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Post by CharlesX on Aug 1, 2022 19:05:17 GMT
Reprinting books isn't inherently a problem IMO - the problem is that the same ten or so books are getting reprinted over and over again. It would be great to have a reprint of, say, Revenge of the Vampire with the errors corrected. This is especially true when it comes to books like Revenge and Magehunter, which are stupidly expensive to obtain second hand. Yep, round and round we go with the same books. Yes, their rarity makes them expensive. Print-on-demand or online versions would enable people to access them and all the others. I don't think the gamebook market is anywhere near big enough for all the books in the series to be in constant print or available on the high street. Someone who knows about the book industry might be able to tell you if what I'm saying is feasible or not. I don't know if it is. Imo, it would be good to have a reprint of Revenge Of The Vampire with the errors corrected, but speaking personally I never thought it was a good book as I explained when I gave it the dubious honour of being 5th in my 5 worst FF list. Martin's best FFs were always his early and middle ones, which were respectively more concise and more brave. Revenge is very long, rather derivative (like most sequels, it isn't half as good as the original), and to me is a Martin FF at his worst, even more than Legend Of Zagor, which was action-packed and had a variety of traps and enemies instead of being a penny dreadful adventure with waves of undead enemies. But that's just me, and I'd rather a corrected Revenge Of The Vampire didn't remain a mysterious dream until the end of time.
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Post by paperexplorer on Aug 1, 2022 23:26:34 GMT
Reprinting books isn't inherently a problem IMO - the problem is that the same ten or so books are getting reprinted over and over again. It would be great to have a reprint of, say, Revenge of the Vampire with the errors corrected. This is especially true when it comes to books like Revenge and Magehunter, which are stupidly expensive to obtain second hand. Yep, round and round we go with the same books. Yes, their rarity makes them expensive. Print-on-demand or online versions would enable people to access them and all the others. I don't think the gamebook market is anywhere near big enough for all the books in the series to be in constant print or available on the high street. Someone who knows about the book industry might be able to tell you if what I'm saying is feasible or not. I don't know if it is. I think it would be a dream scenario to get old books as print on demand, but sadly I don't see it ever happening. As I said, the writing is copyright to the author. Fighting Fantasy, the rules, Titan and possibly Monsters from Titan would be copyright to Steve and Ian. Publishing rights are right now with Scholastic, who would have it exclusively (no one else can publish an FF gamebook while they own these rights). All these parties would need to come together for this to happen. The alternative might be if the author chose to republish with a different set if gamebook rules, removing all references to Titan. This was done with Keep of the Lich Lord and it may be a way to bring them back.
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Post by paperexplorer on Aug 3, 2022 12:37:06 GMT
In this quick interview with Ian, when asked what's coming next his response is that it's entirely up to scholastic. So now you know who to lobby for getting certain books reprinted.
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Aug 5, 2022 21:41:40 GMT
Looking at the FF Scholastic page shop.scholastic.co.uk/series/1345I wonder if there has been a policy of ensuring that equal numbers of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone books get published, neither having more than the other. I spy 8 books by IL exclusively, and 8 by SJ. Plus one more from each due out later this year. I don't know if that is a coincidence or not, but it can't be a coincidence that NONE of the other old-school writers' books are there. No Green, no Hand, no Martin or Mason, Chapman, and all the rest... nothing. And it looks like Scholastic are aiming for a younger audience. Most of the books are described as aimed at 11-12s, except the most recent - Sorcery 3 and 4 - which are suggested for 9-10 year olds. Anyone know what the internal artwork for those 2 books is like or who did it? I do wish Scholastic would credit the illustrators.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,472
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Aug 5, 2022 22:24:25 GMT
Most of the books are described as aimed at 11-12s, except the most recent - Sorcery 3 and 4 - which are suggested for 9-10 year olds. Anyone know what the internal artwork for those 2 books is like or who did it? I do wish Scholastic would credit the illustrators. They have the original John Blanche illustrations.
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Post by daredevil123 on Sept 19, 2022 22:14:52 GMT
According to the 'List of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks' Wikipedia page, Ian and Steve each have a new book out in April of next year - has anyone heard anything about this?
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Sept 20, 2022 4:11:20 GMT
According to the 'List of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks' Wikipedia page, Ian and Steve each have a new book out in April of next year - has anyone heard anything about this? No, that's interesting if based in fact (though I can't find anything to back it up so far) but we can be surely be confident that they won't be *new* ones...? There's no way that Steve in particular will have another out by then.
I think all of his gamebooks bar Starship Traveller have been re-issued though so I'm not sure what it could be unless they're reprinting AFF or the novels.
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Post by paperexplorer on Sept 20, 2022 7:21:00 GMT
The cynical side of me thinks they'll be Starship Traveler and Freeway Fighter, but Ian did hint recently on twitter about a final showdown with Lord Azzur
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Post by misomiso on Sept 22, 2022 18:14:56 GMT
can anybody tweet at them to ask? I don't know long the lead was for the last books but these COULD be new books...maybe announced properly in December?
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Sept 23, 2022 14:07:22 GMT
There was a short article about FF's 40 year anniversary and mini-reviews of Shadow and Secrets in the Daily Mail
Not really my paper of choice but attention in such a widely read publication has to be a good thing.
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Sept 23, 2022 21:23:36 GMT
I saw Somewhere that in some other place, sword of the samurai was voted the best FF book ever made. I get it. It is an amazing and flawless book, with One of the best places ever made in the FF Universe (The Hub). I ONLY do not give it that number One spot,because i do not identify myself with the book - Honour Points do not mean nothing to me, for example. It is an amazing book, though.
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Sept 24, 2022 0:00:00 GMT
Seven of this forum could drive efforts to make a new ff book, possibly this new improved book, a veneration to evil, based on the task of Grimslade. I think the seven should be: platogue, greenspine, hynreck, kieran, wilf, champskees, and masterchief. The background should be of sylas. I have no intention of venerating evil Why?
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Sept 24, 2022 0:12:01 GMT
can anybody tweet at them to ask? I don't know long the lead was for the last books but these COULD be new books...maybe announced properly in December? Ive heard Livingstone is planing a title "The Walk".
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Post by a moderator on Sept 24, 2022 16:14:21 GMT
I have no intention of venerating evil Why? If that is a serious question, your understanding of the term 'evil' and mine must differ so much as to make discussion practically impossible.
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Sept 24, 2022 20:02:12 GMT
I understand diferent favourite books for each person... I personally identify myself with a few of books... House of hell, night of the necromancer, Crypt of the Sorcerer, talisman of death, but the best FF books ever made are só clear to me... So so clear... Deathtrap Dungeon and House of Hell. No doubt about that. At all. But i personally give more value to i book which i identify myself with.
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Jonathan Green
Squire
Posts: 49
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by Jonathan Green on Oct 6, 2022 11:06:15 GMT
YOU ARE THE HERO - An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks
I am launching a crowdfunding campaign to fund production of a 40th anniversary edition of my history of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.
Any help in getting the word out would be much appreciated. You will find a preview of the Kickstarter project page here:
Thanks in advance Jonathan Green
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Post by hallucination on Oct 6, 2022 12:19:09 GMT
Sadly the preview doesn’t open for me (dunno, maybe one needs the permissions to see a preview?) but I did track down and save this link:
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Jonathan Green
Squire
Posts: 49
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by Jonathan Green on Oct 6, 2022 12:57:40 GMT
Sadly the preview doesn’t open for me (dunno, maybe one needs the permissions to see a preview?) but I did track down and save this link: Apologies, and thank you for saving the link anyway. The link I should have included in the original post was this:
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Post by CharlesX on Oct 6, 2022 14:44:09 GMT
Hi I bought You Are The Hero tho not part 2 (thought it was well-written and interesting). The description specifies the wording interactive history, which makes my head spin because I can't imagine how a work that is non-fiction (a history, right?) could be in a gamebook-style format. Do you meet Ian Livingstone and a conversation with him turns into a knife-fight? Do you meet some Fighting Fantasy fans in a bar and have a 50-50 chance of dying if you haven't the same views as them about Sorcery!?
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Post by hallucination on Oct 10, 2022 14:37:30 GMT
Jon, congrats on this being funded so quickly!! Very much looking forward to it. Wonder what will be at reference 400!
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Oct 21, 2022 12:12:13 GMT
I am going to load some new solutions soon. They are not determinate to kingdom come. They are more workable than my earlier parsimonious solutions. The idea is they are there to be drawn upon as you see fit. I am not very mathematical so they are intuition based.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Oct 21, 2022 16:26:02 GMT
I have realised some of the solutions, which I had so lovingly prepared in Word, will need a little wash and brush up to make them more readable. This will have to be a project over the next couple of weeks.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Oct 26, 2022 14:36:15 GMT
Has anyone else noticed you can only eat 1 meal at a time in the new books?
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Post by terrysalt on Oct 26, 2022 19:24:50 GMT
Has anyone else noticed you can only eat 1 meal at a time in the new books? I've not only noticed it, I've argued it's a completely meaningless restriction. Instead of crossing 3 provisions off and raising your stamina by 12, you cross 1 provision off, raise stamina by 4, cross another provision off, gain another 4, cross yet another provision off and then add a final 4 stamina. Same end result, you just had to do a little bit more writing.
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Post by CharlesX on Oct 26, 2022 19:57:13 GMT
Has anyone else noticed you can only eat 1 meal at a time in the new books? I've not only noticed it, I've argued it's a completely meaningless restriction. Instead of crossing 3 provisions off and raising your stamina by 12, you cross 1 provision off, raise stamina by 4, cross another provision off, gain another 4, cross yet another provision off and then add a final 4 stamina. Same end result, you just had to do a little bit more writing. Well, I'm mystified as to whether that's cheating - "at a time" might be interpreted quite a number of ways, for example one every non-combat reference. I suspect there are very few times going with such an interpretation might make a difference. OTOH if the writers can screw you over by giving you umpteen useless Skill bonuses instead of attack strength bonuses I suppose your interpretation seems a valid one.
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Post by hallucination on Oct 26, 2022 20:41:02 GMT
… for example one every non-combat reference ... This is how I’ve interpreted it (and implemented it in play-throughs) but I agree it’s a silly constraint at that level of vagueness. Especially when not much changes between some references: you might still be in the exact same spot and it’s just a few moments later! Hypothetically I am not against a more principled ruling on how soon you can eat again after a meal and receive a full 4 stamina payoff . Yet as we all know, sometimes the books make an explicit ruling on when you may eat - but that can be done problematically too !
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Post by terrysalt on Oct 26, 2022 22:05:38 GMT
I've not only noticed it, I've argued it's a completely meaningless restriction. Instead of crossing 3 provisions off and raising your stamina by 12, you cross 1 provision off, raise stamina by 4, cross another provision off, gain another 4, cross yet another provision off and then add a final 4 stamina. Same end result, you just had to do a little bit more writing. Well, I'm mystified as to whether that's cheating - "at a time" might be interpreted quite a number of ways, for example one every non-combat reference. I suspect there are very few times going with such an interpretation might make a difference. OTOH if the writers can screw you over by giving you umpteen useless Skill bonuses instead of attack strength bonuses I suppose your interpretation seems a valid one.
If that's what they meant, that's what they should have written. But as it is, what I described is quite literally eating provisions one at a time.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Oct 27, 2022 15:41:42 GMT
I have given all my solutions a wash and brush up so they now reasonably legible.
I have used the matrix(not Neo) to give plausible estimates as to the potential stamina loss.
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Post by dragonwarrior8 on Oct 27, 2022 17:08:37 GMT
Well, I'm mystified as to whether that's cheating - "at a time" might be interpreted quite a number of ways, for example one every non-combat reference. I suspect there are very few times going with such an interpretation might make a difference. OTOH if the writers can screw you over by giving you umpteen useless Skill bonuses instead of attack strength bonuses I suppose your interpretation seems a valid one.
If that's what they meant, that's what they should have written. But as it is, what I described is quite literally eating provisions one at a time. It does kind of smack of laziness that how many years as it been now and they still haven't cleared stuff like this up?
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Post by paperexplorer on Oct 28, 2022 1:13:45 GMT
It makes logical sense that you could only eat one provision, which equates to one meal, and that be it. How many references would you then need to pass before you can eat again though?
It's always amused me to think of a badly wounded warrior, 1 stamina point away from death, eating himself silly and instantly recovering.
Or to use a scenario from Bloodbones, in the midst of an epic battle at sea, our badly wounded hero with a last gasp effort fells Mirel the Red, and while the fighting carries on around him the hero scoffs down 3 full meals and skols a bottle of rum before walking forward to challenge Cinnebar
Unrealistic, but tell me you haven't done it
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