Tuesday 24 July 2012

Tie-in Tuesday: Shadows over Sylvania

So this is what's been taking up most of my time recently...



Not long to go now until it's ready to go off to my editor. I shall of course keep you posted on its progress, but in the meantime, why not check out my Warhammer 40K Path to Victory gamebook HERALD OF OBLIVION?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Herald of Oblivion RULEZ. I cant say anymore than that!

Jonathan Green said...

That's brilliant, Anonymous. Please do say more!

Anonymous said...

Hi mister Green!

Today I started to read your book (i have The Iron Hands and the Armaggedon Omnibus, but i was reading until yesterday another book, but the Iron Hands is brilliant like the Wrath of Iron of Mr. Wright).

It's brilliant, awesome! I won the Hive Tyrant, and tomorrow I hope reach another enemies. :D

When I finish this book, i will start the Armaggedon Omnibus.

Thanks for your books. Any chance for you, Mr. to write some Horus Heresy book? Your Iron Hands are very good!

kingfede said...

Hello Jon, I've started to play Herald of Oblivion but I find it quite difficult: the rules aren't very clear (I know it's not your fault, the other two books of the series have the very same problems) and many fights seem unbalanced. Either I've not understood how you calculate damage, or it's a bit too optimistic to think I'm able to beat a pack of Genestealers some paragraphs from the beginning causing them (hopefully, because it's not so obvious) 1 wound per attack. The Broodlord also is very, very tough (maybe a bit too tough, but ok it's a boss). To sum up, it's too difficult to make a considerable damage in Close Combat, so Combats become too long and dangerous for the character... and for the nerves of the reader :). Oh, at par. 377 the enemy has S and T 7, which should be impossible, is it a mistake?

However, the story is engaging and the exploration of the Herald has a wonderful thrilling atmosphere, so I'm quite satisfied until now. I know nothing about Warhammer outside the gamebooks, so everything sounds new to me, but I haven't had any big problems to understand the descriptions and, more generally, the whole plot, so I think you've done a great work, really, I'd pay anything to be able to write like you. Unfortunately, such a system cannot get the best from a gamebook, in my opinion...

I haven't completed it yet though, I'll let you know my final impressions when I've managed to. ;)

kingfede said...

Just read the errata pdf, I had not completely understood the rule to calculate the damage cause I thought Strenght wasn't used for the Close Combat. Well, now I like it much more! Some combats still look tough, but more likely to be won.

I only hope Black Library will correct the Rules section for the following books, because it's the first time I find this interpretation, which makes perfectly sense but is quite impossbile to find out from the books, both this one and the other two.

kingfede said...

Just checked the errata pdf, it seems I hadn't understood very well the rule to apply damage, I didn't know you had to use your Strenght in Close Combat, I thought it was only used in Ranged Combat. Now everything makes more sense! Some combats still look very tough, but my character will survive a bit more without cheating! :)

I hope Black Library will correct the Rules section for the following print runs (if there will be, as I hope for you) and for the future books: it's the very first time I get this interpretation of the damage rule, I hadn't understood it in the others, too.

Well, now I can take back my Power Fist and continue wandering lonely as a cloud along the corridors of that labyrinth... :)

Jonathan Green said...

Hi Kingfede

Glad you're enjoying the book (now that you've got the Rules sorted out).

It's interesting hearing somebody's opinion who is reading the book because it's a gamebook rather than because they're a fan of Warhammer 40K.

Jonathan Green said...

Hi Anonymous

No plans to write any Horus Heresy books (at the moment) but I have got plenty of other projects in the pipeline for the Black Library.

Enjoy The Armageddon Omnibus!

Unknown said...

Hello Mr. Green
My mate and I are having a wonderfully geeky time reading through ( and acting out) our Lahmian adventure in Shadows over Sylvania. We have come across a discrepancy though and were hoping you could solve the issue for us so I don't have to read every stanza in the book looking for the appropriate continuation.
Here we go: We are in the spider Haunts confronted by a goblin riding an Arachnorok. We being a most sexy powerful Lahmian vampress choose to beguile the creature so we turn from #361 to #281 where the discrepancy is. It says something about a vargheist and then has us turn to #370 which I think takes place in a crypt or a decaying mansion but not the spider haunts with an Arachnorok in front of us.

This is the first gamebook either of us has ever played and would really like to continue with our adventure and bring it to its unholy conclusion. If you could tell us what number the correct continuation is from #361 we would be most appreciative.
All the best.

Jonathan Green said...

Hi Ben

Thank you for your kind comments.

I think the paragraph you need to turn to is #381 rather than #281.

Let me know if that's not right either. And if it is, please feel free towrite a review for the Black Library website. :-)

Unknown said...

Yay and Thank you, 381 makes much more sense.
Are all the copies of the book misprinted or did I get one from an earlier batch? Also does this mean that there are more path choices that are out of order? (Pardon the question but like I said this is my frist gamebook and I am not sure if one misprint throws off other story lines)
We are sincerely grateful for your quick reply and hope you will write more in this vein in the future.
All the best.

Jonathan Green said...

Hi Ben

To be honest, I don't know.

(I'm yet to see a physical copy of the book myself.)

Unknown said...

Well it is a very handsome book, fun to read and looks great on the shelf!

Graciana said...

Hey, all! My husband would really like to buy the book but we can´t find it online, is there any way to get it? I know it´s a bit late, like...really late, but it´d be lovely if I could buy it for him as a surprise, he´s very upset that he can´t get it. Any help would be appreciated, we´re in Argentina at the moment and the only way for me to buy it would be online.

Thanks in advance!

Gracie