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Post by a moderator on Oct 20, 2023 14:20:15 GMT
Tracker Books also preceded FF. Not sure a series of 12 gamebooks published over the course of almost a decade constitutes a 'little experiment'. Good call - never heard of them! They're pretty basic - the ones I've encountered all have just 40 sections, they tend to be quite linear, and they involve no stats or dice. Still, the sneaky way the author concealed the route to the best ending in Codebreaker made enough of an impression to inspire one of the ways to beat Return to the Icefinger Mountains.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 20, 2023 13:08:13 GMT
Simple enough question: what was the first gamebook you read/played?
I imagine that for many people it'll be The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, but mine was Skyjacked, from the Tracker Books series. Totally different, except for the bit where the later stages of the book are spent trying to find the way through a confusing network of subterranean tunnels. And it's possible to reach an ending where the villains are thwarted (at least for now) but the loot remains unobtainable.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 20, 2023 11:59:59 GMT
FF created the Gamebook Genra. Choose Your Own Adventure, Tunnels and Trolls and the odd little experiment preceded it, Endless Quest launched about the same time. FF is probably responsible for making the concept super popular though, at least in the UK. CYOA was probably bigger in the US and worldwide. Tracker Books also preceded FF. Not sure a series of 12 gamebooks published over the course of almost a decade constitutes a 'little experiment'.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 19, 2023 21:52:23 GMT
Did you already write the accordion? My own slightly formatted and edited HTML file is dated May 2009, so it's entirely possible something was added later on the list, which I could check, but I'm too scared. I think my excuse at the time was that Leigh was next in line to write something, but I can hardly use that now. The slippers were his? The accordion is part of Leigh's route. As for the slippers: "I also have to come up with something for the Pandoroid slipper subpath, assuming I didn't already and forgot about it." (Per Jorner, Fighting Fantasy gamebooks Yahoo! Group, Mar 15, 2008) The barrier fight opponents are indeed all Brunskillian, but further Proteus in-jokes would be appropriate. I'd say that automatic breakage should be a scarce option, but then, I'm the author who wouldn't include a fight against a Pogue on either of his paths, so who's to say my views have any validity? "The gun was a little bit more graphic than "You turn away from the dying Orc" or "You wipe your sword on your opponent's cloak", but not _that_ much. Kids need to be shown that violence has tangible consequences. Killing a kitchenful of Orcs is no picnic! They're sentient beings too! You could be traumatized for life!" (Per Jorner, Fighting Fantasy gamebooks Yahoo! Group, Oct 8, 2006) If 2023 Per disagrees strongly enough with 2006 Per, feel free to rewrite. To quote one of the most gloriously savage gamebook reviews ever penned, "no, wait, it is EXACTLY LIKE THAT."
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Post by a moderator on Oct 19, 2023 18:13:20 GMT
On the off-chance that those things you had managed to forget include your plans for tying up the 'Pandoroid' path's side of the boss fight in Yellow Snow III, I shall direct your attention towards this thread. Noooooooo I'll be doomed I still have a rain-damaged rough map of the paths through the first half of the adventure within arm's reach, but I can't remember offhand what the shapes and numbers signify. You had the letter hunt? Was being doomed a win condition, or a hazard, or both? I'm scared. Practically everything has already been taken care of (the letter hunt was tied up in paras 186 & 143, and doomedness was taken care of in paras 204 & 224), so you really only need concern yourself with two questions. For para 216: how does having the pair of slippers (paras 86 & 147) help with breaching the barrier shielding the end boss (paras 201 & 223)? For para 219: how does having the little speaker emitting a high-pitched feedback loop (para 185) help with breaching the barrier? Still unclaimed are paras 210, 212 & 220, so if you need more than one paragraph to resolve either matter, you can use any of them. I can free up a few more if absolutely necessary by ditching the Cretan Chronicles riff I came up with earlier this year, but I'd rather not if it can be avoided.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 19, 2023 17:46:48 GMT
On the off-chance that those things you had managed to forget include your plans for tying up the 'Pandoroid' path's side of the boss fight in Yellow Snow III, I shall direct your attention towards this thread. Noooooooo I'll be doomed I still have a rain-damaged rough map of the paths through the first half of the adventure within arm's reach, but I can't remember offhand what the shapes and numbers signify. You had the letter hunt? Was being doomed a win condition, or a hazard, or both? I'm scared. I'll pick this up in the relevant thread.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 19, 2023 15:22:47 GMT
1) Ninja Hatstand 2) Predator (from the Schwarzenegger film) iii) Zombie Keith Martin with Paving Slab 22: Chutney Golem
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Post by a moderator on Oct 18, 2023 18:37:20 GMT
I don't suppose you still have a copy of your original Seas of Blood review? The one you wrote without having read the book, for a joke, which so completely took in someone on the Yahoo! group that they made a post arguing that you'd been unduly harsh on the middle of the adventure? I cracked open an Outlook Express database file for the first time since forever, finding the review and reply in question in among Leigh calling me an "EVIL PSEUDO-SWEDE" and other things I had managed to forget. I'll post them in the thread which bears my name. On the off-chance that those things you had managed to forget include your plans for tying up the 'Pandoroid' path's side of the boss fight in Yellow Snow III, I shall direct your attention towards this thread.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 17, 2023 21:31:20 GMT
Maybe the narrative version of my Sky Lord review, since that wasn't in the archive? You mean this one? I don't suppose you still have a copy of your original Seas of Blood review? The one you wrote without having read the book, for a joke, which so completely took in someone on the Yahoo! group that they made a post arguing that you'd been unduly harsh on the middle of the adventure?
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Post by a moderator on Oct 16, 2023 13:20:59 GMT
I think things have quietened down enough that it's okay for me to put up a new set of questions. Apologies to anybody who doesn't have access to a copy of House of Hell, because on this occasion every question relates to that book. - Describe something that causes the gain of exactly 1 Fear point.
- Name a character you may encounter in or under the house.
- Describe a way of regaining Stamina during the adventure.
- Give a name which is on the name-plate of one of the upstairs rooms.
- List a scoring answer for the torturer’s test that gets less than 5 points.
- Name or otherwise identify an opponent with a Skill score that is an odd number.
- List an item you may use as a WEAPON.
- Identify a liquid you are given the opportunity of drinking in the house.
- Describe a full-page illustration which accompanies a section that you cannot reach in the course of a successful attempt at the book.
- Identify a human whom you may fight (their Skill and Stamina must be listed) during the adventure.
Bear in mind the difference between 'name' and 'identify'. (All the following examples are from an unrelated book so as not to influence participants in this quiz.) If the question says 'name', an actual character name must be given (e.g. 'Yaztromo'), while 'identify' merely requires you to refer to something distinctive about a character (e.g. 'the wizard who sells you stuff before you enter Darkwood Forest'). Where 'identify' is an option, all references to the same character (or whatever is being asked for) will be treated as identical, even if they reference different aspects (so 'the guy who turns you into a frog if you attack him' and 'the man who explains what happened to Gillibran's hammer' would count as the same answer). When submitting answers you may not suggest alternatives in case your first option proves unacceptable. You may change an answer (until the deadline) if you have second thoughts, but must unambiguously indicate that your new answer is replacing the one you previously submitted. The deadline for submitting answers is 23:59 GMT on October 30th.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 14, 2023 23:00:29 GMT
Around 24 hours to get in results for week 41.
Week 42 The Resurrection of the Dead (Fighting Fantazine 1) (4 dice) Beneath Nightmare Castle (5 dice – standard stats plus Willpower)
Please state if you use a guide, if you allocate dice at character creation rather than taking them as they fall, or if you make more than one attempt at a book. Only combats which you win should be included in the list of enemies defeated.
Kieran and terrysalt both won an identical number of fights in Crown, and six of those were the same combats. For the other one, though, terrysalt went up against the end boss, while kieran took on a mutated Goblin. Such are the peculiarities of the book that kieran’s unique opponent was the tougher of the two, so he gets the bonus. Week 40 scoring 1st: hallucination - 14 (stats bonus 4 + victory bonus 10) 2nd: terrysalt – 11 (stats bonus 1 + victory bonus 10) 3rd: evilwizard – 9 (stats bonus 4 + closest to victory bonus 5) 4th: kieran – 6 (stats bonus 1 + most fights won bonus 5) 5th: kalieum - 5 (stats bonus 5)
Running totals 1st: evilwizard - 553 2nd: terrysalt - 533 3rd: hallucination - 492 4th: King Gillibran - 287 5th: kieran - 169 6th: peasantscribbler - 76 7th: kalieum - 64 8th: juniorhornet - 44 9th: nathanh – 33 10th: trialmaster - 12
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Post by a moderator on Oct 14, 2023 0:43:51 GMT
Mid-early Livingstonian and admittedly not preposterous characterization of an artist in Temple of Terror. Indeed. Elsewhere in the book the artist's name is given as Murkegg, but as the book only gives the opportunity to speak with the one artist, I don't think specifying the name is essential.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 13, 2023 22:31:24 GMT
If the hanged man counts as being 'bound by rope', that would provide an answer from House.
I'm kind of impressed at how badly I did despite giving unique answers for half of the questions.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 13, 2023 22:15:38 GMT
That's Aspra in Chasms of Malice (section 65, if anyone was wondering).
"You wouldn't know the difference between art and an Orc's armpit."
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Post by a moderator on Oct 13, 2023 0:57:07 GMT
The crone in Dree who tricks you into downing a Potion of Obedience in Creature of Havoc.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 7, 2023 23:18:38 GMT
A little under 23 hours to get in results for week 40.
Week 41 Return to the Icefinger Mountains (Fighting Fantazine 9) (4 dice) Slaves of the Abyss (4 dice)
Please state if you use a guide, if you allocate dice at character creation rather than taking them as they fall, or if you make more than one attempt at a book. Only combats which you win should be included in the list of enemies defeated. Victory can be attained in Return by reaching either section 49 or section 275.
Week 39 scoring While terrysalt and trialmaster both fought 31 opponents, 29 of which they had in common, the two that only terrysalt fought both had higher stats than those exclusive to trialmaster, so terrysalt takes the bonus. 1st= hallucination - 16 (stats bonus 1 + victory bonus 10 + most fights won bonus 5) 1st= terrysalt – 16 (stats bonus 1 + victory bonus 10 + most fights won bonus 5) 3rd: trialmaster – 10 (stats bonus 0 + victory bonus 10) 4th= evilwizard – 4 (stats bonus 4) 4th= kieran – 4 (stats bonus 4)
Running totals 1st: evilwizard - 544 2nd: terrysalt - 522 3rd: hallucination - 478 4th: King Gillibran - 287 5th: kieran - 163 6th: peasantscribbler - 76 7th: kalieum - 59 8th: juniorhornet - 44 9th: nathanh – 33 10th: trialmaster - 12
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Post by a moderator on Oct 3, 2023 16:39:47 GMT
Michael Moorcock is variable, but some of his stuff is very good.
I've read a lot of Terry Pratchett, a bit of Robert E. Howard, most of C.S. Lewis' fiction, several books by Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy...
Would Alan Garner's tales of contemporary teens getting mixed up with figures from myth and legend count? I've read a few of them.
Per Jorner's After the Campfires is excellent (though whoever wrote the blurb appears not to have got beyond the first page).
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Post by a moderator on Oct 2, 2023 23:35:18 GMT
One of the things that still puzzle me is the riddle the Jester throws at you at (233) about a "password". Only thing I could come up with was "Pas sword", which made me decide not to go through the door with the sword symbol on it, but it's still a 50-50 chance of hitting it right. Not 'Pas', but 'Asp', indicating that you should also avoid the door with the snake symbol.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 2, 2023 19:26:12 GMT
I daresay not even Martin Allen has the faintest idea. I concur. Did he have some Chinese-Chess-complicated idea in mind at first he later abandoned, or was he just writing nonsense from the start? Tbh 'nonsense' is generous where Martin Allen's Sky Lord is concerned. Well, someone was able to make sense of the pitch/yaw sequence in the book, so it's possible that there is an obscure but ultimately rational explanation for this puzzle, too.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 2, 2023 13:35:15 GMT
How about a version of Star Trek: Voyager with a ship's crew more unengaging than even the dullest of the series regulars, which doesn't take the time to properly engage with any of the societies encountered, falls significantly short of the usual gamebook length even with a tedious maze added to pad out the section count, and gets published over a decade before the series is broadcast?
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Post by a moderator on Oct 1, 2023 0:11:23 GMT
A belated welcome to new participant trialmaster.
A little under 23 hours to get in results for week 39.
Week 40 The Crown of Kings (4 dice) The Dark Usurper (White Dwarf 61-63) (4 dice)
Please state if you use a guide, if you allocate dice at character creation rather than taking them as they fall, or if you make more than one attempt at a book. Only combats which you win should be included in the list of enemies defeated. As The Dark Usurper is broken into three parts, the victory bonus for it will be handled slightly differently from usual. Each part won is worth 3 points, with an additional point for beating all three.
Week 38 scoring 1st: evilwizard – 16 (stats bonus 1+ victory bonus 10 + most fights won bonus 5) 2nd: hallucination - 4 (stats bonus 4) 3rd: terrysalt – 4 (stats bonus 4) 4th: kieran – 2 (stats bonus 2) 5th: trialmaster – 2 (stats bonus 2)
Running totals 1st: evilwizard - 540 2nd: terrysalt - 506 3rd: hallucination - 462 4th: King Gillibran - 287 5th: kieran - 159 6th: peasantscribbler - 76 7th: kalieum - 59 8th: juniorhornet - 44 9th: nathanh – 33 10th: trialmaster - 2
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Post by a moderator on Sept 28, 2023 23:16:06 GMT
Glad you're reconnecting with fellow fans (and that those books did arrive). Welcome to the forum.
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Post by a moderator on Sept 27, 2023 1:17:50 GMT
I think as Pip says that he has played a version with the reference fixed for the secret door (assuming the Wizard one?) proves beyond a shadow of a doubt it was an accident. The first Wizard reissue made a couple of changes to the text. On the positive side, the phrase to indicate the presence of a secret door was added in the right place. However, the rules were amended to remove the damage reduction provided by your scaly skin. The second Wizard reissue managed to combine the worst of both earlier editions, re-removing the trigger phrase but keeping the bit about hits in battle causing you 2 Stamina. I've never looked at the Scholastic edition to see how much of a mess that is, but I know from others' complaints here that Rhino Man 29 has been omitted from the picture that should make it possible to encounter him. And given Scholastic's reputation, it wouldn't surprise me if the book also fires pins into your eyes if you ever roll a double three. The way he gets involved in various situations is quite a neat gimmick, but for me he never had the same impact that Throm or Mungo did.
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Post by a moderator on Sept 26, 2023 15:44:38 GMT
The business with the signpost is too consistent to be an editorial blunder. The Puffin edition of the book included a map of the region, which would enable the reader to check and discover that the signpost had been rotated to make the arms point in the wrong directions. Even if you don't have the map, the knowledge that you've just come north from Coven should alert you to the fact that something's not right when the signpost says Dree is to the south and Coven is in the north-west. The clues are there for observant readers - unlike with the missing textual cue for the secret door.
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Post by a moderator on Sept 25, 2023 13:03:40 GMT
I may have a set of questions, but I'd wait on greenspine's, who said he's saving his for October (I'm guessing Halloween theme?), which is only a week away, since I plan to give a deadline for mine that's longer than that. You're correct about the theme. I was planning on leaving it until the second half of the month, posting the results on the 31st, so unless you wanted to set a deadline of 3 weeks plus, there should be time for your questions first.
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Post by a moderator on Sept 24, 2023 12:15:45 GMT
I thought Gates Of Death might be a positive as there are so many possible loops and possible points to restart the adventure? But the fail ending where you're slaughtered by the demonic army (reference 436) has a large illustration, so that's out. Don't know about EOTD, POP and COS - I like the illustrations in Port Of Peril. Gates Of Death also has an orphan illustration and reference somewhere, I believe one with a giant.
I think Gates of Death is possible, so long as you die on reference 436. There wasn't a stipulation you had to succeed, was there? Er... How many books are there where it's possible to see all art in a single successful playthrough?
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Post by a moderator on Sept 23, 2023 23:05:05 GMT
A little under 24 hours to get in results for week 38.
Week 39 Temple of Terror (4 dice) Legend of the Shadow Warriors (6 dice – usual stats plus starting gold)
Please state if you use a guide, if you allocate dice at character creation rather than taking them as they fall, or if you make more than one attempt at a book. Only combats which you win should be included in the list of enemies defeated.
Week 37 scoring 1st: terrysalt – 17 (stats bonus 2 + victory bonus 10 + most fights won bonus 5) 2nd: evilwizard – 15 (stats bonus 5 + closest to victory bonus 5 + most fights won bonus 5) 3rd: hallucination - 13 (stats bonus 4 + victory bonus 10 – missed deadline penalty 1) 4th: kieran – 5 (stats bonus 5) 5th: kalieum - 4 (stats bonus 4)
Running totals 1st: evilwizard - 524 2nd: terrysalt - 502 3rd: hallucination - 458 4th: King Gillibran - 287 5th: kieran - 157 6th: peasantscribbler - 76 7th: kalieum - 59 8th: juniorhornet - 44 9th: nathanh – 33
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Post by a moderator on Sept 21, 2023 12:05:44 GMT
Vault of the Vampire Sk8 St24 Lu9 Fa7
Despite a decent Faith score, I couldn't overcome the power of the Baobhan Sith's scream.
Kills:1 Wraith A high Faith can be a disadvantage against the Baobhan Sith. Fail the correct Faith roll, and you get bitten for minor Stamina loss rather than having to make the do-or-die roll to survive the scream.
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Post by a moderator on Sept 21, 2023 12:02:22 GMT
Gates Of Death also has an orphan illustration and reference somewhere, I believe one with a giant.
Yikes - imagine wasting an illustration for a section that it's impossible to reach! If handled well, that could work in a parody gamebook. Deliberately create an orphan reference in which something spectacular happens, have it accompanied by an eye-catching illustration that's likely to whet the reader's appetite for the encounter depicted, and in the middle of a long paragraph, bury the revelation that there's no way of reaching the section. It'd be a troll move, but in the right context and spirit, you could potentially get most readers to concede that it was an impressive prank.
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Post by a moderator on Sept 20, 2023 15:55:57 GMT
For those I have completed:
1. Warlock of Firetop Mountain (No. The Giant Spider and Cyclops are on separate routes.) 2. Citadel of Chaos (No. The tentacle and the group by the fire are on separate routes.) 3. Forest of Doom (I think you can. There are no death paragraph illustrations, so you can loop through everything.) 4. Starship Traveller (No. Beaming down to the water planet is not on the winning route.) 5. City of Thieves (No. The Lizardine and Mad Man are on separate routes/streets.) 6. Deathtrap Dungeon (No. The Mirror Demon is not on a winning route.) 7. Island of the Lizard King (No. The Water Elemental and the Bear are on separate routes.) 8. Scorpion Swamp (No the cool hooded figure that blows up Grimslade's tower is not on a winning route.) 9. Caverns of the Snow Witch (No. Redswift's brother, Ash, and the Night Stalker are on separate routes.) 10. House of Hell (No. The Ghoul in the kitchen is not on a winning route.) 11. Talisman of Death (I think you can, with the loops back to the Rift and outside of Greyguilds.) 12. Space Assassin (No. The Deity and the Cephalo Squirrels are on separate routes.) ... 24. Creature of Havoc (No. Dree is not on the winning route.) ... 65. Blood of the Zombies (No. If you see the armour and Ian Livingstone's bust (Ooh Matron!) then you have missed a Zombie.) ... 71. Shadow of the Giants (Yes you can. No loops required.)
I can add some more negatives to the list. 13. Freeway Fighter (No. The rat man is not on a winning route.)14. Temple of Terror (No. The desert rider and the Sand Snapper are on separate routes.)15. The Rings of Kether (No. The pair of 'Blaster' Babbets and the exploding asteroid are on separate routes.)16. Seas of Blood (No. The war galleys and the Roc are on separate routes.)17. Appointment with F.E.A.R. (No. The Macro Brain and the presidential assassination are on separate routes.)20. Sword of the Samurai (No. Yoro Ginsei and Moichi are on separate routes.)21. Trial of Champions (No. The Mind Warp Beast is not on a winning route.)23. Masks of Mayhem (No. The Kraken and the spectres of its victims are on separate routes.)25. Beneath Nightmare Castle (No. The Stone-drop game is not on a winning route.)26. Crypt of the Sorcerer (No. The Black Fairy is not on a winning route.)30. Chasms of Malice (No. The Khuddam and accompanying Orcs, Trolls etc. are not on a winning route.)32. Slaves of the Abyss (No. The eponymous slaves are not on a winning route.)36. Armies of Death (No. The Medusa is not on a winning route.)38. Vault of the Vampire (No. Valderesse the Ranger and the dead Werewolf are on separate routes.)40. Dead of Night (No. The sword of Demon-Slaying and the prison of the Netherworld Sorcerers are on separate routes.)41. Master of Chaos (No. The Chaos Manticore and Captain Grotniss are on separate routes.)44. Legend of the Shadow Warriors (No. The Orcs of the Black Scorpion and the Nightmare Master are on separate routes.)50. Return to Firetop Mountain (No. The Inquisitor and the Chaos Slime Beast are on separate routes.)53. Spellbreaker (No. The hags on broomsticks and the rats in the burning barn are on separate routes.)
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