Saturday 22 October 2011

Stormslayer - still raising a storm

Stormslayer (my sixth Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook) has been out for more than two years now, but it's still receiving new reviews and acquiring new fans.

Here's what craze_b0i had to say about the book over on the Unofficial Fighting Fantasy Forum:

Just finished this one today. Must say I really enjoyed it. I liked the fact your character has some back story and is already a seasoned adventurer (the Hero of Tannatown no less!), coupled with the fact you start with various items acquired on past adventures. The game-structure is really good as well, I was really impressed with the way the various locations were laid out which gave the player so much choice in terms of what order to visit them. One thing that makes this so good is the various possible 'road encounters' in between the 4 main locations, depending upon which order you visit them... on the whole it was an enjoyable book.

And here's what jamus had to say:

The thing that sets this book apart is its deep, non-linear gameplay. There is strategic thought that goes into choosing which order you complete the quests and obtain the elemental powers (and even how you complete the mini-quests themselves). Your best path may differ depending on your initial stats...

One great example of the depth of this book is the Eelsea quest. If you have a high luck score but low stamina and skill, you can use the “spark of life” to get past the abyssal horror. If you have high stamina and skill, you can safely attract an even larger monster to save you. Or if you have low all-round stats, it is probably best to skip the quest altogether (and fight a 9/6 monster later on)...

I also really liked the armour system – it’s simple but well-done. For example the chainmail coat reduces damage by 1 whenever you roll 3-6 after losing an Attack Round. Other forms of armour have different probabilities of reducing damage, and cost different amounts. It makes the often tedious process of battling monsters a little more interesting and fun, particularly if your stats aren't too great.

If you've yet to read Stormslayer yourself, you can pick up a copy here.

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