Choose Your Own Adventure Books

monkeyfudge

I used to read a lot of these 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books as a kid.

They were written from a second person point of view and at the end of every page or couple of pages you'd be offered a choice along the lines of "Attack the sleeping troll - Turn to page 38" or "Sneak past the sleeping troll - Turn to page 73" More often than not one of the choices would lead to a gruesome death... but it didn't count if you didn't quite read the whole page and quickly flicked back and made the correct decision.

I used to have a bunch of Transformer ones as well... but they usually featured rubbish characters like Grapple and Beachcomber.

c - 13

Ah I remember these. I was crap at them though, so I used to cheat my way through them -

"Roll the dice to see how much damage you do"
/Rolls 1
"Six it is then"
/Turns to page 87 "You have defeated the troll"

I used to hate it when you got stuck in a constant loop like if you got lost in a labyrinth or something -
"You walk down a dark corridor Turn to Page 255"
"You walk down a dark corridor Turn to Page 144"
"You walk down a dark corridor Turn to Page 255"
and so on, and then you couldnt remember what page preceded getting lost so you had to start again.

Ah good times.

monkeyfudge

Oooh... let me try something...

If you want to reply to this thread then turn to page 54

If you want to leave the secret cave then turn to page 79

Agamemnon

I had a few of those as well. One was about being trapped in a blizzard on a mountain and some of the others were sci-fi. I used to cheat as well and go back to the previous page when I died.

Miguel_Sanchez

I had that blizzard one.

I remember getting a bit sick of them though cause there was no skill involved so I took a step up to the Lone Wolf books. I used to love them because you got to roll dice and collect weapons.

*shaking my head* I really should have gone outside a bit more.

monkeyfudge

I seem to remember I had one about Wolverine as well... but the Blues Brothers were also characters in it for some reason... that's sounds a bit odd so maybe my memory is muddled up.

Kolodny

I had a few of these. In one of them, I think it was called Horror at High Ridge or something like that, I kept ending up trapped in the same place (either a dark cold basement or a dungeon, I can't remember which). I think I had to eventually cheat to get one of the good endings. I was very young though

monkeyfudge

That Cave of Time one I have pictured in the opening post is actually in pretty good condition and sitting on my shelf at home. That was the first book in the 'Choose Your own Adventure' series and apparently over 20 years they released almost 200 books in the series.

Yeah, had a few of them. They were very good.

c - 13

These actually allowed the reader multiple paths through the story, supposedly, was I the only one who picked almost the same path every time though ?

"If you have the shield of replying turn to page 53, If not turn to page 20"

Siogfinsceal

these were cool but I always cheated too! I wasnt the best at making decisions I usually died a few times

Feral Mutant

I didn't read the type nentioned here. Did read "Give Yourself Goosebumps" though, looks like the same thing. I once mapped out one of the books with a big tree diagram that branched off with each choice.

c - 13 wrote:

These actually allowed the reader multiple paths through the story, supposedly, was I the only one who picked almost the same path every time though ?

Maybe that was because you were reading a normal book?

OfflerCrocGod

"It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue."


Oh wait wrong pop phenomenon The problem with those books was that you never really had a chance of finishing them without dying 50 times at least; as you never needed intelligence in surviving but luck and LOTS of it

Setun

I had those Fighting Fantasy ones. The House of Hell was a great one, and the one where you're a gladiator in a colisseum. There was actualy a fad in our school, think it preceded Pogz by a month or two, where everybody read these books. It was a nerdy school...

nlgbbbblth

I bought a lot of those books in 1984.

Favourite Choose Your Own Adventure is Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?

Fighting Fantasy was an awesome series

- The Citadel Of Chaos
- The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain
- The Forest Of Doom
- Starship Traveller
- City Of Thieves
- Deathtrap Dungeon

AMAZING.

johnny_ultimate

Yep I had a load of Fighting Fantasy ones. Although I cheated so hard it wasnt funny. I never ever rolled a dice when playing one.
I remember having all five fingers wedged at some page or another for quick reverse if death occured. Ah, memories.

sasmac

I remember there was one range of books that you would quickly figure out which page number was the one where you died.

I would often get through the books quickly after figuring the "death page"

whiskeyman

Some interesting points about the Fighting Fantasy books created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. They were the founders of Games Workshop, and Ian was a member on the board of Eidos, the developers of the Tomb Raider games.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Fantasy

LoGiE

I had a couple of these! Deathtrap Dungeon, Trial of Champions and Armies Of Death were probably my favorites as they continued on from each other:)

daiixi

I'd forgotten all about these! Absolutely loved them. Though I didn't mind making the wrong choices and dying etc I'd just start over again and see what other story I could create.

Ponster

nlgbbbblth wrote:

I bought a lot of those books in 1984.

Favourite Choose Your Own Adventure is Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?

You know....if we ever bump into each other remind me to buy you a pint.

I had forgotten all about that book which was also my favorite and when I goggled for the cover, about 20 years of my past came flooding back to me.

Thanks man


BTW.

I read this in 1984, when I was 10....



I too got stuck in a kinda loop where no matter what I did I always ended up tided to a stake with my girlfriend, as a dirty old miner burned my eyes out before I died.

And to this day I haven't forgotten the book nor the image of that miner with the red-hot poker, who looked like all his birthdays came at once.

nlgbbbblth

Ponster

read Horror Ridge too - another classic along with The Cave Of Time.
Harlowe Thrombey rocks though. Found it in my parents attic last year and started 'playing' it again.

You're right - memories come back alright.

Unpossible

I only had a He-Man one

Ponster

nlgbbbblth, I've just spent 20 minutes on ebay buying every single Choose your own... book that I ever owned !

Oh, and a couple of Oink comics too

monkeyfudge

Ponster wrote:

Oh, and a couple of Oink comics too

Brilliant. That one deserves a thread of it's own.

Tails142

I have a Super Mario Bros one. I remember I finished it a couple of times but was worried that I had missed some pages that might have interesting plot twists so read the book straight through, unconnected page after another.

hamster

whiskeyman wrote:

Some interesting points about the Fighting Fantasy books created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. They were the founders of Games Workshop, and Ian was a member on the board of Eidos, the developers of the Tomb Raider games.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Fantasy

Yep, those FF books were great! I collected 26 of them and many are still in excellent condition after 20+ years.. (asks myself why are all my memories circling around 1985-90? ).

I started out with the Forest of Doom (book 3) with the commodore 64 tape version included in 1984. It grew from there. One of my favourites was the "Talisman of Death", "House of Hell" (nearly impossible) and "Caverns of the Snow Witch". "Demons of the Deep" was another great one I played in 1987 around the time of the great snowfall we had earlier that year. That story had you as a rogue collecting black pearls to get back at pirates who threw you overboard and left you for dead. Ah some good stories there.

When I played them, I did use the dice, A4 paper and a pen. Many boxes were drawn for encounters. I hated starting with a SK less than 10. I tended to like the adventures that did not require you to pick the exact path, I preferred the open-ended longer stories. In many I did die many times. Mapping did help.

I picked up "Spectral Stalkers" (no.43) in a shop only 4 years ago for 50c - in top condition! They didn't know what it was.

The artwork cover on most of mine are the "green striped edition":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Deathtrap_dungeon_green.jpg

ixoy

Loved Fighting Fantasy too - "House of Hell" being perhaps my fave.
They also had an advanced version that was, I think, in a series of 4 with one being called something like "Warlock of Firetop Mountain". The rules were more complex, aiming at an older audience.

FWIW, I still have the encyclopedia of the FF monsters, including all their stats and pictures of them

HammerHeadGym

Daddio wrote:

...one where you're a gladiator in a colisseum...

I think you'll find that's deathtrap dungeon. number six in the series. Or so some nerd told me once. *ahem*

bullets

I had loads as I used to buy them all 2nd hand.
The Choose your own adventure Brand name ones sucked.
There was way better ones out there.

There was a magazine called Proteus at the time which was HARD
and advanced. Gave you all sorts of stats and came out once a month.
(Brilliant line drawing artwork)

I also had Falcon which was Sci-Fi which had amazing drawings (at the time)
For Fatasy I had Lone Wolf which was the thickest books around at the time.

You can still download some of them for free here:
http://www.the-underdogs.info/gamebook.php

~B

nlgbbbblth

Ponster wrote:

nlgbbbblth, I've just spent 20 minutes on ebay buying every single Choose your own... book that I ever owned !

Oh, and a couple of Oink comics too

nice one. Hope you enjoy reliving the experience.

ever read Champ comic. Appeared in......1984....... too.

Great year for everything - music, sport, films, television, trips abroad, life itself.

I still have around 45 or so issues in my parents' attic.

hamster

ixoy wrote:

FWIW, I still have the encyclopedia of the FF monsters, including all their stats

Hey! I recognise the book. I have that too. Although some of those massive .pdf D&D Beastiary books lists thousands of them with beautiful artwork and descriptions.

hamster

bullets wrote:

I had loads as I used to buy them all 2nd hand.
The Choose your own adventure Brand name ones sucked.
There was way better ones out there.

There was a magazine called Proteus at the time which was HARD
and advanced. Gave you all sorts of stats and came out once a month.
(Brilliant line drawing artwork)

I also had Falcon which was Sci-Fi which had amazing drawings (at the time)
For Fatasy I had Lone Wolf which was the thickest books around at the time.

You can still download some of them for free here:
http://www.the-underdogs.info/gamebook.php

~B

Nice link.
The Cretan Chronicles that's one of advanced Fighting Fantasy books set -> I still have them. Never got the third one though. http://www.the-underdogs.info/showbook.php?id=12

irishgeo

cant say i had any of these books.

imagine giving this to the children of today they laugh in your face,

spoiled bloody rottena i think the cletic tiger was the ruin of many of todays generation of childhood.

while its been good not to be poor nation, its the ruin of childhood.

Hard Larry

irishgeo wrote:

cant say i had any of these books.

imagine giving this to the children of today they laugh in your face,

spoiled bloody rottena i think the cletic tiger was the ruin of many of todays generation of childhood.

while its been good not to be poor nation, its the ruin of childhood.

Nah you'd just have to create one in touch with their generation

Something along the lines of...

'You turn the corner and are confronted by Micka and his Hooded band of Brigands blocking the way to Barcode

What will you do?

Put your own Hood up and try to blend in? Turn to Page 57

Ask Micka if hes 'Loike seen your Bebo page Turn to page 83

Pull out your 9mm and pop a cap in his ass? Turn to page 99

(Turns to page 83)

Micka drags you down a lane gives you a straightener, robs your Nike Air, Mobile and iPod. You watch from the ground as you spit out your teeth, his gang of ruffians move in for the kill. Your Quest is over.



Freeway Fighter and Armies of Death were my fav's

In every book there seemed to be a drawing of a young lass with huge cleavage brandishing some sort of weapon.

hamster

Hard Larry wrote:

What will you do?

Put your own Hood up and try to blend in? Turn to Page 57
Ask Micka if hes 'Loike seen your Bebo page Turn to page 83
Pull out your 9mm and pop a cap in his ass? Turn to page 99

(Turns to page 83)

Micka drags you down a lane gives you a straightener, robs your Nike Air, Mobile and iPod. You watch from the ground as you spit out your teeth, his gang of ruffians move in for the kill. Your Quest is over.

Ha ha ha! That's a good spin on things. A modern day adventure where YOU are the hero.

I used to love these but I didn't have ones with dice. I used to get Hardy Boys ones and had one or two A-Team ones. The Hardy Boys ones were good because they were more solving crimes than slaying dragons etc. Now I think of it, nearly all my ones were "detective" style adventures.

I remember as well having games similar to these on the C64, where it would be enter 2 to got this way, or 3 for that and so on. Good times!

hamster

I might have mentioned already but book 3 - "The Forest of Doom" came with the C64 tape. That adventure was pretty good - good atmosphere. Only thing about that adventure was that you had to take the correct path. ie, in that story you had to collect 3 parts of a hammer for the Dwarfs of that village at the top of the map. Bridgestone maybe.
Anyway taking the wrong path meant you'd be missing at least one piece and you would come to the village short handed. But it was a good quest and you'd complete it on the third run assuming you had at least an average skill of 9 or 10. None of the monster had particularly high skills - say compared to "House of Hell" or "Scorpian Swamp".
The C64 tape version had some pretty ok sid music - for 1984 - and consisted of a white scroll on a blue background with the text from the book. It was a multi-load which didn't always worked half way through. The combat screen was nice though with animated dice rolls etc.