Remembering the great and not great things about Fabled Lands (from game design!)
The First Open-Worlder
My Gamebook Diaries have mostly been focused on me writing about open-world gamebooks and topics around that.
Well Fabled Lands by Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson was the first open-world gamebook series. As it is our March 2026 read for the 100 Endings Book Club, I got a chance to revisit it, remembering things I love and things I'd change.
The original Fabled Lands was six books in the late 90s, each covering a different region. You could go from one book to another and back again, completing quests, finding treasures and dying frequently. Book 7 was completed by Paul Gresty in 2018 (books 7-12 were planned but never went ahead), and two more classic Quest books have been added.
What is Brilliant
Fabled Lands was the first of it's kind, where you could wander at will. There is no over-arching plot and few longer quests. Mostly it's down to you to drive forward, explore and make the game your own.
Want to fight everything? Want to be a trader? Want to go to the most dangerous places at a low Rank?
The quests and encounters are varied. You never know what might happen when turning the page, entering a new region or talking to an individual. A centaur might charm you for all of your money and possessions, you might travel to an underwater city, or a wizard might get angry and banish you to another Book!
The world also feels large, with lots of places to explore, and lots of varied places. Mountain passes, haunted forests, secret islands, deadly plains and strange mines. Each book feels different in the region and it's nuances. You can be Warrior, Troubadour. Rogue, Mage, Priest or Wayfarer and all are catered for.
Fabled Lands also brings together elements that are the staple of open-worlders. Tickboxes, codes, entering and returning to other books, quests that start in one book and end in another.
The Difficult Parts
Fabled Lands was the first, and following series such as VulcanVerse, Steam Highwayman and Legendary Kingdoms have learned from it.
When you start, it's a rough ride as you're not sure where to go, what to do. A lot of first-timers comment that they took a long time to find quests they could manage or gave up before they could do.
Although the world is large, much of it doesn't have much to explore. There might be a single thing to look at, or one thing if you have the right keyword. Some locations are just waypoints between other areas, with maybe an encounter between them.
Then there's the insta-deaths and soft restarts. If playing a character for much time, you will probably lose all of your possessions and money more than once. Sometimes just by taking the wrong turning or rolling the wrong encounter. You'll also die multiple times, coming back thanks to your Resurrection Deal (or simply ignoring it and going back to the last decision point).
My least favourite mechanic is the "roll a d6, if it's more than you're rank you die/lose everything". But I think that's just a personal one!
My Game Design Lessons
The main things I'd change if writing an open-world series are...
- Endings. Giving the option for your character to come to a defined happy(-ish) ending. A chance to retire to a farm, buy an inn, win armageddon, defeat the Priest-King. My first real example of this was the option to retire as a aerial medic in Steam Highwayman. (There could be ones in Fabled Lands I've missed)
- A way to continue the story. Less arbitrary deaths, or ways to continue even if you do. In VulcanVerse there are very few permanent deaths. You come back with Scars (Steam Highwayman might have been first to do this) instead, and this can influence the story. Legendary Kingdoms has multiple characters, so it's more common to lose one of then than the whole party.
- A Smaller, Deeper world. I'd prefer fewer locations, and more to interact with in each one. At least one person to speak to, cave to explore, weather to avoid or whatever.
- A Helping Hand to start. This isn't about making the game easier, but giving some help on where to explore and meet. This could be a starting quest or two, a few rumour, or somewhere obvious to try. "go and speak to the Mercenary Guild", "ambush travellers in Stoke Woods", "slay the griffon that's harassing Lower Lesserby".
Fabled Lands can be hard to get into, but is a brilliant feat of writing and game design. Go and play it if you've any interest in open-world gamebooks or gamebook writing.
Finishing Up
Starting to get somewhere with Isle of Sorcery, so that might be good for next month's diary!
