Heroes of Urowen: Gamebook

Very good gamebook marred by an underwhelming translation. The mechanics on display here feel very modern, much better evolution of gamebook mechanics than games such as DestinyQuest. I really love the depth of options you have, and you aren't afraid to lose - while it does set you down a different path, the game isn't over just because you failed an encounter or a check.However, I have 3 main cons with the game:1) At times, especially in the early game, I feel that despite the depth of options provided, the game feels somewhat linear. I feel this could be remediated by including a timer mechanic, but because of the complexity of the game, don't bother trying to hack one in yourself. It needs to account for the challenges you will face in the future and provide well-positioned opportunities to refresh the timer.2) I would have loved if there was a way to assign skills to my Nat 1 and Nat 6 rolls. It would have given combat much more depth and player choice. For instance, I could assign a dodge to my Nat 1, allowing me to dodge my enemy's attack as long as their roll is within X of my total roll. My Nat 6 could be a double strike, allowing me to roll again for a follow up attack (without any hit location bonuses). Opportunities to switch my set skills would be few and far between, and the prose could lend itself more to foreshadowing the challenges ahead so I could plan accordingly. The game sort of dips its toes into the combat mechanics of something like 5e, but the encounters would need to be balanced around the potential skills you could equip. It is difficult, but possible, to hack something like this into the game.3) The translation is very poor, and it is made worse by the fact that the game is very dialogue-heavy. At various times I tried to imagine the characters speaking their lines, but it always came across as clunky and awkward, and I would constantly have to rephrase the text on the page to sound more natural. I wish I didn't have to do this, but I cut the book some slack considering the passion behind the work, and the fact that the original work is in a different language.Overall, even with the complaints I mentioned, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gamebooks. It isn't perfect, but it represents such a good evolution of the DNA of the Fighting Fantasy or Fabled Lands books that I wish the space would see a resurgence so we could get more books of this quality.

I just recently discovered the "gamebook" genre and I must say the narrative and side quests of this book are very fun and memorable, and the combat system is easy to learn while offering a good amount of depth and challenge. There are also difficulty levels for more of a challenge. There are many perception rolls and other skill checks when your character is outside of combat and exploring one of many branching paths of the journey. Hats off to the author as he has crafted a very addicting gamebook that I will undoubtedly replay after I finish my current playthrough.

This gamebook is amazing. I got Heroes about a week ago, and I haven't been able to tear myself away. I'm not through with my first playthrough yet (Sylvan Elf thief, if anyone's curious), but I'm already thinking about my next chatacter build for my second(third, fourth, etc) readings. I haven't played/read a gamebook like this before. I've mostly done CYOA style books, which this has in it, but it's so much more. This is an amazing blend of wonderful story telling, rpg and player/reader choice. The mechanics are great and the combat system is easy to learn but still has great depth. I just really am having such a great time and I reallynhope the author translates more of his work. Buy this book! You won't regret it.

Heroes of Urowen is what a Gamebook should be. It is a perfect combination of Boardgame/RPG mechanics and Fantasy Novel storytelling. Unlike most other gamebooks, this one doesn't punish you if you lose a fight or make a wrong choice, by giving you a dead end. Instead losing some sort of check leads you down a different path.The combat system is very easy but have incredable depth. Due to this it is addicting, and each encounter leaves you wanting another, even when you lose. There are other mechanics involved like Experience, Life, Magic, etc. but I'll let you discover all of this yourself.The creator David Velasco has many other gamebooks like this one, but he has no publisher, so he has to pay out of pocket for everything. So if you like the book, spread the word, so we can get more!

This reprint has a far better translation than the original printing. Here's hoping the author gets around to publishing more of his excellent game books in English.

Really love this book! Hope the creator keeps making gamebook like this again:)

I have just finished reading this book and I really enjoyed it.It has a good story and setting. Lots of fights, nice character development.The game rules are easy to follow and it is generally very well written.I highly recommend it for any fantasy lovers.

For a general overview feedback, I would say I am glad I picked this up. Paperback, yes and I like the art on its cover. Scanning through the rules section showed that the language is properly translated from Spanish, a concern that was bugging me now gone. I like narrative choose your own adventure books like this so when I see they have a mix of long and short entries telling different parts of the story, I know I would be glued to it as soon as I start sometime soon.

I was very curious in the beginning and really positively surprised how well the new combat system worked out. Unfortunately uncountable fights, each time new special rules and, infamously, a very bad translation into English (I am not native speaking, producing mega bugs myself, but found this nonetheless painful to read) made me put aside this book early.This review refers to the second edition. Perhaps, once there will be a professional translation, I might consider to buy the new version. I am sorry for the author who surely deserves a better review for this work. Or perhaps I should learn Spanish.