Editing The Forest of Doom (book)

{{Infobox Fighting Fantasy book|
|location=[[Allansia (continent)|Allansia]], [[Titan (world)|Titan]]
|references=[[400]]
|authors=[[Ian Livingstone]]
|illustrator=[[Malcolm Barter]] ([[Puffin Books|Puffin]]/[[Wizard Books|Wizard]] versions)<br>[[Vlado Krizan]] ([[Scholastic Books|Scholastic]] version)
|coverillustrator=[[Iain McCaig]]
|year=March 31 [[1983]]
|number=3
|ISBN=ISBN 0-14-031604-3
|prevbookp=[[The Citadel of Chaos (book)|The Citadel of Chaos]]
|nextbookp=[[Starship Traveller (book)|Starship Traveller]]
|wcoverillustrator=[[Martin McKenna]]
|wyear=June 3 [[2003]]
|wnumber=8
|wISBN=ISBN 1-84046-429-1
|prevbookw=[[House of Hell (book)|House of Hell]]
|nextbookw=[[Sorcery!]] 1: [[The Shamutanti Hills (book)|The Shamutanti Hills]]
|w2coverillustrator=Martin McKenna
|w2year=February 3 [[2011]]
|w2number=13
|w2ISBN=ISBN 1-84831-221-0
|prevbookw2=[[Trial of Champions (book)|Trial of Champions]]
|nextbookw2=[[Curse of the Mummy (book)|Curse of the Mummy]]
|schcoverillustrator= [[Robert M. Ball]]
|schyear= September 7 [[2017]]
|schnumber= 4
|schISBN= ISBN 1-40718-128-9
|prevbooksch= [[The Citadel of Chaos (book)|The Citadel of Chaos]]
|nextbooksch= [[House of Hell (book)|House of Hell]]
|wizimage=[[Image:Figfan03r.jpg|200px]]
|pufimage=[[Image:FF Original.jpg|200px]]
|wizimage2=[[Image:FoDShield.jpg|200px]]
|schimage=[[Image:ForestSch.jpg|200px]]
}}

:''For other uses of '''The Forest of Doom''', see'' [[The Forest of Doom]]

'''''The Forest of Doom''''' is a single-player role-playing [[gamebook]] written by [[Ian Livingstone]], illustrated by [[Malcolm Barter]] and originally published in [[1983]] by [[Puffin Books]]. It was later republished by [[Wizard Books]] in [[2003]] and [[2011]] as '''''Forest of Doom''''', and again in [[2017]] as '''''The Forest of Doom''''' by [[Scholastic Books]] with new illustrations by [[Vlado Krizan]]. It forms part of [[Steve Jackson (UK)|Steve Jackson]] and Ian Livingstone's ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'' series. It is the 3rd in the series in the original Puffin series (ISBN 0-14-031604-3), 8th in the Wizard "Series 1" (ISBN 1-84046-429-1), 13th in "Series 2" (ISBN 1-84831-221-0), and 4th in the Scholastic series (ISBN 1-40718-128-9).

==Creation==

==Background==

{{Quotation|'''''Who knows what monstrous creatures lurk in Darkwood forest?'''<br><br>Only the foolhardy would risk an encounter with the unknown perils that lurk in the murky depths of Darkwood Forest. Yet there is no alternative, for your quest is a desperate race against time to find the missing pieces of the legendary Hammer of Stonebridge — fashioned by Dwarfs to protect the villagers of Stonebridge against their ancient doom.<br><br>Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need to make your journey. YOU decide which paths to take, which dangers to risk and which monsters to fight.''|4={{FF3}} - Back Cover ("Dragon" Edition)}}

This ''Fighting Fantasy'' gamebook is set in the usual fantasy world of [[Titan (world)|Titan]], in the [[Allansia (continent)|Allansia]] region. The player must retrieve a magical [[Stonebridge Warhammer|warhammer]] for the [[Dwarf]]s of the [[Villages of Titan|village]] of [[Stonebridge]]. It has been separated into two pieces and lost in the depths of [[Darkwood Forest]].

The player becomes involved when the Dwarf [[Bigleg]] stumbles into their camp-site, dying from wounds inflicted in the ambush that resulted in the loss of the warhammer. Bigleg's last words lead the player to look up [[Gereth Yaztromo|Yaztromo]] and so the adventure begins.

==How to Fight the Creatures of Darkwood Forest/Equipment and Potions/Hints on Play==

*The book in general follows the original rules set down in ''[[The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (book)|The Warlock of Firetop Mountain]]'' ''(see [[Game System]])''.
*In the Wizard "Series 2" edition, instead of rolling the stats for a character as per tradition in ''Fighting Fantasy'' gamebooks, the player has the option of choosing a pregenerated character from three choices ''(see "Further Notes" below for choices)''.

===Equipment List<ref>{{FF3}} - pg.16</ref>===

*[[Sword]]
*[[Leather Armour]]
*Backpack
*[[Lantern]]
*10 [[Provisions]]
*Choice of one of three [[Potion]]s ''(see [[Game System]] for generic fantasy setting choices)''

In the course of events in the "Background" the player obtains a map and 30 [[Gold Piece]]s.<ref>{{FF3}} - pg.23</ref>

==Cover and Illustrations==

{{main|The Forest of Doom (illustrations)}}

===Covers===

The original cover of the book was designed and illustrated by [[Iain McCaig]]. The first Puffin edition has the text "A PUFFIN ORIGINAL" in the bottom-left corner. In the first impression this is printed in black. In all subsequent impressions this text is white.

When the book was republished by Wizard in [[2002]] a new cover was designed and illustrated by [[Martin McKenna]], who was asked by Ian Livingstone to recreate the [[Shape Changer]] of the original cover. The [[2011]] edition makes use of a section of the previous edition's cover art, although in this case the cropped art has been flipped.

The [[2017]] edition featured a new cover by [[Robert M. Ball]].

{| style="background-color:#ffffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="0"
|+'''The Forest of Doom''' Cover Variants
|-
|1983 || 1984 || 1987 || 1989 || 1990 || 1993
|-
|[[Image:FF Original.jpg|90px]] || [[Image:FF Green Zigzag.jpg|90px]] || [[Image:FF3 Dragon Front & Spine.jpg|90px]] || [[Image:FF3 Dragon No Number.jpg|90px]] || [[Image:FF3 Dragon No Number.jpg|90px]] || 
|-
|[[Coloured Number Format|Colour Star]] || [[Adventure Gamebooks banner|Adventure<br>Gamebooks]] || [[Dragon Cover Format|Dragon ver.I]] || [[Dragon Cover Format|Dragon ver.II]] || [[Dragon Cover Format|Dragon ver.III]] || [[Dragon Cover Format|Dragon ver.IV]]
|-
|£1.25<sup>[[#Notes|1]]</sup> || £1.50<sup>[[#Notes|2]]</sup> || £2.25<sup>[[#Notes|3]]</sup> || £2.25<sup>[[#Notes|4]]</sup> || £2.99<sup>[[#Notes|5]]</sup> || £3.99<sup>[[#Notes|6]]</sup>
|-
| colspan="6" |<hr />
|-
|2002 || 2002 || 2011 || 2017 || 2018
|-
|[[Image:Figfan03r.jpg|90px]] || [[Image:03 V2(W1) 01.jpg|90px]]|| [[Image:FoDShield.jpg|90px]] || [[Image:ForestSch.jpg|90px]] || [[Image:FOD.png|90px]]
|-
|[[Wizard Book Cover Formats#Special Limited Edition|Wizard<br>Special]] || [[Wizard Book Cover Formats|Wizard]] || [[Wizard Book Cover Formats|Wizard<br>Shield]] || [[Scholastic Book Cover Formats|Scholastic<br>Full]] || [[Scholastic Book Cover Formats|Scholastic<br>Circle]]
|-
|£4.99 || £4.99 || £5.99 || £6.99 || £6.99
|-
| colspan="6" |<hr />
|-
| colspan="6" |<small>NOTES
#Price of 1st~2nd Impressions; £1.50 for 5th~13th Impressions
#Price of 14th Impression (some copies identified as 14th impression are priced at £1.75);<br />£1.95 for 20th~22nd Impressions
#Price of 24th Impression
#Price of 25th Impression
#Price of 26th Impression (erroneously identified as 25th impression)
#Price of 29th Impression
</small>
|-
|}

===Illustrations===

====Puffin/Wizard Editions====

The interior illustrations, including the black and white map as part of the "Background", were by [[Malcolm Barter]]. There were 33 full page illustrations and 3 [[Incidental Art|minor repeated illustrations]] scattered throughout the text. The paragraphs with a full page illustration were: Background, 1, 15, 29, 38, 49, 57, 69, 90, 99, 107, 118, 130, 142, 160, 170, 181, 195, 204, 212, 230, 253, 265, 277, 285, 294, 317, 340, 351, 360, 378, 384 and 396. Additionally, one piece of text - instructions for the use of the [[Eye of Amber]] - was presented in a drawing of a piece of parchment (91).

The full-page illustrations in the book were accompanied with a caption giving the number of the paragraph depicted and a short extract from the text, a format which was only used in the two previous books, ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'' and ''[[The Citadel of Chaos (book)|The Citadel of Chaos]]''.

====Scholastic Edition====

The interior illustrations were by [[Vlado Krizan]]. The map in the "Background" is replaced by a section from the larger map of Allansia by [[Leo Hartas]] (printed in full on pages 4-5) and the Eye of Amber instructions have no surrounding drawing. There were 21 full page illustrations and 7 minor repeated illustrations scattered throughout the text. The paragraphs with a full page illustration were: 1, 15, 29, 49, 57, 90, 107, 142, 160, 170, 181, 212, 230, 253, 265, 277, 285, 303* and 360. The full-page illustrations in the book were accompanied with a caption giving a short extract from the text.

<small>NOTES
*This reference is newly illustrated, the Puffin/Wizard versions not having an equivalent piece of artwork.</small>

==Intertextual References==

The book introduced several characters and locations that would recur later in the series, including the [[wizard]] [[Gereth Yaztromo]], the Dwarven village of [[Stonebridge]] and the [[Evil]] Darkwood Forest.

===Prequels and Sequels===

Chronologically, the book can be considered the sequel to ''[[Caverns of the Snow Witch (book)|Caverns of the Snow Witch]]'' and - depending on the reader's interpretation - the prequel to ''[[Temple of Terror (book)|Temple of Terror]]''.

==Other Media==

===Computer Games===

{{main|The Forest of Doom (computer game)}}

[[Fighting Fantasy Computer Games|Videogame]] versions of the book were released in [[1984]] for the [[ZX Spectrum]] and [[Commodore 64]].

{{main|The Forest of Doom (mobile game)}}

An [[iOS]]/[[Android]] conversion of the book was produced by [[Tin Man Games]] and released in [[2013]].

===Tourist Venture===

{{main|Forest of Doom Holidays}}

{{Refimprove}}

This venture was run by [[Dolphin and Colony Holidays]] in [[1985]], offering real life adventures in the [[Forests and Woods of Titan|forests]] of {{w|Oxford}} and {{w|Edinburgh}}.<ref>25th Anniversary Edition of {{FF1}} - pg.???</ref>

===Ornament===

{{main|The Shape Changer (figurine)}}

[[Clarecraft]] made a figurine called [[The Shape Changer (figurine)|The Shape Changer]], based on the cover from ''The Forest of Doom'', and another called [[Gillibran Lord Of The Dwarfs (figurine)|Gillibran Lord Of The Dwarfs]]. Both were released in [[1986]] (re-released in [[2004]]), as part of an officially licensed series of [[Fighting Fantasy Ornaments]].

===d20 System Conversion===

{{main|Forest of Doom (d20)}}

There is a [[D20 System]] conversion by [[Myriador]] called ''[[Forest of Doom (d20)|Forest of Doom]]''.

===Fighting Fantasy Audio Dramas===

{{main|The Forest of Doom: Lost in Darkwood}}

An audio drama inspired by the book and released in 2018.

==Main Characters==

''[[You|YOU]]'': [[Hero of The Forest of Doom]]

*[[Arragon]]
*[[Bigleg]] - [[Dwarf]]
*[[Gereth Yaztromo]] - [[Wizard]]
*[[Gnome (Darkwood Forest)|Gnome]] - [[Gnome]]
*King [[Gillibran Ironhelm III|Gillibran]] - Dwarf
*[[Trumble]] - Dwarf
* [[Quin]] - [[Human]] arm wrestler
==Locations==

*[[Darkwood Forest]]
*[[Mirewater]]
*[[Stonebridge]]
*[[Yaztromo's Tower]]

==Encounters==

*[[Ape Man]]
*[[Barbarian]]
*[[Bear]]
*[[Blood Eel]]
*[[Boulder Beast]]
*[[Cat People|Catwoman]]
*[[Cave Troll]]
*[[Clone Warrior]]s
*[[Death Hawk]]s
*[[Trumble|Dwarf]]
*[[Fire Demon]]
*[[Fish Person|Fish Man]]
*[[Forest Giant]]
*[[Ghoul]]
*[[Giant Spider]]
*[[Goblin]]s
*[[Gremlin]]s
*[[Hobgoblin]]s
*[[Human]]s - [[Bandit]]s/Masked Man
*[[Hunting Dog]]s
*[[Killer Bee]]s
*[[Ogre]]
*[[Orc]]s
*[[Pterodactyl]]
*[[Pygmy (Darkwood Forest)|Pygmies]]
*[[Shape Changer]]
*[[Sting Worm]]
*[[Treeman]]
*[[Vampire Bat]]s
*[[Werewolf]]
*[[Wild Boar]]
*[[Wild Hill Man|Wild Hill Men]]
*[[Wolf|Wolves]]
*[[Wyvern (creature)|Wyvern]]

==Other Creatures of Note==

*[[Quin]]
*[[Robed Stranger]]

==Further Notes==

*3 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by <span style="font-variant:small-caps;text-transform:lowercase">[[Stamina (attribute)|stamina]]</span> loss or bad <span style="font-variant:small-caps;text-transform:lowercase">[[Luck (attribute)|luck]]</span>.
*Ian Livingstone sources both his favourite character from the ''Fighting Fantasy'' books ([[Gereth Yaztromo]])<ref>25th Anniversary Edition of {{FF1}} - pg.224</ref> and his favourite monster (the [[Shape Changer]])<ref>25th Anniversary Edition of {{FF1}} - pg.221</ref> from this book.
*This was Ian's first full-length gamebook as sole author.

===Series 2 Additions===

*[[Pre-generated Player Characters|Pre-generated player characters]]: [[Helios Wardalus]], [[Gorrin Silverblade]], and [[Ophelia Lapwing]]
*11 paragraphs from ''[[Curse of the Mummy (book)|Curse of the Mummy]]''

==Errors==

*If the player has not retrieved the hammer by the end of the book it is possible to retrace their steps and try again an indefinite number of times, which can introduce absurdities as set-pieces are reset.
*The pre-generated character Helios Wardalus starts with Luck 6, while the minimal possible starting value is 7.
*Some of the rules are incorrectly printed in the Wizard Books version of the book due to text being copied from ''The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'':

:*The rules state that Provisions can only be eaten when instructed by the text, which is not the case.
:*The book also incorrectly states that the player has two doses of their chosen Potion at the beginning of the book, when in fact they have only one. (This seems to have been fixed in the Wizard Shield edition)
:*The rules also omit the paragraph on fighting more than one enemy. This can cause confusion since, unlike most ''Fighting Fantasy'' books, you aren't always told what to do when you face more than one enemy in the text and are reliant on the rules.
*The map in the Scholastic edition mis-spells [[Salamonis]] as "Salamons".

==Dedication==

===Puffin Edition===

For Liz and Carol<ref>{{FF3}} - pg.5</ref>

===Wizard Edition===

For Daniel<ref>{{FF3}} - pg.5</ref>

===Scholastic Edition===

''none''

==See Also==

*''[[Casket of Souls (book)|Casket of Souls]]''
*''[[Dicing with Dragons]]''
{{ILivingstone}}

==Reviews==

*Reviewed in ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' 42 (June [[1983]]), "Open Box" (pg.16-17)

==External Links==

*[http://www.gamebooks.org/scans/FightingFantasy/ff03sheet.gif Character Sheet] - Retrieved 2019-10-26
*[http://www.gamebooks.org/show_series.php?id=11 ''Fighting Fantasy'' at Gamebooks.org] - Retrieved 2019-10-26
*[http://www.gamebooks.org/show_series.php?id=12 ''Fighting Fantasy'' (Wizard Series 1) at Gamebooks.org] - Retrieved 2019-10-26
*[http://www.gamebooks.org/show_series.php?id=1285 ''Fighting Fantasy'' (Wizard Series 2) at Gamebooks.org] - Retrieved 2019-10-26
*[http://www.gamebooks.org/show_item.php?id=39 ''The Forest of Doom'' at Gamebooks.org] - Retrieved 2019-10-26
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20050817231749/http://www.fightingfantasy.com/ffb3.htm ''The Forest of Doom'' at the Internet Archive record of the old] [[Fightingfantasy.com (original)|Fightingfantasy.com]] - Retrieved 2019-10-26

==References==
<small><references /></small>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest of Doom (book)}}
[[Category:1983 books]]
[[Category:Fighting Fantasy Original Series]]
[[Category:Fighting Fantasy Wizard Series]]
[[Category:Fighting Fantasy Wizard Series 2]]
[[Category:Fighting Fantasy Scholastic Series]]
[[Category:Forest of Doom (d20) Entries]]