FANTASTIC FIGHTS
Tower of Destruction is another book by Keith Martin who wrote one of my absolute favourite books in the series Vault of the Vampire. It was illustrated by Peter Knifton and the cover was by Terry Oakes.
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It’s book 45 of the long running Fighting Fantasy series! Spectral Stalkers was written by Peter Darvill-Evans with internal art by Tony Hough and cover art by Tony Hough. It’s the third and final book Darvill-Evans contributed to the series but will he go out with a bang? Listen along to find out as HJDoom plays through the book and offers some thoughts.
Book 44 and Fighting Fantasy is somehow still firing on all cylinders. Stephen Hand had already contributed to the excellent Dead of Night with Jim Bambara but will his sophomore outing be a chance to show what he can do solo? With art by Martin McKenna and cover art by the reliable David Gallagher, Legend of the Shadow Warriors is a curious beast but is it any good? Listen along to find out.
We continue exploring the later stages of the Fighting Fantasy series with Master of Chaos by Keith Martin with art by David Gallagher. Sent on a dangerous mission without our usual gear and beloved packed lunches can HJDoom possibly survive? Listen along to find out.
Joy unbounded at Doom HQ as we come to book 38 in the Fighting Fantasy series, Vault of the Vampire. I’m a big horror fan in general and a gothic horror fan in particular so the prospect of venturing into a spooky castle in search of a vampire is a real treat to me. It’s got a great hook but can the book, written by returning scribe Keith Martin and illustrated by legendary British illustrator Martin McKenna, live up to the sinister premise? Listen along to find out.
Episode 37 brings us back into the welcoming arms of the Fighting Fantasy series and Portal of Evil by Peter Darvill-Evans with illustrations by Alan “the lizard guy” Langford. Sinister things are afoot in the forest and in the mountains as gold rush fever grips Khul. Can our sensibly named hero defeat the monsters and save the world for what feels like the thousandth time? Tune in to find out that he can’t.
After the last short but sweet bonus episode this one is a bit of a monster. HJDoom bravely takes on the latest challenge in the Fighting Fantasy series, Stealer of Souls by Keith Martin with illustrations by Russ Nicholson. There’s plenty of excitement to be had and could this be the first book in the series which will see the adventure actually be completed? Listen along to find out.
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Midnight Rogue, book 29 in the Fighting Fantasy series, finally takes on the classic fantasy gaming archetype of the thief. Ever since Bilbo Baggins half-inched a fancy geegaw from under the nose of a psychotic dragon gamers have dreamed of purloining shiny things without legal consequence. An added bonus; this gamebook takes you back to Port Blacksand, one of the great fantasy city and the perfect backdrop for a spot of larceny. In this episode HJDoom plays through the 1987 gamebook by Graeme Davis with art by John Sibbick and offers some thoughts about what was good and what could have done with improvement.
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It’s episode 8 of Fantastic Fights and we’re taking a turn round the insalubrious environs of Scorpion Swamp by the American Steve Jackson, creator of GURPS, Munchkin, OGRE, Illuminati, and many more. Will a fresh voice bring a fresh approach? Will my utter refusal to make any kind of map be a detriment to a quest entirely about making maps? Listen along to find out.
If you’d like to support the show you can do so at patreon.com/hjdoom. Anything you can spare will be appreciated and help keep the podcast well stocked with adventure gamebooks.
In this, the fourth episode of Fantastic Fights we once again enter uncharted territory as Steve Jackson takes us to the stars as the crew of Starship Traveller. Space battles, poorly described aliens, and mediocre artwork abound as we search a parallel universe for a black hole that will take us home. Does the crew survive this jaunt into another reality? You’ll have to listen to find out.
This episode also sees the launch of my patreon page at patreon.com/hjdoom. No obligation but if you could spare me a copper or two towards the cost of buying Fighting Fantasy books for this podcast I would be eternally grateful. The podcast will alway be free to air regardless. If you’re enjoying this soujorn into the past why not tell a friend or two?
When I was a child I absolutely loved Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. They were for me, as with many, a gateway into the wonderful worlds of Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone created and curated a wonderful list of game books that burn in my memory with the incandescent glow of unexamined nostalgia. What with one thing and another I have a lot of time on my hands these days so it occured to me that it might be fun to create a podcast where I play through all of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks in order. In my head this was a quick and easy project, in practice it turned out to be a lot of work. Does The Warlock of Firetop Mountain hold up more than thirty years after I first played it? There’s only one way to find out. Join me on my journey into the wonderful world of Fighting Fantasy.
