It’s bonus episode time again as HJDoom tries an adventure gamebook where finding the correct solution could have won you a holiday to a Disney theme park. Steeleye and the Lost Magic is weird combination of choose your own adventure and crossword puzzle as you fumble around a surreally fantastic world in search of the clues that will unlock the secrets of the magic which can save a mystical valley. Will our intrepid hero manage to solve puzzles aimed at the under 12s or will this be yet another humiliation for a grown who is already spending his free time embarassing himself in public? This episode was made possible by my generous supporters at patreon.com/hjdoom.
Episode 17 - Appointment with F.E.A.R.
New ground broken yet again in the Fighting Fantasy series as we don our very silliest clothes and commit a variety of crimes against people and property with the enthusiastic support of the local police department. HJDoom plays through this classic Fighting Fantasy book with a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the basic premise. Will he succeed despite his disdain for superheros as a cultural phenomenon? Listen along to find out. There’s also some exciting patron news about a forthcoming project.
Episode 16 - Seas of Blood
Hot on the heels of our last bonus episode comes this playthrough of the pirate themed adventure gamebook Seas of Blood by Andrew Chapman. Join HJDoom for a desperate race against the clock and also another pirate as we rob and pillage our way round the Inland Sea. Ships will fight ships! Ships will fight monsters! Excitement and adventure of all kinds will be had! With plenty of new systems to chew on there’s a lot going on in this adventure gamebook but will our less than intrepid hero by crowned King of the Pirates? Listen along to find out.
Bonus Episode - The Curse of Frankenstein
It’s another bonus episode featuring the work of JH Brennan, author of the Grailquest book we covered in our last bonus episode. This time he’s taking on gothic horror in the form of an ambitious adventure gamebook that you can play either as Baron Frankenstein or his monstrous creation. There’s big ideas everywhere in this one but can he manage to stick the landing and maintain an appropriately gothic tone? Find out by listening! Special thanks to a new patron, Saul Alexander. You can be like him by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single english pound.
Episode 15 - The Rings of Kether
Worry abounds as episode 15 takes us into space, the natural home of terrible Fighting Fantasy books. Worse still this book is by Andrew Chapman who penned the surreally awful Space Assassin. Will this be the book that proves Fighting Fantasy in space can work? The answer is basically yes! But don’t just read this, listen to the episde too or I’ve wasted even more of my life than usual.
Episode 14 - Temple of Terror
Join HJDoom for a playthrough of Fighting Fantasy book 14 and take a journey across desert sands to the mysterious abandoned city of Vatos. Sandworms! Nomads! Undead Assassins! Temple of Terror has it all and almost all of them want to kill you. Will our dauntless hero take a brief citybreak in Port Blacksand on the way? Find out by listening.
Bonus Episode - Grail Quest 2: Den of Dragons
Another bonus episode is here! What joy. This time we’re taking a turn through Den of Dragons, the second book in the Grail Quest sequence by prolific UK author JH Brennan. A deadly Brass Dragon is menacing Avalon and King Arthur has told Merlin to tell you to embark on a dangerous quest to destroy the fell beast. Armed with a talking sword (actually pretty quiet) and a whole bunch of spells we’ll be taking on the role of Pip, the pleasingly gender neutral protagonist, and trying our best not to be get killed immediately on leaving home. If you’d like to help fund more bonus episodes then you can do so by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single pound.
Episode 13 - Freeway Fighter
Episode 13 sees another attempt to create a science fiction Fighting Fantasy book that isn’t rubbish. This time it’s all gone a bit Mad Max as Ian Livingstone takes us on a gritty journey into a post-apocalyptic landscape where the collapse of civilisation has failed to impact on private car ownership. Gaffa tape some nerf guns to your Lexus because it’s time to take on some weirdly dressed thugs in a Volvo in Freeway Fighter.
Episode 12 - Space Assassin
We're off to Space! But not to actually assassinate anyone. Brace yourselves because this one gets very strange indeed and pushes your host to the limits of his tolerance for old adventure gamebooks. Space Assassin was written by Andrew Chapman with internal art by Geoffrey Senior. Listen to the end for some insights into the somewhat strange origin story of this quirky and unique entry in the Fighting Fantasy canon.
Bonus Episode - Sagard the Barbarian: The Green Hydra
It’s bonus episode time again and this time we’ve got a chance to play through a gamebook co-written by Dungeons and Dragons legend Gary Gygax and 80s cartoon writer Flint Dille. Will our muscle bound hereo overcome the odds and bring home a reasonable sum of money for his tribe? Listen along to find out. This episode is only possible thanks to the generosity of the people who support me on patreon. Join that august body of heroes by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound to support the podcast.
Episode 11 - Talisman of Death
We’re back in fantasy territory with episode 11 of Fantastic Fights but it isn’t quite business as usual as we’re taking a tour of a new fantasy world, that of Orb, created by Matt Smith and Jamie Thomson, best known for the excellent Way of the Tiger gamebook sequence. Will it live up to the best that Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone have to offer? We’ll find out and also find the limits of my ability to pronounce made up words. If you’d like to support my efforts to play through every Fighting Fantasy book then you can do so by going to patreon.com/hjdoom. Anything you can spare is hugely appreciated.
Episode 10 - House of Hell
Join HJDoom for a spooktacular journey into the insane rabbit warrens of Earl Drumer’s crumbling family home, a home that is rammed to the gills with all manner of occult shennanigans. This episode marks the first Fighting Fantasy book to tackle horror head on and it’s a straight up classic. Vampires, ghosts, lots and lots of zombies. The House of Hell has it all. If you’d like to help me make more adventure gamebook content then you can support me on patreon at www.patreon.com/hjdoom. Happy listening.
Bonus Episode - He-Man and the Memory Stone
Nostalgia levels are at critical here at Fantastic Fights as I tackle a game book based on He-Man, the first thing I can remember truly loving. This game book was published in the UK by the legendary children’s publisher Ladybird which adds a second layer of nostalgia to the mix. Will this be a lazy cash in or is there more to this than book than you might expect? Listen along to find out.
These bonus episodes are made possible by the kind generosity of my patrons. If you want to chuck me a couple of coins to ensure these bonus episodes keep coming then you can do so at patreon.com/hjdoom.
Episode 9b - Caverns of the Snow Witch 2
We’re back! 2021 kicks of with a second jaunt into the brutal dungeons of the Snow Witch. This episode will only really make sense if you’ve already listened to the first part in which I died very early in the playthrough. This second part continues to bring the pain but will we be able to overcome one of Ian Livingstone’s most misanthropic gamebooks? Listen along to find out.
Episode 9 - Caverns of the Snow Witch
Join your ever optimistic host HJDoom as he embarks on a freezing journey through some of the most inhospitable terrain yet featured on Fantastic Fights. Mammoths, Frost Giants, and surly dwarves abound in this deadly quest to defeat the abominable yeti and plunge into the mysterious lair of the even more mysterious snow witch. Will our hero make it out alive? What is the best flavour of crisps to eat when you’re nearly dead? Some of these questions may possibly be answered as you listen along.
Bonus Episode - Raid on Nightmare Castle
It’s bonus episode time again and this time we’re taking a look at Raid on Nightmare Castle, part of the Endless Quest series released by TSR in the 1980s as a kind of introduction to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Will we survive our trip into a world of talking animals and portly elves? Listen in to find out.
Episode 8 - Scorpion Swamp
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.
Bonus Episode - Doctor Who: The Horror of Howling Hill
We’re approaching Halloween and I’m celebrating a second patron backer by doing a playthrough of the Doctor Who Decide Your Own Destiny book The Horror of Howling Hill. Does this capture the unique feel of Britain’s most successful cultural export? How many times will we hear the exact same howling scream before the horror begins to wear off? Listen along to find out.
Episode 7 - Island of the Lizard King
After our disastrous tour round Deathtrap Dungeon we get a nice change of scenery, several changes of scenery in fact as we take a mini-break to Fire Island home of the insane Lizard King and an awful lot of very big animals. Golden beaches, dense jungle, a pictureque swamp and a deep ravine are just some of the environments the await us on our quest to undo an idiot prince’s bright idea of hiring insane lizardmen to run his version of Guantanamo Bay. This is a real epic and I hope very much you enjoy it.
Island of the Lizard King was written by Ian Livingstone with internal illustrations by Alan Langford and cover art by Ian McCaig.
Episode 6 - Bonus Deathtrap Dungeon Run
It’s bonus episode time as I reveal my first, far less successful playthrough of Deathtrap Dungeon. I feel like there might be other very difficult gamebooks later where I end up doing the same thing. Regardless I hope you enjoy this little look into a world of abject failure.