Gnome Stew’s latest book, Phil Vecchione’s Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep, is now available for preorder:

If you preorder, you’ll be able to download the PDF version immediately — weeks before the book is available for purchase anywhere else. And of course you’ll receive a print copy as well, shipped to your door as soon as we receive the first print run from our printer.

Preorders will close June 29th, and copies of Never Unprepared will ship out in July. Exactly when they ship depends on how quickly they come back from our printer (and see below regarding GenCon).

Want 20% off?

You can also get 20% off your preorder by bundling Never Unprepared with both of our other books (Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots and Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs). Just scroll down in the store to see the bundle. (If you go this route, no books will ship until Never Unprepared is available.)

Read reviews and check out a 16-page preview

We believe in giving folks what they need to decide if our books are right for them, and that means a preview and reviews. You can download a free 16-page PDF sample from Never Unprepared to check out the table of contents and portions of several sections of the book.

If you want to hear what other GMs think about the book, you can read these early reviews (and many thanks to everyone who reviewed the prerelease version of the book!):

  • Stargazer’s World review — “You may think that you already know everything there is to know about prep, but trust me reading someone else’s words on the matter can give you a new perspective on things.
  • Tenkar’s Tavern review — “How are the tools that are presented to you? Excellent. You probably don’t need to use all of the methods presented, and you will certainly be adjusting and tweaking what is presented to conform to your style of creativity and game mastering needs, but the tools and techniques are extremely useful.
  • Stuffer Shack review — “As far as putting the book to the test, I’m confident that it passed. I am fully ready for our next session, and look forward to preparing future sessions. I seriously doubt there will be any more procrastinating or flying by the seat of my pants, because I feel that I now have the tools to prepare correctly, confidently, and to full effect.
  • RoleplayDNA review — “Gnome Stew has hit another home run for the Game Master. Never Unprepared has earned a permanent place in my GM toolbox, right along side the likes of Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering, Hamlet’s Hit Points, Play Dirty, Eureka, and Masks. Highly recommended.
  • Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer review — “Never Unprepared is a definite must-have for any GM. New GMs can learn a lot from this book, picking up the good habits that will serve them well into their latter years of GMing. I would go as far as to put it on the same level as Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering in terms of usefulness to anyone who takes the art (and science) of GMing seriously and is looking to improve his craft.

In addition to these reviews, there are also a few other places you can hear more about Never Unprepared:

What about GenCon?

With this being Engine Publishing’s third preorder, I’ve learned that myriad factors go into determining exactly when I receive books from the printer, not all of them within my control. I would say it is highly likely that if you live in the U.S. and choose Priority Mail for shipping, you’ll get your copy before GenCon.

If you choose Media Mail, or live outside the U.S., it’s reasonably likely but certainly not a sure thing. Our fulfillment partner, Studio 2 Publishing, will be selling Never Unprepared at GenCon; if you absolutely have to have it at the con, that’s probably your best bet.

If you have any questions about the book, Phil and I will be happy to answer them in the comments. If not, what are you waiting for? Preorder Never Unprepared now!