever other die hard Buffy RPG fan have been waiting for, for a year!
~Sonja~
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Why Viewers Watch: A Reappraisal of Television's Effects
Jib Fowles
Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0803940769 |
Book Description
Television corrupts our children, induces us to spend needlessly, and stimulates hostility and violence. Or does it? Jib Fowles sees television as a "grandly therapeutic force," that television is indeed good for you. He examines why nearly every American regularly watches television and why viewing is beneficial. Updated and jargon-free, Why Viewers Watch describes the overall effect of programming on the population. What do viewers get from television? What does it do for them? Why do academics negatively judge television? Using recent research reports, overlooked past studies, and fresh survey data to substantiate this positive role, Fowles first reviews the history of television and programming. After discussing what people expect from television, he explores how different types of programs satisfy different needs. Fowles also debunks many of the myths propagated by media scholars and "television prigs." With an easy-to-read style that is both entertaining and informative, Why Viewers Watch suits both the scholar and the student, the specialist and nonspecialist alike. As such, it is the perfect companion volume for courses in communication, journalism, sociology, and psychology. "The author does present another side to the complex effects debate--a side of which we should all be aware." --Et cetera from the First Edition: "An interesting--and challenging--book about television. So good it is surprising it has not received more attention. . . . There aren't many really good books about television, and [this] is one of the best." --Peter Farrell, The Sunday Oregonian "I would recommend this book to interested television viewers, media scholars, and professionals. Fowles' arguments are thought-provoking and sometimes compelling. The book is very readable and easily accessible to lower-division students. For those of us who spent our childhoods glued to the screen and believe we still turned out all right, this book will help alleviate our nagging guilt when we watch television. The book should help scholars reexamine our views on the impact of television's content and our suggested changes. Media professionals should find the book a testament to the positive aspects of their medium." --The Southern Speech Communication Journal
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