nicodemus
Squire
Posts: 20
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy and Sorcery!
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Post by nicodemus on Aug 7, 2015 23:02:31 GMT
I was never very fond if this one. I think Armies of Death could be a great book, but never reaches the 2 predecessors. I try it once but it bored me...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2015 21:29:14 GMT
You really need Max on your side
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Post by slloyd14 on Aug 19, 2022 9:00:47 GMT
Very Ian Livingstone containing all the Livnsgstone-isms - list of items, eating competition, sailing, IL art cameo etc.
Has a mass combat rule and an army which adds variety. Quite simplistic though.
Since Max dies if she helps you, I always chose the other option.
Also, if you've ever played Fighting Fantasy books with the same character and wondered how they can go from vast wealth to nothing between books, then this has the answer.
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Post by misomiso on Aug 19, 2022 9:07:01 GMT
This was my favourite as a child. I loved the concept of being an army commander, even if the rules weren't really very good. Very good concept.
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IoannesKantakouzenos
Traveller
Being slowly eaten alive by a Ghoul
Posts: 105
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy (Aventuras Fantásticas)
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Post by IoannesKantakouzenos on Aug 24, 2022 14:27:54 GMT
I dislike books that leave you at the mercy of a dice roll. Granted, every book does that, in combats/Test your Luck/Test Your Skill/whatever; but here - at least - your success of failure in the whole adventure is decided by a dice roll that decides which blob of jam a fly will pick. The idea of having an army book is interesting, but the end result is too flawed to be considered enjoyable. You spend time building up an army and your army size is required only at Para. 178, after that you are pretty much on your own despite the (assumed) mess of a clash between two enemy armies. Mr. Livingstone's shopping list returns, of course, because there is a know-it-all that loves to collect strange stuff and, to top it off, you are asked a question where the reply isn't given at any point in the book, so you have to guess. Shoddy, Mr. Livingstone, real shoddy.
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Post by CharlesX on Aug 24, 2022 14:38:38 GMT
The big problem being the do-or-die roll is a 50-50 one. I don't know why, but I can take the 1 in 6 chance of failure in Phantoms Of Fear and even the 1 in 2, although I'm hardly a fan of those odds - is it the sophistication of the gamebook, the better balance in gameplay compared to Livingstone, the shorter and more relevant list of equipment to get compared to Livingstone?
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IoannesKantakouzenos
Traveller
Being slowly eaten alive by a Ghoul
Posts: 105
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy (Aventuras Fantásticas)
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Post by IoannesKantakouzenos on Aug 24, 2022 16:22:47 GMT
In PoF I usually take the fight to the dream world precisely because of that 1 in 6 chance of dying (and trying to roll doubles is a royal pain), even though I still think that '1' could have been better handled if Robin Waterfield didn't want us to specifically die in that room (yet another personal peeve of mine). But yeah, in my book Robin is a better writer than Ian (despite that dismal Deathmoor)...
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Post by terrysalt on Aug 24, 2022 21:01:13 GMT
The big problem being the do-or-die roll is a 50-50 one. I don't know why, but I can take the 1 in 6 chance of failure in Phantoms Of Fear and even the 1 in 2, although I'm hardly a fan of those odds - is it the sophistication of the gamebook, the better balance in gameplay compared to Livingstone, the shorter and more relevant list of equipment to get compared to Livingstone? For me it all comes down to whether or not the roll is against your stats or not. If the jam blob was a luck test, it'd still be stupid but it wouldn't feel nearly as unfair to me.
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Post by CharlesX on Aug 24, 2022 21:27:20 GMT
The big problem being the do-or-die roll is a 50-50 one. I don't know why, but I can take the 1 in 6 chance of failure in Phantoms Of Fear and even the 1 in 2, although I'm hardly a fan of those odds - is it the sophistication of the gamebook, the better balance in gameplay compared to Livingstone, the shorter and more relevant list of equipment to get compared to Livingstone? For me it all comes down to whether or not the roll is against your stats or not. If the jam blob was a luck test, it'd still be stupid but it wouldn't feel nearly as unfair to me. Funnily enough of the several luck tests in the true path in Armies Of Death all of them have absolutely no effect that matters (that is, if you fail, you lose troops which doesn't matter, or have to say information which FF players should know or can guess after a playthrough, no loss of stats or affect on game outcome). My point being there probably should be a test your luck there if anywhere. House rules aka cheating time. Livingstone pulls that weird "tell us the answer, even though it's not mentioned here but in other FFs" trick in Temple Of Terror too - it must feel pretty unfair for newcomers to FF to be told they are keelhauled over information they weren't even told.
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Post by a moderator on Aug 24, 2022 22:27:03 GMT
Livingstone pulls that weird "tell us the answer, even though it's not mentioned here but in other FFs" trick in Temple Of Terror too Where? If you're referring to section 230, the identity of the king of Stonebridge is mentioned in the 'Background' section.
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Post by CharlesX on Aug 25, 2022 5:02:08 GMT
Livingstone pulls that weird "tell us the answer, even though it's not mentioned here but in other FFs" trick in Temple Of Terror too Where? If you're referring to section 230, the identity of the king of Stonebridge is mentioned in the 'Background' section. That was what I meant, my apologies.
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Post by aeris2001x2 on May 1, 2023 7:14:34 GMT
Ian Livingston's worst FF book from the original 59 book series. I think only Eye of the Dragon is worse.
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Post by a moderator on May 2, 2023 1:15:35 GMT
I'd definitely rank Blood of the Zombies below this one as well as Eye.
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