Haven't been writing many adventures recently, but I have written this, if you ever wanted to know what the Pit was like...

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/270695/Rough-Guide-to-the-Pit

Haoie
Thu Apr 25 00:50:42 2019

Bandersnatch was fairly interesting. I'm glad it gave gamebooks some good exposure!

Aguyofdown
Mon May 13 12:22:53 2019

Tammy your latest adventures are amazing!!! Especially the deaths... 💀💀💀

Robert Douglas
Sun May 19 15:58:27 2019

Regarding 'death' entries, years ago fans on FF.com were asked to choose their favourite gruesome endings! After a while the trademark final sentence, 'your adventure is over!' became somewhat over-used and ruined the effect; the penultimate sentence was much more final, for example: 'the quicksand tugs your body down to the murky depths of a slimy grave....' It could either trail off or end with a simple full stop. One of my most memorable deaths was from 'Beneath Nightmare Castle', taken captive (for a second time), and subject to a contest called 'Stonedrop' as described on entry 157.

Phil Sadler
Sun May 19 16:53:38 2019

I almost always favour a '...' for my death paragraphs and I don't think I've ever used a 'your adventure ends here' or something similar because it's blatantly obvious and kinda overused.

Robert Douglas
Thu Jun 6 20:35:31 2019

Walked barefoot through Preston last week. Were they understanding? Of course not. But second day I returned and that occasion walked proudly along, a healthy mix of nonchalance and supreme confidence, iPod music a most pleasant distraction, an emotional boost. First occasion I got told off for going into the Fishergate shopping centre - strangest thing, that's never happened to me in other shopping centres, supermarkets, or train stations (including the Underground). Shame, it looked such a nice place, very clean and stylish! Under the circumstances, perhaps a bit TOO posh for my liking. Reminds me of a time when one of my aunts stayed in a hotel, but she couldn't settle: it was just TOO posh for her! There was a lovely piano but nobody was allowed to play it. A fine instrument, just sitting there, gathering dust, apparently too delicate to touch. I hate that sort of thing, very wasteful. Anyway, despite the occasional prejudice and people too scared to chat with me about my barefoot lifestyle, I enjoyed popping into some of the shops, bought a couple of things, returned back to where I was staying.

bcyy
Mon Jun 10 02:30:40 2019

@Robert

True, lots of things in life just seem to be wasteful beyond reason or purpose.

I never understood the rationale behind people buying $1000 suits, when I do just fine with a $10 T-shirt. Nor do I see the point of decorative chocolate fountains, when water fountains would do just as well aesthetically, and are far more practical. Ever tried to wash anything in liquid chocolate? As for certain places where local law demands that workplaces be cooled to 17 degrees Celsius in summer and heated to 34 degrees Celsius in winter, I really don't even know what to say...

Robert Douglas
Tue Jun 11 15:36:45 2019

@bcyy,
I understand what you're saying. Another thing is how M&S food products are much more expensive than cheaper priced goods from rival supermarkets - and yet, often as not the latter tastes just as good if not better! I suppose it's mostly down to personal preference. Lidl has some great bargains, especially remember a tub of peach yoghurt that was deliciously creamy. But not so much a particular pasta sauce - it was watery and not altogether pleasant - and didn't match up to well-known, admittedly more expensive brands. Some things are hit and miss whatever the cost. Hmm, sounds like a worthy proverb.

bcyy
Wed Jun 12 02:01:19 2019

@Robert

Marks & Spencer, Lidl a good bargain...
Sounds like you live in the UK. :-)

My only experience with Lidl was in Germany, where I got a lot of high-quality products, including a bottle of passionfruit juice and some local cheese. It didn't strike me as being a bargain, though. I am more used to the prices of Metro when it comes to German supermarkets.

Just to keep this conversation appropriate for this forum, can you believe that I once picked up two brand new copies of Creature of Havoc for the equivalent of $1.50 each? Now that's a bargain!

Also, if we're talking about prices instead of resources expended, I can provide yet another pretty extreme example: I am entitled to heavily subsidised housing, which costs me only $20/month (yes, 20, not a typo) to rent, and which I take maximum advantage of. Many of my colleagues, who also have access to the same subsidised housing, however, choose to buy houses priced at $400/sqft instead.

Andrew Wright
Thu Jun 20 01:05:01 2019

Hey Fighting Fantasy fans! You can get a PDF copy of the third sequel to Out of the Pit, entitled Return to the Pit, at Bundle of Holding, where it is on sale with a bunch of Advanced Fighting Fantasy second edition PDFs:

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/MoreAFF

Robert Douglas
Thu Jul 18 01:41:32 2019

I've spotted on Amazon 'Assassins of Allansia' by Ian Livingstone. It will be released in September of this year. I'm wondering if Charlie Higson and Jonathan Green might be doing any more FF? Since they've clearly dropped the 'Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone presents...' from the cover of Scholastics titles (but not the FF logo), would it be possible for commissioned authors from the original Puffin series to return with ideas they didn't have a chance to have published during the mid-90's FF crash? I read on Titannica that Stephen Hand was at that time planning a third gamebook titled 'Blood of the Mandrakes'; wouldn't it be great if we had another 'Bloodbones' moment (or even several previously cancelled gamebooks) beginning to appear under Scholastic label! However, in the world of publishing, I'm not sure how realistic that would be. If asked, would the commissioned authors return to FF? Or are they to busy with other projects nowadays?

Stuart Lloyd
Fri Jul 19 05:10:20 2019

I heard that Stephen Hand wants nothing more to do with Fighting Fantasy. What would be cool is if some of the books here got the print treatment. However I'm sceptical as they seem to be aiming their books at a childrens' market now.

Robert Douglas
Fri Jul 19 11:22:01 2019

If true, that's a shame about Stephen Hand - he did some great adventures. Legend of the Shadow Warriors was one of my favourite FF titles. I was at Sixth Form college when it was released, bought it from a local bookshop during a free period. Distant memories, better days. 'Blood of the Mandrakes' would have evoked such fond memories.

Andrew Wright
Tue Jul 23 03:10:54 2019

Finally, the print version of Return to the Pit is available. You can get hardback or softcover versions of this second sequel to Out of the Pit, along with a free PDF, here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/279487/Return-to-the-Pit

Yaztromo
Sun Aug 25 12:52:05 2019

Return of the Pit is the biggest FF monster repository so far.... a beauty!

Robert Douglas
Sun Dec 15 20:37:22 2019

Two men fighting over the last turkey in the shop....a shoving match in the local pub on Xmas Eve....some cars involved in a pile-up because the drivers were rushing to buy Xmas presents....a general election that has marred and dominated the seasonal spirit... These things I've heard of or witnessed over the years and recently I've been thinking: at this rate, we might as well spend Xmas in Port Blacksand - at least we know where we stand! As a young boy I enjoyed Xmas time (and not just because of the lovely presents, there was a magical feel to it all) but such talk of 'peace and goodwill' is farcical at best. It's a nice sentiment, but regrettably nowadays rarely practised.

bcyy
Mon Dec 16 06:51:57 2019

@Robert
Well, it's true that some people seem to treat Xmas as a formality these days, and pretend to be happy instead of actually being so. I was horrified by a guy a few weeks ago, who claimed that he was dreading going home for Christmas, because he didn't know what presents he was going to buy. Wouldn't it be better if we had an opt-out mechanism for people who do not want this festival?

Robert Douglas
Tue Dec 17 20:52:03 2019

Hi bcyy,
You're right about the opt-out, especially when Xmas has just got too commercialised and traditions are imposed rather than entertained. I went round the supermarket today - yes, even in winter I still love going barefoot! - and nobody seemed happy nor receptive to conversation. There was one young lady who was singing along to one of the tannoy Xmas numbers (I forget now which one), this made me take notice and I gave a slight smile in acknowledgement to apparent her Xmas cheer - but she didn't seem at all bothered to chat! Inwardly, I just shrugged 'oh well' and thought it a great shame, like an opportunity lost, and moved on. I can relate to the scene below (hopefully with the webmeister's permission):
https://youtu.be/TIMmdsU9n5o

bcyy
Mon Dec 23 04:42:51 2019

@Robert,

Forgive me for saying this, but have you ever considered going to another country? Your current one really doesn't seem to be working for you. It seems to me that your current surroundings demand a very strict dress code, which you're simply never going to follow, whereas not every country in the world is as snobbish as that.

You might have to give up going barefoot for a while (it is unwise to expose your feet to an environment you do not know well), but in all the other aspects, I'm sure it will be worth it.

Robert Douglas
Tue Dec 24 00:57:56 2019

Hi bcyy,
Trust me, I'll never give up being a barefooter. I was just saying how even if I was being receptive, sometimes it's a shame it isn't well received. Many - but not all - UK people can be snobby about bare feet, but New Zealand (one of a few countries you'd pointed out) accept it as part of their culture. And while not 100% safe, it's much safer than UK pavements. One worrying thing is that Auckland is now being conservative towards the lifestyle.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Xmas, or a Celtic Solstice, or....a Titan winter festival!

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