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Post by tyrion on Aug 2, 2020 14:23:55 GMT
Some interesting books here, but also some i can barely remember reading. I'm going to have to go back and have a look at some of these to give them a fair shot.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,458
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Aug 2, 2020 14:32:05 GMT
Probably the best run of the series.
Tower of Destruction is probably my least favourite but it's by no means worthless. The Ice Palace is very atmospheric and the climax is really exciting. But it does go on a bit and it's too unforgiving in terms of combats, puzzles and having to do things in the right order.
My second vote goes to Keep of the Lich Lord. Very well written, with some great characters, but the structure leaves something to be desired. Strong characters can just rush to the end and while weaker characters would do well to do a few subquests, some of them are too tough to make the reward worthwhile. Add to that a poorly designed Resolve stat and a near pointless Alarm stat and it's a bit of a disappointment from two of the best gamebook authors.
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809 
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Aug 2, 2020 17:03:39 GMT
From these ten books there is none i can say i really like.
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Post by deadshadowrunner on Aug 2, 2020 17:14:32 GMT
Definitely the best run in the series for me. None of the books here are bad, and there are plenty of amazing ones. My first vote goes to Tower, because of tediousness reasons that all Keith Martin books bar two make me feel. Second vote goes to Return which I still quite like, not least for some downright wacky moments like Dan the Mushroom Man and the continuation of Livingstone's obsession with eating contests. Revisiting Firetop Mountain was also pretty fun even if the original Firetop Mountain was one of my least favourite FF books, and the removal of the maze was a definite plus from me.
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Post by stevendoig on Aug 2, 2020 17:43:26 GMT
Tower of destruction - Big pile of jobbies.
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Post by tyrion on Aug 2, 2020 17:51:44 GMT
Of the ones I've recently read, I certainly enjoyed:
Master of chaos, interesting start, good hub at the end, but I didn't meet the dark elf earlier in the adventure so his 'reappearance' baffled me a bit.
Keep of the lich lord, I've always enjoyed easy adventures where you can explore as you like (similar to scorpion swamp in this regard) as it is a nice change from the harder books.
Legend of the shadow warriors, excellent writing, atmosphere and illustrations, fair gameplay
Moonrunner, just re-read this afternoon, forgotten how good it was.
Return to firetop mountain, I know is not many people's favourite but I enjoyed it, Martin McKenna is on top form here. Looking forward to the scholastic reprint.
I'm not sure about:
Tower of destruction, I was probably spoilt because the first Carl Sargaent book I read was night dragon, which is excellent. This one, not so much, although the ice palace is a certainly a high point in the book.
Black vein prophecy, again a disappointment after slaves of the abyss.
The others I need to re-play before I cast my vote.
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Post by Wilf on Aug 2, 2020 18:34:23 GMT
Keep, Master, Tower and Return are the four stinkers in this round for me.
The run of Crimson, Moonrunner and Sardath is absolutely excellent - indeed, two of those are in my all time top three.
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Aug 3, 2020 7:45:14 GMT
Moonrunner, just re-read this afternoon, forgotten how good it was. Moonrunner is very forgetable! You began and ended moonrunner in just one afternoon? |
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Post by Wilf on Aug 3, 2020 8:04:45 GMT
Moonrunner is very forgetable! Really??? How could anyone forget Conrad The Maniac Guard, The Corpse Master or The Shocker? Classic villains in a very well-written and atmospheric book - and they're not even the main baddie! Do you not feel the sheer malevolence of Argolis or Baron Milescu, or the venomous hatred of the Xen Viper, or the power of the coming of Baphet, or the sinister necromancer Mawn Pretoragus? Do you not fear the mind-snapping geography of the Necrotic Wilderness of Q'Yann, or wish for a tankard of ale in The Last Octopus Inn, or revel in the delicious back-stabbery of Kilmarney and Hogg? Moonrunner is surely one of the least forgettable books in the entire range. |
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Aug 3, 2020 8:28:17 GMT
From these ten books there is none i can say i really like. Have you actually read them all? Which ones were available in languages other than English and when? |
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Post by deadshadowrunner on Aug 3, 2020 8:47:59 GMT
Moonrunner is surely one of the least forgettable books in the entire range. Indeed, many of the minor characters in Moonrunner have more personality than even the main villains of other books, including a certain *ahem* Razaak. Just one of the countless reasons why I love Moonrunner. Have you actually read them all? Which ones were available in languages other than English and when? I can only assume the translator made some grave errors for the books in this range. Though these books do seem quite difficult to translate while capturing the atmosphere. |
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Aug 3, 2020 8:54:01 GMT
From these ten books there is none i can say i really like. Have you actually read them all? Which ones were available in languages other than English and when? All but siege of sardath and spectral stalkers. None of the eight books ive read is memorable. |
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Aug 3, 2020 11:06:18 GMT
I have read one after another Moonrunner and Dead of Night, and i preferred a lot Dead of Night.
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Post by The Count on Aug 3, 2020 13:40:43 GMT
This is the most difficult batch to vote for.
Return is probably the weakest - the bit before getting to the mountain is a bit lacking.
Keep would be next as it wastes some of the wonderful side quests, and the keep itself.
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Post by Wilf on Aug 3, 2020 20:58:40 GMT
Moonrunner is a stupid, hateful book. Played it tonight. Fought my way through all six cabal members at Hope's End, only to meet my end because I didn't have the right special skill. Stupid, stupid book. You should all vote for it. *stomps foot*
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,678
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Aug 3, 2020 22:23:11 GMT
Moonrunner is a stupid, hateful book. Played it tonight. Fought my way through all six cabal members at Hope's End, only to meet my end because I didn't have the right special skill. Stupid, stupid book. You should all vote for it. *stomps foot*  It IS a hateful book as it seeks to kill you at every turn, while laughing at you for failing at one of the easiest books in the series. (And to be clear for all who don't know, you don't automatically fail if you don't choose the right Special Skill at the start.) |
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Post by Wilf on Aug 4, 2020 2:27:26 GMT
No, you don't. You can sacrifice the Mask Of Belthegor to acquire a new skill for a start - but I'd already done that! Nah - it's a brilliant book. I'm just throwing a tantrum about having died so close to the end after winning an epic battle and having somehow been Lucky on nearly every Test despite having an Initial Luck of 7. The dice actually favoured me this evening, for once!
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Post by Wilf on Aug 4, 2020 10:05:50 GMT
(And to be clear for all who don't know, you don't automatically fail if you don't choose the right Special Skill at the start.) Actually, in the cold light of day, I'm not sure this is true. Unless I'm missing something (very possible), 29 is a must-visit paragraph, and without Disguise, Sneak, or Sleight Of Hand, you won't get much further. I also believe 105 is a must-visit paragraph, and without either Climb or Lock Picking there's no way forward. (This latter one is what did for me last night). Is there another route to Gruul at Hope's End that I haven't found? |
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vagsancho
Knight
Posts: 809
Favourite Gamebook Series: CRYPT OF THE SORCERER
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Post by vagsancho on Aug 4, 2020 10:15:46 GMT
I do not care about those things. But i feel that something is missing in Moonrunner.
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Post by nathanh on Aug 4, 2020 20:56:14 GMT
I picked Tower and Return because they are just OK. Every other book I have played in this range is excellent. It is going to be extremely hard to pick the next rounds.
Moonrunner is in my top 5 FF books, there is so much going on in it, there are so many false leads but also a lot of scope for completing it in different ways. I am always a bit sad that the Corpse Master isn't on an optimal path, but my friend won the book using the Corpse Master route and it does seem strong for someone who hasn't played the book much (I think she won on attempt 3 which is pretty good).
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