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Fabled Lands #4
Plains of Howling Darkness
The desolate wastes of the Great Steppes
Set in the Great Steppes, an environment of grasslands, plains and tundra similar to Siberia and Mongolia. Key quests include liberating the Citadel of Veris Corin for the King of Sokara (closely linked with quests in The War-Torn Kingdom), releasing the King of Harkuna from his prison underneath the Rimewater (closely linked with quests in The Court of Hidden Faces) and killing the immortal tyrant Kaschuf (based on the legend of Koschei the Deathless) who rules over the village of Vodhya (which requires the player to find and release his soul, hidden on an island in Over The Blood-Dark Sea).
This was the first book in the series to introduce the concept of a harsh environment - out on the Steppes, the player must make constant SCOUTING rolls in order to find enough food, and on the northern steppes the player loses one point of stamina a day from the cold, unless they have a wolf pelt to keep warm.
710 sections, ISBN 0-330-34173-1
Set in the Great Steppes, an environment of grasslands, plains and tundra similar to Siberia and Mongolia. Key quests include liberating the Citadel of Veris Corin for the King of Sokara (closely linked with quests in The War-Torn Kingdom), releasing the King of Harkuna from his prison underneath the Rimewater (closely linked with quests in The Court of Hidden Faces) and killing the immortal tyrant Kaschuf (based on the legend of Koschei the Deathless) who rules over the village of Vodhya (which requires the player to find and release his soul, hidden on an island in Over The Blood-Dark Sea).
This was the first book in the series to introduce the concept of a harsh environment - out on the Steppes, the player must make constant SCOUTING rolls in order to find enough food, and on the northern steppes the player loses one point of stamina a day from the cold, unless they have a wolf pelt to keep warm.
710 sections, ISBN 0-330-34173-1
96 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2017
This series just keeps getting better and better. I'm still playing my bard/troubadour character, Silas, adventuring all across the continents. This book is the farthest north country of the Great Steppes, and there are many enjoyable quests to be had. I freed a sleeping king trapped in a frozen lake, found fairy treasure, almost froze to death on the frozen plains, battled an undead general, and even encountered an ancient dragon on the edge of the world. And I'm only Level 3!I've barely scratched the surface of this massive world, and I can see myself putting many more hours into mastering my character.
You don't have to buy the books to play; just download the Fabled Lands app, and the computer will do all the combat rolls for you and keep track of your items. If you're a fan of fantasy or gamebooks, you owe it to yourself to check this out!
You don't have to buy the books to play; just download the Fabled Lands app, and the computer will do all the combat rolls for you and keep track of your items. If you're a fan of fantasy or gamebooks, you owe it to yourself to check this out!
April 9, 2022
I really wish I had discovered gamebooks in my childhood, but I never knew they existed back then. I would have devoured them greedily. As a fellow who loves both a good story and a great game, Fabled Lands strikes all the right chords. (I suppose I must disclose I like good music as well.)
My only problem with this book is that it has no ending. Please correct me if I am mistaken. You simply adventure through the world, moving in and out of the volumes in the series as you journey across the continents. But there is no final resolution to look forward to. You just finish when you decide to quit your adventure.
That may seem like a big deal to those who expect a book to have a climax and resolution. But the fun I had while adventuring was so delightful, I could not bring myself to give any star rating lower than 5.
My only problem with this book is that it has no ending. Please correct me if I am mistaken. You simply adventure through the world, moving in and out of the volumes in the series as you journey across the continents. But there is no final resolution to look forward to. You just finish when you decide to quit your adventure.
That may seem like a big deal to those who expect a book to have a climax and resolution. But the fun I had while adventuring was so delightful, I could not bring myself to give any star rating lower than 5.
January 23, 2023
3.5 / 5
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews