Poll: Best Martin Allen gamebook

[petch]

Now. Such are the some of the comments I've read on the forum in the past about Sky Lord, and considering the fact that the Clash of the Princes books failed to capture a single vote between them in the Andrew Chapman poll, I have a suspicion that if I added a fourth voting option here of 'a blank sheet of paper', it would stand a realistic chance of winning this poll.

I'm being uncharitable again. Putting a positive spin on things, there is plenty at stake here. Sky Lord represents the last opportunity for a sci-fi book to make the final! Clash of the Princes gets a chance for a reprieve! One of these books will be represented in the final. Which one will it be?

Poll closes at 10pm Thursday 27th.

[sylas]

I don't really enjoy reading any of these but Warlock's Way gets the vote because it's made more interesting with Spells.

[nathanh]

I only own Sky Lord, so I suppose I'll give it a sympathy vote. It isn't my lowest rated FF book, but only 2 score lower.

[terrysalt]

I'm sure he must have written other stuff. Can I vote for his shopping list or a Christmas card or something?

[kieran]

All three books suffer from too many random instant deaths though all have some amusing absurdities. Sky Lord obviously goes harder down that road while the Clash books limit themselves to the occasional spot of quirkiness. Sky Lord is the best written of the three by a margin however as the other two suffer from the customary Andrew Chapman terseness. They also have a two player system that isn't really all that fun. So Sky Lord gets my vote.

Of the two Clash books, Warlock's Way has a lot of filler with several dull mazes (although the magic carpet one was a nice concept at least) so Warrior's Way is slightly better - it also features one of my favourite instant deaths in the series.

[CharlesX]

They're both suckfests. I'm voting Clash because Sky Lord is a very slightly worse pile of poo.
   Warlock's Way because I like magic.

[The Count]

Sky Lord is quite enjoyable if you embrace the insanity of it all.

[a moderator]

Jan 25, 2022 3:19:51 GMT kieran said:

Warrior's Way is slightly better - it also features one of my favourite instant deaths in the series.

Which is that?

[CharlesX]

Hmm, wouldn't it be funny\lame\sad if the combined total for Clash Of The Princes was the same or more than the number who vote for Sky Lord? But I don't think that will happen because I suspect most, or at least more than half, FF readers have never seen Clash Of The Princes.

[Wilf]

Voting by default on this one. I don't like Sky Lord at all. I do like the weird atmosphere of the Clash books - there's something unsettling about them. They're insanely difficult on the dice rolls, though, and the two-player sections add nothing to either player's chance of success. Much as I enjoy reading them, I wouldn't recommend them for actually playing.

Voting for Warrior over Warlock as The Warlock's Way has a couple of interminable mazes to navigate, and the fact you can't get all four rings is at best an irritation and at worst a game-breaker. Fairly sure Electron's ridiculously obscure riddle is in The Warlock's Way, too.

[Wilf]

Jan 25, 2022 0:34:09 GMT terrysalt said:

I'm sure he must have written other stuff.

Can we assume he's not the same Martin Allen who wrote for Coronation Street in the 90s/00s/10s?

[kieran]

Jan 25, 2022 11:14:14 GMT a moderator said:

Jan 25, 2022 3:19:51 GMT kieran said:

Warrior's Way is slightly better - it also features one of my favourite instant deaths in the series.

Which is that?

SPOILER: Click to show

Trying to climb the tablecloth in the giant's lair and accidentally pulling a giant keg on top of you, squashing you flat.

[kieran]

Jan 25, 2022 15:21:22 GMT Wilf said:

Jan 25, 2022 0:34:09 GMT terrysalt said:

I'm sure he must have written other stuff.

Can we assume he's not the same Martin Allen who wrote for Coronation Street in the 90s/00s/10s?

I think FF Martin Allen is an Aussie while Corrie Martin Allen seems to have been British based since at least the early 80s.

[petch]

Jan 25, 2022 13:01:45 GMT CharlesX said:

Hmm, wouldn't it be funny\lame\sad if the combined total for Clash Of The Princes was the same or more than the number who vote for Sky Lord? 

That's similar to what happened in the UK Steve Jackson poll: if I'd have added together all of the individual votes for the Sorcery! series, it would have beaten Creature of Havoc. I think if we get that scenario here, it won't be as controversial though - while Sorcery! would have stood a realistic shot at winning the final had it gone through, I'm going to stick my neck out and say I don't think any of the books in this poll will be challenging to win.

[bloodbeasthandler]

Jan 25, 2022 18:13:52 GMT kieran said:

Jan 25, 2022 15:21:22 GMT Wilf said:

Can we assume he's not the same Martin Allen who wrote for Coronation Street in the 90s/00s/10s?

I think FF Martin Allen is an Aussie while Corrie Martin Allen seems to have been British based since at least the early 80s.

A quick search on google (and Titanica actually) brings up another literary partnership between Messrs Chapman and Allen called

The Price of Wang. 

I don't know how much wang goes for these days so I looked it up on goodreads: 

WANG!! Far Eastern Gorkilan WANG!! For centuries the most potent and sought after liquor in the world, and now Falouk, wanderer, adventurer, and disappointed hero has laid his hands upon a phial of the priceless contraband. He'll be rich beyond his wildest dreams, but first he as to rid himself of a troublesome ghost that has taken up residence in his left foot, and then there's that curse that binds him to tutor the brattish Prince Jabob. Miss a lesson and he'll be racked by the sort of pustulent boils that would make the plague look like a holiday. And of course, the town inquisitor wants him dead, along with the potential buyers of the drug, and the King's sorcerer, come to think of it... and on top of that, just what the heck is the price of WANG!!A hilarious adventure from Andrew Chapman and Martin Allen, enter a world populated with cheerful lepers, maniacal drunks, badly-dressed hunchbacks, and savage lycotes with sore feet who just want a sausage and a cool beer.


Sounds pretty Sky Lordish doesn't it?

[kieran]

Jan 25, 2022 18:38:28 GMT bloodbeasthandler said:

Jan 25, 2022 18:13:52 GMT kieran said:

I think FF Martin Allen is an Aussie while Corrie Martin Allen seems to have been British based since at least the early 80s.

A quick search on google (and Titanica actually) brings up another literary partnership between Messrs Chapman and Allen called

The Price of Wang. 

I don't know how much wang goes for these days so I looked it up on goodreads: 

WANG!! Far Eastern Gorkilan WANG!! For centuries the most potent and sought after liquor in the world, and now Falouk, wanderer, adventurer, and disappointed hero has laid his hands upon a phial of the priceless contraband. He'll be rich beyond his wildest dreams, but first he as to rid himself of a troublesome ghost that has taken up residence in his left foot, and then there's that curse that binds him to tutor the brattish Prince Jabob. Miss a lesson and he'll be racked by the sort of pustulent boils that would make the plague look like a holiday. And of course, the town inquisitor wants him dead, along with the potential buyers of the drug, and the King's sorcerer, come to think of it... and on top of that, just what the heck is the price of WANG!!A hilarious adventure from Andrew Chapman and Martin Allen, enter a world populated with cheerful lepers, maniacal drunks, badly-dressed hunchbacks, and savage lycotes with sore feet who just want a sausage and a cool beer.


Sounds pretty Sky Lordish doesn't it?

OMG that sounds right up my street. Must check it out.

[CharlesX]

Jan 25, 2022 18:45:31 GMT kieran said:

Jan 25, 2022 18:38:28 GMT bloodbeasthandler said:

A quick search on google (and Titanica actually) brings up another literary partnership between Messrs Chapman and Allen called

The Price of Wang. 

I don't know how much wang goes for these days so I looked it up on goodreads: 

WANG!! Far Eastern Gorkilan WANG!! For centuries the most potent and sought after liquor in the world, and now Falouk, wanderer, adventurer, and disappointed hero has laid his hands upon a phial of the priceless contraband. He'll be rich beyond his wildest dreams, but first he as to rid himself of a troublesome ghost that has taken up residence in his left foot, and then there's that curse that binds him to tutor the brattish Prince Jabob. Miss a lesson and he'll be racked by the sort of pustulent boils that would make the plague look like a holiday. And of course, the town inquisitor wants him dead, along with the potential buyers of the drug, and the King's sorcerer, come to think of it... and on top of that, just what the heck is the price of WANG!!A hilarious adventure from Andrew Chapman and Martin Allen, enter a world populated with cheerful lepers, maniacal drunks, badly-dressed hunchbacks, and savage lycotes with sore feet who just want a sausage and a cool beer.


Sounds pretty Sky Lordish doesn't it?

OMG that sounds right up my street. Must check it out.

Sounds great! 2 FF authors + Terry Pratchett style writing = win-win!

[petch]

Fewer votes being cast overall in this poll than any other to date is pretty telling. Perhaps a sign that the Clash of the Princes books are less widely read than the main series; perhaps an indication of the quality of the choices on offer here. Nonetheless, we do have a winner, and it's Sky Lord, meaning there will be a sci-fi offering at the table in the final.

[kieran]

Will the final be one vote each or will it allow multiple votes per member?

[petch]

I was going to run it the same as the other polls, with just the one vote per person for their favourite. But I am open to running it differently if others would prefer?