FABLED LANDS JAMIE THOMPSON PLUS
FABLED LANDS JAMIE THOMPSON SERIES

Perhaps most importantly, in an innovation for the series, there is a sort of 'save point' mechanism - in several places where the reader encounters an arbitrary instant death, they have the option to be revived and sent back in time (in a way that fits with the book's plot). There are some critical points in the plot that offer a wide range of choices, making replays interesting since there are many things to try when starting over. While there is clearly a 'true path' which allows victory with a minimum of risk, there are places where the reader can diverge from this course but still survive through a combination of luck and strategic resource management. While the adventure is not without challenge, and it will almost certainly take multiple attempts to solve, it manages to stay well under the frustration threshold. The urge has finally returned, though, and Talisman of Death turned out to be the perfect adventure to welcome me back to the series.

FABLED LANDS JAMIE THOMPSON SERIES

The fact that I'm now reviewing number eleven shows that things did not go according to plan I simply hadn't accounted for how arbitrary and frustrating these books can be, and back in 2007, the aptly-named House of Hell drove the final nail in the coffin, putting me off the series for over a decade with its arbitrary solution and lack of a cohesive plot. Nearly twenty years ago, I came up with a plan: if I played through a Fighting Fantasy gamebook every month, I could make my way through the original run in a little less than five years. In short, a decent FF gamebook - not the best, not the worst. And if you manage all that, then there is a good chance of a sudden death ending near the end. I was enjoying it up until towards the end, when there is a ridiculously hard battle sequence - you must fight a Skill 12 priestess, then the best swordman around along with his sidekick and magical allies. Ringwraith-like creatures are on your tail as well as a bunch of warrior women and whatnot. Talisman is rather like The Lord of the Rings - you have the talisman, you must journey with it for the sake of the world. Talisman of Death is one of the last re-issues of Fighting Fantasy, but it was one of the first ones to be written. You have been transported by mysterious beings from Earth to the land of Orb, where you must save that world by keeping a dangerous artifact out of evil hands.

Thanks to James Thompson for the cover scans. Original (Zigzag), UK 1984 1st printing (C&W) :

FABLED LANDS JAMIE THOMPSON PLUS

(Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W))ġ2 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by Stamina loss (Original (Zigzag), UK 1984 1st printing (C&W), Original (Dragon, Bronze text, Number spine only), Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing (C&W) ) (Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W) - cover Wizard S1 (Special), UK printing (C&W) - cover)ĭecem(Original (Zigzag), UK 1984 1st printing (C&W) )ġ985 (Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing (C&W) )Īpril, 2006 (Wizard S1 (Standard), UK printing (C&W)) (Original (Zigzag), UK 1984 1st printing (C&W) - cover Original (Dragon, Bronze text, Number spine only) - cover Original (Zigzag), UK 1985 2nd printing (C&W) - cover) Combined By Edition Combined Summary Series:įighting Fantasy (2002-2007, Wizard Books Series 1)

Fabled lands jamie thompson