|
Post by CharlesX on Apr 16, 2022 14:57:29 GMT
There is quite a bit of shopping in FF, notably Green, Livingstone and Martin (sometimes Jackson). I sometimes like shopping, after all, getting gold but not getting to spend it can feel pointless. I personally prefer it when it's more constructive, i.e. unlike the random-feeling 'list' in Forest of Doom, and maybe more like the RPG-feel of Night Dragon, although Martin is not to everyone's tastes. Shopping can distract from the 'adventure' feel if not done righ, the weirdly-placed shop in Eye of the Dragon springs to mind, which I guess is why there is so little shopping in Lone Wolf. Green knew Knights of Doom was better written without gold, Livingstone added to the atmosphere in Temple of Terror with a golden statuette. OTOH though, it can add layers to an adventure to spend money, and not just because of choice. City of Thieves and Seas of Blood work exceptionally well with those things. So, any thoughts about gold and purchases? And whether there should be in the new J & L? It's 100% down to them, but I think Jackson handles purchasing better in Sorcery! better often than Livingstone does.
|
|
sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,677
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
|
Post by sylas on Apr 16, 2022 15:22:06 GMT
Instead of Shops, Lone Wolf had Loot - basically shops but everything is free provided you have space for it. A tad more realistic I suppose, since not every item was special, but I do like a good shop even though they can seem too abundant in some FF books (notably Night Dragon and Stormslayer, both of which I love).
|
|
|
Post by petch on Apr 16, 2022 17:24:23 GMT
Incorporating shopping into a book well is a bit of a balancing act; some books give you such a surfeit of gold you can pretty much buy everything without needing to put much thought into it, while others have key items necessary for success that need to be purchased for such a price that it precludes you from buying anything else. For me, the books that implement shopping most successfully are the ones which make the player weigh up the benefits of a number of items that are useful but not necessarily crucial for victory - Master of Chaos and Legend of the Shadow Warriors are two that spring to mind as being good examples of this.
|
|
|
Post by CharlesX on Apr 16, 2022 20:39:39 GMT
Incorporating shopping into a book well is a bit of a balancing act; some books give you such a surfeit of gold you can pretty much buy everything without needing to put much thought into it, while others have key items necessary for success that need to be purchased for such a price that it precludes you from buying anything else. For me, the books that implement shopping most successfully are the ones which make the player weigh up the benefits of a number of items that are useful but not necessarily crucial for victory - Master of Chaos and Legend of the Shadow Warriors are two that spring to mind as being good examples of this. I think this is very well-written and I agree it's about balance. I personally dislike Spellbreaker because you have to roll the maximum amount of gold (the Eclipse game really isn't worth it), and even if you accept the voluntary surrender option should have been added, it's on top of lots of other really taxing, unfair rolls, and you don't have the chance to spend a single gold piece anywhere else, either (I mean, on anything that is helpful instead of charlatan crap), which is linear in my book.
|
|
|
Post by bloodbeasthandler on Apr 17, 2022 9:12:44 GMT
A second-hand shop plonked in the middle of an evil wizard's lair or dungeon can be really jarring. 'Business has been a little slow since all the neighbours turned into undead cannibal monstrosities' says the gnome shopkeeper, cheerfully rubbing his hands together at the prospect of making a sale. (And his shop being just down the corridor from the lair of a starving troll). Yeah, I don't like that much.
Petch puts forward good examples of use of money in those two books he mentioned. Money is scarce and there is a sensible reason for it being so. And you have to make use of what you've got to purchase what you need, so what gets prioritised? And do you keep some back for later or spend most of it now? That sort of thing.
For the Lone Wolf books I think gold [or lack of] is most crucial in the second book, Fire on the Water, especially for the Port Bax ticket. If you have been robbed it could be disastrous. In general it doesn't play much of a part in LW and rightly so - the missions Lone Wolf is going on are of national importance and he has the backing of kings. It wouldn't make sense to set off without food or healing potions or a penny in your pocket.
|
|
|
Post by nathanh on Apr 17, 2022 20:39:48 GMT
I like shopping in gamebooks because it gives the author a chance to put generic gold rewards in optional locations as well as specific useful items. This often makes it more interesting to decide whether an optional encounter is worth it.
|
|