h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks - A2440928
Author: Hussassan the Silicon Samurai - Proud User of Alabaster - U200779

I await your comments

Great to see these books here - I used to read thse when I was a kid (after nicking them from my brother). Are they still in print?

I know what these books are, so everything was very clear to me - it will be interesting to see comments from people who haven't played them.

I'd suggest that you change "which are essentially one-person RPGs" at the beginning to "which are essentially one-person role-playing games", and use that to link here - A134795 for the less enlightened.


One typo that I spotted

"The procedure for testing skill is not described at the start of ever FF book"

Should be

"The procedure for testing skill is not described at the start of every FF book"

Great entry!

I've just found out that there's another entry on FF books - A534674

You might get away with calling this 'how to play a FF gamebook', as it is different to that one. One of the Scouts might be able to help more with that idea.

May I make a few nitpicky comments?

in which he reader -> in which the reader
and turning to that paragraph -> and turn to that paragraph

Regarding the paragraph beginning "The aim of each book is simply to get to the 'victory' paragraph", I believe that in Scorpion Swamp, if you chose the evil wizard's quest, none of the ends you could reach were exactly "good". Also, a few other books had multiple good ends. There was one where you had been thrown overboard by pirates and landed in a magical underwater world, and it had several endings in which you survived and defeated the pirates, but won different amounts of treasure in each ending.

called and Adventure Sheet -> called an Adventure Sheet
though is structured in a way that -> though is structured in such a way that

I think "seppuku" is spelt with only one k.

each of which restore -> each of which restores
Most books so not bother -> Most books do not bother
which take place in the distant future -> take place in the distant future

"Fighting Fantasy" wasn't a guide to writing your own Fighting Fantasy books, it was about the multi-player Fighting Fantasy RPG and how to write your own adventures set in that world. What it taught you to write was not Fighting Fantasy books but scenarios for the multi-player game. (Did that make any sense?)

If the entry is going to be called "how to play a FF gamebook" it might be nice to have a few tips on strategy. I can't help much, as I never played the books following the rules. I just had lots of cheat adventures where I assumed I won every battle, then when I was familiar with all the ways you could go in the book, I drew out a map showing which paragraphs led to each other, and used that to help me design the best route.

Mina - OK, I'll make the changes. They are not really still in print, though a small number have recently been put out in a second edition, albeit with different numbers.

Eketarian - Yeah, I did that too, but without the paragraph maps. That might have helped with a few of the harder ones.

Mina
I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is I have seen several brand new (or possibly reprinted) FF books recently. The bad news is the bookshop I saw them in was in New York! I suggest you try Forbbidon planet (near Leicster Square tube station) they have a huge range of Sci Fi and Fantasy stuff.

By the way I have just finished a play that I think might make a good rival to the ITV pantomime, particularly if a)It's performed to raise money for Children In Need and b) it has my suggested cast. Considering this site is full of BBC employees does anyone know who I should contact?

You can play some Fighting Fantasy books online at http://www.ffproject.com/ but I don't know how legal it is due to copywrite and stuff...

"The good news is I have seen several brand new (or possibly reprinted) FF books recently"

Most likely repreinted, I've seen a few down at my local bookshop. I know all of them off by heart, so if you tell me which ones they are, I can say for sure.

There's a lot of ground here that's covered in both entries Perhaps they could be combined, although that would make one Hell of a long entry. Alternatively you could go down the route Mina suggested, and retitle the entry "Playing Fighting Fantasy gamebooks", but you'd rather to change the focus of teh entry for that...

Still working on this one, Hussassan?


Mikey

Actually, I'm going to remove it. The other one is pretty comprehensive.

*Note to self - check up on any entries you plan to write.*