FF - How do you read yours?

[bloodbeasthandler]

Reading the new books got me thinking about how I read the FF books these days.



This is probably going to sound like some sort of mindfulness exercise but it isn’t meant to.


I set aside time in the day to devote entirely to the book. That means I deal with any tasks that need doing or cast them from my mind for the time being. I would sooner wait til the weekend than pick at the book here and there during the week.


Ideally I will read it through in one go but if not I would look to stop reading at a natural pause. So for example in the recent Secrets of Salamonis, I would take a break at the quests noticeboard on para 120.


I’ll be in a room where there are no distractions like tv or radio or [worst of all] some sort of social media presence pinging every few minutes.


I read with as few preconceptions as possible - I always avoid reading reviews or opinions online beforehand. Even the blurb on the back of the book doesn’t get looked at – it’s just an advert and I’ve already decided I’ll be reading the book. So what’s the point?


I try to focus on the book itself, the experience, and I avoid casting a critical eye on it until I have read it through a number of times. Thoughts like ‘that could have been done better’ and ‘that was an innovative mechanic’ and ‘I liked the pacing in those last few sections’ ... if I catch myself doing that I try to reset and refocus. Because it’s taking me outside the book and I know I didn’t think like that back in the old days when I enjoyed the books so much as a youngster.


What do others think? Do you seek out certain conditions for reading? What’s your approach – what works and what doesn’t?

[scouserob]

Similar I think.

Recently I have been playing these books with my son, so we set aside a few hours when XBox, social media, TV, work, homework etc. will not interrupt.
We find room where there it will be quiet and just the two of us.
Then we get out the book, the laptop (for the Adventure Sheet, see below), two purple Fighting Fantasy branded dice for the hero and two big red translucent dice for the monsters and we are off.

I read and fill in the Adventure Sheet and he makes the final decisions (though we consult).
He rolls for everything except enemy attack strength which I roll.

If we run out of time we note the paragraph number on the adventure sheet and continue another day.

Once we find a good route through sections of the book, or complete the book, or give up (Blood of the Zombies) then I like to map it up to that point.

For Sorcery things are a little different.
For each new book we kind of keep our main hero with all his bonuses and great gear waiting and send in scouts/canaries into the new books, slowly getting deeper and finding the secrets.
Yeah, it is cheating, but we kind of drew the line at going back to start of Shamutanti Hills and repeatedly re-completing an already fully adventure.
In fact the final play through of Seven Serpents and Kharé with the main character were even more fun than the exploratory attempts.  (Somehow?)

I try to stay away from solutions, reviews and walkthrough until after completing the book, then I will feast on such things.

Here is our adventure sheet for Sorcery after three books.



And here are the adventure sheets in case they are any use to anyone.
(The fighting fantasy one has sheets for original 1-8 and Shadow of the Giants but these can easily be copied and modified.)

Fighting Fantasy - Adventure Sheet.xlsx (56.1 KB)
Sorcery - Adventure Sheet.xlsx (20.84 KB)

[petch]

Sept 19, 2022 8:49:14 GMT bloodbeasthandler said:

Reading the new books got me thinking about how I read the FF books these days.



This is probably going to sound like some sort of mindfulness exercise but it isn’t meant to.


I set aside time in the day to devote entirely to the book. That means I deal with any tasks that need doing or cast them from my mind for the time being. I would sooner wait til the weekend than pick at the book here and there during the week.


Ideally I will read it through in one go but if not I would look to stop reading at a natural pause. So for example in the recent Secrets of Salamonis, I would take a break at the quests noticeboard on para 120.


I’ll be in a room where there are no distractions like tv or radio or [worst of all] some sort of social media presence pinging every few minutes.


I read with as few preconceptions as possible - I always avoid reading reviews or opinions online beforehand. Even the blurb on the back of the book doesn’t get looked at – it’s just an advert and I’ve already decided I’ll be reading the book. So what’s the point?


I try to focus on the book itself, the experience, and I avoid casting a critical eye on it until I have read it through a number of times. Thoughts like ‘that could have been done better’ and ‘that was an innovative mechanic’ and ‘I liked the pacing in those last few sections’ ... if I catch myself doing that I try to reset and refocus. Because it’s taking me outside the book and I know I didn’t think like that back in the old days when I enjoyed the books so much as a youngster.


What do others think? Do you seek out certain conditions for reading? What’s your approach – what works and what doesn’t?

I found myself nodding along in agreement with nearly all of this. I also try to set aside a chunk of 'me time' free of distractions to enjoy the books, especially when I'm reading one for the first time, but unfortunately find that work, life admin or just life in general gets in the way most of the time. If I know I'm going to be frequently interrupted, I'll give up quite quickly, intending to go back to it which then doesn't happen more often than not. As a result I've got a big backlog of gamebooks waiting to be read sitting on my bookshelf, with Heart of Ice, all of JG's Ace Gamebooks and now the 2 new FF titles top of the pile. I do have some hols left to take before the end of the year...fingers crossed I'll be able to get through some of them then!

I try to silence my inner lit critic when reading them, as well. You're right, it's the nostalgia factor that plays such a big part in making reading them such a joy, and I like to focus on having fun rather than picking holes - plenty of time to do that later! 

[a moderator]

I use my gamebook manager for bookkeeping and dice-based activity, so I'm invariably seated in front of my computer with the relevant program open. With new books, I do have to type a summary of what happens in each section as I pass through it, but that reduces wear and tear on the book whenever I replay it, as I'll only need to open the text when turning to sections I've not previously read. The preservation aspect is likely to be particularly important with the newest titles, since they apparently start to disintegrate whenever you look at them.

I do return to the full text when playing gamebooks for my blog, so I can comment on the actual writing and artwork where appropriate.

[CharlesX]

Funny, my approach isn't as serious as yours, maybe it's the opposite - sometimes having rock music in the background or pausing to watch a cartoon makes me feel like a teen again.

[bloodbeasthandler]

Sept 19, 2022 16:01:58 GMT CharlesX said:

Funny, my approach isn't as serious as yours, maybe it's the opposite - sometimes having rock music in the background or pausing to watch a cartoon makes me feel like a teen again.

It's not so much serious, like a monk solemnly sitting down at an old oak desk to read scripture.
But more about focus - I can't concentrate properly when there's music and stuff going on. 

In the same way I was always amazed at people able to revise for tests with the telly or radio on. Maybe you're one of those people? 

[dragonwarrior8]

Sept 19, 2022 16:08:38 GMT bloodbeasthandler said:

Sept 19, 2022 16:01:58 GMT CharlesX said:

Funny, my approach isn't as serious as yours, maybe it's the opposite - sometimes having rock music in the background or pausing to watch a cartoon makes me feel like a teen again.

It's not so much serious, like a monk solemnly sitting down at an old oak desk to read scripture.
But more about focus - I can't concentrate properly when there's music and stuff going on. 

In the same way I was always amazed at people able to revise for tests with the telly or radio on. Maybe you're one of those people? 

This gave me a chuckle as I actually do play at an old oak desk. ("Well then he's vanished. Simply vanished. Like an old oak table.") 

I play in the evenings pretty much every day during the workweek then usually during the afternoons on weekends. I prefer to have a go at a book in one sitting as well, although with some of the gamebooks coming out nowadays clocking in at 800+ sections, I probably will need to take breaks for those. It bothers me if my desk isn't neat and tidy when I begin, and I can't have anything on in the background either. A song would probably come on that I really like and I would stop mid-sentence to get up and air guitar. Mind you, if you play the soundtrack to "Inception" (or pretty much anything by Hans Zimmer) it will make you feel like everything you do is epic. 

[kieran]

These days I just take whatever time is available where the small people are asleep and I'm not too exhausted.

[time4tea]

Sept 20, 2022 9:06:32 GMT kieran said:

These days I just take whatever time is available where the small people are asleep and I'm not too exhausted.

Same here. I have two little ones, so I tend to read a FF in the evening, once they are asleep. I use a phone app to track the stats and dice rolling and sometimes try to make a map, if it's a book that needs it. I'll read for a bit until I get tired, then make a note of the section I'm on and go to sleep.

Also, since I play original Puffins I bought on ebay, I try to be very careful with them, to avoid pressuring the spine and incurring additional wear.

I try to play them totally straight, by the rules (although I would consider using pre-defined house rules for ones that are unreasonable).

[sylas]

I read gamebooks when I'm in the mood to read gamebooks. I never rush or have allotted times or checklists for them. Some books get read immediately while others I might leave for years. I read to enjoy them and very casual about it. I only put in more effort and time when I'm playtesting or writing a solution.