Buffalo Castle

Last updated
Buffalo Castle.jpg

Buffalo Castle is a gamebook first published by Flying Buffalo in 1976 ( ISBN   0-940244-01-2). Using the Tunnels & Trolls role-playing system, Buffalo Castle consists of 150 paragraphs in A4 format.

Contents

Description

After a friend suggested that someone should make a dungeon adventure book that allows the player to choose an answer and turn to another page, Rick Loomis wrote Buffalo Castle (1976). [1] :36Buffalo Castle was an introduction to Tunnels & Trolls , a basic dungeon for a warrior of level 1–2. [2] :226

Although it is widely believed that the Fighting Fantasy series of books were the first gamebooks to use dice and allow the character to possess statistics and equipment, Buffalo Castle pre-dates the Fighting Fantasy series by six years and used the same types of mechanics. Buffalo Castle may have been the first published adventure gamebook. [3]

Reception

Steve Jackson reviewed Buffalo Castle in The Space Gamer No. 9. [4] Jackson concluded, "If you're into role-playing, you'll enjoy Buffalo Castle. If you're into solo role-playing, buy it." [4]

In other media

Buffalo Castle is included in the mobile game Tunnels and Trolls Adventures. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tunnels & Trolls</i> Tabletop fantasy role-playing game

Tunnels & Trolls is a fantasy role-playing game designed by Ken St. Andre and first published in 1975 by Flying Buffalo. The second modern role-playing game published, it was written by Ken St. Andre to be a more accessible alternative to Dungeons & Dragons and is suitable for solitaire, group, and play-by-mail gameplay.

<i>Fighting Fantasy</i> Roleplaying gamebook

Fighting Fantasy is a series of single-player role-playing gamebooks created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The first volume in the series was published in paperback by Puffin in 1982.

Ken St. Andre American writer and game designer

Kenneth Eugene St. Andre is an American fantasy author and game designer, best known for his work with Tunnels & Trolls and Wasteland. He was born in Ogden, Utah, and has been an active member of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America since 1989.

A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not follow paragraphs in a linear or ordered fashion. Gamebooks are sometimes called choose your own adventure books or CYOA after the influential Choose Your Own Adventure series originally published by US company Bantam Books. Gamebooks influenced hypertext fiction.

Steve Jackson (American game designer) American game designer (born 1953)

Steve Jackson is an American game designer. His notable creations include the role-playing game GURPS and the card game Munchkin.

<i>The Warlock of Firetop Mountain</i> Adventure gamebook

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is a single-player adventure gamebook written by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, and illustrated by Russ Nicholson. Originally published by Puffin Books in 1982, the title is the first gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002, and Scholastic Books in 2017. As well as launching the Fighting Fantasy series, the gamebook inspired two direct sequels and five novels, and has been adapted into a board game, an audio drama and a video game.

<i>Steve Jacksons Sorcery!</i>

Sorcery!, originally titled Steve Jackson's Sorcery!, is a single-player four-part adventure gamebook series written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Blanche. Originally published by Penguin Books between 1983 and 1985, the titles are part of the Fighting Fantasy canon, but were not allocated numbers within the original 59-book series. Sorcery! was re-published by Wizard Books in 2003 and recreated as the Sorcery! video game series by Inkle.

<i>The Citadel of Chaos</i>

The Citadel of Chaos is a single-player adventure gamebook written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by Russ Nicholson. Originally published by Puffin Books in 1983, the title is the second gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002. The gamebook was also adapted into a video game.

<i>Deathtrap Dungeon</i>

Deathtrap Dungeon is a single-player adventure gamebook written by Ian Livingstone, and illustrated by Iain McCaig. Originally published by Puffin Books in 1984, the title is the sixth gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002.

<i>Creature of Havoc</i> Fighting Fantasy book

Creature of Havoc is a single-player roleplaying gamebook written by British game designer Steve Jackson, illustrated by Alan Langford and originally published in 1986 by Puffin Books. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002. It forms part of Jackson and Ian Livingstone's fictional Fighting Fantasy series, and is the last Fighting Fantasy gamebook written by Jackson. It is the 24th in the series in the original Puffin series (ISBN 0-14-032040-7) and 4th in the modern Wizard series (ISBN 1-84046-391-0).

<i>Demons of the Deep</i>

Demons of the Deep is a single-player roleplaying gamebook written by Steve Jackson, illustrated by Duncan Smith and originally published in 1986 by Puffin Books. It forms part of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy series. It is the 19th in the series in the original Puffin series (ISBN 0-14-031921-2). There are currently no announced plans to republish the book as part of the modern Wizard series.

James M. Ward is an American game designer and fantasy author who worked for TSR, Inc. for more than 20 years.

<i>Eye of the Dragon</i>

Eye of the Dragon is a single-player roleplaying gamebook written by Ian Livingstone, illustrated by Martin McKenna and published in 2005 by Wizard Books. It forms part of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy series. It is the 21st in the Wizard series. Eye of the Dragon was the first new Fighting Fantasy gamebook published by Wizard, although the book is an extended version of the adventure from Ian Livingstone's earlier book Dicing with Dragons rather than a completely original adventure. The book is made up of 407 references rather than the usual 400.

<i>Deathmaze</i>

Deathmaze is a fantasy board game published by Simulations Publications (SPI) in January 1980 that falls into the general category of dungeon crawls, more specifically, dungeon games in which players enter a dungeon, massacre the dungeon dwellers and steal their treasures.

<i>Monsters! Monsters!</i> Tabletop role-playing game supplement

Monsters! Monsters! is a role-playing game first published by Metagaming Concepts in 1976.

<i>Beastmaker Mountain</i>

Beastmaker Mountain is an adventure for fantasy role-playing games published by Mayfair Games in 1982.

<i>The Dungeon of the Bear</i> Role-playing game supplement

The Dungeon of the Bear is a 1979 role-playing game adventure for Tunnels & Trolls written by Jim "Bear" Peters and published by Flying Buffalo. Originally published as three separate booklets these were combined with an entrance-level and republished in 1982 as "The Complete Dungeon of the Bear". A referee is required to play.

Tollenkars Lair Tabletop role-playing game adventure

Tollenkar's Lair is a 1980 fantasy role-playing game adventure for The Fantasy Trip originally published by Metagaming Concepts and re-released by Steve Jackson Games in 2019.

<i>Citadel of Blood</i>

Citadel of Blood, subtitled "Fantastic Adventure in the Fortress of Evil". is a dungeon-crawl board game published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1980.

Dicing with Dragons is a book written by Ian Livingstone and published by Routledge & Kegan Paul in 1982 that explains what role-playing games are.

References

  1. Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN   978-1-907702-58-7.
  2. Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. ISBN   0-87975-653-5.
  3. "Item - Buffalo Castle - Demian's Gamebook Web Page". gamebooks.org. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  4. 1 2 Jackson, Steve (December 1976 – January 1977). "Reviews". The Space Gamer . Metagaming (9): 28.
  5. "Tunnels and Trolls Adventures". tunnels-and-trolls.metaarcade.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.