The book with a multiplayer first-person shooter inside

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  • Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,2 тис.

  • @QuestingBeast
    @QuestingBeast  2 роки тому +498

    Subscribe to the newsletter for a chance to win a copy of Ace of Aces!: bit.ly/TheGlatisant
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    • @powersave2
      @powersave2 2 роки тому +16

      FYI There is also a second twin book set in this series, and all four are available online for free in PDF form thanks to ann archive & the Project Aon License.

    • @davemarx7856
      @davemarx7856 Рік тому +3

      There's a certain joy in making your own maps

    • @jamielehn6926
      @jamielehn6926 Рік тому +2

      There was another one (sci fi) which was a dog fight in the air!

    • @jamielehn6926
      @jamielehn6926 Рік тому +1

      I had both of these - there was single player version

    • @MadGameBoy
      @MadGameBoy Рік тому +6

      This videos only 11 days old and both amazon links are now sold out with no way to tell what they sold for

  • @philipramirez5406
    @philipramirez5406 2 роки тому +10022

    This gives me hope that one day I will find a book that I can play Doom on

    • @shuvodipbarua6001
      @shuvodipbarua6001 Рік тому +866

      Running doom on flipbooks at 120 fps

    • @Grimnoire
      @Grimnoire Рік тому +223

      @@shuvodipbarua6001 o.o thas a big book...

    • @JamesTDG
      @JamesTDG Рік тому +241

      Each level would need to be a new book

    • @ridhosamudro2199
      @ridhosamudro2199 Рік тому +193

      Knee-deep in pages

    • @michaels.3709
      @michaels.3709 Рік тому +42

      Underrated comment. Had me cracking up. 😆

  • @Bluecho4
    @Bluecho4 2 роки тому +5774

    This is blowing my mind. It's a Choose-Your-Own First Person Shooter, that is Multiplayer(!), but also has concurrent Single Player Modes (that are different depending on which book of the pair you're playing). AND it not only has multiplayer, but has a Campaign Mode.
    All while being 90% full page illustrations. And it all has to work together in a coherent way within itself, AND with its partner book.
    The amount of work that must have gone into not only producing this book, but doing so in a way that gives replay value, is astounding. They could have just made this a simple game that wears thin after a few runs. But they went the extra mile to give the player their money's worth.

    • @chaotickreg7024
      @chaotickreg7024 2 роки тому +331

      The amount of math and theory that goes into making complex games like this boggle my mind.

    • @agnidas5816
      @agnidas5816 2 роки тому +196

      @@chaotickreg7024 wait till you hear that the person designing this didn't look at the math - they did it by feel the way most high level things like this are done : same as in music and visual arts. There isn't really a combination or something spectacular here requiring formulas to run it behind the scenes so it will work.

    • @chaotickreg7024
      @chaotickreg7024 2 роки тому +13

      @@agnidas5816 And how do you know that??

    • @Kozelek
      @Kozelek 2 роки тому +18

      @Gany J I don't agree that this game invented the first person shooter genre, though... Maze Wars existed since 1973: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maze_(1973_video_game)

    • @seussusamongoose2905
      @seussusamongoose2905 2 роки тому +89

      @@chaotickreg7024 because the author Dever says he just did it all intuitively. When he got stuck on what page number to use in a specific place, he just flipped through the stuff he’d already finished writing to figure it out. There was no massive number table, map or design brief beyond what’s presented to you in the two books

  • @RogerTheil
    @RogerTheil Рік тому +4664

    As a game designer, this concept is actually my deepest dream come true. I'm thrilled someone has actually realized this style of gameplay.

    • @ittixen
      @ittixen Рік тому +115

      Same! I spent hours trying to work out ways to make interactive games on paper. This is inspirational.

    • @RocKM001
      @RocKM001 Рік тому +79

      The way the complexity of these Game Books grew as the genre blew up back in the day until video games took over was really great to see. You went from basic branching paths, to rpg campaigns and then expanded combat systems. Those were really the days of folks merging books and gameplay.

    • @shitheadjohnson2797
      @shitheadjohnson2797 Рік тому +16

      @@ittixen i was running around in school with my friends designing these on paper, i wasnt the only one making them. it was pretty cool.

    • @ronnielyn19
      @ronnielyn19 Рік тому +4

      ive been making games on paper since i was a kid where its sipposed to be interactive but i kept failing. i love the fact that THIS BOOK EXIST. my joy is immeasurable:'))

    • @ronnielyn19
      @ronnielyn19 Рік тому +1

      @@ittixen YOU TOO??

  • @primusinterpares5767
    @primusinterpares5767 2 роки тому +2092

    It's crazy how creative some people are. This is awesome!

    • @WindiChilliwack
      @WindiChilliwack Рік тому +6

      I always love choose your own adventure books, I tried to recreate the entire ZORK-1 dungeon and areas since i was 13 when i first played it xD

    • @usernameonutube
      @usernameonutube Рік тому

      Wut?

  • @ericjome7284
    @ericjome7284 2 роки тому +1770

    There is also a Scarlet Sorcerer and Emerald Enchanter pair in the Combat Heroes series.

    • @ericb3157
      @ericb3157 2 роки тому +28

      yes, i've seen those in a store LONG ago.

    • @VorpalDerringer
      @VorpalDerringer 2 роки тому +9

      Very cool.

    • @Apeiron242
      @Apeiron242 2 роки тому +16

      I played those!
      Fucking brilliant.

    • @tgillies101
      @tgillies101 2 роки тому +26

      My grade 4 teacher back in 1990 gave me a copy of Scarlett Sorcerer for free. Started my love of fantasy reading.

    • @magma2050
      @magma2050 2 роки тому +7

      I remember that pair in my school library from years back. They had a dogfight battle, like the original books that inspired the series. I wonder how similar they are?

  • @HitsujiMamoru
    @HitsujiMamoru Рік тому +1856

    When you want to make a videogame, you don't know how to program, but you know how to draw.
    This needs to be reprint or get a spiritual successor. Mind-blowing.

    • @tissuepaper9962
      @tissuepaper9962 Рік тому +184

      This game *is* a program, software doesn't have to exist on a computer. This is software whose instruction set is compatible with the human mind. Just 20 years before this book, all programming was done on paper and software didn't make it's way anywhere near a computer until it was complete or nearly complete.

    • @HitsujiMamoru
      @HitsujiMamoru Рік тому +84

      @@tissuepaper9962 one probably didn’t have to be pedantic about it when it’s clear they understood the point I was trying to make. Thanks for the history lesson and widened perspective though.

    • @tissuepaper9962
      @tissuepaper9962 Рік тому +73

      @@HitsujiMamoru I wasn't trying to "correct" you or be a pedant, I just disagree with the false dichotomy you're drawing between programming and the "creative" arts. Making this book is fundamentally the same skill as writing a program for an electronic computer. The real game is in the boxes under the drawings. The drawings themselves are merely mnemonic devices to help keep the player oriented.

    • @HitsujiMamoru
      @HitsujiMamoru Рік тому +43

      @@tissuepaper9962 right. I see what you mean now. The way I wrote it does sound like I was doing a hierarchy with books at the bottom and computers at the top. Everyone got what I meant but it still sounds like it.
      Thanks for correcting me. I will be more careful.

    • @glegolas5008
      @glegolas5008 Рік тому +5

      I know right? Creativity to the fullest!

  • @jaksantio1441
    @jaksantio1441 Рік тому +334

    The saddest part of this video is that dear Joe Dever is no longer with us, and all known available copies of these books have been bought out. The few that remain go for HUNDREDS of dollars, and I'm sure that this video has had an impact on their desirability. Shame I only learned about them now or I would’ve spared little expense to get my hands on all 4. P.S. the other 2 are called "Scarlet Sorcerer" and "Emerald Enchanter"

    • @jigglypuff3311
      @jigglypuff3311 Рік тому +34

      Its a shame someone doesnt copy it to the internet so somebody can do some reprints

    • @beans4269
      @beans4269 Рік тому +6

      @@jigglypuff3311 I really hope someone will. We need to ask people

    • @LukacsyGergely
      @LukacsyGergely Рік тому +43

      John Dever generously offered some of his books to Project Aon to be distributed online for free.
      Luckily, the Black Baron & White Warlord books are amongst them, and you can download the PDF versions of these books here:
      www.projectaon.org/en/Main/BlackBaron
      www.projectaon.org/en/Main/WhiteWarlord
      Cheers!

    • @zephyrw2173
      @zephyrw2173 Рік тому +17

      @@jigglypuff3311 Someone did! Look at Project Aon and they have ALL the Joe Dever books as downloadable PDFs and a guide on how to play them

    • @badlanding0529
      @badlanding0529 Рік тому

      @@LukacsyGergely Thank you!

  • @vladt7150
    @vladt7150 2 роки тому +896

    The second 'Combat Heroes' pair ("Scarlet Sorcerer"/"Emerald Enchanter") is basically a fantasy version of 'Aces of Aces' with magical flying ships (right down to the 8 way view points and pseudo-hex map movement scheme); the solo adventure in both books is a map crawl where you are trying to find the magic gem your recently deceased mentor has hidden before the Deathlord finds it and conquers your homeland - the adventure has a time limit, where you need to find the gem within (I think) 30 in-game days as you travel the map, looking for clues as to the gem's location.
    As an aside, the creators of the 'Way of the Tiger' gamebook series (Mark Smith & Jamie Thompson) also created a 'One on One' series of books called 'Duel Master', which were more like a traditional text-based gamebook (vs the graphic based ones like 'Combat Heroes', 'Lost Worlds', etc), but used several Time based mechanics and code words to track a Player's location and progress;
    • "Challenge of the Magi" involved dueling mages travelling through a series of dimensions based on the five colours of Magic to collect resources and to ambush their rival ( before M:tG was even a thing) ;
    • "Blood Valley" involved one player being a slave (a Barbarian, a Thief or a Priest ) that has been released by the other player (who plays the cruel Archveult, a demonic/dragon-kin like being who rules the Valley and who conducts an annual hunt for their own pleasure), with the slave trying to either escape the valley or gather enough resources to turn the tables on their hunter and destroy them;
    • "The Shattered Realm" involves the players being the heads of two kingdoms fated by prophecy to go to war, with one annihilating the other - the first part being you and the other player trying to establish alliances with the neighbouring kingdoms (to get them to add their troops to your standing army), and the second part being the actual battle which takes place on a square grid);
    • "The Arena of Death" involves the players being Gladiators in the Arena of Mortavalon, who alternate between stalking each other in an above ground colosseum (divided into 4 areas), and a massive underground complex filled with traps, threats and potential allies who can assist the gladiators.
    Each set except "Blood Valley" have rules for solo play (though it's usually nothing more complex that rolling a die to if the "other player" has a specific code word or not)
    If you (and your kid) feel up for a slightly more complicated challenge, I recommend looking out for the 'Duel Master' series on the usual second hand book places (just make sure you're getting Books 1 *and* 2 of each set if playing two player). 👍

    • @seussusamongoose2905
      @seussusamongoose2905 2 роки тому +17

      Veritable treasure trove, I don’t need to speculate about these anymore. Ty

    • @sticklyboi
      @sticklyboi Рік тому +7

      s឴top឴ i m឴i឴gh឴t឴ c឴u឴m឴

    • @HIIH31
      @HIIH31 Рік тому

      Nioce

    • @lAmGhostly
      @lAmGhostly Рік тому +1

      Holy nerd, what the hell did you just say

    • @balbalofficial8212
      @balbalofficial8212 Рік тому +6

      This is the strangest rabbit hole I've discovered myself in!

  • @adamjchafe
    @adamjchafe 2 роки тому +420

    This is such a wild concept. Game designers brains blow me away sometimes!

  • @drewdederer8965
    @drewdederer8965 2 роки тому +343

    Lost Worlds was the largest block of these. Most were based off of Grenadier miniatures, but they also did Battle Tech (with somewhat different rules). There were also Ace of Aces books for Star Wars. AND there is also the Japanese "Queens Blade" series of books (which came about when the lost worlds idea was carried overseas by Flying Buffalo). Where you can not only injure your opponent, you can damage their clothing (and dignity). This system was biggest in the 80s and early 90s, but it keeps coming back..

    • @urfaes6878
      @urfaes6878 2 роки тому +11

      Lost Worlds, I remember, but I regret never having bought the BattleTech books because I am currently very interested in BattleTech.

    • @donwebster9292
      @donwebster9292 2 роки тому

      I think I have 10 of the lost worlds or so.

    • @Malcadon
      @Malcadon 2 роки тому +5

      I remember finding a SHD-2H Shadowhawk Data Card in a box of old RPG and wargame sets 20 years ago not knowing what it was for. In the same box, I found the 2nd edition Battletach rulebook and was surprise by how awesomely post-apocalyptic the pre-Clan Invasion era was (I was never a fan of the Clans or Helm Core tech, so that made me reject them even more). As for the Data Card, I found it neat that you had options like high & low laser attacks, duck, cool down, wild swing and the like, as well as combat skills for each type/class of weapon, including hand-to-hand. Until I found PDFs of the Nova Games gamebooks floating online some ten years ago, all the numbers on the card made no sense to me. Its a neat rule set and I wish you could have battlemechs function a little more like in the Nova books (sans the messy CYOA setup).

    • @AllanGoodall
      @AllanGoodall 2 роки тому +3

      There was a Star Wars Lost Worlds game, called Lightsaber Duel. It features Luke and Vader from Return of the Jedi facing off against each other. I still have my copy.

    • @urfaes6878
      @urfaes6878 2 роки тому +1

      @@AllanGoodall I had that one, too! I remember thinking how awesome it was back then.

  • @1rez378
    @1rez378 2 роки тому +59

    Finally we can run Doom in a book

  • @KeterHirameki
    @KeterHirameki Рік тому +354

    I had no idea this existed and it's absolutely incredible, I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must've been for the writers to make something like this.

    • @superslavbross9935
      @superslavbross9935 Рік тому +9

      same! its absolutely mind blowing imo! amount of hard work,talent and creativity (with limited resources in that case books/paper) at the all time high.

    • @gamdanyunizar7849
      @gamdanyunizar7849 Рік тому +8

      @@superslavbross9935 It's either the author is a genius or he's one super bored man, it's amazing either way

  • @fakebadpeople
    @fakebadpeople Рік тому +54

    This looks like the type of thing I would have tried to make as a kid before giving up after three days. I was enchanted by books that function differently than most books growing up, and this is still very much up my alley now, but would have been especially so back then. Maybe I'll look for some copies at some point and try the game with my brother. I bet he'd love this!

    • @jigglypuff3311
      @jigglypuff3311 Рік тому +1

      Have you ever checked out "ergodic" literature?

  • @mrben6573
    @mrben6573 2 роки тому +213

    This is the kind of thing I wished existed as a free to play browser game. Like... I don't think I'm going to purchase these books and muddle through them. But if it was all digitally streamlined so it tells you what options you have and all you have to do is make decisions and click buttons, that would be a fun time. I'd click around in the browser based version of this for sure.

    • @pickleridge5656
      @pickleridge5656 Рік тому +20

      there's a pdf of each book

    • @7tales311
      @7tales311 Рік тому +36

      did. Did you just describe an actual fps?

    • @timothymclean
      @timothymclean Рік тому +7

      @@7tales311 Kinda! It wouldn't be a very FPS-ey FPS, but it would be more FPS than Portal.
      Maybe it would be a turn-based first-person shooter?

    • @Artawii
      @Artawii Рік тому +8

      @@7tales311 no i thibk more like, just a website version of this, not exactly aiming, still using the charts and selecting numbers, more like a point and click browser game

    • @dizzydial8081
      @dizzydial8081 Рік тому +11

      Sounds like a pdf with hyperlinks.

  • @inthefade
    @inthefade Рік тому +569

    I'd love to see this digitized and made into something you could play online, just so I could experience it.

    • @LackadaisicalWizard
      @LackadaisicalWizard Рік тому +53

      Imagine this is as n online game but works exactly like this.

    • @ashtonsgotsauce9981
      @ashtonsgotsauce9981 Рік тому +35

      @@LackadaisicalWizard the only difference being the lack of turning pages

    • @LackadaisicalWizard
      @LackadaisicalWizard Рік тому +52

      @@ashtonsgotsauce9981 It can have pages on the screen or use digital cards or something but with detailed art and moving sprites

    • @AssidiousBlue
      @AssidiousBlue Рік тому +77

      Thanks to current copyright laws, you can either find the current rights holder, and pay to licence it to do so, or wait until November 2086 when it will be public / copyright free!

    • @Chris-Martin424
      @Chris-Martin424 Рік тому +28

      Or make a "Legally Distinct" version?

  • @EmperorSmith
    @EmperorSmith 2 роки тому +147

    Lone Wolf game books were my jam as a kid.
    Really excellent elevation of the 'choose your adventure' format - where you would pick skills and abilities at the start that would give you options to move to different pages if you had that skill or ability.

    • @intruder313
      @intruder313 Рік тому +4

      They are currently being republished month by month in some 'Master/Collectible' format but quite expensive as only hardback for now.

    • @jbertucci
      @jbertucci Рік тому +1

      check project Aon

    • @EmperorSmith
      @EmperorSmith Рік тому

      @@jbertucci awesome.

    • @SpeedNash
      @SpeedNash Рік тому

      I played it and was blown away, they have it on PC and mobile too

  • @justingain
    @justingain Рік тому +56

    Growing up in the late 80s/early 90s and seeing how choose your own adventures were popular - this would’ve blown my mind if I could find it. Thanks for the video. This is awesome!

  • @PepicWalrus
    @PepicWalrus 2 роки тому +16

    There are also digital versions of these on Project Aon, which also contain all of the Joe Dever Lone Wolf books officially endorsed by the man himself before his passing.

  • @Romanticoutlaw
    @Romanticoutlaw Рік тому +12

    the fact that you call out numbers rather than roll them in combat is interesting.. I feel like you eventually wind up memorizing number combinations so if you hear your opponent start to say like, "seven" you say a number that goes favorably with it for you. Saying things at the exact same time is difficult to both do and enforce

    • @skye0_
      @skye0_ Рік тому +9

      could just write the numbers on a piece of paper beforehand and show the paper

  • @tychozzyx9439
    @tychozzyx9439 Рік тому +26

    Ace of Aces! I grew up on that game (simplified variant) and I remember mapping out all the moves in it and realizing they all fit onto a hex map. The pages ended up being every orientation of two planes within three hexes of each other with every other result being LOST with another neutral start if you both go looking for each other.
    The rules also mentioned that you could play more than a duel given more books and bookmarks so that you saw a different page for each enemy, but had to take the same action against each

  • @borisdevilboon8064
    @borisdevilboon8064 2 роки тому +35

    Fascinating! Also so much b&w line art I'm drooling

  • @zethan5398
    @zethan5398 2 роки тому +83

    That is really freaking cool that someone figured out how to make a multiplayer book! As an amateur game designer for both board games and video games I think I need to track down some copies of these kinds of books.

  • @collectivesartori
    @collectivesartori 2 роки тому +103

    Early Lone Wolf rpg game books were the most complex of their type in reproducing ad&d style gaming for one in a paperback form. Chasm of Doom was a monster, dark complex and easy to die. Phenomenal interactive fiction. Incredible work of the imagination.

    • @LordVader1094
      @LordVader1094 2 роки тому +5

      I have been buying the Definitive Editions of Lone Wolf and playing it for the first time. Absolutely incredible stuff.

    • @collectivesartori
      @collectivesartori Рік тому +3

      @@LordVader1094 brilliant! For impact and all over appeal nothing beats the Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy series, but the Lone Wolf series was another layer of complexity and thematic power that a gamer could ‘graduate’ into when they were ready. Lone Wolf makes sense as the natural evolution from the confluence of the humble (but incredible) Choose Your Own Adventure books with the mechanics and purity of AD&D. It was an incredibly exciting time for game book invention.

    • @drsnova7313
      @drsnova7313 Рік тому +1

      Still got the whole set of them. It was great fun back then. Though, admittedly, I cheated on occasion, like going back on some "oops, you died!" sort of decisions - or the reverse, checking out some obviously bad decision despite then taking another route.

    • @collectivesartori
      @collectivesartori Рік тому

      @@drsnova7313 man that’s cool. All the books. I can understand the temptation to cheat. Unlike CYOA dying in the middle of a game book was a real drag, because the gameplay was so much more involved and took much longer. Those “you died” death messages were brutal 😬

  • @shanewinter7251
    @shanewinter7251 2 роки тому +36

    Lost Worlds implemented a picture book combat system as well. Lots of character choices.

  • @JazzOLantern
    @JazzOLantern 2 роки тому +37

    I never thought a book like these existed. What an amazing idea!!

  • @solamon77
    @solamon77 Рік тому +15

    Joe Dever was probably the best author to ever work in the field of Choose-your-own-adventure books. I grew up on his Lone Wolf books. What a genius!

  • @todlevi1968
    @todlevi1968 2 роки тому +9

    Omg. Thank you so much for sharing and appreciating this! Used to play these with my brother. We called them “white knight, black knight.” Unfortunately, when I tried to google them years later I couldn’t remember the original titles. Now you’ve found them for me! Wonder if bro is up for a game?

  • @Melfs_acid_flashback3604
    @Melfs_acid_flashback3604 2 роки тому +20

    My teens absolutely loved the Lone Wolf series, but I didn't know these amazing books existed. Thanks so much for highlighting their features, what an innovative concept.

  • @misomiso8228
    @misomiso8228 2 роки тому +68

    You could take a look at the two new Fighting Fantasy books -
    Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone and
    Secrets of Salamonis by Steve Jackson
    Secrets of Salmonis is very very innovative and really worth playing, as it has lots of ideas you could pick from for a city based DnD campaign.

    • @Grymniir
      @Grymniir Рік тому

      Thank you so much for this. I didnt know that my two heroes of Fighting Fantasy books were still going strong.

  • @SchizoMelody
    @SchizoMelody 2 роки тому +2

    The game style is called "Dungeon Crawler", definitely not "First Person Shooter".

    • @anasazhari4498
      @anasazhari4498 Рік тому

      I mean, usually they don't give you a first person view of what's actually happening in this kind of games right?

  • @MrStrikecentral
    @MrStrikecentral 2 роки тому +18

    Well, I guess I need to add these to my wishlists...also don't forget Emerald Enchanter and Scarlet Sorcerer!

  • @alternator7893
    @alternator7893 Рік тому +5

    As a librarian I must acquire these at all costs.

  • @andyparkinson1996
    @andyparkinson1996 Рік тому +15

    This is hands down the most interesting thing I’ve seen in a while! That fact it’s fully coherent aswell and looks kinda fun makes this even more amazing! Thanks for sharing these with us !

  • @TheRoark
    @TheRoark 2 роки тому +11

    This is really similar to the Star Wars battle books that I have seen! In those it is a Tie Interceptor vs an X Wing with each having their own unique maneuvers

  • @Wraithing
    @Wraithing 2 роки тому +19

    Takes me back. A friend and I played these during a few school lunchtimes. Short-lived really, because I remember running Palace of the Silver Princess later that term - a couple more kids had been interested in what we'd been playing, so it opened up a chance to play D&D at school.
    I'd totally forgotten about the books though. Thanks for the memory.

  • @werewolf74
    @werewolf74 2 роки тому +11

    I remember some choose your own adventure books that took dice and had you track inventory. Pretty fun stuff.

  • @xylord18
    @xylord18 2 роки тому +12

    Lone Wolf was an inspiration for me to get into d&d with my friends. Probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

  • @MarshmallowMadnesss
    @MarshmallowMadnesss 2 роки тому +27

    I've seen Choose Your Own Adventure books before but this is a really innovative way to put books in kids's hands.
    Also, I see inspiration from games like Dungeon Master and other old school first-person dungeon crawlers. (Legend of Grimrock is a modern example, try it!)

    • @gamedoutgamer
      @gamedoutgamer Рік тому

      Since the books came out a year before D.M., it seems it's the other way around.

  • @MollyHJohns
    @MollyHJohns 2 роки тому +8

    I only know of the Magnakai Lone Wolf series from this author and could only buy a few books back then... Didn't know he had more series out there, even today. It's my first ever experience in knowing about such a roleplaying game in book form as well.

  • @perrygrosshans8537
    @perrygrosshans8537 2 роки тому +8

    I turn around and see the White Warlord book behind me! My brother has the Black Baron one. We loved playing them back on the day. I keep wanting to Discord chat with him and play them, and maybe I finally will! I am also a huge fan of the solo adventure books. I currently own all but one of the ancient TSR CYOA books (the first Tarzan book is impossible to find without paying some greedy bastard $300USD for some reason). Marvel comics in the early 2000s came out with a comic series of combat comics similar to the ww/bb and ace of aces books which are also awesome.

  • @natalie5947
    @natalie5947 Рік тому +18

    What a cool idea. I can hardly imagine how they originally mapped out all the pieces and kept all the pages straight.

  • @briansinger5258
    @briansinger5258 2 роки тому +14

    This is crazy. Truly a work of art.

  • @markbaker465
    @markbaker465 2 роки тому +28

    That this even exists is fascinating. I'm not sure it would have been exactly to my taste but what an absolute treasure!

  • @HermanDuyker
    @HermanDuyker 2 роки тому +5

    There's also a second set of books in the same series, Scarlet Sorcerer and Emerald Enchanter, in which the 2-player game is aerial combat in magic skyships (possibly somewhat like Ace of Aces, which I've paged through back in the day, but don't own). The solo games in this set consist of flying over segments of a landscape / map, trying to discover the location of some magic Power Crystal.
    My White Warlord/Black Baron books have a different cover, but the inside looks identical to the ones in the video. Possibly UK vs US versions?

    • @vladt7150
      @vladt7150 2 роки тому

      You be correct - the ones in this video are the US versions published by Berkley Pacer, with black back covers and spines; the UK versions were published by Beaver Books and had white back covers and spines - AFAIK, they are identical on the inside.

  • @FelipeWalker2
    @FelipeWalker2 2 роки тому +15

    I kinda feel a bit smarter when i know about something that Ben does not hahahaha. Yeah, those books are amazing, and so was Joe Dever, he will forever be missed. I highly recommend his gamebooks.

  • @razorwork1
    @razorwork1 2 роки тому +5

    Highly suggest reading through Lone Wolf from Joe Dever. Had the full set as a kid and still remember the whole series.

    • @thac0twenty377
      @thac0twenty377 Рік тому

      His son just started releasing definitely versions expanded from his dad's notes

  • @blastpop
    @blastpop 2 роки тому +2

    Looks like a derivative of Lost Worlds and Ace of Aces by Nova Games. The earliest of those book games dates back to the late '70's.

    • @jonathanreece4151
      @jonathanreece4151 2 роки тому +2

      It really is interesting how they focused on location and movement while Lost Worlds focused on moment-by-moment first person combat. The Lost Worlds series is very extensive, as well. Flying Buffalo published them for a while after Nova left us, and there were some, I dunno, 40 or so characters by the end of it, and any of them could battle any other one. Fighters, Ninja, Spellcasters, monsters, lots of variety.

  • @striderofderp7820
    @striderofderp7820 2 роки тому +7

    I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. You did an amazing job explaining the mechanics and how these books work. I was not expecting it to be that in depth!

  • @SkaiXmask
    @SkaiXmask Рік тому +2

    Friend: “Do you play on PC or on Console?”
    Me: “I play on a book.”
    Friend: “…What?”

  • @zachcheung8400
    @zachcheung8400 Рік тому +4

    Now I want to see speedrunners going through the single player campaign and see how fast they can read and flip through pages.

  • @crashmat1042
    @crashmat1042 Рік тому +2

    Þere are a bunch of þese but þey are all out of print, expensive, and hard to find. If anoþer was made (especially anoþer aerial combat one) i would buy in an instant

  • @Xhantoss
    @Xhantoss 2 роки тому +5

    Woah, thats amazing!
    Hats off to the game designers who managed to create such a thing. Having the other player move and correctly portraying that on the pages of the book is really amazing!

  • @Beer4Breakfast
    @Beer4Breakfast Рік тому +2

    I downloaded these 2 books and the pages had a physical virus instead of a computer virus. You can play for 15 minutes and get trolled by the 1337 warez gods

  • @lordmonfort
    @lordmonfort 2 роки тому +4

    Pretty sure I'm never getting a copy now.🤣 I picked up White Warlord on a trip to Kmart with my mom...at the same trip I got Def Leppard's Hysteria. I would love to see a company put these as phone apps one day.

  • @a1oilsauce
    @a1oilsauce Рік тому +2

    How much did you spend for each of the books or in total, especially for two that are in such superb condition? I'm trying to find at least one of the two and I honestly could get my hands on a Gutenberg bible easier than these books.

  • @connorkennedy1794
    @connorkennedy1794 2 роки тому +6

    This is such a cool idea Ben. I would totally buy this. I kinda wish someone would make a modern version as a D&D minigame or something. You could even do a scifi version with lazguns and vibroswords or lightsabers. I wonder how it would play with 3 or 4 people on a slightly bigger map?

    • @Cyfrik
      @Cyfrik 2 роки тому +2

      3-4 players on a bigger map would probably require a lot of pages to account for all the variables.

    • @jigglypuff3311
      @jigglypuff3311 Рік тому

      could turn it into 2v2, where 2 players move together as a unit, each with different abilities. one controls the movement, the other could be focused on combat, or scouting abilities, to find the opponents. difficult, but could be done to minimize variables but add replayability.

  • @cloudycrisps7290
    @cloudycrisps7290 Рік тому +1

    This Video is doing some NUMBERS!!! I hope that means you'll cover the sequal books, Emerald Enchanter & Scarlet Sorcerer...

  • @andrewdiaz3529
    @andrewdiaz3529 2 роки тому +4

    Already backed Dark places and Demogorgons! These kind of books show off how crazy dedicated people can be; The sheer amount of notes that had to have gone into creating the books boogles the mind. It's literally paper computing, a fully functioning game. There are definitely a lot of factors in why we don't really see this kind of stuff anymore, but I think the sheer amount of time required to make it and the low visibility this kind of stuff has are some of the biggest reasons. I totally can see some people who'd probably go crazy making these kinds of books if they were just free to do that

    • @luxill0s
      @luxill0s Рік тому

      I’d love to make books like these. I used to make complicated Choose Your Own Adventure “books” out of notebook paper with illustrations when I was younger. I’d love to make one again on a larger scale

  • @DeusVultLurch
    @DeusVultLurch 2 роки тому +1

    This is the only game that I've seen that has made me think "This would make a fun mobile game ".

  • @ShonenXIV
    @ShonenXIV Рік тому +11

    When the UA-cam algorithm actually works it brings wonderful gems like this video.
    You got a sub from me, congratulations on getting over 500k views in nearly 2 weeks more than your drawing video did in 5 years. Can't wait to see more of your content!

  • @Unclaimed_Username
    @Unclaimed_Username 2 роки тому +2

    Nobody tell Todd Howard that there's yet another way for him to release Skyrim!

  • @bellat.1377
    @bellat.1377 2 роки тому +4

    I played this in college! I loved it. I had started a small cult for these types of games in my friend group.

  • @colinderue8095
    @colinderue8095 2 роки тому +2

    I cannot find these for sale ANYWHERE! Ugh this got me so excited and my dreams were dashed away shortly after. I’m so jealous of anyone who has them just from growing up with them.

  • @mccallosone4903
    @mccallosone4903 2 роки тому +3

    holy crap, i think i had one of these. i vaguely remember the art, and have faint memories of trying to play this with my friend in fifth grade, but never really figuring it out. wouldnt surprise me, as i bought all the lone wolf books too

  • @muzboz
    @muzboz Рік тому +1

    I found one of these in my primary school library (around 1988 or something), and could not for the life of me figure out how it worked, no matter how much I was busting to play it. The pages looked so awesome, but I just had no idea!
    Now I learn it's basically a multiplayer game requiring two books! Hahaha! Cheers. Great to see it again. :D

  • @jonathangarrison
    @jonathangarrison 2 роки тому +4

    Never heard of this before. Wild, creative stuff! Thank you for introducing me to this.

  • @dicegeeks
    @dicegeeks Рік тому +1

    Joe Dever's Highway Holocaust game books are amazing. I spent hours exploring his vison of a post-apocalyptic USA.

  • @Dirpman42
    @Dirpman42 2 роки тому +3

    I LOVE the Lone Wolf series. Found a ton of them like 20 years ago in a store and played them all a dozen times.

  • @muhammadsulung1691
    @muhammadsulung1691 Рік тому +2

    This game is literally 1 fps (Flip per second)

  • @kotzpenner
    @kotzpenner 2 роки тому +3

    This is an insane concept! Would really like to see a playthrough

  • @ValkyrieTiara
    @ValkyrieTiara 2 роки тому +1

    "The book with a first person shooter inside."
    Me: "Ugh, I hate it when people do this. Listen, just because a game is in first person doesn't make it an FPS, ok? You have to, you know... shoot?"
    "We're at range 1, which is just outside melee range, and we could shoot bows at each other."
    Me: "I MEAN YEAH OK SURE but the point of a shooter is to use your skill to hit your target. Not like whatever simple action system this thing uses."
    "So you're going to turn to this page, the Bow Fire Grid."
    Me: "....."
    Really good video! You speak very clearly and present things well, and this was super interesting! My only regret is that you didn't at least briefly flip through the other book so we could see some of the art of the White Warlord. The illustrations in these things rule.

  • @harmonicaman79
    @harmonicaman79 2 роки тому +4

    Love this! Please do the Lone Wolf series next. Also, if you want to read a mysterious, atmospheric, immersive story-based puzzle book, read Maze by Christopher Phillips. Trust me, it's amazing.

  • @ianyoder2537
    @ianyoder2537 Рік тому +1

    Me: Explains the game in great detail detail.
    My friend: That sound's like a descent early 2000's flash game.
    Me: *It's a book!*
    Friend: ... wot?

  • @Rodrigo-pf6jr
    @Rodrigo-pf6jr 2 роки тому +3

    Muito maneiro esse Dungeon crawler em um livro, lembra Migth & Magic.

  • @FiggsNeughton
    @FiggsNeughton Рік тому +2

    As a kid I could never find White Warlord, but I wanted to play this so bad! I actually had copies of the other two books in this series, where you play as fighter jet wizards - not a joke, seriously. One was called Emerald Enchanter... I think the other one was Scarlet Sorcerer. Played it all the time with my friends. The Emerald Enchanter looked somewhat Mexican on the cover of the book, so we started calling him Spanish Fly. True story!

  • @SierraSierraFoxtrot
    @SierraSierraFoxtrot 2 роки тому +1

    OFC they wouldn't give you a map, making the map is half the fun.
    IDK how old you are, but even well into the 90s some computer games required taking notes on locations etc.
    An adventure book is even a better case for that.

  • @TheMartinChronicles
    @TheMartinChronicles Рік тому +1

    I still have a 1 on 1 adventure game book "Dragon Wand of Krynn" that is almost identical to this. Looks like it was published in 1987. I also have three AD&D adventure gamebooks that are essentially choose your adventure but with stat sheets and dice.

  • @sarahnorman6856
    @sarahnorman6856 Рік тому +1

    Mom: Stop playing games already! Read a book!
    Me: * takes "The black Baron" out of my pocket and call my grounded friend to play with me *

  • @EvenTheDogAgrees
    @EvenTheDogAgrees Рік тому +1

    I wouldn't compare this to first person shooters, but it definitely looks a lot like those first person RPGs from back in the day. E.g. Eye of the Beholder or Dungeon Master.

  • @Bankoru
    @Bankoru Рік тому +1

    I think you meant to say "Dungeon Crawler"

  • @arxeha
    @arxeha Рік тому +1

    what kind of 4D chess puzzle strategy mind does the author has in mind to formulate this impressive book???

  • @theblueshadow3537
    @theblueshadow3537 Рік тому +1

    Wouldn't you quickly learn which numbers correlate to which rooms and know were your opponent is at all times and vice versa?

  • @dovahchicken935
    @dovahchicken935 Рік тому +1

    The fact that this is a really complex version of one of those interactive computer games where you click to choose your direction, but its multiplayer... and all in a book

  • @twilightgardenspresentatio6384
    @twilightgardenspresentatio6384 2 роки тому +1

    So this is what we did before they made the internet. I forget about this stuff.
    Books, man. Best media storage in history.

  • @raccooncityhunk497
    @raccooncityhunk497 5 місяців тому +1

    7:20 why would the author want to make it clear that the dungeon is miniscule? No one would take the books seriously if they thought you were chasing a half-dressed man around a figure 8.

  • @LumpyHippo
    @LumpyHippo Рік тому +1

    Imagine a competitive scene where the books are memorized and two people are just screaming numbers at each other.

  • @szkizoubtss784
    @szkizoubtss784 Рік тому +1

    i used to play this books when young but were a little diferent. u start in chapter one and then are given choices to u and u jump from page to page while collecting items and rolling dices. u had to keep all write down so u dont forget wht u have or from were you came, several ways to the end, some more easier than others, but a lot ways to die to. im trying to find those kind of books.

  • @thegreator
    @thegreator Рік тому +2

    I was a fan of Joe Dever Lone Wolf game book series. And that book was made into a real video game but never got as popular as the book.

  • @jonpaul3868
    @jonpaul3868 Рік тому +1

    Well RPG got along time experience with no electricity included, FPS should figure it out too 😂

  • @likskirtspleetscreen
    @likskirtspleetscreen Рік тому +1

    Great video. Being passionate about game books, it's hard to see page cheating, even for educational purpose. Keep it on.

  • @tosstt9936
    @tosstt9936 Рік тому +1

    so... youre telling me, that TECHNICALLY you can run doom in a book

  • @robals744
    @robals744 Рік тому +1

    I got the Bounty Hunter: Shootout at the Saloon that has the same concept. Quite fun to play especially after a few drinks.

  • @rnvaamonde
    @rnvaamonde Рік тому +1

    I wish I could play this, but it would never run on my current pair of glasses, they're too old 😭

  • @EanSeki
    @EanSeki Рік тому +1

    With laminated things, use wet erase, as dry erase ink will eventually bond with an stain the lamination.

  • @uatemysoul3936
    @uatemysoul3936 Рік тому +1

    Good ser, all of Joe Dever's Lone wolf books are free online and have been made into E reader versions that are fantastic. You should indeed read them.

  • @SaintMatthieuSimard
    @SaintMatthieuSimard Рік тому +2

    That's the most unique thing I seen in a while! When I was a kid, there were books called "Book in which you are the hero" (Livre dans lequel vous êtes le héros), which apparents itself a bit with this concept. Tho, it was not PVP, and you actually had to read your way through the story, make choices... Which could be fatal to the story. It was fun.

  • @CEOmagi
    @CEOmagi Рік тому +1

    "survive the gulag to return back to the match"

  • @POPPA-KLUMP
    @POPPA-KLUMP Рік тому +1

    I’ve just bought 2 new books…. Guess what they are?
    Awesome!

  • @BlazingOwnager
    @BlazingOwnager Рік тому +2

    I found this entirely fascinating as someone who appreciates RPG mechanics. Pretty great.