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Fighting Fantasy #41
Master of Chaos
The staff of rulership must be regained!
You have no choice but to take on this mission. The Master of Chaos – warped by centuries of evil – holds a Staff of Power. From his lair in the ruined city of Kabesh, he plans to unite the forces of evil and chaos and plunge Titan into a Dark Age. YOU must find him and win back the Staff ... whatever it takes.
Part story, part game, this is a book in which YOU become the hero! Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need. YOU decide which routes to take, which dangers to risk and which foes to fight!
You have no choice but to take on this mission. The Master of Chaos – warped by centuries of evil – holds a Staff of Power. From his lair in the ruined city of Kabesh, he plans to unite the forces of evil and chaos and plunge Titan into a Dark Age. YOU must find him and win back the Staff ... whatever it takes.
Part story, part game, this is a book in which YOU become the hero! Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need. YOU decide which routes to take, which dangers to risk and which foes to fight!
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 12, 2024
The city is great, the elf rival is great, the desert stands second only to Temple of Terror, but the bits at the slave ship and the unremarkable dungeon itself scratch away the final fifth star.
May 27, 2019
Five stages to this trip:
First on a slave-trading ship
Manacled and flogged by orcs,
Keel-hauled, a plank to walk.
If you pull through, you’re in Ashkyos,
Gate to the Wastes of Chaos.
Here a mongoose friend may aid you
If his manner doesn’t faze you.
Then up the River Ashen
On a boat, or other fashion,
Just toiling through the wastelands
With an ever-decreasing waistband
To a town that’s full of mutants,
All inbred with chaos pollutants.
Better sleep with one eye open,
When that tentacle comes a gropin'.
Then finally you’re in Kabesh
(By this stage you weigh far less)
Where, amongst the evil ruins,
There’s a three-way struggle brewing.
First on a slave-trading ship
Manacled and flogged by orcs,
Keel-hauled, a plank to walk.
If you pull through, you’re in Ashkyos,
Gate to the Wastes of Chaos.
Here a mongoose friend may aid you
If his manner doesn’t faze you.
Then up the River Ashen
On a boat, or other fashion,
Just toiling through the wastelands
With an ever-decreasing waistband
To a town that’s full of mutants,
All inbred with chaos pollutants.
Better sleep with one eye open,
When that tentacle comes a gropin'.
Then finally you’re in Kabesh
(By this stage you weigh far less)
Where, amongst the evil ruins,
There’s a three-way struggle brewing.
August 26, 2015
This time you begin with nothing
11 August 2013
This is one of the better Fighting Fantasy gamebooks in that while it is still fantasy it is somewhat different to many of the others that I have encountered later on in the series. Okay, it still involves you, a great warrior, dealing with some nasty bad guy who has stolen an artifact that could cause serious problems to the world at large, but the way that this book was drafted, and one of the stats, made it stand out from many of the others that I have read.
The one thing that I liked about this book was a statistic called notoriety, Basically that stat measures how much of a scene that you have made within one of the cities in the book. If the score gets too high you are basically forced to leave the city, whether you have done everything there or not. Okay, while I am ignoring the basic states, which include luck and the fighting stats, I did measure my noteriety, and you can get everything you need in the city without it going over 8, which is the number that causes you to be ejected.
Another thing that I liked is that you start with basically nothing: no sword, shield, armour, gold, or food. That makes the first part of the adventure particularly hard because you are on a slave ship (as a means of smuggling you into the city) and you do take a fair swag of damage during that part. Once you are off the ship you have to get enough gold to equip yourself, but also not attract too much attention, as the notoriety stat indicates.
The other thing that I liked about this particular book was that it was not exactly linear. It worked a little like the Grailquest books (which I hope to get to some time in the near future, once I have gone through all the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks) in that you can go and explore various places, but you would always return to a central point where you can then go off and explore some place else. It actually made making your way through the book much easier than some of the more linear ones where making the right decision pretty much came down to guess work (or where if you made the wrong decision you could end up missing an important part of the adventure).
11 August 2013
This is one of the better Fighting Fantasy gamebooks in that while it is still fantasy it is somewhat different to many of the others that I have encountered later on in the series. Okay, it still involves you, a great warrior, dealing with some nasty bad guy who has stolen an artifact that could cause serious problems to the world at large, but the way that this book was drafted, and one of the stats, made it stand out from many of the others that I have read.
The one thing that I liked about this book was a statistic called notoriety, Basically that stat measures how much of a scene that you have made within one of the cities in the book. If the score gets too high you are basically forced to leave the city, whether you have done everything there or not. Okay, while I am ignoring the basic states, which include luck and the fighting stats, I did measure my noteriety, and you can get everything you need in the city without it going over 8, which is the number that causes you to be ejected.
Another thing that I liked is that you start with basically nothing: no sword, shield, armour, gold, or food. That makes the first part of the adventure particularly hard because you are on a slave ship (as a means of smuggling you into the city) and you do take a fair swag of damage during that part. Once you are off the ship you have to get enough gold to equip yourself, but also not attract too much attention, as the notoriety stat indicates.
The other thing that I liked about this particular book was that it was not exactly linear. It worked a little like the Grailquest books (which I hope to get to some time in the near future, once I have gone through all the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks) in that you can go and explore various places, but you would always return to a central point where you can then go off and explore some place else. It actually made making your way through the book much easier than some of the more linear ones where making the right decision pretty much came down to guess work (or where if you made the wrong decision you could end up missing an important part of the adventure).
December 2, 2015
This fighting fantasy book was surprisingly enjoyable. I say surprisingly because I wasn't expecting it to be this good. Maybe it was the disappointment of Battleblade Warrior and Fangs of Fury, but my expectations weren't too high. Instead, it's been pretty enjoyable. And I can't hide, it's refreshing to be able to beat a Fighting Fantasy book in the first reading.
First, I loved having skills to choose between in addition to the usual character creation rules. Having a chance to customize the character a tiny bit is not bad at all, and it adds some depth to the playing experience.
Second, I loved how the book makes it possible to (almost) freely explore the cities in which you find yourself. I felt encouraged to explore all I could.
Third, Jesper the talking mongoose was possibly the most adorable character I ever encountered in a FF book.
All in all don't expect anything breathtaking. As usual, you're the nameless adventurer who must stop an evil wizard. What is it with Fighting Fantasy books that always involve evil wizards... you'd think magic would be illegal in Titan after so many dangerous sorcerers... instead. Oh well. But low originality on the premises apart, it's a pretty nice book. One can't expect every book of the series to be as great as Creature of Havoc or Legend of the Shadow Warriors. Or Bloodbones.
First, I loved having skills to choose between in addition to the usual character creation rules. Having a chance to customize the character a tiny bit is not bad at all, and it adds some depth to the playing experience.
Second, I loved how the book makes it possible to (almost) freely explore the cities in which you find yourself. I felt encouraged to explore all I could.
Third, Jesper the talking mongoose was possibly the most adorable character I ever encountered in a FF book.
All in all don't expect anything breathtaking. As usual, you're the nameless adventurer who must stop an evil wizard. What is it with Fighting Fantasy books that always involve evil wizards... you'd think magic would be illegal in Titan after so many dangerous sorcerers... instead. Oh well. But low originality on the premises apart, it's a pretty nice book. One can't expect every book of the series to be as great as Creature of Havoc or Legend of the Shadow Warriors. Or Bloodbones.
November 14, 2020
I picked up this book with minimal expectations and ended up liking it immensely. Master of Chaos begins as yet another Fighting Fantasy kill the evil wizard/retrieve the stolen artifact/save the world scenario, dispatching you to the corrupted continent of Khul in pursuit of a creep named Shanzikuul who stole a magic staff, but it quickly builds up a darker, funnier, and more complex gameworld than most books in the series.
Instead of playing a virtuous crusader battling evil, you find yourself juggling interwoven subplots and goals while fighting and sometimes conspiring with a colorful gallery of mutants, thieves, drunks, pirates, monsters, and demons. One subplot finds you starting the game as a lowly galley slave and having to claw your way to respectability; this requires some thought, as first you have to make some Faustian bargains with various degenerates and sadists to acquire money -- hey, just like real life -- and then buy your normal spate of equipment before you can gain the upper hand on your tormenters. Shadowy pursuers drift in and out of the story, too, and as the adventure progresses they're revealed as sophisticated characters with varying motives instead of just hired assassins. Some encounters even veer into comedy-horror territory, like when you find yourself drinking disgusting mutant slime to regain strength or you wake up in your seemingly quiet riverboat stateroom being strangled by a python that slithered in through the window. (Beneath Nightmare Castle still wins out here though.) Shanzikuul is a venal and earthly bad guy, and you have the option to join him in his vile pursuits if you decide your life is better spent on debauchery instead of old wizards and magic trinkets.
Master of Chaos also introduces some secondary abilities like Climbing and Tracking that steer the course of the story, and you get a "Notoriety" score that may force you to abandon civilization fast as the city watch recognizes you. As usual, you won't win if you don't stack your abilities at the beginning of the game; after a while you wonder why these books bother with random attributes at all since many of the adventures are impossible if you lack elite Skill and Stamina.
Quibbling aside, this is one of the better books in the series.
Instead of playing a virtuous crusader battling evil, you find yourself juggling interwoven subplots and goals while fighting and sometimes conspiring with a colorful gallery of mutants, thieves, drunks, pirates, monsters, and demons. One subplot finds you starting the game as a lowly galley slave and having to claw your way to respectability; this requires some thought, as first you have to make some Faustian bargains with various degenerates and sadists to acquire money -- hey, just like real life -- and then buy your normal spate of equipment before you can gain the upper hand on your tormenters. Shadowy pursuers drift in and out of the story, too, and as the adventure progresses they're revealed as sophisticated characters with varying motives instead of just hired assassins. Some encounters even veer into comedy-horror territory, like when you find yourself drinking disgusting mutant slime to regain strength or you wake up in your seemingly quiet riverboat stateroom being strangled by a python that slithered in through the window. (Beneath Nightmare Castle still wins out here though.) Shanzikuul is a venal and earthly bad guy, and you have the option to join him in his vile pursuits if you decide your life is better spent on debauchery instead of old wizards and magic trinkets.
Master of Chaos also introduces some secondary abilities like Climbing and Tracking that steer the course of the story, and you get a "Notoriety" score that may force you to abandon civilization fast as the city watch recognizes you. As usual, you won't win if you don't stack your abilities at the beginning of the game; after a while you wonder why these books bother with random attributes at all since many of the adventures are impossible if you lack elite Skill and Stamina.
Quibbling aside, this is one of the better books in the series.
October 11, 2016
Narratif plutôt décousu, sans cohérence entre la séquence de la galère du début et de la ville, puis ensuite celle des ruines dans lesquelles un grand méchant dîne goulûment dans un souterrain, à quelques pas d'un ersatz de shoggoth. Décevant et sans montée de tension.
Pratiquement impossible à réussir si on n'a pas eu la chance de tomber sur *la* bonne séquence.
À au moins trois reprises, je suis tombé sur un paragraphe de mort automatique, soit à cause d'un serpent qui m'a étranglé de nuit, en étant forcé de dormir dehors à cause d'un conflit dans une auberge, et ironie suprême à la fin devant une grille qui demandait une clef de fer que je n'avais jamais vue! Plutôt que de me permettre d'aller la chercher, voilà qu'un mutant m'assassine...
Du côté positif, il y a pas mal de lieux à visiter, même si cela donne un sentiment très aléatoire et décousu, comme à la ville et dans les ruines. Être forcé de se déplacer et frapper une fin mortelle sans préavis ni faute demeure très frustrant.
Pratiquement impossible à réussir si on n'a pas eu la chance de tomber sur *la* bonne séquence.
À au moins trois reprises, je suis tombé sur un paragraphe de mort automatique, soit à cause d'un serpent qui m'a étranglé de nuit, en étant forcé de dormir dehors à cause d'un conflit dans une auberge, et ironie suprême à la fin devant une grille qui demandait une clef de fer que je n'avais jamais vue! Plutôt que de me permettre d'aller la chercher, voilà qu'un mutant m'assassine...
Du côté positif, il y a pas mal de lieux à visiter, même si cela donne un sentiment très aléatoire et décousu, comme à la ville et dans les ruines. Être forcé de se déplacer et frapper une fin mortelle sans préavis ni faute demeure très frustrant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2023
The first Fighting Fantasy book of the ‘90s was Master of Chaos (FF#41), penned by Keith Martin (most fondly remembered for Vault of the Vampire) and illustrated by David Gallagher.
It’s notable for basing its gameplay around three hubs - Ashkylos, Rahasta and Kabesh. The second two feel a little rushed but the first makes for great reading. The Askylylos section has a Port Blacksand feel about it (though no need to make a map here, unlike in City of Thieves) and is the highlight of this book.
Master of Chaos is quite a dark adventure: in addition to all the mutants, there’s some slavery, a little grave-robbing - and you can get drunk.
Gallagher’s artwork is decent, though not excellent. The picture of the manticore at 341 is especially nice. A shame there isn’t a picture of the “dog-faced baby” at 364!
The think the book as a whole is strong. Your talking mongoose companion, Jesper, is a particularly nice touch. I completed it on my first try, but it felt big, and there are some powerful foes which present a challenge to even the toughest initial stats.
It’s notable for basing its gameplay around three hubs - Ashkylos, Rahasta and Kabesh. The second two feel a little rushed but the first makes for great reading. The Askylylos section has a Port Blacksand feel about it (though no need to make a map here, unlike in City of Thieves) and is the highlight of this book.
Master of Chaos is quite a dark adventure: in addition to all the mutants, there’s some slavery, a little grave-robbing - and you can get drunk.
Gallagher’s artwork is decent, though not excellent. The picture of the manticore at 341 is especially nice. A shame there isn’t a picture of the “dog-faced baby” at 364!
The think the book as a whole is strong. Your talking mongoose companion, Jesper, is a particularly nice touch. I completed it on my first try, but it felt big, and there are some powerful foes which present a challenge to even the toughest initial stats.
December 25, 2021
Not a top-tier entry in the series, but a solid one nonetheless. It is well written and immersive, which are strong positives. Strong worldbuilding is always important in these books, and this one doesn't disappoint on that front.
I think the structure isn't quite there, though. You spend quite a lot of time exploring Ashkyos. While this is interesting enough, it doesn't do much to drive the plot forward. I like to feel that things are happening "off-stage", rather than having everyone just sitting around waiting for you. (In fact, the Master of Chaos himself is indeed sitting waiting for you.) This detracts from the urgency that really should be inherent in a "save the world" type plot. The "notoriety" dynamic was perhaps devised to provide that urgency - this is speculation on my part - but, if so, I don't think it really does that. It is too unrelated to the goal of the quest to have that effect.
All in all, I enjoyed it, but it is not a classic.
I think the structure isn't quite there, though. You spend quite a lot of time exploring Ashkyos. While this is interesting enough, it doesn't do much to drive the plot forward. I like to feel that things are happening "off-stage", rather than having everyone just sitting around waiting for you. (In fact, the Master of Chaos himself is indeed sitting waiting for you.) This detracts from the urgency that really should be inherent in a "save the world" type plot. The "notoriety" dynamic was perhaps devised to provide that urgency - this is speculation on my part - but, if so, I don't think it really does that. It is too unrelated to the goal of the quest to have that effect.
All in all, I enjoyed it, but it is not a classic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2024
This book has good progression, illustration, writing, and sense of place. The story is okay albeit a little haphazard, with elements lacking tension and cohesion. Still, gameplay-wise, it's first-rate, pulling it into four star territory.
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April 14, 2020Was a little short adventure lol... will be better next time :)
February 16, 2021
Not as good as Vault of the Vampire but a good one none the less!
August 18, 2023
Part of the late peak of the Puffin Fighting Fantasy range. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
March 15, 2025
Attempts to expand the formula, with skills, an unequipped start and a new notoriety mechanic that limits your time in the open world town section. Doesn't quite hang together.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews