The Shamutanti Hills - published 40 years ago!

Regular visitors to this blog will have noticed that this year that images from four classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks appear in the banner at the top of the page. These are all books that were first published 40 years ago this year, but they are not the only one.

The first book in the Sorcery! series, aimed squarely at adult gamers, was released in late 1983. The Shamutanti Hills by Steve Jackson, saw the commencement of an epic quest to recover the Crown of Kings from the evil Archmage of Kakhabad. In the adventure, the hero has to make his way through the hills of the title; “alive with evil creatures, lawless wanderers and bloodthirsty monsters, the land is riddled with tricks and traps waiting for the unwary traveller.”

Despite being for adults, the game still used the usual Fighting Fantasy gaming mechanics, the cover proudly stating the mantra familiar to Fighting Fantasy fans that, “Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need for this adventure – YOU decide which paths to take, which dangers to risk and which monsters to fight.” The big difference came from what gave the series its name. As well as being a mighty warrior, the hero of the Sorcery! series could also be played as a powerful magic-user.

The ‘simple’ version of the adventure involved the use of no magic whatsoever, as with most FF adventures up until this point (with the notable exception of Jackson’s The Citadel of Chaos). However, there was also the option whereby the reader could opt for the ‘advanced’ version of the game, which relied heavily on magic, with the hero being able to cast a wide range of spells. Each spell cost between 1 and 4 STAMINA points to cast, and each was denoted by a three letter word (following the pattern consonant-vowel-consonant), and often required very specific ingredients to be cast successfully at all.

There was also the option to call on Libra, the Goddess of Justice, once during the course of the adventure, either to enable the hero to escape a tricky battle, to be cleansed of curses or diseases, or to have his starting attributes restored to their Initial level.

The Sorcery Spell Book was, to begin with, just that – a separate book, detailing the spells used in the Sorcery! series, that came packaged with The Shamutanti Hills in a special slipcase edition. It featured a number of illustrations, which were cut when the Spell Book was later incorporated into the Sorcery! gamebooks themselves, when they were republished under the Adventure Gamebooks banner.

Original slipcase editions of The Shamutanti Hills and The Sorcery Spell Book are now veritable collector’s items!

The Shamutanti Hills is now available again from Scholastic Books.

Who knows what monstrous creatures lie in wait in the Citadel of Chaos?

Citadel of Chaos is the latest release from Arion Games for the Advanced Fighting Fantasy RPG.

Based upon the classic gamebook by Steve Jackson, this epic adventure will take you deep into the eponymous Citadel to face (and hopefully defeat) defeat the evil Balthus Dire. 

Deep inside the Citadel of Chaos the dread sorcerer, Balthus Dire, is plotting and scheming the downfall of the good folk of Salamonis. His battle plans are laid, his awesome army is gathering, and attack is surely imminent.

Summoned by a desperate plea for help, only YOU and your companions can undertake a mission which strikes at the very heart of Balthus Dire’s nightmare world.

The Citadel holds a dark and dangerous peril for anyone foolhardy enough to venture through its gruesome gates. And yet venture you must, for your mission lies at the heart of the Citadel. Many dangers lie ahead and your success is by no means certain. Powerful adversaries are ranged against you and often your only choice is to kill or be killed!

This massive adventure contains a lot of new information about the Citadel and its inhabitants, detailed areas, encounters and enemies, pregenerated heroes and a lot more. Likely to take a good many sessions to play through, this new adventure will give your players an experience they will never forget!

Citadel of Chaos contains Prologue ideas to get the Heroes to the Citadel, a four Act adventure with 85 Scenes,  Black Sorcery - a new Magic style, additional lore, and pregenerated Heroes.

You can pick up Citadel of Chaos and the whole Advanced Fighting Fantasy range here.