Book Review: Battle Gaming: The New American Sport

"I will be recommending this book to all my realm mates and battle gaming friends. I expect it will end up in my practice bag so I can show it off."

     Shortly after I launched Pro Foam Fighter I was contacted by David Graham asking if I was interested in reviewing his recently published book 'Battle Gaming: The New American Sport'. I was pretty excited. I have never been asked to review anything for a blog before so naturally I (as enthusiastically as e-mail allows) said "yes." I had followed this book’s progress casually from time to time over the past few years. I am a strong believer that the more products, books, blogs and movies there are for the public to find the better it is for growing our beloved game. I am ashamed to say that I had intended to show my support for the book by asking for the book as birthday gift from my family but it had fallen off my radar screen until Dave contacted me, asking if I would review it (at which point he offered it for free, and how can I pass up an offer like that!?!).

Author David Graham
goes by the fighting name
of Seldon. 

     When I received the book in the mail I was surprised at how thick it was. The book is a good 226 pages and the cover measures 8”x10". The book is also full of really nice diagrams and photos (courtesy Julieanna Davis & Amy Hutcheson). I found that Dave wrote in a very personable manor, and he has lots of great little stories to share that keep things interesting.
     Rather than starting with an existing rule system, explaining it and comparing it to the other systems, David has created a system he calls, “The Warriors Code.”  The idea is to start from a neutral base rule set. A player can then easily step in and quickly understand the existing rule sets of the many different Battle Gaming organizations. In a way it is like trying to invent a common ancestor that works as if all the currently existing rule sets came from it, rather than it from them. To be honest, I found this a bit confusing. I have only ever really known my local group’s rules and even those can be confusing at times. I expect however that for a new player who is not already entrenched in a particular rule set's way of thinking it might just help them sort things out. He presents the system in detail in the last few chapters of the book and breaks it all down in a way that makes it easy to digest if you are up to learning it.
     I wish I had had this book when I was first starting in to Foam Fighting. Like most n00bs I was eager to consume everything I could find on the subject of foam fighting and I would have devoured this book. It is a complete beginner’s guide answering all the most common questions, and helping create a foundational understanding of the game. Chapter 5 has a photo tutorial on how to make a sword, complete with materials lists and where to get the materials. Chapter 4 has lots of game/scenario ideas, and another section introduces basic tactics and fighting moves.

An example of what the inside looks like.

     Large portions of the book cover the basic history of foam fighting/battle gaming in America starting with Brian Wiese (who also has written the forward for the book!) through to the diverse variety of organizations we have today. This could be a touchy subject, but I believe Dave did a wonderful job at giving a balanced and fair perspective. From there he described all the major organizations, what they are like and their uniquenesses and differences. I found this particularly useful, as my isolated location has not allowed me the opportunity to explore the other game systems out there and I frequently find myself communicating with people from these systems online.
     There are some formatting type errors throughout the book. However I received one of the last copies of the original printing run and Dave assured me that they have been fixed for anyone who gets a new copy. Honestly though, the errors are minor and worth overlooking, because of the content of the book is very enjoyable.

Conclusion:
     I will be recommending this book to all my realm mates and battle gaming friends. I expect it will end up in my practice bag so I can show it off. A new player may want to read every page, but for most of us the book works well if you just read what catches your eye, and skip what doesn't. It would make a great coffee table book that can start conversations about your hobby. The book would make make a good gift not only for the new player but for the veteran as well. It is the only book on foam fighting I know of, and that alone makes it worthy of note.

Book Cover

     You can buy the book on Amazon, but I will make a shameless plea here. If you would kindly consider purchasing the book through the Pro Foam Fighter Store that would be delicious as Amazon then gives me a small (5%) fee that can help me promote this site.

Official book web site: http://www.liveactionbattlegaming.com/

P.S. I found Dave's 'Battle Gaming Book' page on FaceBook yesterday. It is in serious need of some fans (it had 7 'likes' when I found it).  Maybe you could find it in your heart to show some support by liking it? Battle GamingPage on FaceBook