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Dungeons & Dragons Second (Revised) Edition Player's Handbook
by professorlamp
For those of who you are completely unaware of Dungeons and Dragons (also knows as D'n'D) , or pay attention to the unfortunate stigma that it has attached, allow me to clarify...
***What is Dungeons and Dragons***
Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game. A role-playing game is a game that takes place largely in ... your imagination with statistical data such as your health/spells/items etc... in front of you on a piece of paper. This piece of paper is known as a character sheet.
Play takes place with someone thinking of an adventure. These adventures usually take place in dungeons and focus on hero-centric quests such as saving some lost children, destroying evil etc...
Once a story has been devised, the players will create their characters, equip them with provisions and weapons and be on their way. There are a number of different characters to choose from and you can level up and gain even more skills and get better and better the more you play.
It is after the story and characters have been created that play properly begins. The person who wrote the story/adventure will narrate what is happening and the players will react to this narrative. Through the events that the narrator tells, you the players, get the chance to find treasure, fight monsters and be heroes.
***Why do I need this book***
In order to actually create the character, you need the book. The book contains all the important data about your characters attributes, what it can and and can't do and all the other useful goodies.
The book is also all you as the player need to play the game. This game is EXTREMELY cost effective, after you have bought the books needed (there are 3 in total) you will spend most of your time writing stories and drawing maps for your adventures. The whole game in this day and age would set you back £20-30 and would provide limitless entertainment. Unlike a PC or console game, these games have no end. As long as people keep writing adventures there will always be things to play.
I mentioned previously about 2 other books in order to play. There are 2 occupations in a game of D'n'D. Either the player, or the dungeon master. The player is just an adventurer who goes on quests. The dungeon master is the person that creates all of the adventures and stocks up dungeons with rewards and monsters to fight along the way. Being the dungeon master is much more hard work but is also the greatest and most powerful position in the game.
In order to play as a player all you will need is the players handbook.
In order to play as the dungeon master you will need 1) The dungeon masters guide. 2) The monstrous manual.
In order to play D'n'D, as a group you will need atleast these 3 books. Preferably each player would have their own players handbook, who likes sharing anyway?
"But I'm bored of playing the same adventure where we rescue the princess and find out she@s a witch"
If you do ever find yourself getting tired of the settings and monsters, there are many other books that arew compatible with D'n'D which largely expand the game. Below are a few of the additional D'n'D books you can purchase to add more to your game
The Complete Fighters Handbook - A large book that describes optional rules for all fighter characters aswell as rules for forging your own weapons and more.
The castle guide - This book focuses on the realistic design and architecutre of castles and will allow anyone to create a realistic castle with no obvious oddities. It also has rules for sieges and warfare.
Tome of magic - The tome of magic is a book entirely devoted to spells. This book contains over 100 pages of extra spells you can use should you find yourself getting tired of the spells you are currently using.
As you can see from the short run of books I have described, they are quite flavourful and most people tend to want to buy one or two of these books to expand the game although it is not necessary.
***Opinion & Conclusion***
In my opinion, this edition of Dungeons and Dragons (second edition) is the best. Some of the mechanics are slightly unconventional and cumbersome but they still prove much quicker than late editions. Once you have thoroughly learned the system, you won't even notice the occasionally stodgy mechanics.The mechanics are also a sacrifice as it is this edition that provides the most freedom of play compared to later editions. It is also an extremely quick game compared to later editions which rely much more on bookkeeping throughout the game...Where is the fun in that!?
If there is one role-playing book or system to recommend to anyone, it is this book and it is Dungeons and Dragons.
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Barbie Sticker Collection
by katyj10
Prepare yourself for a very girly review... the Barbie sticker collection. You might remember doing these sticker albums as a kid and spending all your pocket money, getting the same stickers as repeats then trying to trade them at school for ones you didn't have then getting upset when they went a bit wonky in the sticker book. No? Just ... me then!
Recent collection
This collection is dated 2010 and is licensed by Mattel Inc so are the real Barbie deal. The individual packs promise a mysterious selection of what I have found to be 4-5 stickers in every pack. The suggested retail value is 50p or .50 euros. I got a bit of a bargain with mine though which you will find out about later in the review.
Sticker book
I don't actually have a sticker book to stick mine in but you can buy these for around £3 from ebay so it's not too expensive to buy one. We use ours in more of a graffiti sticker bomb way so don't need the album.
Packaging
Each sticker pack is foil wrapped with an easy open nibble on the side to tear open the pack. I have never damaged any stickers opening the pack this way. Each individual sticker has a peel off back that is Barbie branded and so there is a fair bit of rubbish from each pack you open. Our packs are in a shop counter box which is shrinkwrapped but when you open it there is a barbie cut out that stands on the top of the pack. The front of each packet is identical featuring a modern looking barbie with a pink headband, bow and tiara (all at once!) and a slightly smug look on her face. The main colour is metallic pink of course!
In use
My daughter aged 17 months now loves her stickers and likes to adorn every surface with them. With the Barbie stickers they are a little awkward to peel but I have long nails so it's a doddle for me. Usually one in every pack is a cut out sticker that is easy to peel off the backing. We tend to keep a few packs of these in the bag for those moments where we are waiting or queing so we have a distraction from the other alternative, playing up and making a general scene.
Random pluck
For the purpose of my review I have opened a random pack to describe its contents:
1. Landscape Barbie head shot (guessing it is 1 of 2) of barbie featuring a glitter silhouette. Bling jewellery that also glitters
2. Cut out sticker of a trilby hat with Barbie on the band of the hat
3. Pink poodle handbag again, a cut out sticker
4. head and shoulders shot of Barbie with two pink hairslides in her hair.
5. Head and shoulders shot of a tiara wearing barbie with lots of flowing hair in front of a pink flocked background
Price
I picked a box of 50 packets (each containing approximately five stickers) for just a pound! Our local Poundworld shop was stocking these for a while so I stocked up on them as I figured my daughter would enjoy playing with them as eventually will her little sis.
My thoughts
I find it a bit strange that some packs have more in than others but it is a possibility that the packs I picked up were rejects from the process and so far all the stickers have been in good condition and no mis prints or off set stickers so no complaints on that front. For the price paid I think I got a bargain and the only disadvantage is perhaps how fiddly it is getting the backs off the stickers but I think this is the same with all trading stickers.
Final word
I think these are a great fun toy for girls and a box of 50 packets is approximately 250 stickers so would make a great present for a little girl when teamed up with the corresponding album. I must admit whilst I am not bothered about the dolls particularly, I love the Barbie brand and have enjoyed playing with the stickers too! It really brings out the child in me and is a great distraction even when out and about as each packet contains a nice surprise in the style and type of stickers although I have noticed there have been a few repeats so far. For the money you can't go wrong really.
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Ultra Pro Deck Protectors
by IJC2k12
You know the story by now: you've opened a fresh booster pack (or 20) of your favourite TCG and are already envisioning the latest deck with which to crush your friends. But after a few months, your cards no longer look like pristine instruments of tabletop war. Instead, they are blotchy, sticky shadows of their former glory. Thankfully ... we have card sleeves to save the day, and the Ultra Pro ones are probably the best budget ones available.
The sleeves hold the cards tightly enough so they rarely move around in the sleeve, which will protect the borders of your cards from that dreaded "white creep". More importantly, a few months of playing will make you realise how much gunk and rubbish your cards are being saved from - and with good cards being worth a LOT of money (from the 15 pound mark of good MTG cards to the obscene Yu-Gi-Oh values) it's invaluable.
However, they aren't a perfect product by any means, as the abuse they soak up will come at a cost. After a bit of mistreatment the plastic fronts will detach slightly from the back, rendering the sleeve useless, and if you're planning to take them to tournaments a single mark on the back can render them illegal. Also, unlike the more expensive sleeves you can still bend the cards as much as you'd like, so being heavy handed will still wreck your cards. Finally, the amount held in each pack verges on the cynical - with most trading card games relying on 60-card decks, one pack just isn't enough.
In summary, they do the job and do the job well at any level of play - I would argue they are mandatory purchases if you don't want to waste your card money - but if you're looking for a completely foolproof item , this is not it.
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