tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post1162495153622871989..comments2024-03-28T12:51:01.247-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Retrospective: Steve Jackson's Sorcery!James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-34282759762083547662022-08-20T13:49:15.994-04:002022-08-20T13:49:15.994-04:00It's interesting that both the Sorcery! series...It's interesting that both the Sorcery! series and Joe Dever's Lone Wolf gamebook series, which also - unlike the regular Fighting Fantasy books up to that point - features an overarching story throughout the books where you keep your character and his stuff from book to book, started coming out in 1984. To me, Sorcery! always looked kind of like Fighting Fantasy's answer to Lone Wolf.<br /><br />Then again, Lone Wolf features a level-up mechanism (you get a new special skill for each book you finish) that Sorcery! lacks, so perhaps it's more likely that either Sorcery! came first or, perhaps most likely of all, it was a case of parallel evolution.Theohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04298691502034309750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-30870630385853340512022-08-19T05:37:10.638-04:002022-08-19T05:37:10.638-04:00@Jacobi72, it is an incredibly faithful adaptation...@Jacobi72, it is an incredibly faithful adaptation of the gamebook experienceartikidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17474295473142339717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-61016202855374419222022-08-19T00:43:35.063-04:002022-08-19T00:43:35.063-04:00The whole Sorcery! series was converted to a multi...The whole Sorcery! series was converted to a multiplayer campaign for the second edition of Advanced Fighting Fantasy with all the original artwork by John Blanche, which you can buy as PDF or POD here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/191768/Crown-of-Kings--The-Sorcery-Campaign<br />fantasygamebookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05240994072742026340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-42661947331069955112022-08-18T18:41:06.671-04:002022-08-18T18:41:06.671-04:00I second this! The game series (one episode per bo...I second this! The game series (one episode per book) is my daughter's favourite and she's 13. It's just become available on Nintendo Switch as one full game for all four books, so playing it large on your TV is possible. There's still a fair bit of John Blanche art in it too.Jacob72https://www.blogger.com/profile/17268402292420473229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7338652997816021972022-08-18T14:41:25.439-04:002022-08-18T14:41:25.439-04:00I loved these books, and the magic system felt fun...I loved these books, and the magic system felt fun and unique at the time. It was nicely balanced in that the more generally useful spells cost more stamina, whereas the spells with a lower cost typically had material component requirements and tended to be of more limited use, but more effective in their specific use case. The books tended to be longer and more difficult as well. 21st Century Moosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06470341758326840834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-53781604588649671042022-08-18T11:05:10.227-04:002022-08-18T11:05:10.227-04:00also, I had no idea the riddling reaver existed, a...also, I had no idea the riddling reaver existed, and NOW I NEED TO HAVE IT!Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872338936249305301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-68269002516716936152022-08-18T10:49:32.716-04:002022-08-18T10:49:32.716-04:00I think arguments about complexity counting as &qu...I think arguments about complexity counting as "real" rpgs are a bad path, allowing me to dismiss tons of games I do not like ;)Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872338936249305301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-27419536939232093852022-08-17T22:13:55.092-04:002022-08-17T22:13:55.092-04:00It *is* simple, but requires a GM and players, AND...It *is* simple, but requires a GM and players, AND had a book of adventures published for it ("The Riddling Reaver"). It was also the first game I ever ran - for my grandfather, little brother and best friend at the time (though not all together). Then I started high school a year later and found people who played D&D...Shane Cubishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09439632627554929290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38357372401745315322022-08-17T15:24:06.948-04:002022-08-17T15:24:06.948-04:00Love the Sorcery books! We use the spell book to ...Love the Sorcery books! We use the spell book to replace the magic system in our Tunnels & Trolls gameSchmeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16680817903303027162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86846806384482579302022-08-17T15:20:41.737-04:002022-08-17T15:20:41.737-04:00That's why I hedged and said "arguably&qu...That's why I hedged and said "arguably" in my parenthetical comment above. You're right, of course, that it probably does qualify as a full RPG, but it's not much more complex than the one presented in the FF gamebooks, is it? James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23359764342363648832022-08-17T13:54:30.455-04:002022-08-17T13:54:30.455-04:00hey, mild quibble, doesn't the Fighting Fantas...hey, mild quibble, doesn't the Fighting Fantasy RPG book from 1984 count as a full rpg? sitting on my shelf, looks like one to meRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872338936249305301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-2595811641527011242022-08-17T13:39:30.998-04:002022-08-17T13:39:30.998-04:00There you go! I only remember the wizard ending; l...There you go! I only remember the wizard ending; looks like a good excuse to give the series another try!thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10422042264832525652022-08-17T13:34:17.622-04:002022-08-17T13:34:17.622-04:00In fact, there are two items that you need to coll...In fact, there are two items that you need to collect in order to complete the book as a warrior. Both of them are available in the fourth book as well.M arc-Andréhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00217205129897580552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-65659319841457121132022-08-17T06:58:41.392-04:002022-08-17T06:58:41.392-04:00It's been a while since I've played the se...It's been a while since I've played the series, but I seem to remember that it's impossible to win the final book if you play as a warrior rather than a wizard. There is probably a workaround in the text that I've forgotten, as this seems like wonky and unfair design otherwise.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80469959178753969042022-08-17T06:56:28.236-04:002022-08-17T06:56:28.236-04:00There is a loose continuity running through Cavern...There is a loose continuity running through <i>Caverns of the Snow Witch</i>, <i>Forest of Doom</i>, and <i>Temple of Terror</i>; it's implied that you play the same character in all three books.<br /><br />Similarly, it's suggested that you play the same character in <i>Trial of Champions</i> and <i>Armies of Death</i>.<br /><br />In both cases, there's no mechanical support for transferring your character from one book to another, as there is in <i>Sorcery!</i>. I think they wanted to keep things simple, as the main FF series seemed to be aimed at younger readers than <i>Sorcery!</i>.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-42619294532648028302022-08-17T04:22:06.617-04:002022-08-17T04:22:06.617-04:00Great article James! Titan: The Fighting Fantasy W...Great article James! Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World, published in 1986 (same year of WFRP), describes a world which can be rightfully considered the "father" of Warhammer's Old World, with much of the same interactions between the forces of Chaos and those of humanity. Also worth mentioning the work being dome by Graham Bottley (Arion Games), who is keeping the AFF RPG alive, with a slew of new products and reprints available in PDF or POD at DTRPG. I love the setting and the simple rules, the bestiary is great but I have yet to try at the table. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-60046076288254675962022-08-17T03:45:17.098-04:002022-08-17T03:45:17.098-04:00The inclusion of the sorcery spellbook, and the &#...The inclusion of the sorcery spellbook, and the 'requirement' to memorise the spells, was brilliant.<br /><br />It was perfectly targeted at its school age audience.Sir Harrokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11064391207365006286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-20986849170186443062022-08-17T00:55:26.597-04:002022-08-17T00:55:26.597-04:00Sorcery! was made into an excellent videogame seri...Sorcery! was made into an excellent videogame series by Inkle, it's available both for Apple and Android devices. If you can't get your hands on the gamebooks, or you can and want to experience them in a different way, I thoroughly reccomend it.<br />If more videogames worked like Inkle's take on Sorcery! I would play a lot more of them.artikidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17474295473142339717noreply@blogger.com