It's time once again for my handy guide to buying gifts for gamers! Where other gift guides may try to convince you that she really wants diamond earrings, and he really wants another cordless power screwdriver, my guide assures you that she wants a velvet dice bag, and he really does need more d6s. In an effort to keep things from getting stale, this year I'd like to break the column down by gaming system. If you don't know what game your favorite geek plays, it's pretty simple to find out. Just mention off-hand "Hey, you play D&D, right?" You'll likely get one of two answers: "Yeah! Have I told you about my level 14 barbarian yet?" or "No! Believe it or not, there ARE games other than D&D. My group is currently in a Shadowrun campaign, and next we're going to play Changeling." Those answers will guide you down the proper gift-buying path. Let's get it started, shall we? Dungeons and Dragons We'll begin here, because it's what people think of when someone mentions fantasy roleplaying. D&D is, after all, your basic fantasy, dungeon-crawling, hacking-and-slashing, spell-slinging, dragon-slaying game. Dice: Dungeons and Dragons makes use of dice of various denominations. Your average game store will have pre-packaged sets containing at least one of all the most common d#s, often in very attractive colors and finishes. You may even be able to find dice decorated with dragons, knotwork, runes, or Elvish writing. Books: D&D players are often pretty big fantasy buffs. Look for books of artwork by famous fantasy illustrators, books about dragons, books with diagrams of castles, and books about medieval weapons. Other games: Munchkin is a parody of the cheesiest elements of dungeon-crawling D&D games. As such, it makes the perfect gift for a D&D player. The new release of the classic board game Talisman may also prove a good choice. Etc: With 4th Edition coming out soon, you can give your D&D playing friend the gift of yourself... helping them carry all of their 3.5 Edition sourcebooks to the used bookstore. World of Darkness This is another large, popular gaming system, the one which allows people to play vampires, werewolves, and more in a modern-day setting. World of Darkness tends to be a very polarizing game, as people either love it or think it's the refuge of whiny emo/goth kids. Before you buy any gifts related to this game, make sure that your geek actually plays in this system! Dice: World of Darkness uses 10-sided dice. They have special sets of dice designed for each of their games, but your gaming store will also carry generic sets... or you can pick and choose color-coordinated groups from the loose dice section. Books: If you know where the game is taking place, you can look for books that focus on weird places or paranormal happenings in that area, or even maps and guidebooks for extra realism. Other games: Munchkin Bites is a parody of the World of Darkness system, and can make a good gift for players with a sense of humor. Goth-themed card games may also prove a good choice. Etc: It's kind of hard to say, as it depends on whether your geek is a Goth-y WoD player or someone who just likes biting necks. Maybe you can just give them a gift card to Starbucks. Rifts This is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy game with an insane amount of variety. It's not too uncommon to have a game with a cyborg, a telepath, and a baby dragon, working as bounty hunters in the slums outside of what was once Chicago. It's that kind of game. Dice: Rifts uses polyhedral dice. Definitely d20s, d10s, and d6s, but you never know when you might need some 4s or 8s or 12s. If you can find one of those places where you can buy a scoop of mixed dice, go for that. Books: Largely dependant on what your geek is playing. When I was playing a Russian Fire Sorceress, I would have liked a good book on Russian folklore. For my Japanese monk, a book on herbalism would be good. Other players might prefer books on robots, dragons, martial arts, military history... it's hard to say. Other games: I've got nothing. Rifts is kind of in a class by itself. Etc: Have you seen how many sourcebooks that game has? Buy your geek some extra-sturdy bookshelves. Legend of the Five Rings This game, called L5R for short, is a samurai fantasy game. Not as widely played as some, but those who do play it tend to get really into it. You can count me in that number. Dice: L5R uses 10-sided dice. Technically you never need more than 10, but sometimes they might roll badly and you want to switch new ones in, and sometimes other people don't bring their dice and you have to share. Books: The Book of Five Rings, or other reprints of classic Japanese works. Illustrated books of samurai clothing, armor, and weapons are also good choices, as are books on Japanese legends and folklore. Other Games: L5R is based on a Collectible Card Game by the same name, but CCGs are evil, so I'm not recommending that. You can always go with Samurai Warriors, the video game in which famous samurai wear ridiculous costumes and run around beating people up. Etc: The classic samurai films from the 1960s serve as great inspiration for L5R. I'm personally fond of the Criterion Collection DVDs, which have crisp prints and well-translated subtitles. Shadowrun Shadowrun is a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk game with some elements of fantasy. I've only played it once, so I'm no expert. My suggestions are only based on what I've heard from more experienced friends. Please take them with a grain of salt. Dice: Shadowrun uses a lot of d6s. Same dice companies sell cubes of large numbers of d6s. This is possibly the best gift ever for a Shadowrun player, or so I've been told. Books: Try novels by popular cyberpunk authors, assuming your geek hasn't already read them. Other games: There's a Shadowrun video game which came out this year or last. Reviews were mixed. You may wish to avoid it and instead look for a cyberpunk or post-apocalyptic board or card game. Etc: A nice, strong leather bag to hold all those d6s. Call of Cthulhu This is the roleplaying game based on the writings of HP Lovecraft and others who were inspired by his mythos. It's all about investigating eldritch things and probably losing your sanity in the process. Dice: I honestly can't remember. D10s and d6s, I think. Unless you're playing the d20 version, in which case, see the Dice section under D&D. Books: Any Call of Cthulhu player worth their salt has probably already read most of Lovecraft's work, and possibly the work of his contemporaries. You may instead want to pick up one of the anthologies of modern work inspired by his mythos (I'm personally fond of Shadows over Baker Street, the Mythos-meets-Sherlock-Holmes collection, and I personally found that Children of Cthulhu kind of sucked), or any of the numerous so-called Necronomicons. Other games: Munchkin Cthulhu is an obvious suggestion. There's also Arkham Horror, which is like a Call of Cthulhu campaign turned into a board game. Etc: Cthulhu related memorabilia is increasingly common these days. I recommend that you seek out the good folks at the HP Lovecraft Historical Society. Their Scary Solstice CDs are the perfect gift, especially if you give them before the holidays are over. Scion This game just came out in 2007, so I'm not sure how popular it is. However, if you've been reading my recent columns, you know that I think that playing the child of a god in the modern world is pretty darned awesome. Scion is made by White Wolf, the same company that brings you World of Darkness, and has many similarities, but some differences as well. Thus, it merits its own section. Dice: Scion uses d10s, and as your geek's character grows more powerful, they will need more d10s. Buy 'em in bulk if you can! Books: Mythology and ancient epics. Also, the novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Scion is to American Gods as Vampire: The Masquerade is to Interview With A Vampire. There's an analogy you won't see on your SAT! Other games: What other game lets you play the child of a GOD? I'm sure that if there is such a game, it was made by Cheapass Games, so you might want to check them out. Etc: If you know your geek's preferred pantheon, look for gifts themed around that. Bonus points if you can get something related to their specific deific parent. EarthDawn Saving the best for last! Oh yeah! EarthDawn remains my favorite game ever, no matter how much I enjoy L5R and Scion. It's a fantasy game that takes place deep in Earth's prehistory (supposedly). The complex backstory, rich world, and fascinating NPCs really make this game a treat just to read about. The variety of races and classes make it a joy to play. Dice: EarthDawn uses a wide variety of polyhedral dice. If a pre-packaged set is appropriate for D&D play, it can be used for EarthDawn, too. However, it really helps to have duplicates of everything, so you may want to buy 2 sets just to be safe! Books: Nothing quite captures the feel of EarthDawn, though there are some old novels based on the game. I'm not much of a gaming-novel fan, but your geek may be. Internet retailer Stiggybaby carries those books, and other sources may as well. Other games: There are no other games, only EarthDawn! Etc: Chocolate and/or alcohol to drown their sorrow that Living Room Games hasn't released any new EarthDawn products in years, despite promising that "Deadly Goods" is coming soon. Alternately, good tribal music provides a great atmosphere for an EarthDawn game. I personally like Dead Can Dance and Burnt Earth Ensemble, among others. Well, that's about all the games that I can touch on for now. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

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Copyright © 2007 By AJ Reardon E-mail AJ at: ErtheFae@aol.com Visit AJ at: www.erthefae.com