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A middle aged man plays every single Fighting Fantasy book in order.
127 Episodes
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We’re back in extremely familiar territory as Ian Livingstone takes us on a tour of some of Allansia’s most recognisable settings in The Port of Peril. With art by Vlados Krizan we journey through Chalice to the Moonstone Hills and on to Darkwood Forest and Port Blacksand in search of the means to vanquish an old enemy.Don’t forget that the Lindenbaum Prize is currently taking submissions. Find more information here: https://www.lloydofgamebooks.com/2026/02/voting-is-now-open-for-2026-lindenbaum.html
“Conan! What is best in life?” “Why, it’s listening to a middle aged man play an adventure gamebook based on my many adventures of course.”In this episode HJDoom, a man who isn’t even sure he has thews, never mind mighty ones, takes on Conan the Outlaw by Roger E Moore and art by Ron Randall. Will this meet with his favour? Listen along to find out.
Staples to mark this milestone. It’s a big departure for the later series as it takes place in modern day and there’s also an entirely new combat system. Otherwise there’s more than a hint of the familiar about proceeding as you explore a zombie infested castle looking for the twenty to thirty different items you’ll need to escape. It might be a fresh approach but is it any good? Listen along to find.Also I have a new gamebook out today. It’s called Mr Blobby and the Propaganda of the Deed and it’s available over at patreon.com/hjoom for all my lovely patrons. It really is extremely silly.
It’s time for another bonus episode this time featuring The Ghosts of Craven Manor by Joseph Daniels. This horror gamebook reads like a mash up between Day of the Tentacle and Quantum Leap. Is that a good thing? Listen along to find out.
It’s a bittersweet episode of Fantastic Fights as we bid farewell to Jonathan Green whose series of late Fighting Fantasy books have been a real high point for the series as a whole. Can he bow out strong with Night of the Necromancer? Listen along to find out.
We round off a trilogy of Jonathan Green Fighting Fantasy books with Stormslayer, which follows Bloodbones and Howl of the Werewolf. Is it a case of the third time’s the charm or is this book falling at the final hurdle? With art from experienced illustrator Stephen Player this takes more of a classic fantasy approach than the more horror themed Howl of the Werewolf. Eagle eyed fans will notice a few neat Easter Eggs for those familiar with his previous work, as well as long standing fans of Fighting Fantasy and the Sorcery series. There’s also a small announcement about the first ever patron only bonus episode. Don’t worry, it won’t become a habit.
We’ve seen a fair amount of Jonathan Green lately and that’s not changing anytime soon as we play Howl of the Werewolf, his 2007 book with artwork by the redoubtable Martin McKenna. We’ve got a distinctly gothic horror vibe on display here as we head into the dark realm of Lupravia in search of the monster that infected us with lycanthropy. What could possibly go wrong? Listen along to find out.Review starts at 49:10
We’re doing another open world book this episode in the form of the first Steam Highwayman book by Martin Noutch with art by Ben May. It’s a whopper of a Victorian science fiction extravaganza weighing in at over 1000 sections and featuring all manner of systems and a whole host of different plot lines to explore. Is it any good? Listen along to find out. Note that the review portion starts at 47:20.
We’re back on another modern Fighting Fantasy book (2006 was basically last week right?) with Bloodbones by Jonathan Green with art by Tony Hough. This is a book with an interesting history as it was originally supposed to be part of the original run. It’s not often you get to have another go at something in this world but does it land? Listen along to find out.
It’s bonus episode time again and we’re playing Dave Morris’s unique take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This is a digital gamebook (played on iOS) which always make for an interesting departure from the classic formula. How will Morris’s take on a classic stand up to the original? Listen along to find out.
Ian Livingstone is back! Eye of the Dragon written in 2005 is the first new Fighting Fantasy book since 1995 and Livingstone’s first book since 1992. We’re in proper old school mode for this extended dungeon crawl which has the added bonus of Martin McKenna’s always exceptional artwork. Will it be able to recapture the magic of the series for a new generation? Listen along to find out.The review portion of the episode starts at 46m22s.
It’s another thrilling bonus episode of the podcast and this time out we’re meddling in space and time as we take on the role of special time agent Falcon in Mechanon, the second book in the science fiction gamebook series by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson with art by Nic Weeks and Geoff Senior. Can this be the entry to show me exactly how you write a good science fiction gamebook? Listen along to find out.
We’ve reached the end of another journey as we play and critically examine The Crown of Kings, book four in the Sorcery series by Steve Jackson with art by the wonderful John Blanche. It’s been an epic quest but now only the fortress of Mampang and its vile archmage stand between us and ultimate success. How does the adventure go? Listen along to find out.
We’re playing something a little different this episode and we take a look at Deathtrap Dungeon 3, a fan written sequel to Deathtrap Dungeon and Trial of Champions. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill and with multiple authors there’s a lot that could go wrong. How does it land? Listen along to find out. Deathtrap Dungeon 3 was written by Ken Beuden, Daniel Flander, Jared Milne, Brett Schofield, and Andrew Wright and the book was suggested by patron Kim Jenson.
The third book of the Sorcery series is in some ways a retread of the first book in that the mission is simply to cross a wilderness. This time however there’s a problem, seven problems in fact, in the shape of seven magic snakes that are carrying news of the mission to the evil arch-mage of Mampang. How does our gallant hero fare in the Baklands and the dark forest of Snatta? Listen along to find out.
1This bonus episode we’re doing something a little different with Margaret Killjoy’s interactive novel What Lies Beneath the Clock Tower, a steampunk infused tale of underground kingdoms, goblins, gnomes, and bloody revolution. It’s a chance to see the breadth of stories you can tell using adventure gamebooks and a welcome chance to talk about anarchist politics and the problems of violence which is pretty cool for a fun book about a hapless drunk.
Having survived a walking holiday in the Shamutanti Hills we now get to enjoy a citybreak in Kharé, a cityport known for having the most violent and paranoid locals anywhere in the known world. All that needs to happen is to walk from one side of the city to the other. What could possibly go wrong? Listen along to find out.
We’re on the old school track this episode as we tackle two classic Choose Your Own Adventure books from the mid 1980s, Prisoner of the Ant People by R. A. Montgomery, and Outlaws of Sherwood Forest by Ellen Kushner. But which will be better, the one that sounds like a 50s B-movie or the one that sounds like a 30s swashbuckler? Listen along to find out.
We’re taking a break from the mainline Fighting Fantasy books to work through the Sorcery series by Steve Jackson which are Fighting Fantasy books in all but name honestly. We’re starting at the beginning with The Shamutanti Hills. With a fancy new magic system and art by legendary UK illustrator and artist John Blanche this has all the ingredients to be a classic but will it land? Listen along to find out.
It’s a bittersweet bonus episode as we bid a fond farewell to the Way of the Tiger series of ninja themed gamebooks. The final volume Redeemer is by David Walters, Mark Smith, and Jamie Thomson with art by a variety of different talents. Can this series bow out strong with a book more than twenty five years in the making? Listen along to find out. Also I’ve relaunched my other podcast Popular Antiquarian. That’s exciting. You can also find it over on https://www.hauntedphonograph.com/popular-antiquarian/
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