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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:42:03 GMT
From TUFFF (August 2012)...
Does anyone here thinks that Island of the Undead is Keith Martin's best book?
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:44:57 GMT
From TUFFF... Of the Keith Martin books, I'd probably rank them: Night Dragon
Vault of the Vampire
Stealer of Souls
Island of the Undead
Revenge of the Vampire
Master of Chaos
Tower of Destruction Bear in mind that I always play Revenge as pay 8GP for the horse and NOT minimum 8 means 'you might as well have all my money'. I also forgive the many errors in the book including the 'if you are unsuccessful turn to X, if you fail, turn to Y'. Island is very average for me. Nothing special about the plot but very entertaining on the game. May rank above Stealer if it applied the 'improvements' stated in Gameplay Modifications. It has some very good ideas though. The first half of the story is a lot of fun. The second half gets creepy and becomes full of 'you need this or DIE' sections. The final encounter with the possessed Master of Fire is excellent however. A bit like the Mordraneth fight from Stealer. Tower would rank higher if it weren't so darn tough and my pet hate of gathering tons of gold pieces AFTER passing the last 'shop', but then this happens in all his books anyway. Two Words |
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:45:59 GMT
From TUFFF... My favourite is either Vault of the Vampire or Night Dragon. My principal issue with Island is the need to go through the hubs in the right order, which I have yet to figure out. |
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:46:43 GMT
From TUFFF... Keith Martin has always been one of my top FF Authors. I always love the atmosphere, story and gameplay in his books. Would people here agree with me that his adventures all have a very 'dark' feeling to them? I couldn't rank them in order except for my favourite three: Night Dragon, Revenge of the Vampire and Tower of Destruction. When playing the latter two it is essential to have the wiki to hand to know exactly where the bugs are so you can actually have a chance at finishing them. With those in hand, I rank them as above. ~ Vae Victis! ~ |
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:47:45 GMT
From TUFFF... Does anyone here thinks that Island of the Undead is Keith Martin's best book? I'd go further than that. I'd say it's arguably his only decent one. (Night Dragon is doing the arguing). I find his prose style unreadable, his hub-style structuring quite tedious, and his gameplay poorly tested. One of my very least favourite FF authors. |
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:48:15 GMT
From TUFFF... I mostly enjoy Keith Martin, though not my favourite author. I've enjoy enough Island of the Undead, like the themes mostly and the setting. Very fun. But I haven't played it properly, so I have to admit that my feelings for this one could shift a little if I find it unplayable. Without putting too much thoughts into it, I'd say Vault of the Vampire was the one I enjoyed the most. Speak in extremes, it will save you time. |
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:50:06 GMT
From TUFFF... My favourite is either Vault of the Vampire or Night Dragon. My principal issue with Island is the need to go through the hubs in the right order, which I have yet to figure out. Not all the items that can be found in the first half are essential. Things like getting the Gold Key or the Brass Orb can help matters but you don't actually NEED them. There IS a way through the hubs that gains the best outcome but again, it's not as unforgiving as you think. The only problem it has is the Greater Ghoul which guards 3 of your Attack Strength boosting items (one of which is essential), and if you don't have a Skill of at least 11, you're not likely to get past that encounter. Two Words |
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 17, 2014 22:50:38 GMT
From TUFFF... I do really like Stealer of Souls as well. The opportunity to backtrack (at least until the choking smoke) gives the adventure a feeling of openness and presents more real-world logic than you'd be used to in FF exploration. I also like the way you catch glimpses of things you may have missed on an alternate route, such as the Minotaur and the Razorbeak. Makes mapping easier too. ~ Vae Victis! ~ |
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Post by nathanh on Mar 18, 2014 22:43:14 GMT
For me the best Keith Martin book is Night Dragon, closely followed by Legend of Zagor.
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,678 
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Mar 19, 2014 16:44:42 GMT
lol.
never gets old.
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Post by The Editor (Alex B) on Nov 12, 2018 4:29:07 GMT
It has been reported that Carl Sargent has passed away.
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,678
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Nov 12, 2018 5:22:02 GMT
No way! RIP Keith Martin one of the FF greats. He will be missed but we will keep reading his books in his honour.
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Post by hynreck on Nov 12, 2018 13:47:48 GMT
I'm at work right now, learning of this sad news. But I will raise a glass in his honour tonight. Thank you, Mr. Sargent, for the cool books you gifted us. You will be missed and may you rest in peace.
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Post by philsadler on Nov 12, 2018 16:51:37 GMT
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Post by daredevil123 on Nov 12, 2018 17:02:50 GMT
This is a sad day for the FF community. How about Scholastic releases a new edition of Legend of Zagor, correctly credited to him?
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Nov 12, 2018 20:13:17 GMT
I noticed the coincidence – the politician died roughly a year ago – but it seems unlikely that Graeme Davis and the official FF site are getting it wrong too.
That is very sad. I can't remember the order in which I originally bought FF books (which ignored the numbers and was probably based on their cover art as much as anything). But I think I must have picked up Vault of the Vampire and Master of Chaos quite soon after they came out and while my love of the genre was still being shaped, and they made a major contribution to it.
I still remember the excitement of twigging the code to release Siegfried's armour for the first time, and the creepiness of Castle Heydrich with its blood-filled biscuits, helpful ghosts, nasty afflictions, hostile jelly and sexy but deadly pensioner. Likewise the excitement of becoming notorious in Ashkyos, encountering footpads, a necromancer, the tea-drinking thief Vesper, the evil yet honourable Naas and of course the talking snake-bane himself, Jesper.
Thank you, Carl Sargent.
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Post by a moderator on Nov 12, 2018 23:49:28 GMT
I've put a brief tribute up at my blog. How about Scholastic releases a new edition of Legend of Zagor, correctly credited to him? That's one of the few things that could persuade me to buy a Scholastic reprint. |
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,453
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Nov 13, 2018 12:17:23 GMT
This is a sad day for the FF community. How about Scholastic releases a new edition of Legend of Zagor, correctly credited to him? That would be a nice gesture |
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Nov 14, 2018 20:08:43 GMT
Very sad to hear. I enjoyed his FF books a great deal and his contributions to White Dwarf and WFRP. He wrote a ff-style adventure for Warhammer in White Dwarf 106 which was atmospheric and interesting to read. Condolences to his family and friends.
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Post by The Editor (Alex B) on Nov 18, 2018 8:05:56 GMT
Given that it is his sister who confirmed his death and said death happened in August this year (2018) it unlikely to be a mixup. |
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Post by philsadler on Nov 18, 2018 10:11:32 GMT
Damn. He did some of my favourite FF books, and he wasn't very old either.
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Nov 27, 2018 20:28:49 GMT
Damn. He did some of my favourite FF books, and he wasn't very old either. We expect people these days (barring accidents) to get their threescore years and ten and it's sad and a bit shocking when they don't even make it to retirement age.
The 'gamebook-writing generation', young men when D&D first came out in the late 70's (40-odd years ago!), are now in their sixties most of them...
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Post by Rommel on Nov 29, 2018 22:55:35 GMT
The 'gamebook-writing generation'...was this the real "greatest generation"?
RIP Mr Sargent. I once made a major move overseas with one of his books the only one I took in my carry-on luggage.
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