BIONICLE Guides

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Hey, so just wondering about everyone's thoughts on BIONICLE guides. For those that don't know, publishers created guidebooks that delve deeper into the BIONICLE story, describing locations in extensive detail, compiling characters and story events, and expanding the Universe by introducing new factions and characters who deal with them. It ranged from expansive guidebooks full of beautiful CG renders of denizens and creatures, to results of contests which introduced fan-created characters for the first time.

 

Which was your favourite guide? Would you like to see them back for BIONICLE 2015?

I just got Makuta's Guide to the Universe and Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna in the mail today. Amazing guides, very extensive and detailed and the added story excerpts and character diaries make them a blast to read. Also, I got the hardcover versions from AMEET and dang, these books are beautiful (and massive, yikes!).

 

-NotS

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Also, I got the hardcover versions from AMEET and dang, these books are beautiful (and massive, yikes!).

 

Ditto. Those two books are probably my favorite Bionicle books ever.

 

I'd like to see the guides return, but I want them to avoid the style of "The Official Guide to Bionicle", in which the sets are just showcased. I want books like World or Metru Nui where there's a deep look into the world around the characters.

[Voltex]

Maybe? Like SkeletonMan said, I'd want them back if they contribute to world building and expand upon the characters. My favorite guidebook remains Metru-Nui: City of Legends, and while guides like the Dark Hunter one are cool, they really did just showcase a bunch of sets or MOCs.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

1. Maybe. As others have said, if they help build the new world of Bionicle 2015, I would be all for them. But only if the information had more of an impact in the story. Many of the guides gave info and/or characters that we never saw used in story. And I know that all of it couldn't have been used, but I would like to see new guides have info that could not only expand the world but also actually used in the story.

 

2. I liked Rahi Beasts, World, Dark Hunters, and Makuta's Guide the best. 

[TehBestMemberEvar!1]

Bionicle World was the absolute best -- I feel like it gave us story, or rather "world-building" elements that we didn't get so much elsewhere.

 

Not a fan of The Official Guide to BIONICLE -- it was essentially the same content you'd get in the LEGO Magazine or out of a Promo CD, but cost money.

 

Then there were ones like the Rahi and Dark Hunters which, while fun in theory, ended up being really shallow and amazingly silly.  It felt more like an obligation out of the contest they ran more than anything of substance.  The writer probably spent less than a day putting all the stuff together.

 

That said, if they were to continue guide books, I wouldn't mind something along the lines of Makuta's Guide to the Universe.  Story, characters, summaries, excerpted content, and original content all mixed together.

[fishers64]

Maybe? I like a good guide, but they can sometimes add needless (or wantless) complexity. 

 

I liked Metru Nui: City of Legends, and I've heard/read little but good about Makuta's guide to the universe and MN's guide to Bara Magna. Bionicle: World also is a good one, though not a favorite because it has errors in it.

Edited October 10, 2014 by fishers64

[Adventurer]

They might be a nice edition if done correctly. And the best guide was definitely the locations guide - the artwork was beautiful and it gave so much interesting and tantalizing information on places and cultures we knew of but hadn't seen properly. The writing style was also better than some of the others I thought too - gave information, but not too much. It created more mystery than it revealed. I'd definitely like another book of that style.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Speaking of this, did any other LEGO themes get guides after Bionicle (Like Ninjago or HF)?

 

-NotS

[fishers64]

Speaking of this, did any other LEGO themes get guides after Bionicle (Like Ninjago or HF)?

 

-NotS

Not that I know of. I'm pretty sure HF didn't, but's possible Ninjago did. 

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

 

Speaking of this, did any other LEGO themes get guides after Bionicle (Like Ninjago or HF)?

 

-NotS

Not that I know of. I'm pretty sure HF didn't, but's possible Ninjago did. 

 

I looked it up, and it looks like Ninjago has a character encyclopedia by DK?

 

-NotS

[Lyichir]

 

 

Speaking of this, did any other LEGO themes get guides after Bionicle (Like Ninjago or HF)?

 

-NotS

Not that I know of. I'm pretty sure HF didn't, but's possible Ninjago did. 

 

I looked it up, and it looks like Ninjago has a character encyclopedia by DK?

 

-NotS

 

Ninjago has had a character encyclopedia, a visual dictionary, and an "official guide" from 2011 written by our good friend Gregory Farshtey. The last one is the only one which really contained new, unpublished information and content; the others mostly collect pictures of the sets and figs and info about the story from the TV show.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Lyichir

[JAG18]

1) Maybe so if they're good and expand the new story rather than just existing for their own sake.

 

2) The Encyclopedia, hands down; I have a lot of fond memories of reading the original one cover to cover when it first came out.  You know come to think of it, it was after I read the Encyclopedia that I became really interested in the Bionicle story.   

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Ninjago has had a character encyclopedia, a visual dictionary, and an "official guide" from 2011 written by our good friend Gregory Farshtey. The last one is the only one which really contained new, unpublished information and content; the others mostly collect pictures of the sets and figs and info about the story from the TV show.

So I guess there's the proof that guides can still sell!

 

-NotS

[Lyichir]

 

Ninjago has had a character encyclopedia, a visual dictionary, and an "official guide" from 2011 written by our good friend Gregory Farshtey. The last one is the only one which really contained new, unpublished information and content; the others mostly collect pictures of the sets and figs and info about the story from the TV show.

So I guess there's the proof that guides can still sell!

 

-NotS

 

Well, the DK guides are less... I dunno, unique? ...than many of the old Bionicle guides. They focus more on high-resolution pictures of things like minifigures and little callouts describing the character in question. Very few of them include new content like the contest-based guides like Rahi Beasts or Dark Hunters, and they don't convey new information like Makuta's Guide to the Universe or Bionicle World. And DK has never published a guidebook for a constraction theme. It'd be awesome if they did, since many of their guides include exclusive minifigures, and the Bionicle counterpart would most likely be an exclusive mask color!

 

There are still more detailed guides published by other publishers, though! Chima has had some, including the gorgeous, hardbound "Book of Chi" (which, frustratingly, never seems to have been published in the U.S.). Hero Factory had a less glamorous guidebook in 2012, detailing the Breakout heroes and villains. All in all I don't doubt that we'll see some sort of guidebook within a year or two of the new Bionicle theme's run.

[Toatapio Nuva]

Sure, why not? I really liked the Metru Nui and Rahi guides and would like to see something like them again.

[user-402520536]

Man, I'm having some serious nostalgia thinking about Rahi Beasts.

[Ford]

I still keep my copy of "Rahi Beasts" handy for MOCing purposes. I'm so cool. -o.o-