Am I Mad or Was Fighting Fantasy Fucking Boss

[samadriel]

Was there an FF book that required mathematical and puzzle solving to work out the next section to go to?  I read a book like that in my school library, and looking back it was meant to be educational... and it was! Using narrative as a carrot to make you want to get maths puzzles right was a smart idea, plus it removes the temptation to cheat because you don't even know what the next section is until you get the puzzle right.  Wish I could remember the name of the book.

[Theoretical Dentist]

Was there an FF book that required mathematical and puzzle solving to work out the next section to go to?

I think it was fairly common to have a simple numerical not-really-a-puzzle, where rather than having a direct number reference like 'if you have item X go to page Y', you would be told the page number earlier in the book (maybe it's engraved on the item or something), then at the point where you have to use it you have to recall the number (which hopefully it warned you to write on your character sheet). Maybe it would get a bit more complicated, like having to add a few numbers together.

I think this was mainly done as an anti-cheating mechanism, since you can't just pretend to have an item or whatever. I can't remember any mathematical puzzles more complicated than adding numbers, and it probably wouldn't make it any more effective at preventing cheating, although that's not to say they didn't exist. This review of Night Dragon describes what sounds like one of the more elaborate systems (the paragraph beginning 'Mathematics as an antidote to cheating'), but it sounds like the complicated part is keeping track of lots of numbers rather than any difficult maths.

There were non-mathematical (or at least non-numeric) puzzles too. Fangs of Fury had a code that was used for messages throughout the book – I think somewhere in the book you find the key or clues to decode it, rather than having to solve it yourself as a cryptography puzzle, and I think it made things easier rather than being essential. There are probably plenty of others I don't remember.

[kalowski]

I recall Deathtrap Dungeon being excellent. Was it?

[Pranet]

Much of this may be misremembered but was there a small boxed/ slipcased set, possibly by Jackson and Livingston outside the FF  series. Have a vivid memory of getting it for Christmas. Possibly had more complex rules?

Anyway, really loved these. Nothing to add except for a memory of a drunk goblin being "in his cups".

That sounds like the Sorcery series, which originally came in a slip case. Possibly Clash of the Princes?

[Pranet]

I recall Deathtrap Dungeon being excellent. Was it?

It's a fan favourite. I don't know how to judge these as an adult.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

How have I never heard of or seen these books before

[badaids]

I recall Deathtrap Dungeon being excellent. Was it?

It is. Spent hours reading it as a good, and doing the same with my daughter: the bloodbeast, having to betray crom, and the leprechaun that steals all your money. My daughter cried over that!

Did anyone ever bother playing them properly, in which case how did you ever manage to complete one?

My faves were 'Deathprat Dungeon', Freeway Fighter, and Sword of the Samurai.  There is a bit in Samurai where you go to a village and at night all the villagers heads float up from the bodies and try to bite you. The Robokubai or something. Proper scared the shit out of me that did.

[The Culture Bunker]

Seeing the cover of 'Freeway Fighter' did trigger some memories for me, and I'm convinced I had it, but remember zero about the actual contents - which makes me question whether I did have it or am just thinking of Mad Max 2 or something.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Used to love these. Wasn't there one set in some kind of Blade Runner style futuristic city where you had to fight various criminals? It had a partly blue cover as I recall.

[Gurke and Hare]

I think it was fairly common to have a simple numerical not-really-a-puzzle, where rather than having a direct number reference like 'if you have item X go to page Y', you would be told the page number earlier in the book (maybe it's engraved on the item or something), then at the point where you have to use it you have to recall the number (which hopefully it warned you to write on your character sheet). Maybe it would get a bit more complicated, like having to add a few numbers together.

The one I remember was where you had to open a chest with three locks, and you could collect various keys with numbers written on them. When you had the chest you could pick three keys, add the numbers on them and turn to that page.

[Pranet]

That rings a bell but I can't remember what book it was from.

[Glebe]

Also love City of Thieves, feels like a video game in a book.

Deathtrap Dungeon was of course subsequently made into an actual video game of course, by Eidos Interactive. Ian Livingstone had become a key figure at Eidos.

FF is fucking boss and then some. I'm not exaggerating when I say discovering them was a big moment in my youth.

I remember buying City of Thieves and being intrigued that you could make your own choices in the story, which was strange and imaginative and brought to life wonderfully by Iain McCaig's incredible illustrations. Steve Jackson's four Sorcery! books are also wonderful, love John Blanche's art.

Confusingly Scorpion Swamp wasn't actually written by that Steve Jackson but this one!

[curiousoranges]

My favourite was Crypt of the Sorcerer. I found the drawings pretty scary. 28 years old etc.

[turnstyle]

There were loads of monsters that gave me the creeps, but these guys genuinely freaked me out.

[Norton Canes]

The Sorcery! books are amazing, it's a shame they didn't do more long-form versions. Though I don't think I ever got round to The Crown of Kings - hmm, let me see if I can dig out my last character sheet from The Seven Serpents...

[madhair60]

My favourite was Crypt of the Sorcerer. I found the drawings pretty scary. 28 years old etc.

nails to the point of being basically impossible.

[curiousoranges]

I think I knew an invincible cheat that meant I won every battle.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

I used to love these as a geeky pubescent, they were kind of the perfect bridge between kids books and more "adult" fantasy/horror stuff. Don't think I ever had the patience to play them properly though, just used to read them like normal books. "Nightmare Castle" was the one that stuck with me as it went really full on with the gruesome imagery. I remember being disappointed there wasn't a way to go back and rescue that princess who was trapped in the cursed murder armour though, even though the book hinted you could (you couldn't). The writer of that one, Pete Darvill-Evans, went on to edit the Doctor Who New Adventures book range, and contributed an absolutely godawful novel called "Deceit".

I'm getting an itch to revisit some of these now to see how they hold up.

[Glebe]

The nostalgia of this thread restores your vigour. Add 4 stamina points, 2 luck points and 1 skill point.

[Pranet]

I know twitter is evil and that, but @FFMuseumOfArt is well worth a took at. Someone posting all the art book by book.

[turnstyle]

I'm getting an itch to revisit some of these now to see how they hold up.

I've been playing through them with my son, and I genuinely think they're just as good today. If anything I appreciate them more as an adult than I did when I was a kid.

[greenman]

I got given City of Thieves as a prize at junior school in about 1988. Had a proper book plate in it an everything. Wish I still had it.

Real shame about the illustrations - kids reading the reprints aren't getting the proper books really. But I guess it's a rights nightmare.

I do think that ended up being a massive part of the appeal, similar to early Games Workshop the illustrations tended towards that slightly punky crusty weirdness rather than generic fantasy.

[Gurke and Hare]

Which was the one where you had to collect medallions for one of three people (an evil one, a neutral one and a good one)? One of the medallions you had to get from a frog man who was sitting on a lily pad?

[Pranet]

Sounds like Scorpion Swamp.

[Norton Canes]

Oh yeah, that was the other brilliant thing about Scorpion Swamp, that you could chose your alignment. Was it the only FF effort by USA Steve Jackson?

[turnstyle]

Oh yeah, that was the other brilliant thing about Scorpion Swamp, that you could chose your alignment. Was it the only FF effort by USA Steve Jackson?

He also wrote Demons of the Deep and Robot Commando, the latter of which is awesome.

[magister]

Not entirely relevant, but this seemed the best thread to try.

Does anyone remember a paperback guide to role-playing games, concentrating particularly Dungeons and Dragons?

It was written by three schoolboys and published in the early 80's, possibly by Puffin books. I think it had a blue cover with a picture of a dragon on it.

[gilbertharding]

And another one:

I had a book - and this was in the late 70s, so ruling out a few likely candidates - in the choose your own adventure style where a bloke (who may have been a private detective) drove a vintage Bugatti through France, being chased by baddies driving a Lotus Europa.

Any ideas what this was? Google no use.

[Pavlov`s Dog`s Dad`s Dead]

The Sorcery! books are amazing, it's a shame they didn't do more long-form versions. Though I don't think I ever got round to The Crown of Kings - hmm, let me see if I can dig out my last character sheet from The Seven Serpents...

I picked up android versions of these in various humble bundles - they port extremely well over onto tablets. I was delighted to see my younger child become engrossed in them, as I'd loved the Fighting Fantasy books when I'd been about her age.

The Freeway Fighter one sticks out for me, as I'd become properly obsessed by Car Wars*, and thence Death Race 2000, Mad Max etc. I seem to recall I got it in Coventry, possibly the same weekend as the Bradford City Fire. My hat has been dually penetrated by the revelation that Car Wars Steve Jackson is not Fighting Fantasy Steve Jackson, except for the handful of occasions when he was.

Now then, does anyone remember those books designed for two-layer combat games? Each book portrayed a character, and you would choose a particular combat action each round - some variation on strike, parry, duck, close in etc. Cross-referencing the choices would give each player a page number in their respective book, which gave the resolution of that round. It astounds me that you could pair any two books and play out an encounter in a smooth way. The design must have been incredibly skilful. But I can't remember for the life of me what this series was called. I can only remember two of the characters: a dwarf, and a cold drake. Any suggestions?

* Looking back, Battlecars was my gateway drug, and I think it was a much more playable and visually appealing game, albeit the ridiculous level of detail to the various Car Wars rulebooks appealed to my neurodivergent nature. These days, I need to find a Gaslands playing partner...

[Pranet]

Not entirely relevant, but this seemed the best thread to try.

Does anyone remember a paperback guide to role-playing games, concentrating particularly Dungeons and Dragons?

It was written by three schoolboys and published in the early 80's, possibly by Puffin books. I think it had a blue cover with a picture of a dragon on it.

That sounds like What is Dungeon and Dragons by John Butterfield, Philip Parker and David Honigmann.