Gamebooks.

[Alex]

I used to read gamebooks as a kid. I'd say The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (which developed into the Fighting Fantasy series) was my introductory 'drug' to the world of roleplaying and wargaming. I played a few other series like the 'Lone Wolf' books (which were my favourite titles), 'Way of the Tiger', 'Sagard the Barbarian' 'Tunnels & Trolls' and some of the American 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books (although I wasn't quite as much a fan of them as they didn't have any fighting in them really and I preferred the more complicated rules).

Anyway, although I have a few of these still kicking around many had went missing over the years. I decided that I'd like to have plenty of them kicking around for Ash as he grows up so I've been ordering a few ones off eBay when I see them going cheap. Also going to order a few that I wanted to play as a kid, but never managed to get (the Sorcery! series for example).

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone else here had played them when they were young, or indeed still do.

[Alex]

Hmm... Indy you should write one of those books.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Oh, yes. They use to be some of my favorite books to read. Though, I seldom made it to the end without being killed. Besides the typical Choose Your Own Adventures, I remember such series as . . .

Chronicles of Narnia,
Lord of the Rings,
Sherlock Holmes,
etc.

Fun times.

[pacman000]

Read a Choose Your Own Adventure book in 2nd or 3rd grade, but I ignored the rules, & read it straight through. It was fun! But it didn't make much sense.

The book started with your character walking into a closet. For some reason, you wind up out doors in a park, where you meet a little alien with big eyes & messy hair. One ending had the alien turn into an egg, which hatched into another alien of the same species. Another ending had you find a UFO which took the alien home.  

[Sitting Duck]

Remember House of Hell (released in the States as House of Hades)? Essentially an episode of Hammer House of Horror adapted into gamebook form. Don't start with any weapons. Trying any of the crap that works in fantasy titles (like charging in to rescue the nude virgin on the sacrificial alter) will just get you killed.

[ER]

I used to read gamebooks my RPG-playing friend had, and I liked that better than ever actually playing them, since there was a lot of originality in some of those gaming systems.

[RCMerchant]

I thought this was about those betting apps.

[pennywise37]

i have a couple choose your own adventure books i think i got a couple of Mario ones that Nintendo put out i want to say back in the 90's? well i bought those years ago at maybe Dollar tree? i think? i wonder if they are even worth anything?

[Alex]

There is a second hand market for them, although I have no idea what the prices are. It would be worth checking on ebay I'd think.

[Neville]

I was really addicted to the "Choose your adventure" series (and variants) on my early teens. A pity the editions in my country were so cheap the books started losing pages as you started "playing". I graduated to the AD&D series and the "Time Machine" series later, and sometimes I wonder if I would have become a real AD&D player if I had persisted in my hobby.

[Alex]

I was really addicted to the "Choose your adventure" series (and variants) on my early teens. A pity the editions in my country were so cheap the books started losing pages as you started "playing". I graduated to the AD&D series and the "Time Machine" series later, and sometimes I wonder if I would have become a real AD&D player if I had persisted in my hobby.

Its never too late to start.

[Neville]

Perhaps it is for me. All those Japanese console RPGs have spoiled me and now I can't see the appeal in exploring dungeons.

[Sitting Duck]

Perhaps it is for me. All those Japanese console RPGs have spoiled me and now I can't see the appeal in exploring dungeons.

Dungeon crawling in tabletop RPGs is largely from the Eighties, when gamers were still sussing out the possibilities. Dungeons were an early adventure setting because it restricted the directions in which players could send off their characters, keeping things simple for the game master. This is also why they're a common feature in console RPGs.

To get an idea of what modern tabletop RPG session can be like, I recommend checking out the photo web comic Darths & Droids. As the title suggests, it reimagines the Star Wars movies as gaming sessions. So far, they've covered the prequels, the original trilogy, Rogue One, and the appearance on The Muppet Show. Don't let any animosity towards the prequels discourage you. While following the broad plot, it goes off in unexpected directions. It's also famed for originating the phrase, "Jar-Jar, you're a genius!" (it makes sense in context). The guy who makes it also has a real knack for picking out still where characters have stupid expressions on their faces. Anyway, here's the start.

https://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0001.html

[Alex]

Perhaps it is for me. All those Japanese console RPGs have spoiled me and now I can't see the appeal in exploring dungeons.

Dungeon crawling in tabletop RPGs is largely from the Eighties, when gamers were still sussing out the possibilities. Dungeons were an early adventure setting because it restricted the directions in which players could send off their characters, keeping things simple for the game master. This is also why they're a common feature in console RPGs.

To get an idea of what modern tabletop RPG session can be like, I recommend checking out the photo web comic Darths & Droids. As the title suggests, it reimagines the Star Wars movies as gaming sessions. So far, they've covered the prequels, the original trilogy, Rogue One, and the appearance on The Muppet Show. Don't let any animosity towards the prequels discourage you. While following the broad plot, it goes off in unexpected directions. It's also famed for originating the phrase, "Jar-Jar, you're a genius!" (it makes sense in context). The guy who makes it also has a real knack for picking out still where characters have stupid expressions on their faces. Anyway, here's the start.

https://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0001.html

Thanks for that link. I'll check that one out.

[jinx]

Me and my 5 year are currently doing Fighting Fantasy #5 - City of Thieves

We don't do the combat but he makes the decision as we run around the house pretending. He loves it.