Baen Books ebook store has always been a good and hassle free place to pick up ebooks for my Kindle and iPad.
They have the complete collection of Lieber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouster series for $6 each or $35 for the whole set.
Also they have the original Paksenarrion books by Elisabeth Moon. One of the best novels about a D&Dish world to date. The author thinks about the underlying reasons for why things are in her world and relates to the characters personal lives. It makes a for a great read.
You can read the first book Sheepfarmer's Daughter for free. Note that she is currently writing a sequel series to the original Paksenarrion books. Interestingly they are not about Paksenarrion but rather about the impact her action had on the people around her.
Showing posts with label Kindle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kindle. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Fighting Fantasy Classics on the Kindle
Over on Hack-n-Slash C mentions that you can get the classic Fighting Fantasy books for the Kindle. Not only it been released for the Kindle it is also active content! So I bought Warlock of Firetop Mountain for $4.
This is the first time with Fighting Fantasy for me although I had other similar books back in the say. I got to say it is pretty damn good both the book itself and the active content that surrounds it. It rolls dice for you, manages saves, character sheet, and shows a map when needed. It is a lot of fun. Best of all it appears to have the original illustrations!
I agree with C this is what the Kindle was born for.
This is the first time with Fighting Fantasy for me although I had other similar books back in the say. I got to say it is pretty damn good both the book itself and the active content that surrounds it. It rolls dice for you, manages saves, character sheet, and shows a map when needed. It is a lot of fun. Best of all it appears to have the original illustrations!
I agree with C this is what the Kindle was born for.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Arggh! Technology Advances
Just after I was wowed by the iPad, Amazon comes out with a better and cheaper DX.
You can read about it here.
It will be a couple of months before I can save enough to buy either one so I guess I will see where things stand then.
One thing I forgot is that there is a iPad app for reading your Kindle Books so I won't lose anything by switching. In fact if it anything like my Kindle for the PC the books illos will automatically be of better quality.
You can read about it here.
It will be a couple of months before I can save enough to buy either one so I guess I will see where things stand then.
One thing I forgot is that there is a iPad app for reading your Kindle Books so I won't lose anything by switching. In fact if it anything like my Kindle for the PC the books illos will automatically be of better quality.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
iPad, Kindle, and Gaming
No I didn't buy one (yet). But I got to play with one extensively yesterday with the wireless turned on.
The short of it it is amazing. Particularly for multimedia content, pictures, pdfs, and movies. As a computer it is so-so Apple (and Jobs) are too obsessed with created a walled garden for the iPad be outstanding as a computer. But with the multimedia stuff the future is now.
I was able to open up full color PDFs and effortlessly read them zoom in an out at will. Even with the full page filling the screen it was readable for the most part. Images were great, I was able to open up some of my maps and be able zoom in and scroll around in full glorious color. The Safari web browser was pretty good. I liked how it handled multiple web pages. You can hit a icon on the top and a screen opens with multiple pages that you viewed. You can create a new slot and fill it with a page or just touch one of the other pages and immediately go to it. Very nice indeed.
With the right applications the iPad can be a killer device for gaming. The key is to use the touch interface to have multiple stuff loaded and be able to switch effortlessly between them.
Like the Kindle in the beginning the price is too high to be of general use but it will drop. When it get under $200 I predict it will start picking up steam.
I also got a look at the Kindle 2 last week and it is improved over the first version I have. The increased number of grays it can display really helps. Plus it can show PDFs natively and has the ability to switch orientation when you rotate the display. Plus certainly the price is way better now with it being at $189. Barnes & Noble Nook is even lower at $149.
All of this happening a little faster than I thought instead of 10 years I will go with the prediction that within 5 years we will see devices that will make a major change in how we buy and consume gaming products. For example for D&D 4e fans imagine a setup that now only has your three books loaded but also had the entirely of DDI loaded as well. And it displays like a regular character sheet.
The short of it it is amazing. Particularly for multimedia content, pictures, pdfs, and movies. As a computer it is so-so Apple (and Jobs) are too obsessed with created a walled garden for the iPad be outstanding as a computer. But with the multimedia stuff the future is now.
I was able to open up full color PDFs and effortlessly read them zoom in an out at will. Even with the full page filling the screen it was readable for the most part. Images were great, I was able to open up some of my maps and be able zoom in and scroll around in full glorious color. The Safari web browser was pretty good. I liked how it handled multiple web pages. You can hit a icon on the top and a screen opens with multiple pages that you viewed. You can create a new slot and fill it with a page or just touch one of the other pages and immediately go to it. Very nice indeed.
With the right applications the iPad can be a killer device for gaming. The key is to use the touch interface to have multiple stuff loaded and be able to switch effortlessly between them.
Like the Kindle in the beginning the price is too high to be of general use but it will drop. When it get under $200 I predict it will start picking up steam.
I also got a look at the Kindle 2 last week and it is improved over the first version I have. The increased number of grays it can display really helps. Plus it can show PDFs natively and has the ability to switch orientation when you rotate the display. Plus certainly the price is way better now with it being at $189. Barnes & Noble Nook is even lower at $149.
All of this happening a little faster than I thought instead of 10 years I will go with the prediction that within 5 years we will see devices that will make a major change in how we buy and consume gaming products. For example for D&D 4e fans imagine a setup that now only has your three books loaded but also had the entirely of DDI loaded as well. And it displays like a regular character sheet.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Kindle to get active content.
Active content is a fancy way of saying that the Kindle will be able to run applications. Amazon has announced that in about a month it will release the Kindle Development Kit. There are a few restrictions mainly related to app size and the amount of traffic it will use on the Kindle's built-in wireless system.
Where I see this being useful is for interactive rule books and aids. Most of the aids needed at the RPG table are not that demanding in terms of graphics so the low refresh and greyscale only limitations of the eInk screens that the Kindle uses shouldn't be a limitation.
One compelling feature of this setup is long battery life of a Kindle especially if you don't have the wireless turned on. It book like form factor perhaps makes it a tad easier to use then a netbook or a laptop. The screen is way larger than a cellphone so that should work in it's favor over a iPhone or similar tech. Also it will be interesting to see how works with the instant-on feature of Kindle. Basically when you shut off the kindle and turn it back on you are back at where were last reading.
I may try to do something with this in between writing projects.
Where I see this being useful is for interactive rule books and aids. Most of the aids needed at the RPG table are not that demanding in terms of graphics so the low refresh and greyscale only limitations of the eInk screens that the Kindle uses shouldn't be a limitation.
One compelling feature of this setup is long battery life of a Kindle especially if you don't have the wireless turned on. It book like form factor perhaps makes it a tad easier to use then a netbook or a laptop. The screen is way larger than a cellphone so that should work in it's favor over a iPhone or similar tech. Also it will be interesting to see how works with the instant-on feature of Kindle. Basically when you shut off the kindle and turn it back on you are back at where were last reading.
I may try to do something with this in between writing projects.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Future of RPGs? One more piece fell into place
Today Amazon is announcing the release of the Kindle DX for this summer. Unlike the Kindle and Kindle 2 it is designed with full page 8.5 by 11 PDFs in mind. You can read about it here. When I got wind of it two days ago I was talking about it with my wife, Kelly Anne. The first words out of her mouth, "So when are you saving up for it." She know I am a huge fan of my Kindle. Yesterday a co-worker teased be as for the first time in a couple of month I was reading a real book.
Anyway I told her well I will be tempted if it is under $500. I was expecting it come in somewhere between $500 and $700 based. These devices are driven by the cost of the e-ink screens. They come from one manufacturer who is still low on the economy of scale curve.
And then came the formal announcement. $489.
I am doomed.
Despite my enthusiasm for the Kindle it is still no iPod ... yet. The Kindle DX is an important milepost to what will be the future of RPGs. This device will leap the barrier between paper and electronic PDFs.
Yes there will always be book only readers just like there are people who play acoustic instruments vs electronic instruments. However for the average person a device like the Kindle DX will be gold.
There are two remaining hurdles to overcome; color and price. The reason why the Kindle is no iPod is because the price is too high for the average user and just barely in reach for a middle class technology geek like me. When the small version drops below $200, and the large version under $300 I foresee wide scale adoption on the scale of the iPod. Adding color will seal the deal.
When I get my Kindle DX, this summer there will be no difference for me between using a PDF product or the paper version. Like using a virtual tabletop for gaming there are tradeoffs. I will be giving up the ability to have multiple books open. However I gain the ability to put custom bookmarks and notes as well as the ability carry dozens of PDF on a single device.
My current Kindle library is already approaching ludicrous levels between the various books I purchased my subscriptions, converted PDFs, and free e-books I downloaded.
After a year of using my Kindle I say I now read about twice as much as before. I can't begin to say how convenient it is especially compared to paperbacks. The ability to adjust text and lay flat while I am eating is just pure gold.
Eventually these device will be extended to allow application to be run. I fully expect that the tabletop of 2020 will be a bunch of people gathering around a Surface computer with a spiritual descendant of the Kindle displaying a character sheet with hotlinks to specific rules. The Surface will be using icon tokens or RFID encoded minatures linked back to the "Kindle".
For intenet the same device would interface through Bluetooth or wireless USB and worth through a Virtual Table Top sporting 3D maps as well as the 2D variety.
These "Kindles" won't be manfactured as we understand it now. Instead they will be "printed" and then encased in a protective covering and be as flexible a stiff piece of paper. Along the sides will be thin bars housing the electronics along with wireless and ports. You will be able to plug these into a docking port that has full size peripherals like keyboard and mouse attached to it and function as your regular computer.
Welcome to the future.
Anyway I told her well I will be tempted if it is under $500. I was expecting it come in somewhere between $500 and $700 based. These devices are driven by the cost of the e-ink screens. They come from one manufacturer who is still low on the economy of scale curve.
And then came the formal announcement. $489.
I am doomed.
Despite my enthusiasm for the Kindle it is still no iPod ... yet. The Kindle DX is an important milepost to what will be the future of RPGs. This device will leap the barrier between paper and electronic PDFs.
Yes there will always be book only readers just like there are people who play acoustic instruments vs electronic instruments. However for the average person a device like the Kindle DX will be gold.
There are two remaining hurdles to overcome; color and price. The reason why the Kindle is no iPod is because the price is too high for the average user and just barely in reach for a middle class technology geek like me. When the small version drops below $200, and the large version under $300 I foresee wide scale adoption on the scale of the iPod. Adding color will seal the deal.
When I get my Kindle DX, this summer there will be no difference for me between using a PDF product or the paper version. Like using a virtual tabletop for gaming there are tradeoffs. I will be giving up the ability to have multiple books open. However I gain the ability to put custom bookmarks and notes as well as the ability carry dozens of PDF on a single device.
My current Kindle library is already approaching ludicrous levels between the various books I purchased my subscriptions, converted PDFs, and free e-books I downloaded.
After a year of using my Kindle I say I now read about twice as much as before. I can't begin to say how convenient it is especially compared to paperbacks. The ability to adjust text and lay flat while I am eating is just pure gold.
Eventually these device will be extended to allow application to be run. I fully expect that the tabletop of 2020 will be a bunch of people gathering around a Surface computer with a spiritual descendant of the Kindle displaying a character sheet with hotlinks to specific rules. The Surface will be using icon tokens or RFID encoded minatures linked back to the "Kindle".
For intenet the same device would interface through Bluetooth or wireless USB and worth through a Virtual Table Top sporting 3D maps as well as the 2D variety.
These "Kindles" won't be manfactured as we understand it now. Instead they will be "printed" and then encased in a protective covering and be as flexible a stiff piece of paper. Along the sides will be thin bars housing the electronics along with wireless and ports. You will be able to plug these into a docking port that has full size peripherals like keyboard and mouse attached to it and function as your regular computer.
Welcome to the future.
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