History YMMV / FightingFantasy

** Karam Gruul from ''Literature/{{Moonrunner}}'' is with little doubt the best EvilGenius of the series, and earns his credentials despite being one of its most evil villains. An {{Expy}} of Literature/FuManchu in person, he can see eye-to-eye with his inspiration. [[AffablyEvil Perfectly cordial]], WickedCultured, and charismatic, he has you dancing to his tune to the bitter end. He created his own brand of TheDarkArts which made him one heck of an EvilSorcerer, all sorts of creatures [[spoiler: including what he made of you]], and a WeaponOfMassDestruction. You must catch him as in a FilmNoir, unravelling '''many''' covers and false tracks shielding [[DiabolicalMastermind the huge conspiracy he built from scratch.]] He is HiddenInPlainSight [[spoiler: behind a smokescreen, covered by another smokescreen, and he has a body double impersonating him to top it off, while keeping his lieutenants as seemingly unrelated.]] He has his countless spies and mind-contolled {{Manchurian Agent}}s killing your allies and framing you for it. He approaches you under decoys, sends you poisoned gifts or false messages, and devises lots of {{Death Trap}}s that could impress [[WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective Professor Ratigan]] himself.
** The [[NoNameGiven Dark Elf Sorcerer]] of ''Literature/SiegeOfSardath''. [[TheStoic Poised, imperturbable]] and one of the most genuinely AffablyEvil villains of the series, he regards you as an enjoyable WorthyOpponent and chats with you as if you were his guest. He is a world-class example of TheChessmaster and TheStrategist, who wrecks Sardath's defences and escape routes with ShockAndAwe powers syphoned from the BigGood he holds captive, and attacks it with airborne squadrons harder to repel. Worse, he sends shape-shifted agents KillAndReplace council-members of the local cities to lead them into traps and sabotage opposition in the bud. Being GenreSavvy like nobody's business, he sends agents take the MacGuffin that can defeat him, never underestimates foes and refrains from EvilGloating. He uses AwesomenessByAnalysis to correctly deduce your assets and intentions from few details, only being defeated in one heck of a BattleOfWits.
** The [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Prince Myurr]] from ''Literature/DeadOfNight'' is notable for his intense, frightening presence and his fleshed out feud with TheHero. Feared for his diabolical intelligence, he spends the entire story playing everyone like a fiddle while slouching on his throne and sipping blood from a chalice, as if the entire country was his game board. He loves taking an innocuous human aspect to spread chaos and corruption undetected, using it to cause [[ApocalypseHow the sinking of Atlantis]] in the backstory. He abducts your parents to lure you out, and covers it by sending shape-shifted demons fake their death and curse your hometown, leaving you MisBlamed instead of pitied. His LegionsOfHell are one step ahead wherever you go, putting you through ordeals, false clues and {{Batman Gambit}}s, and he even [[ManipulativeBastard tricked the Guardians of Neutrality themselves to side with him]]. [[spoiler: Much worse, all this was but incentives to lure you where he could use your life-force to unleash HellOnEarth.]]

* EvilIsSexy: Just about every female villain in the series.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Some of the books of the series have been hit by this, especially early ones such as ''Literature/TheWarlockOfFiretopMountain''. In the 1980s and 1990s, this is the series that made gamebooks well-known among the general audience and brought the peak of the gamebook craze. Nowadays, while still remembered fondly by those who lived these glory days, some books are criticized for their weak characterization and story, as well as their FakeDifficulty. (Note however that, given the diversity of these books, this only applies to some of them.)

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: ''Sky Lord'', though some of the other books got pretty weird.

* NightmareFuel: A lot of the illustrations swung this way, considering they more often than not depict the many, many monsters of all sorts out to kill you and feast on your flesh, if not worse.
** Of particular note is ''Beneath Nightmare Castle'', which also had some genuinely disturbing monsters, and a scene in which the player has to slaughter a gang of children armed with knives. Many of the deaths the player can suffer also come under this trope. ''Beneath Nightmare Castle'' was notable in that they couldn't print one of the illustrations drawn for the book -- namely, that of a woman with tentacles emerging from her mouth -- because it was deemed [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids too disturbing for children]].

* TearJerker:
** In ''Deathtrap Dungeon'', when you are forced to [[spoiler:kill Throm The Barbarian Warrior, whom you have befriended, in self-defense after he becomes a drugged and mind-wiped slave.]] [[spoiler: Though considering there could be only ''ONE'' winner of the Dungeon challenge, it's the better of two options, the other being fighting your own ally to the death where both of you were your own selves. Plus you can seek revenge immediately thereafter, kill the dwarf who forced you into the situation, and then steal his armor on top of that.]]
** In ''Night of the Necromancer'', [[spoiler: your reunion with your sister, which describes her attempting to embrace you despite the fact you are a ghost. Made even more tragic if the priest arrives and casts a exorcising spell midway through your conversation.]]
** If you choose to kill the giant in ''Scorpion Swamp'', and you then return to the same area, you can see the giant's wife weeping over his body. She only looks at you sadly, and the narration says that the guilt forces you to never go back to that place if you can help it.

** Finally, Jaxartes from ''Literature/FangsOfFury'' might look at first glance as just generic EvilSorcerer number 578432, but he proves that a book should not be judged by its cover, with nigh unshakable (and justified) confidence and [[AffablyEvil a threatening but courteous smile]]. The entire game is a RaceAgainstTheClock whose pace he sets at his leisure, and he equips his [[EliteMooks students]] with {{Laser Blade}}s worthy of Franchise/StarWars. Contrary to most {{Evil Overlord}}s he knows that overwhelming military forces can still be defeated and does not rests on his laurels. He breaks the magic that can save the land and sends his {{Mooks}} in pre-emptive strikes, when you're tasked to restore it. He has all your allies slaughtered before they can help you, sets many ambushes, and puts a bounty on your head while he is at it. Even worse, he has planted TheMole in the very city he targets, sowing suspicion, undermining its defences, [[spoiler: and leading you to a trap]].

** Of particular note is ''Beneath Nightmare Castle'', which also had some genuinely disturbing monsters, and a scene in which the player has to slaughter a gang of children armed with knives. Many of the deaths the player can suffer also come under this trope. ''Beneath Nightmare Castle'' was notable in that they couldn't print one of the illustrations drawn for the book -- namely, that of a woman with tentacles emerging from her mouth -- because it was deemed [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids too disturbing for children]].

* ThatOneBoss: [[OurLichesAreDifferent Razaak]], the BigBad and [[FinalBoss final enemy]] of ''Crypt of the Sorcerer'', if he hits you twice in a row, he wins as you are enslaved by his power. And given his skill score (12) and stamina score (20) it's nigh-impossible to win normally. Someone actually did the maths and concluded that, provided you have Skill 12 and Stamina 20+, your chances of winning are exactly 5.5%. A good number of readers either ignored the "lose if hit twice in a "ow' rule, or added that you could still negate the instant loss with a Luck check, either of which rendered him a still VERY tough, but beatable boss.

* ThatOneBoss: [[OurLichesAreDifferent Razzak]], the BigBad and [[FinalBoss final enemy]] of ''Crypt of the Sorcerer'', if he hits you twice in a row, he wins as you are enslaved by his power. And given his skill score (12) and stamina score (20) it's nigh-impossible to win normally. Someone actually did the maths and concluded that, provided you have Skill 12 and Stamina 20+, your chances of winning are exactly 5.5%. A good number of readers either ignored the "lose if hit twice in a "ow' rule, or added that you could still negate the instant loss with a Luck check, either of which rendered him a still VERY tough, but beatable boss.