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Three computer games were released during the late 1980's using the Lone Wolf license. The first two, published by Hutchinson, were adapted from the first two gamebooks, while the third entitled 'Mirror of Death' from Audiogenic Software, featured an original storyline.<ref>{{cite web | last =Katz| first = Demian | title = Lone Wolf Software | work = gamebooks.org | date = [[1998-01-01]] | url = http://www.gamebooks.org/show_series.php?id=397| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> The game was well recieved by several game magazines.<ref>{{cite web | last =Pillar| first = Jon| title = Lone Wolf - The Mirror Of Death | work = The "Your Sinclair" Rockin' 'Roll Years | date = [[1991-05-01]] | url = http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/lonewolf.htm| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref>
Three computer games were released during the late 1980's using the Lone Wolf license. The first two, published by Hutchinson, were adapted from the first two gamebooks, while the third entitled 'Mirror of Death' from Audiogenic Software, featured an original storyline.<ref>{{cite web | last =Katz| first = Demian | title = Lone Wolf Software | work = gamebooks.org | date = [[1998-01-01]] | url = http://www.gamebooks.org/show_series.php?id=397| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> The game was well recieved by several game magazines.<ref>{{cite web | last =Pillar| first = Jon| title = Lone Wolf - The Mirror Of Death | work = The "Your Sinclair" Rockin' 'Roll Years | date = [[1991-05-01]] | url = http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/lonewolf.htm| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref>


The Legends novel ''Eclipse of the Kai'' was abridged as an audio book read by Edward da Souza in [[May 7th]], [[1992]].<ref name="misc">{{cite web | last =Gallot| first = Gavin | title =Lone Wolf/Joe Dever: 1992 Publication Date | work = Project Aon | date = [[1992-00-01]] | url = http://www.projectaon.org/en/pdf/misc/LW_misc.pdf| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> Another was recorded but not released.<ref name="record">{{cite web | last =Gallot| first = Gavin | title = Paul Barnett Interview | work = Rising Sun: Project Aon | date = [[1999-05-01]] | url = http://www.magnamund.org/risingsun/May99/PaulBarnett3.html| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> There was also a series telephone adventures called "Phonequest", one of which was known as "Fortress of Doom".<ref name="letter">{{cite web | last = Dever| first = Joe| title = Lone Wolf: Joe Dever's Phonequest| work = Joe Dever Letter|format=PDF| date = [[1993-01-01]] | url = http://www.projectaon.org/en/pdf/misc/LW_misc.pdf| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref>
The Legends novel ''Eclipse of the Kai'' was abridged as an audio book read by Edward da Souza in [[May 7th]], [[1992]].<ref name="misc">{{cite web | last =Gallot| first = Gavin | title =Lone Wolf/Joe Dever: 1992 Publication Date | work = Project Aon | date = [[1992-00-01]] | url = http://www.projectaon.org/en/pdf/misc/LW_misc.pdf| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> Another was recorded but not released.<ref name="record">{{cite web | last =Gallot| first = Gavin | title = Paul Barnett Interview | work = Rising Sun: Project Aon | date = [[1999-05-01]] | url = http://www.magnamund.org/risingsun/May99/PaulBarnett3.html| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> A version narrated and composed by Joe Dever was also released.<ref name="letter">{{cite web | last = Dever| first = Joe| title = Lone Wolf: Joe Dever Frequently Asked Questions| work = Joe Dever Letter|format=PDF| date = [[1993-08-28]] | url = http://www.projectaon.org/en/pdf/misc/LW_misc.pdf| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref>


There was also a series telephone adventures called "Phonequest", one of which was known as "Fortress of Doom".<ref name="letter">{{cite web | last = Dever| first = Joe| title = Lone Wolf: Joe Dever's Phonequest| work = Joe Dever Letter|format=PDF| date = [[1993-01-01]] | url = http://www.projectaon.org/en/pdf/misc/LW_misc.pdf| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref>


In 2004 the license was adapted as a [[Tabletop role-playing game|role-playing game]] by [[Mongoose Publishing]] under the [[open gaming|Open Game License]] using Mongoose's [[OGL System]]. This has met mostly with praise for its high quality, though some dispute this. Dever has helped the game designers incorporate information from the final four unreleased books into the game.<ref>{{cite web | last = Vashna| first = Darklord| title = Rising Sun | work = Tower of the Sun | date = [[2004-12-01]] | url = http://www.towerofthesun.com/lonewolf/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=20| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> A line of miniatures was also created for the game.<ref>{{cite web | last = Sprange| first = Matthew| title = New Lone Wolf Minatures | work = Mongoose Publishing | date = [[2005-10-01]] | url = http://www.towerofthesun.com/lonewolf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15&mode=&order=0&thold=0| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref>
In 2004 the license was adapted as a [[Tabletop role-playing game|role-playing game]] by [[Mongoose Publishing]] under the [[open gaming|Open Game License]] using Mongoose's [[OGL System]]. This has met mostly with praise for its high quality, though some dispute this. Dever has helped the game designers incorporate information from the final four unreleased books into the game.<ref>{{cite web | last = Vashna| first = Darklord| title = Rising Sun | work = Tower of the Sun | date = [[2004-12-01]] | url = http://www.towerofthesun.com/lonewolf/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=20| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref> A line of miniatures was also created for the game.<ref>{{cite web | last = Sprange| first = Matthew| title = New Lone Wolf Minatures | work = Mongoose Publishing | date = [[2005-10-01]] | url = http://www.towerofthesun.com/lonewolf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15&mode=&order=0&thold=0| accessdate = 2006-07-15}}</ref>

Revision as of 03:36, 16 July 2006

This article is about the Lone Wolf role-playing gamebooks. For other uses, see Lone Wolf.
See also: Lone Wolf (character)
File:Lonewolf01ab.jpg
First Lone Wolf book, American edition

Lone Wolf is a collection of 28 gamebooks, created by Joe Dever and initially illustrated by Gary Chalk.

Synopsis

Main article: Ages of Magnamund

The world of Magnamund is a planet in the universe of Aon. This world is the focus of a battle between the powers of Good, among them Kai (God of the Sun) and Ishir (Goddess of the Moon), and Naar, the evil God of Darkness, and his allies.

In the north-east of Magnamund's northern continent lies the realm of Sommerlund. Its people, the Sommlending, are devoted followers of Kai. There are those among them, known as Kai Lords or simply 'the Kai', who possess extraordinary innate abilities. Trained from childhood at the monastery of Kai, the Kai Lords are Sommerlund's greatest defence against Naar's agents.

Naar's champions upon Magnamund are the Darklords, who dwell in the scorched wastes of the Darklands, west of Sommerlund. This realm, inhospitable to most life, enables the Darklords to survive on Magnamund - though powerful, they are greatly weakened by the natural atmosphere of the world. Forced to enact their will at a distance, the Darklords wage war with armies of Drakkarim (humans devoted to Naar), Giaks (goblin-like creatures spawned in vast numbers), and other creatures, and are served by agents such as Vordaks (undead with psychic powers) and Helghasts (shapechanging undead).

Template:Spoiler At the Kai Monastery is a young initiate, given the name Silent Wolf. On the feastday of Fehmarn, when all the Kai Lords gather at the monastery, Silent Wolf is sent to cut wood from the surrounding forest as a punishment for his inattention in class. While he is gone, a surprise attack is launched from the Darklands at several places across Sommerlund. The Monastery is assaulted and the gathered Kai Lords massacred. Rushing back from the woods, Silent Wolf is knocked out by a low-lying tree branch. When he comes to, he finds himself the only survivor, renames himself Lone Wolf and sets out for the capital to inform the King of the loss of the Kai.

The Kai series follows Lone Wolf as he rallies the armies of Sommerlund and her ally, Durenor, to repel the invasion, pursues and captures the traitor who brought about the invasion, and survives plots to complete the destruction of the Kai. At the end of the series, Lone Wolf recovers the Book of the Magnakai, the ancient text which contained the higher lore of the Kai Lords. With the massacre of the Kai, and Lone Wolf only an initiate, these teachings were thought to be lost.

The Magnakai series takes up the tale, with Lone Wolf now a Kai Master striving to understand the Magnakai teachings. The Book, however, is ancient and incomplete. To perfect his understanding and train a new order of Kai Lords, Lone Wolf must follow the path of Sun Eagle, the first Kai Lord and author of the Book of the Magnakai. Sun Eagle quested for the wisdom encapsulated in the Lorestones of Nyxator, seven orbs scattered across Northern Magnamund. As Lone Wolf begins the same quest, however, war breaks out again. The Darklords have again rallied behind a single leader and now hasten their invasion to defeat the Magnakai quest. Lone Wolf pursues the quest through the war-torn realms and even beyond the plane of Magnamund. Ultimately, he enters the Darkland capital of Helgedad and brings about the destruction of the Darklords.

The Grand Master series continues the story of Grand Master Lone Wolf and introduces the restored order of Kai Lords. With the destruction of the Darklords, Naar and his agents abandon open warfare and seek new paths to dominance, often focused directly on Lone Wolf as the keystone of the forces of Light.

The New Order series features a new protagonist, whose name is speculated to be Falco Nero, or Black Hawk,[1] a Grand Master in the Second Order of the Kai and a student of Lone Wolf, who is now Supreme Master. Much of the series focuses on attempts by Naar's minions to use remnants of the power of Agarash the Damned, Naar's greatest champion and predecessor to the Darklords. As such, the settings explore Southern Magnamund, where Agarash's empire was centred and which was ignored in the earlier series. Template:Endspoiler

Books

Writing

Joe Dever was seven years old when he became a fan of a comic strip known as "The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire", which appeared in a magazine called Look and Learn. He would build armies of Airfix Roman soldiers and convert their spears to laser rifles, long before he was introduced to fantasy.[2] Dever was introduced to "science fantasy" by his high school english tutor.[3] He was the first and possibly only British person to compete in the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Championship of America, which he won in 1982.[4]

Dever has stated that his earliest inspirations for Lone Wolf were medieval classical texts such as Beowulf, Ivanhoe, King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In his teenage years Tolkien, Moorcock and Mervyn Peake along with military history and Norse mythology all contributed to the creation of the Kai. He also used travel books to discover images of "exotic places".[5]

Dever originally created Lone Wolf as a setting for his Advanced Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Originally called "Chinaraux", the world consisted of only northern Magnamund.[3] Dever developed the world of Magnamund from 1975 to 1983. The Kai lords are like "psionic rangers with special powers bestowed upon them by their gods."[4] An individual book takes 9 weeks to write, with three for mapping and plotting, and then 6 weeks of writing the story, creating an average of 12 entries per day.[5]

Publication

Main article: List of Lone Wolf (gamebooks)

The first book in the gamebook series was published in 1984; the last in 1998. It was published in over 30 countries, translated into 18 languages, and sold in excess of 9 million copies worldwide since 1984. Each of the first 20 books had average print runs of 500,000.[6]

A series of novels, expanded retellings of the main series, was written by John Grant during the 1990's under the title Legends of Lone Wolf. The cover art for the first five American books was done by Daniel R. Horne.[7] They have recieved mixed reviews from fans.

Dever was originally contracted by London-based publisher Hutchinsons for four books, despite having planned out at least 13 for the series. When the first books proved to be popular, Dever was allowed a extension of contract and went on to write 20 books with Lone Wolf as the main hero, and 8 more featuring a new Kai Lord. He also developed the character Grey Star during this period, and four books were written using this character by Ian Page.[3] Along with this, three scripts were developed for a potential Lone Wolf film release but they did not proceed beyond the pre-production phase.[8] Dever also wrote The Magnamund Companion, in which all countries of the Lone Wolf world are described in some detail; readers are also given details on the Darklords and a trainer course in the Giak language. There are two games included, a Ragadorn Tavern Board game, and a short solo adventure that takes place immediately prior to book one, featuring the character of Banedon.

During the latter period of writing, Joe Dever and Publisher Red Fox were at odds, and Red Fox ceased publishing the Lone Wolf series after book 28, The Hunger of Sejanoz, citing lack of interest in the interactive gaming genre, despite hundreds of requests for the reprinting of several Lone Wolf books that had gone out of print.[3] This left the series unfinished, as Dever had four other books planned. He plans on releasing these books in some form after completing his collaboration on the new Lone Wolf RPG.[9]

In 1999, Dever gave permission for his Lone Wolf book to be published for free on the internet by the non-profit organization Project Aon. Joe Dever later gave his permission to publish the far rarer New Order series.[10] As of July 2006, 17 of his Lone Wolf books, the World of Lone Wolf series, the Magnamund Companion and several other Lone Wolf related written works are available for download.[11]

With the help of Joe Dever, Paul Barnett, whose pen name is John Grant, wrote twelve novelizations of the Lone Wolf books known as the Legends of Lone Wolf, several of which were heavily edited before publication.[12] Barnett was the creator of the characters Ayliss, Qinefer, and Thog.[13]

Barnett has been in discussions with an Italian publisher about reprinting the books unedited.[14] Random House stopped publishing the novelizations because "the books weren't selling," though the truth of this statement is contested[15] There has long been question amongst fans as to which version of the series is canon. Joe Dever has stated that as the game books precede the novelization, they are the "authoritative" versions.[3]

Only the first four volumes of the Lengends of Lone Wolf were made available in the United States (though Sword of the Sun was divided into two separate volumes, The Tides of Treachery and Sword of the Sun), and only the first 20 of the core Lone Wolf gamebook series were made available in the United States; the last 8 books were never printed in the US. It should also be noted that the American editions of books 13-20 were abridged versions and thus are shorter than the UK editions. The UK versions also have color maps. The abridgements are sloppy, sometimes leaving broken links, or sections refering the reader to an incorrect new section.

Fan Base and Critical Response

The response to the Lone Wolf books was largely positive. Today there exists a cult following of the books, which is mostly located on two sites online; Project Aon Forums and Tower of the Sun. Tower of the Sun is a forum with RPG elements such as rewarding site members gold crowns and experience points for posting, and allowing them to join a class from the Lone Wolf series. Tower of the Sun also has an ongoing fan fiction which exceeds ten chapters and a thousand pages of text.

Wavering difficulty is a common complaint made about the series. The battles tend to be either too hard or too easy. This is mostly attributed to the attainment of a powerful weapon in the second book which drastically increases the wielder's combat abilities. Because the books were written to be functional both as a series and as stand alones, the question of whether or not a player would have access to this special weapon made difficulty hard to set.

Along with this is the complaint is that the epic fights of the series, due to a simplistic battle system, lack an epic feel. There has been a fan attempt to remedy this by rewriting some of these battles as enlarged special "supplements" with adapted combat rules. Some also think that the Lone Wolf series is too linear, forcing the player to approach most problems in the same way, and to go a certain path. This is hard to judge, but it would seem that the more plot oriented books are also the more linear ones, while the books that focus more on dungeon crawling are less linear. Some fans have contained several instances of broken page numbers that did not lead to the appropriate story section.[16]

Adaptations

Mirror of Death

Three computer games were released during the late 1980's using the Lone Wolf license. The first two, published by Hutchinson, were adapted from the first two gamebooks, while the third entitled 'Mirror of Death' from Audiogenic Software, featured an original storyline.[17] The game was well recieved by several game magazines.[18]

The Legends novel Eclipse of the Kai was abridged as an audio book read by Edward da Souza in May 7th, 1992.[19] Another was recorded but not released.[13] A version narrated and composed by Joe Dever was also released.[5]

There was also a series telephone adventures called "Phonequest", one of which was known as "Fortress of Doom".[5]

In 2004 the license was adapted as a role-playing game by Mongoose Publishing under the Open Game License using Mongoose's OGL System. This has met mostly with praise for its high quality, though some dispute this. Dever has helped the game designers incorporate information from the final four unreleased books into the game.[20] A line of miniatures was also created for the game.[21]

File:Lonewolfkatgame.jpg
Ksatria Game Model

An online MMORPG was developed by fans throughout 2005,[22] at one point with the help of Joe Dever,[23] and a playable demo had been released for beta testing, but development abruptly stopped when it was announced that an RPG video game was being developed by Singapore-based Ksatria Gameworks. The new game is scheduled for release in Summer 2007.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sekhemty (2005-06-01). "The Name of the Grand Master in the "New Order" Series" (PDF). Rising Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Dicing With Death". Warlock Magazine. 1986-07-01. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e Blake, Jonathan (1998-01-01). "Joe Dever". The Kai Monastery. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b Baylis, Chris (1993-01-01). "Interview with Joe Dever conducted by Chris Bayliss" (PDF). Role-Player Independent Magazine. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Dever, Joe (1993-08-28). "Lone Wolf: Joe Dever Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Joe Dever Letter. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "letter" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "20 YEARS OF "LONE WOLF": THE AUTHOR JOE DEVER AT LUCCA GAMES". Project Aon. 2005-10-11. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Project Aon will publish the New Order series!". Project Aon. 2006-05-18. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Dever, Joe (2004-07-01). "Joe Dever Interview". lobo-solitario.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Dever, Joe (2005-12-21). "Joe Dever letter". lobo-solitario.com. Heirloom Publishing. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Dever, Joe (1999-01-01). "Joe Dever Permission Grant". Project Aon. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Dever, Joe (1999-01-01). "Joe Dever Permission Grant". Project Aon. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Dannenfelser, Randy M. (2006-01-01). "UNDER HOT LIGHTS AND A FALLING SKY WELCOME TO THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PAUL BARNETT". John Grant Paul Barnett.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b Gallot, Gavin (1999-05-01). "Paul Barnett Interview". Rising Sun: Project Aon. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Anders, Lou (2002-01-01). "Interview With John Grant/Paul Barnett by Lou Anders". BeWrite Books.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Egelstaff, Julian (1997-09-01). "Paul Barnett". Kai Monastery. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Egelstaff, Julian (1997-01-01). "The Flight from the Dark". The Kai Monastery. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Katz, Demian (1998-01-01). "Lone Wolf Software". gamebooks.org. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Pillar, Jon (1991-05-01). "Lone Wolf - The Mirror Of Death". The "Your Sinclair" Rockin' 'Roll Years. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Gallot, Gavin (1992-00-01). "Lone Wolf/Joe Dever: 1992 Publication Date" (PDF). Project Aon. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Vashna, Darklord (2004-12-01). "Rising Sun". Tower of the Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Sprange, Matthew (2005-10-01). "New Lone Wolf Minatures". Mongoose Publishing. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Cat, Black (2005-12-23). "The end of the LW MMORPG?". Lone Wolf MMORPG. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Blake, Jonathan (2005-01-01). "Kai Grand Sentinel" (PDF). Project Aon. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Dever, Joe (2005-12-21). "Joe Dever letter". lobo-solitario.com. Heirloom Publishing. Retrieved 2006-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

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