Fantastic Fights: Recent Episodes
Haunted Phonograph
It’s the last podcast of 2024 and we’re looking at Deathmoor by Robin Waterfield with art by Russ Nicholson and cover art by Terry Oakes. I try not to get into meta-commentary on my own work but this episode is genuinely one of my favourites that I’ve recorded in recent months. I had a ton of fun with this one and I hope that you will too. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and Happy Holidays to those that don’t.
I’ve been stricken by the plague but podcast schedules are podcast schedules so please enjoy this oddly deep voiced reading of two Choose Your Own Adventure books with a little light analysis of the form. Less laryngeal service will hopefully resume later this month.
We’re playing Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey by Edward Packard and The Race Forever by R.A. Montgomery this time out. I hope you enjoy.
Book 54 sees us tackle Zagor, the warlock of Firetop Mountain himself for the third and so far final time. Written by Keith Martin but attributed to Ian Livingstone for some reason it sees us plunge into a new world, Amarillia and search through a magical castle in search of the items that will help us to slay the evil warlock once and for all.
Don’t forget that the Lindenbaum Prize will also be opening for submissions soon. This is your chance to win actual money for writing a 100 section gamebook. The winner will be decided by a popular vote and the considerations of a panel of judges (including me). Find all the information here: https://www.lloydofgamebooks.com/2024/11/20242025-lindenbaum-prize-announcement.html
It’s another bonus episode as we tackle Overlord!, book 4 in the ninja themed Way of the Tiger series by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson. Now the ruler of a major city our hero must balance the different competing interests and avoid precipitating another revolution that will surely end badly.
Bonus episodes of this podcast are made possible by my patrons over at patreon.com/hjdoom. My thanks to them and to Stuart Llloyd for the loan of the hardcover special edition text.
Book 53 of Fighting Fantasy is here! Spellbreaker is the debut Fighting Fantasy gamebook from Jonathan Green who has gone on to be an important creator in the gamebook sphere. With art, including cover art, by Alan Langford there’s clearly a wealth of talent on display but does that cohere into a good book? Listen along to find out.
If you’d like to support my nonsense and bag yourself a bunch of gaming goodies you can do so over at my patreon at patreon.com/hjoom.
It’s another bonus episode as we take a look at The King’s Demon based on the 1980s TV show Robin of Sherwood, an extremely influential retelling of the myth of Robin Hood. The book by Graham Staplehurst and Richard Carpenter (with some help from Paul Mason). Art is by the legendary Russ Nicholson. If you’re enjoying this podcast please consider supporting me on patreon at www.patreon.com/hjdoom.
Book 52 of the Fighting Fantasy series is Night Dragon, the sixth book by regular contributor Keith Martin. Another desperate threat has emerged to menace Allansia in the form of the titular dragon who also looms large over the cover art. Internal art and cover art is by Tony Hough but how will our intrepid adventurer get on? Listen along to find out.
It’s bonus time again and this episode I’m playing The Castle of Lost Souls by Dave Morris with art by Leo Hartas. This is part of the Golden Dragon series of gamebooks released by Grafton Books in the 1980s and is based on a Dungeons and Dragons adventure Dave Morris and Yve Newnham serialised in early White Dwarf. This is re-release as a print on demand book in 2013.
It’s book 51. It’s Island of the Undead. It’s Keith Martin and Russ Nicholson. How will our intrepid hero get on and just how many sections will be hidden behind mystery numbers? Listen to find out.
Also I have a new album of melancholy Dungeon Synth out. Baroque Funereal Dirges by Sorrow Tree presents 6 tracks of lo-fi dark ambient music suitable for goblins, witches, and lonely ghosts. It’s available for free at the link below.
https://malesperi.bandcamp.com/album/baroque-funereal-dirges
It’s bonus episode time again and this instalment sees us continue to explore the Way of the Tiger series by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson (with kind thanks to Stuart Lloyd for the loan of the book). Usurper, book 3 in the series, sees our ninja hero embark on a new adventure as they seek to take back a crown that is rightfully theirs under the dubious law of primogeniture. Will I manage it on my first try? If you’ve been listening for a while you already know the answer to that question but you might as well listen to the episode anyway.
We hit a big milestone in the history of Fighting Fantasy as this episode covers Return to Firetop Mountain, book fifty in the wildly successful series. Ian Livingstone returns to the start of the series and the provides us with another chance to delve into the secrets of Firetop Mountain where the titular warlock has returned once more to bedevil the local area. There’s nostalgia a-plenty but does Return to Firetop Mountain hold up when considered on its own merits? Listen along to find out.
It’s bonus episode time again and we’re delving into a gamebook based on one of the most successful comic books in the world, Asterix the Gaul. Meeting of the Chieftains is a full colour, magazine sized gamebook based in the madcap world of Gaul in the first century BCE. The original comic books are stone cold classics but how will the property survive translation to a new medium? Listen along to find out.
Siege of Sardath is the only book written for the Fighting Fantasy series by Keith P Phillips which means that we’ll either be sad or relieved that there’s no sequel. We’re in classic Fighting Fantasy plot territory with a mysterious evil oppressing the city of Sardath and a journey to be taken through a spider haunted forest in order to find out what has happened and set it right. Art is by Pete Knifton and the cover is by Les Edwards.
It’s another special bonus episode as I play A Day in the Life, the second gamebook written for me by my husband as a birthday present. Have you ever wanted to be a cat? Now is you chance in this unique gamebook experience. This book is available now for all my lovely patrons as a thank you for their continued support. You can join them and gain access to all the rewards for patrons by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
It’s the third and final Fighting Fantasy gamebook written by Stephen Hand (with art by Martin McKenna). Will this be an exciting cap to his trilogy of books or did he use up all his good ideas on Dead of Night and Legend of the Shadow Warriors? Listen along to find out.
Don’t forget you can get a parcel of gaming materials and access to the regular reviews of stuff (mostly old stuff) over on www.patreon.com/hjdoom
Bonus episode time again as we continue to throw shuriken, cobra strike, and garotte our way through the Way of the Tiger series by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson. The second book in a series is often a difficult one, how to build on the successes of the first book and still break new ground. Listen along to find out how they manage it.
The Crimson Tide is this month’s Fighting Fantasy book. This curious and convoluted book is a solo outing from Paul Mason who previously gave us Slaves to the Abyss and Black Vein Prophecy with his writing partner Steve Williams. With Terry Oakes providing art and a chance to show us his own vision for what a Fighting Fantasy book looks like can Paul Mason deliver the goods? Listen along to find out.
It’s another bonus episode and another foray into the world of Orb with Way of the Tiger: Avenger by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson. Having survived the trials of Ninja our hero is now sent on a mission to save the world and take revenge on the man who killed their father figure. How will HJDoom do on this quest, badly or very badly? Listen along to find out.
Tower of Destruction is another book by Keith Martin who wrote one of my absolute favourite books in the series Vault of the Vampire. It was illustrated by Peter Knifton and the cover was by Terry Oakes.
If you like what I do consider joining my patreon. Everyone who pledges gets a whole bunch of gaming stuff including my gamebooks and experimental roleplaying games. www.patreon.com/hjdoom.
It’s time for a very exciting bonus episode as we begin looking at the classic Way of the Tiger series of adventure gamebooks, starting with the prequel. Way of the Tiger: Ninja! was released in 2014 by Megara Entertainment. It was written by David Walters with art by Mylene Villeneuve, Eric Chaussin, Aude Pfister, Matthias Sallstrom, Lisa Rafalli, Faiz Nabheebucus, and Antoine Di Lorenzo. The original game system was designed by Jamie Thomson and Mark Smith who also wrote Way of the Samurai and Talisman of Death for the Fighting Fantasy series. Does this modern addition to the canon work? Listen along to find out.
It’s book 45 of the long running Fighting Fantasy series! Spectral Stalkers was written by Peter Darvill-Evans with internal art by Tony Hough and cover art by Tony Hough. It’s the third and final book Darvill-Evans contributed to the series but will he go out with a bang? Listen along to find out as HJDoom plays through the book and offers some thoughts.
It’s a bonus episode that’s near and dear to my heart as we tackle the first Heroquest gamebook by Dave Morris based on the insanely popular boardgame from MB Games and Games Workshop. This one is a little bit different from most gamebooks being both a short novella and a short gamebook in one. Morris did something similar with the Knightmare gamebooks. Does this approach to a gamebook work? Listen along to find out.
Book 44 and Fighting Fantasy is somehow still firing on all cylinders. Stephen Hand had already contributed to the excellent Dead of Night with Jim Bambara but will his sophomore outing be a chance to show what he can do solo? With art by Martin McKenna and cover art by the reliable David Gallagher, Legend of the Shadow Warriors is a curious beast but is it any good? Listen along to find out.
We’re investigating a key piece of gamebook history this episode as we explore The Cave of Time, the first proper Choose Your Own Adventure book by Edward Packard with art by Paul Granger. With 40 different endings this packs a lot of adventure into a small package. It spawned a wildly successful franchise but is this book actually any good? HJDoom plays it to find out and offers a mildly contentious and completely untested theory about the reason gamebooks exploded in the early eighties.
We’re waving goodbye to 2023 in style as we take on Keep of the Lich Lord by the legends of adventure gamebook design Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson. We’ve got all the classic Fighting Fantasy tropes on hand as we explore an island being oppressed by an army of the undead.
Don’t forget that the Lindebaum Prize is a thing. Write a 100 section gamebook and win fabulous prizes. Find all the details here: http://www.lloydofgamebooks.com/2023/12/entries-are-now-being-accepted-for.html
It’s bonus episode time again as we take a look an Endless Quest book suggested by a listener in the form of Spell of the Winter Wizard by Linda Lowery with cover art by Larry Elmore and internal illustrations by Jeffry R Busch.
Don’t forget that entries are now being accepted for the 2023/24 Lindenbaum Prize being run by friend of the podcast Stuart Lloyd. You can find all the details here: http://www.lloydofgamebooks.com/2023/12/entries-are-now-being-accepted-for.html
Fighting Fantasy book 42 presents us with some new approaches and throws us right into the action which is always exciting. But can the book sustain the initial excitement? Listen along to find out.
Link to the Lindenbaum Prize competition
http://www.lloydofgamebooks.com/2023/11/20232024-lindenbaum-prize-announcement.html
It’s horror time on Fantastic Fights once more as we play and review Nighshift by Victoria Hancox with art by Svenja Wolter and Ventislav Velikov. A deadly race against time in a twisted hospital released in 2019 this is Victoria Hancox’s first published gamebook.
We continue exploring the later stages of the Fighting Fantasy series with Master of Chaos by Keith Martin with art by David Gallagher. Sent on a dangerous mission without our usual gear and beloved packed lunches can HJDoom possibly survive? Listen along to find out.
It’s time for a very recent gamebook, at least by the standards of this podcast. For your delight and edification HJDoom plays through Legendary Kingdoms book one, The Valley of Bones by Oliver Hulme with illustrations by Robin Smith. It was published by Spidermind Games in 2019. This is a vast tome and the playthrough only really scratches the surface but is it a case of more of a good thing or a surfeit of paragraphs. Listen along to find out.
We're into the 40s! Will they start with a bang? Listen along to find out as HJDoom plays through Dead of Night by Jim Bambra and Stephen Hand with art by Martin McKenna.
It’s another bonus episode of Fantastic Fights and I’m delighted to be able to present another gamebook written by a listener, Rulers of the NOW by Stuart Lloyd which is available for purchase here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/383730/Rulers-of-the-NOW
We’re saying goodbye to the 30s with Fangs of Fury by Luke Sharp with cover art and internal illustrations by David Gallagher. I’ve had a torrid relationship with Luke Sharp’s work but was cautiously in favour of his previous book Daggers of Darkness. Will his Fighting Fantasy swansong be his crowning glory? Listen along to find out.
Prepare yourself for zarjaz episode of Fantastic Fights as your humble host tackles a series of adventure game comics spun off from the pages of the galaxy’s greatest comic 2000AD. Diceman, featuring such characters as Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Slaine, and former Republican president Ronald Reagan is a curious beast, an attempt to meld the popular adventure gamebooks of the 1980s with action oriented comics. Largely written by Pat Mills and featuring some of the UK’s finest comic book artists Diceman was a short lived experiment that’s been given a new lease of life thanks to a handsome hardcover edition collecting the entire run into a single tome. Is it any good? Listen along to find out.
Joy unbounded at Doom HQ as we come to book 38 in the Fighting Fantasy series, Vault of the Vampire. I’m a big horror fan in general and a gothic horror fan in particular so the prospect of venturing into a spooky castle in search of a vampire is a real treat to me. It’s got a great hook but can the book, written by returning scribe Keith Martin and illustrated by legendary British illustrator Martin McKenna, live up to the sinister premise? Listen along to find out.
It’s a particularly exciting episode as, for the first time, we’re looking at a book written by a listener. Interstellar Terra by John E Kirk is a science fiction book weighing in at a hefty 777 sections. Is it worth your time? Listen along to find out. You can buy the book from amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/interstellar-Terra-John-Kirk/dp/B08VCKGDYD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RG3XJ2V8TCNQ&keywords=interstellar+terra&qid=1689255221&s=books&sprefix=interstellar+terra%2Cstripbooks%2C72&sr=1-1
Episode 37 brings us back into the welcoming arms of the Fighting Fantasy series and Portal of Evil by Peter Darvill-Evans with illustrations by Alan “the lizard guy” Langford. Sinister things are afoot in the forest and in the mountains as gold rush feverhul. Can our sensibly named hero defeat the monsters and save the world for what feels like the thousandth time grips K? Tune in to find out that he can’t.
This bonus episode sees HJDoom tackle the gamebook adaptation of the enormously popular and enormously difficult 90s TV game show The Crystal Maze in which teams of players do fiendishly difficult tasks at the behest of a bald musical theatre legend and get the slender chance to win a cheese platter in the titular maze. It’s a cult classic but will it transfer to the gamebook format? With Dave Morris and Jamie Thompson at the helm there’s a fair chance it will.
This episode is made possible by the generosity of my patrons at www.patreon.com/hjdoom. As well as supporting bonus content all patrons sent a whole bevvy of gaming materials and access to my patreon blog where I’m currently writing a development diary as I write a new gamebook.
Ian Livingstone returns to Fighting Fantasy with Armies of Death, book 36 in the Fighting Fantasy series with art by Nik Williams and cover art by Chris Achilleos. Will HJDoom manage to recruit an army strong enough to take on the latest demon king to menace Allansia? Listen along to find out.
If you want to support this podcast you can do so (and score yourself a whole bunch of gaming material) by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound or local equivalent.
It’s TARDIS time again on Fantastic Fights as HJDoom plays through the 1986 Make Your Own Adventure gamebook The Search for the Doctor by David Martin with art by Gail Bennett. It’s a strange and incoherent little book with plenty of authentic Doctor Who touches but can a screen writer successfully turn his hand to game design? Listen along to find out.
If you’d like to support the show you can do so by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound. I’m in the process of writing a new gamebook and documenting it in a series of patreon posts so there’s a little added bonus in addition to the gamebooks and roleplaying games I’ve already created exclusively for my patron.
It’s a bumper sized episode of Fantastic Fights as HJDoom tackles Daggers of Darkness, the third book from Star Strider and Chasms of Malice scribe Luke Sharp. Neither of those books exactly tickled the fancy but perhaps third time is the charm. Listen along to find out. Daggers of Darkness features illustrations by a very young Martin McKenna and a cover art by Les Edwards. It was released by Puffin books in 1988.
If you’re enjoying the podcast and feel like chipping in a few quid you can do so by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and receive both gratitude and a bunch of gaming material in return.
We’re back for a positively brobdingnagian bonus episode as HJDoom tackles Destiny Quest: The Legion of Shadow by Michael J Ward. This 800 page epic takes the player on a grand quest filled with deadly monsters, a host of special skills and loot, loot, loot!
This episode also celebrates the release of my new RPG Crown of Crimson, a game of deranged cultists seeking martyrdom in a fantasy empire. You can secure your own copy by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little a single English pound or local equivalent.
After the last short but sweet bonus episode this one is a bit of a monster. HJDoom bravely takes on the latest challenge in the Fighting Fantasy series, Stealer of Souls by Keith Martin with illustrations by Russ Nicholson. There’s plenty of excitement to be had and could this be the first book in the series which will see the adventure actually be completed? Listen along to find out.
If you fancy tipping a few quid to support this kind of thing you can do so at www.patreon.com/hjdoom. Any and all support is greatly appreciated.
It’s another bonus episode for Fantastic Fights and this time we’re exploring outer space once again as part of my ongoing quest to find a really good spaceships and lasers gamebook. Will we become a brave space ace or suffer the ignominy of death at the hands of a book aimed at the under 12s? Listen along to find out. Star Challenge: Planets in Peril was written by Christopher Black and illustrated by Maelo Cintron. The cover art is by Colin Sullivan. It was published in 1984 by Knight Books.
It’s a bittersweet episode of Fantastic Fights as we bid farewell to the science fiction strand of the series with book 33 Sky Lord by Martin Allen with illustrations by Tim Sell and cover art by Les Edwards. Will this be the book to break the curse that seemingly hangs over science fiction in the Fighting Fantasy canon or will it go out the same way that it came in? Listen along with HJDoom to find out.
It’s another bonus episode brought to you by the generosity of my backers over on www.patreon.com/hjdoom. This episode we’re taking a look at one of the most resilient toy lines of the 1980s, the ever popular Transformers. These robotic sneaks were a big part of my childhood but how well will they adapt into the format of the adventure gamebook? Peril From the Stars was written by gaming legend Dave Morris with illustrations by the dependable Bob Harvey and published by Corgi books in 1985.
It’s our first proper episode of 2023 and HJDoom is tackling book 32 in the Fighting Fantasy series which is Slaves of the Abyss by Paul Mason and Steve Williams with illustrations by Bob Harvey and cover art by Terry Oakes. Things start off with some fairly hackneyed kingdom in peril stuff but things rapidly get quite a bit stranger as the book progresses. Featuring a time mechanic and an extremely aggravating cameo from the Riddling Reaver that we happily avoid in the playthrough portion this book certainly has an uneven tone but is it any good? Listen along to find out.
If you’d like to support my nonsense financially you can do so by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and, along with my undying gratitude, you can score yourself some sweet gamebooks and RPGs what I done wrote.
We’re kicking off 2023 with a bonus episode featuring Tunnels of Fear by Stephen Thraves with art by Terry Oakes. This was one of two fantasy gamebooks published by Hodder and Stoughton in the early 90s (along with a whole host of licensed gamebooks featuring characters like Asterix, The Famous Five, and Biggles). It originally came with a whole bunch of cardboard and plastic peripherals and a special pair of dice. My copy lacks one peripheral and both dice. Will this affect the success of this mission into a haunted mine? Yes. Yes it will.
Also this month saw the release of a brand new zine called Sites Unzine featuring an experimental RPG by HJDoom. My lovely patrons at www.patreon.com/hjdoom have already had a copy of this game but if you’d like to support independent creators then you can take a look at issue one here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/420480/SITES-UNZINE-ISSUE-1
Well, here we are at the end of 2023 and there’s just time for one more episode of Fantastic Fights featuring Battleblade Warrior by Marc Gascoigne with art by Alan Langford. A city under siege from the evil lizardmen empire and a desperate race against time to find a magic weapon that can end the war. Battleblade Warrior features battlefields, jungles, mountains, and of course lots and lots of lizards. Sadly the quest falls to one HJDoom to complete and as regular listeners will know that’s rarely likely to end in triumph. Please note that I was recovering from a seasonal cold when I recorded this and that my voice is not normally quite that husky.
This episode also features some new patrons and a small, but hopefully exciting update to the schedule in 2023. If you’d like to get some sweet bonus material and support the making of this podcast you can do so by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom.
It’s almost Christmas and what could be more festive than trying to escape from a vampire’s castle? In this bonus episode we see the return of the Endless Quest series, the Dungeons and Dragons spin off product intended to act as an introduction to the franchise for younger readers. The last one we covered was very poor indeed but Dungeons and Dragons has changed a lot since the mid 80s and maybe, just maybe Wizards of the Coast can rectify the mistakes made by the earlier series. Listen along to find out!
These bonus epiosdes are only possible because of the support I receive on patreon. I’m grateful to all my patrons, this wouldn’t happen without them. If you’d like to tip me a quid or so a month you can do so at www.patreon.com/hjdoom.
We’ve hit book 30 and this episode is very much a game of two halves. The playthrough of Chasms of Malice went very smoothly but the analysis of the book took me forever. Regardless, here it is, my playthrough and review of Luke Sharp’s Chasms of Malice. It was illustrated by the great Russ Nicholson with cover art by Les Edwards. It was released by Puffin Books in 1988.
If you enjoy my nonsense then please consider supporting me either by leaving a review on your podcast provider or, if you’ve cash to spare, by going to patreon.com/hjdoom. All patrons receive a whole parcel of gaming stuff including my brand new adventure game book Rats in the Cellar.
Midnight Rogue, book 29 in the Fighting Fantasy series, finally takes on the classic fantasy gaming archetype of the thief. Ever since Bilbo Baggins half-inched a fancy geegaw from under the nose of a psychotic dragon gamers have dreamed of purloining shiny things without legal consequence. An added bonus; this gamebook takes you back to Port Blacksand, one of the great fantasy city and the perfect backdrop for a spot of larceny. In this episode HJDoom plays through the 1987 gamebook by Graeme Davis with art by John Sibbick and offers some thoughts about what was good and what could have done with improvement.
You can support my nonsense here: www.patreon.com/hjdoom. Patrons get my heartfelt gratitude and a parcel of gaming stuff with a brand new gamebook just around the corner.
This episode we’re playing Phantoms of Fear by Robin Waterfield with illustrations by the amazing Ian Miller. This is one of the more ambitious Fighting Fantasy books we’ve seen as you play an elf warrior shaman capable of existing in both the physical and dream worlds. An awful menace has arisen, as they do with astonishing frequency in Fighting Fantasy books, and it’s up to you to track through an increasingly surreal forest to enter the even more surreal lair of the demon prince Ishtra. Thrills, spills, and a lot of strange imagery await within the depths of Affen Forest. I had a lot of fun with this one.
If you’re enjoying this podcast why not leave a little review or rating on your podcast provider of choice. That would really help me out.
Note that the playthrough portion of this episode sounds like it was recorded in a tin bath. I’ve no idea what went wrong but if you want to skip it then the review portion of the podcast starts at 56:50
The past isn’t what it used to be in this episode as we take a trip into the past as seen from the distant future. In 3033 time travel is a recent invention and five self-important LORDS OF TIME hold sway over the technology. The problem is that there appears to be no actual oversight and one of them has gone rogue. The only mechanism for dealing with that is a spot of murder and our valiant hero has been tasked with working out which bigwig has lost it and administering a spot of frontier justice. Falcon 1: The Renegade Lord was released in 1987 and was written by Jamie Thompson and Mark Smith, authors of several Fighting Fantasy books and the Way of the Tiger series.
Support this nonsense and receive various rewards at www.patreon.com/hjdoom
Episode 27 of Fantastic Fights finds us back in science fiction territory with Star Strider. As a rogue tracer our hero is tasked with roguishly tracing a kidnapped politician on a future Earth that has become considerably weirder than our present day. Will the rogue tracer be able to dodge deadly androids and some brutally random dice based challenges and escape to save the galaxy from the wily Gromulans? Listen along to find out.
If you like this podcast why not leave a review or a rating on your podcast provider of choice? It really helps other people discover the podcast and that makes me feel less like I’m screaming gibberish in a vast empty room.
HJDoom plays through the 1987 adventure gamebook Crypt of the Sorcerer and offers his thoughts. Two apologies, one for the lateness of the episode and the other for the sound quality which is very uneven throughout. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this tour through some familiar areas in Allansia and a classic Ian Livingstone list of items and other clues to find.
It’s time for another bonus episode brought to you by the generosity of my patrons over at patreon.com/hjdoom. This time we’re playing Sagas of the Demonspawn Book One: Fire*Wolf written by the tireless JH Brennan. We’ve tangled with this creator before, he’s the author of the well regarded Grailquest series and a very, very odd riff on the story of Frankenstein. Where does this land in terms of his incredibly variable quality? Listen along with an increasingly confused HJDoom to find out.
Episode 25 of the podcast means two years of regular episodes and what better way to celebrate than with Beneath Nightmare Castle, the 1987 Fighting Fantasy book written by Peter Darvill-Evans with interior art by Dave Carson. This is an interesting book because it feels like a return to classic Fighting Fantasy tropes while still pushing the design in new and interesting directions. Will our hapless hero manage that elusive first time win?
If you’re enjoying this podcast and want to support my nonsense then you can do so by going to patreon.com/hjdoom.
It’s bonus time again and this epiosde is a bit different because the book in question, The Cruel Game, was actually specially written for me by my husband as a birthday present last year. It’s a gamebook about playing in the finals of the World Snooker Championship, a grueling best of 35 frames that is played over two days. As well as the on table action (including a shot at a 147 break) the gamebook also features plenty of intrigue off the table as well. It was written by Dr Marcus E Law and he has graciously allowed me to cover it on the podcast and also send a copy out to all my patrons. If you’d like your own copy (along with all the stuff that I’ve written as patron bonus material) all you have to do is go to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledge as little as single pound or local equivalent. It’s entirely thanks to the support of my patrons that I’m able to release bonus content like this free to everyone.
HJDoom is back with the second part of Creature of Havoc. Our bumbling and monstrous hero has successfully traversed the dungeons of Zharradan Marr and made its way out into the big wide world. What happens next? Listen in to find out. There’s also a mildly exciting announcement of a new patreon reward, and the even more mildly exciting announcement that I have a new EP out. It’s 4 tracks of dungeon synth recorded on a digital version of a cheap 1980s Casio synth. It’s free to download and you can find it at https://malesperi.bandcamp.com/album/where-graves-are-empty
Creature of Havoc looms large in the canon of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. It’s often considered as the single best book in the whole run. Join HJDoom as he plays through the opening half and tries to keep a clear head in the face of a book throwing all manner of different things into the mix. The more observant among you will also have noticed that this is labelled part 1. That’s because this is a book so expansive that only a second episode can possibly contain the awesome totality of this tome. I’ll be aiming to record the second episode sooner rather than later but I’m also in the middle of deadline hell there may be some delay. Regardless Steve Jackson has delivered something truly special with this one and Alan Langford’s clean art makes a fantastic contrast to the obtuseness of the text.
If you’d like to support my nonsense you can do so by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a thin English pound (or local equivalent).
It’s bonus episode time again! This time we’re playing through Dave Morris’s seminal Heart of Ice, often touted as the very finest adventure gamebook of all time. It’s the 24th century and Earth has gone very strange indeed as a quixotic computer messes with the climate and the human race clings to an increasingly precarious existence. These bonus episodes, which are free to everyone, are only made possible by the generosity of my patrons. If you’d like to contribute to the running of this podcast, as well as getting a few freebies, then you can do so at patreon.com/hjdoom.
This episode was recorded in a haze of painkillers and sciatic pain but edited in a much clearer frame of mind thanks to having spinal surgery last week. Hopefully this means that something approaching normal service may now be resumed for the rest of the year. We’re playing through Masks of Mayhem this episode, which was written by Robin Waterfield, the author of Rebel Planet and illustrated by the great Russ Nicholson. It marks a welcome return to the classic style of Fighting Fantasy books that the series popularity was built on. There’s a quest to be done and a journey to be taken and many deadly encounters along the way. There’s also an update on patron rewards which were completed shortly before I recorded this episode. I hope you enjoy it.
We’re back of familiar ground after two bonus episodes with Fighting Fantasy book 22, Robot Commando. Aside from having the single greatest elevator pitch in the history of Fighting Fantasy (“What would you do if you were a rancher on a distant planet using robots to herd vicious dinosaurs?”) Robot Commando sees a welcome return to the series for the American Steve Jackson, these days most famous as the designer of Munchkin. Will this be as innovative as his two previous books, Scorpion Swamp and Demons of the Deep? Listen along to find out. Robot Commando was published in 1987 by Puffin Books. It was illustrated by Gary Mayes with awesome cover art by David Martin.
You can support my work by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single UK pound.
This episode is a very special bonus episode in which HJDoom plays through the opening of Lone Eons, the solo play rules for the Lost Eons RPG by David Blandy. This solarpunk game imagines a future society 8000 years in the future. I recently had the opportunity to help develop a supplement for Lost Eons called Land of Iron, a system agnostic setting created by residents of Northamptonshire in collaboration with David Blandy and NN Contemporary Art. You can download a copy of Land of Iron here: https://nn.librarystack.org/lost-eons-land-of-iron/
Normal service will be resumed next week. I’ll be recording a new episde and releasing it before the end of the month. This is merely a bonus on top of a bonus.
Curiouser and curiouser, t’s bonus episode time again! This time, and with kind permission of the author, we’re taking a look at a 2015 gamebook by Jonathan Green and Kev Crossly based on some of the finest children’s literature of all time. Join your host HJDoom for a strange tour round Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland. This is a steam punk riff on the Lewis Carroll classic and makes for one of the most unique bonus gamebook’s we’ve so far covered. Green has written a selection of other titles based on classic works of fiction, all of which can be found in the usual book places if you look hard enough.
This episode is made possible because people support me on patreon.com. If you want to be like them and receive a copy of my gamebook House of the Unquiet Dead you can do so by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound.
It’s a massive episode to start off 2022 as HJDoom takes on the new and improved Deathtrap Dungeon in 1986’s Trial of Champions. This book also sees the welcome of Ian Livingstone to the franchise, having not penned a gamebook since Temple of Terror. Baron Sukumvit’s eviller sibling Carnuss is determined to find a worthy challenger to beat his brother’s monstrous creation no matter how many people he has to kill along the way. To even get the chance to face the dungeon you must first face the Arena of Death. Will our hero triumph? Just how long is he prepared to talk about the minutiae of gamebook design? Find out by listening along.
Fantastic Fights is only possible thanks to the generous souls who support me on patreon. Everyone who supports me gets a copy of my own adventure gamebook, House of the Unquiet Dead, as well as whatever other gaming nonsense I end up writing in 2022. Pledge as little as one UK pound here: www.patreon.com/hjdoom
HJDoom tries, and fails to conquer yet another Fighting Fantasy book. There's also an update about the adventure gamebook I have been writing for the last several months.
This episode is very excting for me as I delve into a series that I don't know as well as I would like, the Lone Wolf series by Joe Dever and Gary Chalk. Literally several people have asked me when I'll get around to covering these books and, for them, the wait is over. If you like what you hear then consider supporting the podcast at www.patreon.com/hjdoom. All my patrons will be receiving an adventure gamebook at Christmas penned by my own fair hand.
Things take a soggy turn as HJDoom bravely dives into an undersea Fighting Fantasy book written by the American rather than the British Steve Jackson. His last book for Fighting Fantasy was more interesting than good so can he manage to nail the tone on his sophomore outing? Listen in to find out. Demons of the Deep was published in 1986 by Puffin Books with internal art by Bob Harvey and a cover illustration by Les Edwards. I also provide an update on the adventure game book I’m writing which will be sent out to my patrons at Christmas. You can join their ranks by going to www.patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as 1 English pound.
Rebel Planet by Robin Waterfield is another attempt to tackle a science fiction setting. That's not been something with a storied history in Fighting Fantasy but perhaps a fresh pen will lead to a better outcome than previous attempts. It's got all the pieces, an evil alien empire, a desperate race against time, spy stuff, laser swords, and more but can the author assemble them into a satisfying jigsaw? Rebel Planet was published by Puffin books in 1985 with illustrations by Gary Mayes and cover art by Alan Craddock. If you're enjoying my nonsense and want an adventure gamebook penned by my own fair hand then you can do so by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single English pound.
It’s bonus episode time again as HJDoom tries an adventure gamebook where finding the correct solution could have won you a holiday to a Disney theme park. Steeleye and the Lost Magic is weird combination of choose your own adventure and crossword puzzle as you fumble around a surreally fantastic world in search of the clues that will unlock the secrets of the magic which can save a mystical valley. Will our intrepid hero manage to solve puzzles aimed at the under 12s or will this be yet another humiliation for a grown who is already spending his free time embarassing himself in public? This episode was made possible by my generous supporters at patreon.com/hjdoom.
New ground broken yet again in the Fighting Fantasy series as we don our very silliest clothes and commit a variety of crimes against people and property with the enthusiastic support of the local police department. HJDoom plays through this classic Fighting Fantasy book with a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the basic premise. Will he succeed despite his disdain for superheros as a cultural phenomenon? Listen along to find out. There’s also some exciting patron news about a forthcoming project. Appointment with F.E.A.R. was written by Steve Jackson and published in 1985 by Puffin Books
Hot on the heels of our last bonus episode comes this playthrough of the pirate themed adventure gamebook Seas of Blood by Andrew Chapman. Join HJDoom for a desperate race against the clock and also another pirate as we rob and pillage our way round the Inland Sea. Ships will fight ships! Ships will fight monsters! Excitement and adventure of all kinds will be had! With plenty of new systems to chew on there’s a lot going on in this adventure gamebook but will our less than intrepid hero by crowned King of the Pirates? Listen along to find out.
It’s another bonus episode featuring the work of JH Brennan, author of the Grailquest book we covered in our last bonus episode. This time he’s taking on gothic horror in the form of an ambitious adventure gamebook that you can play either as Baron Frankenstein or his monstrous creation. There’s big ideas everywhere in this one but can he manage to stick the landing and maintain an appropriately gothic tone? Find out by listening! Special thanks to a new patron, Saul Alexander. You can be like him by going to patreon.com/hjdoom and pledging as little as a single english pound.
Worry abounds as episode 15 takes us into space, the natural home of terrible Fighting Fantasy boos. Worse still, this book is by Andrew Chapman who penned the surreally awful Space Assassin. Is this the book that proves Fighting Fantasy in space can work? The answer is basically yes! But don't just take my word for it, listen to the episde too or I've wasted even more of my life than usual.
Join HJDoom for this playthough of 1985's Temple of Terror by Ian Livingstone as he returns to his comfort zone of rock hard dungeons and beautifully realised wilderness encounters. Will our dauntless hero succeed in finding the five dragon artefacts necessary to thwart a genocidal wizard? Will he even make it alive to the temple portion of the terror? Listen along to find out.
Wizards! Knights! A village! Possibly an actual dragon! This bonus episode sees us adventuring in mythical Avalon as we are dispatched by the wizard Merlin to deal with a pesky Brass Dragon that is terrorising the realm. Featuring a lengthy introduction and then a modicum of actual play. I hope you enjoy. Support the podcast, if you fancy, by going to patreon.com/hjdoom
Broom Broom! We're diving into an armour plated vehicle and jousting with vagabonds in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Join HJDoom on this thrilling excursion into a homage to Mad Max. Will our noble hero succeed in his oddly low stakes mission to bring home some fuel. Listen in to find out.
We're off to Space! But not to actually assassinate anyone. Brace yourselves because this one gets very strange indeed and pushes your host to the limits of his tolerance for old adventure gamebooks. Space Assassin was written by Andrew Chapman with internal art by Geoffrey Senior. Listen to the end for some insights into the somewhat strange origin story of this quirky and unique entry in the Fighting Fantasy canon.
Join me as I play through a gamebook written by the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, Gary Gygax, and a key creator of many 80s cartoons Flint Dille. Monsters and mystery will abound in Sagard's quest.
Fantastic Fights is back in fantasy territory but keeping things fresh with a new pair of creators to the franchise. Matt Smith and Jamie Thomson, creator of the Way of the Tiger series of adventure gamebooks, take us on a tour of their own fantasy world Orb. How badly will I mess this one up? Listen along to find out.
Join HJDoom for a spooktacular journey into the insane rabbit warrens of Earl Drumer’s crumbling family home, a home that is rammed to the gills with all manner of occult shennanigans. This episode marks the first Fighting Fantasy book to tackle horror head on and it’s a straight up classic. Vampires, ghosts, lots and lots of zombies. The House of Hell has it all. If you’d like to help me make more adventure gamebook content then you can support me on patreon at www.patreon.com/hjdoom. Happy listening.
In this bonus episode I'm taking on the most powerful man in the universe in the form of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. This is pure self-indulgent nostalgia but I hope you enjoy. This episode is made possible by the generosity of my patrons. If you'd like to join that august body and ensure a steady stream of bonus episodes you can do so at patreon.com/hjdoom
Join HJDoom as he attempts to deal with some unfinished business with Ian Livingstone's Caverns of the Snow Witch. Will he succeed? Listen along to find out. You should probably listen to the first episode of Caverns of the Snow Witch before diving into this one.
Join your ever optimistic host HJDoom as he embarks on a freezing journey through some of the most inhospitable terrain yet featured on Fantastic Fights. Mammoths, Frost Giants, and surly dwarves abound in this deadly quest to defeat the abominable yeti and plunge into the mysterious lair of the even more mysterious snow witch. Will our hero make it out alive? What is the best flavour of crisps to eat when you’re nearly dead? Some of these questions may possibly be answered as you listen along.
It’s bonus episode time again and this time we’re taking a look at Raid on Nightmare Castle, part of the Endless Quest series released by TSR in the 1980s as a kind of introduction to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Will we survive our trip into a world of talking animals and portly elves? Listen in to find out.
American game designer Steve Jackson, cursed from birth with the same name as English Fighting Fantasy creator Steve Jackson, wrote Scorpion Swamp, the first entry in the series not to be written by either of the creators of Fighting Fantasy. Will a fresh approach provide a welcome change of pace or will messing with the formula lead to chaos? Listen along to find out.
If you'd like to support the show and generate bonus episodes then you can do so at patreon.com/hjdoom.
A full playthrough of the Doctor Who: Decide Your Own Destiny book featuring the tenth doctor and Martha.
HJDoom invites you to join him in a truly epic playthrough of Ian Livingstone's Island of the Lizard King the 1984 advnture gamebook from the Fighting Fantasy series.
It's bonus episode time again as I reveal my first and significantly less successful playthrough of Deathtrap Dungeon. Enjoy me sucking very hard at this most challenging of gamebooks.
HJDoom is back with another classic Fighting Fantasy playthrough. This time he takes on the terrifying labyrinth of horror and sudden death that is the infamous Deathtrap Dungeon by Ian Livingstone. Will he succeed where thousands have failed? Find out by listening.
We’re taking an urban turn this episode as we embark on the quest to defeat an evil creature with a very silly name. Along the way we’ll get our pockets picked, nick a selection of broaches, tangle with pirates, and have one of the all time classic fantasy roleplaying encounters as we battle giant rats in the sewers beneath Port Blacksand. Is this the greatest setting in all of Fighting Fantasy? Possibly. Will I record the first ever legitimate win? It’s very unlikely but never say never.
If you’d like to support me as I continue my doomed quest to remember what it was like to have hope and things to look forward to you can do so by going to https://www.patreon.com/Hjdoom and pledging as little as £1 per month.
In which our less than intrepid hero boldly goes where he went once before in the late 1980s and plays through Steve Jackson's Starship Traveller.
As lockdown eases here in the UK I’ve been making sure I get plenty of vitamin D by taking a lengthy stroll through the Forest of Doom, the very first Fighting Fantasy book I ever played as a child. Along the way we’ll behave impolitely towards an APE-MAN, rescue an ungrateful BARBARIAN and make the usual number of stupid or very stupid decisions as we try and find a magical dwarven warhammer in the mysterious and spooky forest. Will we make it through the trials and tribulations of the first Fighting Fantasy book set in the great outdoors? There’s only one way to find out.
Fantastic Fights and Where to Find Them returns with Citadel of Chaos, the second book in the Fighting Fantasy series and the first to be written solo by Steve Jackson. With an exciting new magic system to play with our dauntless yet dim hero be able to conquer the citadel and vanquish the villainous Balthus Dire? Will we find out what a demi-sorcerer actually is? The only way to find out is by listening.