Home › Discussions › General Discussion › Abandonware for Fighting Fantasy-type gamebooks - General Discussion Discussions on Obsidian Portal Community Forums
Abandonware for Fighting Fantasy-type gamebooks
So if you grew up in the 70s/80s, you might have come across "Choose Your Own Adventure" or "Fighting Fantasy" books.
If this is new to you, these are interactive books where you are a section, then reach a decision point at the end of the chapter (eg: Free the witch, or kill the witch), then turn to a new section to find out what happened next.
The more complex books, specifically the Fighting Fantasy series by Steve Jackson (I believe this is the British guy, not the GURPs/Ogre/GEV/Car Wars/Munchkin Steve Jackson) and Ian Livingston. They went on to found Games Workshop, which publishes all the Warhammer stuff, Blood Bowl, Chaos Marauders card game, yadda yadda.
-
Anyway, I was doing some research for a project, trying to find JH Brennan's Grailquest, where you play Pip, a stableboy, who comes into possession of Excalibur Junior, then goes to fight the antagonists in a Camelot/King Arthur type setting.
Since the stuff was published in the 1980s, it is mainly out of print, so I managed to find some scanned copies online.
I also came across some middle earth role playing, marvel super heroes gamebooks/game novels (these are not RPGs).
You can take a peek at "abandonia's gamebook section":http://www.abandonia.com/en/gamebooks if you might need some inspiration for campaigns, plots, etc.
The Grailquest series is fairly British in that it doesn't take itself too seriously, pokes fun at RPGs, and gamebooks.
The POV is pretty cool too, with a "Hey there, you, reading this spellbook. I'm Merlin" style to it.
-
Check it out and do you like these books? hate them?
Remind you of your childhood 30 years ago?
If this is new to you, these are interactive books where you are a section, then reach a decision point at the end of the chapter (eg: Free the witch, or kill the witch), then turn to a new section to find out what happened next.
The more complex books, specifically the Fighting Fantasy series by Steve Jackson (I believe this is the British guy, not the GURPs/Ogre/GEV/Car Wars/Munchkin Steve Jackson) and Ian Livingston. They went on to found Games Workshop, which publishes all the Warhammer stuff, Blood Bowl, Chaos Marauders card game, yadda yadda.
-
Anyway, I was doing some research for a project, trying to find JH Brennan's Grailquest, where you play Pip, a stableboy, who comes into possession of Excalibur Junior, then goes to fight the antagonists in a Camelot/King Arthur type setting.
Since the stuff was published in the 1980s, it is mainly out of print, so I managed to find some scanned copies online.
I also came across some middle earth role playing, marvel super heroes gamebooks/game novels (these are not RPGs).
You can take a peek at "abandonia's gamebook section":http://www.abandonia.com/en/gamebooks if you might need some inspiration for campaigns, plots, etc.
The Grailquest series is fairly British in that it doesn't take itself too seriously, pokes fun at RPGs, and gamebooks.
The POV is pretty cool too, with a "Hey there, you, reading this spellbook. I'm Merlin" style to it.
-
Check it out and do you like these books? hate them?
Remind you of your childhood 30 years ago?
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Comments
I learnt most of my writing stuff from reading Piers Anthony's "Incarnations of Immortality" series when I was 7.
Although reading about the protagonist, the Blue Adept, making out with Neysa the shapeshifting pegasus/woman confused my mind then (and maybe now too).
Or maybe he didn't. Ugh, blue adept syndrome.
Thanks for the link andreww38.
Signs & Portends, Dwarves of Lost Koldukar, In a certain realm
I _loved_ the Choose-Your-Own-Adventures books as a kid. I tried introducing them to my son a few years back, but he was pretty "meh" about 'em. Although it may have been a bit too early - he's ten now. Maybe we'll try 'em again sometime soon.
Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year
"Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life." - - Kevin Smith
See? Confused childhood.
Excuse me, while I put a Sos the Rope around my neck.
Nik, I've still got a few of my old paperback CYOA books. They're on his bookshelf, but he hasn't read them on his own yet. I'm still hopeful.
Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year
"Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life." - - Kevin Smith