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Post by mooncat on Oct 29, 2023 23:52:12 GMT
Hi all, new to the forum! Same as a lot of you I read FF when I was younger and am getting back into it now. Luckily I still had my collection back in Ireland (now in Canada) and I got my dad to send me a picture of the shelf so I could see what I've got. Got about 40 books,thankfully including some of the rarer ones like Magehunter and Knights of Doom. I've started buying a few to fill in the gaps (I'll bring the rest of the collection over next time I'm home) and I've been surprised at how much some of them cost!
Which leads to the question, what is the most you have paid for a FF gamebook? So far it's $80 for me (probably around £50) for Siege of Sardath. I suspect I'll have to go higher to get some of the later ones. Deathmoor, Revenge of the Vampire, and Curse of the Mummy all seem super expensive (and I seem to remember Deathmoor was terrible lol)!
That aside, really looking forward to rereading these as an adult and seeing if my perspective has changed, seeing if the ones I loved are still as good, and seeing if ones I disliked are better now.
Delighted to find this forum! After spending a few days reading it, there's also clearly some fan favourites that completely passed me by at the time that I never read like Creature of Havoc and Dead of Night. Those are on the way!
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Post by King Gillibran on Oct 30, 2023 7:34:40 GMT
Welcome to Fighting Fantazine Mooncat
I have not yet ventured into the dreaded realm of buying late 40s and 50s so most I have probably paid is around 10 pounds for a gamebook. If you wish to buy Revenge or puffin Curse then they both cost no less than 150 pounds. However Curse of the Mummy was reprinted in Wizard books so you can buy the wizard books version for as little as 5 pounds. Have you looked at any of the new wizard (most really good) and scholastic (most really bad exept for the 40th anniversary books).
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,462
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Oct 30, 2023 8:29:11 GMT
Welcome.
I was lucky enough to complete my collection before prices got really crazy. I think Revenge of the Vampire was the book I spent the most on at about £20.
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Post by misomiso on Oct 30, 2023 8:39:15 GMT
A 1st edition Legend of the Shadow Warriors set me back £40.00 i think.
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Post by vastariner on Oct 30, 2023 8:46:29 GMT
Never got one that wasn't new. Other than four I got from a friend for £1 because he didn't like them. And even that was before the green spine came in.
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Post by linflas on Oct 30, 2023 8:46:57 GMT
35€ for Virtual reality "Down among the dead men", first french edition, as-new condition.
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Post by mooncat on Oct 30, 2023 15:05:02 GMT
Welcome to Fighting Fantazine Mooncat I have not yet ventured into the dreaded realm of buying late 40s and 50s so most I have probably paid is around 10 pounds for a gamebook. If you wish to buy Revenge or puffin Curse then they both cost no less than 150 pounds. However Curse of the Mummy was reprinted in Wizard books so you can buy the wizard books version for as little as 5 pounds. Have you looked at any of the new wizard (most really good) and scholastic (most really bad exept for the 40th anniversary books). I wasn't even aware there were reprints or new books until I found this forum. I thought Curse of the Mummy was the last one (can still remember it being in bookshops as a new release, but declined buying it at the time). It seems like Howl of the Werewolf is the one to read, but it's also really expensive at the minute so I'll hold on for a bit. Picked up Night of the Necromancer for pretty cheap as it also gets really good reviews. Currently playing through Bloodbones on the app and getting mercilessly insta-deathed at every opportunity. Also, that great white shark battle where you have the reduced attack strength took many, MANY tries... |
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Post by mooncat on Oct 30, 2023 15:08:47 GMT
A 1st edition Legend of the Shadow Warriors set me back £40.00 i think. That's one of the ones I'm looking forward to rereading the most. Was a big favourote when I was younger, along with Vault of the Vampire, Deathtrap Dungeon, Island of the Lizard King (my first one), and Knights of Doom. I'm looking forward to tackling some of the later ones now as an adult. As a kid (primary school age) I found the later ones a bit too complex and difficult. I remember Night Dragon and Spellbreaker I couldn't even begin to get into. |
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Post by misomiso on Oct 30, 2023 15:33:14 GMT
Legend of the Shadow Warriors was written by the Legendary Stephen hand, and he wrote three in total.
Dead of Night
Legend of the Shadow Warriors
Moonrunner
I'd recommend them all. Moonrunner is generally thought to be one of the best FF books written.
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Post by CharlesX on Oct 30, 2023 15:39:34 GMT
Legend of the Shadow Warriors was written by the Legendary Stephen hand, and he wrote three in total. Dead of Night Legend of the Shadow Warriors Moonrunner I'd recommend them all. Moonrunner is generally thought to be one of the best FF books written. Agreed. Dead Of Night is amazing, Legend Of The Shadow Warriors is an extremely good gamebook in all sorts of ways. |
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Post by a moderator on Oct 30, 2023 17:09:37 GMT
I got so ridiculously lucky back when I started rebuilding my FF collection that for a while I was reluctant to pay more than £1 per book.
I think £6.39 for The Secrets of Salamonis might be the most I've paid for any FF book for myself. Or, if you include P&P where charged, the 25th anniversary edition of TWoFM edges it out by 3p.
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Post by mooncat on Oct 30, 2023 17:21:16 GMT
Legend of the Shadow Warriors was written by the Legendary Stephen hand, and he wrote three in total. Dead of Night Legend of the Shadow Warriors Moonrunner I'd recommend them all. Moonrunner is generally thought to be one of the best FF books written. I haven't read Moonrunner, so you can imagine my surprise when I looked at the pic of my collection and saw not one, but TWO copies of it there. I think maybe I thought it was a sci-fi one when I was younger and just didn't get around to it (that said, I seem to be the exception on here that loves Sky Lord...) I also was never aware that the books were written by anyone other than Steve Jackson and Ian Livingston. That's going to add an interesting extra layer re-reading them. |
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Post by CharlesX on Oct 30, 2023 18:11:23 GMT
Legend of the Shadow Warriors was written by the Legendary Stephen hand, and he wrote three in total. Dead of Night Legend of the Shadow Warriors Moonrunner I'd recommend them all. Moonrunner is generally thought to be one of the best FF books written. I haven't read Moonrunner, so you can imagine my surprise when I looked at the pic of my collection and saw not one, but TWO copies of it there. I think maybe I thought it was a sci-fi one when I was younger and just didn't get around to it (that said, I seem to be the exception on here that loves Sky Lord...) I also was never aware that the books were written by anyone other than Steve Jackson and Ian Livingston. That's going to add an interesting extra layer re-reading them. Sky Lord definitely has several things in its favour (some humour, different combat system, originality) but a bit like Crypt Of The Sorceror and Spellbreaker heavy difficulty cast a long shadow. Sky Lord is certainly no worse than a number of CYOA which have been reprinted despite seemingly being shovelware. |
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Post by misomiso on Oct 30, 2023 20:35:26 GMT
Legend of the Shadow Warriors was written by the Legendary Stephen hand, and he wrote three in total. Dead of Night Legend of the Shadow Warriors Moonrunner I'd recommend them all. Moonrunner is generally thought to be one of the best FF books written. I haven't read Moonrunner, so you can imagine my surprise when I looked at the pic of my collection and saw not one, but TWO copies of it there. I think maybe I thought it was a sci-fi one when I was younger and just didn't get around to it (that said, I seem to be the exception on here that loves Sky Lord...) I also was never aware that the books were written by anyone other than Steve Jackson and Ian Livingston. That's going to add an interesting extra layer re-reading them. Can you post a pic of your collection. |
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,679 
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Oct 30, 2023 21:37:32 GMT
£50 for a hardback Assassins of Allansia.
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Post by The Editor (Alex B) on Oct 31, 2023 5:47:14 GMT
I got so ridiculously lucky back when I started rebuilding my FF collection that for a while I was reluctant to pay more than £1 per book. Yes, I plugged the gaps in my collection back around 2007 so I think the most I paid for one book was for “Curse of the Mummy” (Puffin edition). I think I paid a max of £20. |
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Post by paperexplorer on Oct 31, 2023 10:29:02 GMT
I got all the Puffin editions back in the day. I missed the whole wizard run of things and I've managed to get all but Howl of the Werewolf since without paying more than AUD$25 on a single book.
I guess I could have gotten Howl but I baulked at the asking prices over $100
In the age of print on demand, it's pretty disappointing so many books just aren't available to readers, but I think the major publishers want it that way
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Post by CharlesX on Oct 31, 2023 11:06:05 GMT
I personally would be interested if more FF were reprinted in ebook format, while a number have become Apps this has not been done even for Warlock Of Firetop Mountain SFAIK. As paperexplorer points out you can hypothesise about why. |
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Post by mooncat on Oct 31, 2023 17:59:52 GMT
I haven't read Moonrunner, so you can imagine my surprise when I looked at the pic of my collection and saw not one, but TWO copies of it there. I think maybe I thought it was a sci-fi one when I was younger and just didn't get around to it (that said, I seem to be the exception on here that loves Sky Lord...) I also was never aware that the books were written by anyone other than Steve Jackson and Ian Livingston. That's going to add an interesting extra layer re-reading them. Can you post a pic of your collection. Apologies, my dad is a technophobe so the main middle image is blurred. The titles are (in order on my shelf): Legend of the Shadow Warriors Sword of the Samurai Sky Lord Trial of Champions The Warlock of Firetop Mountain The Citadel of Chaos The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Island of the Lizard King House of Hell Space Assassin Seas of Blood Appointment with F.E.A.R Phantoms of Fear Sky Lord Stealer of Souls Vault of the Vampire City of Thieves Spectral Stalkers Battleblade Warrior Rebel Planet Crypt of the Sorcerer Caverns of the Snow Witch Talisman of Death Return to Firetop Mountain Chasms of Malice Midnight Rogue Magehunter Space Assassin Moonrunner Trial of Champions Moonrunner House of Hell Appointment with F.E.A.R House of Hell Scorpion Swamp Deathtrap Dungeon Temple of Terror Spellbreaker 10th Anniversary Yearbook I seem to remember my mum would just buy any she saw in charity shops at the time, hence why there's a few doubles. I also have a few more at her house including: Knights of Doom, Freeway Fighter, Titan, plus further doubles of Vault of the Vampire and Legend of the Shadow Warriors. The ones I've recently ordered online that are on the way (and I've never read) are Siege of Sardath, Creature of Havoc, Dead of Night, and Night of the Necromancer. |
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Post by mooncat on Oct 31, 2023 18:04:16 GMT
I got all the Puffin editions back in the day. I missed the whole wizard run of things and I've managed to get all but Howl of the Werewolf since without paying more than AUD$25 on a single book. I guess I could have gotten Howl but I baulked at the asking prices over $100 In the age of print on demand, it's pretty disappointing so many books just aren't available to readers, but I think the major publishers want it that way Yeah it frequently seems to be one of the consistently super expensive ones along with Mummy, Return, Deathmoor, Magehunter, and Knights. Shame too, because it seems to be one of the only ones that is consistently regarded by everyone as great. |
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Post by mooncat on Oct 31, 2023 18:05:50 GMT
I got so ridiculously lucky back when I started rebuilding my FF collection that for a while I was reluctant to pay more than £1 per book. Yes, I plugged the gaps in my collection back around 2007 so I think the most I paid for one book was for “Curse of the Mummy” (Puffin edition). I think I paid a max of £20. Good timing! I guess we're approaching the point now where all of the original audience are in and around the middle age mark and the nostalgia is powerful, hence the high prices at the minute as people have the disposable income and the desire to pick them up. |
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Post by a moderator on Oct 31, 2023 22:32:22 GMT
I got so ridiculously lucky back when I started rebuilding my FF collection that for a while I was reluctant to pay more than £1 per book. Yes, I plugged the gaps in my collection back around 2007 so I think the most I paid for one book was for “Curse of the Mummy” (Puffin edition). I think I paid a max of £20. I rebuilt my collection between December 2001 and November 2002, inspired by the discovery of 16 of the books (including Curse) for 25p each in a charity shop. Less than a month after that, I found Magehunter and Revenge in another charity shop for 30p each. After that, going all the way up to £1 for the likes of Island of the Undead and Knights of Doom seemed to border on crazy money. On the subject of low-quality photos of gamebook collections, I submit the following slightly outdated image:  |
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Post by misomiso on Nov 1, 2023 20:57:00 GMT
mooncat you have some good ones there!
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Post by andrewwright on Nov 2, 2023 2:24:37 GMT
£50 for a hardback Assassins of Allansia. This is me too, I think. Way back in the early days of the internet I think I did a free straight swap of Curse of the Mummy for another gamebook that I can't remember.
No wait up, I did buy the Deluxe Hardback Advanced Fighting Fantasy 2E combo of the rulebook, Out of the Pit and Titan, with postage, that's probably more than 50 quid.
Obligatory collection photo (my FF books are used for AFF research and image scanning so they are in absolutely crap condition, not to mention lots of weird spots and stains from Bangkok's wonderful humidity):
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Post by linflas on Nov 4, 2023 10:29:41 GMT
Just realized that mine wasn't FF... Then, that was Dead of Night for me, 24€, which has never been republished in France.
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Post by nathanh on Nov 8, 2023 19:26:10 GMT
£8.50 for the French edition of Revenge of the Vampire was the highest I have been willing to go.
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Post by CharlesX on Nov 9, 2023 14:49:01 GMT
£8.50 for the French edition of Revenge of the Vampire was the highest I have been willing to go. I don't know when you paid that (before it became rare?) but that sounds barely above the cost of a paperback, especially given its foreign. I recall seeing the 8-bit tape of The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain for sale for £500 or more, I forget the ridiculous price, but I guess its like the Disney Black Diamond VHS tapes where only idiots would actually pay the asking price. |
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Post by paperexplorer on Nov 10, 2023 0:23:11 GMT
 For anyone who wants to claim top billing in thi thread... As I said, I'd love to get this book, but I can't justify the price |
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Post by mooncat on Nov 10, 2023 16:54:48 GMT
View AttachmentFor anyone who wants to claim top billing in thi thread... As I said, I'd love to get this book, but I can't justify the price It's consistently one of the highest priced ones. I would love to just read it, never mind own it! Is it the only one that's priced that high that actually justifies it with quality too (none of the books being actually worth that much notwithstanding...)? |
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Post by mooncat on Nov 10, 2023 16:57:44 GMT
Here's the highest price one I've seen (this week...) Attachments:
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