What do you need to play a Gamebook?

This is a tricky question, because, it depends on the Gamebook you're going to read. Usually on the back of the book, or on the first few pages, it'll tell you what you need, but let me go over some of the basic stuff you should have on hand.

A pencil, eraser, some sheets of paper, and a D6 die (a normal six-sided die). This is the standard for the majority of Gamebooks, the pencil, eraser, and sheets of paper are used in all Gamebooks because you'll need to constantly change stats, and write down/remove equipment/item changes.

Every Gamebook will have some sort of an Adventure Sheet, this is where you'll record all of the stats changes, equipment found, and any extra notes that need to be written down. For Fighting Fantasy, you can just jot down on a sheet of paper the Adventure Sheet (so you never use the one present on the actual book, to not damage the book). But for more complex Gamebooks, like Lone Wolf, you might want to print those extra pages.

Most of Gamebooks have their own online resource from the author/publisher, where you can download and print those pages. Just look for that before you start a Gamebook.

Another use for the sheets of paper you have will be for mapping. Check the mapping tutorial here.

Regarding dice. Some books don't require dice rolls, like the Critical IF series and DestinyQuest Raiders, but most do require some dice.

For the vast majority of Gamebooks, a simple single D6 (six-sided die) will be enough, but, you'll want to have more since some books will ask you to roll multiple times (one for you, one for the enemy), and if you have more dice (of a different color), you can do those rolls at the same time. Some other books like DestinyQuest and Legendary Kingdoms, will require you to have more dice. If you want a number, maybe around six D6 should be enough for anything. Maybe 3-4 of one color, and 2-3 of another color, but it really depends on the book you're about to read.

Some other Gamebooks suggest or require you to have dice with different values. For example, the Lone Wolf book series suggests you grab a D10 (a ten-sided die). Some other books, like Expeditionary Company, will require you to have a D4 (four-sided die), D6 (six-sided die), D8 (eight-sided die), D10 (ten-sided die), and a D100 (ten-sided die with different numbering). If you don't have specific dice at home, you probably can get these types of dice at your local board game store, or just buy them online.

Dice images taken from Q Workshop

If you can't get that many dice, or if you dislike rolling dice, don't worry! You can always use digital dice!

Just research online, or download an app on your phone to roll the dice! The majority of them support any kind of dice, so, you'll be good.

That's it for this short guide, hope it was useful for you, and have a great adventure!