Got Questions About RPG Design?

Wolfgang Baur, Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, Mike Stackpole, and other industry veterans have the answers you asked for…and the advice you need!

The Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design offers 240 pages of in-depth essays on what makes RPGs tick. Get time-tested advice from the top designers in the industry. This compilation includes all three volumes of our Kobold Guide to Game Design series—now with all-new material by Wolfgang Baur, Mike Stackpole, and others!

From core rules and magic systems to fantasy adventures, monster design, playtesting, and much more, these 40 essays cover every aspect of RPG design in clear, accessible language, to show you what it takes.

When asked about this compilation, Wolfgang said, “Sometimes the principles of game design are obvious in hindsight. Here’s 40 clear, concise bits of practical advice from game designers who don’t just talk, they deliver.”

Take a look at some review comments from the various guides:

John Baichtal from GeekDad at Wired.com about The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume I: “A must-read for any aspiring (game) writer, The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Part 1: Adventures is the first of what looks to be a fantastic series.”

The Chatty DM from Critical Hits about the “How to Playtest” chapter in The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume II: “In just 4 short pages, Wolfgang Baur manages to touch all the bases of playtesying without getting lost in details and examples.   I found the chapter to be enlightning as I learned a few things I had never thought of doing in my previous playtesting.”

Martin Ralya from Gnome Stew about The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: “If you’re interested in game design, whether as a dabbler, a Forge-style indie designer, someone trying to break into the mainstream RPG industry, or for other reasons, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s a good book — and on top of that, it’s also a good book for a reason entirely unrelated to its title or primary focus: It’s got a lot to say about good GMing.”

You can also take a look at some more in-depth reviews that we collected here on the Kobold Quarterly site:

The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume I

The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume II

The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III

Pick up a copy of the Complete KOBOLD Guide to Game Design today, and starting designing your RPG tonight! You can order it in PDF or in softcover and PDF right now.