Starship Traveller - Fighting Fantasy Steve Jackson

Starship Traveller

Fighting Fantasy Gamebook #4

Written by Steve Jackson who along with Ian Livingstone started Fighting Fantasy and Games Workshop inter alia.

Puffin Books, third cover style (Dragon Banner) printed 1987

This is an interactive game book where the reader assumes the role of a starships crew members and must make decisions, fight extra terrestrials and robots (using dice rolls) and puzzle their way through passages to reach the end.

Starship Traveller was the first Science Fiction themed FF book. While it still uses the core concept of Skill, Stamina and Luck, it deviates from the singular hero concept to the reader playing key crew members - think of a Star Trek away team. I believe this book was a homage to the much loved Traveller RPG, although the copywrite etc info specifically state it is not part of the Traveller RPG - probably to disambiguate.

The cover and interior art are by Peter Andrew Jones and Solar Wind Inc.

This was my own book I bought in the 80s and kept all these years so I can vouch for the quality as I think I only played it once. Times were changing I was getting older and my interests lay elsewhere. I also always treated books well trying not to bend spine etc.

The adventure sheet has not been written on. Pages all present, clean and solidly fixed in binding. The book always stored on a book shelf or in a box. Spine a bit faded - I think quite a few of my books got some sun due to unwise book shelf positioning many years ago. Rest of cover is pristine and page edges only show mild aging.

Fighting Fantasy were probably the most popular gamebooks in the heyday of gamebooks era (1982 to about 1991). Quite collectible, fun to play and also useful to get children to read. Bargain start price if one compares to what other sellers are asking.