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Item - The Chasm of Doom

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(Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st])
(Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st])
(Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st])
(Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd])
(Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd])
(Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 1st printing [3rd])
(Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th])
(Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th])
(American edition, first printing)
(American edition, $2.50 printing)
(American edition, $2.95 printing)
(Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing)
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Combined Summary

Online Full Text: Internet Archive (American edition, first printing)
Project Aon (Project Aon edition)
Series: Lone Wolf (1984-1998) — no. 4
Lone Wolf, Collector's Edition (2007-) no. 4
Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition — no. 4
Platform: Web Browser (Project Aon edition)
Translated Into: O abismo da morte (Portuguese)
O abismo da perdição (Portuguese)
El Abismo maldito (Spanish)
L'altare del sacrificio (Italian)
Bezdnata na obrechenite [Бездната на обречените] (Bulgarian)
Domedagsklyftan (Swedish)
Domedagsklyftan (Swedish)
Le Gouffre maudit (French)
Jurang maut (Malay)
Ponor sudbine (Serbo-Croatian)
Rokle zkázy (Czech)
Schlacht über den Gräbern (German)
To katarameno pharanghi [Το καταραμένο φαράγγι] (Greek)
Unmei no kyoukoku [運命の峡谷] (Japanese)
Adapted Into: The Sacrifice of Ruanon (Novel)
Author: Dever, Joe
Illustrators: Chalk, Gary (Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st]; Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th] - interior; Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd] - interior; Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th] - interior; American edition, first printing - interior; American edition, $2.95 printing - interior; Project Aon edition; American edition, $2.50 printing - interior; Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 1st printing [3rd] - interior; Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - interior)
Corben, Richard (American edition, first printing - cover; American edition, $2.95 printing - cover; American edition, $2.50 printing - cover)
dal Lago, Alberto (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - cover)
Flynn, Danny (Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd] - cover)
Jones, Peter Andrew (Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th] - cover)
Salmon, Brian (Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th] - cover; Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 1st printing [3rd] - cover)
Sampson, Richard (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - interior)
Mattioli, Francesco (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing - interior)
Dates: February 28, 1985 (Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st])
October, 1985 (American edition, first printing)
1987 (Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd])
1987 (Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 1st printing [3rd])
1987 (Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th])
1991 (Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th])
2000 (Project Aon edition)
2008 (Lone Wolf (2007-) edition)
2022 (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing)
ISBNs: 0099391805 / 9780099391807 (Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st], Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th], Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd], Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th])
0425084191 / 9780425084199 (American edition, first printing, American edition, $2.95 printing, American edition, $2.50 printing)
1916268080 / 9781916268081 (Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing)
Length: 350 sections (Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st], Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd], Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 1st printing [3rd], Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th], Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th], American edition, first printing, American edition, $2.50 printing, American edition, $2.95 printing, Project Aon edition)
Number of Endings: 14 (not including failure by loss of points) (Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st], Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd], Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 1st printing [3rd], Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th], Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th], American edition, first printing, American edition, $2.50 printing, American edition, $2.95 printing, Project Aon edition)
Cover Price: US$2.50 (American edition, first printing, American edition, $2.50 printing)
US$2.95 (American edition, $2.95 printing)
Special Thanks: Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st], Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th], Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd]:
Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the front cover, back cover, spine and title page verso images.
Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th]:
Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the front cover, back cover, spine and title page verso images and Luke Sheridan for the spread.
User Summary: A convoy of gold and gems has disappeared, as has the troop of cavalry sent to investigate the disappearance; you must find out what has happened to everyone.
Demian's Thoughts:

Although I know I got as far as book ten when I played these as a child, my memory of the series kind of runs out with this volume. I approached it as if I had never played it before, and only the most dim of memories were revived as I went through it. Hopefully this will make my reviews a little more objective from this point on. In any case, like the last book, this is a good but relatively undistinguished entry in the series. The pacing is nice, with a mysterious but seemingly mundane mission growing into something of greater importance. Replay value is also good, with random numbers changing some aspects of the adventure and choices allowing other variations; I died a few times before succeeding in the quest, and each try was sufficiently different from the ones before it to keep me engaged. The book's biggest weakness, really, is the fact that it puts you in command of a group of men but never gives you a real feeling of control or even a sense of who it is that you're commanding. By offering more tactical decisions and by characterizing at least a few of the men being commanded, the book would have been somewhat stronger; this flaw aside, though, it's another good entry in a consistently above-average series.

More reviews by Demian

Kveto's Thoughts:

My fourth foray in Lone Wolf, this one is pretty good, a bit of a step up from the previous book. You are assigned by the king to find out what happened to a company of guardsmen, putting you in command of 50 soldiers to aid you. As usual it took me a few tries to get through, but I felt that it is the instant deaths, more than loss of endurance points, that killed me. As by the time you reach this book, if you've read the others, your character will be pretty powered up with Kai disciplines. (If you've read all the books, you get 8 out of 10 disciplines).

(Side note: One thing about Lone Wolf is how he doesn't fit into the conventional character classes I expect. He is a warrior monk, although he never appears religious or prays, making him a monk/fighter, but his Kai disciplines can either focus on more magical properties, like mind over matter, or more Rangerish skills like hunting or camouflage. I'm not complaining, I've just been trained my entire D&D reading career to have characters fit into neat little categories. He is a much more realistic jack-of-all-trades.

Lone Wolf's setting feels European, but his Monkish background feels Eastern and his name sounds Amerindian, making him a nice blend of cultures.)

Anyway, the book feels combat heavy, with lots of bandits to fight, but luckily the fights in this series are short and brutal, due to the great combat system. But it feels like a missed opportunity to introduce some kind of mass combat system, perhaps similar to the system in Sagard. But, spoiler, you don't spend long in command as you get separated from your troops, which is appropriate for a loner like Lone Wolf. Still, a mass combat system would have made this one stand out.

While I'm whining, I had assumed there would be an overall story arc, like in the Grey Star books, which make the stakes feel higher. But Lone Wolf books so far have been little "one and done" missions for each book.

That said, it is still a fun read.

More reviews by Kveto

Special Thanks:Thanks to Ryan Lynch for the British images currently used here. Thanks to Eric Hejdström for the Sparrow cover scan, Tan Hong Kiat for the Beaver reissue cover scan and Ben Nelson for the Red Fox cover scan that were previously used here. Thanks to the Museum of Computer Adventure Game History for the images of the $2.50 American edition.
Users Who Own This Item: aden, aehalpin, Alarion, Alatar001, AlHazred (Berkley/Pacer), andrewholt, andyr, angriestmonster, Aniline, Ardennes, auximenes, B0N0V0X, Barker1952, Belgarath, BobaGabe, bookwormjeff (Beaver original, Berkley, French ed. Le Gourffre Maudit), brujeria!, casperthegoth (American), cayh_dilg, Citanul, Crazyscotsman, CSquared, CWCprime, c_wickham (physical Sparrow edition + for Kindle), dArtagnan, dave2002a, dblizzard72, DeKoovenWolf (Red Fox edition), Demian (first American printing), demon of the deep lt, desdichado66, devilsboy, Dirk Omnivore, Dronak (US), Eamonn McCusker, Ed, edwebb, EegahInc, egokun, Erikwinslow (US, UK (Beaver), UK (Sparrow)), Ffghtermedic, firaya, firefoxpdm, Gamebook, Gamehorder, Gartax, Gibraltar, gnomeza (Red Fox), greyarea13, Gurvo (Beaver Orig.), Haoie, Himynameistony, hoops4ever, Hugues, Ian2405, Icedlake (Sparrow), jdreller, Joe_TC, JoshW, jr (Berkley), Jubal, juski, katzcollection (original Beaver and American editions), killagarilla, kinderstef, knginatl, Kojiro, le maudit, lek, LordJR, Luke, Malthus Dire, marginal_space, marksmith, marnaudo, mattender, mir1812, mlvoss, mvstang, mymgoth, nelsondesign, NEMO (American edition), nerelax, nicolau (Spanish eds., Alfaguara & Timun Mas), nilhilius (American), Nomad, Oberonbombadil (Sparrow 1st, Beaver (second cover, 1989 ed. - my childhood copy); Beaver original cover, Berkley-Pacer ed.), outspaced, Pessimeister (first beaver edition), peterm2, Pirrakas, plutonick (Red Fox edition), Pseudo_Intellectual, redeyeball, redpiper05, rpatel1976 (beaver), ryderark (Sparrow), Ryuran333 (Beaver Reissue, Beaver), Sabreman (Sparrow), Salpynx (Sparrow), Seizure, Sheridan77, Sir Olli (UK & US), sireeyore (Sparrow), smdiabla, snakefire77 (beaver reissue), spragmatic (US), StagQuests (Sparrow), Superfro, Tamerlane1396, ThaRid (2 copies - one Sparrow; one American), Threepwud, Treguard, Tremendez, truce57, twar, TWolf, Virtua Sinner, wonderfly, xinuz, Yalius, zat
Users Who Want This Item: bookwormjeff (Sparrow, Red Fox, Beaver reissue), Braldt, crazydave, Cyan, domj29, Greeneuva, Grifter, Lambchop, MasterChief, Morthynmir, Mr ?, mrwalker, NEMO ( beaver,Beaver reissue, Red Fox), nordik, odo_ital, plutonick, Surcal (Beaver & Redfox), Trompe-l Oeil (1st Print), yermither
Users with Extra Copies: andyr - US Berkeley
DeKoovenWolf - Red Fox edition
Dronak - American -- one number penned in on sheet, spine cracked; generally good
Gamebook
iceman
JamesMulgrue
mvstang
Pirrakas - Berkley
redpiper05 - Beaver, very good cond.
Sir Olli - Red Fox
sireeyore - American
Threepwud
twar - 1 copy beaver edition w/pencil markings

Known Editions

Sparrow, UK 1985 1st printing [1st]
Beaver (Original cover), UK 1987 1st printing [2nd]
Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 1st printing [3rd]
Beaver (Second cover), US 1987 2nd printing [4th]
Original (Red Fox), UK 1991 2nd printing [7th]
American edition, first printing
American edition, $2.50 printing
American edition, $2.95 printing
Project Aon edition
Lone Wolf (2007-) edition (in The Chasm of Doom (collector's edition))
Lone Wolf, Definitive Edition, hardcover first printing

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Play Aid

Lone Wolf # 3 / #4 / # 5 Character Sheet (back)

Lone Wolf # 4 Character Sheet (front)