Adventure Guide
Author: David Levithan
Designer: Mark Neston
First Published: 1999
ISBN: 0-439-12968-0
Length: 16 pages
Description: This booklet explains the rules of the game system and
is part of the Star Wars Episode I Adventures introductory package.
Other items in the package include ten-sided and twenty-sided dice, a pad to
keep track of scores on, a notebook, a membership card and a Darth
Maul-shaped case to hold everything in. The biggest flaw of this book (aside
from the cheap paper it's printed on) is its failure to mention whether the
zero on the ten-sided die represents zero or ten. Experience with playing
the game suggests to me that it counts as ten, however.
1. Search for the Lost Jedi
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: September, 1999
ISBN: 0-439-10138-7 (novel), 0-439-12984-2 (gamebook)
Length: 85 pages (novel), 81 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Vel Ardox,
Noro Zak
Vehicle Cards Included: Flash Speeder, V-35 Landspeeder
Device Cards Included: Breather, Grappling Hook, Lightsaber (Obi-Wan
Kenobi's), Lightsaber (Qui-Gon Jinn's)
Power Cards Included: Alteration, Persuasion
Plot Summary: You must travel to the planet Esseles and battle your
way through a factory full of dangerously reprogrammed droids in order to
rescue a captured Jedi Master and discover who has ordered the construction
of combat-equipped spacecraft.
My Thoughts: Although the design of this book makes playing it feel
rather like reading the outline for a larger gamebook, it's still a fairly
satisfying adventure. While it's highly linear, it does have enough choices
to make it feel somewhat less restrictive than it actually is. The
cliffhanger ending was a pleasant surprise; it's nice to see that these books
are going to have some sort of continuous storyline.
My Starting Score: 1000
My Ending Score: 2135
2. The Bartokk Assassins
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: October, 1999
ISBN: 0-439-10139-5 (novel), 0-439-12985-0 (gamebook)
Length: 91 pages (novel), 97 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Bama Vook, Leeper
Vehicle Cards Included: Metron Burner, Z-95 Headhunter
Device Cards Included: HM Blaster, Short-Range Blaster
Power Cards Included: Confusion, Find
Plot Summary: You must pursue and destroy a freighter full of
dangerous spacecraft stolen by a group of Bartokks, deadly insectoid
assassins with a hive mind. To make things more complicated, you must
rescue a hostage and retrieve a high-tech device before you can get
around to blowing stuff up.
My Thoughts: This book follows the same pattern as the previous one
and is about equally enjoyable. It nicely accomodates most character
choices, though there were a few places where more item cards should have
been taken into account. As before, the ending sets things up nicely for
the next volume.
My Starting Score: 2135
My Ending Score: 2899
Errata: The Z-95 Headhunter card should list the vehicle as a
space-type craft, not a land-type craft.
3. The Fury of Darth Maul
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: November, 1999
ISBN: 0-439-10140-9 (novel), 0-439-12986-9 (gamebook)
Length: 93 pages (novel), 102 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Darth Maul, C-3PX
Vehicle Cards Included: Sith Speeder, Sith Infiltrator
Device Cards Included: Darth Maul Lightsaber, Flame Projector
Power Cards Included: Jump, Infiltration
Plot Summary: As an agent of the Sith, you must recover the droid
starfighters that weren't destroyed by the Jedi and take revenge on the
Bartokks currently in possession of them.
My Thoughts: This is the first book in this series which allows you
to fight on the side of evil, and it's certainly an interesting novelty.
Unfortunately, the storyline is very similar to that of the previous volume;
it consists mostly of battles with Bartokks and concludes with a space fight
and a few big explosions. A little more variety would have been nice.
Still, the book does advance the storyline started in the previous two books,
and this continuity helps a lot in making the series fun.
My Starting Score: 2899
My Ending Score: 3779
Errata: The last sentence of page 96 should read "If targeting
is not one of your talents, your roll# + your weaponry# + your
vehicle's weaponry# is your adventure#."
4. Jedi Emergency
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: December, 1999
ISBN: 0-439-10141-7 (novel), 0-439-12987-7 (gamebook)
Length: 92 pages (novel), 108 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Yoda, Mace Windu
Vehicle Cards Included: Experimental Academy Starfighter, Repulsorlift Skiff
Device Cards Included: Yoda Lightsaber, Mace Windu Lightsaber
Power Cards Included: Redirect, Force Movement
Plot Summary: Having reached Corulag Academy, you must rescue a
force-sensitive child from a misguided scientist and prevent Bartokks
from blowing the entire complex up with powerful bombs!
My Thoughts: This adventure is yet another Bartokk slaughter, though
it's not quite as monotonous as it could have been; the dual missions help to
make things interesting, as does the fact that there's a good variety of
different characters you can potentially use to play through the book. By
the time the fighting is over, a number of subplots are resolved and at least
one long-running mystery is solved. All this resolution means that, for the
first time in this series, the basic plot of the next book is hard to
predict...
My Starting Score: 3779
My Ending Score: 4420
5. The Ghostling Children
Author: Dave Wolverton
First Published: January, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10142-5 (novel), 0-439-12988-5 (gamebook)
Length: 116 pages (novel), 61 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Anakin Skywalker, Kitster, Pala, Dorn
Vehicle Cards Included: Sand-Skimmer
Device Cards Included: Sleep-Dart, Jawa Ion Blaster
Power Cards Included: Reflex
Plot Summary: You are a slave, and you must enter the fortress of
Gardulla the Hutt and rescue a group of fragile children stolen by the evil
Podracer, Sebulba.
My Thoughts: While the gamebook included in this package is
disappointingly short, it is nicely designed. Some of the choices are more
complex than usual, and it's even possible to lose a Strength point as the
result of an injury! The novel that introduces the adventure is also pretty
decently written. This is a fairly good beginning to the series' second
story arc.
My Starting Score: 4420
My Ending Score: 5072
6. The Hunt for Anakin Skywalker
Author: Dave Wolverton
First Published: February, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10143-3 (novel), 0-439-12989-3 (gamebook)
Length: 100 pages (novel), 60 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Sebulba, Khiss, Gondry, Djas Puhr
Vehicle Cards Included: Sebulba's Podracer, Anakin's Podracer
Device Cards Included: Reactant Leak Sniffer
Power Cards Included: Hide
Plot Summary: You are Sebulba or one of his friends, and you must
track down and capture one of the children who freed the Ghostling slaves.
My Thoughts: These books are even shorter than the last two, and the
gamebook is a bit incoherent at times. Still, these flaws are redeemed by
some pleasantly complex gameplay; a number of statistics and abilities can
be affected by unwise choices during the course of play, and power must be
used strategically.
My Starting Score: 5072
My Ending Score: 5572
7. Capture Arawynne
Author: Dave Wolverton
First Published: March, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10144-1 (novel), 0-439-12990-7 (gamebook)
Length: 91 pages (novel), 56 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Tracking Droid
Vehicle Cards Included: Eopie
Device Cards Included: Stokhli Spray Stick
Power Cards Included: Motion
Plot Summary: The hunt continues... As one of the bad guys, you have
to find and capture the escaped Ghostlings.
My Thoughts: This is easily the worst book in the series so far.
First of all, it's the worst value; the gamebook is the shortest yet, the
novel's not much longer, and you only get four cards. The book also has
some major problems; while it allows you to play any of five different
characters, the gamebook and the novel only fit together continuity-wise if
you play as Sebulba; the worst option is to play as a tracking droid, since
the gamebook contains mentions of clothing, parents, limbs, and other things
that simply don't apply to the robot. The book isn't a total failure,
though... It does manage to be rather funny at times. How can you fail
to be amused by something which contains a section with the heading "To
blast the swamp slug really, really good?"
My Starting Score: 5572
My Ending Score: 6271
8. Trouble on Tattooine
Author: Dave Wolverton
First Published: April, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10145-X (novel), 0-439-14742-5 (gamebook)
Length: 97 pages (novel), 67 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Princess Arawynne
Vehicle Cards Included: Watto's Landspeeder
Device Cards Included: Beamdrill
Power Cards Included: Compass
Plot Summary: The Ghostling children and their would-be captors are
sentenced to death in an arena, and you must guide them to safety through
a series of sand drainage tunnels.
My Thoughts: This adventure concludes the second story arc in this
series. The included novel is quite well-written and surprisingly
sophisticated. Unfortunately, the gamebook doesn't integrate with the novel
very well, and it feels rather brief despite being Wolverton's longest entry
in the series so far. As with the other sets in the series, the actual
writing in the gamebook isn't nearly as good as the writing in the novel,
though it is enlivened a bit by occasional humor. As far as gameplay goes,
there are some nice touches, like the fact that one possible mishap from
early in the story turns out to be an advantage much later on, but it's
fairly standard. The tunnel crawl theme is great gamebook material, but it
doesn't feel quite right in a book as linear as this. Overall, this is a
good read (and the novel borders on exceptional), but it's not the best
adventure in the series.
My Starting Score: 6271
My Ending Score: 6885
Errata: On page 42, the Movement power is used. Unfortunately, there
is no Movement power; the book is probably referring to the Motion power.
9. Rescue in the Core
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: May, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10146-8 (novel), 0-439-17491-0 (gamebook)
Length: 91 pages (novel), 100 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Jar Jar Binks, Boss Nass
Vehicle Cards Included: Grand Army Bongo, Tribubble Bongo
Device Cards Included: Stunner, Electropole
Power Cards Included: Defense
Plot Summary: While travelling underwater, your craft is overtaken
by a seaquake. You must survive the initial disaster, then try to help
others who may have been affected by it. Along the way, you must also
recover some endangered animals which escaped from a research facility.
My Thoughts: This book begins Ryder Windham's second story arc written
for this series. Windham's works are generally longer than Dave Wolverton's,
so the book seems a better value for the money, but its storyline isn't as
interesting as some of Wolverton's better ones. The book isn't bad, though;
the story and setting are both nice changes of pace, and the game design is
fairly solid. The biggest problem with it is that it only really makes
sense if you play as Jar Jar Binks; the gamebook just wasn't really written
with Boss Nass in mind. Apart from this flaw, my only major gameplay
complaint involves a sequence in which levers are randomly pulled; during
this section, different random events can potentially happen repeatedly,
but these events don't always make sense occurring more than once. The rules
should probably have addressed this issue in some way.
My Starting Score: 6885
My Ending Score: 7450
10. Festival of Warriors
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: June, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10147-6 (novel), 0-439-17492-9 (gamebook)
Length: 92 pages (novel), 96 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Major Fassa, Captain Tarpals
Vehicle Cards Included: Kaadu, Hydrotoboggan
Device Cards Included: Cesta, Slingshot
Power Cards Included: Diving
Plot Summary: You've entered in the Big Nasty Free-For-All, an intense
test of skill held annually for Gungans. Unfortunately, some mysterious
offworld droids have showed up to make things more difficult for everyone...
My Thoughts: This is a pretty good book. The game design is
interesting, offering lots of choices and more flexibility than usual; there
are some branches of the story that can be avoided, and it's even possible
to lose the Free-For-All (which surprised me, since I figured victory would
be inevitable). Although the extra possibilities of the book make it feel a
bit less linear than usual, they bear a price; the gamebook and the novel fit
together very poorly, and unless you take on the role of Major Fassa and do
exceptionally well, the end of the novel will totally fail to match the
events in the gamebook. This is too bad, as the inconsistency at the end
dramatically reduced my opinion of an otherwise excellent book.
My Starting Score: 7450
My Ending Score: 7987
Errata: On page 80, you are instructed to do one thing if your
adventure# is equal to or more than 14 or a different thing if it is less
than 17. This presents an obvious inconsistency, but I don't know which
number is the correct one.
11. Pirates from Beyond the Sea
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: July, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10148-4 (novel), 0-439-17493-7 (gamebook)
Length: 83 pages (novel), 90 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Commander Wolloo, Lob Diz
Vehicle Cards Included: Heyblibber
Device Cards Included: Boomerang, Droid Deactivator
Power Cards Included: Knockout
Plot Summary: You must prevent some ancient Gungan statues from being
stolen by alien pirates, and you must rescue a kidnapped historian.
My Thoughts: The novel in this package isn't terribly good, and as in
the last package, integration between the novel and the gamebook is quite
poor. Fortunately, these flaws are largely made up for by the quality of the
gamebook, which provides a nice variety of situations, an interesting
setting, and some nasty setbacks to your score when luck goes bad for too
long. There's a lot of droid-killing, which brings back memories of the
Bartokk-slaying missions early in the series, but this isn't just a rehash of
earlier volumes. If not for the annoying novel integration problems, this
would be an above-average adventure.
My Starting Score: 7987
My Ending Score: 8803
Errata: On page 40, the Aim skill is accidentally referred to as the
Marksmanship skill; this is probably a relic from an earlier draft.
12. The Bongo Rally
Author: Ryder Windham
First Published: August, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10149-2 (novel), 0-439-17494-5 (gamebook)
Length: 107 pages (novel), 100 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Spleed Nukkels, Neb Neb Goodrow
Vehicle Cards Included: Blue Racing Bongo, Green Racing Bongo
Device Cards Included: Crowbar
Power Cards Included: Acceleration
Plot Summary: Pirate Captain Swagg decides to get his revenge on
the Gungans by attacking their arena during the bongo racing segment of
the Festival of Warriors. Obviously, you must stop him...
My Thoughts: I'm glad to see this story arc come to an end. While
it has had some good moments, it hasn't had nearly as much coherence as
the previous two, especially as far as integration between the novels and
gamebooks is concerned. This set is no exception, with the gamebook and
novel being rather jarring in their inability to integrate smoothly. The
story isn't completely without redeeming features, however; there are a few
moments of humor, and the gamebook uses some inventory management, which is
interesting (if pointless, considering that all the items are roughly alike).
It's unfortunate that these books don't raise the complexity level of the
rules just a little bit; it would make them considerably more exciting.
With luck, maybe the next storyline will bring some innovation courtesy of
Dave Wolverton...
My Starting Score: 8803
My Ending Score: 9495
Errata: On page 97, the Knockdown skill is mentioned; this is almost
certainly an erroneous reference to the Knockout skill.
13. Danger on Naboo
Author: Peter Lerangis (credited as A. L. Singer)
First Published: September, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10150-6 (novel), 0-439-19449-0 (gamebook)
Length: 73 pages (novel), 116 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Jedi (female), Jedi (male)
Vehicle Cards Included: Naboo Royal Starship
Device Cards Included: Grappling Spike Launcher
Power Cards Included: Mind Trick
Plot Summary: As a Jedi, you must investigate the Trade Federation
blockade on Naboo; things get messy pretty fast.
My Thoughts: Contrary to my previous prediction, this book wasn't
written by Dave Wolverton but instead comes courtesy of A. L. Singer,
author of the unfortunate Dick Tracy Catch-a-Crook
Adventure. Luckily, this book is of excellent quality. First of all,
it wastes no time before diving right into the adventure; there are only
two pages worth of novel before the player gets to start making choices.
Secondly, it has a good game design, featuring some significant choices and
various ways in which early events affect later ones; the fact that the book
keeps track of the reader's bongo piloting skill, for example, is a nice
touch. A final, and perhaps more important, factor that adds interest to
the book is the fact that, since it is the first book in the series to
novelize events from the film rather than to lead up to them, it brings
together both of the storylines introduced in Ryder Windham's books;
Wolverton's storyline should be tied in during the next volume. This
attention to continuity makes reading this series quite rewarding. Of course,
for people who have seen the film, this book may be disappointing familiar;
for the unitiated like myself, though, it's a satisfying payoff.
My Starting Score: 9495
My Ending Score: 10629
14. Podrace to Freedom
Author: Peter Lerangis (credited as A. L. Singer)
First Published: October, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-10151-4 (novel), 0-439-19450-4 (gamebook)
Length: 77 pages (novel), 105 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Tatooine Male, Tatooine Female
Vehicle Cards Included: Podracer
Device Cards Included: none
Power Cards Included: Repair, Navigation
Plot Summary: You're a slave on Tatooine, and you must win a dangerous
podrace in order to help the characters from the previous story pay for some
parts that they need to complete their critical mission.
My Thoughts: This book continues novelizing the events from the
Star Wars Episode I film, and it does so quite well. The gamebook is the
best-written so far, being of equal quality to the novel; this is probably
because it is written with Anakin Skywalker in mind, so it doesn't have to
make the sacrifices that previous books made in order to keep the characters
generic. The only oddity is the fact that Kitster is always referred to
(often rather awkwardly) as "your best friend" except in dialogue.
This quirk aside, the book succeeds quite well in being exciting, touching
and occasionally funny, and the gameplay only serves to enhance the story.
Continuity is good, and a section of the book in which you must roll to
successfully insult Sebulba is an amusing little touch. I look forward to
the next volume, though I fear it may be the last...
My Starting Score: 10629
My Ending Score: 11626
Errata: On page 87, it says what to do if you have the decision
talent, but it doesn't say what to do if you don't. I'd recommend omitting
the knowledge# from the equation to keep things fair, but this is just a
random guess. Additionally, on page 105, the reader is instructed to turn to
page "TK" of the novel. The page number should, in fact, be 61.
15. The Final Battle
Author: Peter Lerangis (credited as A. L. Singer)
First Published: November, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-17488-0 (novel), 0-439-19451-2 (gamebook)
Length: 58 pages (novel), 151 pages (gamebook)
Character Cards Included: Queen Amidala, Captain Panaka, Naboo Pilot
Vehicle Cards Included: N-1 Starfighter
Device Cards Included: Naboo Blaster
Power Cards Included: Surprise Attack
Plot Summary: You must participate in the final battle for Naboo, and
depending on which role you take on, your objective varies...
My Thoughts: Interestingly, the series concludes with its shortest
novel and its longest gamebook. The writing is fairly strong (though not
quite at the level of the previous volume), and the game design is
interesting -- there are basically four separate brief gamebooks here, each
following a different character. It's unfortunate, however, that the book
isn't designed so that the reader can follow all four paths; instead, it
forces the reader to choose one, meaning that vital parts of the story get
missed and that the overall adventure is remarkably brief. Of course,
there's nothing stopping the reader from going through all four paths, but
it's too bad that keeping score while doing this would technically be against
the rules. Paths #1 and #2 have a bit too much in common, but the final two
paths are distinct enough from the first two to be worth reading, with #3
(the Gungan adventure) being the most unique (and also the silliest).
Integration between the novel and the gamebook leaves a bit to be desired
here; things are certainly a bit off if you follow path #1 as Qui-Gon Jinn!
Nonetheless, this isn't a bad conclusion to the series; I can only hope that
Star Wars Episode II Adventures will someday become available!
My Starting Score: 11626
My Ending Score: 12299 (after choosing path #1)
Errata: On page 140, it says to turn to "You whiz by the
walls" on page 146; the phrase in question is actually on page 142.
Additionally, on page 149, there's a To outrun the fireball (without
Power) heading even though there is no option to use power.