Blackbirds is a dark fantasy tabletop role-playing game, Powered by ZWEIHAENDER RPG. The gods failed us. The powerful betrayed us. Rise to meet your fate. Twelve years of war have ravaged the kingdoms of Erebos, where the great battle that would decide the fate of all has been waged. . .and lost. Now, the lights of civilization are going out. Swells of refugees have taken to the roads, desperate to find homes far from all the suffering. New constellations twinkle in the vault of the night, only to disappear if scrutinized for too long. Creatures of long-forgotten folklore once again stalk the countryside. It is a time of ill omens and unlikely heroes. BLACKBIRDS RPG is set in a dark fantasy world where a cabal of power-hungry Oligarchs has stolen godhood. Their horrific act rent the fabric of reality, allowing corrupt magic to undermine the world's natural order. And, soon, the Oligarchs themselves will return to the mortal plane and remake it as they desire.

In this collection of his best games, former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik demonstrates the deep strategic style that took him to the title . Written by one of the greatest players of all time . Contains 90 annotated games from Botvinnik's career . Includes victories over Capablanca, Alekhine, Smyslov, Tal and Petrosian . Incorporates background material on key personalities and events Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995) made a unique impression on chess history. After victories at Moscow 1935 (shared with Flohr) and Nottingham 193 (shared with Capablanca), Botvinnik won the 'absolute championship' of the USSR in 1941 before the war interrupted all chess activity. After winning the match/tournament of 1948 to decide Alekhine's successor, Botvinnik held the world championship (apart form two brief interludes) until 1963 and retired from active play in 1970, after which he devoted himself to coaching young players 9his list of former pupils include Garry Kasparov) and developing a chess-playing computer program.

It's no secret why the London System is such a popular opening, especially at club level. White's development plan is very easy to learn, and it can be employed against virtually any defence. What's more, depending on mood, style or opponent, White can choose either to attack directly or to instigate a more positional strategy. Many players admit they hate facing the London System, which is surely another good reason to play it! In this book, Cyrus Lakdawala presents a reliable repertoire for White with the London System. Using illustrative games and drawing upon his vast experience in the opening, Lakdawala reveals all his secrets and explains in detail the typical plans and tactics for both sides. This book tells you everything you need to know about the London System. *A repertoire for White with the London System *Covers both the main lines and tricky sidelines *Includes game summaries with key points to remember

Chess Secrets is a series of books which uncover the mysteries of the most important aspects of chess: strategy, attack, opening play and gambits, classical play, endgames and preparation. In each book the author studies a number of great players from chess history who have excelled in a particular field of the game and who have undeniably influenced those who have followed. In The Giants of Power Play, Neil McDonald selects five players who have excelled in the field of 'power play' - the art of putting opponents under constant pressure. The methods of doing so are numerous, including gaining rapid development in return for material to build up an initiative, preparing powerful opening ideas in advance, or even developing completely new opening systems. McDonald examines the contributions made by each player, their differences in approach and style, and from Morphy to Topalov, how they followed in each other's footsteps. A study of this book will help you to enhance your skills in one of the most crucial elements of the game. *An entertaining and instructive guide to power play *Learn from the greats of the game *Discover how famous chess minds work

With over 120 activities, this book will test the most avid of puzzlers. Challenge yourself with a cryptic word brainteaser, a tough number puzzle, or practice some mindfulness with a spot of colouring, depending on what you feel your brain needs in that moment.

Featuring a huge variety of puzzles, including mazes, crosswords, sudokus, spot the difference, hanjie, and word searches, The 10-Minute Adult Activity Book will keep you engaged and entertained no matter what you’re in the mood for. Whether you’ve got 10 minutes to kill or a lunch break to fill, there are creative challenges awaiting you. Many of the activities are designed to be completed in under 10 minutes and as such demand your undivided attention. However, others, such as colouring, should be completed over the longer term, giving you the chance to take a break from the stresses of everyday life and recharge your batteries.

So grab a pen, set yourself a challenge and dive in!

Thaw of the Lich Lord is a complete campaign for Frostgrave that will challenge both new and veteran players. Through a series of linked scenarios, players discover the existence of a new power in the Frozen City, one who was old when the great city was still young, and who saw both its rise and its disastrous fall. Warbands will confront the Lich Lord's minions, race against his agents to seize possession of mysterious artefacts, and brave the perils of Frostgrave in search of his lair. Eventually, they will need to muster all their courage to venture into the depths of the city and face the Lich Lord himself. Not all wizards will seek to stop the Lich Lord, however, and full rules for giving into his corruption and following the dark road to becoming an undead lich are presented for those who crave power and immortality above all else. While the campaign presents many new threats against which wizards and their warbands must test themselves, including an expanded bestiary, it also offers additional resources, such as new henchmen that can be recruited and unique magical treasures that can spell the difference between survival and oblivion.

Black Ops is a skirmish wargame of tactical espionage combat that recreates the tension and excitement of modern action-thrillers such as the Bond and Bourne films. The fast-play rules keep all the players in the thick of the action, while the mission generator provides a wide range of options for scenarios - from stealthy extraction or surveillance missions to more overt raids and assaults. Stealth, combat, and technical expertise all have a role to play, and players may recruit a number of different operative types - spies, mercenaries, criminals, hackers, special forces, and many more - to recruit the best possible team for the job. Players may also choose to join a faction - powerful organizations, intelligence agencies, criminal syndicates, militaries, or rebel groups, each with a stake in international affairs. By doing so, their team may receive certain benefits, but may also find itself limited at a crucial time. With the variety offered by the characters, factions, and scenarios, no two games of Black Ops should ever be the same!

Discover all kinds of delicious foods from around the world - from sourdough to bagels and croissants to crumpets. Mark them off on your game card and... BINGO! Contains 48 superbly illustrated food chips, one game board, 8 double-sided game cards and 150 brightly coloured counters, as well as a leaflet containing fun trivia and games for the baked goods featured.

Checkers, backgammon, chess and Go. Poker, Scrabble and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across fourty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against "modern rationalism" and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon programme so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt; the Indian origins of chess; how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programmes better than any human player and what that means for the games-and for us. Funny, fascinating and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history and how play makes us human.

The Black Lion is a thoroughly modern counterattacking system that is a nightmare to face. This wild and aggressive line attempts to take away White's initiative from a very early stage and is guaranteed to throw your opponents off balance. The Black Lion is essentially a contemporary and aggressive interpretation of the Philidor Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6). The Black Lion starts with a slightly different move order, 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3, and now the lion family splits into two different animals: the risky lion (3...Nbd7) or the tame lion (3...e5). Both treatments are thoroughly investigated in this book. Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is the ideal guide to explain how to whip up an extremely dangerous attack using either treatment. Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and the Black Lion suits his style perfectly. His commentary and annotations are always instructive and entertaining. * The Black Lion is an unusual and dangerous system with little established theory. * White cannot rely on simple, safe moves as such a strategy is liable to be overrun. * The Black Lion is fun and exciting to play!

One of the greatest rivalries in sports history. On 10 September 1984, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov started their match for the World Chess Championship in Moscow. The clash between the reigning champion and his brazen young challenger was highly anticipated, but no one could have foreseen what was in store. In the next six years they would play five matches for the highest title and create one of the fiercest rivalries in sports history. The matches lasted a staggering total of 14 months, and the two Ks played 5540 moves in 144 games. The first match became front-page news when after five months FIDE President Florencio Campomanes stepped in to stop the match for reasons that still remain mysterious. A new match was staged and 22-year-old Garry Kasparov became the youngest World Chess Champion in history. His win was not only hailed as a triumph of imaginative attacking chess, but also as a political victory. The representative of perestroika had beaten the old champion, a symbol of Soviet stagnation. Kasparov defended his title in three more matches, all of them full of drama. In The Longest Game Jan Timman chronicles the many twists and turns of this fascinating saga. He includes his behind-the scenes impressions and takes a fresh look at the games.

Board games are flat out fun! They continue to fascinate players and collectors alike, long after their lives on toy store shelves, and their appeal is rapidly growing. Demand for games has only increased worldwide with the growth of the Internet fueling the collector market. From Monopoly to Battleship, Annie Oakley to Magilla Gorilla, this completely new book presents over 1,000 color photographs of board games, from current favorites to great classics dating back to the 1920s. It includes an informative text, vintage advertisements, and current market prices. There is a special chapter on Remco Industries, which had a small but sought after output of games in the 1950s and 1960s. More Board Games** continues where the author's first book, Board Games**, left off. It is sure to satisfy the game-playing appetites of collectors, dealers, and enthusiasts everywhere.

New (4th) and improved edition of an all-time classic. The good news about endgames is: there are relatively few endings you should know by heart. Once you know these endings, that's it. Your knowledge never goes out of date! The bad news is that, all the same, the endgame technique of most players is deficient. Modern time-controls make matters worse: there is simply not enough time to delve deep into the position. Jesus de la Vila debunks the myth that endgame theory is complex and he teaches you to steer the game into a position you are familiar with. This book contains only those endgames that: show up most frequently are easy to learn contain ideas that are useful in more difficult positions. Your performance will improve dramatically because this book brings you: simple rules detailed and lively explanations many diagrams clear summaries of the most important themes dozens of tests.

No online description is currently available. If you would like to receive information about this title, please email Routledge at [email protected]

Take on the pirate fleets in this campaign for Stargrave, featuring full rules for playing the game solo or cooperatively. Since the end of the Last War, the great pirate fleets have roamed the ruins of the galaxy, pillaging, extorting, and enslaving. No one has had the power to stand against them, and the desperate few who have tried, have been quickly and brutally crushed. However, when the independent crews are hired for a simple hostage rescue, it leads to a dangerous opportunity to strike a blow against tyranny. Two of the largest and most vicious pirate fleets are meeting for a parlay near the ruins of an ancient research station... one that once experimented with 'supernova-level events'. If the crews can locate the station, slip past the pirates, and infiltrate the facility, it might be possible to release such an event just as the fleets have gathered... Hope Eternal is a solo and cooperative expansion for Stargrave. Along with full rules for playing the game in this new style, the book contains an intricate campaign of connected scenarios. Whether you brave the perils of the campaign alone, or enlist the aid of another independent crew, this is your chance to bring back a little hope to the ravaged galaxy!

This is it-the key that unlocks the riches of GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System) and gives you a wealth of information on how to create your character and fine-tune your play. Produced in partnership with Steve Jackson Games, the game's creator, GURPS For Dummies is the ideal companion to GURPS Basic Set, 4th Edition that explains the rules. It gives you insight into the choices you'll make in everything from creating a fun, dynamic character using the allotted number of points, to playing in an adventure, to becoming a GM. Whether you want to be an Amazon princess or a stalwart warrior, an old-fashioned swashbuckler or a modern investigator, a tough cop or a cat burglar, a sorcerer casting spells or a cosmic ranger, fighting lawlessness in the asteroids, this guide will help you: * Determine your character's basic attributes: IQ, DX (dexterity), ST (strength) and HT (health)* Figure out your character's secondary characteristics* Choose advantages (including powers and perks) and disadvantages (including quirks and disadvantages with a self-control roll modifier)* Optimize your points by using talents* Select your skills based on functional area or the campaign setting* Enhance your character with spells, magic items, magic staves, and powerstones* Strategically purchase equipment for different characters, tech levels, and campaign types* Create and manage a character sheet, write a character background, keep a character log, and more-all with samples* Choose good combat techniques and play with your character If you want to become a GM, this guide gets you going with advice on creating the adventure, managing the character creation process, managing combat, and interpreting the rules. There's even a handy Cheat Sheet tear-out GM screen in the front of the book. There are tips throughout, plus advice on how to:* Create your very own GURPS universe for your campaign, whether it's dungeon-crawl, high-adventure, combat-focused, puzzle-focused, or masquerade-type* Provide a basic write-up of the world for your players, including technology level, supernatural and supernormal abilities and powers, races, setting, character templates, cultural and social information, and limitations* Create an electronic combat grid, a battle log, a tactical map, and more-with samples* Do mapping, planning, and plotting* Create memorable NPC (nonplayer characters), both good guys and bad guys GURPS For Dummies helps you create more detailed, exciting, and interesting characters and take your game to the next level. That's important whether you're saving a princess or saving the planet...searching for hidden treasure or for secrets to eliminate disease...fighting crime or combating armies of evil robots...casting spells in medieval castles or destroying terrorist cells in modern day milieus. With GURPS, the only limitation is your imagination.

The Sicilian Defence is the most popular reply to 1 e4. With 1...c5 Black comes out fighting, immediately challenging any sense of a "natural white advantage". Sicilian Defence players are often very well prepared theoretically and the tremendous dynamism of the Sicilian can often disturb their opponents. In this book, German FIDE master Jonas Hacker provides a complete repertoire for White when facing the Sicilian. The recommended systems are based on solid strategic considerations. The backbone of the repertoire is the line 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 f3!? This is a perfect line to throw Najdorf and Dragon players off their stride. White will (usually) follow up with c2-c4 and establish a useful space advantage. Many of the other recommended lines are also based around the space-gaining c2-c4 advance providing cohesion across the whole repertoire. In Opening Repertoire: Beating the Sicilian, Jonas Hacker guides the reader through the complexities of the Sicilian and carves out a repertoire for White. He examines all aspects of this highly complex opening and provides the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans. * A complete repertoire for White against the Sicilian. * A question and answer approach provides an excellent study method

Key aliens and NPCs from Starfinder's Threefold Conspiracy Adventure Path come alive on your tabletop with The Threefold Conspiracy Pawn Collection, featuring more than 100 creature pawns for use with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game or any tabletop science-fantasy RPG! Printed on sturdy cardstock, each pawn presents a beautiful full-color image of an alien, NPC, or starship from The Threefold Conspiracy campaign, including agents of the mysterious Unseen, strange shapeshifters, uneasy allies, and dozens of unique creatures. The Threefold Conspiracy Pawn Collection, together with the creatures and characters from the Starfinder Alien Archive Pawn Box and Starfinder Core Rulebook Pawn Collection, provides pawns for nearly every Threefold Conspiracy encounter. Each cardstock pawn slots into a size-appropriate plastic base from the Alien Archive Pawn Box, making the pawns easy to mix with traditional metal or plastic miniatures. From devious masterminds to shape-shifting infiltrators, find all of the enemies and allies of The Threefold Conspiracy Adventure Path on these beautifull illustrated pawns! While creature pawns are broken out by base size, all starship pawns use medium bases, from the tiniest fighter to the largest warship. Starfinder The Threefold Conspiracy Pawn Collection includes: Small Creatures Aerial Devil Autofly Swarm (4) Bug Furry Friend Experimental Nanobot Mimic (4) Extiomi Fech "Sparkles" Goba Flying Viper Eel Swarm (4) Gray Abductor (3) Gray Bounder Gray Engineer (2) Gray Ooze Wrangler Gray Researcher (6) Gray Surgeon Keji Swarm (4) Memory Muck (2) Needlehawk Host (4) Oni, Spirit Overseer Gyru Pik Nath Proog Psydrake Robot, Gray Observer (2) Scouring Swarm (4) Spookfish Swarm (4) Troll Polyp (2) Zaxo Zernivian Medium Creatures Aanung-An Algiada Iom Arc Moray (2) Aykins Segrue Azer Spy (3) Barghest Cargo Creep Chop Cycle (3) Combat Clone (2) Diorama Guard (2) Docksmythe (3) Dormakhabu Eiyol Marrill Ephecta Erem Esra Fluerasik Enforcer (4) Gamut Bio IT Staff (2) Gamut Bio Janitor (4) Glacial Borer Gray Shell Guardian Rhino Hesper Veeldiz Jincheroga Jox Hird Kaniko Breez Kibotu Knight of Golarion (4) Knight of Golarion Squire Krelo Danesh Kriegakos (3) Laoe Araae Orderly (4) Lawless One Lozu Pahir Ludvya "Firespitter" Zyakama Lunabellox Debrie Marduq Char Melta-Man Mersadask Rycast Modified Swarm Corrovox Molu Umana Dylaska Narla Yalamis Night Hag Orgot Nalkus Orvir Pike Phryine Callajam Psychic Clone (2) Qub Rel Nodens Reptoid Host (6) Reptoid Steward (4) Rig Technician (2) Robot, Incapacitator (2) Sarzael Fallion Shadow Hopper Shez Daiasha Silverlight Construct Space Pirate, Human (4) Steward Rookie (2) Steward Constable (2) Steward Worker (3) Tavin Arill The Monitor Threshwolf Host (2) Thylas Starhammer Torv Graycrag Trostinek Vee Andano Vora Rinn Wem Wetzelt Xych Vorsen Yona Raito Yox Large Creatures Barathu Patient (4) Doctor Flo Elmeshra (2) Gamut Bio Management (2) Garaggakal Polymath Golem, Abysium Hrog Hungerer from the Dark Jesara Hy Nevintsi Jynma Kunnid Linyf Megalonyxa Obfuchsia Phixara Protean, Xiritix (2) Quanma Ge Uliyu Replicant Ooze Troll, Quantum Varigneous Verifier Ki Huge Creatures Barathu Bruiser Driftlure Lava Strider (2) Xanthos Starships Gray Collection Saucer Gray Monitor Capsule Gray Mothership Gray Research Vessel Gray Watcher Pod Reptoid Chameleon Reptoid Changeling Reptoid Instigator (2) Reptoid Nest Platform Roselight Oracle Sanjaval Palanquin Shimmering Blade Steward Banshee FA Frigate

Following on from the long success of one of the most important chess books ever written, Bobby Fischer: My 60 Memorable Games, renowned chess writer Andrew Soltis delivers a book on today's blockbuster chess player Magnus Carlsen. Magnus Carlsen has been the world's number one player for more than a decade, has won more super-tournaments than anyone ever and is still in his prime. He is the only player to repeatedly win the world championships in classical, speed and blitz chess formats. This book details his remarkable rise and how he acquired the crucial skills of 21st-century grandmaster chess He will defend his world championship title this autumn and if he wins, it will set a record of five championship match victories. This book take you through how he wins by analysing 60 of the games that made him who he is, describing the intricacies behind his and his opponent's strategies, the tactical justification of moves and the psychological battle in each one. This book is essential for chess enthusiasts, competitors and professionals of all skill sets.

Take your gaming campaign to the next level with this inspiring, easy-to-use collection of random encounters perfect for any fantasy RPG. Spark your imagination fast with this collection of fun, engaging, and inspiring random encounter prompts. These expertly written options are organized into popular themes and locations so you can find what you need fast, whether you choose from the list or use the dice to choose randomly. With fantasy hooks to fit every game from Pathfinder to GURPS to D&D, there are options for all of your campaigns. Whether you're playing from a game book or weaving your own homebrewed adventure, there's always a need for short random encounters in between set pieces. Featuring fun full-color illustrations, you'll engage more in your story and bring your game to life!

This is a chess book for everyone, from eight to eighty, beginner to master. In a clear, easy-to-follow format it explains how the best way to beat a stronger opponent in the opening stage of the game. Delightful and instructive games of famous players are used to show the 50 most effective opening traps that chess masters use to win their games.

This supplement for Frostgrave provides players with new tools to build, animate, field, and face constructs in their games. In the glory days of Ancient Felstad, artisans competed to produce the most beautiful, the most functional, and the most enduring constructs. These living works of art could be seen everywhere in the city, fulfilling many of the day-to-day tasks that kept the magical metropolis running. They provided transportation and security, worked on construction and cleaning, exterminated vermin, butchered animals, and tended furnaces. Then came the cataclysm. The ice and snow not only buried and destroyed most of the constructs active in the city, but nearly wiped out the knowledge of their creation. Certainly, the constructs animated by the explorers of the Frozen City are crude in both form and function compared to what once existed. This supplement for Frostgrave: Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen City provides a study of constructs, offering expanded rules for their creation, modification, and even re-animation. It examines enchanters' workshops, detailing new magic items and base modifications that aid in the animation process, and also includes a bestiary full of new constructs. Of course, much of the knowledge that was once lost still exists in the frozen ruins, so the book also features several scenarios set in the once-great factories where the art of construct creation reached its pinnacle.