Appointment with F.E.A.R. (book)

From Titannica

Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks
Outline
Location:	Titan City
References:	440
Publication Details
Author(s):	Steve Jackson
Illustrator(s):	Declan Considine
Puffin

Cover illustrator:	Brian Bolland
First published:	September 26 1985
Number	17
ISBN:	ISBN 0-14-031922-0
Previous Book:	Seas of Blood
Next Book:	Rebel Planet
Wizard (Series 1)

Cover illustrator:	Brian Bolland
First published:	April 1 2004
Number	18
ISBN:	ISBN 1-84046-527-1
Previous Book:	Island of the Lizard King
Next Book:	Temple of Terror
Wizard (Series 2)

Cover illustrator:	N/A
First published:	N/A
Number	N/A
ISBN:	N/A
Previous Book:	N/A
Next Book:	N/A

Appointment with F.E.A.R. is a single-player role-playing gamebook written by Steve Jackson, illustrated by Declan Considine and originally published in 1985 by Puffin Books. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2004. It forms part of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy series. It is the 17th in the series in the original Puffin series (ISBN 0-14-031922-0) and 18th in the modern Wizard "Series 1" (ISBN 1-84046-527-1).

1 Creation
2 Background
3 How to Battle the Super-Villains of Titan City/Super Powers and Clues
- 3.1 Unique Rules
- 3.2 Equipment List
4 Cover and Illustrations
5 Intertextual References
- 5.1 Sequel
6 Other Media
7 Main Characters
8 Locations
9 Encounters
10 Further Notes
11 Errors
12 Dedication
13 See Also
14 Reviews
15 External Links
16 References

[edit] Creation

In the "Fighting Fantasy News" section of Warlock Magazine Issue 5, the update on new and forthcoming Fighting Fantasy gamebooks gave a release schedule which included a scheduled September (1985) release of Superheroes, specifically a provisional title. This was to become Appointment with F.E.A.R..

[edit] Background

“ Tough, incorruptible champion of law and order, YOU are the Silver Crusader!

Using your superpowers, you protect the innocent citizens of teeming Titan City from the terrorism, violence, kidnapping and corruption of a host of super-villains. Your mission is to discover the location of the top-secret F.E.A.R. meeting, capture the Titanium Cyborg and his cohorts and bring them to justice.

Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need. You have a choice of four super powers - psi powers, super strength, enhanced technological skills or energy blasts - and the power you choose will affect the course of your mission. There are Hero points to be won or lost, clues to follow, dangers to face and villains to fight.^[1] ”

The reader assumes the role of Jean Lafayette, secretly "The Silver Crusader", a superhero who protects the fictional Titan City. The reader chooses from four super-powers and battles criminals such as "The Scarlet Prankster", "Dr Macabre", "The Serpent" and "The Alchemists". Besides catching criminals, the reader's ultimate goal is to determine the time and place of the imminent meeting between the leaders of F.E.A.R., the Federation of Euro-American Rebels, an Evil organization led by Vladimir Utoshiki, the menacing "Titanium Cyborg" as pictured on the cover.

[edit] How to Battle the Super-Villains of Titan City/Super Powers and Clues

The book in general follows the original rules set down in The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. (see Game System)

[edit] Unique Rules

Appointment With F.E.A.R. employs a unique mechanic for the series, Hero Points, which are awarded to the player for every villain captured and disaster averted, allowing them to compare their performance from one play-through to the next.
Because the player is a superhero, they are not allowed to kill their enemies, only disable them, and any death results in the loss of Hero Points. When an enemy is reduced to 2 Stamina they surrender.
The player also constantly collects "Clues" not just to the time and place of F.E.A.R.'s meeting but when and where they need to be in order to catch various villains.
Players have the choice of one of four "super powers" with which to play the game: Super Strength, Psi-Powers, Enhanced Technological Skill (ETS), and Energy Blast.

[edit] Equipment List

In the "Background" the player is mentioned as wearing a Crimewatch. No other equipment list is given for the player except those choosing the ETS "super power" which gives them an Accessory Belt. Collecting items is almost completely eliminated from the experience, as the player is a superhero in the modern world rather than an adventurer in a medieval fantasy realm.

[edit] Cover and Illustrations

Covers

The original cover of the book was designed and illustrated by Brian Bolland.

Appointment With F.E.A.R. was the first book to retain its original cover image when republished by Wizard.

**Appontment with F.E.A.R.** through the years
1985	1987	1989	1990	2004	2004

Zig-Zag Banner	Dragon Format	Dragon No No.	No. Spine Only	No Bronze-Foil	Wizard "Special Limited Edition"	Wizard
£1.95¹	£2.25²	£?	£?	£3.99³	£4.99	£4.99

Price of 1st~4th Impressions
Price of 6th Impression
Price of 9th Impression

Illustrations

The interior illustrations were by Declan Considine. There were 32 full page illustrations and 5 minor repeated illustrations scattered throughout the text. The paragraphs with a full page illustration were: 1, 15, 29, 43, 58, 72, 85, 99, 114, 129, 144, 157, 171, 185, 201, 215, 228, 242, 256, 270, 284, 298, 313, 327, 341, 355, 369, 382, 396, 410, 425 and 440.

[edit] Intertextual References

The main character buys the original Fighting Fantasy gamebook The Warlock of Firetop Mountain as a gift for his boss and a Dungeons & Dragons board game.
The main location for this book is Titan City. It is interesting to note that the book was published in 1985, prior to the publication of Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World, but at around the same time as Out of the Pit, when the world of Titan as a home for Fighting Fantasy was introduced. It may be possible that Titan City was so named to link Appointment with F.E.A.R, which is set in a future timeline, to the otherwise unrelated world of Titan, the home of the majority of the Fighting Fantasy books.

[edit] Sequel

A sequel exists in the form of the short adventure Deadline to Destruction by Gavin Shute, published in issue 12 of Warlock in 1986.

[edit] Other Media

Main article: Appointment with F.E.A.R. (computer game)

A computer game was planned under the Fighting Fantasy Software brand, to be distributed by Adventure International (UK), sometime after February 1987. However, this was never released.

[edit] Main Characters

YOU: Jean Lafayette aka the "Silver Crusader"

"Beast-King"
"Chainsaw" Bronski
Colonel Saunders - Army officer
"Daddy Rich"
Doctor Charles Crayfish
Drew Swain
"Fats Bluebottle"
Gerry the Grass
Giorgio Schultz aka "The Poisoner"
Grant Morley - Reporter for the Titan Times
Illya Karpov aka the "Creature of Carnage"
Jonah Whyte - Newspaper Editor
Lieutenant Wojak - Policeofficer
Lola Manche - Actress
"Macro Brain"
"Mantrapper"
Marcus Buletta aka "Dr Macabre"
Mustapha Kareem aka "The Mummy"
"Rat-Face" Flanagan
Richard Storm aka "The Tormentor"
Sidney Knox - Research Assistant
Susan Blythe
Sylvia Frost aka "The Ice Queen"
"The Alchemists"
"The Devastator"
"The Fire Warriors"
"The Reincarnation"
"The Ringmaster"
"The Scarlet Prankster"
"The Serpent"
"The Smoke"
Timothy Grant aka "The Brain Child"
Vladimir Utoshski aka "The Titanium Cyborg"
Wayne Bruce

[edit] Locations

[edit] Encounters

[edit] Further Notes

The book is also unusual in that there are four different solutions depending on which super-power was selected at the start. In fact, it is possible to complete the adventure twice using two different super-powers without reading any of the sections both times except the first and the last. This adds to the book's replay value, although also to its complexity - a lot of trial and error is required to find any of the solutions.
This book is unique in the series for its use of the superhero genre, and features several tongue-in-cheek references to popular comic book characters. Examples include a dead millionaire called Wayne Bruce and a kidnapped billionaire named Drew Swain (a reference to Bruce Wayne, whose alter-ego was Batman), one Roger Stevens (a reference to Captain America's alter ego), and the protagonist's fiery-tempered boss, Jonah Whyte (a combination of Perry White and J. Jonah Jameson). Also, two of the locations in Titan City were named Peter Laboratories and Parker Airport, a reference to comic book character Peter Parker, whose alter-ego was Spider-Man.
(157) re-enacts the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.
Dr Charles Crayfish is working on the "Star Wars" satellite program launched by US President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.
Other plays on names abound with Addison Square Gardens (Maddison Square Gardens); Starkers Beach being a possible nod to Tony Stark of Iron Man; Aunt Florence as a substitute for Peter Parker's Aunt May; Wisneyland (Disneyland); Harrold's Department Store (Harrod's); and the "Creature of Carnage"'s actions in (114) may or may not intentionally mirror those of Samson from the Bible.

[edit] Errors

In the illustration for (29) the Smoke appears to change into smoke and drift out an open window after being confronted by the Silver Crusader. In (303) however, which leads to it, the Crusader only realizes something is amiss when he sees brown smoke drifting out the window through an air conditioner.

[edit] Dedication

Dedicated to B.J.
... a Superhero in his own way

[edit] See Also

[edit] Reviews

Appointment with F.E.A.R. at FF Reviews Archive

[edit] External Links

[edit] References

↑ Appointment with F.E.A.R. - Back Cover ("Golden Dragon" Edition)

[0] Appointment with F.E.A.R. - Back Cover ("Golden Dragon" Edition)

[1]

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