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Post by Pinwig on Jan 12, 2020 17:28:17 GMT
Deathtrap is the best of those six, although you'll note Gates of Death is a new one by Charlie Higson. Not read it yet myself. They're all solid classics, bearing in mind the Sorcery book is the first of four and only two of them have so far been reprinted in that dress.
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 6,120
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Post by Stomski on Oct 27, 2020 14:37:00 GMT
Fighting Fantasy Legends (City of Thieves, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and Citadel of Chaos) and Legends Portal (Deathtrap Dungeon, Trial of Champions and Armies of Death) Finally playing these. Yuck. FF-legends was ok. Changes from the books as to the locations of some things were a bit lame and some things dependent on random encounters... What a terrible idea. But Trial of Champions is a disaster. Way too many insta-deaths in a game where you have limited lives and puzzles with absolutely no clue of the answer. |
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Post by Pinwig on Oct 27, 2020 16:28:14 GMT
This made me realise I haven't been keeping an eye on FF news of late - there's a new book out again, this time by Rhianna Pratchett. That's four Octobers in a row we've had a new Fighting Fantasy book! www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1407199684 |
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Post by Pinwig on Dec 28, 2023 13:16:05 GMT
I was playing the first Lone Wolf book yesterday, a rival gamebook series to the Fighting Fantasy line that was around at the same time in the mid-eighties. I had a few of them back in the day, but not many, and I've learned reading about them recently that they form an ongoing single narrative that eventually stretched to 32 books. They have a slightly different mechanic to the FF books in that you carry over your adventure sheet from book to book and keep going, adding new skills for each book completed. It's a very rudimentary leveling system but engaging. The combat system is different too - it uses a look up table based on your dice rolls rather than the simple 'if this is bigger than this, deduct 2 stamina' of the FF books, so there's a basic weighting involved - it's much harder to fight more powerful monsters and easier to fight weaker ones. There are obviously multiple branches through each book, but as they're designed to connect there's less focus on replaying them. Your character is your character and they keep going. I thought that would put me off because I like to map all the permutations, but I found it oddly immersive reading yesterday. There are far fewer (if any) insta-deaths too, so you can play the book without your fingers in the pages knowing that you probably will make it to the end, but on a path that might not be the optimum one. Anyway, I got attracted to this because the books are being reprinted in nice collectable hardback editions, but I mention this here because I found out yesterday that twenty years back the writer, Joe Dever (now sadly deceased) gifted all the books into the public domain, so while there are these nice new hardbacks, there is also a site that has very nicely put together the complete run as well-presented pdfs, or interactive HTML versions. www.projectaon.org/en/Main/BooksWorth a go if you're into the idea. |
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 28, 2023 13:22:07 GMT
I spied a boxset of 6 in TK MAXX for ten pounds, Lo, I proclaimed: "Zounds!" I could not resist, Nor desist, It is now mine, Within are quests fine! -Ralph Which I never read and charity shopped during a hobby room re-organisation. -Ralph |
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Post by Pinwig on Dec 28, 2023 13:34:23 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 28, 2023 14:00:02 GMT
I had the Lone Wolf Spectrum game back in the day. It came with a book too!
-Ralph
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 6,120
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Post by Stomski on Dec 28, 2023 18:00:28 GMT
Bookmarked, thanks!
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Post by Pinwig on Jan 22, 2024 22:30:17 GMT
Reading some of the Lone Wolf books got me thinking about what other gamebook series there are I might enjoy, so I bought a gamebook guide published in December that catalogues everything except Fighting Fantasy (which has is own equivalent). It's over 400 A4 pages and is basically just a list! Book titles and their approximate value. I'd no idea there have been so many different gamebook series over the years. I think one mission this year for me will be to explore some of them.
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Rich
Protoform
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Post by Rich on Jan 22, 2024 23:29:48 GMT
I was playing the first Lone Wolf book yesterday, a rival gamebook series to the Fighting Fantasy line that was around at the same time in the mid-eighties. I had a few of them back in the day, but not many, and I've learned reading about them recently that they form an ongoing single narrative that eventually stretched to 32 books. They have a slightly different mechanic to the FF books in that you carry over your adventure sheet from book to book and keep going, adding new skills for each book completed. It's a very rudimentary leveling system but engaging. The combat system is different too - it uses a look up table based on your dice rolls rather than the simple 'if this is bigger than this, deduct 2 stamina' of the FF books, so there's a basic weighting involved - it's much harder to fight more powerful monsters and easier to fight weaker ones. There are obviously multiple branches through each book, but as they're designed to connect there's less focus on replaying them. Your character is your character and they keep going. I thought that would put me off because I like to map all the permutations, but I found it oddly immersive reading yesterday. There are far fewer (if any) insta-deaths too, so you can play the book without your fingers in the pages knowing that you probably will make it to the end, but on a path that might not be the optimum one. Anyway, I got attracted to this because the books are being reprinted in nice collectable hardback editions, but I mention this here because I found out yesterday that twenty years back the writer, Joe Dever (now sadly deceased) gifted all the books into the public domain, so while there are these nice new hardbacks, there is also a site that has very nicely put together the complete run as well-presented pdfs, or interactive HTML versions. www.projectaon.org/en/Main/BooksWorth a go if you're into the idea. I had maybe 8 or 9 of these. I much preferred them to fighting fantasy because of the aforementioned lack of insta death. I might be misremembering but I think I got put off in the end by the fact my character got too strong and it was a bit easy. I do remember writing out all my notes very diligently.... might have to get one of these hardbacks you mentioned. |
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Post by blueshift on Jan 23, 2024 7:38:19 GMT
I was playing the first Lone Wolf book yesterday, a rival gamebook series to the Fighting Fantasy line that was around at the same time in the mid-eighties. I had a few of them back in the day, but not many, and I've learned reading about them recently that they form an ongoing single narrative that eventually stretched to 32 books. They have a slightly different mechanic to the FF books in that you carry over your adventure sheet from book to book and keep going, adding new skills for each book completed. It's a very rudimentary leveling system but engaging. The combat system is different too - it uses a look up table based on your dice rolls rather than the simple 'if this is bigger than this, deduct 2 stamina' of the FF books, so there's a basic weighting involved - it's much harder to fight more powerful monsters and easier to fight weaker ones. There are obviously multiple branches through each book, but as they're designed to connect there's less focus on replaying them. Your character is your character and they keep going. I thought that would put me off because I like to map all the permutations, but I found it oddly immersive reading yesterday. There are far fewer (if any) insta-deaths too, so you can play the book without your fingers in the pages knowing that you probably will make it to the end, but on a path that might not be the optimum one. Anyway, I got attracted to this because the books are being reprinted in nice collectable hardback editions, but I mention this here because I found out yesterday that twenty years back the writer, Joe Dever (now sadly deceased) gifted all the books into the public domain, so while there are these nice new hardbacks, there is also a site that has very nicely put together the complete run as well-presented pdfs, or interactive HTML versions. www.projectaon.org/en/Main/BooksWorth a go if you're into the idea. OH MAN that site also has the Combat Heroes books which were by the same guy which are multiplayer first person shooter books which is as insane as it sounds |
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Rich
Protoform
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Post by Rich on Jan 23, 2024 20:39:31 GMT
The hardback is £21 on Amazon. I might get the first one but that would be it for me as it's a bit steep. Hurrah for free PDFs.
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Post by Pinwig on Jan 23, 2024 20:45:21 GMT
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 7, 2024 12:38:20 GMT
Probably worth noting that on Thursday Scholastic are publishing The Dungeon on Blood Island by Ian Livingstone, a sequel to Deathtrap Dungeon to celebrate its 40th birthday.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 7, 2024 12:42:20 GMT
Massive coincidence that you've revived this thread on the day I impulse-bought 'Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy' at my local bookshop. I don't do role-playing games but I'm a sucker for a giant-size coffee table art book.
Martin
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 7, 2024 13:14:18 GMT
Plenty of those on sale here. Iain McCaig is a guest speaker too. He has made some interesting comments about his work, like the blood beast on the front of Deathtrap Dungeon was inspired by him wondering what an evil version of Jabba the Hutt would look like  and that he was responsible for designing Darth Maul, and any similarities between him and Zanbar Bone on the cover of City of Thieves is entirely coincidental (both have that crown of bone spikes on their head).  |
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 7, 2024 13:41:34 GMT
But Jabba is evil.
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 7, 2024 14:05:25 GMT
Yes, evil as in monstrous and vicious, not evil as in gangster with a penchant for bikini-clad slave girls.
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Sept 8, 2024 16:59:05 GMT
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Post by that_bluestreak on Sept 8, 2024 18:38:25 GMT
Probably worth noting that on Thursday Scholastic are publishing The Dungeon on Blood Island by Ian Livingstone, a sequel to Deathtrap Dungeon to celebrate its 40th birthday. looking forward to this, i love me a fighting fantasy! |
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Post by that_bluestreak on Sept 8, 2024 18:39:06 GMT
Massive coincidence that you've revived this thread on the day I impulse-bought 'Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy' at my local bookshop. I don't do role-playing games but I'm a sucker for a giant-size coffee table art book. Martin i backed this on unbound and haven't received my copy yet ffs  |
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 8, 2024 18:53:51 GMT
Probably worth noting that on Thursday Scholastic are publishing The Dungeon on Blood Island by Ian Livingstone, a sequel to Deathtrap Dungeon to celebrate its 40th birthday. looking forward to this, I love me a fighting fantasy! I came home with both hardback and paperback copies yesterday! I think I'm going to replay the original first. |
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Post by that_bluestreak on Sept 9, 2024 21:03:13 GMT
i replayed deathtrap dungeon and trial of champions last year. was a real pleasure, but i couldn't complete toc. difficult book, that.
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