#City of Thieves

[vintagerpg]

City of Thieves (1983) is legit one of my favorite Fighting Fantasy books. Port Blacksand! We’re pretty early in the evolution of the series yet, so the proceedings are still fairly straightforward and lacking the tricksy things more ambitious titles in the double digits get up to, but you can really start to see the potential forming here. And I honestly LIKE the straightforward FFs. They’re routinely elegant and more polished than pretty much any other adventure gamebook line.

You’re at odds with a pirate named Zanbar Bone (that’s his leering skull on the cover, lest you think the pirate’s name was just poetic) and need to collect a bunch of items that will help you defeat him and his henchmen. Once you do that, it’s off to his tower, which I like a lot less than the exploration of Blacksand — there are a bunch of unfair traps and the last couple combats are hard if you aren’t a cheater like me. And, like Livingstone’s section of Firetop Mountain, it is easy to miss key items and therefore be thoroughly screwed when they are necessary to progress. That’s a symptom of these early days and I think it mostly goes away over time (can’t be sure, never really read them in order), but that doesn’t make it less frustrating when it happens.

Occasional lumps aside, this is one of the best looking FFs, cover AND interiors by Iain McCaig. Hard to pick a fave, but it is probably that wizard. Or the goth lady. I enjoy the surprise cameo by an issue of White Dwarf, too!

#roleplaying game #tabletop rpg #dungeons & dragons #rpg #ttrpg #d&d #Fighting Fantasy #City Of Thieves

[atomic-chronoscaph]

City of Thieves - art by Richard Corben (1983)

#richard corben #80s fantasy art #role playing gamebooks #fantasy gamebooks #ian livingstone #city of thieves #cover art #1980s #1983

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

ℜ𝔦𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔯𝔟𝔢𝔫 - ℭ𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔰, 𝔭𝔞𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔟𝔞𝔠𝔨 𝔠𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯, յգՑՅ

#Richard corben #paperback cover #1983 #City of thieves #80's #80s #art #cover #artwork #painting #r.p.g. #rpg #illustration #dragon #fantasy

[jimmy-dipthong]

I don’t think anyone is following me for my tabletop game design content but in case you didn’t know I actually designed and published a little card game on kickstarter a while ago, and I’m working on a new game. I’m thinking that I’ll post some progress updates here so just a heads up that for the next few weeks my brain is probably gonna be working on game design stuff instead of Japanese or language stuff!

I’ve been sitting on this prototype design (called City of Thieves) for a few years now, but I recently came up with a couple of ideas to make it more fun and interesting. I’ve rewritten the rulebook and I’ve done some illustrations I’ll use for the playtesting draft (below!)

I might post some more about it later! Maybe a design diary about how the playtests go, or what changes I made to the original design to make it more fun.

#my art #tabletop game design #city of thieves #jimmy blogthong

[adventuretimebandshirt]

A pair of shiny red boots for you, no stealing!

#adventure time #mtg #magic the gathering #mtg custom #shiny red boots #city of thieves

[diaryoftruequotes]

I've always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed.

David Benioff, City of Thieves

#David Benioff #City of Thieves #quotes #book quotes

[crockpotcauldron]

When in Rome...

It's actually pretty nice to have a way to weed out the inventory.

Maybe it was in poor taste to mention my blood sugar in front of an undead wizard. Do you think Zanbar Bone's last name was Bone before he died, or do you think he changed it when he got into the lich business?

#Mort Manifold #City of thieves #Fighting fantasy #Ian livingstone

[booksforbirdie]

“Talent must be a fanatical mistress. She’s beautiful; when you’re with her, people watch you, they notice. But she bangs on your door at odd hours, and she disappears for long stretches, and she has no patience for the rest of your existence: your wife, your children, your friends. She is the most thrilling evening of your week, but some day she will leave you for good. One night, after she’s been gone for years, you will see her on the arm of a younger man, and she will pretend not to recognize you.”

Title: City of Thieves

Author: David Benioff

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: Considering David Benioff also has experience writing for the screen, it’s not at all surprising to see the simple, cinematic beauty in this story. The premise is entertaining of course. Essentially like a buddy-cop film except dark and Russian and set in a war-zone, the plot revolves around two vastly different criminals who have to go on a journey to find a dozen eggs in a starving war-time Stalingrad. It’s dark and grimly ironic at times, and surprisingly hopeful and warm on occasion (despite the book’s realistic portrayal of the clear lack of hope and warmth in their surroundings). It’s a really moving read, fairly short, and filled with beautiful writing that can cut to the heart of what it means to be human without veering off into pretentiousness. You’ll have the story of Kolya and Lev stuck in your head long after you finished the book and moved on to the next. Highly recommend!

Sample Quote:

《 For some reason I wasn’t angry at Kolya. It was a strange lie but a harmless one, and the farther I walked the more I understood his motivation. Kolya seemed fearless, but everyone has fear in them somewhere; fear is part of our inheritance. Aren’t we descended from timid little shrews who cowered in the shadows while the great beasts stomped past? 》

#so so good y’all!!! #book quotes #book recommendations #bookblr #my post #books & libraries #book blog #booklover #bookworm #booklr #city of thieves #historical fiction #book review

[adventuretimetournament]

Hug Wolf: Finn undergoes a strange transformation after being embraced by a hug wolf.

City of Thieves: Finn and Jake try to help a girl recover her stolen basket from a thief and struggle not to become thieves themselves in the process.

#adventure time #skippable episodes #hug wolf #city of thieves

[yahoo201027]

Day in Fandom History: May 24…

Finn and Jake, in hopes of helping a little girl named Penny to get her stolen basket back, enter into a city where everyone is a criminal, and slowly become corrupted by their surroundings. “City of Thieves” premiered on this day, 13 Years Ago.

#Day in Fandom History #13 Years Ago #Adventure Time #Season 1 #Episode 13 #City of Thieves #Cartoon #Animation

[magicmalcolm]

Many a childhood afternoon was spent reading these and other Fighting Fantasy novels in my local library.

Amazingly I've never actually owned any myself until now.

#fighting fantasy #the warlock of firetop mountain #city of thieves #ian livingstone #steve jackson #choose your own adventure #cyoa #oh yeah gonna battle Zanbar Bone #which is a great villain name

[notthatitreallymatters]

It made me happy that poems are referred to in the present tense even when the poet is in the past tense.

City of Thieves - David Benioff

#reading #quotes #city of thieves #david benioff

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Iain McCaig

#Iain McCaig #City of Thieves #Fighting Fantasy game-book #art #artwork #painting #rpg #r p g #Illustration #reaper #skeleton #memento mori #skull #executioner #grim reaper #mystery

[jimmy-dipthong]

City of Thieves playtest cards

Some previews of some playtest cards! I didn't wanna give away the gameplay mechanics because I do plan on taking this to a publisher at some point, but I did want to at least show off the prototype cards' visual design.

Now that the cards have all been mocked up, the next thing to do is playtesting! I've already organised some time with friends this week, I'm very keen to see how it goes.

#city of thieves #tabletop game design #visual design #card game design #jimmy blogthong #my art

[quotes-that-speak-to-me]

“Every night my grandparents eat dinner on the deck of their house, looking out over the dark waters toward Mexico. They sleep with the windows open, the moths battering their wings against the mesh screens. Unlike the other retirees I've met in Florida, they're not worried about crime. The front door is usually unlocked and there is no alarm system. They don't wear their seat belts in the car; they don't wear suntan lotion in the sun. They have decided nothing can kill them but God himself, and they don't even believe in him.”

-David

City of Thieves

David Benioff

#quote #David #david benioff #city of thieves #God

[goldencrownofsorro]

#83

#city of thieves #david benioff #the last of us #leningrad #cover art #books read in 2023