by M Charles

'Ello, M. Charles here!

Note: No longer using Roman numerals (I dislike the system for larger numbers).

PART 10: WE CURSED THROUGH THE SLUDGE OF HELL... METAPHORICALLY

In the last dev log, I spoke about the idea of combining DOOM (2016) with Red Delve. But in a sort of Tim Burton-like fashion -- recall his idea to take the Penguin in Batman Returns (1992) in a more literalist direction, where he is part-man, part-penguin -- I only just realised that the answer was staring me in the face the entire time. Some people dislike this sort of approach (and were very upset by Burton's Penguin, too). I love it.

If we suppose that the future-world gameplay, of our 15th-century Alchemist (noble-knight), is a post-apocalyptic vision, then we can easily transplant demonic enemies and real Anglo-European characters/fashion. That's exactly in keeping with his own frame of reference. No machines. No modern technology, save the iron labyrinth itself. In this way, we're getting closer to the roots of survival horror games and the likes of Alien (1979).

In essence, my idea is to more literally put Labyrinth (1986) in a future, DOOM-like, demonic setting. It was staring me in the face, in the form of Warhammer Chaos miniatures...



As you can see, Warhammer Daemons and Chaos are a wonderful option. They're not only literally hell-like but also fundamentally rooted in the Middle Ages (and a little later). The Blue Horrors (blue fellows in the image) are also quite Labyrinth-like (see the Fireys).

Another benefit to this direction, gameplay-wise, is that they have melee Weapons and magic, as opposed to guns/future Weapons. This makes much more narrative sense, but it also makes for fairly balanced gameplay. After all, it's difficult to justify defeating machines with future-metals with a sword. How does a sword cut through metal? Sure, it's 'just a vision', but it helps if things make archetypal and physics sense to players. Actually writing rules for that is a little silly. Players already have an idea, however, that supernaturally-imbued swords -- or even normal swords -- can cut through demon flesh.

Here is another small, but important detail: without technology, I can justify giving 15th-century loot in the sci-fi Crates placed around the environment. Because it's a vision, and there's no concept of the Crates containing sci-fi guns (as would ordinarily be the case). I have a few ideas about this, already. I'll talk more about it in the next log.

The 'vision' part is not only all the demonic Monsters but also the iron labyrinth Dungeon-like environment itself. He's not only trapped as in a maze, and that carries all its symbolism with it, but it's within a post-apocalyptic framework -- but the interesting twist is that it's not just rock and flame and ruins, but metal and intact, and far beyond the architecture of his own time. Of course, I personally don't mean for the metallic nature of the end-times environment to carry any symbolic weight. To quote Hemingway -- whatever else you find will be the measure of what you brought to the reading. (I included it because it creates a very interesting artistic direction and setting, and is more friendly than oddly shaped fantasy Dungeon tiles; with sci-fi, you only need the Necromunda tiles or some squared card. Very simple, since it's only a small square grid (4 tiles total), not a complex hex-based system (e.g. Gloomhaven or Shadows of Brimstone).)

Of course, I cannot promise that things don't change again. But I believe it's much more focused and iconic and streamlined, now. Normally, you wouldn't know about this stage at all. Or, I'd just give you the highlights of A and B; instead, you're getting A, B, C, D, E, etc. But I'll keep these shorter, intermezzo (in-between) type update logs to a minimum. See you next time. :)

by sdonohue

Tower of the Moon (TFT) is a 2022 release from Gaming Ballistic LLC and Steve Jackson Games for The Fantasy Trip. It was written by David L. Pulver and features art by Billy Blue, Thomas Denmark, and Forrest Imel.

Presentation
This is available in both PDF and softcover. The softcover is staple-bound with full color covers and 16 semi-gloss black & white pages inside. The layout of the book is the common two-column and there are ample illustrations.

Content
This is an adventure for three - five characters with 32 - 35 points (beginners) or two more experienced characters with 36 - 39 points.

The dungeon is a five level tower with a map of the whole tower on the inside front cover and more detailed hex maps of each level on the inside back cover.

The tower was once home to a temple of a lunar goddess called Lukariel Sherikira, The Howling Huntress. Her portfolio included love, hunting, dance and wolves. A wizard-priestess of her faith named Artesia ruled the tower and surrounding lands with the aid of her dark servant Mordark (seriously), an alchemist. The two of them worked to create werewolves and so were unchallenged as leaders. Mordark decided he wanted to be co-ruler and to have the ladies hand in marriage. When she declined, there was a fight and most of the denizens of the tower died.

Enter the adventurers. They stop at a nearby town and learn that a lady of noble birth entered the tower with three friends and they haven't been heard from; her butler offers them 200 gold each if they can enter the tower and rescue her.

The adventure, like the setup is fairly simple. There are 5 levels to the dungeon, the players can enter through a staircase leading to a door, through 4 barred windows, or they can destroy a bricked up window to enter. Once inside there are 23 rooms in the dungeon. They will encounter some of Mordark's creations and pets, a few other monsters, and, with luck, the missing lady.

There are detailed descriptions of each room along with contents and use. In addition to monsters, they may find some survivors of the lady's group or other adventures who are holed up in the tower after being overwhelmed by the monsters. In the pinnacle of the tower, they can find the Lady and, unfortunately, Mordark, who is still a wizard but also a wraith lord who plans to force the lady to become his undead wife.

If the party returns her to her family, they will pay the reward. If they treat her well, there is a chance she will ask to join them; her family is poor and she believes adventuring could restore their wealth.

Evaluation
There's a lot of background here that is perhaps not necessary. The story of the tower's origin and the missing lady occupies most of two pages. Throughout the dungeon, it is much the same -- long stories of how creatures got where they are or what their origin is and much of it isn't strictly necessary.

That said, this is a pretty good adventure. GMs can ignore a lot of the overly long explanations in the dungeon and just present the monster. Players are unlikely to care how a cockatrice came to be in the tower while they're trying not to get turned to stone. The story is a familiar one, but it has enough twists, turns, and extra elements to make it a fun adventure.

by leroy43

Full disclosure number one - this is a repeat of my own blog here on BGG.
Full disclosure number two - I've read this RPG cover to cover but haven't actually run a session myself.

There was an RPG Geek question of the day recently that asked What genre of RPG have you never played and never expect to play in your whole life?

My own answer to that question was, in part, Scanning my shelf, I do see one RPG I don't think will ever hit the table, and that's The Troubleshooters. The system looks fun and the theme is definitely quirky, being set in a fictitious 1960s Europe inspired by the bandes dessinées of the era - Tintin, Spirou, Yoko Tsuno, et. al.

The rules and background are pretty careful about not locking either the players or locales into stereotypes, but at the same time, the entire thing is pretty 1960s Europe ethnocentric, and I don't think I'd have a good time playing or running it. One of the prettiest covers though, and I'll freely admit as a BD fan that's why I bought it."

Having bought it, of course I decided to read it, and there's a lot of good things to unpack about it.

Like me, the author of the game grew up with bandes dessinées. He took the extra step of wondering what it would be like to play a game with that kind of overarching backdrop - a fictitious 1960s Europe.

The book is about 240 pages all told, and the art throughout oozes that BD vibe, right from the table of contents onwards. Character creation can be custom built, but players are strongly encouraged to (and really ought to) use one of the many templates available, which hit pretty much every trope one might find in your BD of choice.

Each character comes with plot hooks, which are important because the game master is supposed to focus the current story on one of the players, with the others playing a supporting role. This is not to say that the players don't all have equal air time or opportunity to contribute.

Rather, the idea is that, if we take Tintin as a classic example of the genre, he'll be off investigating something, while Haddock, Tournesol, and the Dupondt characters follow other avenues to support that plot line. In other scenes, Haddock will be the focus, with the others supporting, etc. To quote the book, "If your character isn’t one of the Plot Hook characters, instead have your character be the sidekick to the Plot Hook characters and try to make them be the main characters of the adventure. Try not to steal the limelight. Instead, support the Plot Hook characters, help them stand out and just generally make them seem awesome!".

One thing the book does really well is provide a lot of examples via dialogue between the game master and a character.

The game uses mostly percentile dice for resolving actions, and six sided dice otherwise.

Characters have skills, and the templates give you a bundle of them that might look like this: Status 75, Charm 65, Contacts 65, Languages 65, Red Tape 65, Alertness 45, Credit 45, Investigation 45, Search 45, Subterfuge 45, Willpower 45. Set all other Skills to 15.

Rolling against a skill isn't a binary pass/fail, but rather meant to be used by the game master (Director) to narrate the action. If you're in a car chase scene, a failure might mean a complication like a fender bender or narrowly avoiding running over a pedestrian while the lead car gets a lead on you or turns down an alley to escape pursuit. What happens next will then depend on what the characters choose to do next.

Speaking of which complications are a way that players and the director alike and generate story points for characters. A complication must be role played to be earned for the most part. There's an extensive list of them that can yield various amounts of points. Those story points are then spent later by the players to help with specific outcomes.

For example, you can spend story points to do a handful of things, including to add "something major". It in effect hands some narrative control to the players. One example of adding something major is "the old lover will help the characters escape". For some game masters, handing that much control to the players might feel anathema, but I like the idea because in the shared storytelling that this RPG represents, it gives the players some agency - and of course they need to spend those accumulated story points!

Behind all of the ideas and inspirations that the game provides for the players, the Director is provided with some specific "eyes only" information about a world wide organization known as The Octopus.

If you've read Tintin, there's Rastapopulos as a villain who appears regularly in a number of the books. Blake & Mortimer have Olrik backed by the other side. James Bond had SPECTRE and other super villain organizations. This is all part of the overall trope.

A lot of the information about The Octopus is how to build plots around them and provide that cloak and dagger feel to the whole enterprise.

Overall, The Troubleshooters is really well written, the examples clear, the art gorgeous, and just well done.

However, the flip side is that I have little interest in running a game myself. There are a few reasons for this.

Running a game like this, which draws so much inspiration from mid-century European bandes dessinées comes with a set of challenges, especially when viewed through a contemporary lens. While its tone is light-hearted, adventurous, and steeped in nostalgia, personally I feel that the world it evokes is one shaped by a very particular worldview - one where Europe sits firmly at the centre of civilization, and the rest of the world is either exotic, dangerous, or in need of rescuing.

This kind of baked in ethnocentrism isn’t overt in the book or the game's rules, but it lingers in the genre's bones. Western Europe, and especially its institutions, are usually portrayed as the natural arbiters of order and rationality. The protagonists - implicitly or explicitly - are often white, urbane, and European, solving mysteries or fighting secret organizations in locales that are rendered mysterious, threatening, or quaint by comparison. When other regions appear - Africa, Asia, the Middle East - they're usually set dressing for Western heroics. I myself would perforce guilty of this as a game master, and not out of malice, but personal ignorance. Thus the people from these places are rarely full characters. Rather, they're stereotypes, background figures, or villains. Caricatures!

Layered on top of this is the genre’s uncomfortable relationship with the legacy of the "Yellow Peril" trope. Pulp stories and spy thrillers from the early to mid 20th century often leaned heavily on imagery of inscrutable Asian masterminds. Figures like Fu Manchu - who posed a sinister, alien threat to the West.

Even when the imagery isn’t used directly, the structure of those stories - the exoticization of Asian cultures, the emphasis on secretive Eastern cabals, the language of danger and mystery - remains deeply ingrained in the genre’s DNA. It’s all too easy, even unintentionally, to fall into the rhythms of stories where a "foreign" culture becomes the problem, and the European agents are the solution.

Sometimes this is defended as satire or homage. A loving recreation of the genre’s tropes, warts and all. But satire, especially when it's lighthearted or nostalgic, is a tricky thing. Without clear signals that you're critiquing the source material rather than celebrating it, it becomes difficult to tell whether a piece is holding up a mirror or just repeating old ideas uncritically. A game like The Troubleshooters, which delights in its setting and tone, doesn’t always give players the tools to interrogate those legacies - or to know when they’re veering into territory that can make people uncomfortable or feel excluded.

This can become especially fraught at the table, where the people involved bring their own identities, experiences, and comfort levels. A player might be asked to navigate a scenario that leans heavily on Orientalist imagery, or to play a character in a setting that treats their real world culture as a backdrop or stereotype. Even if no harm is intended, harm can still be felt and for many players, the thrill of espionage or globetrotting adventure can be overshadowed by a sense of not belonging, or worse, being reduced to a trope.

That doesn’t mean you can’t play The Troubleshooters, or enjoy its playful take on a classic genre. It just means it’s worth taking the time to reflect on what you’re bringing to the table. Talking with your group, being aware of where these tropes come from, and thinking about how to actively reframe or subvert them can go a long way. You might decide to portray exotic locales as lived in, complex places with heroes and villains of their own. You might flip the script on who the protagonists are, or avoid villain archetypes that draw on racist or colonial imagery. Most importantly, you can make sure everyone around the table feels safe, seen, and excited to explore a world that respects the real one we all live in.

by Damdael

I got interested in gamebooks a few years ago. First I found joy in playing books from Season 4 Graphic Novel Adventures and then I fell in love with Legendary Kingdoms books. Since then I've played through some fifty gamebooks. I try to write reviews of the books I've played in order to lure others into this rabbit hole. In my reviews I try to have comparisons to other gamebooks and place the books I review onto my ranking list so that readers can find other books to try out.

My copy of the book is 2025 edition by Steve Jackson Games. I've previously played The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Deathtrap Dungeon, City of Thieves and The Citadel of Chaos from that publisher. These new editions are the first Fighting Fantasy gamebooks I've played so the books won't get any nostalgy bonus from me.

First Impressions:
- The delivery box was a pretty basic brown cardboard box. Thick enough cardboard and inside the five books I ordered were wrapped in bubblewrap. They arrived without any damage.
- The cover artwork looks interesting. This lizard-like fishman hybrid creature takes most of the cover with some forest on the background. Quite fitting for the title of the book. Looking more close at the creature you can deduce from the tattered clothing it's wearing that it is likely to be a former adventurer that has been turned into the creature. Oooh so scary. The image has a lot of small details and the rays of light through the canopy give the scene a nice dynamic, I like it. In my opinion it's perhaps the best looking Fighting Fantasy gamebook cover I've seen thus far.
- The book feels solid (for a paperback) and the coating of the covers gives them a nice sheen. Plus makes them pleasant to touch. The paper of the pages is perfectly fine but there's distance to really high quality paper the likes of Legendary Kingdoms or Obvious Mimic gamebooks. The size of the book is pretty nice: it can be held in one hand while you play and make notes / roll the dice with your other hand.
- The font of the text on the pages is pretty large. It should be easy to read even with somewhat poor eyesight.
- Like the four other Fighting Fantasy gamebooks I've played previously this one also has exactly 400 paragraphs. In my experience it is a good amount of paragraphs for a gamebook and makes me expect a good amount of content and playtime.

(I took the images with my phone camera while holding the pages with my other hand so that's why the curve of the pages shows)

Rules:
There's a short four page introduction that presents you the situation (you are a sword for hire who decides to help the dwarves of Stonebridge to search the Darkwood for the stolen hammer of their king) and after that you start from paragraph 1 and proceed to other paragraphs from there based on your choices trying to fulfill the quest without dying. You have three stats; skill (for fighting and bashing locked doors etc), stamina (health) and luck (for avoiding traps and ambushes). Your stats are randomized at the beginning of the adventure and they can go up or down but almost never above their starting values. Your character has an inventory into which you can collect items you find (you start with a sword, leather armour, backpack and a magic potion from three options). You also start the adventure with ten provisions that can be used to recover four stamina each while not in combat. The last thing to keep track of is gold you find during your quest.

In fights each round you roll 2d6 for you and the enemy and add their respective skill to see who got a higher result and gets to deal damage. You can spend luck to try deal more damage to the enemy or to try avoid some damage coming your way. If there are multiple enemies you fight them one by one (bar a couple of exceptions with special rules). Sometimes the book allows you to escape battles by letting the enemy deal one free hit. The combat mechanics are quite simple.

Artwork:
I appreciate that they've used as much of the original artwork as possible. I understand it's not easy to get the rights to use it. The artwork invokes a lot of old school vibes in me and there's some crudeness to it. There are plenty of newer gamebooks with sharper and better artwork in my opinion but that doesn't mean that the artwork in this book is bad. It's just done in what we now consider old style. There are 34 pieces of full page artwork (if I counted correctly) and a few repeating small images that are used to fill empty spots on the pages between paragraphs. There's an excellent amount of artwork. The artwork depicts what happens in the paragraphs which is how it should be in a gamebook like this. The art style is kind of crude and grotesque by current standards but has a lot of detail and certain kind of charm. I liked it.

How can you tell it's a girl?

Playing:
This section is reserved for my notable thoughts while playing the gamebook. I've kept my observations mostly vague in order to avoid any big spoilers. I've mainly noted the new things I encountered during each attempt.

Attempt 1:
Skill 8, Stamina 17, Luck 10
- I liked the introduction. It positioned the adventure on the world map, gave you a motivation why you want to do the adventure, explained what's your objective and the provided area map gives some landmarks you might encounter during the adventure. A better introduction than in some of the other FF books I've read.
- Oh, a much longer list of items you can buy for the adventure than I expected. I wonder what they do? I spent all my starting gold buying equipment.
- I met a very suspicious man in long dark robes.
- Oh, I encountered the creature on the cover of the book. I died managing only to deal 2 damage to it.
Playtime: 26min

Attempt 2:
Skill 8, Stamina 23, Luck 8
- I got poisoned.
- I fought some orcs.
- I fought a bear losing 4 stamina.
- The paragraphs talked about going north, south, west and whatnot. I had no idea where in the forest I was even though the book probably tried to convey some directional information to me.
- Encountered a friendly stranger on horseback.
- Encountered a bodybuilder. How random.
- I found someone being tortured.
- I fought some flying creatures. They managed to bite chunks out of me.
- I walked into a trap and had my first luck test. It was a success.
- I found a magic sword. I spent a moment trying to interprete the rules. Do I get to go over my starting skill value or not?
- I found a pile of valuable items just lying there waiting to be taken.
- I fought a pretty looking catwoman. I lost a bunch of health due to very unlucky dice rolls.
- I ended up fighting a dwarf. All because of a misunderstanding.
- I fought a giant. He pummeled me pretty badly but I emerged victorious.
- Another encounter with flying pests. They were relatively easy to defeat.
- I encountered a wyvern. It was a tough fight. My provisions are running low.
- I fought a group of bandits. It was a very tough fight and I lost plenty of stamina. It was also slightly boring, there isn't much decision making in the FF combat system so it pretty much comes down to just rolling the dice until one side is dead. It's not super exciting having to roll dice some 50 times in a row without doing meaningful decisions in between.
- I got to Stonebridge having found none of the quest items. I tried heading back to the tower of the friendly magician to buy some magical healing and gear but I was ambushed on my way and got killed. A sad ending.
Playtime: 1h 46min

Attempt 3:
Skill 12, Stamina 21, Luck 10
- Pretty great starting stats.
- I made a deal with a talking crow.
- Immediately after that I ended up in a fight. Thanks mr. crow.
- I fought an overgrown worm.
- Next up was an ogre. Have to say he was much better looking than modern day ogres.
- Fought a little fellow. It felt a bit like a forced encounter, the guy had just seen me butcher a twice as strong monster. Meh.
- Found a dwelling made out of leaves and after admiring the wonders of nature I naturally had to kill what was living in it.
- Fought a giant spider. Nowadays a staple in fantasy adventures.
- I stole from a cave troll.
- I crawled in a maze-like tunnel complex. The inhabitants had a disturbing hobby though the curios I collected later came handy.
- In a strange turn of events I encountered a lost monk in the forest.
- I encounted a door which required a silver key but unfortunately I didn't have it.
- I ended up in the same section of the woods where I wandered at the end of my previous attempt and after handily defeating the bandits I circled the forest back to the first paragraph and friendly wizard's tower with 62 gold in my pocket. I bought a full assortment of magic items and proceeded back into the forest.
- I decided to take a different path right at the start of the adventure.
- I handily beat the monster that killed me in my first attempt.
- I relatively accidentally burned down some trees.
- I ran down some pygmies. I kinda felt pity for them.
- I avoided a nasty looking swarm of insects.
- I poached a group of wolves.
- I robbed somebody's humble dwelling.
- I hacked into pieces a some kind of rock creature.
- I got hit by thunder. Oof, electrifying.
- Encountered a person in purple robes and a comical hat.
- I ended up in the bandit territory for the second time, slaughtered them for the second time and again walked back to paragraph 1.
- This time around I had to re-tread some paths I had already seen before to reach unknown territory.
- The first thing I hadn't encountered yet was a waterfall.
- I had to put down a werewolf.
- I got to a patch of rocky terrain and soon I walked into an ambush.
- Met the group of bandits for the third time. This time around I decided to make it easy and pay their toll since I had close to a hundred gold in my inventory. Aaaand back to paragraph 1.
- I lost all my remaining provisions into a river.
- I gained information about where to look for what I was looking for. I've been to the location before but haven't been able to explore it fully.
- I found what I had been looking for a long time. It took a few steps to acquire it.
- I encountered the bandit party for the fourth time. I rushed past them throwing them the required five items from my inventory. They looked at me baffled. So long, I won't be seeing you guys again!
- Achieved victory!
Playtime: 4h 14min

Total playtime: 6h 26min

Not exactly from Twilight is he?

Positives:
- The gamebook is more fair than the four other FF gamebooks I've played. There are some factors involved but you can loop from the end of the book back to the beginning if you don't have the quest items required for victory. I also didn't encounter choices that would lead to instant death without chance of save with your skill, luck or posessing some item.
- There's a good introduction that places the adventure on the world map, gives you a reason why your character wants to take on the quest, explains what's the objective of the quest and provides a rough location map. A better introduction than in some of the other FF books I've read.
- The gamebook is of good length. 400 paragraphs means there has been space to write mutually exclusive paths through the book and the differences in paths aren't small either; usually each different path takes you through some 20-30 paragraphs before there's a chance to join the other parallel path (or continue to an another path). I've played some gamebooks (What Lies Beneath for example) that have even more mutually exclusive paths but this gamebook is pretty good in this aspect.
- The old school artwork again is excellent and it's tied to the paragraphs and not just some generic fantasy art.
- Attribute tests carry meaningful consequences. If you fail a test you'll miss out on some loot or spring a nasty trap. There are some gamebook series' (for example Obvious Mimic gamebooks) in which failing in attribute tests doesn't matter much, perhaps you will miss out on some background lore but that's it.

Neutral:
- It's not a very challenging gamebook. Definitely easier than the four other FF gamebooks I've played. Personally I could have used a bit more challenge.
- Perhaps it's the forest adventure theme but while the story/encounters are thematic they felt a bit mundane. It's a forest. You'll meet spiders, wolves, goblins and bandits. You've already seen those forest dwellers a thousand times in other games by now. Perhaps there was a 'wow, that's so cool' effect back when the book first came out in 1983 but most likely it won't invoke that kind of feelings in players today.
- The gamebook/story in essence is just a large maze. There are very few landmarks so unless you make a flowchart you'll need to wander pretty aimlessly and hope you somehow someday find what you are looking for in the forest.
- In pretty much every situation that comes up in the book you are offered just two choices what to do. It's all right but I find gamebooks that offer 3-5 choices much more interesting (like The Curse of Cthulhu). There are some situations where this book offers you three choices what to do but those are rare.
- Most of the adventure is constructed so that one of the two choices the book offers is 'do you want to check out this weird thing?' and the other choice is 'do you want to ignore the weird thing and walk on?'. After checking out the weird thing you are directed to the same paragraph which the 'walk past' option led to. This naturally means that you really don't have any choice when you first encounter these decision points as you will need to check all the weird things to see if things related to your quest are hidden there.
- The combat system gets a bit boring. There are a lot of fights and besides enemy flavour text they all work the same (except for a couple of exceptions). Some fights can take more than a dozen rounds and there is very little player agency; you can test your luck (if you can spare any points) to reduce incoming damage or deal a bit more but that's it.
- The magic items you can find in this book are rather mundane. While they don't have complicated rules they also don't have very exciting use effects; 'a group of giant hawks is approacing, do you have the hawk repelling magic mirror? you have it? ok, the hawks fly off, proceed to next paragraph'. More modern rule systems like D&D 5E have more interesting magic items.
- Physical qualities of the book are fine but not excellent. The covers are nicely smooth and have a coating that gives them a sheen. The paper of the pages feels ok. There was also this faint weird smell originating from the pages/ink but that has gone away now that the book has been out of shrinkwrap for sometime and has been played through and the pages flicked plenty.

Negatives:
- There's no final epic boss fight like in The Citadel of Chaos for example. Find what you are looking for from the forest, get to the destination and then the book just ends. Beating the book didn't feel like as big an accomplishment as those FF books that have an epic finale.

Minor Issues:
- It's a bit weird that the book doesn't seem to have any events that would drain your skill score but there are several ways to gain bonus to your skill score or dice rolls in combat. However the rules say that you can't exceed your initial skill score so all the increases seem moot. I've read before from RPGG forums that they pretty much copy-pasted un-edited the rules from the first FF book to later books so perhaps that is the reason for this weirdness. I decided to play this gamebook so that your skill score can go above the starting score if you gain magical items that provide some kind of skill bonus.

Verdict:
This gamebook didn't excite me as much as some of the other FF gamebooks I've played. It also didn't annoy me as much as some of the other books. It's more fair towards the player than the other FF gamebooks I've played, it's of good length, the introduction is good, the kind of crude old artwork has a certain kind of charm and attribute tests you encounter have meaningful consequences.

The biggest problem the book has is that it's not very challenging. It can be won with a character that has minimum starting attributes (unlike the other FF gamebooks I've played) which is fair towards the player but playing the book I felt like the difficulty could have used a small bump. I also noticed that winning the book didn't feel as special as winning the other FF gamebooks I've played because there was no final boss fight. The adventure location and the creatures you meet in it are also a bit mundane nowadays and the maze-like nature of the location and lack of clear landmarks or zones make every part of the location feel a bit too samey. The amount of choices in decision points isn't very great even though there is a good amount of mutually exclusive paths in the book. The combat system is a bit simple and doesn't have much player agency. The magic items you can find are kind of mundane and the physical qualities of the book are fine but not excellent.

I actually pondered for quite long how to rate this book. In the end I decided it's a good gamebook and less frustrating to play through than City of Thieves but not as exciting as The Citadel of Chaos and that places The Forest of Doom between them on my ranking list with a rating of 7.9 on the BGG scale from me.

~ Damdael

A new episode has been added to the database: High-Fidelity Roleplay

A new episode has been added to the database: Episode 347: AI in TTRPGs, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

A new episode has been added to the database: 2014 DnD 5e BARD Levels 5–20 (Remastered): From Lute to Legend, Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Build

A new episode has been added to the database: Movie Mastery – Gandahar (1987)

by Rachel Carpenter

The title sums up my day perfectly :shake:. That said, this Sunday we're getting a new VGGoTW (I'll post Saturday night, but Sunday's when it's "official") So excited!

And now for your regularly-scheduled Friday post:

Happy 15th Friday of 2026, everyone!! And as always on Friday, here are the current Friday links: 2026 Friday on Friday: Play Friday EVERY Friday of 2026 and Friday on Friday, April 2026.

Hello again, Level 5! Will this be my week? I'm skeptical, given that my thoughts are mostly Game Crafter-centric at the moment...

Oh no!!! A Green Phase loss!!! I haven't been defeated this badly in ages! Looks like I was right to be skeptical :whistle:

My final score was a positively horrible -69 pts: 8 points from Fighting Cards, -5 points from Aging Cards, 0 points from lifepoints, 0 points for defeating neither pirate, and -72 points from Unbeaten Hazards.

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Weekly Updates:


Challenge Updates:

:d10-1: 2023 Extreme Numerology Challenge / 2024 Extreme Numerology Challenge / 2025 Extreme Numerology Challenge: Wrapping up. Microbadges for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 will be awarded, please stay tuned! 2026 is live: 2026 Extreme Numerology Challenge
:d10-2: Fire in the Library- Summer/Fall 2023 Solo Challenge- Extended!!: Done! Stay tuned for a new series of mini challenges that include some more Weird Giraffe-themed fan promos. COMING THIS SUMMER! (2026)
:d10-3: 2025 Challenge: 25 un(der)played in 25: is Wrapped! If you spot errors or make updates, please geekmail me!
:d10-4: 2026 Challenge: 26 un(der)played in 26: is Active!
:d10-5: A special note on the Friday on Friday challenges: ALL owed microbadges should be system-awarded THIS YEAR. ALL microbadge reimbursements complete! Update: Stay tuned for progress on microbadges!



Designer's Corner:


Published Games (or soon-to-be published):
:d10-1: Charge the Circle: Post-Contest (Revised Edition) Web-published to BGG. 2nd Edition & 2nd Edition (Bring Your Own Stuff) coming to The Game Crafter in 2026! You can follow along with the ongoing graphic development here: A new edition coming in 2026!.
:d10-2: Eight Elephants: Coming soon to The Game Crafter! BGG page awaiting approval! Original WIP thread: here!
:d10-3: Fireworks for the 4th: Semiquincentennial Edition: Coming soon to The Game Crafter! BGG page awaiting approval! Revised (Post Contest) Edition remains available here!.
:d10-4: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice: 2nd Edition coming to The Game Crafter! Original WIP thread: here!
:d10-5: The United Cards of America: Coming soon to The Game Crafter!
:d10-6: Lincoln's Cat: Coming soon to The Game Crafter!
:d10-7: Liberty, DEATH, or TAXES: Coming soon to The Game Crafter!


Active Projects:
:d10-1: Finders Keepers: No new progress.
:d10-2: Bears love Bows: Merry Trashmas edition: Now pitching! Pitch still ongoing??? Bow Tokens are now a thing, but forward momentum has stalled. Reaching out to publisher-that-shall-not-be-named (NDA) again once I get the video done. Stay tuned for further developments.
:d10-3: Really Retail: No new progress.
:d10-4: Barricade Brigade: Tentatively coming to The Game Crafter in late 2026. Still needs a lot of work and a new coat of paint :geek_grin:.
:d10-5: The Boxcats of Meowazon : No new progress.
:d10-6: Read the Runes: Check out the updated TTS! I need playtesters to help me continue refining this one. I like the current art direction, but this will need more if I decide to go The Game Crafter route... There's also the drift problem... As much as I hate to say it, this might have to stay a print-and-play for now...
:d10-7: 10 Minutes to Midnight: THIS WILL BE COMING TO THE GAME CRAFTER IN 2026! In fact, it's likely to be the main game in my 2nd batch of releases :geek_grin:.
:d10-8: Surfboard Stealin' Sea Otters: Contest complete! #2 Best Family Game and #8 Best Overall Game! Woot! Post-contest: expect some minor revisions over the summer, then I plan on pitching the otters and seeing if I can catch some waves...
:d10-9: Tricky Treats: Game considered complete and officially Ready for Pitching! I still need a video...
:d10-1::d10-0: Squirrelly (formerly Woodland Warriors) : Contest complete! #3 for Best Art! 2 mini expansions available! Ready for pitching! Could use a video when I get around to it... Family games are tricky to pitch and most are too kiddie for release on The Game Crafter...
:d10-1::d10-1: Composer's Cat: 2024 In-Hand Game Design Contest: 5th Best Multiplayer Game; 6th Best Innovative Mechanic; 7th Best Use of Theme; and 4th Best Low-Ink Printing! Major revision complete, new video live, Print & Play Assembly Guide now available, and while entered in the 2026 Cardboard Edison, it didn't place as a finalist. I got good feedback, but I'm not sure what's next for this kitty...
:d10-1::d10-2: Librarian's Cat: formerly Palm Library. formerly Littlest Library. 2025 In-Hand Game Design Contest: contest is complete... but I've got plenty of unfinished business to see to and I intend to see it all through, eventually. Please stay tuned!
:d10-1::d10-3: Elements: Coming to The Game Crafter in mid-2026! New cards, done! Now to re-jig the tuckbox and the rules (1 double-sided sheet would be amazing...)
:d10-1::d10-4: Knick Knacks: Shaker Showdown : Contest complete! #3 Best Solo Game, #3 Best 2 Player Game, and #4 Best Family Game! Not bad, not bad at all, especially since I fell woefully behind on the comments... I do plan on addressing all of the feedback. And I do want to continue to refine and improve the game. There's a decent little game here and it's worth pursuing.
:d10-1::d10-5: Critter Calls: Ready for pitching! I'm happy with the TTS and sell sheet, but do want a video. Not a high priority for pitching, but if I see any calls for party games or icebreaker games I will 100% submit it for consideration :geek_grin:.
:d10-1::d10-6: Unlucky Spirits, Revised Edition: Uncooperative Spirits campaign in-progress. Revised Edition formally entered in 2026 Two-Player Game Design Contest! Come on folks, take a look and help me get this game off the ground! Yes, I'm behind on this contest. I've got to get the campaign done, but the game still isn't getting any traction and I feel like I'm once again wasting effort. Don't get me wrong: I love the game. I believe in the game. But BGG Design Contests are not helping it... The campaign will get done. I got my playtesting and feedback in by the deadline. I will see this current contest through. But I do need to pivot and figure out a better way forward for Unlucky Spirits. The Game Crafter isn't an option for this one. They can't make the current board (30×30) and don't have good options for the larger albeit modular original design either. This game has to find a home with a traditional publisher or it's not going to make it beyond my kitchen table... Made some additional progress this week on marketing/promo materials, the campaign, and a teaser video!
:d10-1::d10-7: Abydos: Contest complete, game did not place... I'm disappointed, but I'm still committed to getting this game out there. And, yes, it is coming to The Game Crafter in mid-2026, provided that I can find a way to deal with the drift issue... I'm still having trouble with the Mural and cut margins... Charge the Circle poses similar problems, hence delaying both a bit to get a better feel for how best to get The Game Crafter to make them.
:d10-1::d10-8: Nine Tails: Ready for pitching! This one might come to The Game Crafter, but alignment issues are a concern. Plastic cards didn't solve anything, this might be a game for PNP Hero...
:d10-1::d10-9: Put a bow on it! Finally has a new lease on life! This is going to be for Bad Comet's contest! It's also no longer a 54-card game and it's getting a board!
:d10-2::d10-0: Eighteen Eggs: Contest complete, game did not place. *sigh*. Rain, Rain Mini Expansion and Player Aids available. The future of this little game... I don't know. It's cute, but it's too kiddie for The Game Crafter. Period. And I haven't come across any publishers looking for solo games for kids... That said, if you see a call for submissions, please let me know! Not writing it off, but pivoting to a more-Game Crafter-friendly design in my forthcoming Snow Squall- similar gameplay, but "prettier" and more geared to the "cozy solo" game trend.
:d10-2::d10-1: Snow Squall: In the vein of Eight Elephants and Eighteen Eggs, but a bit bigger, no timer, and more Game Crafter-friendly art. Not much progress this week.
:d10-2::d10-2: Monk's Cat: The Book of [Pawprints]: The third game in the Cat Companion Card Game series, sequel to Composer's Cat and Librarian's Cat. Contest now complete! I'm happy! #1 Best Graphic Design for Visually Impaired Players; #8 Best Use of Theme; & #7 Best Low-Ink Printing! I've still got feedback to address and I'll get there- I promise! But, overall, I'm happy with the game, with its reception, and I'm looking forward to continue developing Monk's Cat... possibly for future publication on The Game Crafter... 😜
:d10-2::d10-3: Unnamed Puzzle Game: multi-level campaign puzzle game in the vein of Abydos, Read the Runes, and Charge the Circle. Fuzzball-inspired. Backburner. Tentative entry in this year's Solitaire Print and Play Game Design Contest...
:d10-2::d10-4: Nine Lives: I haven't heard anything, so I'm assuming this is a no-go. Still, I might revisit this idea down the road.
:d10-2::d10-5: Who's ready for the owlidays?: Will be my entry/one of my entries in this year's 54-Card Game Design Contest!
:d10-2::d10-6: I sits!: Forthcoming entry in the Fur, Feathers & Fun Contest on The Game Crafter. Stay tuned!
:d10-2::d10-7: Caturday @ the cattery: Not sure if this will make it in time for the Fur, Feathers & Fun Contest...
:d10-2::d10-8: Elements 2: Will be 1 of my entries in this year's Solitaire PNP Game Design Contest! Sequel to Elements, draws on the setting/visuals/narrative of Elements and builds on the gameplay of Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice with an added rock-paper-scissors-like overlap mechanic. Stay tuned! WIP will go live sometime soon...
:d10-2::d10-9: Time's up! : NEW: My 2nd entry in this year's 54-Card Game Design Contest! The idea hit me late Thursday night and... already has enough notes to be playable! I'm really excited for this one! Stay tuned! WIP thread won't go live until July to preserve eligibility.


Early Development:
:d10-1: The 7th Seal : No new progress.
:d10-2: Gator Glory! Simmering.
:d10-3: So, you want to be a mage......
:d10-4: Barricade Brigade: At the postern gate: A smaller version of the original. Similar story, setting, and mechanics, but more compact.
:d10-5: Reverse the curse: NEW: My forthcoming entry in Button Shy's No Shuffle Challenge!


On Hold:
:d10-1: Contagion and Calamity: The Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793: formerly Philly Fever 1793
:d10-2: Rolling Runes
:d10-3: Defend your Dreams: (formerly Dreamcatcher Duty)
:d10-4: Trick or Treat
:d10-5: Last Leaves : This was going to be my entry in the 2026 Children and Family Game Design Contest (family category), but I'm putting this on the back burner instead to concentrate on getting my shop pages up-and-running over on The Game Crafter. Development will continue later this year and you can expect to see this game in the 2027 Children and Family Game Design Contest.
:d10-6: Unnamed design: Involves the Titanic and Jenny the ship cat...
:d10-7: Nine Nopes
:d10-8: Book it!
:d10-9: History Heist
:d10-1::d10-0: Lost in the Labyrinth
:d10-1::d10-1: Dragon's Draw
:d10-1::d10-2: Push to the Peak
:d10-1::d10-3: Cardshop Caretaker
:d10-1::d10-4: Water always wins
:d10-1::d10-5: Sniper, take the shot!
:d10-1::d10-6: Puppy Pile: (formerly Dogpile)
:d10-1::d10-7: Compound It!
:d10-1::d10-8: My Little Fish Tank
:d10-1::d10-9: Knick Knacks: Lovely Lamps : Sequel to Knick Knacks: Shaker Showdown
:d10-2::d10-0: Triskell (or maybe Triskellion): name not final
:d10-2::d10-1: Cursed Cards (Traditional Deck Game)
:d10-2::d10-2: War of the Wilds
:d10-2::d10-3: Scratch-off


Professional Projects:
:d10-1: Explosion in the Laboratory/Fire in the Library (2nd edition): Weird Giraffe Games: Campaign wrapped! Campaign fulfilled! Campaign complete!
:d10-2: Dreams of Yesterday: Weird Giraffe Games: Campaign wrapped! Campaign fulfilled! Campaign complete!
:d10-3: In the Shadows: Resistance in France 1943 - 1944: GMT Games: Complete! I still haven't managed to get this back to my table. Gah! In the meantime... see A Solo Sunday Salute - First Impressions - In the Shadows for a preview.
:d10-4: Crumbs!: The Sandwich Filler Game: Minerva Tabletop Games: Initial feedback in. First impressions and some extra crumbs: Solo Sundays- First Impressions: Crumbs!: The Sandwich Filler Game and Solo Saturdays - Continuing to make Crumbs. More formal review posted: Rachel Reviews It- Crumbs!: The Sandwich Filler Game. Campaign funded! Campaign ongoing. Fingers-crossed that Minerva Tabletop Games comes through... it looks like this is finally in the process of fulfilling...
:d10-5: Crystallo expansions and miniature edition: Light Heart Games: Initial feedback in. Previews and additional adventures shared: A crystal cavern at the garage aka mini Crystallo is here!, First Impressions: Crystallo: Untold Fortune, Solo Saturdays- First Impressions: Crystallo: Den of Dragons, and Solo Stories- Playing with all of Crystallo. More formal review posted: Rachel Reviews It- Crystallo: Untold Fortune and Crystallo: Den of Dragons. Campaign funded! Campaign ongoing... AND there's GOOD NEWS: Crystallo lives!- Crystallo's new Gamefound
:d10-6: Lost Adventures: Belltower Games: First Impressions and continuing adventures shared: Two-Player Thursdays- First Impressions: Lost Adventures, Two-Player Tuesdays- Getting Lost with Mom, and Solo Stories - Lost Adventures. More formal review posted: Rachel Reviews It: Lost Adventures. Campaign wrapped! Campaign fulfilled. Campaign complete.
:d10-7: Quirky Bird Games: The zine campaign funded! That's a wrap! Congrats Beth and Angel! Fulfillment ongoing. Keep up the great work!
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It looks like I'm skipping the Children & Family Game Design Contest this year... which makes me sad, but I need to prioritize self-publishing, and I don't want to rush an entry. That said, I'm still hopeful that I sits! will be ready for the April 19th deadline for the Fur, Feathers & Fun Contest on The Game Crafter. It's going to be close, but I think it's worth it.

Game Over On borrowed time...

Happy Friday and happy playing!
-Rachel

Thank you for reading my blog. If you liked it; then please click the green thumb [microbadge=23724] at the top of the page. If you really liked it; then please subscribe.

by Lowell Kempf

A little over a year ago, I decided that I should really try Clifford D. Simak again, after not being able to get through his books back in middle school or high school. And, while I don’t agree with all his conclusions, I now found him to be a really solid read.

I had meant to keep reading his work and realized that it had been a year so I picked up Ring Around the Sun.

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Set what was then the near future (and is now before a lot of folks reading this were born lol), the world is teetering on the edge of the Cold War becoming a hot war. Into this, a mysterious group is introducing major social changes with inexpensive food and household items that never wear out, up to and including actual houses.

The mysterious group turns out to be mutants, the next step in evolution. And their long term plan is to break the human race out of a self-destructive death spiral and create healthier cultures. This includes having folks emigrate to alternate time lines where the human race doesn’t exist so there’s a fresh Earth for them.

However, the 1% will do anything, up to and including nuclear war to keep the mutants from upsetting their world of money and power and privilege. In my limited reading, Simak leans on the idealism so it’s not a surprise that things work out okay.

While there are elements that are quite dated (a world changing innovation are razor blades that never wear out), the idea of the 1% willing to destroy the world to prevent a post scarcity society still seems pretty believe.

One thing that I did find interesting was Simak’s approach to pastoralism in Ring Around the Sun. He clearly disliked urban life and idealized rural living. And yet, he clearly and intentionally undercuts that in this book. Vickers, the protagonist, wants the rural Midwest to be innocent and harmless but it is clearly shown to not be. The other world has the transplanted folk living a rugged frontier life but it is clearly supported by industrial centers run by robots far enough away to be out of sight.

I felt like Simak was telling me that the fantasy of the pastoral life was important but only as a fantasy.

Every time I’ve gone to Simak, I’ve have found really strong writing and him presenting his case as an argument, not as a done deal. And good grief, his work is chock full of ideas. I read somewhere that John Campbell wanted authors to have their stories center around one idea but Simak not only has everything and the kitchen sink, he’s trying to find room for a second sink.

Somehow, Simak managed to write science fiction that is escapist and asks tough questions at the same time.

A new episode has been added to the database: 84. Family Reunion

A new episode has been added to the database: This Hour Has 22 Cryptids - Episode 2: Monkey Business