*OP Monte Cooks The Years Best d20(2004) (Sword & Sorcery) [Paperback]

Monte Cook (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (August 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588467988
• ISBN-13: 978-1588467980
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,998,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The game designer
Monte Cook started working professionally in the game industry in 1988. In the employ of Iron Crown Enterprises, he worked with the Rolemaster and Champions games as an editor, developer, and designer. In 1994, Monte came to TSR, Inc., as a game designer and wrote for the Planescape and core D&D lines. When that company was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, he moved to the Seattle area and eventually became a senior game designer. At Wizards, he wrote the 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide and served as codesigner of the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game. In 2001, he left Wizards to start his own design studio, Malhavoc Press, with his wife Sue. Although in his career he has worked on over 100 game titles, some of his other credits include Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, The Book of Eldritch Might series, the d20 Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, The Book of Vile Darkness, Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, Ptolus, Monte Cook's World of Darkness, and Dungeonaday.com. He was a longtime author of the Dungeoncraft column in Dungeon Magazine. In recent years, Monte has been recognized many times by game fans in the ENnies Awards, the Pen & Paper fan awards, the Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award, the Origins Awards, and more.

The author
A graduate of the 1999 Clarion West writer's workshop, Monte has published two novels, The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels. Also, he has published the short stories "Born in Secrets" (in the magazine Amazing Stories), "The Rose Window" (in the anthology Realms of Mystery), and "A Narrowed Gaze" (in the anthology Realms of the Arcane). His stories have appeared in the Malhavoc Press anthologies Children of the Rune and The Dragons' Return, and his comic book writing can be found in the Ptolus: City by the Spire series from DBPro/Marvel. His fantasy fiction series, "Saga of the Blade," appeared in Game Trade Magazine from 2005-2006.

The geek
In his spare time, Monte runs games, plays with his dog, watches DVDs, builds vast dioramas out of LEGO building bricks, paints miniatures, and reads a lot of comics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for D20 gamers on a budget, November 28, 2005

By 

Aaron "Pop Culture Savant" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: *OP Monte Cooks The Years Best d20(2004) (Sword & Sorcery) (Paperback)

In the end, your need for The Year's Best D20 depends on how many D20 books you were able to purchase during the previous year. If your gaming budget is unlimited, then the chances are pretty good that you own most of the concepts within this book already. If that is the case then there isn't really a need for this book. However, if you are like me and the majority of the gaming world, The Year's Best D20 is a great addition. Think of it as a greatest hits album from a band that you only like one song per CD on. Intended or not, another benefit of The Year's Best D20 is that it will expose you to game designers and companies that you may have passed on due to their subject matter or lack of marketing. I for one will find me a copy of Love and War by Atlas Games and Libem Liborium: D20 Guide to D20 Books by Silven Publishing as soon as possible. So can I recommend The Year's Best D20?

Most definitely, if you don't own a majority of the material presented within, and even if you do, well, it will be nice to have your favorite concepts from those books collected in one volume at your next gaming session. The Year's BestD20 is a fine addition to the D20 culture and I am looking forward to the 2005 edition.

Oh, and before I get more anonymous emails from people complaining about author credit... Yes, a ton of credit is given, far more then you would find in most traditional anthology books.

I give The Year's Best D20 - 2004 4 out of 5 Critical Hits.

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply one of the best D20 products ever, December 12, 2006

By 

Beau Yarbrough (Hesperia, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: *OP Monte Cooks The Years Best d20(2004) (Sword & Sorcery) (Paperback)

The only negative comment I can make about this compilation of great 2004 D20 products is that it's not the first in a series, but the only Year's Best D20 we're likely to ever see.

The book includes a core class, superlative prestige classes, great monsters and spells and pretty good magic items and feats.

Unlike most D20 books, where I'll use a small percentage at best (this is particularly true of books of monsters), I can see using everything in this book (except possibly the yogi class, simply due to the flavor of it not fitting with my games) sooner rather than later.

A must-buy for D&D fans.