|
Post by philsadler on Jun 16, 2016 16:03:56 GMT
Your passion for gamebooks is admirable, Vag. I think it's his passion for Ian Livingstone.
|
|
|
Post by a moderator on Jun 16, 2016 21:58:13 GMT
How I hate losing a Fighting Fantasy gamebook. A sincere will to tear the heavens, to blow up everything, to tear my own chest. A horrible feeling of lost time. And yet your favourite FF book is Crypt?
|
|
|
Post by deadshadowrunner on Jun 17, 2016 5:50:29 GMT
How I hate losing a Fighting Fantasy gamebook. A sincere will to tear the heavens, to blow up everything, to tear my own chest. A horrible feeling of lost time. And yet your favourite FF book is Crypt? He's happy when he loses Crypt because that means his hero Razaak has prevailed.
|
|
|
Post by Jon on Jul 27, 2016 19:58:54 GMT
With my nitpicking I'm expending more thought on this than Livingstone ever bothered to do, but I have worked out a plausible minimum stake for Baron Sukumvit to put down - if there were to be three incarnations of Deathtrap Dungeon as originally planned for Fighting Fantasy, then the original prize could have been relatively small. If the prize for the first dungeon were 100,000 gold pieces, the prize of the deadlier second dungeon could be 200,000 and the prize for the deadliest third dungeon 400,000.
I calculate that in the context of EARLY fighting fantasy and the world guide Titan, a gold piece was roughly thruppence as it was in Medieval and Tudor England. Thus 80,000 gold pieces would have been £1000 of that era. Scotland at that time was separate from, more sparsely populated than and poorer than England, so is a better analogy to Titan. The KING of Medieval Scotland might have spent about £5000 a year on his expenses including entertaining people, so about 400,000 gold pieces. Sukumvit's domain was originally much less than Medieval Scotland, so before Fang prospered, he could probably only have spent a fraction of that.
My calculation that a gold piece was thruppence is based on many factors, but one of the most solid is that in Elizabethan England, a hot meal in a tavern for one would cost sixpence and on Titan it costs two gold pieces (in early fighting fantasy only - the overall worldbuilding is so inconsistent).
|
|
kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,458
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
|
Post by kieran on Jul 28, 2016 10:11:06 GMT
I'm not sure the third incarnation was going to be in the same canon as the first two as it was to be an adaptation of the video game.
|
|
|
Post by Jon on Jul 30, 2016 11:11:58 GMT
In that case it would actually have made sense for the prize for the second dungeon to be FOUR times the prize of the original dungeon. After all, Sukumvit was absolutely certain that noone would ever win the second dungeon, but he must have had a slight doubt about the first one, since he did at least wait at the exit with the prize ready. It would make sense for him to declare emphatically that the second dungeon was utterly unbeatable and he would give FOUR times the original prize if anyone defied his prediction.
Hence a progression from 100,000 gold pieces to 400,000.
|
|
vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
|
Post by vagsancho on Nov 11, 2016 20:49:21 GMT
Soon, with all the serenity required, i hope to have the opotunity to play, to win, and to strongly feel this book again. I hope.
|
|
|
Post by johnbrawn1972 on Nov 12, 2016 18:27:33 GMT
Soon, with all the serenity required, i hope to have the opotunity to play, to win, and to strongly feel this book again. I hope. Can you give a reason why your route is the best route or how the Champskees or JB route should be improved?
|
|
|
Post by Jon on Mar 7, 2017 21:25:42 GMT
An elegant idea to get around the problem of logistics would be for the prize to be located in a hidden place, somewhere completely inaccessible by mundane means and for a specially conjured magical creature to be given the task of making withdrawals for the player character on request. This would also thwart any would-be thief who is not a mage...
For anyone who cares, I've revised by estimate of the Greyhawk Golden Orb to Allansian gold piece exchange rate. Given that a tankard of ale costs 1 bronze zee in Greyhawk and that in early Fighting Fantasy, the price of a flagon of ale usually averaged out to a third of a gold piece, the exchange rate is most likely to be around 333 Allansian gold pieces to one Greyhawk orb.
|
|
|
Post by lordomnibok on Jun 18, 2017 10:11:04 GMT
The surprise of the crowd when you re-emerge would seem to suggest they have no idea what's going on in there. Which makes one question why they get so excited to see people walk down a tunnel (probably) never to re-emerge. Im just responding to this old post as it reflects some thoughts that have lingered in me since I was a kid. I loved this adventure, but I thought it would have been cool if the dungeon had been interspersed with pits here and there that were open to the sky. I imagined that the crowd would browse stalls & enjoy entertainment whilst waiting to see which contestants made it to the first pit, then a battle with a monster would take place before the contestant/s could continue into the next part of the unseen labyrinth. The crowd would then wait to see who emerged later into the second pit and so on. That would have added a rolling spectator sport element (similar to the gruesome roman arenas) without compromising the main, secret sections of the maze. Regardless of whether anyone agrees with me on that idea, I still think it is great when a book inspires me to ponder so much about its intricacies.
|
|
|
Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jun 18, 2017 14:22:29 GMT
The surprise of the crowd when you re-emerge would seem to suggest they have no idea what's going on in there. Which makes one question why they get so excited to see people walk down a tunnel (probably) never to re-emerge. Im just responding to this old post as it reflects some thoughts that have lingered in me since I was a kid. I loved this adventure, but I thought it would have been cool if the dungeon had been interspersed with pits here and there that were open to the sky. I imagined that the crowd would browse stools & enjoy entertainment whilst waiting to see which contestants made it to the first pit, then a battle with a monster would take place before the contestant/s could continue into the next part of the unseen labyrinth. The crowd would then wait to see who emerged later into to the second pit and so on. That would have added a rolling spectator sport element (similar to the gruesome roman arenas) without compromising the main, secret sections of the maze. Regardless of whether anyone agrees with me on that idea, I still think it is great when a book inspires me to ponder so much about its intricacies. If you 'browse stools' you have too much free time as Denis Leary once put it many moons ago.
|
|
|
Post by lordomnibok on Jun 18, 2017 18:19:23 GMT
Whoops! Haha. I just corrected that, I'm going to blame that one on my phone's predictive text, but hey, if browsing stools keeps them occupied then I'll try not to judge them.
|
|
kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,458
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
|
Post by kieran on Jun 19, 2017 9:17:16 GMT
The surprise of the crowd when you re-emerge would seem to suggest they have no idea what's going on in there. Which makes one question why they get so excited to see people walk down a tunnel (probably) never to re-emerge. Im just responding to this old post as it reflects some thoughts that have lingered in me since I was a kid. I loved this adventure, but I thought it would have been cool if the dungeon had been interspersed with pits here and there that were open to the sky. I imagined that the crowd would browse stalls & enjoy entertainment whilst waiting to see which contestants made it to the first pit, then a battle with a monster would take place before the contestant/s could continue into the next part of the unseen labyrinth. The crowd would then wait to see who emerged later into the second pit and so on. That would have added a rolling spectator sport element (similar to the gruesome roman arenas) without compromising the main, secret sections of the maze. Regardless of whether anyone agrees with me on that idea, I still think it is great when a book inspires me to ponder so much about its intricacies. That's a nice idea. Maybe they could throw stones at contestants they don't like or throw potions to those they do. Kinda like the way the audience sends drones to help contestants in The Hunger Games.
|
|
|
Post by lordomnibok on Jun 19, 2017 21:10:20 GMT
Thanks. I like your additional idea too. Who knows, maybe old Sukumvit's next dungeon will look like that, not that we will probably ever find out. If it gets any more devious though he will have to start calling it Trial of the Doomed.
|
|
|
Post by a moderator on Jun 20, 2017 14:15:47 GMT
Im just responding to this old post as it reflects some thoughts that have lingered in me since I was a kid. I loved this adventure, but I thought it would have been cool if the dungeon had been interspersed with pits here and there that were open to the sky. I imagined that the crowd would browse stalls & enjoy entertainment whilst waiting to see which contestants made it to the first pit, then a battle with a monster would take place before the contestant/s could continue into the next part of the unseen labyrinth. The crowd would then wait to see who emerged later into the second pit and so on. That would have added a rolling spectator sport element (similar to the gruesome roman arenas) without compromising the main, secret sections of the maze. Regardless of whether anyone agrees with me on that idea, I still think it is great when a book inspires me to ponder so much about its intricacies. That's a nice idea. Maybe they could throw stones at contestants they don't like or throw potions to those they do. Kinda like the way the audience sends drones to help contestants in The Hunger Games. Perhaps there could be a 'Popularity' score to track how much the spectators enjoy your adventuring, which would determine whether contestants are rewarded or penalised. Could make for some interesting dilemmas - being sneaky and cautious might make it possible to avoid some unnecessary risks, but if the audience prefer more conventional heroics, you're liable to lose their favour by not rushing into battle at every opportunity. There was a bit in my competition-entry 'teaser' Trial of Treachery where, faced with a corridor containing a laughably over-the-top sequence of obvious traps, you could choose to be cautious and methodical or take a risk that, if it paid off, would look awesome (though messing up would be fatal).
|
|
|
Post by lordomnibok on Jun 22, 2017 9:03:35 GMT
Greenspine, I couldn't find Trial of Treachery. Have you got a link to it, I'm just curious to see your writing style
|
|
kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,458
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
|
Post by kieran on Jun 22, 2017 9:14:00 GMT
Greenspine, I couldn't find Trial of Treachery. Have you got a link to it, I'm just curious to see your writing style Was just about to ask for the same thing - don't think I've tried that one.
|
|
|
Post by a moderator on Jun 22, 2017 15:54:56 GMT
It doesn't seem to be available online, so I've put it here. Lordomnibok, I also wrote the mini-adventure in Fighting Fantazine 9, and that's a more recent example of my writing style.
|
|
|
Post by lordomnibok on Jun 22, 2017 23:55:21 GMT
It doesn't seem to be available online, so I've put it here. Lordomnibok, I also wrote the mini-adventure in Fighting Fantazine 9, and that's a more recent example of my writing style. Thanks Spiny, if I get time I will definitely check it out
|
|
|
Post by hynreck on Jun 23, 2017 12:40:01 GMT
Oh oh. You shouldn't have called him Spiny. You won't like him when he's spiny.
|
|
|
Post by thealmightymudworm on Jun 23, 2017 14:49:19 GMT
Oh oh. You shouldn't have called him Spiny. You won't like him when he's spiny. Turns green does he?
|
|
|
Post by a moderator on Jun 23, 2017 19:00:25 GMT
|
|
|
Post by hynreck on Jun 27, 2017 12:26:45 GMT
It feels as if you could poke your eyes out looking at this picture.
|
|
|
Post by Jon on May 13, 2018 13:23:32 GMT
Will he give me some mixup mushrooms?
Anyway, back on topic.
Remember the Chest Creature from book 29, Midnight Rogue. It may have been inspired by the Luggage from the Discworld series. How about that for a secure way of transporting valuables? I suppose there would be no need to carry it.
|
|
|
Post by marblefigure on Apr 29, 2019 0:41:41 GMT
Not just a small reward that's too heavy to carry off at the end... That paragraph 400 was the dictionary definition of mediocre. Such a shame.
One a brighter note, this book is one of the best Fighting Fantasies, and the first one I ever played. Nine year old me found it a bit daunting, with the North, South, East, West directions you had to follow, but ten year old me had got over that part, and said Deathtrap Dungeon was the best thing since rare Bloodbeast steak!
|
|