Eye of the Dragon (mini-ff)

Mini Fighting Fantasy Adventures
Outline
Location:	Unknown
References:	134
Publication details
Author(s):	Ian Livingstone

Illustrator(s):	Russ Nicholson

First published:	October 28 1982
Publication:	Dicing with Dragons
Previous Mini-FF:	none
Next Mini-FF:	The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Reprint

For other uses of Eye of the Dragon, see Eye of the Dragon

Eye of the Dragon is a single-player role-playing mini adventure written by Ian Livingstone, and illustrated by Russ Nicholson. It was published in 1982 in Livingstone's book Dicing with Dragons (ISBN 0-7100-9466-3) by Routledge & Kegan Paul as the first entry in his planned Fantasy Quest series. The adventure was later expanded into a full length Fighting Fantasy adventure.

CreationEdit

BackgroundEdit

The adventure starts in The Black Swan tavern.

RulesEdit

The Fantasy Quest Game System was also initially used by Livingstone for The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, as can be seen from his first draft,^[1] although "Fortune Factor" replaces "Luck Factor".

IllustrationsEdit

The illustrations were by Russ Nicholson. There are 25 illustrations; 2 in the "Background" and the rest accompanying paragraphs: 1, 6, 9, 17, 25, 30, 34, 42, 45, 50, 53, 62, 67, 72, 75, 82, 92, 100, 105, 111, 116, 125 and 131.

Interestingly, it appears that Martin McKenna used Nicholson's art as a reference when illustrating the expanded version of the story a little over twenty years later.

Links to Fighting FantasyEdit

The "Introduction" (pages 1-3) and the example dialogue (pages 9-14) feature a bunch of adventurers in a situation ripe for adapting to Fighting Fantasy. They are Ragnar the Barbarian, Morri the Dwarf, Mephisto the Wizard, and Lorrietta the Elven Princess. They are searching for Lorrietta's brother Lorrimar in the dungeons beneath Iron Mountain, where he is being held prisoner by the evil Horrig the Sorcerer. In the examples given they have fled from a Medusa and are battling a wandering patrol of Orcs. There's no direct connection to Fighting Fantasy canon, although the names Ragnar and Morri certainly turn up in Fighting Fantasy lore.