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Fighting Fantasy look-a-likes

Started by Settembrini, August 06, 2007, 02:09:47 AM

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Settembrini

August 06, 2007, 02:09:47 AM
Are there any contemporary FF-like-books for sale?
Any solo adventures since 2000?
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Drew

#1
August 06, 2007, 03:19:08 AM
There have been a number of reprints recently, including a brand new adventure scheduled for release in September.

A complete list can be found here:

http://www.fightingfantasygamebooks.com/gamebooks.htm
 

Settembrini

#2
August 06, 2007, 04:02:05 AM
Thanks, I know about them.
What I´m really interested in are other, yet similiar contemporary (franchises of) game books.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Drew

#3
August 06, 2007, 04:06:29 AM
I seem to recall there being some seni-official Tunnels Trolls offerings recently, but the link escapes me due to impaired brain function...

You're best bet is to probably try some of the fan generated stuff. The quality varies wildly, but I do remember finding some absoloute gems buried amidst the dross a couple of years ago.
 

Melan

#4
August 06, 2007, 04:14:14 AM
I think this is one game form whose death we can safely attribute to computer games. What you are seeing today is for the hardest of the hardcore, and certainly not wide distribution.
Now with a Zine!
ⓘ This post is disputed by official sources

Drew

#5
August 06, 2007, 04:23:34 AM
Quote from: MelanI think this is one game form whose death we can safely attribute to computer games. What you are seeing today is for the hardest of the hardcore, and certainly not wide distribution.

That said the FF reprints seem to be doing fairly well, at least enough to justify fresh artwork and new titles. Whether or not they're entirely buoyed up by the nostalgia market is another question.

....

And I've just remembered, the format has been revived for the new Doctor Who series. Given the nature of such spinoffs I imagine they'd be pretty juvenile in content, though.
 

Settembrini

#6
August 06, 2007, 04:29:18 AM
Interestingly enough, we have a new line of Gamebooks in Germany, and it seems to be doing okay enough to warrant sequels.

The outset is a bit different: There´s a bunch of german Fat Fantasy writers (mass market bestsellers), and they team up with someone to write Gamebooks set between their Fat Fantasy novel installments.
They allow you to explore more of the background and the setting.

I´m underwhelmed by the game aspects of these so far, they are railroady and a bit too easy. And overly luck dependent in regards of actually solving stuff.
So I would have liked to compare them to contemporary anglophone designs.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Sosthenes

#7
August 06, 2007, 04:50:13 AM
Is Rose Estes still working? ;)
 

Drew

#8
August 06, 2007, 04:55:38 AM
Quote from: SosthenesIs Rose Estes still working? ;)

Nope. Ian Livingstone had her bound, gagged and flung into Deathtrap Dungeon.

And a fucking good job too, I say. ;)
 

Dirk Remmecke

#9
August 06, 2007, 05:13:18 AM
Quote from: SettembriniInterestingly enough, we have a new line of Gamebooks in Germany, (...)

I´m underwhelmed by the game aspects of these so far, they are railroady and a bit too easy. And overly luck dependent in regards of actually solving stuff.
Can you give me an example of a game book where this is not the case?

I am only familiar with (the first ten or so) of FF, the Analand Saga (Steve Jackson's Sorcery!), Lone Wolf, two of the MERP solo adventures, one of the DSA solo adventures (Verrat auf Arras de Mott), D&D's Blizzard Pass, and the Sagaland game books (published by Ravensburger; a translation of Dave Morris' and Jamie Thompson's Fabled Lands)

Fabled Lands was kind of unique in that you had a character that went from book to book -- not in succession like Lone Wolf, but in the midst of the adventure: "You are in Freeport. You can go to the nearest inn (--> 95), to the wizard's guild (--> 235), or board a ship (--> Book 4, 156)"
Swords & Wizardry & Manga ... oh my.
(Beware. This is a Kickstarter link.)

Settembrini

#10
August 06, 2007, 05:36:52 AM
Dirk, most of the FF gamebooks are complex riddles. You have to actually solve them. The most shining examples would be Deathtrap Dungeon and Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

Both have areas you might or might not visit, but also have real decision making. And they have fights, but you have at least some tactical options in the fights, as well as structured ways of powering up, before going against the baddies

In the recent German books, all your choices bring you back to the planned route after just four entries. And the decision moments are idiotically easy.
Like: "There´s a trap. Do you investigate it (245)  or do you walk into it (342)?
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Settembrini

#11
August 06, 2007, 05:44:03 AM
@luck dependancy: In FF, you are killed pretty often. But that´s giving you the chance to roll up a new character, and to explore different starting paths to search for better powerups or circumvention strategies.

In "Die Dritte Expedition", all your starting choices, as well as route choices within the adventure revert back to the main path in four entries.
And if such a main path has inevitable fights, which is very hard and you have no power ups, it´s pretty lame. Also, your starting stats are basically fixed.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Sosthenes

#12
August 06, 2007, 07:21:23 AM
Quote from: SettembriniIn the recent German books, all your choices bring you back to the planned route after just four entries. And the decision moments are idiotically easy.
Like: "There´s a trap. Do you investigate it (245)  or do you walk into it (342)?
Okay, was not that much better in the Lone Wolf books, IIRC.
 

The Yann Waters

#13
August 06, 2007, 07:25:21 AM
Well, there was Life's Lottery by Kim Newman, but I suspect that might not quite be what you are looking for... Those six books in the Fabled Lands series were perhaps one of the last great efforts among the old gamebooks, and even they were rather different from Fighting Fantasy in that there is no definite pattern to be followed or an actual end to the adventures apart from death or retirement: you simply go where you want and choose which quests you wish to pursue at the time. They were not unlike solo RPGs, complete with levelling up and earning lofty titles along the way.
Previously known by the name of "GrimGent".

TheShadow

#14
August 06, 2007, 08:06:57 AM
Fabled Lands was fantastic. I'd love to see a fully-fledged sourcebook for that world.

I regret selling them now...but when I saw what they were going for on ebay I couldn't resist.
You can shake your fists at the sky. You can do a rain dance. You can ignore the clouds completely. But none of them move the clouds.

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