New Releases by Dave Morris

Most things can be beaten with enough time and resources. When life & work demand more of both, failure becomes predictable. The problem isn't you. It's the impossible curriculum the world demands: be limitless, stay responsive, and don't drop the ball. When things don't go to plan, you get the usual explanation-discipline, busyness, the market. But those are labels, not causes. Good People Dumb Systems is a neurostrategy field guide to what a day costs a human brain-and what starts to happen when the bill comes due. Good people slip when conditions stop fitting human limits-across nervous systems, work systems, and world systems. The same patterns repeat because the constraints repeat: attention narrows, judgment gets expensive, coordination degrades, and "reasonable" demands compound into predictable error. You don't need seventeen more hacks. You need a map. This book shows you the mechanics underneath the day: what gets priced in, what gets pushed out, and why systems reliably produce the outcomes they make easiest. For anyone building, leading, operating, or coordinating work in the real world. Once you see the hidden tax, you can't unsee it.

The most ambitious gamebook series of all time. Interconnected books allow readers to explore an entire fantasy world, giving the narrative depth of a story like Game of Thrones and the epic sweep of a massively multiplayer game like the Elder Scrolls.

In The Average Man Speaks Out, life is discussed not by Charles Krauthamer or Tom Brokow, or even Andy Rooney but by the average man. The average man believes that we are all stories and that people need stories to live. Through his collection of stories he gives the average mans perspective on the world we live in, its people, history, politics, entertainment and miscellaneous topics. Whether youre average or not, youll be entertained, informed, and maybe even a bit surprised as the average man tells about heroes, villains, and opines on, well, everything.

The most ambitious gamebook series ever conceived allows players to roam across a vast open world packed with hundreds of quests.

It should have been a simple mission. You were sent to bring back the fabled Eye of the Dragon from the half-submerged ruins of Thalios. But you arrived to find an earlier expedition destroyed, and eerie dwellers of an oceanic realm stalking the ancient avenues. As night falls, you must evade their patrols and link up with the survivors of the expedition. Everything depends on your courage as a Warrior and your skill as a Mage. This is fantasy adventure with a difference: YOU are the hero. A pencil, an eraser and two dice are all you need to embark on your quest. Success and vast riches - or failure and sudden death - will depend on the decisions you make. The Eye of the Dragon is part of the classic Golden Dragon Gamebook series.

Set out on a journey of fabulous adventure in lands beyond the limit of your imagination. Choose for yourself what role to play, where to venture, and what rewards to seek. In CITIES OF GOLD AND GLORY you can sail the high seas to Golnir's distant ports. As a warrior, plunder ancient treasures and do battle with the legions of darkness in the hall of the death-god Nagil. As a spy, penetrate the labyrinth of lies and sinister secrets of the scheming merchants of Metriciens. As a sorcerer, barter in mysteries, spells and ancient lore with the immortal wizard Estragon. Amass wealth, honours and power that will take you on voyages to uncharted regions. Your journeys will bring you foes and friends, danger and triumph, fortune and fame - and more adventures than you have ever dreamed of. Here is role-playing as you've never known it before - in the perilous world of the FABLED LANDS.

Set out on a journey of fabulous adventure in lands beyond the limit of your imagination. Choose for yourself what role to play, where to venture, and what rewards to seek. In THE WAR-TORN KINGDOM, revolution rages in Sokara. You can join forces with the king to restore his throne - or look for profit in the pay of the dictator, Grieve Marlock. Use fighting skills or sorcery, bribery or skulduggery to survive the assassins in the city backstreets. Descend to the sewers of Yellowport to defeat the vile rat-king, Skabb. Retrieve the golden net of the gods from the Repulsive Ones deep beneath the sea - and use the rewards of your victories to travel beyond the boundaries of the known world in the world's first open world gamebook saga. Your journeys will bring you foes and friends, danger and triumph, fortune and fame - and more adventures than you ever dreamed of. Role-playing as you've never known it before - in the amazing world of the FABLED LANDS.

Return to the Fabled Lands... "Fabled Lands Quests" are a series of single-quest interactive gamebooks that you can play as standalone adventures or as part of your ongoing Fabled Lands campaign. Originally published as part of the Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks series, "The Keep of the Lich Lord" is back in print after twenty years in a completely revised edition with new rules, a new introduction, a host of extras, and all-new sections that make it now a part of the Fabled Lands world. * * * Lord Mortis has risen! Clawing his way back from the grave, the Lich Lord has once again set his sights on conquest. Allying himself with the Reavers of the Unnumbered Isles, he threatens to bring the northern kingdoms under the cruel dominion of his undead armies. They have already taken Bloodrise Keep, a key point in the defence of the islands, and soon nothing will stand between Mortis and the ultimate victory of the zombie horde. A cunning and fearless adventurer is needed for a vital mission to enter Bloodrise Keep and overthrow the evil Lich Lord - an adventurer like "you!"

Your quest for the Sword of Life leads into the domain of Death... The True Magi are gathering their powers. Soon the moment of their reincarnation will be at hand. Only one thing can stop them from returning to enslave mankind. One weapon has the power to slay them. The Sword of Life. But it has been seized by your arch-enemy and taken to a place beyond the reach of all but the mightiest of heroes. And so you set out on your most desperate adventure. To recover the Sword of Life, you must travel to the land of the dead. . Blood Sword can be played either solo or in a team of up to four people, providing the most exciting challenge yet in fantasy adventures, combining the best of role-playing, novels and tabletop games. What reviewers are saying: ""A beautifully wrought and utterly fantastic epic quest..." " ""A blast from start from finish." " ""Easily one of the best gamebooks out there.""

The darkest hour approaches... To recover the final fragment of the Sword of Life, you are forced to make an uneasy alliance with the exiled prince who seeks its twin, the Sword of Death. The next phase of your quest takes you through the alleyways of the city of Crescentium, where assassins lurk in the shadows and fanatic crusaders are vigilant to mete out punishment to any who break their harsh laws. But mortal foes are not your greatest threat. You must embark on a ship that voyages between worlds, face jinn and fire wizards, and contend against the still-powerful remnants of forgotten gods. In this land of sorcery, you will encounter terrors and wonders more fabulous than you have ever imagined - until your ultimate destination, the very shores of Life and Death, where you come face to face with your greatest foe. Blood Sword can be played either solo or in a team of up to four people, providing the most exciting challenge yet in fantasy adventures, combining the best of role-playing, novels and tabletop games. What reviewers say: ""A lush and gorgeous campaign, one of the best I've played..."" ""Without exaggeration, the finest entry in the best 'ongoing story' gamebook series ever crafted..."" ""A grand adventure. Ends on an absolutely awesome cliffhanger that leaves you just gasping to read the fourth book in the series...""

"THE BATTLEPITS OF KRARTH is the first title in the Blood Sword series. It can be played solo like a traditional gamebook, or it can be played by a team of up to four people. Combining the best of role-playing, gamebooks, novels and boardgames, the Blood Sword series builds into a sweeping fantasy epic that delivers the most exciting challenge yet in interactive adventure." Every thirteen lunar months the Magi of Krarth hold a desperate contest to see which of them will rule that bleak and icy land. Teams of daring adventurers are sent down into the labyrinths that lie beneath the tundra, each searching for the Emblem of Victory that will win power for their patron. Only one team can prevail. The others must die.

In the middle of a lonely wood, as night falls, you come upon a half-ruined mansion where dwells the undead Lord Tenebron among his servitors - depraved mortals, creatures of darkness, and luckless adventurers enslaved to his will. Your only hope of escape is to prevail against the dangers that beset you and battle your way to the very heart of the catacombs. There, in the deepest chamber of the vampire's crypt, you must face him and try to end his reign of terror for all time. This is fantasy adventure with a difference: YOU are the hero! A pencil, an eraser and two dice are all you need to embark on your quest. Success and vast riches - or failure and savage death - will depend on the decisions you make! Crypt of the Vampire was originally published as the first in the classic Golden Dragon Gamebook series.

The end of the 23rd century. Earth lies in the grip of a new Ice Age. Famine, cold and fanatic cults threaten what is left of civilization. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. Nine of the strongest heroes of the age come seeking the ultimate prize: the Heart of Volent, an object with the power to reshape reality. All are ruthless, powerful, determined. To succeed they must work together. But only one can have the Heart. Choose your alliances with care. Weigh up who to trust. Be ready for betrayal. When the moment comes, the future of mankind will rest on your judgement. * * * Critical IF books are interactive adventures with a difference. You can be a mutant with the power to warp reality. A soldier whose combat skills are a match for any foe. A stealthy assassin leaping between rooftops. An explorer who can survive in the harshest conditions. Be anyone you can imagine. Choose from almost five hundred different character types, each with their own unique skills. Strong stories, vivid settings and compelling characters make Critical IF the game-changers of the interactive fiction genre. Put yourself in the heart of the story.

Put yourself at the heart of the story... The sole survivor of an expedition brings news of disaster. Your twin brother is lost in the trackless western sierra where none can survive. Resolving to find out his fate, you leave the safety of your home far behind. Your quest will take you to lost jungle cities, across mountains and seas, and even into the uncanny depths of the underworld. You will plunge into the eerie world of Mayan myth. You must confront vengeful ghosts and bloodthirsty gods, bargain for your life against terrifying demons, find allies and enemies among both the living and the dead. Then, if you are brave enough to face the dangers of the spirit-haunted western desert, you must still confront the wizard called Necklace of Skulls in a deadly contest whose stakes are nothing less than your own soul. * * * Critical IF books are interactive adventures with a difference. You can be a mutant with the power to warp reality. A buccaneer whose sword and pistol are a match for any foe. A daring rogue leaping between rooftops. A wizard who can command the elements. Be anyone you can imagine. Choose from almost five hundred different character types, each with their own unique skills. Strong stories, vivid settings and compelling characters make Critical IF the game-changers of the interactive fiction genre.

A classic choose-your-own style adventure from the golden ages of gamebooks - back in print at last! Beyond the hills and haunted swamps towards the sunset lies the grim castle of the arch-fiend Slank. For centuries this demon has plundered the souls of mortal men, gathering them to his terrible abode to dwell in eternal torment. Now the secret magic that can destroy Slank is known at last. You agree to undertake this perilous adventure. But can you rid the world of the demon's dark shadow, or are you merely destined to become his latest victim? This is fantasy adventure with a difference: you are the hero. A pencil, an eraser, and two dice are all you need to embark on your quest. Success and glory-or failure and sudden death-depend on the decisions you make.

Set out on a journey of unlimited adventure FABLED LANDS is an epic interactive gamebook series with the scope of a massively multiplayer game world. You can choose to be an explorer, merchant, priest, scholar or soldier of fortune. You can buy a ship or a townhouse, join a temple, undertake desperate adventures in the wilderness or embroil yourself in court intrigues and the sudden violence of city backstreets. You can undertake missions that will earn you allies and enemies, or you can remain a free agent. With thousands of numbered sections to explore, the choices are all yours. At the Court of Hidden Faces, no one is who they seem. The sinister lords of the Uttakin go masked to hide their treachery. The secret police of the god Ebron kill those who flout their fanatical codes. In this tyrannical realm of betrayal and assassination, life is cheap. But rich rewards await the adventurer courageous enough to penetrate this hostile land. Will you uncover the secrets of the High King's citadel, where no mortal has trod for ten generations? Or wrest the holy sword from the crypt of Kizil Irmak, the Harbinger of War? Or find the key that unlocks the greatest secret of all - the means to open the gate of Time and travel back into the past? Your fate is in your own hands. You choose your skills, your goals, where you will venture and what you will do. The only limit is your imagination. The choices are all yours. And success will give you the powers to venture ever deeper into the amazing role-playing world that is Fabled Lands.

A choose-your-own-adventure style gamebook that gives the reader a choice of different quests and adventures. The book is open-ended and provides an almost unlimited number of plot lines. You can be a warrior, explorer, priest, wizard, thief or bard. The books in the series are inter-connected, allowing you to travel all across the Fabled Lands. In this volume you get to sail over the oceans, experiencing fantastic adventures to rival those of Odysseus, Jason and Sinbad.

A choose-your-own-adventure style gamebook that gives the reader a choice of different quests and adventures. The book is open-ended and provides an almost unlimited number of plot lines. You can be a warrior, explorer, priest, wizard, thief or bard. The books in the series are inter-connected, allowing you to travel all across the Fabled Lands. In this second volume of the series, you adventure in a land of faerie magic, folklore and bucolic whimsy.

Machinima is a wholly new way of making movies. Based on technology originally developed for computer games, machinima movies are created on virtual sets using virtual characters and "filmed" within the real-time 3D graphics engines of games such as Quake, Halo, and Half-Life. This means that any aspiring filmmaker with a home PC can create movies in real time, without having to animate them painstakingly, frame by frame. With the right know-how, it's easy to customize existing sets or build new ones, and to create new characters, plug them in, and control their actions and behavior. And when you're ready to shoot, it's possible to experiment with an infinite number of takes-trying out various scenes, different dialog, acting styles, edits, and camera angles-and preview the effect instantaneously. It's this power and flexibility that has drawn leading Hollywood and TV production companies to the new technology; machinima techniques have been used to visualize and help create scenes in such movie franchises as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.

This book offers an in-depth look at the stunning virtual worlds being created by today's leading computer game artists. Subjects range from the purely imaginative vistas of the wildest fantasy and science fiction to the meticulously recreated landscapes and cites of real-world games. Interviews with the artists and game creators give insights into these fabulous worlds, while concept and production artwork reveals masterful details that may go unnoticed in the frantic pace of playing a game.

"A storm damages the track of a monorail with Jeff and Tin-Tin on board. As Brains tries desperately to halt the train, Scott and Virgil launch Thunderbirds 1 and 2 and speed to the danger zone. But can they get there in time?"--Publisher's description.

Dans les cryptes et les labyrinthes d'un inquiétant manoir abandonné se terre le Baron Ténébron, un ignoble Vampire, gardé par ses créatures de la nuit et des aventuriers aussi téméraires que vous qu'il a soumis à sa volonté diabolique. En dépit des terribles dangers qui guettent chacun de vos pas, vous n'avez qu'un but : anéantir le Baron Vampire. Mais, pour cela, il vous faut découvrir son tombeau. Et le chemin qui y mène n'est pas de tout repos... Deux dés, un crayon et une gomme sont les seuls accessoires dont vous aurez besoin pour vivre cette aventure. VOUS seul déciderez de la route à suivre, des risques à courir et des créatures à combattre. Bonne chance...

Choose your role and play this fantasy game. B/W illus. 9-5 yrs.