tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post2112569228439782702..comments2024-03-29T00:32:33.920-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Retrospective: Lone WolfJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23766783054578587472023-05-21T21:49:20.502-04:002023-05-21T21:49:20.502-04:00In a box in my garage I have all of them. Always ...In a box in my garage I have all of them. Always looked out for them as they were being released, and thought more highly of them than the FF books which were held back in my opinion by their standalone nature. Fun times.The Shadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01869929896254788213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-59002476918862850542022-08-26T10:33:40.956-04:002022-08-26T10:33:40.956-04:00Thank you! I might splurge for the 1st one and see...Thank you! I might splurge for the 1st one and see how it goes... at least the Euro is struggling ;)Kevin J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12822203839411266747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23435791683207073592022-08-26T06:09:59.287-04:002022-08-26T06:09:59.287-04:00Ah, Lone Wolf... I remember I spent the whole summ...Ah, Lone Wolf... I remember I spent the whole summer night reading/playing the Caverns of Kalte (#3), borrowed from my friend, and having so much fun. Later I owned some of the books, as I remember they were all great. Jerry Corneliushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16761787071129069839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-83123315599607648502022-08-26T01:34:18.158-04:002022-08-26T01:34:18.158-04:00Gary Chalk obviously did a lot of artwork for GW b...Gary Chalk obviously did a lot of artwork for GW back then, including Talisman and Warhammer, as well as a whole host of other projects. His art was replaced in later Lone Wolf books by Brian Williams (RIP), who also did a lot of work for Fighting Fantasy and TSR (UK), like the cover for Night's Dark Terror.fantasygamebookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05240994072742026340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-5083313162709092602022-08-25T22:49:28.080-04:002022-08-25T22:49:28.080-04:00If you want new ones, they are in print. You can g...If you want new ones, they are in print. You can go to the <a href="https://magnamund.com/collections/books-homepage" rel="nofollow">website</a> and order them (in hardcover! with all of the edited-out paragraphs restored!), and the last few that never saw print in the original run have finally been put into print as well.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-44551050407737921662022-08-25T17:48:56.104-04:002022-08-25T17:48:56.104-04:00Nice to hear that.Nice to hear that.Jacob72https://www.blogger.com/profile/17268402292420473229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-25017572146932348642022-08-25T13:44:43.718-04:002022-08-25T13:44:43.718-04:00Check Abebooks for used!Check Abebooks for used!Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872338936249305301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-13554025610429240672022-08-25T13:21:29.013-04:002022-08-25T13:21:29.013-04:00This series is extremely popular in Italy, where i...This series is extremely popular in Italy, where it was the first foray into fantasy gaming for many kids of the '80s. The Italian translation of the whole series (some 30 volumes) is still in print in an expanded deluxe edition with gorgeous maps. In his later years Joe Dever was a frequent guest of honour in Italian gaming conventions. Andrea Roccihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15698978113775905706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89307909503830285152022-08-25T07:15:17.797-04:002022-08-25T07:15:17.797-04:00Are these in print anywhere? A cursory Amazon/DDG ...Are these in print anywhere? A cursory Amazon/DDG search comes up emptyKevin J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12822203839411266747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-88006817651851357792022-08-24T10:02:11.345-04:002022-08-24T10:02:11.345-04:00When I played through the first five books of the ...When I played through the first five books of the Lone Wolf series sometime around 1986-87, they were not only the best solo adventure gamebooks I had played at that time (far better than the solo adventures for D&D, RuneQuest, CoC, and yes, I’m afraid even T&T, an RPG I have a warm spot for) but they also surpassed any roleplaying experience I’d ever had around a tabletop, at a computer, or anywhere else! <br /><br />The immersive quality of the writing, the evocative prose, the fully developed world, the original monsters--you’re not going to meet a goblin in these books--Joe Dever can just flat-out write. The series struck every chord with me. <br /><br />After book 5, yes, there is a small drop in quality; the series becomes more of a book-book-game instead of a gamebook. But there’s no doubting how outstanding the series is, especially the first five books. <br /><br />I put book #2, Fire on the Water, as the single best gamebook I’ve ever played (and I played over a hundred of them), with #5, Shadow on the Sand, being a close second. <br /><br />Yes, some of the Fighting Fantasies were outstanding (Dead of Night, Legend of the Shadow Warriors, Moonrunner, Deathtrap Dungeon), but FotW, and SotS were a tick better. With LW (and FF) I'd finally found what I thought gamebooks could deliver all along, but hadn't met yet in the solo gamebooks for the fully fleshed out RPGs mentioned above. <br /><br />I'd finally hit paydirt! <br /><br />Last, to clear up what *may* be some ambiguity, after Silent Wolf wakes up from being knocked out in the opener to book #1, his name becomes Lone Wolf. So the reader-player is the character, Lone Wolf (reference #350 in book 1, the king addresses the player as Lone Wolf, and at other times in the series NPCs address the player as Lone Wolf). <br />radnoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11006466605445207729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-8126876546040934122022-08-24T07:41:58.591-04:002022-08-24T07:41:58.591-04:00Talking of classic gamebooks: as much as I love Lo...Talking of classic gamebooks: as much as I love Lone Wolf, and I do, I played the first two series multiple times, I think its main merit is in the world-building, the story, and the art.<br />As far as the gaming aspect is concerned however, I find the Fighting Fantasy, and especially Sorcery! to be better thought out: the adventures are less linear, the mechanics are more transparent, and the lack of a skill system makes FF more dependent on player's skill than on the character's, which I prefer.<br />As for Sorcery and FF, you can find digital versions of the Lone Wolf gamebooks at project aon, and you can download an android app that allows you to play the series on any device.<br />artikidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17474295473142339717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-60948396517165037692022-08-24T03:39:07.016-04:002022-08-24T03:39:07.016-04:00I always found the pencil point table to be clumsy...I always found the pencil point table to be clumsy to use in practice, so I just substituted a d10 roll. The odds are nominally the same.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-73775279581934139222022-08-24T03:24:29.709-04:002022-08-24T03:24:29.709-04:00I remeber the series but nothing about the books. ...I remeber the series but nothing about the books. There's also Dave Morris' Fabled Lands gamebooks from later in the 80s. They were more open-ended I believe.<br /><br />Gary Chalk has recently announced that he's selling a number of signed original pieces of art. See his website.<br /><br />Jacob72https://www.blogger.com/profile/17268402292420473229noreply@blogger.com