Elisabetta Golzio
Before startoing this review of fantasy gamebook The Terror of Melgar’s Rest we thank Woohoomania editions And Christopher Bünte for the physical edition provided to us.
You can buy the gamebook we are talking about in digital edition here in English and German at a cost of 10 euros. If you want a physical copy, you can purchase it here for 12 euros.
From the same series, we have already reviewed The Secrets of Candarlin, The Kingdom Beyond the Hill and The Curse of the Snake Queen. But don’t worry: you don’t need to have played them to enjoy this product. The setting will be the same, but each book has its own story. Let’s see what awaits us.
Game Mechanics
Among fantasy lovers, almost everyone read one of the Lone Wolf books, a famous series from the 80s.
But what is a gamebook? What differentiates it from a normal text?
Initially, gamebooks were simply stories in which the reader could choose between two or more options. Depending on the choice, you were sent back to a specific page where you could continue your adventure. Not a classic reading, therefore, since you could reach multiple endings and take as valid the one that was most in your style.
Nowadays many gamebooks have evolved, contaminated by the roleplaying games. Not only our choices will change the story, but our protagonist will have to make dice rolls to overcome tests that will influence the plot. In the case of The Terror of Melgar’s Rest, we will use two 6-sided dice to roll and add them together to obtain a result to compare to the Fate Number (i.e. the minimum value required by the book to pass a test). The success or failure of our roll will influence the next paragraph to read. Don’t worry: you will be guided through the various roll requests.
Before delving into the depths of the story, therefore, we will create our own character. After choosing the name, we will distribute 4 Attribute points (among Education, Intelligence, Perception, Dexterity and Strength) and 6 Skill points (among Ancient Languages, Balance, Climbing, Empathy, Lockpicking, Lying, Negotiating, Stealing, Stealth, Tracking and Underworld).
Are you avid readers of the saga and want to enhance a character that you have already used in other adventures? In Path of Masters, a free downloadable (here) manual of advanced rules for Wohoomania products, you will find all the necessary information.
So let’s move on to our game world.
The Terror of Melgar’s Rest Setting Review
Te Arras. One of the infinite fantasy worlds present in the vortex of time and space. A land shaken by extreme conflicts with infinitely powerful creatures. Suddenly, three and a half centuries ago, those who reigned undisturbed (the Dragons) mysteriously disappear, leaving room for men after years of darkness. But as we know, the thirst for power plays bad tricks on our race too. Magic was the new form of supremacy and wars resumed, this time between human inhabitants. Who will your character side with and for what reason? Will they decide to share the cake with the lords of these lands or will they oppose the chaos that seems to reign supreme?
For this adventure, however, we will consider the city of Candarlin, a port that has been the scene of several adventures in the saga. In particular, the Melgar’s Rest inn in Long Coat Lane (of which we are provided with a map) will be the real protagonist.
The Plot
What’s better at the end of a long day at work than a nice drink in a tavern? Melgar’s Rest Inn is one of the best in town (at least for you) and its atmosphere always seems to lift your spirits.
But something has changed recently: the tables are almost deserted, the faces are sad and the enthusiasm is under the boots. In short, it seems that someone (or something) is plotting to upset the balance of your favorite place. It seems that the customers have started to disappear, creating a situation of tension and fear. The city guards speak of a murderer, but the innkeeper does not seem to agree: not even a single body has been found. Vanished into thin air, only blood. In short, not the work of any scoundrel.
Unraveling this mystery seems like a job well suited to our protagonist.
The Terror of Melgar’s Rest Review Conclusions
The Candarlin saga is now very well known. It stands out, in addition to the always well-structured stories, for a very accurate graphics and layout that adheres to the fantasy settings.
Among the pages of the book you can find some sporadic but valuable illustrations to show NPCs and enemies, all very well represented and outlined. In 64 pages you can live an investigative adventure with a good dose of action. Obviously you will not read all the pages, but only those that contain the choices you want to make for your protagonist.
Warm up the dice and prepare your lucky charm: if you are a fan of fantasy gamebooks, this is the product for you.
