Best RPG Programming Books
RPG Programming at its best!Discover A Book That Tells You What You Should Do and How!
1. Candlekeep Mysteries (D&D Adventure Book – Dungeons & Dragons) (Dungeons and Dragons)
Author: by Wizards RPG Team
English
224 pages
0786967226
An anthology of seventeen mystery-themed adventures for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. Candlekeep attracts scholars like a flame attracts moths. Historians, sages, and others who crave knowledge flock to this library fortress to peruse its vast collection of books, scribbled into which are the answers to the mysteries that bedevil them.
Many of these books contain their own mysteries each one a doorway to adventure. Dare you cross that threshold? 17 mystery-themed D&D adventures, each tied to a book discovered in the famed library fortress of Candlekeep Easy to run as stand-alone mini adventures or to drop into your home campaign Adventures span play from levels 1 to 16 Includes a full poster map of Candlekeep, plus detailed descriptions of the various locations, characters, and creatures that reside within it Introduces a variety of Dungeons & Dragons monsters, items, and non-player characters (NPCs)Candlekeep Mysteries is a collection of seventeen short, stand-alone D&D adventures designed for characters of levels 116.
2. Escape from a Video Game: The Secret of Phantom Island (Volume 1)
Author: by Dustin Brady
English
176 pages
1524858803
Young gamers control the action in this interactive new series from the bestselling author of Trapped in a Video Game. With more than 30 endings and an unlockable bonus adventure, The Secret of Phantom Island promises hours of screen-free fun. Cooper Hawke and the Secret of Phantom Island is the greatest video game nobody has ever played.
The treasure-hunting adventure was supposed to set a new standard for gaming. Then, just one month before its release date, it fell off the face of the earth. Now, for the first time, you get a chance to play the mysterious game – from the inside.
As you outsmart enemies, solve puzzles, and explore the island’s hidden areas, you’ll discover that there’s more to this game than the world realized. Escape from a Video Game is an innovative pick-your-plot story that promises two adventures for the price of one!
The main adventure builds critical thinking skills by rewarding young readers for solving puzzles and making sound choices with non-stop action and huge plot twists. Once readers beat the video game within the book, they’ll get a chance to hunt for every possible ending.
3. Escape from a Video Game: Mystery on the Starship Crusader (Volume 2)
Author: by Dustin Brady
English
192 pages
1524858846
Young gamers control the action in this interactive mystery from the bestselling author of Trapped in a Video Game. With more than 30 endings and an unlockable bonus adventure, this second book in the series promises hours of screen-free fun. This is one book that will super-power the interest of any “I’d rather be gaming” kid.
In this pick-your-path adventure, you join eight strangers inside a video game for a chance to win a million dollars. The challenge is simple: survive to the end, and you’re rich. There’s just one problem: A traitor is hiding among your group.
One-by-one, crew members of the spaceship start disappearing. Can you find the traitor before it’s too late? This whodunnit space adventure is perfect for fans of Among Us.
4. The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition
Author: by Nintendo
Dark Horse Books
English
328 pages
The Legend of Zelda(TM) is one of the most successful franchises of all time with nearly twenty video games and thirty years of history, but it all started with a gold cartridge… The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition honors the game that started it all by recreating the original gold cartridge as faithfully as possible.
The book comes with a black polypropylene sleeve, lined with velvet flocking, and a scale instruction booklet with fun, theme-appropriate material inside. The cover is a gold foil paper with gloss lamination and a spot gritty varnish. The details are embossed and debossed.
It has gold gilding on the top and foredge, with black gilding on the bottom. This book looks and feels so much like the original cartridge you might find yourself blowing into the bottom before you open it! This 328-page book is an exhaustive guide to The Legend of Zelda, from the original The Legend of Zelda to Twilight Princess HD.
A comprehensive collection of enemies and items, potions to poes, an expansion of the lore touched upon in Hyrule Historia, concept art, screencaps, maps, main characters and how they relate, languages, and much, much more, including an exclusive interview with Series Producer, Eiji Aonuma!
5. NieR: Automata World Guide Volume 1
Author: by Square Enix
English
192 pages
150671031X
Step into the boots of a YoRHa combat android and discover the world of NieR: Automata from a firsthand perspective! 192 pages of art, lore, and exploration collected into a fantastic full-color hardcover volume in English for the very first time!
Whether locked in open combat, zipping through the air on a flying mech, or bonding with nature through the indigenous fauna, NeiR: Automata captivated players through a genre-bending blend of action and adventure. Now, journey through this unique and ruined world, discovering its each and every intricacy with the NieR: Automata World Guide!
Dark Horse Books and Square Enix present a faithful localization of the original Japanese volume of the same name, offered in English for the first time! Explore the world of NieR: Automata through maps, character biographies, short stories, concept art, commentary, and more!Age Range:16 YEARS
6. Wizards & Spells (Dungeons & Dragons): A Young Adventurer's Guide (Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer's Guides)
Author: by Jim Zub
Ten Speed Press
English
112 pages
An immersive illustrated primer to the enchanted beings, magic users, and spells of Dungeons & Dragons, the leading fantasy role-playing game. This illustrated guide transports new players to the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons and presents a one-of-a-kind course on the wizards, sorcerers, and other magic-makers for which the game is known.
Featuring easy-to-follow and entertaining explanations of how spells are created and used in the game, along with original illustrations of the game’s essential magical characters, this book shines a spotlight on the mystical side of D&D. The perfect jumping-on point for young fans of fantasy looking to give D&D a try, Wizards and Spells also features prompts to encourage creative problem-solving skills in the dangerous situations that may be encountered in a Dungeons & Dragons adventure.
7. Dungeons & Tombs (Dungeons & Dragons): A Young Adventurer's Guide (Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer's Guides)
Author: by Jim Zub
Ten Speed Press
English
112 pages
This introductory guide to the worlds of the leading fantasy role-playing game provides an immersive illustrated primer to the prisons, castles, traps, and labyrinths where players find adventure in D&D. In this illustrated guide for new players, you’ll be transported to the mystical and magical worlds of Dungeons & Dragons and given a one-of-a-kind course on the dungeons and deathtraps for which the game (and all its iterations) is known.
Featuring maps, cutaway illustrations, and fun insights that show would-be adventurers how to travel and survive in these fantastical settings, along with original illustrations and archival images, the book shines a spotlight down the dark, foreboding corners of the most infamous locations in the worlds of D&D.
The perfect jumping-on point for young fans of fantasy looking to give D&D a try, the book also features prompts to encourage creative problem-solving skills in the dangerous situations you may find yourself in when on D&D adventures.
8. The Art of Diablo
Author: by Jake Gerli
English
250 pages
1945683651
For more than twenty years, the artists behind Diablo have conjured new visions of the heavens and the hells, built nightmarish corridors filled with monsters and demons, and unleashed swarms of malevolent creatures upon tens of millions of players worldwide.
Featuring never before seen content, The Art of Diablo plunges into the concept, design, and environmental art that has defined the world of Sanctuary and the Eternal Conflict at the core of Blizzard Entertainment’s action-packed dungeon-crawling game. Features all new art from the upcoming Diablo 4!
9. The Art of Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Author: by Kate Lewis
English
208 pages
1785659650
Discover the art of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in this exclusive collection. The Art of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey features concept sketches, texture studies, character art from the game, plus insightful commentary from the creators. The newest game in the franchise, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, takes players on an epic voyage through history.
The Art of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey collates hundreds of concept arts, including sketches, final paintings, and 3D renders, alongside in-depth commentary from the artists and developers, representing the ultimate insight into the design processes behind the game. 2017 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.
Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.
10. The Art of BRAVELY SECOND: END LAYER (DARK HORSE BOOK)
Author: by Square Enix
English
256 pages
1506713734
Over 250 pages of concept art and developer commentary compiled in a fascinating and vibrant hardcover volume! Return to the enchanted world of Luxendarc with a collection of art that celebrates another critically revered entry in the BRAVELY series! Enjoy in-depth commentary from the creative team, and explore detailed concept art from the ethereal sequel to BRAVELY DEFAULT.
Dark Horse Books is proud to collaborate with Square Enix to present The Art of BRAVELY SECOND: END LAYER, published in English for the first time! This localization of the original Japanese text features gorgeous concept art and extensive commentary from the team behind BRAVELY SECOND.
The second of two-volumes, this collection intimately explores the concepts and creativity from the next chapter in the fan-favorite BRAVELY series!
11. Trapped in a Video Game: The Invisible Invasion
Author: by Dustin Brady
B07B8CMRQL
April 24, 2018
English
After Full Blast, Jesse Rigsby and his friend Eric has sworn off video games. But when Jesse is offered the chance to save his friend Mark, of course he says, “Yes.” Problem is, Jesse is invisible now, sucked into the world of Go Wilda Pokmon Gostyle mobile game.
To reach Mark, Jesse’s going to have to shake the Bigfoot chasing him through the school library, survive the velociraptor in the bathroom, and battle the ginormous flame-throwing bat in the cafeteria. Can Jesse stay alive long enough to solve the mystery of what happened to Mark?
12. DAEMON (Daemon Series)
Author: by Daniel Suarez
0451228731
Signet Books
English
Daniel Suarez’s New York Times bestselling debut high-tech thriller is so frightening even the government has taken note (Entertainment Weekly). Daemons: computer programs that silently run in the background, waiting for a specific event or time to execute. They power almost every service.
They make our networked world possible. But they also make it vulnerable… When the obituary of legendary computer game architect Matthew Sobol appears online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events that begins to unravel our interconnected world.
This daemon reads news headlines, recruits human followers, and orders assassinations. With Sobol’s secrets buried with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed, it’s up to Detective Peter Sebeck to stop a self-replicating virtual killer before it achieves its ultimate purposeone that goes far beyond anything Sebeck could have imagined…
13. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Skyrim Library, Vol. III: The Arcane
Author: by Bethesda Softworks
1783293217
Titan Books
English
For the first time, the collected texts from the critically and commercially acclaimed fantasy video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are bound together in three exciting volumes. Lavishly illustrated and produced, these titles are straight out of the world of Skyrim – and a must for any wandering adventurer.
14. Trapped in a Video Game: Robots Revolt
Author: by Dustin Brady
B07FK9WKHF
Andrews McMeel Publishing
September 4, 2018
The robots are here and they’re not happy, at all. After accidentally releasing the robot villains from Super Bot World 3 into the real world, Jesse Rigsby’s got to figure out a way to make everything right before anyone gets hurt.
He’d usually rely on his friend Eric to help him with this sort of thing, but he’s gone missing. To find Eric, Jesse will have to survive rickety mine carts, sewer piranhas, mysterious men in suits, and a 100-foot-tall robot named Goliatron.
This is Jesse’s most dangerous adventure yet because this time the video game is real. And in the real world, there are no extra lives.
15. The Art of the Mass Effect Universe
Author: by Various
Dark Horse
English
184 pages
The Mass Effect series is a groundbreaking epic that has immersed gamers in one of science fiction”s richest universes. Now BioWare and Dark Horse are proud to invite fans deeper than ever into the Mass Effect saga with The Art of the Mass Effect Universe!
Featuring concept art and commentary by BioWare on the games” characters, locations, vehicles, weapons, and more – Mass Effect 3 – The Art of the Mass Effect Universe is the most complete companion available to gaming”s most compelling series.
16. Coding for Minecrafters: Unofficial Adventures for Kids Learning Computer Code
Author: by Ian Garland
Sky Pony
English
128 pages
Learn to Code while Adventuring through the Overworld! This fun and educational activity book Introduces kids to the world of coding through the Minecraft world they love. Colorfully illustrated characters and themes from their favorite video game bring the excitement of coding to life, while easy-to-follow screenshots guide them through activities.
With adventures that include design, music, animation, gaming, and more, learners will discover tons of ways coding connects to other activities they love and how far a little imagination and invention can take themto The End and beyond! Minecrafting-themed characters help kids become master codersKid-friendly concepts and steps designed specifically for ages 8-12Great games, mods, experiments, and more teach computational thinkinghow to tackle large problems by breaking them down into a sequence of smaller, more manageable problems Whether brand-new to coding or looking for more hands-on learning, Coding for Minecrafters helps young coders advance in technology education by leaps and boundsand have fun doing it!
