ACE Gamebooks

ACE Gamebooks is a series of gamebooks created by Jonathan Green and published by Snowbooks since 2015. A feature of the titles in the series is that they take classic works of literature and give them a dark twist, often combining steampunk elements. Some of the titles take inspiration from more than one work of classic literature, such as NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!, which uses elements of both J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Wendy and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.

ACE Gamebooks
Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland
  • Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland
  • The Wicked Wizard of Oz
  • NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
  • Beowulf Beastslayer
  • 'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas
  • 'Dracula - Curse of the Vampire
  • RONIN 47
AuthorJonathan Green
IllustratorKev Crossley / Russ Nicholson / Tony Hough / Hauke Kock / Neil Googe
Cover artistKev Crossley / Russ Nicholson / Tony Hough / Hauke Kock / Neil Googe
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSnowbooks
Published2015-
Media typeprint
No. of books7
Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/ACEgamebooks/

Gameplay

The ACE Gamebooks series are similar in terms of both gameplay and layout to Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, designed to be read by a single player.

The name for the series comes from the initial letters of the three attributes players keep track of throughout the books, Agility, Combat and Endurance. 'ACE' also references the fact that instead of dice, cards can be used to generate random numbers. Some books in the series introduce other attributes, such as Insanity and Logic, in Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, and Mutiny in NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!

Another feature of the series is that in some of the books the reader can choose which character they want to play as.[1] Each player character has unique content written especially for them, which includes unlockable mini-quests in books such as The Wicked Wizard of Oz.

Combat

Combat is simulated by rolling dice or picking random playing cards from a standard deck. These randomly-generated numbers are added to the player's, or an opponent's, Combat score to produce a Combat Strength. The Combat Strengths of the player and the opponent are compared, with the higher one winning the Combat Round and deducting Endurance points from the other. Combat in the books also uses an initiative system, with whoever has the initiative gaining a Combat bonus.

Attributes
  • Agility: A measure of how athletic and agile you are.
  • Combat: A measure of how skilful you are at fighting, whether it be in hand-to-hand combat, or wielding a keen-edged blade in battle.
  • Endurance: A measure of how physically tough you are and how much strength you have left.

Books in the series

The series consists of seven books so far, with an eighth title (Judgement Day: 1869) due for release in 2023:

No.TitleAuthor(s)Cover ArtInterior ArtSectionsPublishedISBN
1Alice's Nightmare in WonderlandJonathan GreenKev CrossleyKev Crossley520Nov 2015978-1909679597
2The Wicked Wizard of OzJonathan GreenKev CrossleyKev Crossley850June 2017978-1911390312
3NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!Jonathan GreenKev CrossleyKev Crossley900June 2019978-1911390411
4Beowulf BeastslayerJonathan GreenRuss NicholsonRuss Nicholson500Oct 2019978-1911390749
5TWAS - The Krampus Night Before ChristmasJonathan GreenTony HoughTony Hough500Dec 2019978-1911390701
6Dracula - Curse of the VampireJonathan GreenHauke KockHauke Kock1000Oct 2021978-1913525019
7RONIN 47Jonathan GreenNeil GoogeNeil Googe600Aug 2022978-1913525187
8Judgement Day: 1869Jonathan GreenTBCTBCTBC2023TBC
9TBCJonathan GreenTBCTBCTBC2024TBC
10TBCJonathan GreenTBCTBCTBC2025TBC

A copy of The Wicked Wizard of Oz is on display in the All Things Oz Museum in Chittenango, New York,[2] along with a set of bookmarks produced as rewards for backers of the Kickstarter that was run to fund production of the book.

See also

References
  1. "REVIEW: The Wicked Wizard of Oz". gamebooknews.com. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  2. "All Things Oz Museum on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.