The world of video games has long revolved around a subset of its player base-straight, white males aged 18-25. Highly gendered marketing in the late 1990s and early 2000s widened the gap between this perceived base and the actual diverse group who buy video games. Despite reports from the Entertainment Software Association that nearly half of gamers identify as female, many developers continue to produce content reflecting this imaginary audience. Many female gamers are in turn modifying games to appeal to players like themselves. "Modders" alter the appearance of characters, rewrite scenes and epilogues, enhance or add love scenes and create fairy tale happy endings. This collection of new essays examines the phenomenon of women and modding, focusing on such titles as Skyrim, Dragon Age, Mass Effect and The Sims. Topics include the relationship between modders and developers, the history of modding, and the relationship between modding and disability, race, sexuality and gender identity.

Ian Nepomniachtchi, challenger to Magnus Carlsen's World Championship title in 2021, is an outstanding chess talent. "Nepo" as he is universally known is a fascinating player and this book assesses his career and analyses his original and creative style in great depth with numerous deeply annotated games. Nepo is one of the very few players in the world to hold (at least prior to the match) a plus score (four wins to one with six draws) against Carlsen in classical chess. Nepo and Carlsen are peers and first started playing each other in the Under-12 category of the World Youth Championship in 2002. In that event, Nepo edged out Carlsen on tie-break. At that time he out-rated Carlsen by 100 points and was generally considered to be the more promising of the two prodigies. Nepo is a fascinating player who loves open and irrational positions and excels when on the attack. Unsurprisingly, he cites Mikhail Tal as his all-time favorite player and says Tal is the player who has exerted the greatest influence on him. As with that great Latvian genius, Nepo thrives on anarchy and chaos and has frequently got the better of Carlsen in games with mind-boggling complications. He is also lethal when he has the initiative. Nepo has steadily climbed the world rankings and his finest achievement was his victory in the 2020/2021 Candidates' tournament with 81/2/14 points (+5-2=7) which gave him the right to challenge Carlsen for the world title.

The Queen's Indian is a dynamic and flexible way to meet 1 d4, and it leads to complex and intricate positions rich in ideas both sides. Such is the high regard for the Queen's Indian that virtually all the world's top players have utilized it at one time or another. In this book Andrew Greet presents a complete repertoire for Black. He reveals his secrets, offers answers against all of White's possibilities, and highlights the principal tactical and positional plans. This book tells you everything you need to know to play the Queen's Indian with confidence.

By choosing the Fianchetto System against the Grunfeld, White aims to stifle Black's normal piece play. White avoids presenting Black with a target and instead looks to probe Black's sensitive queenside. White's strategy has been used to good effect by Karpov and Kasparov, reason enough to adopt it in one's own games. This new title offers the first complete coverage of this important chess opening and is ideal for King's Indian players looking for a way to meet the Fianchetto. It also includes up-to-the-minute theory from two top-class theoreticians. Grandmaster Adrian Mikhalchishin is a well-known Ukrainian writer and player, and arguably the worlds' leading expert on the Fianchetto Grunfeld. Alexander Belyavsky is also a Ukrainian grandmaster, who became World Junior Champion in 1973 and won the USSR Championship on many occasions. He has competed regularly and successfully in countless super-grandmaster events.

The Drift Crisis continues! In crumbling Alluvion, the goddess Triune's city domain within the Drift, the heroes are thrust into the center of tensions between anxious factions at the heart of the Drift Crisis catastrophe! By agreeing to aid a desperate android priest of Casandalee, the heroes can start to help healing these divides. But first, they must curry the favor of a community of ysoki scrappers outside of the Dark, a neighborhood where technology doesn't work that hasn't been touched by light for decades. Exploring those murky streets, they confront undead menaces and otherworldly spirits of hatred and anger, eventually restoring light and power to the cursed region, and shining further illumination as to the origin of the Drift Crisis! "A Light in the Dark" is a Starfinder adventure for four 7th-level characters, launching the 3-volume Drift Hackers Adventure Path. Drift Hackers is the exciting conclusion of the Drift Crisis, an event taking place across the entire Starfinder game line, in which faster-than-light travel breaks down and the galaxy is thrown into chaos. In addition to the adventure itself, this book includes a player's guide filled with character creation advice and new gear designed just for Drift Hackers players, along with an Adventure Toolbox filled with new rule options and strange alien creatures. Each bi-monthly full-color softcover Starfinder Adventure Path volume contains a new installment of a series of interconnected science-fantasy quests that together create a fully developed plot of sweeping scale and epic challenges. Each 64-page volume also contains in-depth articles that detail and expand the Starfinder campaign setting and provide new rules, a host of exciting new monsters and alien races, a new planet to explore and starship to pilot, and more!

The Barry Attack is a highly aggressive system that arises after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Bf4. Although the concept of the Barry Attack has been known for a century or so, the modern interpretation (as with a number of other dynamic white systems) has mainly been developed by English grandmasters over the past couple of decades. This "modern interpretation" is often not very subtle. If Black provides a target by castling early on the kingside, White will often let rip with moves such as Qd2, Bh6, 0-0-0 and h4-h5, playing very directly for a quick checkmate. If this strikes you as too crude to have a chance against a sophisticated and competent defender, then a quick glance through this book will undoubtedly change your mind. You will witness countless games where very strong players are destroyed on the black side in less than 30 moves. Sometimes a lot less. This makes the Barry an ideal weapon for those who love to attack. Black's defence has to be very accurate. If not, a quick annihilation is on the cards. Play the Barry Attack is the ideal guide to this fascinating opening. Anyone who reads this book carefully and studies all White's attacking ideas will have a fearsome weapon in their armoury.

"What's that in the sky?" This facsimile of a deck issued during World War II shows three silhouette views of Allied and Axis aircraft for quick identification from ground or air.

The Sniper - based on a system of development with 1...g6, ...Bg7 and ...c5! - is a dynamic weapon for Black against both 1 e4 and 1 d4. Black allows White to occupy the centre but, in true hypermodern style, strikes back at once. The Sniper is a fascinating opening that can lead to original or barely-known positions in which White is thrown onto his own resources and Black can strive for the initiative. White also has to negotiate a minefield of transpositions, typically into Sicilian, King's Indian or Benko-type positions. Charlie Storey has spent years refining his favourite opening, testing it out successfully against players of all levels. In this book he reveals all his secrets and provides you with everything you need to know about this fascinating opening.

Outremer: Faith and Blood is a 28mm skirmish wargame featuring small groups of warriors fighting in Outremer during the Crusades. While suitable for one-off skirmish encounters the focus of the game is a structured and progressive campaign setting in which they are able to watch their force grow and develop over a series of scenarios and encounters from a small party of five or so soldiers into a powerful warband a score strong. Character development is key, and a wide range of troop options and factions allows a high degree of individuality and personalisation. Players will also be able to recruit mercenaries and agents such as Hashashin and Varangian survivors to bolster their forces - potent but expensive additions that will add a distinct flavour to each encounter.

Time is the bane of all kings. Always does it march forward, bringing change and challenges, wars and disasters, invaders and internal rebellion. This supplement for Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age, focuses on the passage of time and its effect on a players kingdom. While wars and battle still determine their ultimate fate, many other events can affect the armies of a kingdom. Plagues and blights can reduce access to soldiers from specific territories. Attempted coups can cost a king some of his best generals. On the other hand, unexpected alliances might give a kingdom access to unusual troops, or the birth of a new heir might bring wondrous presents. Along with the rules for the passing of years, this book also presents the option to train your units to fight in special formations, such as phalanxes, shield walls, and skirmish lines. These will allow players to use their existing armies to try out new strategies and tactics to swing their battle in their favour. This book also includes several new military expeditions, including numerous scenarios, to once again challenge a player's generalship.

From the late Revolutionary Wars and Egyptian campaign, to the battles of Austerlitz, Borodino, Leipzig, and Waterloo, Absolute Emperor is a mass battle wargame that provides all the rules needed to play during this period of grand armies and sweeping campaigns. Players' armies are composed of multiple corps, with command and control being of the utmost importance, all influenced by the elan of your general. Do you follow in the footsteps of Napoleon and be crowned the Absolute Emperor or stand against tyranny as Wellington and Blucher?

The King's Indian remains a hugely popular opening - unsurprising given the attacking opportunities it offers. In many of the ultra-sharp main lines, White wins the queenside battle but this often turns out to be a Pyrrhic victory as Black wins the war by checkmating on the kingside! Black is hunting the enemy king and - in practical play - this gives him a psychological edge. David Vigorito presents an aggressive King's Indian repertoire for Black based on the main lines. Vigorito is renowned for his opening expertise, and his suggested lines are full of innovative ideas. In addition, his lucid explanations of the key plans and tactics will benefit all players. Volume 1 deals with the Main Line (Classical) and Samisch variations. Attacking Chess is a brand new series which focuses on traditional attacking openings, as well as creative and aggressive ways to play openings that are not always associated with attacking chess. It provides hard-hitting repertoires and opening weapons designed for players of all levels. * A King's Indian repertoire for Black * State-of-the-art coverage of the key lines * Packed with new ideas and critical analysis

Play Cards and Learn to Identify Mammals in the Northwestern United States! Anyone who enjoys nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors will love these cards for playing your favorite games or to use as flash cards. Inspired by Stan Tekiela's popular Mammal Identification Guides, this gorgeous deck of playing cards features professional photographs of 54 of the most notable mammal species in the Northwestern states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and also Northern California. Each card depicts full-color photographs of such animals as the Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Lion, Pronghorn, and more--so you can begin to learn what 54 different species look like. Card Features 54 of the most notable mammal species Beautiful photograph on every card Ideal for card games or as flash cards Play games like blackjack, poker, rummy, and solitaire while learning more about wildlife. Get Mammals of the Northwest Playing Cards for yourself, and you can also give this deck of cards as a fun and thoughtful gift.

For many chess players, opening study is sheer hard work. In this highly acclaimed series, Watson helps players achieve a more holistic and insightful view of the openings by explaining not only the ideas and strategies, but also the interconnections of chess openings in general.

This is the most important technical bridge book published since Larry Cohen's To Bid or Not to Bid (60,000 copies in English alone), and may well reach an even bigger audience. There are two aspects to this book, both unique. First, Rodwell describes and explains a host of innovative ideas in cardplay, strategems that can be used as declarer or defender. Second, under the heading 'Common Mistakes', Rodwell talks about the mental side of the game: areas that mark the key differences between an average player and a successful one. The first draft of this book has been in existence for more than fifteen years, but it is only now that Rodwell is prepared to allow his 'secrets' to become public knowledge.

The genius and artistry behind Superbrothers and the making of an indie video game, from inception to its highly anticipated launch. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery was released in 2011 at the forefront of an exciting era of "indie games" - with the aesthetic of punk rock and the edge of modernist fiction, indie games pushed gaming into the realm of the avant-garde. Superbrothers (Craig D. Adams) was hailed as a visionary in the video game world. Now, his long-awaited follow-up, JETT: The Far Shore, has been released for Sony PlayStation and Epic Games Store. In the decade from inception to launch, Adams brought author Adam Hammond along for the ride, allowing unprecedented insight into the complicated genesis of Jett. The Far Shore offers a portrait of the enigmatic Adams and his team, the genius and artistry, the successes and setbacks, that went into building the world of JETT, in which you're tasked with scouting a new home for a humanoid people after they've decimated their planet. To provide context, Hammond recounts the history of indie games and how their trajectory has followed that of independent art and literature. A riveting insider's look at one of our most popular art forms.

Designed for those who have finished a beginner course and would like something easy to carry around for reference, this handy little book will fill a major gap in bridge literature. In a humorous, conversational style, it covers all the basics of Standard bidding as well as offering some ideas on play and defense. The book includes a scoring table and a useful glossary of technical bridge terms. Designed to fit in a purse or pocket, this book will be perfect for those times when you want to point to something and say "Look partner, it says here you should have done this!" and win your argument! This book is aimed at the same market as 'The Biggest Little Bridge Book in the World', which is published by a New York bridge club, and not readily available elsewhere. This guide is, however, much more comprehensive in its content.

An adventurer's life can be difficult, but long journeys and heavy burdens are easier when you have company. This guide to the world of Pathfinder presents the people and organizations that can help-or hinder-heroes like you! The Lost Omens Character Guide features new heritages and feats for existing ancestries, as well as three brand-new ancestries for unusual heroes forging a place for themselves in an uncertain age. Join five of Golarion's most influential organizations, fight alongside the rank-and-file members provided in these pages, or clash against them in pursuit of your own passions and goals! This must-have 136-page guidebook for characters of all types introduces three new ancestries to Pathfinder Second Edition-the regimented and warlike hobgoblin, the plant-like leshy, and the inquisitive lizardfolk-provides 10 new heritages for the game's core ancestries, offers nearly 100 new ancestry feats, and presents 10 new archetypes to allow characters of any class to participate in the world's most notable organizations, from the adventurous Pathfinder Society to the rabble-rousing Firebrands to the magical masters of the Magaambya! This deluxe special edition is bound in faux leather with metallic deboss cover elements and a bound-in ribbon bookmark.

Can I Have a Word? is the ultimate strategy book for word-game lovers. It introduces the reader to a host of weird and wacky words that will not only help them to become better word-game players but also enhance their enjoyment of competing. It covers key word-game themes, the mastery of which is vital for success, such as: - Two- and three-letter words - Using a Q, Z, J or X to maximum effect - Dealing with the letter V and other problem tiles - Coping with a rack full of consonants or one heavy in vowels - Making seven- and eight-letter words - Tips for victory. Readers will find this amusing, light-hearted book immeasurably enriches their vocabulary, enabling them, without the drudgery of studying a dictionary, to recall all kinds of unusual and interesting words just when they need them most.