ACE Gamebooks

ACE Gamebooks is a series of gamebooks created by Jonathan Green and published by Snowbooks since 2015. A feature of the titles in the series is that they take classic works of literature and give them a dark twist, often combining steampunk elements. Some of the titles take inspiration from more than one work of classic literature, such as NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!, which uses elements of both J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Wendy and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.

ACE Gamebooks
Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland
  • Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland
  • The Wicked Wizard of Oz
  • NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
  • Beowulf Beastslayer
  • 'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas
AuthorJonathan Green
IllustratorKev Crossley / Russ Nicholson / Tony Hough
Cover artistKev Crossley / Russ Nicholson / Tony Hough
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSnowbooks
Published2015-
Media typeprint
No. of books5
Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/ACEgamebooks/

Gameplay

The ACE Gamebooks series are similar in terms of both gameplay and layout to Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, designed to be read by a single player.

The name for the series comes from the initial letters of the three attributes players keep track of throughout the books, Agility, Combat and Endurance. 'ACE' also references the fact that instead of dice, cards can be used to generate random numbers. Some books in the series introduce other attributes, such as Insanity and Logic, in Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, and Mutiny in NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!

Another feature of the series is that in some of the books the reader can choose which character they want to play as.[1] Each player character has unique content written especially for them, which includes unlockable mini-quests in books such as The Wicked Wizard of Oz.

Combat

Combat is simulated by rolling dice or picking random playing cards from a standard deck. These randomly-generated numbers are added to the player's, or an opponent's, Combat score to produce a Combat Strength. The Combat Strengths of the player and the opponent are compared, with the higher one winning the Combat Round and deducting Endurance points from the other. Combat in the books also uses an initiative system, with whoever has the initiative gaining a Combat bonus.

Attributes
  • Agility: A measure of how athletic and agile you are.
  • Combat: A measure of how skilful you are at fighting, whether it be in hand-to-hand combat, or wielding a keen-edged blade in battle.
  • Endurance: A measure of how physically tough you are and how much strength you have left.

Books in the series

The series consists of five books so far, with a sixth title (Dracula - Curse of the Vampire) due for release in 2020:

  • Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Several years after the events of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Alice finds herself back in Wonderland and called upon to save the world of playing cards and talking animals from the increasingly deranged Queen of Hearts. But all is not as it first appears in the fluctuating dream world and soon Alice is battling to save herself from the nightmare that is rapidly overtaking the realm.
  • The Wicked Wizard of Oz Hunted by the Wicked Witch of the West's winged monkeys and joined by her friends – the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion – Dorothy sets off for the Emerald City. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, will you uncover the secrets of The Wicked Wizard of Oz?
  • NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! They said she was unsinkable, but on 15 April 1912, during her maiden voyage, the RMS Titanic sank. 1,503 people died, including passengers and crew. But 706 people survived, including a girl and her dog... After drifting for days, shipwreck survivor Wendy Darling and her dog Nana, find their lifeboat washed up on the shores of a mysterious island. It is a place lost in time, home to creatures long thought extinct, a forgotten tribe, and a boy who can never grow up. But Captain Hook and his crew have also come to Neverland, and the island itself is angry... How will you escape from Neverland?
  • Beowulf Beastslayer "Listen! We of the Spear-Danes in the days of yore, of those clan-kings, heard of their glory, how those nobles performed courageous deeds!" So begins the greatest fantasy story of them all, the Old English epic poem Beowulf. It is a story that has fascinated people throughout the ages inspiring the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien, Seamus Heaney and Neil Gaiman. King Hrothgar's great golden mead-hall Heorot is under a curse, subject to attacks by the mirth-hating night-stalker Grendel. None are capable of destroying the monster, although many have tried, until Beowulf and his company of Geatish warriors cross the sail-road and land on Danish shores...Beowulf Beastslayer is a brand new take on the Anglo-Saxon epic, re-imagining the events described in the poem as an adventure gamebook. Will you follow the course of events as laid down by the scops and skalds of old, or will you choose a different path and forge your own legend?
  • 'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse... And then the clock strikes thirteen and you wake to hear a thud downstairs. Investigating, you discover that your home has been invaded by two red-cloaked, and bearded, strangers. Before you know what is happening, Krampus the Christmas Devil has abducted Santa Claus, and it's up to you to save Saint Nick before Christmas Day dawns and the cruel, birch-wielding, goat-leggéd one usurps the generous gift-giver's position, taking his place forever. He knows if you've been good or bad, so be good for goodness sake...
No.TitleAuthor(s)Cover ArtInterior ArtSectionsPublishedISBN
1Alice's Nightmare in WonderlandJonathan GreenKev CrossleyKev Crossley520Nov 2015978-1909679597
2The Wicked Wizard of OzJonathan GreenKev CrossleyKev Crossley850June 2017978-1911390312
3NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!Jonathan GreenKev CrossleyKev Crossley900June 2019978-1911390411
4Beowulf BeastslayerJonathan GreenRuss NicholsonRuss Nicholson500Oct 2019978-1911390749
5TWAS - The Krampus Night Before ChristmasJonathan GreenTony HoughTony Hough500Dec 2019978-1911390701
6Dracula - Curse of the VampireJonathan GreenHauke KockHauke KockTBCTBC 2021TBC
7Ronin 47Jonathan GreenNeil GoogeNeil GoogeTBCTBCTBC

A copy of The Wicked Wizard of Oz is on display in the All Things Oz Museum in Chittenango, New York,[2] along with a set of bookmarks produced as rewards for backers of the Kickstarter that was run to fund production of the book.

See also

References
  1. "REVIEW: The Wicked Wizard of Oz". gamebooknews.com. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  2. "All Things Oz Museum on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
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