Series - Endless Quest Books: Crimson Crystal Adventures

[List All Series] [List Series Full Text] [List Series Images] [List Series People] [List Series Subjects/Tags]

Language:	English
Publisher:	TSR -- United States
Categories:	Complexity Level : Basic (No Game System) Format : Paperback Genre : Fantasy Genre : Science Fiction Product Family : Dungeons & Dragons Target Age Group : Older Children Writing Style : Present Tense Writing Style : Second Person

This spin-off of the Endless Quest series featured the same basic format but added one significant twist: each book included a clear sheet of red plastic. This "Crimson Crystal" was used to reveal images hidden behind blobs of red ink in various sections of each adventure. Unfortunately, this gimmick has little or no impact on plot and gameplay, though it does give this series a slightly more game-like feel than its completely straightforward parent. Three of the books take place in the Dungeons & Dragons setting (or something remarkably like it), though one adventure seems to be a generic science fiction tale unrelated to any of TSR's role-playing settings (though Star Frontiers would probably be the closest match).

Gamebooks

1. Riddle of the Griffon
2. Search for the Pegasus
3. Renegades of Luntar
4. Stop that Witch!

User Comments

This is one of the many spin-offs of the successful Endless Quest series. It feels very similar to that series, aside from the red "viewstrip" which can be used on certain pages to reveal what was hidden beneath. This viewstrip gimmick was quite popular with TSR properties in the mid-1980s, although the publishers appeared more enamored of it that the readers.

As a result, these books feel much more gimmicky than the regular series, always looking for an excuse to suggest using the viewstrip, which makes the choices more limited in scope. The series was most likely not successful as a result.

--Kveto