I am now the new ruler of Firetop Mountain

[slev]

Those look excellent!

I loved those books as a kid. I actually have an almost-full set! Just missing the four Zagor chronicles novels, the poster book, and the Casket of Souls puzzle book.

I even ran a successfull AFF campaign for about 2.5 years, it only eneded because I was leaving for uni!

[Sjeng]

I've never heard of nor seen these books. Where can I get them?

[clmckay]

Amazon, ebay, etc.

Or, personally, I like the iOS/Android digital gamebook versions from Tin Man Games, I can sit in the tub relaxing and do them then. Tin Man games has done a number of them.

[mitchiemasha]

Sjeng, you missed out.

There's loads on ebay. I keep hoping to find some in the local charity shops but no such luck. I've seen some newer edition box sets in various stores over the past few years but I prefer the first edition art.

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/search?keyword ... earch=true

Considering how long they've been in print and kids growing out of them, I'm surprised I've not found loads on my ventures in the thrift. Probably most were too tatty for donation.

The newer edition series misses out many of the titles.

[Goblin-King]

The newer edition series misses out many of the titles.

And they literally raped the covers!

Look at this piece of art:


Compared to this eye-turd:


Hurr durr! Kids today won't like those ugly dated 80's covers! Hurr durr! They want mediocre! Deeeerp! Who wanna join me in eating some glass?

It almost makes me cry!

Here is a link to a poster size image of the cover. Yeah, I can see how kids will hate this piece of crap!
https://fightingfantasyproject.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/shape_changer.jpeg

[slev]

I've never heard of nor seen these books. Where can I get them?

In the UK, in the 80's they where THE gaming gateway drug. Until HeroQuest came along!

[knightkrawler]

I've never heard of nor seen these books. Where can I get them?

There are newer editions from 2009 onwards. They started to re-publish the series and didn't complete it.
But look for the 10-book pack that includes the Warlock of Firetop Mountain and Citadel of Chaos as the first two and you have some classics. These packs go for about 20 to 40 quid.
It's the dirt cheap version I have.

In fact, buy this one if you can afford it, but research if it can get even cheaper: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIGHTING-FANTASY-BOXED-SET-Books-1-10-by-Steve-Jackson-and-Ian-Livingstone-/221886913734?hash=item33a97d9cc6
If you don't like them, keep them for the little Orc's future.
If you like them, this series from that publisher goes on.

The cover thing is a ... thing, but to find the old books without scribbling and well handled is an utter nuisance and gets expensive once you want one that's numbered 11 or higher.

[mitchiemasha]

It almost makes me cry!

Yes, I think the they're very wrong. All just to get some shiny stuff on the covers. The older covers, edge to edge, illustrating all that wilderness, they really capture your imagination, drawing your thoughts right into the image.

I mean look at that forest, you can almost feel yourself lurking with in it.

[knightkrawler]

It's no comparison to this:

ORIGINAL


NEW NOVEL (re-published stories from the original series)


This sends shivers down my spine, because the original magazine series was all about the freakin' art.
Fighting Fantasy still has the awesome inside black and white art by Hutchinson et al.

[Goblin-King]

Original: 10 hours of painting
New: 10 minutes in Photoshop - even the scroll looks like crap!


But admittedly the original FF had a very very few terrible covers...
The artist only ever did this one cover for FF. Wonder why...