{"title":"Greg Costikyan","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the mind of Greg Costikyan, a visionary game designer and author. Explore his thought-provoking works blending strategy, science fiction, and insightful social commentary. Perfect for gamers and thinkers alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"another-day-another-dungeon-book-greg-costikyan-9780812501407","title":"Another Day, Another Dungeon","description":"China is an amazing country, a place that needs time and complete immersion to be able to understand. I took a job as a tour leader and instantly I was out of my depth. I experienced places and situations that I could never have been prepared for and all with a group of paying tourists who were looking to me for guidance. However, it was not long before I saw that the people who had saved up for their holiday of a life time were far less prepared than I was. Over the first season I visited many parts of the vast country, sampling the culture and learning much about what China is. I had some sticky situations and a lot of laughs with friends that I will keep forever. Would you let me be your tour guide?","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49569218855185,"sku":"GOR012178259","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":49902571094289,"sku":"CIN0812501403A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53247296766225,"sku":"CIN0812501403VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0812501403.jpg?v=1751395963"},{"product_id":"magic-of-the-plains-book-greg-costikyan-9780812522686","title":"Magic of the Plains","description":"Nijon is a young barbian on his manhood quest. He encounters treachery and magic, is banished by his tribe, learns the evil ways of the city-dwellers, battles a dragon, outwits a sorcerer, and is betrothed to a beautiful princess, all in the service of his father's prophecy.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49622741123345,"sku":"GOR013722240","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51463321223441,"sku":"GOR009604310","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0812522680.jpg?v=1751201144"},{"product_id":"uncertainty-in-games-book-greg-costikyan-9780262018968","title":"Uncertainty in Games","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow uncertainty in games--from \u003ci\u003eSuper Mario Bros.\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eRock\/Paper\/Scissors\u003c\/i\u003e--engages players and shapes play experiences. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn life, uncertainty surrounds us. Things that we thought were good for us turn out to be bad for us (and vice versa); people we thought we knew well behave in mysterious ways; the stock market takes a nosedive. Thanks to an inexplicable optimism, most of the time we are fairly cheerful about it all. But we do devote much effort to managing and ameliorating uncertainty. Is it any wonder, then, asks Greg Costikyan, that we have taken this aspect of our lives and transformed it culturally, making a series of elaborate constructs that subject us to uncertainty but in a fictive and nonthreatening way? That is: we create games.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this concise and entertaining book, Costikyan, an award-winning game designer, argues that games require uncertainty to hold our interest, and that the struggle to master uncertainty is central to their appeal. Game designers, he suggests, can harness the idea of uncertainty to guide their work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCostikyan explores the many sources of uncertainty in many sorts of games--from Super Mario Bros. to \u003ci\u003eRock\/Paper\/Scissors\u003c\/i\u003e, from \u003ci\u003eMonopoly\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eCityVille\u003c\/i\u003e, from FPS Deathmatch play to \u003ci\u003eChess\u003c\/i\u003e. He describes types of uncertainty, including performative uncertainty, analytic complexity, and narrative anticipation. 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Drive by desperation and the knowledge that a scorcerer had led the journey which would prove but he first step on the road to the fulfillment of her destiny.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ LIKE_NEW \/ SBYB","offer_id":50074679214353,"sku":"CIN0312854897LN","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50406488408337,"sku":"CIN0312854897VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52774111084817,"sku":"CIN0312854897G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0312854897.jpg?v=1751005528"},{"product_id":"cups-and-sorcery-02-book-greg-costikyan-9780812522693","title":"Cups and Sorcery #02","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50465151156497,"sku":"GOR013779672","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51165166240017,"sku":"CIN0812522699G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0812522699.jpg?v=1750882295"},{"product_id":"first-contract-book-greg-costikyan-9780312873967","title":"First Contract","description":"Johnson Mukerjii is a happy man; he's the CEO of a successful high-tech company about to unveil a better technology. 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