Interestingly, my friend, who has only a casual interest in electronics, was bemused by all the Vcb, Vce, Ic and other details in the parameter tables.
So I did a quick drawing of a simple common emitter amplifier based on a NPN transistor and explained the different values.
The parameter that most hobbyists are concerned about tends to be the Ic. This is the maximum current that the transistor can drive when a load is connected between the Collector and +Vcc.