Rank the authors

[deadshadowrunner]

Pretty sure this thread does not exist on this forum.

So,how would you rank the FF authors? Here's mine with explanations.I have excluded authors of only one book or those who have only co-wrote.

1) Steve Jackson (UK)
Was there any doubt? Innovator of the series, with 4 brilliant books and only one dud, and even then that paved the way for the Sci-Fi genre.

2) Stephen Hand
Wrote only three, but they were consistently excellent.

3) Peter Darvill-Evans
Pretty close between him and Hand. He also wrote three very good books, including one my favourites Spectral Stalkers.

4) Jonathan Green
Excellent writing,not-so-excellent fairness, but that issue has since been resolved. "The only author left" apart from the creators,hopefully he writes some more?

5) Paul Mason
In a way he was an innovator as well,with the codeword mechanic in The Crimson Tide being my favourite. The failing a roll to succeed aspects though irk me a bit.

6) Keith Martin
Mr Hub.One thing you can't accuse him of is linearity.

7) Ian Livingstone
Sorry Ian, you gave us gems like Deathtrap Dungeon and City of Thieves, and your world building was invaluable, but you may need to work on your characterisation and fairness.At least you are Vagsancho's number 1.

8) Robin Waterfield
I didn't expect him to be down here so low but the competition was tight.

9) Steve Jackson(US)
His books are certainly non-linear.Plus:Robot Commando!

10) Luke Sharp
His Daggers of Darkness and Fangs of Fury lift him out of last place.

11) Andrew Chapman
One sentence victories are not enough.At least I did enjoy Rings of Kether.

[kieran]

Ooh this is very tough. I'll follow your lead and leave out the one hit wonders and co-authors.

1. Ian Livingstone
Are his books technically brilliant? No. But there's just such an old school feeling to his FF books that I love. Actually when he tries to be a bit different (Freeway Fighter, Armies of Daeth) he produces his worst books IMO.

2. Steve Jackson (UK)
His ambition is staggering and he really got as much out of the gamebook format as it was possible to do. In his earlier works, his writing can be a bit drab however.

3. Peter Darvill Evans
His books are imaginative, atmospheric, fun and actually pretty fair.

4. Paul Mason
His books are ridiculously hard but (apart from in the excessively linear Slaves of the Abyss) the false routes are so interesting and intriguing you don't mind losing yet again so much.

5. Jonathan Green
An author who never sticks with the same design style. And while it's not always succesful, his catalogue is probably the most varied of all FF authors with something there for everyone.

6. Stephen Hand
A dull debut is more than made up for with two excellent follow-ups.

7. Keith Martin
Some great early books, but most of his offering from Tower of Destruction on were a bit tedious.

8. Robin Waterfield
His books often feel a tad undercooked but when he's good he's very good. Probably the best writer from a literary perspective when he was on form.

9. Luke Sharp
His books are wacky but for the most part they're fun. Chasms of Malice really brings him down unfortunately.

10. Steve Jackson (US)
Robot Commando bores the life out of me but his other two offerings are good lightweight fun.

11. Andrew Chapman
Two fun but lightweight sci-fi offerings brought down by the unforgiving Seas of Blood and the plain nasty Clash of the Princes.

[sylas]

i don't feel i can properly rank the authors. some authors' books i prefer for their excellent atmosphere and engaging storytelling. others for the entertaining gameplay and replayability. and others for having a decent bit of both but excelling in neither.

[paltogue]

So hard! I'm going to have to think about this one.

[vagsancho]

An author is made by a Masterpiece.
1 - Ian Livingstone (Crypt of the Sorcerer, Deathtrap Dungeon, & City of Thieves)
2 - Jonathan Green (Howl of the Werewolf & Night of the Necromancer)
3 - Steve Jackson (House of Hell)
4 - Mark Smith & Jamie Thomson (Talisman of Death)
5 - Peter Darvill Evans (Beneath Nightmare's Castle)

[sylas]

i expected Ian Livingstone for all five!

[Deleted]

I'd put Ian and Jackson on my list, they're a good story tellers with House of Hell, Sorcery and many others. Jon Green won't make the list however. His books are too hard and I find them slightly boring. Sorry Jon, but that's my fan-based opinion.

[offm]

Oct 2, 2015 22:52:11 GMT @tammy said:

I'd put Ian and Jackson on my list, they're a good story tellers with House of Hell, Sorcery and many others. Jon Green won't make the list however. His books are too hard and I find them slightly boring. Sorry Jon, but that's my fan-based opinion.

I am now reading howl of the werewolf for the second time, i made the same decisions i did the 1st time and never reached the 2nd part of the book without a little cheating in fights (and had the luck to create a skill 12 stamina 15 character) still i like the storytelling and find fights with multi characters innovative and good .


Sent from my SUNSET2 using proboards

[Deleted]

I don't hate his writing, he's good, I just get turned off by some of his books like Night of the Necromancer for example. I did complete Curse Mummy so I suppose they're not ALL difficult, but I never played it with dice, it was just good luck I made it, I guess.

[johnbrawn1972]

Oct 5, 2015 15:56:35 GMT @tammy said:

I don't hate his writing, he's good, I just get turned off by some of his books like Night of the Necromancer for example. I did complete Curse Mummy so I suppose they're not ALL difficult, but I never played it with dice, it was just good luck I made it, I guess.

Hi Tammy. Think of Howl Of The Werewolf as a vast sprawling landscape to explore while Night Of The Necromancer is a tower with many levels plunged into the ground. I am concentrating on these two because they are much more considered and forgiving once you have a grasp of what they are trying to do. Howl is more like Sorcery where it is about exploring strategies depending on whether you are collecting the silver daggers or not. Night is very determinate depending on what your initial dice rolls are like especially and obviously your initial skill.

If you want to break into Night consider these factors. For an initial skill of 7 consider first how to acquire someone with a high skill to access the later stages of the book. This necessitates acquiring Spook which necessitates reaching that point with a high will. Second you need to be able to answer the second question.  The answer can be acquired in two locations. Third you then need to be able to answer the third question ie a Chamberlain is only a referee or umpire not a Lord. So you must reach reference 250 to find out the answer. This entails finding encounters which give you a chance of acquiring Shade and these exist as 1/2, 1/3 and 1/6 and if you fail all those there is a slightly risky dice roll as a last resort. Once you reach reference 250 you have the opportunity of acquiring some super weapons. One entails having an avatar about as beefy as Caramon from Dragonlance. The other super weapon is easily acquired once you have reached reference 250 but you need to have died twice to be able to access it. How is that achieved?

All these factors make Night a multi-layered blast where once one 'key' is unlocked you encounter deeper structures which require you to backtrack and reconsider hence the metaphor of the deep tower sunk into the ground. If you put effort into Night it is so rewarding without being 'unfair' like Spell-Dice-Heart-Breaker. If you want to 'cheat' have a look at my solution on this board. It is geared for a 7/14/7 avatar. See if you agree or maybe you can find a better route?

[Deleted]

Noted.


Thanks.