Gamebook Review of Barbarian Prince by Arnold Hendrick
A.E. Jackson Review Score: 4 / 5 Ravens
How was this review scored?
“Evil events have overtaken the Northlands. You — Cal Arath, Barbarian Prince — are in hiding, and the usurper who killed your father, the Old King, now sits on his throne. Now, you must flee south and raise enough gold by adventuring to equip an army with which to regain your rightful heritage.
The way will not be easy, for the men of the south are strange, and some are schooled in the black mysteries. The passes are guarded by monsters, it is said, and in the ruined cities lurk foul things never born of this earth. But you have your stubborn Northland will and your great sword — and woe to anyone or anything which stands between you and your quest…” (Source: Dwarfstar Games Barbarian Prince website)
What is Barbarian Prince?
Barbarian Prince is a solitaire game of heroic adventure in a forgotten age of barbarism and sorcery. No opponent is necessary as the Event Booklet takes players through a pre-programmed sequence of encounters which is different each time they play the game. For each event, the player, as the Barbarian Prince Cal Arath, must make the decisions which will make the quest successful — or may cost them their life.
Barbarian Prince was a new concept in Adventure Gaming at the time it was released. No rules reading was required; the programmed event sequence let players begin play as soon as they opened the box!
Barbarian Prince shipped with a full-color 12" x 14" mapboard, a die, rules folder, Event Booklet, and summary sheet. Fans will remember the detailed cast metal figure of the Barbarian Prince, used to mark their position on the board.
Barbarian Prince was first published in 1981, and Reaper Miniatures holds the copyright. The solo game was Designed and Developed by Arnold Hendrick. Cover Painting was done by Frank Cirocco. Map, Rule Illustrations, and Graphics were done by Cynthia Sims Millan. Typography was done by Arnold Hendrick. Figure Design was done by Max Carr.