We enter the realm of open-world gamebooks with Fabled Lands for March 2026.
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Fabled Lands
The Fabled Lands series is the original open-world series, by Dave Morris (interviewed here) and Jamie Thomson (interviewed here), with Paul Gresty writing book 7. The series is our March read for the 100 Endings Book Club. Join us on the 100 Endings & Rand Roll Discord to tell us how you're doing or with any questions.
In Fabled Lands you are a lone adventurer wandering through a fantasy realm, going where you please, taking up or ignoring quests you come across. The lure of the gamebooks is that you can go from book 1 to book 4 and then back to book 1 or onto any other book in the series (if you can find a way there). The freedom to wander was unique in gamebook series when the War-Torn Kingdom (Book 1) released in 1996.
Ways to Play - Book, Digital pdf, Steam
The traditional way to play is with a physical book, but the series is also available digitally and as a Steam Adaptation. You can start in any book, but the most classic start is to start at level 1 in The War-Torn Kingdom. They get progressively harder with each book.
The physical books are generally available (at least here in the UK), having been reprinted a few times. They are availably digitally at DriveThruRPG from Fabled Lands Publishing, (Books 1 - 6). They are available as an adaption on Steam as Fabled Lands. They may be available in other formats but don't know much about these.
The Books are...
- Book 1: The War-Torn Kingdom
- Book 2: Cities of Gold and Glory
- Book 3: Over the Blood-Dark Sea
- Book 4: The Plains of Howling Darkness
- Book 5: The Court of Hidden Faces
- Book 6: Lords of the Rising Sun
- Book 7: The Serpent King's Domain (by Paul Gresty)
There's also The Keep of the Lich Lord and The Castle of Lost Souls, which you can play through separately to the others or as part of longer experience.
You can play as a one of six classes, Priest, Mage, Rogue, Troubadour, Warrior and Wayfarer. Each has different starting Abilities and there are some quests restricted to only each Class.
Finishing Up
Feel free to join us on the Rand Roll Discord or at the Gamebooks subreddit.
Vote for February in a week or two. Theme undecided, but they'll be a couple of polls on that in the next few days.
