[OT]Fighting Fantasy relaunched!

[Moulin Rogue]

I have copies of the first 20+ of these books mouldering away in storage somewhere. I played these when I was like 9-12 before I couldn't keep up and wasn't really into D&D anymore....

I have many fond memories of the artwork and bits and pieces of storyline.... and other things like playing them on long car rides rolling a die on my little mini-table, and when my parents didn't want me to take "House of Hell" into granny's house, so I had to promise to not leave it out in the open while there.

I never did figure out how to win Sorcery Book 4: "Crown of Kings" as a fighter. But remember the mutant meatballs in that one?

"Beneath Nightmare Castle" was a freaky one as well. "and now, you mutht releath......... my thithster....."

 

[Eternalknight]

Tartyn: You are right, Steve and Ian were the co-founders of Games Workshop. Not only did Games Workshop create games like Warhammer and Necromunda, but they released many role-playing game supplements and, if I recall correctly, their in-house magazine, White Dwarf, used to have articles on D&D and other games.

 

[Zander]

Tartyn: You are right, Steve and Ian were the co-founders of Games Workshop. Not only did Games Workshop create games like Warhammer and Necromunda, but they released many role-playing game supplements and, if I recall correctly, their in-house magazine, White Dwarf, used to have articles on D&D and other games.

You do recall correctly. In fact White Dwarf began as a D&D/RPG mag several years (in 1977?) before Warhammer was first published (in '83?).

The 1E AD&D Fiend Folio is partly based on a column that appeared in White Dwarf called Fiend Factory. Some of the monsters in the Fiend Folio first appeared in White Dwarf. The Fiend Folio was the only hardback 1E book written in the UK.

Back then, there was only one Games Workshop store. It was located on Dalling Road, Hammersmith, London. I was a very regular customer! IIRC they also had a mail order centre in Uxbridge and (later?) factories in Nottingham where the company is now based.

Back to the thread's topic. I got into D&D thanks to the Fighting Fantasy books. Oh, happy days! I still have my original copies of the first three books.

 

[Yuan-Ti]

Now that my memory has been properly jogged, I remember a couple months ago seeing something on the Black Library (Games Workshop's in-house fiction publishers) boards about the Fighting Fantasy books. Marc Gascoigne, the editor, said something about having fond memories but that that was something they had no interest in reviving.

 

[Melan]

Apart from the names, the confusion between the two Steve Jacksons stems from the fact that the Texan S.J. helped British Steve and Ian out and wrote two or three books himself. One of these was "Scorpion Swamp", another "Slaves of the Abyss" IIRC.

My favourite FF book was Deathtrap Dungeon, although the pirating fun of "Seas of Blood" was a close second. One thing that was really great about these books were the excellent illustrations - Ian McCaig, John Blanche, Russ Nicholson (also of Fiend Folio fame) really made them come alive. I wish new d20 modules had that kind of illos - as player handouts or just for the DM to marvel at. Ian McCaig's drawings for DD were especially yummy - I still vividly remember the door leading out of the maze (with three slots and Igbut, the gnome playing with his globes of poison gas), the skeleton sitting on the throne, the troglodytes dancing around the solid golden idol, the dwarven Master of Tests... Trial of Champions was a pale shadow of this excellent adventure.

 

[Eternalknight]

Apart from the names, the confusion between the two Steve Jacksons stems from the fact that the Texan S.J. helped British Steve and Ian out and wrote two or three books himself. One of these was "Scorpion Swamp", another "Slaves of the Abyss" IIRC.

Of course! Why didn't I realise this???

Anyhow, my favourite has got to be Talisman of Death. I'm not sure why, but it just felt like a good, well-paced adventure. Deathtrap Dungeon and Armies of Death, too, were good. I couldn't get through several books, including The Crimson Tide and Starship Traveller... grrrr.

BTW if anyone has Curse of the Mummy, Return of the Vampire, any of the novels or the 10th anniversarry diary they wish to part with, my email is in my profile

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

The only ones I ever had were Citadel of Chaos and Sword of the Samurai. I loved Sword of the Samurai, and it's heavily influenced the Asian portion of my campaign world (down to some of the placenames). Talisman of Death was pretty cool, as was the Way of the Tiger series which grew out of it and expanded that world (another influence on Asian lands).

 

[Moulin Rogue]

Oh yeah, I remeber "Way of the Tiger" too. I had that one with the multi-armed green dude on the cover. I remember taking the "feat" that you could slow your heart and breath to appear to be dead. The only time I tried to use it, the book told me that the guy ran his sword through me to make sure I was dead. Well, that was a fun feat.

Mt first FF book was "Forest of Doom" because I liked the cover.

 

[Eternalknight]

The only ones I ever had were Citadel of Chaos and Sword of the Samurai. I loved Sword of the Samurai, and it's heavily influenced the Asian portion of my campaign world (down to some of the placenames). Talisman of Death was pretty cool, as was the Way of the Tiger series which grew out of it and expanded that world (another influence on Asian lands).

Wow, I had forgotten about Way of the Tiger. Six books in all. If I recall, it had a very weird ending... doesn't the main character die at the end of the last book?