Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks Review Part 19 - Top 10 FF Gamebooks

[@petemarr824]

Personally I loved Citadel of Chaos. I loved the early ones mainly as I grew up with them. My parents bought me Warlock of Firetop Mountain when it came out and I was amazed that you could have a book that you could decide what would happen, plus you got to fight creatures! Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone were my absolute heroes!

[@YourXavier]

Starship Traveller had its problems, but they really crammed a lot of interesting sci-fi tropes in there: Outbreak of a weird disease, mining asteroids for fuel, a planet with such drastic overpopulation that people are more or less randomly killed, a scientist mistaken for a wizard by primitive natives, a society that kills itself due to political conflict, an alien federation that wonders what you're doing in their space, and of course, as the cover shows, gladiatorial combat against killer robots. They really managed to catch the mood of "anything can happen".

[@carltugwell4952]

I had a lot of Fighting Fantasy as a kid. I never used to play them 'properly' though. Alas, the parents got rid of my collection in a loft clear out. Time to make amends. Just purchased the 6 pack from Amazon.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Wish I had a 6 pack

[@vinizzlevinizzle6131]

The green spines had the best artwork. I had a whole bunch signed by Ian Livingstone a couple of years back. Out of the Pit should get an honorary mention :)

[@simonsays6954]

Deathtrap Dungeon really should have been no1. I owned and read almost every single one as a kid in the 80s and honestly Deathtrap was the one I played through many many times

[@tannhausergate6310]

Great list. The Sorcery epic was unsurpassed in my opinion, Book 2: Khare Cityport of Traps and Book 3: The Seven Serpents were the standouts in the series. I also liked Freeway Fighter for its Mad Max II inspired storyline and awesome cover artwork by Jim Burns (pity the inside illustrations by Kevin Bulmer were such a let down). All of the early Jackson and Livingstone books were awesome. I think Creature of Havoc deserves a mention, a fantastic redemption narrative. Agree with House of Hell being one of the best, great idea for a horror themed gamebook, but I wouldn't put it at number one. In my opinion Steve Jackson was the stronger writer of the two, his ideas were a little more original than Livingstone's.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Looking forward to the two new books this year.

[@johnharrison2086]

For me Deathtrap Dungeon and Trial of the Champions will always be my favourites. For the books that brought something a little different to the series I like : Midnight Rogue Seas of Blood Creature of Havoc & House of Hell

[@jasonturner2206]

Half way through I was guessing House of Hell or Island of the Lizard King..😁 I actually love the online FF app that gives you the option of buying the games and playing them without having the actual books..

[@StewartyMac]

My own top 10 1. House of Hell 2. Deathtrap Dungeon 3. Beneath Nightmare Castle 4. Howl of the Werewolf 5. Legend of the Shadow Warriors 6. Appointment With FEAR 7. Creature of Havoc 8. Vault of the Vampire 9. Slaves of the Abyss 10. Talisman of Death I've had the Sorcery series for many years but never got around to playing any ot them! I've got all the FF gamebooks apart from the two most recent ones, and I've also never been able to acquire either Deathmoor or Magehunter, which is annoying.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Time to get cracking on Sorcery I think

[@martinsouthon8206]

Scorpion Swamp. Caverns of the Snow Witch, two of my favourites. Can't go wrong with House of He'll too, Great choices from my era growing up!

[@lewisbrooks5788]

I did read these books back in the day ,forgot about them but did get into the Fabled Lands series that came out on the late 90s.That is until I was in a small coastal town called Robin Hoods Bay and found Starship Traveller and Freeway Fighter in the second hand book store there.Massive nostalgia rush.Now trying to pick up more originals/reprints where I can.

[@aljamin45]

Brilliant. Several of these would make my top 10, others probably my top 20. I just love seeing other people's favourite choices. Keep these vids coming!

[@misomiso8228]

Cool list! This is mine:- 10. Armies of Death 9. Vault of the Vampire 8. Warlock of Firetop Mountain 7. House of Hell 6. Moonrunner 5. Deathtrap Dungeon 4. Howl of the Werewolf 3. Dead of Night 2. Creature of Havoc 1. City of Thieves 0. SORCERY!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

You cheated on the sorcery entry 😂😂😂 nice try mate 👏🏻

[@misomiso8228]

@@BoardGameBollocks ;-)

[@retronostalgic]

I first played creature of havoc back in 1986 and remember it being really good, although I'd have to replay it again now to check. I also remember city of thieves and deathtrap dungeon being very entertaining too

[@AJDHelix]

Moonrunner: Am I a joke to you?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Lol

[@IanHollis]

First one I ever bought was Demons of the Deep, but I think my personal favourite would have to be Return to Firetop Mountain. Creature of Havoc is the only one I still have.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Too late to start a collection?

[@IanHollis]

@@BoardGameBollocks I'm thankful that the reprints mean I could start affordably collecting again, but I miss the green-spine covers, and I don't particularly like the new 'retro style' covers. My mum basically coerced me into getting rid of them.

[@machfront]

As a Yank who only recently discovered how amazing FF really was/is, I cannot, in good conscience, not speak of the original FF RPG clone Spellzard!. It’s the original FF rpg without going way out to the extremes of the new AFF. So if ya want FF and super rules lite, Spellzard! is perfect and very….well…. The way it was … again. I’m saying this as a Yank!Heheh! Cheers!

[@platinumknight1]

In deathtrap dungeouns i wasnt surprised about having to kill throm it was Pointed out there could only be one winner and i was expecting he was going to try to kill me XD but yeah i wasnt expecting i would have to be the One to do it offcourse, but what i found fup is when you have to choose the 2 pathways and they both go really far but only one lets you get to the gem :/ i was already lowkey expecting it when the first room had a skull full of shining stones and some bowling balls to throw at it...i just throw it thinking that it would be my skull for choosing this path and the thing is that there are no hints when before you go to a long game Over path

[@drdiscostu]

Very interesting i am currently replaying all of these and taking detailed notes. Dead of Night is my favourite currently, also my favourite as a kid. Keep of the Lich Lord, Demons the Deep and Sword of Samurai also great so maybe im a late series fan?

[@adamcatlinmusic4321]

House of Hell was my favourite… also Freeway Fighter, closet thing to a Mad Max world I could get.

[@stevielambert8262]

House of Hell as my first foray into FF as well . Love it

[@johnberry5296]

Great vid mate. I agree on the bias towards the early books as the nostalgia is a huge part of these. Sorcery! as a whole is the greatest achievement on gamebooks. I’m fond of Starship Traveller as well as Ian’s flawed Freeway Fighter.Subbed.

[@BogusLion]

Starship Traveller was the first I got as a present(and I love it :) ), and my brother got Deathtrap Dungeon, we both loved our first books. We were first introduced to them by my father, he was playing the Forest of Doom with the dice and the mistery started there, we were both kids. Then I got Scorpion Swamp and my brother House of Hell, we were always getting different ones and reading both, and making a collection with 2 parts, although I never perserved my books so well as he did :D I haven't read all the Sorcery books but I'm playing the game on the apps through the phone and it's great, right now on the second book and it's really difficult :D I loved City of Thiefs, but I think one that left me most mesmerized and surprised with all the different things and twists has to be hands down the Citadel of Chaos, is just brilliant in my opinion, and one of the first we played together. I also love Scorpion Swamp, Caverns of the Snow Witch is brilliant and one of my personal favourites. We both loved the Appointment with FEAR. My brother always liked more the dark ones as House of Hell which he also got as a present instead of me, I always liked the most light ones, and fun and adventure stuff, space or otherwise, as long as it was different. Love Demons of the Deep(pirates, black pearls, just awesome). Trials of Champions is a good one. Beneath Nightmare Castle, liked that one as well. Some of the series didn't appear in Portugal(I read them in Portuguese, although I bought several now, and I'm waiting for them to arrive, and have read also some in English), I don't know if because of censorship or because in Portugal also people are very religious, I don't even know how my mother got me those books, she's super religious now but I don't think she was that religious back then, so we were lucky :D like we never saw horror movies until we were grown up and she would always close my eyes when "bad" stuff was happening on tv that's "normal" nowadays, but I guess she wanted us to read and that was a great way to make us read books instead of comics, or play games(I had a nintendo NES), or just be glued to the tv when the cartoons were up... My love for these gamebooks started there, then I also loved the series of Dungeon and Dragons gamebooks and the Advanced Dungeon and Dragons gamebooks, those were so awesome as well! You can see them here: www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dungeons-dragons-game-books-endless-1920340384 and here: www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/complete-advanced-dungeons-dragons-1734047983 Also, I love that Fighting Fantasy didn't end there on those books, I just recently knew they were the co-founders of Games Workshop, and that they were in Nottingham, I have cousins there and my brother was there living for a few years, what a coincidence. But they also influenced several other things, I learned recently that the illustrator of Deathtrap Dungeon and City of Thieves created Darth Maul from Star Wars and princess Padmé Amidala designs, that's bloody awesome! But here is the most interesting thing I found out a year ago: You know the creator of the games of Dark Souls, Demon Souls, and Bloodborne? Miyasaki Well, when I started playing Bloodborne and Dark Souls, I found some monsters and characters and symbols very similar to the Fighting Fantasy books, and I immediately said that to a friend who is a fan of those successful games, and he was kinda seeing the similarity but not buying it, I read then he said when he was a kid he would read foreign books but wouldn't understand the English but would create stories out of the drawings and images, I immediately thought he was talking about the Fighting Fantasy books, again no one believed me until he received a lifetime achivement award form the hands of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone in person, exactly because he was a super fan of them and he said in his own words they influenced him on his stories: www.gamesradar.com/dark-souls-creator-hidetaki-miyazaki-takes-the-lifetime-achievement-award-at-the-golden-joystick-awards-2018/ officialfightingfantasy.blogspot.com/2018/11/steve-jackson-and-ian-livingstone-at.html It's so great to see this franchise of gamebooks alive and kicking and with people like you doing these videos constantly, thank you so much for your work, I already sent an email to my brother about it and with your playlist of FF reviews :) I hope they'll do more merchandising for shirts and stuff I would love to buy some. Also it's funny because some new books I didn't bought at the time they came out because I didn't like the Gates of Death(which was horrible in my opinion, at least the drawings just turn you off of any story...) so I skipped the new ones and now the Werewolf is so expensive because it's really good, but I bought it and I'm waiting for it to arrive. Also think The Warlock of Firetop Mountain it's a fantastic book, and the Crypt of the Sorcerer is also a good one. I love the old cover of Citadel of Chaos, and I think it was amazing because it had so many cool things, the room of the witches when they don't want to be interrupted, the funny hilarious guards at the gate, and one of the baddest villains of all time Balthus Dire , that guy was a badass, and one of the most difficult bosses ever, at least in my opinion. City of Thieves it's also a classic amazing adventure, I don't know there are so many to choose from and so many that are just great in their own special way. Thank you again for all your work! :) Oh and they made a game of Starship Traveller and another for Deathtrap Dungeon, there are several gems out there: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4nXh6h9hN1-ZqM kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZq5gpZ-o6-NaM0

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Really enjoyed reading that. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my videos. I’ll always be adding more Fighting Fantasy videos so maybe subscribe to the channel.

[@platinumknight1]

Naa acho q não tem nada a ver com censura, é só que acho q a verbo que foi a editora que os públicos aqui não há em todo o lado tmb tinhas aqueles dos arrepeios que eram todos mais dark e dpx apareceu uma edição que tmb tinha escolhas mas essas não eram tão bacanos

[@BogusLion]

@@platinumknight1 como assim não há em todo o lado? Estou a falar de certos livros em inglês que não foram publicados em português até aos dias de hoje... dá colecção fighting fantasy, existe uma meia dúzia que não foi publicada até hoje e alguns nem antigos, eles saltaram alguns.

[@platinumknight1]

@@BogusLion ahh ok bro! Só li a parte q disseste q eras pt e q n encontravas tava a pensar q tavas a dzr q antes havia e hoje em dia n... então assim é estranho haver só alguns q n foram traduzidos e publicados...secalhar foram censurados XD

[@cameronbrett8552]

The Sorcery! series, Creature Of Havoc and House Of Hell are the ones I remember most fondly.

[@Turrican]

Loved these as a kid

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Not now?

[@nickhilbert750]

Freeway fighter packed so much in

[@omnivoid0776]

Glad to see House of Hell at number 1 - it was always my favourite. Never did complete it. I think most people feel nostalgic about the earlier gamebooks because they were so exciting when they first came out, but they lost traction as video game RPGs improved. You mentioned the FF RPG - did you ever play The Riddling Reaver scenario book? That was great - I ended up using it on multiple occasions with other RPGs like D&D or Dragon Warriors. Speaking of Dragon Warriors, Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson who wrote that RPG produced their own gamebooks called Golden Dragon gamebooks. They were excellent too. Lone Wolf was good as well.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Yes mate...RR is featured in another vid. Check out our FF playlist for 18 more...

[@bulkheadisbehindyou]

Excellent. Would love to see a vid on your favourite non-FF game books.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Might just do that mate 👍

[@Democraps_are_narrow-minded]

Scorpion Swamp and Crimson Tide are my favourite

[@griselame]

Seas of blood is all sorts of awesome indeed. Lots of good entries in your list too.

[@enensis]

I enjoyed this video. Its always nice having an East end gangster reviewing books I read as a child 😂

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Never been to London mate…grew up in Allansia.

[@enensis]

@@BoardGameBollocks if you roll a six I will believe you

[@BoardGameBollocks]

May your STAMINA never fail, comrade…

[@cheerless3]

'Vault Of The Vampire' is also a classic in my opinion. Have most titles on that list, the more 'out there' FF books interest me the most though like 'Spectral Stalkers' and 'Creature of Havoc'.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I always had a problem with the theme. I mean why is a gothic vampire alive and kicking in alansia? Great book though...

[@craigcochrane2284]

Needed at least one Carl Sargent book on the list (a la Vault of the Vampire), but not a bad list overall. Would have thrown Beneath Nightmare Castle in my top ten as having the most atmospheric art.

[@MaxSpender]

I’m surprised Legend of Zagor didn’t make it into your top 10 list. I lost interest in collecting these around book 30, but Legend of Zagor rekindled my enthusiasm for the series - the choice of characters, the open ended gameplay & arguably the late great Martin McKenna’s best artwork.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I didn’t really like it that much tbh (I liked it but not enough to put it too 10). Yea it was innovative but other books from other series did the same thing before it and better.

[@leewhite2195]

Is that Christophers toyshop that used to be in Winter Road? I bought my first 7 or so from Virgin Records.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Yes! I shed a tear when it closed.

[@chrisreed3385]

Jackson’s masterpiece COH I the big omission her for me. But nice list, agree with the bulk of it.

[@hakonsoreide]

Always fascinating how top-ten lists are so different, some people's top ten includes others' bottom ten. Actually it just goes to show that it is often a subjective rather than an objective thing, and that most of the FF books have something good about them that appeal to someone out there. I have also noticed that some lists are clearly coloured by the fact that most FF players would have played the early books a lot more than the later ones. I'll make my own top ten list some day, but as I am playing all of them properly and thoroughly, with an open mind and one by one, and I'm only on my third book, it may be a year or two until I have my top ten ready.

[@faithless3099]

Ha man i love your channel. i've only recently found your channel from another you-tuber called skeletoncrusader who gave you a shout out cos he reads FF books too. i am currently watching you play the warlock of firetop mountain. keep up the good work.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Thanks mate. It’s a shame we did these FF videos early as the quality isn’t that great. All we had was a phone back then. Maybe I’ll do an updated bunch of videos for FF.

[@hadlee73]

I love Starship Traveller :) I'm pretty sure Scholastic have avoided reprinting anything written by anyone other than Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson or any authors they've commissioned directly (eg. Charlie Higson) because they don't want to have to pay royalties to the other authors.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Would be interesting to see who owns the rights to each book. Puffin or the author.

[@hakonsoreide]

@@BoardGameBollocks Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone owns the concept, and each individual author and illustrator owns their own work, so it really depends on the licensing agreements. Obviously Puffin had exclusive rights until they foolishly decided not to publish the books anymore, but they would have reverted back to Ian/Steve who I also presume had the right to sublicense the others' work at least into the Wizard era. It is quite possible that the books authored by others, as well as the original artwork, would have to be renegotiated with Scholastic, both Ian/Steve and the other creators each having to get a share of it, potentially reducing Scholastic's profits if they were to avoid more expensive books. It certainly looks that way since they have chosen to use new "artwork" and so far haven't republished any of the ones written by others. I can't see why they would want to do this, though, as a larger catalogue and the original artwork would clearly increase the production value of the republished books to a point where they would be far more appealing to new and old readers alike. As it is, someone wanting to buy FF books would never want to get the Scholastic version of one available second hand in an Icon, Wizard or Puffin edition. The way it is now, I just can't see how Scolastic can make a success of it with the path they have chosen, as I am sure it leads down a classical dead end with a deathtrap at the end, Ian Livingstone style. They should have turned right at the T-junction, not left, and they are unlikely ever to glimpse paragraph 400 of "The Giants of Gamebooks - YOU are the Publisher".

[@JezNoir]

It's a very fine list, but am I the only person besotted with Legend of the Shadow Warriors? It was so atmospheric and had well balanced combat

[@BoardGameBollocks]

It’s a fine book. Top 20 for sure.

[@GreenTeaViewer]

House of Hell is a great choice...it really creeped me at at age 11. Steve Jackson wrote so many good ones, I would include Creature of Havoc in the list.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Still waiting for Steve Jackson’s new book that’s 35 years late

[@GreenTeaViewer]

@@BoardGameBollocks Ian Livingstone said a few years ago that he and Steve had agreed to write one together again for the 40th anniversary. That's next year!!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

\0/

[@HowtoRPG]

I really liked the Sorcery books, your list seems on point.

[@brootal4234]

House of Hell as number one? It was good, but not number one good. City of Thieves and Deathtrap Dungeon tie for number one in my heart and mind.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I prefer a more non linear path type thing.

[@leebrown1049]

Just bought a couple of books. Wished I'd kept them as a kid think I had the first 15. The Scholastic covers are total rubbish though. That's one good thing about the 80's they never talked down to kids whereas it looks like publishers do these days

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Original FF took risks and it paid off

[@leebrown1049]

@@BoardGameBollocks Keep up the great work mate. I've not played and role play for...30 years!!! and really missing it. Great to see a Brit channel talking about this stuff. Just went through all 19 FF videos and loved every one of them.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Cheers mate. Might do them again at some point as they look a bit crap. Filmed on an old iPhone when I first started doing this.

[@faithless3099]

The only thing i would say about a top 10 is that i would put the Sorcery as 1 entry. IMO they are 4 books as 1 and i would say that's the way they was meant to be read, and by doing so they would be my number 1 on a list all day long. And as for a regular Green spine i would have to say my number 1 is The city of thieves. and as of the current time of writing this i am reading House of Hell for about the 10th time in my life.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Sorcery are 4 separate books and have never appeared as one volume hence the separate entries 👍🏻

[@Ronam0451]

@@BoardGameBollocks you missed the point

[@BoardGameBollocks]

What point was that?

[@perfectblue8443]

talisman of death

[@wbbartlett]

Things I learned from this video; 1. Your navel is in your nose. Does this mean that you smell via your belly?

[@ravenfirepheonix]

Those books look like they're in really good nick.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Take care of myself and my FF books...life’s priorities 👍🏻

[@AlexGorskov]

Great review!

[@iconocast]

wish i had kept my books

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Noooooooooo!!!!! 🥵

[@appenginenode]

House Of Hell, I remember it being great, but don't seem to have it any more, so on the look out for it now

[@BoardGameBollocks]

You can read a mini version of it in one of the Warlock Magazines...pdfs are dotted about if you google them.

[@cryogenixoldskool5803]

Stealer of Souls should of made the list

[@yellow6153]

did u complete them all which did u find the most difficult?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I completed City of Thieves...that’s it. House of Hell was/is the hardest.

[@Democraps_are_narrow-minded]

Could u do a review on Real Life Gamebooks?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

I’ve never heard of them tbh with you...is it a series?

[@Democraps_are_narrow-minded]

@@BoardGameBollocks u may google it. There are 8 books in the series. I simply love the blazing beacon. I bought it for 165 pound including shipment cost to Singapore from Fantasydemon159 from eBay. Unfortunately, it is out of stock. Onions321 did sell the hardcovers at 200 pound. But it was not relisted after being unsold.

[@blamp666]

House of hell had to be the 1st

[@BoardGameBollocks]

👏🏻

[@JamesAHirons_]

How did you collate this? Seems more like a personal fave top10. Deathtrap Dungeon has won every Ten Best poll I've ever seen followed by City Of Thieves. Forest Of Doom always topping the cover art ones

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Yea it’s my personal Top 10...my channel, my Top 10 💪🏻

[@JamesAHirons_]

@@BoardGameBollocks well I agree with you on #1 lol

[@BoardGameBollocks]

House of Hell was my first book. Kind of spoilt that rest because it was so good. 🤣

[@JamesAHirons_]

@@BoardGameBollocks although we had some creepy treats later on in the series. Personal faves 1 Dead Of Night 2 House Of Hell 3 Creature Of Havoc 4 Howl Of The Werewolf 5 Spellbreaker (I decided #40 just pips it for me due to content)

[@AdamA63]

I enjoyed the video but didn't agree with your top ten :).

[@BoardGameBollocks]

What’s your top ten?

[@AdamA63]

@@BoardGameBollocks 10. Scorpion Swamp (novel game play and very underrated IMO) 9. Demons of the Deep (a fantastic trip to Atlantis and again very underrated) 8. City of Thieves 7. Clash of the Princes 6. Vault of the Vampire (atmospheric and brilliantly constructed) 5. Steve Jackson's Sorcery series 4. Deathtrap Dungeon 3. Trial of Champions 2. Crypt of the Sorceror 1. Howl of the Werewolf (adventures within adventures, and a superbly constructed back story). I picked the books up again for the first time in about 30 years during Covid, and it is great to know I am not the only one who looks back fondly on the Fighting Fantasy books. They were such a key part of my childhood.