The Fantasy Role-Playing Gamer's Bible

Heroic Worlds is still the definitive book on role-playing games, but The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible cannot be faulted for a lack of depth or breadth. This is an excellent introduction to role-playing games. It is worth noting that this book was published in 1999, shortly before some very important developments that made the modern gaming scene what it is.

I have been role playing for a couple of years, but this book is really awesome. I first got to take a peek at it, because one of my gaming buddies had a copy that he let me borrow. I liked it so much that I bought a copy for myself. It's got a ton of information about gaming & tips on how to improve your games if you are already into gaming. I just love this book & would recommend it to novices & experienced gamers alike! It's truly a GREAT resource!

This is an engaging, humorous and fun filled ride through the history, play methodology and general philosophy of tabletop roleplaying games. The author's humor is tongue-in-cheek and non-intrusive, though he does try a little hard at times. Cute gamer jokes aside, this book provides a very easy to understand and enjoyable look at the RPG hobby. From several chapters on the history and background of the pasttime, to ideas on how to get and keep a gaming group together and even examples of typical play, this is a breezy read you won't regret.

Sean Fannon has done an admirable job in writing a book that easily introduces role-playing games (RPGs) to someone who knows nothing of that strange but wonderful sub-culture, but is curious to know more. Fannon's style is readable and entertaining, balancing tons of useful information with bits of whimsy (the editor's constant "berating" of Fannon in the footnotes for Fannon's endless use of puns is especially funny). You get the history of RPGs, the general outline of how they are played, how to find other gamers, etc. And as a special bonus, you get the art of John Kovalic (of DORK TOWER fame) throughout the book. The only quibbles I have are that the book is not well edited; paragraphs run together sometimes, and some of the "bordered" text runs outside the borders. Also, old gamers will find much of this info redundant, having lived through it all before. In all, though, this is an excellent book for new gamers.

This book is absolutely amazing. Being a chemist, I am not of the type for role playing games. However, after reading Sean's book, I soon fell in love with D+D and other RPGs. I have joined a saturday D+D club and I must tear myself away from the game table before 2 AM or I become absolutely obsessed. If you want to find out more about RPG's, this is definitely the book to read.