tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84842609884412143662024-03-06T00:00:49.769-08:00Your Adventure Ends HereNathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-25172974423241833782021-09-04T11:16:00.001-07:002021-09-04T11:16:59.613-07:00The Rings of Kether - Final Thoughts<div>For many years I've had it in my head that the Fighting Fantasy series goes a little off the rails in the teens. The first ten books are pretty unassailable: mostly set in Allansia (albeit the majority of them retroactively), mostly written by Ian and Steve, and mostly good to excellent (we'll just agree to forget about <i>Starship Traveller</i>). Then from books 10 to 20, the line gets really unfocused. Only three of them are written by Steve and Ian, and only two are set in Allansia (with two more technically in the same world but thematically far away from the standard FF tone). We've got a bunch of different flavours of sci-fi, we've got samurais, we've got super-heroes... It's an eclectic mix, but as a kid I never clicked with a bunch of these books. They were cool I guess, but I just wanted more <i>Warlocks of Firetop Mountain</i> and <i>Citadels of Chaos</i>.</div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></div><div>Of the first twenty books, <i>The Rings of Kether</i> is the only one I never read as a kid. The others I owned myself, borrowed from friends, or found at the library. I'm pretty sure one of my friends owned <i>The Rings of Kether</i>, but I never bothered to borrow it. The cover was kind of boring, there weren't any cool monsters in the illustrations, and the whole "smashing a drug ring" set-up didn't grab me. I eventually read it when I started re-collecting the series in my early 20s, but it didn't make much of an impression on me. It's not that hard, and I was happy to breeze through it on my way to <i>Seas of Blood</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I felt much the same when I played through it for the blog. The premise is, admittedly, pretty edgy for a kid's book these days. The "war against drugs" was very much in the zeitgeist when this was published, so it didn't feel out of place at the time, but I'd be surprised to see this one getting republished by Scholastic. Having it structured as an investigation is novel, but also makes it feel a little disjointed. And because it's not that hard to beat, it's over so quickly that it barely leaves an impression. I was expecting I'd end up trashing it fairly thoroughly.</div><div><br /></div><div>On reading through all of the sections systematically, I found a lot more to like. For one thing, it's a lot less disjointed than it seems: there are plenty of connections between various parts of the plot and setting, but you need to go through the book numerous times to catch them all. And the structure really is different than any FF that's gone before it, and quite intricate. Andrew Chapman has said in interviews that he put a lot of planning into this one, and it shows. Of all the FFs I've played so far, this book was by far the most difficult to map out. There are a lot of paths to victory, and I give Chapman major kudos for managing to link it all together without any continuity errors or structural failures. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sadly, for all of its neat structural innovations, it's terribly light on the things that make an FF enjoyable. Its open structure, with almost no walking dead scenarios, make it one of the easiest books in the series to complete. The illustrations are competent but unexciting. The villains aren't fleshed out all that much (except for Zera Gross, who is perhaps a little <i>too</i> fleshed out...). The setting is kind of a bland hodge-podge of Asimov, Heinlein and mid-20th century classic sci-fi in general. The major exception to this is the section with the monks on asteroid C230; their serpentine space god is memorably weird, but it's also easy to miss and completely disconnected from everything else in the book. Overall <i>The Rings of Kether</i> is well-designed, well-structured, and perhaps technically more competent than a bunch of the books that came before it, but it's just lacking the spark that made those books unforgettable.</div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></div><b>COOL STUFF I MISSED</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div>There are a <i>lot</i> of avenues of investigation in this book, and it's impossible to go through them all in the few attempts I had. Chief among those would be the meeting with Clive Torus and his wife, as well as a bunch of confrontations with various guards and robots, as well as an earlier meeting with Blaster Babbet. Overall I feel like I managed to avoid most of the combat encounters in the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's also a second victory, which comes when you use a key to activate the nuclear reactor on Blaster Babbet's asteroid, thus blowing up the entire operations. It's honestly a more satisfying conclusion than defeating Babbet, who has no character whatsoever, but because it's not paragraph 400 I'd class it as an incomplete victory.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>MISTAKES AND RED HERRINGS</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>As far as I can tell, there weren't any errors in the version of this book that I played, aside from the whole weirdness with the spy ray being taken away from you without it ever being mentioned that you had one. I see on the Titannica wiki that there were bad links in some earlier printings, but they must have been corrected quickly. I played a zigzag edition (maybe a fourth printing?) that didn't have them.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are certainly red herring clues in the book, most notably those pointing towards suspicious activity on the moon, and asteroid C230. But even those provide clues that point you back in the right direction, so I don't really count them.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for red herring items, there aren't any. This might be the first FF where your inventory barely matters at all; the only items to be found are a few weapons, some extra Pep Pills and the key that blows up the asteroid.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>BEST DEATH</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>There are twenty instant death/failure sections in this book. My initial impression was that none of them were particularly interesting, but on reading them back I'm impressed by the variety; they range from simple failure to find the right clues, to dying in a fiery car crash, to spinning off endlessly into space, and even being eaten by a weird space god with a woman's face. You can even be crushed underneath an overweight woman, which has to be an FF first. But for sheer hilarious banality, it has to be the following:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ79IQrOXI9OvqyNXpZLgYKvLsuQZsIeX0iNC-deXb8NN2FWHvt8QzcpkscQ16CwSLgE3kwiGp6LxXAzFKMepu3xrXn9DWpbISxb6uKe74_aHeKk_38s4lFe77rZnArPzRP1qCIR2Qmlii/s322/FF15BestDeath.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="73" data-original-width="322" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ79IQrOXI9OvqyNXpZLgYKvLsuQZsIeX0iNC-deXb8NN2FWHvt8QzcpkscQ16CwSLgE3kwiGp6LxXAzFKMepu3xrXn9DWpbISxb6uKe74_aHeKk_38s4lFe77rZnArPzRP1qCIR2Qmlii/w400-h91/FF15BestDeath.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Killed by a paperweight thrown by a scared office worker. What a way to go.<br /><div><br /></div><div><b>S.T.A.M.I.N.A. RATING</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Story & Setting:</b> The premise is unique for FF, and there's more going on story-wise than a couple of play-throughs would indicate. The structure is impressively done, and might have snagged a high rating, but despite some flashes of humour (and the way every character talks like they came out of a b-grade gangster movie) the setting is ultimately forgettable. <b>Rating: 4 out of 7.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>(Because I couldn't fit it in organically anywhere else, I'll squeeze the question in here: what exactly are the "Rings of Kether"? The planet hasn't got any rings like Saturn does. There's a ring of asteroids, but those are usually referred to as belts, and would belong to the system of Aleph Cygni more so than the planet of Kether. Maybe it's a reference to the drug rings you're trying to smash. I feel like I've had a revelation here, but maybe it's obvious and I've been a dummy for wondering about this for 20 years.)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Toughness:</b> It's refreshing to play an FF where the path to victory doesn't require difficult fights and a backpack full of weird trinkets, but for me the difficulty was always one of the selling points of the series. Finishing a book in just a few tries was always deflating (and was always my biggest gripe about <i>Lone Wolf</i>), and I still feel that way a little bit. Books that are <i>too</i> hard get a low rating in this category, but so do books that are too easy, and <i>The Rings of Kether</i> definitely falls into that category. <b>Rating: 3 out of 4.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Aesthetics:</b> I don't know what it is about the sci-fi books, but they just never do well in this category. The writing is less evocative, and the illustrations are invariably a series of robots, vehicles, and guys with guns. It's all done well enough here, but there's not a lot to get excited about. (And just who is the guy on the cover? He doesn't look at all like 'Blaster' Babbet, and there aren't any other obvious candidates.) <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Mechanics:</b> Much like <i>Freeway Fighter</i>, this book has three different kinds of combat: melee, guns, and vehicles. In this case its spaceships rather than cars, but it's all executed well and balanced so that most characters could get through. Space battles are deadly, and a low roll on your Shields score is probably a death sentence, but there's only one of these fights you absolutely have to do. The rules are solid here. <b>Rating: 5 out of 7.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Innovation & Influence:</b> At first glance it doesn't feel like this book is doing anything new, but it's put together like no other FF before it. In terms of complexity, it's probably only beaten by Steve Jackson's more intricate efforts, such as <i>House of Hell</i> and the later <i>Sorcery!</i> books. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>NPCs & Monsters:</b> This is where the book maybe falls down the hardest. It's full of NPCs, from drug runners to corrupt officials, but none of them stand out all that much. The main villain, Blaster Babbet, is a total nonentity. Zera Gross is memorable, but not in a positive way. There are some nondescript robots and a few weird aliens, but little of note. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Amusement:</b> Despite the interesting things I found while dissecting the book, I didn't enjoy playing it all that much. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Bonus Points:</b> 0.</div><div><br /></div><div>The above scores total 22, which doubled gives this book a STAMINA Rating of 44. That puts it equal with <i>Temple of Terror,</i> which I wasn't expecting. It makes sense though: <i>Rings of Kether</i> isn't as enjoyable, but it's got more going on under the hood.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NEXT:</b> Maybe I'll take a look at <i>The Tasks of Tantalon</i>, but so far I haven't bothered to dig it out of whatever box it's hiding in. If I don't find it, I'll move along to yet another Andrew Chapman joint, <i>Seas of Blood.</i></div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-63320472461186102372021-08-27T23:42:00.000-07:002021-08-27T23:42:02.585-07:00The Rings of Kether - Attempt 3<div style="text-align: left;">It's been a few weeks since my last post, but life has a way of intervening from time to time. I'm not sure what life; I'm literally confined to my house for 22 out of 24 hours a day. I can't even really say what I've been doing during that time, aside from avoiding the effort of updating my blogs. Welcome to the existential void of 2021, I guess.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, I'm back and it's time for a void of a different kind: the unending void of space! It's time for another crack at <i>The Rings of Kether</i>, in which I've been tasked with smashing a drug ring on the titular planet. (Wouldn't be my first instinct, but I doubt this book's going to give me the option of petitioning to legalise satophil-d. I hear it's great for pain relief.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For this attempt I rolled a Skill of 12, Stamina of 16, Luck of 10, Shields of 3, and Weapons Strength of 9. Pretty good stats, but I was a little worried about my Shields score (having died because of such a low score in my first attempt).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After dropping out of hyperspace into the Aleph Cygni system, I decided to check out the moonbase called Rispin's End. After hiring a scooter for 500 kopecks, I spent the day investigating. There were no signs of drug manufacturing to be found, so I took off and headed for the planet of Kether. (On my second attempt I had explored the moon and been the target of an assassination attempt. This time, coming here before making my presence known on Kether, my stay here was uneventful. I feel pretty safe in saying that this is a dead end.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After landing and being harassed by customs, I decided to hang around a local bar for information. I was approached by a deranged starship captain, whose rambling indicated that a fat woman playing cards nearby was up to some shady business. I tried to join her game, and after first telling me to get lost she eventually relented and dealt me in. Her name was Zera Gross, and she was in the import/export business. "More exporting than importing, I'd wager, the nature of the drug business being what it is! Ha, ha!" I said. (This is the kind of sly subtlety they teach you in this galaxy's secret agent business, I suppose.) As a response, Zera had her men beat the ever-loving shit out of me. (Seriously, this beating made me lose 2 Stamina points <i>permanently. </i>I don't think I've ever seen permanent Stamina loss in a Fighting Fantasy, most of which involve being run through with swords, shot with crossbows, engulfed in fire, and all sorts of other nasty stuff. That is some beating.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After waking up, I decided that a quiet day at the library might be more my speed. I started by looking at some statistics. The stats on agriculture and manufacturing didn't yield anything, but the transport stats showed some anomalies. I decided to head for the State Computer File Centre to get a first-hand look at those statistics. Unfortunately, when I got there I discovered that only those files more than 100 years old were available to the public.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to return at night and try to break in. (I'd tried to bribe my way in here on my last attempt, and gotten arrested for my trouble.) The place was surrounded by razor wire, but I was able to climb up a drainpipe onto the roof and drop in through a skylight. (I had to Test my Luck here, which I did successfully (reducing my score to 9). I'm not sure what the consequences of failure were.) Many of the more recent files on air traffic records were missing, so I decided to leave and find the Chief of Air-Traffic Control.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After locating him at the main heliport, I decided to follow him home from work and confront him. After a few hours of waiting in the carpark, I followed him in a hired ground car. When I cheerfully introduced myself as a narcotics officer (there's that subtle spycraft once again) he became stricken with terror. He was apparently covering up flights from "the islands", as well as flights to "the asteroids". He wasn't able to tell me more than that, so I headed back to the spaceport to see if anyone there could enlighten me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From a shuttle pilot I learned that something odd was going on at asteroid C230, so I decided to head up there and check it out. The asteroid was one of thousands that made up the system's asteroid belt. Its only signs of habitation were a dock and a few antennae. There was also an emergency escape hatch and an air-conditioning vent. I decided to enter through the hatch.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It opened into an airlock, and then a rough-hewn corridor that eventually led to a spherical room. In a niche above me I found a small plaque with the following inscription:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">PRAYER TO THUVALD</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hidden is he,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Mighty is he,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>His time returns,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hold, wait, be still.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Continuing down the corridor, I came to a junction. I could hear voices down one of the tunnels, so I went the other way and came to a room with a low pedestal and a burning flame. I entered, and the flame roared higher, forming into a serpent with a woman's face. Legs and wings grew from its body as it began to laugh. In a panic, I decided to recite the prayer to Thuvald, and the weird creature replied:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Misled you have been,</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the wrong place, you are</div><div style="text-align: center;">With the Customs officials you should be!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The creature then told me to begone, and I was hurled from the room by a mystical force. Not wanting to trust any prophecy that referenced customs officials, I decided to ignore it and keep exploring the asteroid. Soon I came to a door, over which was inscribed GRAND KEEPER. Inside, an old man in black robes was sitting in a high-backed chair. He asked me to sit with him, and I obliged. He explained that the asteroid was a monastery, and that I should return to Kether and visit the customs officials at the spaceport. He waved his hand, and I was immediately transported back to my spaceship. Taking the hint, I returned to Kether.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBvAtPGif1hQ5BSov5EKUUyc5bCfkusfCuW1XdvUZy1-wsGKwLQQVJ0qbahYi9Gv-a5rtJyzdmhLk-YqlAL_6MXnVh-bm8IZz5QTPTPDiLInPlXGcAlm8PMZJ5Jj0hCjr5KFofR6Rf5AV/s437/FF15OldMan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBvAtPGif1hQ5BSov5EKUUyc5bCfkusfCuW1XdvUZy1-wsGKwLQQVJ0qbahYi9Gv-a5rtJyzdmhLk-YqlAL_6MXnVh-bm8IZz5QTPTPDiLInPlXGcAlm8PMZJ5Jj0hCjr5KFofR6Rf5AV/w259-h400/FF15OldMan.png" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>What kind of monk wears a proper belt?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">At the customs office, I found the office of the Head Customs Officer - one Zac Kalensus - and kicked his door open with my pistol drawn. "OK Zac baby, start talking about this little drug racket you're in on or I'll have to start pumping with my trigger finger!" (Holy shit, that dialogue. Incredible stuff.) He stuttered something about transmissions from a satellite in orbit, but I wasn't able to get anything else out of him (because I failed a Luck test, reducing my score to 8).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With no other leads, I flew into orbit to look for the satellite and found it after a few days. Rather than blow it up, I decided to put on my pressure-suit and take a space-walk to look at it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G6bR7L4RWy3MhAVHoMif18_QJTmXLCqbu_yxFMvjTV4KIrbAiIZODJlxvw_DGwErtZ1z4Los6iyGAHYGgjF2gO8GuYB_BK4-Ef0jibumt4YWASuOGq-AU8MSzvbaCr5SJcDq2a40vgwi/s448/FF15Satellite.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="272" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G6bR7L4RWy3MhAVHoMif18_QJTmXLCqbu_yxFMvjTV4KIrbAiIZODJlxvw_DGwErtZ1z4Los6iyGAHYGgjF2gO8GuYB_BK4-Ef0jibumt4YWASuOGq-AU8MSzvbaCr5SJcDq2a40vgwi/w242-h400/FF15Satellite.png" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Looking for Satellites.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">What followed was a mini-game, where I had a limited supply of fuel with which to jet over to the satellite. I had four units of fuel, and every choice used up one of those units; if I ran out I'd be sent spiraling off endlessly into space. Luckily for me this mini-game relied entirely on rolls against my Skill. With a Skill of 12 it was almost impossible for me to fail, and I made it over to the satellite using just two units of fuel. I was able to learn that the satellite was transmitting from an unknown asteroid to the Isosceles Tower in Kether, and that all of those transmissions concerned shipments of the drug satophil-d.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Returning to Kether, I hired a helijet and landed on top of the tower. On the 50th floor I found an import/export office run by Zera Gross. The office was unlocked, and after I entered I soon came to a junction. Heading left, I came to an open plan office that looked to have been recently stripped and deserted. Searching through the office, I was able (due to a successful roll under my Skill) to spot a vidilink file with coordinates to an island. The message was signed by Zera Gross and someone called Blaster Babbet.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I flew out to the island, where I found a launch pad for shuttles, a helipad, and some ramps. I climbed into an anti-grav dray and rammed it through a freight door at the end of a ramp, killing half a dozen guards. In a warehouse I found crates of satophil-d, and a dead body with some Pep Pills (which I took). Continuing down a corridor into another room, I was confronted by an android, but I was able to bypass it by successfully answering its riddle. (I covered this riddle in <a href="http://youradventureendshere.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-rings-of-kether-attempt-1.html" target="_blank">my first attempt</a> if you're interested.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The passage beyond led to the office of Zera Gross, who was busy dictating to a robot secretary. Upon seeing me she immediately went for her blaster, but I dove on her first to force her to fight me hand-to-hand. (Melee combat is much easier to get through without losing Stamina than blaster combat.) Zera (Skill 8, Stamina 11) proved to be a surprisingly strong foe, and was able to injure me twice despite my high skill (reducing my Stamina to 10). While she lay "whale-like, immobile and exhausted", I slapped her in the face for information; all I was able to get from here was a dazed mumbling of "up then left".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In a nearby command room I found the coordinates of the asteroid where the drugs were being manufactured. I flew back out to the asteroid belt, only to discover that it was surrounded by a deadly minefield. Rather than blast my way through, I decided to be cautious (mostly because blowing them up had contributed to my death on my first attempt). I made it through safely (with a successful roll under my Skill), but I still had to deal with the Asteroid Defences (Weapons Strength 9, Shields 6), a battery of phasers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I opened the fight by unloading both of my Smart Missiles (which reduced their Shields to 2), then blew through them with my ship's own phasers, sustaining moderate damage (my Shields were reduced to 1). I docked at an emergency airlock on the asteroid and made my way inside.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I made my way down a long zero-gravity tunnel, until I reached an airtight security door in one of the walls. Inside was a room full of pressure-suits and emergency air-tents, but nothing of use. Continuing down the tunnel, I soon found my way blocked by a strange device, constructed of four cubes in the shape of an X. The cube sparked with electricity as it approached.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCSx7vR4BR6NmntZX06Vf-Kc1HFEm7IvGBpPAvUZnpro9zJhJOpv7vWUIsdXnMkUF1hGUxvvXcHBVAtfXVmkIEO8vyg8KX0XklUWRHuPSGiaP-apvjrgUPxsypdIZC_PeoMPBgYKPu0Y5/s447/FF15Cubes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="286" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCSx7vR4BR6NmntZX06Vf-Kc1HFEm7IvGBpPAvUZnpro9zJhJOpv7vWUIsdXnMkUF1hGUxvvXcHBVAtfXVmkIEO8vyg8KX0XklUWRHuPSGiaP-apvjrgUPxsypdIZC_PeoMPBgYKPu0Y5/w256-h400/FF15Cubes.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>4d6 damage coming my way.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I took a flying dropkick at the device (because when a gamebook presents you with an unusual option, you should always take it). I hit it dead on (due to a successful roll under my Skill) and the device smashed to pieces against a wall.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I came to a crossroads with three options, and decided to go straight ahead. The corridor led to a large cavern, filled with bulbous, tentacled creatures that had no eyes. Above them hung three metallic spheres, each with a loop-shaped handle.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjism_ZFTDrNiDlLE2t_e-vum-SW85bXpurxP7BMLPaj4r0t-GTZh_Xgl2z8wdP3WPYyDQHRKgrblmcAg2cBEugR3qbkP6DzxA2bI7Eiy-EL4126jCBa23q0HCskQZqQftNys4geeqYJfzx/s467/FF15Spheres.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjism_ZFTDrNiDlLE2t_e-vum-SW85bXpurxP7BMLPaj4r0t-GTZh_Xgl2z8wdP3WPYyDQHRKgrblmcAg2cBEugR3qbkP6DzxA2bI7Eiy-EL4126jCBa23q0HCskQZqQftNys4geeqYJfzx/w240-h400/FF15Spheres.png" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>What is this, Total Wipeout?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There was no way I was going to wend my way through a bunch of tentacles, so I decided to risk jumping from sphere to sphere. I was able to make all three jumps safely, and exit the cavern on the other side. (This required three successful rolls under my Skill, so it's probably not the best option unless you're playing with a high-Skill character like mine.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I found myself in a large chemical laboratory for making satophil-d, and spent some time smashing things up. There was a door and a corridor leading onwards, and I chose the door.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUV-6XqkeC3Oxoirr8vfsRWGaZyVhfadrCkZG3MS0aL1doDh9FaICIUCobOuMdACgXHxl3qHT4Zmfp60o772-PZ01UYyqzOi97IknTBlq-rasQRISo8wu9r8IlSXtsF7UaiBzlgt84FE4/s446/FF15Lab.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="303" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUV-6XqkeC3Oxoirr8vfsRWGaZyVhfadrCkZG3MS0aL1doDh9FaICIUCobOuMdACgXHxl3qHT4Zmfp60o772-PZ01UYyqzOi97IknTBlq-rasQRISo8wu9r8IlSXtsF7UaiBzlgt84FE4/w271-h400/FF15Lab.png" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oh look, a room.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In front of me was a wide pit spanned by a narrow bridge with no handrail. Guarding the bridge was a three-legged alien, with an electric bracer in each of its three hands. It ordered me to halt before firing several bolts of electrons at me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiMOP3lxlYEO3dhEfX-QnObnR-YVGhOonl3hg8rADmI8nqTOX0lP1RM5kKtO3Ydx2z6SvJp19zT6aJDEWATi49K68n8dxlr3b-XfW02L1tvU_WiTUbeKSx5iqkvdmtKIgQ6WisORcERu6/s453/FF15Vanque.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="295" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiMOP3lxlYEO3dhEfX-QnObnR-YVGhOonl3hg8rADmI8nqTOX0lP1RM5kKtO3Ydx2z6SvJp19zT6aJDEWATi49K68n8dxlr3b-XfW02L1tvU_WiTUbeKSx5iqkvdmtKIgQ6WisORcERu6/w260-h400/FF15Vanque.png" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You could say I Vanque-ished him.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I traded shots with the Arcturian Vanque (Skill 7, Stamina 10). It hit me once (dropping my Stamina to 6) before I was able to kill it. I ate a Pep Pill after the battle to restore my Strength (bringing my Stamina back up to 12).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At a junction I turned right, which led to the control room for the asteroid's nuclear reactor. There were no controls except for a keyhole. I had no key, so I had to go back and take the other path. This led to a tiny room with doors on every surface. Each door had a black button in the centre. Presented with six buttons to press, I tried the one in front of me and received an electric shock (reducing my Stamina to 11). I tried the door behind me, and was shocked again (reducing my Stamina to 10). At that point, I thought of what Zera Gross had told me while I was slapping her in the face: "up then left". Pressing the button above me opened the door into an identical room. Pressing the button to the left opened the door in that room, leading into a sumptuous living area. (I could see those rooms being frustrating and potentially deadly if you didn't get the clue from Zera. I had enough Pep Pills that getting through by trial and error wouldn't have been a problem, but I saved myself some pain by remembering that hint.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The room was decorated with carpet and modern furniture, with a trendy folding screen near the door. In the wall opposite was a corridor, guarded by two identical figures that I assumed to be 'Blaster' Babbet. They each had a blaster aimed at me, and after greeting me in unison they prepared to open fire.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQf04ksOwUDamY1HgBYqZYOFiLl87oLBTJUOKUk3aaXPMChANkdMh-YE3idk11994CW41zIeJplWjfNLhzwnOhvRH-fSuSug76nrfdCepHjyA409qArH5w99IkfP5IM5mD1A2hzrZ8ILL/s454/FF15Babbet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="285" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQf04ksOwUDamY1HgBYqZYOFiLl87oLBTJUOKUk3aaXPMChANkdMh-YE3idk11994CW41zIeJplWjfNLhzwnOhvRH-fSuSug76nrfdCepHjyA409qArH5w99IkfP5IM5mD1A2hzrZ8ILL/w251-h400/FF15Babbet.png" width="251" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Babbet season!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Rather than try to guess which of them was real, I "thought of an alternative course of action" by jumping through the folding screen. The real Babbet was behind the screen, and the two in the corridor were illusions. I tackled him, and we engaged in hand-to-hand combat.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">'Blaster' Babbet (Skill 10, Stamina 8) was tough, and the battle was a close one (he reduced me to 4 Stamina). But with my superior skill I was able to capture him, and wipe out the leadership of Kether's whole drug operation. My mission was a complete success!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'd considered retracing the steps of my first attempt to get this book over and done with, but I couldn't resist the temptation of checking out various different things. The pointless detour to asteroid C230 was probably my biggest deviation, and maybe the most interesting; I look forward to seeing what else is there when I read through the whole book. This one ended up not being too difficult, although I may very well have failed without such a high Skill. As it was I only scraped through on 4 Stamina, so maybe it's harder than it seems.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>NEXT:</b> I'll do one wrap-up/review post, and then it's on to something a little unusual: Steve Jackson's <i>Tasks of Tantalon</i>. Unfortunately all of my books are currently boxed up after a move, so I may have some trouble finding it. If I can't, then I'll be moving ahead with the next book in the series, the piratical <i>Seas of Blood</i>.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-69635736957425673122021-08-08T05:28:00.000-07:002021-08-08T05:28:35.186-07:00The Rings of Kether - Attempt 2<div style="text-align: left;">I feel like I did pretty well on my first attempt at <i>The Rings of Kether</i>; at the very least, I almost made it to what I assume was the stronghold of the head bad guy. I went into my second attempt with a great deal of confidence; if I nearly won last time, surely I stood a good chance of victory this time around.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For my second attempt I rolled a Skill of 12, Stamina of 18, and a Luck of 9. For my ship I rolled a Weapons Strength of 9 and Shields of 4. Last time a low Shields score had done me in, but I felt a lot better about my roll for this attempt.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I began my mission to bust the drug rings of the Alpha Cygni system by entering the orbit of the planet Kether. I began my investigation by checking out the system's asteroid belt (because I already knew that the bad guy's base was there from my last play-through). Before I could find anything I was attacked by a pair of space vessels: Interceptors (Weapon Strength 5, Shield 3; and Weapons Strength 5, Shield 2). It was a long, drawn-out dogfight, and the Interceptors shot me twice before I could destroy them (reducing my Shields to 2). Unfortunately, there was no way for me to find anything among the thousands of asteroids without years of searching. I would need to find the proper coordinates before I could come back.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(As an aside, the ship-to-ship combat in this game yields very different results to regular FF combat. In regular FF combat, having a higher Skill than your opponent gives you a pretty good chance of getting through unscathed, because only one combatant can score a hit in any round. With this style of ship-to-ship combat, having a high Weapons Strength in no way prevents other ships from hitting you, and dealing just 1 point of damage per hit means that the battles are bound to be drawn out. It's almost guaranteed that you're going to lose some Shields if you get into a fight, and I'm not sure that there's any way in the book to replenish your Shields.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After landing at the spaceport on Kether and being bullied by customs, I decided to hang around the port and ask some questions. I learned that all cargo comes through the spaceport, but there was no other useful information to be had. I decided to head to the local authorities and declare my presence as a Federal Investigator.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After asking for one of the senior investigators, a bored man at reception led me to the office of a Mr. Samuel. (Normally I'd have been taken to see Mr. Perry, but he was apparently out at the pub. Being taken to Samuel was the result of rolling a die and getting an even number; presumably if I'd rolled odd I would have seen Perry.) Samuel became immediately alarmed when I told him who I was. He slipped me a note saying that he couldn't talk, but would meet me later at a restaurant called <i>Viqueque</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to trust Samuel, and went to meet him at the restaurant. He showed up in disguise, and told me that the local police were rife with corruption. It was his suspicion that the drugs were being brought in via the city's helipads. He also told me of his underworld connection, an unemployed starship navigator.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM34K0zD23VyLGS6RZHNHiagVVezUEt7RJsW2Af80e9QmQv9SCiYsiUDUY3mD7LSk6iO_mUpbjHFOecKTGiBTRfuP781NJnhvtT4bqii_xYoWmTTtVxnPJeEDvBSLWIyL4Z7elyutrVO2V/s440/FF15Samuel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="281" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM34K0zD23VyLGS6RZHNHiagVVezUEt7RJsW2Af80e9QmQv9SCiYsiUDUY3mD7LSk6iO_mUpbjHFOecKTGiBTRfuP781NJnhvtT4bqii_xYoWmTTtVxnPJeEDvBSLWIyL4Z7elyutrVO2V/w255-h400/FF15Samuel.png" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Meeting with Mr. Samuel</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to meet the navigator at a local bar. The man was paranoid, but among his ramblings I picked out two things: there was something odd going on at the moon (also known as Rispin's End), and a fat woman playing cards in the bar was mixed up in it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rather than trail the woman, I went back to my ship and immediately took off to investigate the moon. The only facility on the moon was a small dome town for tourists and scientists. Before landing I decided to fly around the moon looking for suspicious activity, and before too long I was attacked by two Robot Fighters (both with Weapon Strength 7 and Shields 1). I blew the first one up with a smart missile, but the second hit me before I could destroy it (reducing my Shields to 1). I couldn't find anything else on the moon, so I landed at the dome town.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQeWHtdYZcxxXqyuxc5udAUNt595FRDaW2aDxtuBQ2z8Jp5Sg-Uqp_Hk6ALyIcGCfB5zWeeDm20z9m_FixsrN-WZiLXrueXKqCAtQy3Z68F5RscDMxnuOYux4ODonCQvq4TOQ6lgSky8V/s454/FF15RobotFighter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="278" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQeWHtdYZcxxXqyuxc5udAUNt595FRDaW2aDxtuBQ2z8Jp5Sg-Uqp_Hk6ALyIcGCfB5zWeeDm20z9m_FixsrN-WZiLXrueXKqCAtQy3Z68F5RscDMxnuOYux4ODonCQvq4TOQ6lgSky8V/w245-h400/FF15RobotFighter.png" width="245" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">To explore the town I hired a rocket scooter for a few days (this cost me 500 kopecks, leaving me with 4,500). Someone left a note in my helmet telling me to leave Alpha Cygni if I wanted to live, but I ignored it and continued my investigations. I didn't turn anything up, but a few days later an assassin took a shot at me. I fled the scene, but not before getting a good look at my would-be-killer, and I was able to identify him by going to the starport and looking through the recent arrivals. He was a Mr. B. Smith, age 34, a librarian working for the City Central Library. Rather than stay on Rispin's End, I decided to return to Kether and check out the library.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the library I looked through some transport statistics, and noticed that there were some discrepancies. I headed for the State Computer File Centre for some more information, but was disappointed to find that they only allowed perusal of files more than 100 years old. I tried to bribe the clerk, opting for a conservative bribe of 1,000 kopecks. Rather than accept the bribe, the clerk pressed an alarm, and I was swarmed by security and arrested. The police stripped me of my identification, and my pleas of being an official investigator fell on deaf ears. Soon I was thrown in prison, and my adventure was over.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, I fell into the trap of taking a different path so that my second attempt would be more interesting. I could easily have followed the same choices I made last time, and I would have done much better. With a higher Shields score, I very well may have won the whole thing. Instead I got curious, explored a lot of dead ends, and fell afoul of the crooked authorities. My initial instincts for this book - to keep a low profile - were much more effective.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-5161330722107403352021-07-31T13:59:00.000-07:002021-07-31T13:59:22.377-07:00The Rings of Kether - Attempt 1<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNy5Zgnf01yLoKMSNJG-uca5KHw1PZcsj6aBWXQrHctyLa429MZEBEdRx7MB0VLVIfO9MfHV8-1RUhknLLM-VtTM_jHaQDdgEAAU0d3h6jUW9I1638N4jM7WVj-ubvqM3fTdGPyTA11IN/s768/Figfan15.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="466" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNy5Zgnf01yLoKMSNJG-uca5KHw1PZcsj6aBWXQrHctyLa429MZEBEdRx7MB0VLVIfO9MfHV8-1RUhknLLM-VtTM_jHaQDdgEAAU0d3h6jUW9I1638N4jM7WVj-ubvqM3fTdGPyTA11IN/w242-h400/Figfan15.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover by Terry Oakes</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Corruption is rife in the Aleph Cygni system and the flow of the illicit narcotic Satophil-d from the spaceports of the planet Kether has grown to enormous proportions. Several attempts have been made to crack the notorious drug rings of Kether, with no success. Now the Galactic Federation has entrusted YOU with this dangerous undercover mission in this wild and lawless place. But will YOU succeed?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rings of Kether</i> is the 15th book in the Fighting Fantasy series, written by Andrew Chapman and illustrated by Nik Spender. I wasn't particularly fond of Chapman's previous effort, <i>Space Assassin,</i> but according to interviews he put a lot more effort into <i>Kether</i>. I guess we'll see if that effort made any difference, but the book has an uphill battle from the start, as I've never loved the sci-fi entries in the series.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've only read this book once, about 20 years ago, and I barely remember any of that play-through. The podcast <i><a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/campaign-on-dice-w4b-yEvrIjQWis8/#episodes" target="_blank">Campaign on Dice</a></i> covered it about a year ago, which somewhat jogged my memory, so I'm not going in completely blind. (As an aside, <i>Campaign on Dice</i> is excellent, and very funny. It's well worth a listen, as long as you don't mind the books being incessantly ridiculed. Their coverage of <i>The Rings of Kether</i> is especially good, but word of warning: you should probably listen to it with headphones, it's definitely not family-friendly.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As noted above, the hero of this book is an undercover investigator, being sent to the planet of Kether to sort out a drug trafficking ring. The authorities on Kether are supposed to deal with this sort of thing themselves, so there's some suspicion that the authorities might be in on the whole operation. As such, the hero has been sent in under the guise of a travelling salesman specialising in exotic fruit, spices and luxuries.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The sci-fi books almost always have new rules, and <i>Kether</i> is no exception. Aside from the usual Skill, Stamina and Luck, you need to roll stats for your spaceship: Weapons Strength and Shields. Weapons Strength is rolled like Skill (1d6 + 6) and Shields are a simple d6 roll. Your ship also has two smart missiles, which can be used to instantly blow up enemy ships. Instead of provisions you have 4 Pep Pills, which restore 6 Stamina at a time. You've also been provided with money in the form of 5,000 Kopecks, the standard intergalactic currency.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Melee combat works the same as regular FF, but there are new rules for Blaster Combat and Ship-to-Ship Combat. In Blaster Combat, both combatants trade fire, each taking turns to roll against their Skill with 2d6. A result under their Skill indicates a hit, which deals 4 damage. Ship-to-Ship Combat is similar, with the combatants rolling against their Weapon Strength. A ship that is hit loses 1 point from their Shields, and if they are hit when Shields are at 0 they are destroyed. (I should note that the use of Luck in combat isn't anywhere in the rules. There's also nothing to say that Skill and Luck scores can't go above their initial level, although it's possible that may never come up.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For my first attempt I rolled a 10 for Weapon Strength, a 2 for Shields, a 7 for Skill, a 20 for Stamina, and a 10 for Luck. I couldn't remember how difficult this book was stats-wise, but I was already nervous about my Shields score, and figured I'd be relying on smart missiles to get through any space battles.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The adventure began as I dropped out of hyperspace, into the Aleph Cygni system: a yellow star with one orbiting planet. I was told by my cosmo-nav that Kether was mostly ocean, with a few scattered islands and one large continent. Orbiting Kether was the moon known as Rispin's End, and there was also a vast asteroid belt in the system. Figuring that investigation of the moon and the asteroids would look suspicious, I decided to land at Kether's starport.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimU_PCfLhhKyfeZEFjdD5T1c_F9h8QX7ORRxo_dpokQQzq40k6FaLPQHjXHOaxziFofR37sTqW7ywepXC_5st7KCqF3vWBYDMtbWNtZqmSYApbU6Akw9DwR55cNPgnxwIZyk_jCj3ZVzMh/s464/FF15CosmoNav.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimU_PCfLhhKyfeZEFjdD5T1c_F9h8QX7ORRxo_dpokQQzq40k6FaLPQHjXHOaxziFofR37sTqW7ywepXC_5st7KCqF3vWBYDMtbWNtZqmSYApbU6Akw9DwR55cNPgnxwIZyk_jCj3ZVzMh/w264-h400/FF15CosmoNav.png" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As soon as I landed, I was promptly boarded by customs officers who said they were looking for contraband. Not drugs as I suspected, but technology; they stripped me of my spy ray before allowing me to disembark. (This whole spy ray thing is a bit odd. It's not mentioned at all before these officers take it from you. What is it? I thought maybe it was my blaster, and that I now had no weapon, but there's nothing to indicate that that's the case. I'm going to ignore this unless it specifically comes up later.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rather than ask questions at the spaceport or go to the local authorities for help, I decided to keep a low profile by going to a local shady canteen. I found a noisy bar populated by the usual scum and villainy, and decided to mingle and see what I could find out. I ended up talking to a deranged starship navigator who told me to "beware". (This was determined by a die roll, where I got the most common result. If I'd rolled a 1 I would have talked to a pale man sitting alone, and if I'd rolled a 2 I would have spoken to a fat woman playing cards.) The navigator went off on a rant, and by the time he ended I had gleaned two things: something was going on at Rispin's End, and the "fat broad" playing cards at the table had something to do with it. (Yes, the book really describes her as a "fat broad". As far as this character is concerned, the descriptions of her get much worse.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rather then head out to Rispin's End immediately, I decided to keep an eye on the woman. Despite her appearance and slovenly manner, she seemed to be in charge of the men playing with her. Figuring that joining their game would attract too much attention, I waited until they were done and tried to follow her when she left the bar. Unfortunately (due to rolling higher than my Skill on 2d6), I tripped over a motor unicycle, and the woman bolted. She was fast for her size, but I was able to keep up with her (due to another roll against my Skill, this time successful). She ducked into a five-story building, and soon I saw a light switched on in the window of the fourth floor. Looking at the list of residents, the entire fourth floor was owned by a "Zera Gross, Import/Export". Rather than attract more attention by waiting around, I decided to resume investigation tomorrow by visiting the library.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the library I found an unused terminal and started going through old news reports about organised crime and narcotics. I found very little, just one snippet that read: "Central Criminal Court 3: State vs. Z. Gross and B. "Blaster" Babbet. Before Justice Zark. Charge: trafficking in illicit organic materials (Satophil-d). Sitting 10.30 a.m." I found a record of B. Babbet's address, but nothing further on Z. Gross (although it did indicate that I was on the right track the night before). I decided to check out Babbet's address.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The place was a large, run-down warehouse. Rather then go in through the main entrance I went around the back and went in through a rear door. At the end of a corridor I was faced with a choice of two doors, and went through the one to the left. It led to a raised landing with a storehouse below. Two men entered, and I lay down flat to hide. I overheard them say that the "dope" was arriving from the asteroids tomorrow. Figuring that I'd already pushed my luck, and that staying in the building might be dangerous, I left and returned to the starport.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Looking for someone who might know something about illegal space traffic, I started in the starport hangars. I approached a lone shuttle pilot, and asked him without offering a bribe (again, I didn't want to cause too much suspicion). He told me that there's been a bit of odd traffic around asteroid C-230, and that I'd be able to find it easily enough with my cosmo-nav. Not trusting his information, I decided to head into the city to try to verify this information.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I asked around at a few places with no luck, but while I was having lunch at a sandwich shop two men with blasters approached and forced me into their car. I was taken to a manor house in the country which was crawling with armed men. I decided to play along rather than make a run for it. Inside the house I once again met Zera Gross, and was told that I had to go to a meeting and pick up some documents for her "or else". Figuring that "or else" meant a certain death, I opted to go to the meeting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57NMOCK1d9eFEFZUkS8yCjXC4bDCeGoH68xwXeuJbJySj4qOEOUTl1nC_eKBiDEyNa4HWBrUS9vZLzhRb2dViHutzICywHF_UdjKtAeBrZbVqTPwkgaFjbfKaXGSVI4rGQSf3lPujXCQK/s434/FF15ZeraGross.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57NMOCK1d9eFEFZUkS8yCjXC4bDCeGoH68xwXeuJbJySj4qOEOUTl1nC_eKBiDEyNa4HWBrUS9vZLzhRb2dViHutzICywHF_UdjKtAeBrZbVqTPwkgaFjbfKaXGSVI4rGQSf3lPujXCQK/w244-h400/FF15ZeraGross.png" width="244" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The meeting was with the wife of a Clive Torus, one of the gang's former associates, and was to take place in the city's botanic gardens. As I approached Mrs. Torus, who was carrying a box containing the documents, a sniper fired at us from the bushes nearby. We were both hit, and Mrs. Torus fell to the ground. (I had to roll for damage on a d6 and rolled a 1, reducing my Stamina to 19). The sniper raced out, grabbed the box, and made his getaway in a waiting car.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Not bothering to check on Mrs. Torus, I ran out onto the road and commandeered a passing car by throwing the driver out the door. I gave chase in my new car, as my quarry disappeared over the crest of a hill. I decided to drive at top speed, and was surprised when the road took a sharp turn, but I was able to keep my car on the road (with a successful Luck test that reduced my score to 9). I chased the other car through a forest, matching its speed, and attempted to ram them from behind. This had little effect, but I was still able to keep pace with them (with another Luck test that reduced my score to 8). As the other car went through an S-bend I hit them in the side (requiring yet another Luck test that reduced my score to 7), and sent them spinning off the road. None of the occupants survived the crash, but I was able to recover the box containing the documents. These documents had lots of incriminating evidence against Gross and Babbet, as well as the location of their receiving facility on Kether, on an island about 4,000 km away from the mainland.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1g7qai7XH9oMcvgzTlkXcQQnsjE7qwJwaiAmLIbJGITJHmPFWPzRWavPB4cASUTgZTQa2vz7I_HMeXP7w3DSWlcRaNMwfsTB-jwqXT7Bqz3vjFIwzmLtRCncli7uImf3lye5geEW8rii/s454/FF15Car.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="273" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1g7qai7XH9oMcvgzTlkXcQQnsjE7qwJwaiAmLIbJGITJHmPFWPzRWavPB4cASUTgZTQa2vz7I_HMeXP7w3DSWlcRaNMwfsTB-jwqXT7Bqz3vjFIwzmLtRCncli7uImf3lye5geEW8rii/w240-h400/FF15Car.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Hiring a helijet, I flew out to the island and landed on a landing bay. There were two ordinary entrances into the facility, and a large freight door. Parked nearby was an antigrav dray (a dray is kind of truck or cart). I investigated the dray, and decided that it would be a great idea to use it to ram through the freight door. I did this to great success, killing four brutish-looking guards in the process.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The room was stacked with containers full of Satophil-d. There was also the corpse of a man who was covered in bloody gashes, either the work of a savage beast or a skilled torturer. There were no other clues on his person, but he did have a jar with four pep pills, which I took with me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A corridor led me into a hexagonal room, where I was confronted by a seven-legged robot which waved its sensors in my direction. It offered me a riddle, which I would have to answer before I could pass:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Red I am,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>the heart of a scorpion,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>but not of Arachnia at all!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Pincers I have,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>but I grasp with the unseen.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>In one word, what am I?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">This immediately brought to mind the constellation Scorpio, but I couldn't remember the names of any of the stars that comprised it. I took a stab, answering "Antares", and was proven correct. (In actual fact, I took a guess here. I was thinking of the constellation, possibly due to faint memories from the podcast I mentioned above, but I couldn't remember the answer. The book gives three options: a word starting with A, a word starting with S, or a word starting with X. I picked A, and it ended up being correct, which got me past the robot without a fight. Regardless, I take issue with Antares having pincers, and grasping with anything. Those clues work for Scorpio, but not at all for Antares.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At a junction I turned right, where I found a control panel saying that the next shuttle would be arriving in 75 hours. Returning to the junction and going left, I entered the office of Zera Gross. As soon as she saw me she reached for her blaster, and I returned fire. Zera (Skill 8, Stamina 11) managed to hit me twice (reducing my Stamina to 11) before I shot her to death. Her office was destroyed in the fight, so I raced down another corridor into a command centre. There on some monitor screens I saw records of Satophil-d shipments, as well as the exact location of the asteroid that the drug was coming from.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf4Z1ZDTyNYKNLiuFDsezYdE6N7zcEuDS808B-RK_gZoS8OFBfUXTyqB7bOJULxLJm-zu3RbYNyqM5ijlDtIe7DYfrjhNlIZmB7a6v3sExHKS688CUrLrndmdX0BWZcNzRyi0xe8evjdi/s442/FF15CommandCentre.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf4Z1ZDTyNYKNLiuFDsezYdE6N7zcEuDS808B-RK_gZoS8OFBfUXTyqB7bOJULxLJm-zu3RbYNyqM5ijlDtIe7DYfrjhNlIZmB7a6v3sExHKS688CUrLrndmdX0BWZcNzRyi0xe8evjdi/w256-h400/FF15CommandCentre.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I headed back to the mainland and took off in my ship, heading for the asteroid belt. The asteroid I was headed for was surrounded by a minefield. I decided to shoot the mines, but I misjudged their power and was caught in the blast (reducing my Shields to 1).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfQXsiJ0NOZJO8HoAutFQY3w2GbD2yV7WvoiCMrsatKr7nFHSfbIVSSXNEoCNb2VdmmyR1FUVTB27IIimtVBbbm3yZZcA0GlS7EIQJNgGi92GADfKzlYQvzodFSCfVxweyTJZdIrefsvk/s457/FF15SpaceMines.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfQXsiJ0NOZJO8HoAutFQY3w2GbD2yV7WvoiCMrsatKr7nFHSfbIVSSXNEoCNb2VdmmyR1FUVTB27IIimtVBbbm3yZZcA0GlS7EIQJNgGi92GADfKzlYQvzodFSCfVxweyTJZdIrefsvk/w248-h400/FF15SpaceMines.png" width="248" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">With the path clear, I approached the asteroid, but they had been forewarned by the exploding mines. The Asteroid Defences (Weapon Strength 9, Shields 6) opened fire on me as I drew closer. I softened them up with both of my smart missiles (which reduced their Shields by 2 each), and then we traded fire. I came close to penetrating their defences, but my own Shields, already weakened, weren't enough to survive the barrage. My ship was destroyed, and my adventure was over.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think I did pretty well on my first go, as I suspect that I was pretty close to the end of the adventure. It's honestly hard to tell, I have much more trouble figuring out how well I'm doing with these investigation-style gamebooks than I do with most dungeon-crawls. My low Shields score was what did me in, but I did have some quandaries regarding ship-to-ship combat. The first was with my smart missiles, where the book wasn't entirely clear if I could fire them both off at the start of the fight, or if I had to fire one each round while taking fire from the Asteroid Defences. In the interests of actually beating the book, I opted for the former. I also wasn't sure if enemies are destroyed when reduced to 0 Shields, or if you have to hit them again once they're on 0. The latter is true for the player, so I decided to do it the same way for enemies as well. This cost me, because I did get this enemy down to 0 before it killed me. One more shot might have been enough for me to finish this book in one attempt, but it wasn't to be. With better stats, I'll hopefully be able to get through next time (although the temptation to explore a different path will be hard to resist).</div><p></p>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-55932893042079741022021-07-25T13:02:00.001-07:002021-07-31T14:00:13.254-07:00Exploring Titan 16: Dungeon of Justice<div style="text-align: left;">It's time to finish up my coverage of "Dungeon of Justice" with a post delving into how it fits into the Fighting Fantasy setting of Allansia. This adventure is historic in its own way, because it actually does fit into Allansia. Author Jonathan Ford went to the effort of giving this one a place on the map, which makes this one a lot easier to place than its predecessor, "The Dervish Stone".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The adventure takes place at the northern edge of the Desert of Skulls, which is said to lie some fifty miles south of Oyster Bay (home of the sadly departed Mungo). (As an aside, there are a lot of desert adventures around this time. This, "The Dervish Stone", <i>Temple of Terror</i>... There must have been something in the cultural zeitgeist. Indiana Jones, Dune, Star Wars? There are no doubt other things I'm forgetting.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the southern edge of the desert is the prosperous town of Sapphire City, famous for its gemstone mines. The protagonist of the adventure is planning to walk from Oyster Bay to Sapphire City, across the Desert of Skulls, which doesn't seem like the wisest career choice; if Oyster Bay to the desert is 50 miles, then the distance from there to the southern edge of the desert would be at least 500 miles based on one map of Allansia I've seen. That map (the one from <i>Titan</i>) does have some coastal mountains along the western edge of the desert; perhaps Sapphire City is in those mountains, more south-west than true south? It would be a more plausible journey.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The area between Oyster Bay and the Desert of Skulls is home to a tribe of elves, much uglier than most Allansian elves if the adventure's illustrations are anything to go by. These elves have a twisted sense of justice: instead of putting criminals on trial, they throw them into an underground labyrinth where they must find a golden idol to prove their innocence. I will note that none of the criminals encountered in the dungeon are elves: most of them are human (with one possible dwarf). The only elf in the dungeons is found wrapped up in a giant spider's web, and may not have been a prisoner at all. It's possible that this form of justice only applies to outsiders.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Aside from criminals encountered, the creatures living in the dungeon are a mix of naturally occurring vermin (Giant Spiders, Giant Bats, Giant Porcupines), specially placed guardians (the two-headed dog Xlaia, Galon the Birdman, possibly the Mud Dragons), and administrative staff (the wizard at the end, and I suspect the sleeping old man as well). The orcs and hobgoblin present are curious; it seems unlikely that the elves would have creatures like this working for them, although the wizard might. They could also be prisoners, I suppose.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The most baffling encounter is the one with the Light-Worshippers, who are found dancing around a huge glowing crystal. They're described as very small creatures with fine silver cloaks which float about them. Their size makes it likely that they're not human. They may be elves, but the real question is what they're doing in the dungeon. I doubt they're prisoners. Maybe they're a religious cult working for the wizard?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's talk about that wizard. He's encountered at the end of the dungeon, and he's the one who leads the hero outside for his execution (or exoneration if they're lucky). Even though it's the elves who throw the hero in, the ending implies that the wizard is really in charge, as he's the one who stays to wave farewell to the hero when everyone else has vanished. He seems benevolent, but who knows. If I had to put all of this together, I'd have him in charge of the whole lot: the elves up top, the elven light worshippers below, the monsters in the dungeon, and the whole justice system. As for the reason for all of this, your guess is as good as mine. I'm pretty sure I've already put more thought into it than the author did at the time. (And that's not a knock, I've created loads of dungeons that are nothing more than rooms and tunnels filled with random monsters and traps I thought were cool. I assume Jonathan Ford was a young boy or teenager doing much the same.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some smaller details:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Oddly, this dungeon contains an atlas that has a map of Analand. The hero takes it, thinking it will be very handy. I suppose at the time the author had no way of knowing just how separated Allansia and the Old World are.</li><li>Xlaia is the name of a two-headed dog, thought to have been extinct for 100 years. I don't think there's been a two-headed dog in any of the adventures so far, but there's definitely at least one coming up (in <i>Trial of Champions</i>). I suspect there are more, and that the Xlaia may just be a specific variety that's been almost wiped out.</li><li>One of the criminals is carrying a piece of triangular fruit that the hero thinks might be the legendary Xentos, the fruit of longevity. Literally nothing else is said about it, but based on the name you'd expect it to extend the lifespan of whoever eats it.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div><b>NEXT: </b>It's back to the main series for <i>The Rings of Kether</i>.</div></div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-70438143856792538842021-07-19T01:31:00.001-07:002021-07-19T01:31:22.825-07:00Dungeon of Justice - Final Thoughts<div style="text-align: left;">I probably said this when I covered "The Dervish Stone", but I expect very little from these fan-written mini-adventures. As non-professional efforts, I'm happy enough for them to present a straightforward adventure that isn't doing anything new or interesting with the format. I'm not expecting <i>Creature of Havoc</i> or <i>Shadow on the Sand</i> when I sit down to play one of these.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For the most part, author Jonathan Ford provided exactly what I expected with "Dungeon of Justice". Being placed on trial is a novel (if nonsensical) way of getting your adventurer into the action, but from there it's just a straight-up dungeon crawl with a macguffin to hunt. The FF rules are used well enough, the encounters are drawn from standard fantasy tropes, and it all holds together solidly enough to justify its existence as a mini-adventure in the middle of a magazine. Except, of course, for its one crippling flaw.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There was no way that this wasn't going to be the major talking point of this review, so I'll get to it right away: you have to fail a roll against your Skill to find the idol and beat the adventure. On the one hand you could say that this is a clever subversion of game design principles, and an ingenious way to disguise the path to victory. I've played a lot of gamebooks over the years, and I sure wasn't expecting it. On the other hand, it does feel very, very cheap. With any sort of game design there's a certain amount of trust that has to exist between the designer and the player. If you're playing a board game, you expect the rules to be clear, and for every player to have an even chance of success. If you're playing a video game, you expect that it will be relatively free of glitches and that the game can be beaten fairly. The same goes for gamebooks, and technically "Dungeon of Justice" can be beaten fairly, and with better odds of success than many of the main series books. But requiring a failure to succeed just <i>feels</i> wrong. It's more like being tricked by the author than challenged by the adventure, and for me it breaks that player/designer trust.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a shame because "Dungeon of Justice" is otherwise a decent amateur effort (despite some smaller design flaws and weird tangents). This is a real case of one major flaw overshadowing a work that is - if not outstanding - at least solid.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>COOL STUFF I MISSED</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The only encounter I missed that springs to mind is a magic mirror that forces you to fight a replica of yourself. It brings up the twisted notion that killing your mirror image might end up as a form of suicide, but never does anything with it. Other than that I covered everything else the dungeon has to offer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>MISTAKES AND RED HERRINGS</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">There were a bunch of errors in the PDF that I was using, with a number of choices pointing to the wrong section. I don't want to bring those up specifically, because I don't know if they're in the original or just a result of bad OCR. The page for "Dungeon of Justice" at the <a href="https://fightingfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Dungeon_of_Justice_(mini-ff)" target="_blank">Titannica wiki</a> has some errors listed that I assume are from the original magazine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are a few items that are only here as treasures to be won, and serve no purpose within the adventure. Some other items, such as the golden and brass keys, only unlock areas that lead to death and danger. Everything else serves a purpose somewhere, but aside from the idol there are no items required to win.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BEST DEATH</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This adventure has 14 instant death sections, and some of them are fantastic. Whatever flaws Jonathan Ford has as a writer and designer, he's great at creating memorable demises, giving them a level of over-the-top gore or macabre detail that sticks in the mind. I had a number of contenders here, but the passage below gave me a good chuckle with how over-the-top horrific it is.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewOEusTJy8Ck5XVSQ8bAVOGJlZrUQCDIIewASrfMN-WRf0GR0I9CS67J0fP4CuGjCV2qr4_M7emDDfkyRg3P_TEH6iuF3ekUR13tKuT-XM-UhZBiXJd7T8ykFVa7gxUv91eJHuP1bf6uo/s350/DOJBestDeath.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="293" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewOEusTJy8Ck5XVSQ8bAVOGJlZrUQCDIIewASrfMN-WRf0GR0I9CS67J0fP4CuGjCV2qr4_M7emDDfkyRg3P_TEH6iuF3ekUR13tKuT-XM-UhZBiXJd7T8ykFVa7gxUv91eJHuP1bf6uo/w335-h400/DOJBestDeath.png" width="335" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>S.T.A.M.I.N.A. RATING</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Story & Setting:</b> The notion of being put on trial and forced to prove your innocence by surviving a dungeon is nonsensical, but fun in a pulp fantasy sort of way. There are some nods in the adventure itself towards making it a prison of sorts, but otherwise it's a generic dungeon with the usual assortment of orcs, monsters and giant creepy-crawlies. The set-up is interesting, but it barely matters except as an excuse for the player to do some dungeon-crawling. I'll give it an extra point for making an effort to integrate it with the setting of Allansia. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Toughness:</b> It's decently balanced in terms of combat, with lots of weaker foes and some more difficult ones in area that are harder to get to. It probably errs on the side of being a little too easy, statistically speaking. The Golden Idol is deviously well-hidden; I do think that putting it in the river - usually the sort of area that would result in an instant death - is somewhat clever. All the good points, however, are overshadowed by the requirement to fail a check to succeed. That's enough to knock this one down to a low rating. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Aesthetics:</b> Being stuck in the middle of a magazine never does these mini-adventures any favours, but <i>Warlock</i> always benefits from the presence of the Games Workshop artistic stable. In this case it's Bob Harvey, whose work we've previously seen in <i>Talisman of Death</i>. This is a step down from the work on display in that book, with far too many illustrations depicting mundane things such as books, traps, and sleeping old men. Harvey excels at grotesquerie, and his monsters here are great. It's a shame he didn't get a crack at drawing the Mud Dragons; the Christos Achilleos painting on the cover that depicts one isn't as fantastical as I'd like. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mechanics:</b> This adventure uses the standard instructions copy-pasted from <i>The Warlock of Firetop Mountain</i>, with no embellishments. This means there's an error in the rules from the start, because it says you can only eat provisions when instructed; the adventure never says you can do so. There are also a few links pointing to the wrong section, and a couple of other bits of rules weirdness (I'm thinking specifically of an awkwardly worded Luck bonus that ends up being a penalty if interpreted literally). There aren't any game-breaking flaws, but there are enough small ones to add up. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Innovation & Influence:</b> There's very little going on here that hasn't been seen before. <b>Rating: 1 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>NPCs & Monsters:</b> For the most part the monsters in this book are drawn from the standard FF/D&D list: orcs, hobgoblins, giant spiders, and the like. Galon the Birdman is named, as is the two-headed dog Xlaia, but neither are presented differently from similar monsters in earlier adventures. The Mud Dragons are the only unique monster, but they don't do anything that would make you think of them as actual dragons; in effect they're just large mud-dwelling lizards that can swell themselves up with swamp gas. There are a few NPCs in the dungeon, but none of them show much personality. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Amusement:</b> This is a weird one, in that I was finding it mildly enjoyable right up until I learned what I had to do to win it. It's not a classic by any means, but I'm a sucker for a dungeon-crawl. It was never going to rate super-high in this category, though. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Bonus Points: 0.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The above scores total 14, which doubled gives a <b>S.T.A.M.I.N.A. Rating of 28.</b> That makes it the lowest-rated gamebook on the blog so far. Without its major flaw it might have scraped in ahead of "The Dark Usurper" and "The Dervish Stone" - I certainly enjoyed it more than "The Dark Usurper" - but in the end it was too big a flaw to ignore.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>NEXT: </b>I'll do an Exploring Titan on "Dungeon of Justice" and then it's on to <i>The Rings of Kether.</i></div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-21438285860161743112021-07-11T01:53:00.000-07:002021-07-11T01:53:50.152-07:00Dungeon of Justice - Attempts 9 through 18<div style="text-align: left;">Yeah, you read that right, this post covers attempts 9 through 18. I was keen to put "Dungeon of Justice" behind me, so I made a concerted effort to knock it off yesterday. Did I succeed, and discover the Golden Idol? Read on, and you may just find out!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>ATTEMPT 9</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">For this attempt I rolled a Skill of 10, a Stamina of 18, and a Luck of 7.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I still had a few unexplored paths on my map of the dungeon, one of which was in the eastern area where I'd been killed by Light Worshippers in an earlier game. I decided to use this attempt to check that path out, and after killing the unavoidable Thief at the start I made my way through several junctions to that encounter. There I saw a number of robed figures performing a ritual around a glowing crystal, and when they saw me they moved to attack. I was able to kill the Light Worshippers (Skill 9, Stamina 11) this time, but I was left with a meagre 4 Stamina. After the battle the crystal stopped glowing, and when I inspected it it was nothing more than a piece of glass. I was able to loot 3 gold pieces from the Worshippers, though.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The tunnel continued north, but there was also a hole in the wall that led to a smooth slide. Rather than heading north, I decided that sliding down into the unknown would be a great idea. Not so much; I was dumped into a furnace and incinerated.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>ATTEMPT 10</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">For this attempt I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 20, and a Luck of 11.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I couldn't be bothered fighting the Light Worshippers again, so this time I decided to make my way north to a secret door that I'd previously been unable to open. Along the way I ducked into a side room to fight some Giant Bats, and take the Cape of Levitation and a Ring of Skill (cursed so that it gave no benefit). One of the Bats, despite having a Skill of 6, really did a number on me; it started rolling absurdly high numbers, and ended up hitting me four times to reduce my Stamina to 12.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I made it to the dead end where I suspected there was a secret door, and this time I got it open with a successful Luck test. The passage beyond was trapped with a crossbow; I passed the requisite Luck test, but the crossbow bolt still lodged in my shoulder, reducing my Stamina to 8. It's a pretty rough penalty for success, but the alternative is an instant death, so I guess it is lucky under the circumstances.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the way north I tripped and bent my shield, imposing a -2 Attack Strength penalty. I'd reached this ridiculous section in an earlier game due to some faulty OCR in my scan of <i>Warlock #5</i>, but now I was getting to it legitimately. North of that I passed a junction and came to a cliff, where I was able to float down using the Cape of Levitation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had reached the cave with the river, and the wooden bridge being eaten by giant termites. In every previous attempt I'd crossed the bridge, assuming that trying to swim the river would be an instant death. This time, I decided to jump in. The current was strong, but with a successful roll of 2d6 under my Skill I was able to swim to the other side.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(I didn't come to this decision on my own. Ed Jolley gave me a hint in the comments about reaching a certain point of the adventure four times, and making the wrong decision each time. By process of elimination, I figured that the only place I'd visited four times was this bridge, so I decided to try something different. A successful Skill test resulted in it being a non-event, but perhaps a <i>failed</i> Skill test might be of more benefit. It would certainly fit the warnings I'd been getting from my readers that the solution to this one is a bit bullshit.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the far side of the river I headed west, and took the north path through the room with the mud pits. This time I failed my Luck test while trying to cross, and a fearsome beast emerged: the dreaded Mud Dragon! The Mud Dragon (Skill 10, Stamina 6) ended up being something of a pushover. I used my Luck to dish out some extra damage, and hacked the creature's head off in two quick blows.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From there I was able to make it to the end of the adventure, but I still didn't have the golden idol. Another failure.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>ATTEMPT 11</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">With Skill 10, Stamina 21 and Luck 11, I headed west this time, sneaking past the sleeping dog and taking a couple of unexplored paths. Both of these tunnels simply joined back to areas I'd already checked out. At the river I jumped in, but once again I succeeded in testing my Skill and was able to swim across. I ploughed quickly through the rest of the adventure, getting killed by the elves at the end.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>ATTEMPT 12</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This time I rolled a Skill of 7, a Stamina of 20, and a Luck of 12. I decided to hurry north, not bothering to fight the Giant Bats and get the Cape of Levitation. Because I didn't have the cape I had to take a detour and fight the Giant Porcupines, which managed to knock me down to 9 Stamina.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This time when I jumped in the river, I failed my Luck test, and was swept downstream. As I passed a rocky island I was able to grab it with a successful Luck test and pull myself to safety. There, hidden in a niche in the rock, was the Golden Idol I had been tasked with finding. I carefully placed it in my backpack, and swam to the north shore of the river.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Quickly I made my way through the mud pit room, avoiding the Mud Dragon fight, and reached the old man at the end of the adventure. I showed him the idol, and he led me outside to face the elves. I was deemed innocent, and allowed to go on my way. But when I turned back, the elves had vanished, and only the old man was there, nodding goodbye. Then even he vanished, and I set off on my long journey to Sapphire City.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Success! Well, maybe not. See, the path I'd taken had resulted in my shield getting broken, meaning I had an effective Skill of 5 in combat. I'd forgotten about that when fighting the Giant Porcupines, so this whole run was technically invalid. I refought the battle, and got slaughtered. So while I'd reached the end I didn't feel good about it, and was determined to beat the adventure legitimately.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Scanning the map I worked out the path that would get me through the adventure most quickly. I found a path through the eastern area of the dungeon that got me to the river cave with no encounters; it did require two successful Luck tests to get safely down a rope, but with the Potion of Fortune that was no problem. After the river there was only one Luck test required (to pass the Mud Dragon) to get to the end. The whole adventure could be boiled down to the fight with the Thief at the start, two Luck tests, the Skill test at the river (and subsequent Luck test if I failed), and one more Luck test.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With the adventure distilled to its most basic elements, I set about rolling those dice. The winning play-through came on Attempt 18, with a character that had a Skill of 10.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So that's that for "Dungeon of Justice". I won't go in-depth on my feelings for it - I'll save that for a wrap-up post - but suffice it to say that I don't love the successful path requiring a failed Skill check. There are just some unspoken rules about gamebook design that shouldn't be broken, and this is one of them.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>NEXT:</b> I'll do the usual wrap-up posts (Final Thoughts and Exploring Titan), and then it's back to the main series (yay!) for <i>The Rings of Kether</i>, a sci-fi adventure (boo!).</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-53011404492064599922021-07-03T02:23:00.000-07:002021-07-03T02:23:46.072-07:00Dungeon of Justice - Attempt 8<div style="text-align: left;">After seven attempts, I can sense that my readers are starting to get somewhat frustrated with my efforts to complete <i>Dungeon of Justice</i>. I get the feeling that I've been on completely the wrong track, and that simply exploring the dungeon isn't going to be enough for me to find the Golden Idol and win the adventure. Nevertheless, there are still tunnels for me to check out, and with no other obvious options I plan to stick with it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This time around I rolled a Skill of 8, a Stamina of 21, and a Luck of 10. Those aren't the greatest stats, but I'm not overly worried; there are tough enemies in this book, but they're hidden out of the way and easily avoided.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As usual I started the adventure by fighting the Thief; this time he actually wounded me, which is unusual. At the first junction I took the western path, through the room with the sleeping dog. Despite my high Luck score I rolled badly on my attempt to sneak past. The two-headed dog Xlaia woke up, and I had a fight on my hands. Our Skills were even, but by the time I'd killed Xlaia I only had 3 Stamina points left. I ate a meal, restoring my Stamina to 7, before moving on. (The rules says that you can only eat when instructed, but at no point in the adventure have I been told I can eat provisions. I can only assume that this is a mistake resulting from copying the rules directly from <i>Warlock of Firetop Mountain, </i>so I'm allowing myself to eat provisions whenever I'm not in combat.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I ignored a door and headed north at the next junction (into unexplored territory). At the top of some stairs I was attacked from behind by a Dwarf wielding a morning star (Skill 8, Stamina 5). He struck me before the battle commenced (reducing my score to 6). With only a meagre 1-Stamina advantage, I decided to use my Luck score to even the odds. My first blow reduced him to 1 Stamina, but then he proceeded to win the next three combat rounds; I had to use my Luck again to avoid death. With just 1 Stamina remaining, I killed the Dwarf and hastily ate another provision (restoring my Stamina to 5).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ4GbHX4yzjFXCepNATBaqMQarsKd6iCW5Cvl1eAwv6fzyW5lwgkIpaL1FciruqZ7LRZsIltVVrFxAwSXyUiJKki2QQjtDRJqT52YiUohW8XeIuBmUfPU3-WSimeZeDt1aSBlS5w1V3D7/s389/DOJDwarf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="247" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ4GbHX4yzjFXCepNATBaqMQarsKd6iCW5Cvl1eAwv6fzyW5lwgkIpaL1FciruqZ7LRZsIltVVrFxAwSXyUiJKki2QQjtDRJqT52YiUohW8XeIuBmUfPU3-WSimeZeDt1aSBlS5w1V3D7/w254-h400/DOJDwarf.png" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I almost got killed by a dwarf with no<br />beard, how embarrassing.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Continuing north, I came to a room with three exits and a pile of gold pieces in the middle. I carefully scooped up the gold (30gp in total), and searched the corners for more. Finding none, I was told by the adventure that I had to exit to the north. The door was trapped with darts, but I avoided them with a successful Luck test. My Luck had been reduced to 5 at this point, so I took a drink from my Potion of Fortune to raise it to 11.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Along the passage I came to a massive door studded with iron bolts. The handle was shaped like an enormous bird, and I decided to push it open. Inside there was a sparsely furnished room, with an old man asleep on a chair. I didn't find anything else in the room, but before leaving I had the option to murder the poor old guy. Instead I decided to wake him up and question him. The startled old man offered me all of his treasure, which I took; it amounted to 27 gold pieces and a diamond. Once again I had the option of cold-blooded murder, but I decided to let the old man live and leave the room.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSG7Yw3M5CJoJ4-1487FW8_ZtEV4mzaqyCStnfAPntsuAWg9EqqorXK9idmSEqGTiL7tW8xYYbgzdXgGGLSpoi9uWW9UxYvWMyaq8l46D6ST1EqHRXqQn72GJUvFeAfnHKyfg7ARWg6sIn/s383/DOJSleepingMan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSG7Yw3M5CJoJ4-1487FW8_ZtEV4mzaqyCStnfAPntsuAWg9EqqorXK9idmSEqGTiL7tW8xYYbgzdXgGGLSpoi9uWW9UxYvWMyaq8l46D6ST1EqHRXqQn72GJUvFeAfnHKyfg7ARWg6sIn/w270-h400/DOJSleepingMan.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The author really wants me to<br />murder this guy.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The passage turned into a chimney, and I had to climb up (reducing my Stamina to 4; I ate a meal to get it back up to 8). I emerged in the river cave, with the bridge and the termites. Crossing the bridge with a successful Luck test, I took a door to the west.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the next junction I went north, entering a room with a pit. Having been drowned in this pit in an earlier play-through, I ignored it and continued north into unexplored territory. I emerged into a circular room with a deep pool of warm water. While taking a refreshing swim I noticed a door at the bottom which I was unable to open. With nothing else to do, I headed back through the pit room to the junction and turned west.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ignoring a north tunnel, I soon came to the room with the ruby and the constantly rotating spikes. I'd been here in an earlier adventure, but decided against trying to get the ruby. This time I went for it, and one successful Luck test was all I needed to pocket the ruby. With nothing else to do, I went back to the last junction and headed north.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I entered the room with the two mud pits, and decided to skirt around them to the right. With a successful Luck test I was able to pass by without mishap. I went north, past a door leading to a trap, and soon ended up in the final room, where I was asked if I had the idol. Once more I did not, so I was taken before my elven accusers and shot to death.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I got more of the dungeon paths explored, but to nobody's surprise the idol didn't turn up along any of them. Currently, I have these options left to explore:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The north tunnel of a junction found just after a jumping into a pit (a little north of the sleeping dog).</li><li>Heading north from the door where I met the sleeping old man.</li><li>Whatever lies past the Light Worshippers over on the eastern side of the dungeon.</li><li>North of the prison past the combination lock.</li><li>The dead-end/secret door directly north of the entrance (through four junctions)</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>I'm pretty sure that most of those are just going to connect back to areas I've already explored, with little of interest to be found. I should try to knock them all out as quickly as possible in my next post. Wherever that idol is, it's damn well hidden.</div></div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-91325269135969612832021-06-25T23:56:00.003-07:002021-06-25T23:56:53.191-07:00Dungeon of Justice - Attempts 6 & 7<div style="text-align: left;"> Another week, another attempt at finishing "Dungeon of Justice", the mini-adventure from <i>Warlock #5</i>. Surely I'll get it this time. After all, it's a mini-adventure, how hard can it be?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">ATTEMPT 6</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For my sixth attempt, I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 19, and a Luck of 11, probably my best character yet for this adventure. After choosing the Potion of Fortune, it was time once more to try to survive the Dungeon of Justice and find the Golden Idol.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With no obvious clues as to which path will lead to success, I'm still in exploration mode. The path that seemed most likely to lead to something interesting was the door with the combination lock, so I set that as my goal.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Getting to that door involved going back over a lot of familiar territory: I killed the thief, turned left at the first junction, sneaked past the sleeping dog (taking its brass key), went through a door and dropped down into a hole, turned right at a junction, and fought a Hobgoblin. This Hobgoblin had a parchment with some numbers written on it (these numbers were the combination needed to unlock the door I was headed for).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From there I went north, fought a Giant Spider for a ruby, fought some Giant Porcupines, crossed a river by using a bridge being devoured by giant termites, and took a door to the east. This brought me to the door with the combination lock. I had to add the numbers of the combination together, and turn to that section. The numbers on the Hobgoblin's parchment were correct, and I was able to open the door and enter a library.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrAjZAmK492g2nOOR9Ob_ftiCnsp60Mv-LrBdSkFXBDHCGIuD_5tOPErW-5r9Dcxn9HEsUm7ZjUcO5VZI61FQW2tqr64nBHjlusxPptaeCRGA8u2m9bt8PS1q7eNd-uRvtGpTiZ63AXgA/s452/DOJLibrary.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="286" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrAjZAmK492g2nOOR9Ob_ftiCnsp60Mv-LrBdSkFXBDHCGIuD_5tOPErW-5r9Dcxn9HEsUm7ZjUcO5VZI61FQW2tqr64nBHjlusxPptaeCRGA8u2m9bt8PS1q7eNd-uRvtGpTiZ63AXgA/w253-h400/DOJLibrary.png" width="253" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The walls were lined with books, and there were three books open on the table (one red, one blue, and one green). I decided to read them all. (Oddly, the adventure implies that you might not have time to read. I'm not sure if this is just odd phrasing, or if there's something in the adventure that would impose such a time limit.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The red book was in Ancient Elven, and completely unintelligible. The blue book was full of maps, one of which showed the terrain of Analand, including the locations of some valuable mines. I took it with me. The third book was a list of criminals submitted for trial, with my own name inscribed last. The name before me was a thief, no doubt the one I'd killed at the start of the adventure.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Leaving through the north door, I entered a prison. In a cell I saw a tattered prisoner, and rather than murder him in cold blood I decided to talk to him. I exchange for his freedom, he said that he could tell me where to find an enormous ruby. I opened his cell, and the prisoner leaped forth, wrested my sword from my grasp, and disemboweled me with a single blow. To quote the text: "Your adventure ends here... messily!"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">ATTEMPT 7</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, the combination lock ended up being a bust, unless there's something great beyond the prison. This time around, I set myself to explore some of the other pathways I'd yet to go down. For such a small adventure, this one is surprisingly non-linear. I rolled a Skill of 10, a Stamina of 19, and a Luck of 11 before setting off.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After killing the thief, I turned north at the next junction, then east at the junction after that. The next junction had a northern passage that I hadn't explored yet, so I took that one. It ended at a door, which I opened. Inside the room, there were two Orcs chattering to each other (Skill 5, Stamina 6 and Skill 6, Stamina 5).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUKQzczxn8zE0GGQvhoUtnHRzIPX5rFArCybWSmJYrNkSLgm9dxsoiNOk_uCdZ6obfGfGePW06DVFv7homn_LiE3b-8PmTu2eE2sbtpE1PHyp2OtVZEPykLfI6xWZfi_yj4-d-V26kuQH/s517/DOJOrcs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUKQzczxn8zE0GGQvhoUtnHRzIPX5rFArCybWSmJYrNkSLgm9dxsoiNOk_uCdZ6obfGfGePW06DVFv7homn_LiE3b-8PmTu2eE2sbtpE1PHyp2OtVZEPykLfI6xWZfi_yj4-d-V26kuQH/w283-h400/DOJOrcs.png" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The Orcs fell beneath my blade, and I wasted no time in looting their corpses: they had 5 gold pieces, and a sprig of some sort of herb. I decided to risk eating the herb, expecting maybe a little bit of healing. I got that (restoring 4 Stamina), but I also got a boost I wasn't expecting: from now on, my Luck could never be lowered below 6.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I continued north, and at a junction I was forced to go north again. This linked up to the path with the grille, which I ignored, as there's nothing beyond it but a bottomless pit. The path turned east, and I ignored the next door, which only led to a fake Idol and certain death. Further east was a junction where I was forced to go north, and that path ended at a cliff. There was a rope leading down, and I had to test my Luck twice to get down safely.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From here I had to cross the termite bridge, and choose between the three doors on the far side. The eastern door led to the combination lock, but I didn't have the numbers this time around. The northern door led to a difficult fight with a Birdman, and no other reward to speak of. So I chose the door to the west.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The western door led to a tunnel, with three paths heading north. I chose the middle path, as it was the only one I had never explored. It opened up into a room with two mud pits, and the stench of rotting flesh. I had three ways forward: skirting around to the left, skirting around to the right, or taking the middle path. I chose to go right down the middle. The stench almost choked me, but a successful Luck test allowed me to cross safely and continue on.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The tunnel headed north before turning east. I came to a side door, but when I opened it the room beyond was pitch black. I decided to risk the dark room, and almost as soon as I entered the floor fell away under my feet. I failed the first Luck test (rolling double 6), and was surprised not to be killed instantly; I got another chance, and managed to save myself. (Before the Luck tests the room asked me if I had a Ring of Skill. I'd found it in a previous game with the Cape of Levitation, so this might be another avenue to explore.) With no other option, I continued east down the tunnel.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This lead to a crossroads, where I was forced to go north and encounter the old man at the end of the adventure. I already knew that admitting I didn't have the Idol would result in my death, so I decided to kill him. He warned me against it, but with no other good options I pressed my attack, and he cast a spell that turned me to stone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I checked off some more paths here, and explored some new areas, but none of it feels like progress. Normally by this point in an adventure I have at least some idea of what I should be doing, but this one has me baffled. I still have a few more unexplored paths, so hopefully I'll find the idol in one of those. If not, I really don't know what to try next.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-41967174728688762542021-06-21T23:00:00.006-07:002021-06-22T21:03:27.257-07:00Plugging My Newest Blog<p><span style="text-align: justify;">I should have another attempt at "Dungeon of Justice" posted</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> on the weekend, but in the meantime I have another blog I've been working on with some regularity: </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://chronology-x.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Chronology X</a>. </b><span style="text-align: justify;">If you're into X-Men comics you might want to check it out, but be warned that this is extremely focused on deep-dive continuity issues and minutiae related to the passage of time. I'm trying to construct a working X-Men timeline based on clues from within the comics, so we're talking extremely pedantic nerd bullshit here. If that sounds like something you might enjoy, please head on over there and take a look.</span></p>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-67487005340205365162021-06-04T23:56:00.000-07:002021-06-04T23:56:51.984-07:00Dungeon of Justice - Attempts 4 & 5<div style="text-align: left;">In the comments of my last post, Ed Jolley kindly informed me that at least one of the references in my PDF of "Dungeon of Justice" is pointing to the wrong section. Commentor Sitbear also pointed me towards some other errors that were printed in the original. I've fixed all of those, so hopefully now I'll be playing with a mistake-free version of this adventure. Thanks, folks! I also keep getting comments about there being some trick to this adventure, one that I might need to look up the answer for. I have to say that this intrigues me. As far as I can tell "Dungeon of Justice" is a straight dungeon-crawler, so I'm interested to see what my readers are hinting at.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>ATTEMPT 4</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For my fourth attempt at this adventure, I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 18 and a Luck of 10. With these incredibly viable scores I went into this with some confidence that I'd at least survive long enough to get some good exploration done.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the initial fight with the Thief, I headed north to the room with the Giant Bats. In a previous adventure I'd explored this room after killing the bats and found a trapdoor, but due to a failed Luck test I'd been unable to open it. I was still curious about it, so I made this my first stop for Attempt 4, and this time I was lucky enough to get the trapdoor open. Inside I found a recess containing a cape, a ring and a phial of colourless liquid.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First I tried on the cape, which proved to be a Cape of Levitation. (I'd been asked for this during previous attempts, and had been keeping my eye out for it ever since.) I also put on the ring, which was identified as a Ring of Skill. Unfortunately, the ring had long ago been cursed, and instead of increasing my Skill it reduced my Stamina by 2 and my Luck by 1. The phial was holy water, blessed by an ancient druid, and gave me a +1 bonus to my Attack Strength. Handy! (As my regular readers may have figured out, my style when playing gamebooks is to try out every single thing that I can, regardless of any potential threats to my wellbeing. I treat each attempt at a gamebook as an exploratory mission: I'm aiming to find out as much as I can so that I can determine the best possible path forward. When presented with three items in a Fighting Fantasy, I know very well that at least one of them is going to be terrible, but I still have to try them all out. This time around, I feel like I came out ahead pretty well.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From that room I headed north, through the junction with the erroneous link that Ed Jolley had warned me about. Previously it had pointed me to a corridor where I tripped and broke my shield, but the correct entry led me to a dead end. I tried to look for secret passages, but a failed Luck test meant that I had to go back to the previous junction and head east.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This led to another junction, where I was forced to head north. I passed a grille on the wall, but it was locked, and I was unable to open it without a brass key. Further ahead the tunnel turned east, and after a long walk I came to a door in the north wall.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Opening the door, I found what I had been looking for: a golden idol on a tall pedestal! The room was criss-crossed with tripwires, all connected to crossbows, but there was no way I could leave without trying to get that idol: my life depended on it. I had no trouble making my way through the wires, but as soon as I got near the idol disappeared. It was an illusion, and I had walked into a trap. After an ominous rumbling, a stone slab fell on top of me, and I had no way to escape being crushed. My adventure was over!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4JDO6b6ixKAyF6iQoZB57lqewVQqAFHtRuUlNjzBdTFugPipQiechV098ll4Cxqz90Zhp3dg24W0JtB0HgPF1QmtLgxGZaYZw_5T6kMHCgwUICuKOiUwp7DwPmJAt73Q5kCgBcfzCEw6/s515/DOJFalseIdol.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="391" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4JDO6b6ixKAyF6iQoZB57lqewVQqAFHtRuUlNjzBdTFugPipQiechV098ll4Cxqz90Zhp3dg24W0JtB0HgPF1QmtLgxGZaYZw_5T6kMHCgwUICuKOiUwp7DwPmJAt73Q5kCgBcfzCEw6/w304-h400/DOJFalseIdol.png" width="304" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Okay, so I had a pretty good idea that what I'd found was not the idol I was looking for. I get the feeling it's not going to be that obvious, especially with the hints my readers have been dropping. But like I said, I have to try as many options as possible, and now I can add that room to my list of places to ignore.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>ATTEMPT 5</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">That last game was quick, so I launched right into another attempt. This time I rolled a Skill of 11 once again (I've been on fire with these Skill rolls), a Stamina of 21, and a Luck of 7. In most of my attempts I set a specific goal, and this time around I wanted to open the grille that I'd been unable to unlock in the last game. I knew where the key was, it was just a matter of finding the path that links back from there to the grille.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After being thrown in the dungeon and fighting a Thief, I came to a junction and decided to go west. This led to a room where a dog was sleeping in a basket, with a key hanging on a hook nearby. I decided to risk sneaking through the room, but my sword struck a stone, and (due to a failed Luck test that reduced my score to 6) the dog woke up. It was, however, no ordinary dog; the beast had two heads, and was apparently the dreaded Xlaia, thought to be extinct for centuries. Regardless of how dreaded it was, I killed it with ease, made it properly extinct, and took the brass key with me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The passage out of the room headed west then turned north. I ignored a door on the east wall, and at the next junction I turned east. Shuffling footsteps warned me of someone's approach, but it was just an old man, who had been thrown in here by the elves years ago. I gave him directions back to the entrance, and he rewarded me with a clue: "All that glitters is not gold. There are many forms to what you seek; do not be misled by false idols." (Thanks guy, where were you during my last attempt?)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Further along the passage I came to an alcove containing three small bottles. One had clear liquid inside, one golden liquid, and the last had a pale green syrup. I, of course, decided to down them all. The clear liquid restored my Stamina by 1 point. The golden liquid put me to sleep for several hours. I was not killed by any wandering monsters, and nobody came along to steal my stuff, but I did awaken in a groggy state, which meant that my Attack Strength would be reduced by 1. The third liquid was an Elixir of Fortune, and from now on I was able to add 1 point to my dice roll every time I Tested my Luck. (Waaaiiiit a second. That's bad! You want to roll low on a Luck test, to get under your score. So either the author has gotten this wrong, or is deliberately messing with the reader. I'll follow the text as written, I guess, but I really don't know what the intention is here.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The tunnel soon connected with a junction (which I recognised, meaning that I was on the path towards the grille). I headed north, then east, then north again, and came to the grille in the side of the wall. With the brass key I was able to unlock it, but the effort required to push it open was such that I stumbled headlong into the darkness, right into a pit. Without the Cape of Levitation in my possession I fell, and fell, and fell... The pit was bottomless. So while my character was technically still alive, my adventure was very much over. (Actually, based on my map I don't think it's possible to get the brass key and the cape of levitation in the same game, unless there's a connection somewhere that I'm missing.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, I accomplished my goal, for all the good it did me. To be honest, I feel like I've made very little progress in this adventure. I've figured out a bunch of things <i>not</i> to do, but I'm no closer to a solving the adventure than I was at the beginning. I think my next target is the combination lock on the other side of the river. It could just be another red herring/deathtrap, but of the loose ends on my map so far it looks the most promising.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-63590604391316454452021-05-18T09:03:00.000-07:002021-05-18T09:03:25.628-07:00Dungeon of Justice - Attempts 2 & 3<div style="text-align: left;">I'm back for another go at <i>Dungeon of Justice</i>, the mini-adventure from <i>Warlock #5</i>. For those who might have missed the last post, the adventure sees you captured by elves and accused of murdering their chieftain; to prove your innocence you need to enter a deadly dungeon and retrieve a golden idol. Fantasy legal systems are rarely nuanced, it seems. Shouldn't they have spells that can figure this stuff out?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last time I explored in a fairly haphazard fashion, and died when I opened a hatch that flooded the tunnel I was in. This time around I plan to make some maps and explore a bit more carefully. I'll probably die anyway, but no attempt is wasted if I'm able to glean some new information is what I always say.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>ATTEMPT 2</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For my second attempt at this book, I rolled a Skill of 7, a Stamina of 19 and a Luck of 11. There are some good rolls there, but not in the places I'd like them. I can't see myself getting far with a Skill that low.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I started the adventure by killing a thief (an unavoidable encounter), and at the first junction I turned north. Then I turned east at the next junction, and continued east at a third junction. (Gripping stuff.) The tunnel turned north and I came to a pit, which I decided to explore. At the bottom was a tunnel heading off to the east, where I found a golden key.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Heading back out of the pit I continued north, toward some strange lights and chanting. Three robed figures were dancing around a large glowing crystal, and when I approached they hurled themselves at me angrily. The Light Worshippers (Skill 9, Stamina 11) attacked me three-on-one, and my meagre swordsmanship was not enough to stop them from killing me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There was no way out of that fight except to win, and my Skill score just wasn't up to it. I tried to use my Luck to help, but it wasn't quite enough. The only thing I discovered that might be of use is the golden key, so altogether this wasn't the most successful run.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>ATTEMPT 3</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">That last attempt was quite pitiful, so I'm trying again. For my third attempt, I rolled much more respectable scores: Skill 11, Stamina 22 and Luck 10. Of the three potions available I took the Potion of Fortune.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After being forced into the dungeon I fought and killed a Thief (Skill 7, Stamina 6), looting his corpse for 3 gold pieces (and a weird piece of mouldy fruit that I left behind). At the first junction I came to I continued north, and I decided to head north at the next junction as well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I soon came to a door in the west wall of the corridor, with a faint cross carved into the wood. I decided to enter, and the door opened into a room strewn with rubble. A fetid smell and a high-pitched squeal was all the warning I got before a pair of Bats (Skill 5, Stamina 7 and Skill 6, Stamina 6) swooped down to attack me. I carved them up with ease. (The adventure makes a big deal out of how difficult it will be for you to fight the bats with your sword, and suggests throwing your shield into the air to distract them. None of this is relevant, as after this rigmarole you just fight them as normal.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to search through the rubble, and found a heavy trapdoor in the floor. Unfortunately, I was unable to budge it, and I had to leave and continue north. (This was the result of a failed Luck test, leaving my Luck score at 9.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I soon came to a junction with a tunnel branching west, but because the floor looked uneven that way I decided (i.e. was forced by the adventure) to continue north. Along the way I tripped and fell, and my shield got wedged into a crack in the wall. I was able to pry it loose, but it was bent out of shape. (This meant that my Attack Strength would be reduced by 2 from now on. There's no way to avoid this happening if you come this direction.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the next junction, I decided to go north, and found myself at the top of a cliff overlooking a subterranean river. With no way to get down, I retraced my steps to the junction and went west. This path eventually led to another junction, and I followed the path to the north.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the way north I was attacked by a pair of Porcupines (Skill 7, Stamina 5 and Skill 8, Stamina 5). The first Porcupine managed to wound me with a poisoned spine (reducing my Stamina to 19), but I was able to kill them both without further injury.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The path sloped down, and I emerged at the bank of the subterranean river. The only way across was a rickety bridge that was being eaten by two-headed termites. I risked the bridge, and made it across without incident (by making a Luck test that reduced my score to 8).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the far side I searched the beach, and was nipped by a crab for my troubles (reducing my Stamina to 17; I'd done this on my first attempt, but had since forgotten about it). There were three doors ahead; I chose the door to the east.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The tunnel beyond was partially blocked, but I was able to find a rock that I could use to smash my way through (requiring a Luck test that reduced my score to 7). At the end of the tunnel was a door with a combination lock. I didn't know the combination, so I had no choice but to turn back. (I found this combination during my first attempt, on the body of a hobgoblin. I had to resist the urge to look at my first Adventure Sheet and cheat the door open.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Heading back, I decided to take the north door from the beach. I could hear rustling feathers and whistling from behind the iron-studded door, which was locked. (It required a gold key to open, which I didn't have. I'd found it at the bottom of a pit in my last ill-fated attempt, so I knew where to look next time.) Without a key, I had no option but to barge the door with my shoulder, which I managed without injury. (This was done by rolling a die. A result of 1-4 resulted in losing 2 Stamina, while a 5 or 6 opened the door. I rolled a 5 first try. The adventure gives you no option but to keep battering away, so it's quite possible to die here without any option to stop from killing yourself on a bloody great iron door.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Waiting for me in the room was a Birdman named Galon (who apparently has a "lust for metal"). The Birdman (Skill 12, Stamina 8) was obviously hostile, so I drew my sword to defend myself. Before it closed, I drank a dose from my Potion of Fortune. It was a desperate battle, but luck was with me, and I was able to kill the fearsome beast. (This was a tough fight, especially considering that my battered shield was lowering my Attack Strength by 2. The Birdman hit me four times, reducing my Stamina to 9. I used my Luck twice so that I could kill it faster, leaving my Luck score at 9. Allowing myself to drink the potion before battle is a little iffy, but the rules do say that you can drink them whenever you want. I don't allow it in the middle of a fight, but right before seems fair.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RjLxt528lLUJW9S25xMaofcswAQPQfsqNPWbfshzd5vTxNovnN6FvoJjUqacCW1v-1YKOgql7HhyphenhyphenDbCYbLL0Yx6T0ULEmrMpO1EBXZhU2fF7d_LAlGPgR1Zw7pJ0DP8Ql3TpCVhGWDeB/s563/DOJBirdman.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="371" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RjLxt528lLUJW9S25xMaofcswAQPQfsqNPWbfshzd5vTxNovnN6FvoJjUqacCW1v-1YKOgql7HhyphenhyphenDbCYbLL0Yx6T0ULEmrMpO1EBXZhU2fF7d_LAlGPgR1Zw7pJ0DP8Ql3TpCVhGWDeB/w264-h400/DOJBirdman.png" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As soon as the Birdman died, a mass of wriggling maggots appeared and stripped it to the bone. Once this was done they advanced on me, and I had to find a means of escape. I was able to find a secret door to the north (with a Luck test that reduced my score to 8), and emerged in a tunnel that led to a crossroads.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Heading north from the crossroads, I came to a door with a piece of parchment nailed to it. Written in several languages was the following: "If you have come this far your courage is great. Now you must live with courage or die with courage. Knock and enter." (This is the point where I would turn around and keep searching the dungeon, because I've obviously reached the end without finding the idol. But Fighting Fantasy adventurers never backtrack, so I must press on.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the room beyond was an old man behind a desk, who rose and welcomed me. He asked if I had found the idol. I was tempted to attack him, but instead I told him that I didn't have it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8ueee4jt3UQVmBlj-zYRNFDlI11J709CtjgUfzngM0YugbYIH5qFpHI-an8kLaEq3dKbI92bDWHWiYQY-oQzInNMbQWmGbUFVkSTEJrpJpZ3NN3pNhs5pHkSKQ6H1u9_7Em9vcBRI97h/s575/DOJOldMan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8ueee4jt3UQVmBlj-zYRNFDlI11J709CtjgUfzngM0YugbYIH5qFpHI-an8kLaEq3dKbI92bDWHWiYQY-oQzInNMbQWmGbUFVkSTEJrpJpZ3NN3pNhs5pHkSKQ6H1u9_7Em9vcBRI97h/w254-h400/DOJOldMan.png" width="254" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Sadly, the old man led me up a staircase to the surface. I was surrounded by hundreds of Elves, all with bows drawn and pointed in my direction. I was pronounced guilty, and died under a hail of arrows. (If this was a game of <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>, this is where I'd stubbornly insist that the DM roll every attack for those elves until I was dead. You never know when the dice will miraculously come up in your favour!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, I made it out of the dungeon at least. I don't feel like I'm any closer to finding the idol, but it is good to have a better sense of the dungeon's size, and the paths I have yet to explore. That door with the combination lock seems like a good place to start on my next attempt.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-9939115861622717992021-04-10T07:52:00.000-07:002021-04-10T07:52:26.177-07:00Dungeon of Justice - Attempt 1<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyar2coOpzqp6L38uVLAUJ65Vh1V67EKXZWjCMqfv8TirNOVkF_xZwOks3mZDBSWw7gT7eswM9cGrXD3SSYC8dTsA-1y6LEH46sYOvbDrvE33u0AKwJc8pGaTTGjBP0_2vpQHiVFLwMyS/s423/DOJTitle.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyar2coOpzqp6L38uVLAUJ65Vh1V67EKXZWjCMqfv8TirNOVkF_xZwOks3mZDBSWw7gT7eswM9cGrXD3SSYC8dTsA-1y6LEH46sYOvbDrvE33u0AKwJc8pGaTTGjBP0_2vpQHiVFLwMyS/w313-h400/DOJTitle.png" width="313" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Dungeon of Justice", written by Jonathan Ford, was the runner up in the gamebook design contest that ran in <i>Warlock</i> #1. That means it came in second to "The Dervish Stone", which is a little worrying. I don't believe we'll see anything from Jonathan Ford in the future, but illustrator Bob Harvey has already worked on the main series with <i>Talisman of Death</i>, and will contribute to a bunch more.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The background kicks off by firmly setting this in Allansia, with the hero of the adventure determined to travel south from Oyster Bay, across the Desert of Skulls, to reach Sapphire City and its famous gemstone mines. (This adventure came out a little before <i>Temple of Terror</i>, so it does have the distinction of being the first adventure to do something with the Desert of Skulls. Although technically it starts before the hero ever gets there, so I guess <i>Temple of Terror</i> should still get that credit.) Along the way, the hero encounters some goblins in the process of murdering an important-looking elf. The goblins clear out just before some other elves appear, and of course the hero gets blamed for killing the elven chief. The elven legal system apparently involves retrieving a golden idol from the so-called Dungeon of Justice as proof of innocence, and the hero is lowered through a hollow tree trunk into the labyrinth below. The mission is to find the idol and escape the dungeon, and only then will the elves set the hero free.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The rules are basic Fighting Fantasy, without any embellishments. The hero begins with the standard FF kit of a sword, shield, leather armour, and backpack. The backpack contains five provisions, which can only be eaten one at a time when the adventure says it's okay. You also get the choice of taking one of the following three: a potion of skill, a potion of strength, or a potion of fortune, each with two doses. Very familiar territory.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I rolled an 11 for Skill, a 20 for Stamina, and an 8 for Luck. With Luck as my obvious weakness, I chose the potion of fortune, and set off on my adventure.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dxWAgLmz7tr9UGWKVVIsb80FXP2zbxSpyTLlS77aCCgmmmxlE5BwNrqtoK_LArkvnUsxOl3LDoAFzbvhImXKOGa4oTW6H2T3rrdXGOQxCvSndSn0GmZmb9AYYMhMRDj9HnJkdVu1Zrj7/s575/DOJElves.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="397" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dxWAgLmz7tr9UGWKVVIsb80FXP2zbxSpyTLlS77aCCgmmmxlE5BwNrqtoK_LArkvnUsxOl3LDoAFzbvhImXKOGa4oTW6H2T3rrdXGOQxCvSndSn0GmZmb9AYYMhMRDj9HnJkdVu1Zrj7/w276-h400/DOJElves.png" width="276" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">With no other recourse, I set off along the torch-lit tunnel. The tunnel twisted and turned, continuing roughly north. As I turned a corner I bumped into a man in black robes, armed with a dagger; probably someone else that the elves had put on trial. (For what? Have the elves had multiple chiefs killed on the same day? It says he's a thief, so that solves it, I guess.). The thief (Skill 7, Stamina 6) lunged at me with his dagger, but I killed him easily. (If you're making a list of things that annoy me in gamebooks, add unavoidable combats right at the beginning of adventures. Getting thrown right into a fight before making a single decision really gets to me.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On his body were 3 gold pieces and a mouldy piece of triangular fruit. I'd never seen a fruit like it, but I suspected it might be the Xentos, the legendary fruit of longevity. Rather than risk eating it, I left it behind. (This bit is weird. You don't get a choice to eat the fruit, it's just an odd bit of setting flavour that the author throws in. It might come back later in the adventure, but I suspect that it's pointless.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At a fork in the tunnel, I turned west into a passageway that ended at a door. The door opened into a small room with a large dog sleeping in a basket in the corner. On the far side of the room was another door, with a brass key hanging on a hook nearby. I decided to risk creeping quietly across the room. My sword made a noise when it struck a stone, but the dog didn't wake up (due to a successful Luck test that reduced my score to 7). I took the key, made it through the door, and slammed it shut as the dog snarled and slavered on the other side. (I never understand in these sleeping animal situations why I don't get the option to just sneak over and jam my sword through the dog's neck. But I guess I only think of things like that because I am a dog-hater, a hater of all kinds of pets, and generally just soulless and evil.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkN1ni3ZZukmIDdDgMtImKladNPlp6MEIZ9EDoM9Ut6fGDsK7lCUJg-6I8-FAlNjYj4UFcUp0Nv5jdjbdeFeDTV1AmPj8tn10uzLF9uiyp9yXpgROtGAENgLyOxgEEE_JV45af-ByB_pqg/s517/DOJDog.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="341" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkN1ni3ZZukmIDdDgMtImKladNPlp6MEIZ9EDoM9Ut6fGDsK7lCUJg-6I8-FAlNjYj4UFcUp0Nv5jdjbdeFeDTV1AmPj8tn10uzLF9uiyp9yXpgROtGAENgLyOxgEEE_JV45af-ByB_pqg/w264-h400/DOJDog.png" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The tunnel beyond headed west before turning north. I came to a door in the east wall and decided to open it. The only thing in the room was a not-too-deep hole in the floor, with a passage leading north at the bottom. I decided to jump into the hole, but as I did my backpack caught on something and I was thrown off-balance. I managed to land well (due to a Luck test that reduced my score to 6), but I was still slightly hurt by the fall (reducing my Stamina to 19). I took this chance to take a swig from my Potion of Fortune (increasing my initial Luck to 9, and restoring it to that number as well.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The tunnel came to a junction, with a path branching off to the east. I went that way, down some roughly cut steps. After a time the tunnel curved back north, and I was confronted by a dirty, fat Hobgoblin (Skill 7, Stamina 8). (With one purple eye and one green eye, he's the David Bowie of hobgoblins.) He attacked me with his sword, and I was able to kill him without a scratch. On his corpse I found 2 gold pieces (bringing my total to 5) and a scrap of parchment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The parchment had three numbers written on it: 15, 10 and 22. I tucked it away in my pocket. (The book told me I should memorise the numbers in case I lost the parchment, but I wrote them down instead. I figure if I'm carrying the parchment with me there's no need to memorise it. If I do lose it, then I'll rub the numbers out.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Further along the tunnel I came to a door in the east wall. It was locked, but I was able to open it with the brass key I'd taken from the dog's room. In the middle of the room beyond was a large ruby, glinting in the torchlight. Filled with greed (and also figuring that if I needed a key to get in here this ruby might be important for my quest) I walked over to pick it up. As soon as I entered the room, a gigantic Spider dropped down from the roof. I caught a glimpse of its previous victims webbed to the ceiling before it attacked me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8J7l5kSXVBpbibbxGplHid6OfI7dvHkTWWacCAKQlxB77z6FsrIiCytP7JsJm5K-i1NDcWHdK8ZzAM0eYHcnIAqJuhPePd0F0BcOz6GbhGgyWM8lfESVLKFOguurVG4DmTuVdtTZ8KMW/s565/DOJSpider.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="401" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8J7l5kSXVBpbibbxGplHid6OfI7dvHkTWWacCAKQlxB77z6FsrIiCytP7JsJm5K-i1NDcWHdK8ZzAM0eYHcnIAqJuhPePd0F0BcOz6GbhGgyWM8lfESVLKFOguurVG4DmTuVdtTZ8KMW/w284-h400/DOJSpider.png" width="284" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Giant Spider (Skill 9, Stamina 5) was a stronger foe than those I'd previously fought, and it managed to wound me once (reducing my Stamina to 17). When the spider was dead I grabbed the ruby, and clambered back out of the room over it's sticky corpse.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Coming to a junction, I headed east. The passage soon came to another junction, but the way south was a dead end, so I turned north. After a while the passage widened, and I found myself at the top of a cliff overlooking a large cavern with a fast river at the bottom. I had no way of getting down, so I turned back south, west, and then north. (The book asked if I had a Cape of Levitation, so that's something I'll have to look out for.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The way north was barred by two strange beasts, giant Porcupines with poisonous quills. I had to fight them both (Skill 7, Stamina 5 and Skill 8, Stamina 5), but luckily they attacked me one at a time. I was able to kill them without being hurt by their spines. (The poison would have done 3 points of damage instead of the usual 2, due to the poison.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxIaVfkT3RBQaG-ZEby0-O7EfoTPxntx0U_37bkwIic1PL_5IRUmgV2-tKMtXX5LOngjXKslB6u0TLsMugoVM6iCJPK_NWcGCIzdpPJ6Yvm1Om06znJN2cJY8AZgQkHiYl5FrIJf0lI2p/s591/DOJPorcupines.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="377" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxIaVfkT3RBQaG-ZEby0-O7EfoTPxntx0U_37bkwIic1PL_5IRUmgV2-tKMtXX5LOngjXKslB6u0TLsMugoVM6iCJPK_NWcGCIzdpPJ6Yvm1Om06znJN2cJY8AZgQkHiYl5FrIJf0lI2p/w255-h400/DOJPorcupines.png" width="255" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The passage widened into a cavern, the same one that I had seen before from the clifftop. I went downstream along the river until I reached a bridge. Not only was the bridge rather flimsy-looking, it was also in the process of being devoured by giant, two-headed termites. I considered swimming across, but figured that the current would be too strong for me to survive. Instead, I decided to risk crossing the bridge before it was completely destroyed. The termites ignored me, but with each step another piece of the bridge fell away. By the time I got to the far end it was hanging by a single rope, but I was able to make it to the north riverbank (with the aid of a successful Luck test, which reduced by score to 8).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EfQuLpOby-ANd-6wmrTYCv0q-Dr0JmFhDhCj0D_mD9NjqREUEAZT7CBIdoEMe7YkBqD6qWMpb3ELAEuU5n9NXBeHr98GKlKWfXMguOlwRHC6s9PkLb82EiVzLHv1BD3cXSFf-uqI_Dhr/s575/DOJTermites.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="363" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EfQuLpOby-ANd-6wmrTYCv0q-Dr0JmFhDhCj0D_mD9NjqREUEAZT7CBIdoEMe7YkBqD6qWMpb3ELAEuU5n9NXBeHr98GKlKWfXMguOlwRHC6s9PkLb82EiVzLHv1BD3cXSFf-uqI_Dhr/w253-h400/DOJTermites.png" width="253" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">An alcove in the cliff face ahead had three doors, heading west, north and east, but first I decided to search the beach on the north riverbank. I didn't find anything, and I was nipped on the hand by a small crab (reducing my Stamina to 15). I decided to move on, taking the west door.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The passage beyond continued west, and I ignored two branches heading off to the north. Eventually I came to a rock fall that blocked the way forward, but there was another passage north, which I took. It led to a huge cavern, in which I saw a gigantic ruby on a shelf on the far wall. The path to the ruby was lined with spikes that swivelled in and out, looking very dangerous. Figuring that I was here for a golden idol and not a ruby, I decided to leave and head back the way I came. (Now that I think of it, that's the second ruby I've encountered so far, which seems a bit suspicious. I'm wondering now if I need to be collecting all the rubies I see.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ev5iY9ZAuGM5i3LB77QzqqX9wfwFDfA0CHW4y65y1St8KMNZu_-FuVPzJvtY_dJvrsr8DW5tURIhJ8mzC1UK3nSlf4LSQhkSS2raMonFP8htLKdE7gTYhMkn3ijCMQLPumvuIH1s1ZHh/s563/DOJRubySpikes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ev5iY9ZAuGM5i3LB77QzqqX9wfwFDfA0CHW4y65y1St8KMNZu_-FuVPzJvtY_dJvrsr8DW5tURIhJ8mzC1UK3nSlf4LSQhkSS2raMonFP8htLKdE7gTYhMkn3ijCMQLPumvuIH1s1ZHh/w254-h400/DOJRubySpikes.png" width="254" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I went back east, past the first northern branch. I wasn't able to open the door back to the river cave, so I took the second branch to the north. It led to a room with an exit on the far wall, and a shallow pit. I jumped into the pit, and saw a low tunnel entrance under some overhanging rock. Investigating, I found a phial of blue liquid on the ground, which I drank. It was a Potion of Fortune, much like the one I already had with me. (Drinking it raised my initial Luck and my current Luck to 10.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the end of the tunnel was a door, and from behind it I could hear a strange gurgling noise. It felt strangely cold to the touch, but I decided to open it anyway. This proved to be a very bad idea, as a flood of water gushed out as soon as the door was opened. It was impossible to flee, and I drowned in the tunnel. My adventure was over!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well that was a nice, traditional dungeon crawl, which I'm always up for. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, but I don't expect a lot from these amateur contest entries. One thing I've realised that I need to do is make a map. The dungeon has a lot of doors and passages, with a decent amount of backtracking. I figured that, being a shorter adventure, I'd be able to dispense with the mapping, but I was wrong.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm also wondering about the rules for provisions. The rules say you're meant to eat when instructed by the text, but I never got any such instructions. I suspect that this is an error, and that I should be able to eat whenever I'm not in battle. It didn't matter, as I hardly sustained any damage, but it might become more important for a low-Skill character.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-44393530242151144282021-03-26T07:06:00.000-07:002021-03-26T07:06:40.024-07:00Warlock Magazine #5<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYyvI67jm9xm5J4ulpgbkTwYiZXbbkXUJ6nOtk87nF4Ke42jZiHK9JBB3yLKdkZftkfAR-C8WxtC-7UxAYYdxT1JXdBFFCzwm6xgpeZ42mLYLoJZjnpw8CPF6qp9X5mHvKYbiE_zE3Hoi/s594/WarlockMagazine5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="421" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYyvI67jm9xm5J4ulpgbkTwYiZXbbkXUJ6nOtk87nF4Ke42jZiHK9JBB3yLKdkZftkfAR-C8WxtC-7UxAYYdxT1JXdBFFCzwm6xgpeZ42mLYLoJZjnpw8CPF6qp9X5mHvKYbiE_zE3Hoi/w284-h400/WarlockMagazine5.png" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover by Christos Achilleos</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's time to crack open another issue of <i>Warlock</i>, which is always a fun moment of discovery for me. <i>Warlock</i> never made it to the small country town I grew up in, and I've never even seen a copy in person, so all of this stuff is new to me in ways that the first half of the FF gamebook series never can be again. I always look forward to seeing what the magazine has to offer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The editorial notes that the magazine is now a year old, with a circulation of around 35,000. This is apparently an "undisputable success", but <i>Warlock</i> only lasts another eight issues, so I wonder what happened during that time. Did the numbers fall precipitously after this? The final issue shipped around the same time as <i>Creature of Havoc</i> (late in 1986), so it wasn't the decline of the gamebook fad that did it in. It's a mystery.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>"Out of the Pit" by Steve Jackson: </b>This issue's installment presents four creatures known collectively as the Apes of Mauristatia. Mauristatia is a mountainous region to the northwest of Kakhabad, and has been previously shown on the map for the <i>Sorcery!</i> epic. It's said to be largely unexplored; certainly the hero of <i>Sorcery!</i> never went there during his adventure, so this is the first real detail we're getting about the place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These apes are given here in conjunction with the "Search for the Mungie's Gold" game presented later in the magazine, and Steve tells readers that only the Games Master for that adventure should read the entries. Let's be real, though, Fighting Fantasy readers are unrepentant cheaters, and wouldn't hesitate to read about the monsters to get themselves a leg up. Fair enough too, you need all the advantages you can get when dealing with Jackson and Livingstone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The article then gives a little bit of history on how the apes were discovered: a merchant ship from Brice, while trading in Khare, overheard a story about the legendary Muttonfish, an enormous fish so tasty that those who eat it would become addicted. So the merchant captain and his crew set off to Lake Lumle to try and catch some Muttonfish, only to be blown to the north-western shore by a sudden storm. The ship was stuck in a mud bank, and only by leaving behind its cargo and some crew could it set sail again. So the captain set sail back to Khare, planning to return with a smaller rescue ship. When he got back, the cargo had been ransacked, and there was only one survivor, a crewman who ranted deliriously about <i>the apes... </i>Of these apes, four are detailed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Howl Cat:</i> An ape with a lion-like head and rending claws. They are vicious predators, with an ear-splitting shriek that strikes terror into their prey. Each time a Howl Cat is injured it lets out this shriek, and its opponents all suffer a -1 penalty to Attack Strength in the following round. The shriek weakens the Howl Cat, though, draining it of 1 Stamina point each time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Wraith Ape:</i> Stealthy, nocturnal apes that hunt in packs. Their night vision gives them a combat advantage when fighting in the dark, and they can glide silently down onto their prey with the large flaps of skin under their arms. They make particularly deadly use of the leaves of the Blade Tree, a tree with sharp leaves that are as hard as rock. Much like villains in a Bruce Lee movie, they will only attack one at a time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Champaque:</i> A green-furred ape with a face resembling that of an ageing sorcerer. It hunts alone, using its uncanny ability to mimic the voices of any animal it studies. It can even mimic human speech, and will use that ability to lure adventurers to their deaths. After killing its prey it eats their brain, thus absorbing some of its intelligence. A fully fed Champaque will have a Skill of 12, so it's best taken care of immediately.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Mungies:</i> Smaller apes that are irresistibly attracted to gold. They will steal it from adventurers, many of whom won't be able to retaliate: a Skill of 9+ (10+ at night) is required to even catch them, which is a hell of a requirement. The Mungies' propensity for stealing gold - and their lack of real use for it - has given rise to the idea that there must be a tremendous hoard hidden somewhere in Mauristatia. Which leads us to...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>"In Search of the Mungies' Gold" by Steve Jackson:</b> This is an adventure using the FF rules, that is sort of a hybrid between the FF Introductory RPG and a board game. It uses the above premise of the Mungie hoard as background for the adventure, in which six adventurers have landed their boat on the northwest coast of Lake Lumle in search of the gold in question. The Games Master has a map of Mauristatia overlayed with a grid, and 16 encounters to disperse among the various squares. The players must explore the squares, playing through the encounters they discover in their quest to find the Mungies and their gold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X87eRY2vPgfxLI3U0BtFzO1H0cmrQo2VYLCznIqx9u1SZ9sNeGa_7qijka9GheRU6xtDPEVlWDw_WscaDvfNDwEbDu9nh1AoTmRQ5rSUQQwAS5EpK_fTBGiWktxuSrD-X6cr8hHeGdFR/s859/WM5MungieMap.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="859" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X87eRY2vPgfxLI3U0BtFzO1H0cmrQo2VYLCznIqx9u1SZ9sNeGa_7qijka9GheRU6xtDPEVlWDw_WscaDvfNDwEbDu9nh1AoTmRQ5rSUQQwAS5EpK_fTBGiWktxuSrD-X6cr8hHeGdFR/w400-h279/WM5MungieMap.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The encounters include variations on all of the apes from the "Out of the Pit" article, as well as some old standards such as Skunkbears, Black Elves, Elvins and a Manticore. There are also friendly NPCs that are there to point the players in the right direction. And just in case you think Steve is slacking in the sadism department, there's a chance a player might die by walking into a blade tree by accident and cutting their throat.</div><div><br /></div><div>As an optional final twist, Steve suggests having the players' boat half-eaten by wood beetles, so that only one of them will be able to make it back to Khare safely. The intention here is that the players will duke it out to see which of them makes it home with the gold. I do wonder if the game as whole might not work a little better if played competitively from the beginning. Regardless, it does sound like fun, and a much stronger effort than Ian's "Market Mayhem".</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"Maelstrom" by Alexander Scott:</b> This article is a thinly veiled bit of advertising for the <i>Maelstrom</i> paperback, written by the book's author. I've seen ads for this book before, but never got my hands on a copy. Apparently it's a full-fledged RPG set in the 16th century, which can be played with a six-sided die and a deck of cards (to simulate a 10-sider). Unfortunately, the article doesn't really go into what makes <i>Maelstrom </i>different from other RPGs. There are some generalities on what makes tabletop RPGs better than solo gamebooks, but there's not room for much else.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"Fighting Fantasy News": </b>Here's what's going in the FF world circa April 1985.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Temple of Terror, The Rings of Kether</i>, and <i>Seas of Blood</i> are all forthcoming. (I got the publishing sequence right in my notes, but I decided to do <i>Temple of Terror</i> first because I was keen to get back to the main series.) <i>Appointment with F.E.A.R. </i>is announced with the working title of "Superheroes", and <i>Rebel Planet</i> is also mentioned with the working title of "The Aliens of Arcadion".</li><li>There's an item titled "FF Boobs", which is not nearly as exciting as it sounds. It asks the readers to point out mistakes, and mentions one from <i>The Shamutanti Hills</i> involving a Vial of Glue that the book assumes the player cannot have.</li><li>A line of FF miniatures is in the works from Citadel Miniatures. I should do a post on them at some point, as well as some of the other non-book ephemera out there.</li><li><i>Tasks of Tantalon</i> and <i>Casket of Souls, </i>the PuzzleQuest books by Steve and Ian respectively, are said to be nearly done. I have a copy of <i>Tasks of Tantalon</i>, but not <i>Casket of Souls</i>, so it might be a little tricky for me to cover when the time comes.</li><li>Something called the "Fighting Fantasy Battlegame" is mentioned as being almost done. It supposedly contains a load of polystyrene dungeon walls so you can design your own dungeons. I've never heard of this, and from some quick research I can see that it was never produced on the scale mentioned above, and just ended up as a set of dice and some rules.</li><li>A "Forest of Doom" holiday is mentioned, which sounds a bit like a LARP. It's something I wanted to try when I was younger, but have zero interest in now that I'm a crusty old man.</li><li>The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Boardgame is just about done. I seriously need to get myself a copy of this. I've never played it, but it looks like a lot of fun.</li><li>The <i>Middle Earth Roleplaying Game</i> is being published in the UK by Games Workshop. I played it a bunch in highschool, and it's an interesting system, but I never felt like it did a good job of modelling Tolkien. My most distinct memory of it comes from the absurd critical hit tables, which resulted in my hobbit character getting an instant kill on a Balrog by shooting it in the spleen.</li><li><i>Citadel of Chaos</i> is getting a new cover, where the awesome conga-line of monsters is replaced by a lame swirly green cloud lady.</li><li>John Blanche has produced a painted version of the Kakhabad map, and it's on sale as a poster. Have a squiz.</li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4_y6osb8xFMJhLXj3AdObqTT6bSWXpWRuZnP-EhNjSHcxKaDmDnxkdRWaWndZuBE83wvqgqpJW6RLRP664ENYd_aw8-n7IPW5YXa3iJhJ6D7oLO7rwjtb4jR7tMkkSFK3psL91kpti-G/s799/WM5KakhabadMap.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="799" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4_y6osb8xFMJhLXj3AdObqTT6bSWXpWRuZnP-EhNjSHcxKaDmDnxkdRWaWndZuBE83wvqgqpJW6RLRP664ENYd_aw8-n7IPW5YXa3iJhJ6D7oLO7rwjtb4jR7tMkkSFK3psL91kpti-G/w400-h269/WM5KakhabadMap.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>"The Warlock's Quill":</b> In the letters this issue, Jonathan Dickie is mocked for submitting a list of gamebook titles that includes "The Brain of the Lost Prince"; Lawrence Gabb expresses his preference for the simplicity of FF over the complexity of D&D; Ian Jars complains that the books are <i>too bloomin' well hard</i> (git gud, son); Paul Johnson asks if there'll be another epic in the style of <i>Sorcery!</i> (no plans); and Sam Carter fails to understand that his Stamina can never go above its initial level. Probably the most interesting thing comes in the reply to Paul Johnson's letter, where it's revealed that Iain McCaig suggested doing <i>Return to Firetop Mountain</i> over some pints many years before it was actually published.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Miscellanea:</b> There's a puzzle that involves guessing which FF gamebooks various images came from, an FF trivia quiz (quite hard, too), a crossword, and the continuation of the "Arkenor and Max" comic strip.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's also the "Dungeon of Justice" solo adventure, written by Jonathan Ford and illustrated by Bob Harvey. That adventure will be the subject of my next post (and if I'm unlucky, multiple posts following that one). I've heard it's a tricky one, so I have some trepidation.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-50371693089515042372021-03-18T08:12:00.001-07:002021-03-18T08:12:52.451-07:00Exploring Titan 15: Temple of Terror<div style="text-align: justify;">It's odd to think that the fourteenth Fighting Fantasy gamebook, <i>Temple of Terror</i>, is just the second to be specifically written with Allansia as an established setting. Previous books such as <i>Deathtrap Dungeon</i> and <i>Island of the Lizard King </i>had minor bits of connective tissue, but it wasn't until book 9 - <i>Caverns of the Snow Witch</i> - that Allansia was named and things were really stitched together into a unified whole. Since that book the series has veered off into all sorts of weird places: modern-day horror, the fantasy world of Orb, vast spaceships, Mad Max post-apocalypse. It's been a while since the series has been to Allansia, and Ian Livingstone uses that chance to revisit some previously established favourites. I'll check in with those before I get to the new elements that <i>Temple of Terror</i> introduces.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">(Also, it's possible this entry might not be as thorough as the ones I've written in the past. I didn't take notes during my read-through of the book, so I'm doing most of this from memory.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>YAZTROMO</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yaztromo is described in the Background section as an eccentric wizard living alone in his tower on the edge of Darkwood Forest, practising simple magic and communicating with animals. His penchant for selling magic items - literally his entire purpose for being included in <i>The Forest of Doom</i> - is reiterated, and here we learn what he does with the money: he buys delicious cakes from all over Allansia. This is described as pretty much his entire contact with the outside world, but after his pet crow overhears a conversation between some Dark Elves and Malbordus he's quick to rush to the village of Stonebridge to find someone to undertake the quest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yaztromo just about recognises the hero of <i>Temple of Terror</i>, implying that it's the same character from <i>Forest of Doom.</i> Given the level of their interaction, it's not unreasonable that Yaztromo would only half-remember an adventurer who stopped by for a few minutes to buy some magic items. It's perhaps a little weirder if said adventurer made multiple visits to Yaztromo, as is possible during that adventure, but it's hardly the biggest logical problem that looping back to the start of <i>Forest of Doom</i> presents.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from being the tale's primary quest-giver, Yaztromo also serves to teach the player some spells. This is one of the most jarring things in this book. In most fantasy fiction the learning of magic is a rigorous task, requiring years of painstaking research, but here Yaztromo teaches the hero a handful of spells in what seems like a matter of hours. This has got to be the only instance in FF where the learning of magic is treated so flippantly. For the sake of consistency, it would have been better for Yaztromo to have offered the hero a selection of magic items, much as he did in his previous appearance. In my head I've chalked this up as a trick Yaztromo can do, a sort of temporary bestowal of magical power on someone else.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All told, I feel like Yaztromo has been greatly softened as a character here. In his previous appearance he was quite a bit less friendly, and much more prone to transforming people that annoyed him into animals. His "crotchety wizard who just wants to be left alone" bit kind of got co-opted by Nicodemus from <i>City of Thieves</i>, and I guess the setting does need an active wizardly quest-giver. The Grand Wizard of Yore from <i>Citadel of Chaos</i> might have fit the bill, but he's a Steve Jackson creation. Of Ian Livingstone's characters, Yaztromo was probably the best bet to transition into this role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of Nicodemus, Yaztromo steals a little personality back from him by showing some absent-minded tendencies. In <i>City of Thieves</i>, Nicodemus famously gives you too many ingredients for a protection spell, then can't remember which of them you should use. Yaztromo's blunder in this book isn't quite so bad, but having him send the Hammer of Gillibran - a weapon you need to destroy the dragon artefacts sought by Malbordus - after you've been sent on your quest is not the smartest. Being charitable, I'll say that he didn't know you'd need it beforehand, and only figured that out while doing some more research.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>STONEBRIDGE, DARKWOOD FOREST AND VARIOUS RIVERS</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Darkwood Forest and the dwarf village of Stonebridge are presented pretty much as they were in <i>Forest of Doom</i>, although the forest as depicted here is a lot less dangerous than it was. That's chalked up to the hero being accompanied by Yaztromo, but it does feel a little odd for such a previously dangerous place to be reduced to a paragraph in the Background section.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Darkwood Forest is said here to be the home of the "darkside elves" that raised Malbordus (more on them later). They must be well hidden, because there wasn't a sign of them in <i>Forest of Doom</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Catfish River, a few hours travel south of Darkwood Forest, made it's debut in <i>City of Thieves. </i>I don't believe it was ever named in that book, but I could be wrong about that. It was definitely named on <a href="http://youradventureendshere.blogspot.com/2016/01/warlock-magazine-1.html" target="_blank">the map of Allansia presented in <i>Warlock #1</i></a>, where it's shown flowing from the Moonstone Hills, south past Darkwood Forest and out to the ocean. In <i>Temple of Terror</i> the hero can buy passage on a trade barge heading down Catfish River to Port Blacksand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Red River was similarly named and located on that same map. I'd always assumed it was the same river that bisects Darkwood Forest in <i>Forest of Doom</i>, but on the map it's shown as being much closer to Stonebridge. I guess the river in <i>Forest of Doom</i> is a smaller tributary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>PORT BLACKSAND</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Port Blacksand is a pretty quick stop-over in this adventure, although there's still the chance to be ambushed by cutthroats or get into a barfight with a pirate. Of particular note is that this is the first book to really feature the Black Lobster Tavern. It's become one of the more famous fixtures of Blacksand, and yet in that city's most famous outing - <i>City of Thieves - </i>the tavern barely featured at all. It did get a full-page illustration, but the hero of that book never went inside. The hero of <i>Temple of Terror </i>does get to enter, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary happens. (I'd consider being stabbed in the face by a pirate with a broken bottle to be pretty par for the course for Port Blacksand.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>THE DESERT OF SKULLS</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like the rivers mentioned above, the Desert of Skulls first appeared on that map from <i>Warlock #1</i>. In this book, it's very much a mash-up of desert tropes from the real-world and adventure stories, with some fantasy monsters thrown in for good measure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The most notable inhabitants are the Nomads the hero encounters. One of them is riding a camel on his way to join a merchant caravan, and will sell the hero a canteen of water. The other is a merchant named Abjul, who sells his exotic wares from his tent. The nomads aren't given much in the way of explanation, with an Arabian flavour being pretty much their only defining characteristic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>THE LOST CITY OF VATOS</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the where most of the action of the adventure takes place, although it's more accurate to say that the action takes place beneath the city. Vatos being a "lost city" seems a little dubious in the context of the book. Yes, it's situated in a large desert, but the hero of the book makes a direct beeline for it without ever having to learn its location. It's possible that Yaztromo knew the location and told the hero, but none of that's in the actual story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Concrete information about the city is pretty scarce in <i>Temple of Terror</i>, but it's apparently supposed to be an abandoned ruin. It's true that it doesn't seem to have much of a population, but the buildings and the surrounding wall appear to be pretty much intact. Whatever happened to Vatos that caused people to abandon it, it went easy on the infrastructure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are a couple of possibilities that the book presents as to cataclysmic events that might have destroyed Vatos. The first is a mural, the description of which I'll lift wholesale: "A mass of Undead, whipped by vile Orcs, are pushing back an army of men and Dwarfs. The leader of the Undead is hidden by dark robes, apart from his fleshless, reptilian skull. His cold, evil, green eyes stare threateningly from the mural. He appears to be holding a casket which is drawing in the spirit of the king of the men and Dwarfs, for whom the battle seems lost." This could be a more general scene, or it could be a depiction of the downfall of Vatos. It's a mural painted by a visiting artist, so it really could go either way. (I've pretty much always thought of this as a reference to Ian Livingstone's <i>Casket of Souls</i>, but having never had access to that book I had no way of knowing. Doing a little research, I see that book is set in the world of Amarillia, so it seems unlikely.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second of the two options comes from another piece of artwork, an intricate wooden carving of Vatos being attacked by Giant Sandworms. Given that this one specifically depicts the city, it's much more likely to be something with historical precedent. Whether it happened before or after Vatos became a ruin, or if it even happened at all, is left up in the air. This book isn't big on explanations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Currently, the city isn't completely abandoned, and is mostly home to those who have wandered in seeking shelter and decided to stay for various reasons. There's no law or organisation in the city, with the most powerful getting their way. At present, the most powerful faction seems to be the priesthood led by Leesha.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><b>LEESHA AND THE PRIESTHOOD</b></div><div>As I just mentioned above, Leesha and her priests are the current strongest faction in Vatos. (There may not be any others, as there are no other groups mentioned in the book.) They are said to raid passing caravans for food. I do wonder where these caravans are going. Are they simply raiding from the aforementioned Nomads, or is there trade going back and forth from the lands north and south of the desert?</div><div><br /></div><div>Described as a beautiful young woman, Leesha appears to live a life of luxury, tended to by slaves and servants. She has some considerable magical power, at least in terms of her protection magic: the only thing that can harm her is the jagged edge of a Sandworm tooth. This protective power is displayed as she holds aloft a "black, crescent-shaped object", so it's possible that her power comes from this item rather than any magical ability on her part. She's very quick to flee once the hero pulls out the Sandworm tooth, so it might be that she doesn't have any tricks aside from that one.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from general cruelty and evil, Leesha's main personality trait is a love of art. Once a year she secretly invites artists to the city to perform for her. The one she likes best is awarded 300 gold pieces, while the others are sacrificed to "the Dark One".</div><div><br /></div><div>The question of who this Dark One is is up in the air, as the book never says. One of the Demon Princes is a possibility, but the books haven't established them as a thing yet, and specific evil gods haven't been named outside of the <i>Sorcery!</i> epic. One thing we do know is that one of Leesha's priests will acknowledge your authority if you show him a tapestry with a phoenix on it. The phoenix as a mythological creature isn't usually connected to evil, so it all seems like a weird fit and makes me wonder if Leesha has hoodwinked an already existing religion and perverted it into unwitting worship of the Dark One.</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing we do know is that she's helping Malbordus. No doubt one of the first things he did on his quest was to get in the good graces of the most powerful person in Vatos, and get their help in finding the dragon statuettes. The true extent of their relationship is never fleshed out, but I doubt it continues much beyond Malbordus' stay in Vatos, as Leesha seems pretty content with her current power base.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>THE DRAGON STATUETTES</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These statuettes could each be transformed into a powerful dragon with a simple incantation. There are five of them, each made from a different material: bone, crystal, silver, wood and gold. It doesn't seem as though these materials correspond to different varieties of dragon: no matter which of them you're missing at the final encounter, the dragon that Malbordus is riding is large and black.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The main question these statuettes raise is who put them there. My first instinct is to say that they've been there since the city fell into ruin, but I'm not sure that adds up. They're a little thematically incongruous with the trappings of the city, for starters. Plus their hiding places don't suggest that they've been lost there for hundreds of years. I mean, one of them's just hanging in a wooden bucket.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It seems more plausible to me that the Dark Elves placed them there for Malbordus to find. The whole thing has been set up to test his worthiness, so why not just assume that they placed the statuettes deliberately? It does seem a little odd to make Malbordus go and find these powerful statuettes that they already had in their possession, though. It is explained that the elf magic they want to teach him kills those unworthy to use it, so it does make sense that they want to test him first. Whichever of these possibilities you go with there are some logical problems, but I think the second scenario works a little better.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>MALBORDUS</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've mentioned before that I love Malbordus' origin. He was born during a full moon with wolves howling around his mother's forest hut, and many have used this to explain his evil nature. After his mother abandoned him, he was raised by the Dark Elves of Darkwood Forest, and discovered that he had a natural talent for wicked magic. In him the Dark Elves saw great potential, and urged his magical training so that he would one day be worthy to be taught the arcane and evil magic of the ancient Elf Lords. This magic would kill the unworthy, and so they devised a test for Malbordus to prove himself.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After that intro, there's little to be said for the guy. He does leave a trap behind for you at one point, and sends some assassins to do you in, which points to a certain ruthless pragmatism. His alliance with Leesha is an intelligent one. His confrontation with the hero is quite brief, and the only magic he displays is a thunderclap that drains the hero's skill. Following that he relies on his swordplay, and one wonders just how extensive his powers are at this point. He's said to be able to make plants wither and die by snapping his fingers, and make animals obey his piercing gaze. He obviously knows how to awaken the dragon statuettes. Is it possible that he doesn't know much more magic than this, prior to receiving the ancient magic of the Elf Lords?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from lacking in personality traits compared to other FF villains, Malbordus is also something of a fashion victim. Check out the ornate gear being rocked by Zagor and Balthus Dire, and compare that to the drab smock that Malbordus is stuck with. Lift your wardrobe game Malbordus!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>OTHER MONSTERS</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In terms of monsters that have been seen in FF before, there's a Lizard Man, a Harpy, an Air Elemental, a Giant Eagle, a Pterodactyl, a Giant Firefly, a Giant Sandworm and a Cave Troll. There was a Basilisk in <i>Talisman of Death, </i>but I'm pretty sure that this is the first one appearing in a book set on Titan. The Skeleton Warriors don't appear to be at all different from regular Skeletons. The Giant Sandworm isn't new, but it is much, much larger than those we've seen before.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Dwarves</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dwarves aren't an unusual sight in FF, but these ones are a little odd in that they comprise the crew of a ship sailing the western coast of Allansia. They're well aware of Stonebridge and King Gillibran, though it's not clear if they are his subjects. It's difficult to see who else they'd be working for, and certainly they're far too friendly to be from the other named Dwarf village of Mirewater. It's possible they're on their own business, or working for some human power, but the book doesn't elaborate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Dark Elves</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dark Elves have appeared in the books before, but I believe this might be the first time they've been featured. They are said to dwell in Darkwood Forest, and to possess great elven magic. I gather that later books will make them closer to their Dungeons & Dragons version (dark-skinned and dwelling underground), but here they just seem to be elves who are evil, with nothing else to distinguish them. And as I mentioned above, their powers of stealth are so great that the hero of <i>Forest of Doom</i> didn't catch sight of a single one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Tentacled Thing</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This creature lives in a room submerged in murky water, and has many tentacles that it uses to try to drag the hero to their doom. It's repelled by mermaid scales, and when it's blood mixes with water it becomes an acrid, poisonous vapour. It might be some kind of Octopus, but your guess is as good as mine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Needle Fly</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Giant, wasp-like insects that can be found along the coast west of the Desert of Skulls. They don't seem to have any special abilities aside from being large and pointy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Phantom</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This undead creature roams Vatos carrying a lantern. It has gaunt, skeletal features and its blood-red gaze can paralyze the unwary and drain some of their strength. Oddly enough, the Phantom doesn't do anything to its victim once they are paralyzed; it just slinks away, allowing them to eventually recover. The Phantom can be repelled by an item made from silver, but given that it doesn't follow through on its abilities it hardly seems worth the effort.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Night Horror</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A deformed, one-eyed mutant that stalks the corridors of Vatos for prey after dark. It brandishes a silver rod that can shoot bolts of deadly white light. It's described as undead at one point. For some reason, the ringing of a brass handbell causes it great agony. Whether that's due to the noise or some magical quality of the handbell is unclear. It's tempting to say that the Night Horror is some sort of undead Cyclops that found a magic staff, but who knows? It's not going to be seen in <i>Out of the Pit</i>, which leads me to believe that it's probably a unique creature rather than a member of an entire race.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Death Dog</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As far as I can tell, it's just a big vicious dog. That's scary enough for me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Iron-Eater</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A creature made of slime that is harmless to flesh but eats through metal. From what I gather, it tends to lurk on ceilings and drop on those passing by to devour their armour, weapons, or other metallic accoutrements.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Messenger of Death</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The most memorable part of the adventure by far. The Messenger of Death is a thin, horrifying creature with ragged clothes, and thick slime filling its mouth and eye sockets. It's described as an assassin, and a sadistic killer that likes to play games with its victims. In this case, it has hidden the letters of the the word DEATH around Vatos, and if you find them all it will show up and drain away your life force. It seems a little silly, but taken in context it just about works. Malbordus uses more than one assassin, and in addition to maybe killing you this one discourages you in your search for the dragon statuettes. There's a logic to it, in a dumb fantasy gamebook kind of way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not a lot else is said about the creature, but I'd say it must be demonic or otherwise extraplanar in nature, bound to serve the wizard that summons it. That's pure conjecture on my part though.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Eye Stinger</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A round, floating creature with scaly green skin and a single eye in its centre. It's covered in venomous spines, and it uses its gaze to paralyze victims and then sting them to death. (What it does afterwards with no mouth is anyone's guess.) It seems that a single sword blow is enough to kill one, provided the wielder avoids the spines. An onyx egg will cause it close its eye and become dormant, but as with the handbell above it's not clear if this is a due to the physical properties of the egg or some magical power it might possess.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Serpent Guard</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cool-looking enough to make it onto the cover, the Serpent Guard is a snake/man hybrid that guards the gate into Vatos. Who put it there and why is a mystery that the book doesn't answer. Leesha seems like the only answer, but she's not really into the snake motif. We don't know how long Serpent Guards live, so it could have been set there centuries ago.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Skeleton Man</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Undead guardians with skeletal heads and the bodies of men. They are stronger and far more intelligent than regular Skeletons. They are described as fanatics who always fight to the death, so it's not entirely clear if they're under Leesha's control or just insanely devoted to her of their own accord. Either way, ever since I was a child who loved Skeletor I've had mad respect for any Jacked Skeletons.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Fiend</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This fire-breathing creature resembles a demon or devil, and guards the storerooms of the temple. The oddest thing about it to me is that it seems to live in an urn.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Mutant Orc</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the other assassin that Malbordus sends, a large, muscular Orc that dual-wields vicious knives. I have no idea what makes it a mutant, but it does have a much higher Skill and Stamina than your average variety of Orc.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Rat Man</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We've had a Wererat in the books before, but these guys do the rat/human hybrid thing without the transformation bit. They're just big, bipedal rat dudes that live in Vatos as scavengers, and they will happily chow down on dead goblins and dead adventurers alike.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Sand Snapper</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Screw this thing. It's like a Crocodile that lives beneath the desert sands and has grabbing tentacles that it uses to try and pull you into its mouth. I'm rarely grateful to Ian Livingstone for his adventure design, but in this case I extend my thanks to him for putting this creature on the non-critical path of this book. Oddly enough, the Snapper's tentacles carry its two main nerves, and when those are severed it can no longer function and falls dead. I question this biologically, and also logically: why would a creature have its vital nerves in the appendages it uses to attack?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, that's it for my analysis of the various setting elements of <i>Temple of Terror</i>. Hopefully it met with my usual standards; I think I had enough of the book in my head to do a decent job without my usual amount of notes. For the adventures going forward I'll be back to my normal, note-taking self.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>NEXT:</b> I'll take a look at the contents <i>Warlock</i> #5 before delving into its solo adventure.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-89039891667803946562021-02-28T23:41:00.000-08:002021-02-28T23:41:06.023-08:00Temple of Terror - Final Thoughts<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkpFMaEHF5Qa4SE08hmdovLwy-u-TiLeJbEJ-4JvyBKocnVIySzw6UaJ5rlUziXqWbCUylRPzeQ-yGo1e_KZG_vD-9qybTAX6N6_k1ETjbUtcxSkwfjzCCvqNpjWHS5mNYGuI4Cn74fsO/s415/FF14Covers.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="415" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkpFMaEHF5Qa4SE08hmdovLwy-u-TiLeJbEJ-4JvyBKocnVIySzw6UaJ5rlUziXqWbCUylRPzeQ-yGo1e_KZG_vD-9qybTAX6N6_k1ETjbUtcxSkwfjzCCvqNpjWHS5mNYGuI4Cn74fsO/w400-h324/FF14Covers.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Covers by Chris Achilleos (Puffin edition) and <br />Martin McKenna (Wizard edition)</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">When <i>Temple of Terror</i> was released in 1985, the series was three years old. This isn't a particularly long stretch, but in that time Ian Livingstone produced seven different gamebooks (on top of his editorial duties for <i>White Dwarf</i> and whatever other things he was working on). This is a prodigious amount of work, so it's no surprise that <i>Temple of Terror</i> doesn't quite feel as fresh as his earlier books.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That's not necessarily a bad thing. Livingstone's obviously enjoying bringing back characters and places from previous instalments (Yaztromo and Port Blacksand chief among them), and his knack for devious tricks and traps is not yet exhausted. From a personal perspective, I've always enjoyed the familiarity of Ian's work, and consider it the core identity and voice of the series.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some of it's a little too familiar though. The plot, with it's dungeon treasure hunt culminating in a battle against an evil wizard, is probably the most over-used in the series (and possibly the most over-used in gamebooks in general). It was practically the plot of the first book: just replace the warlock Zagor with Malbordus and the treasure chest keys with some dragon statuettes, garnish it with some Egyptian trappings, and you're done. The dungeon setting that comprises the bulk of the adventure isn't remarkably different from Ian's past dungeon delves, and suffers in comparison to his more inspired works such as <i>Deathtrap Dungeon</i>. The desert setting is novel, but is really only a short stretch of the adventure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's an attempt to liven things up by giving the player the ability to cast spells, but it all feels a bit half-hearted. Most of the spells are only useful in two or three situations, and one of them never even comes up as an option. It's a far cry from <i>Citadel of Chaos</i> and the <i>Sorcery!</i> epic, where the spell-casting was a central element. The end battle of the book is technically wizard vs. wizard, but you wouldn't know it, as it pretty much comes down to a standard combat. It all feels like a missed opportunity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The evil wizard in question, one Malbordus, gets a great backstory that's full of promise. He gets very little to do in the adventure itself though, and never displays much in the way of personality. The same goes for the priestess Leesha, who serves as a sort of sub-boss towards the end. She gets even less backstory and personality than Malbordus, and their connection (if they even have one) is never made clear.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To be honest the most memorable villain of the book, and its most inspired element, is the Messenger of Death, a horrific assassin sent by Malbordus to stalk the player. Its method of killing - a scavenger hunt where the player dies if they uncover all five letters of the word DEATH - is absurdly inefficient, but that hardly matters when you see the illustration with its oozing mouth and eye-sockets. As far as I'm concerned FF is at its best when mentally traumatising young children, and the Messenger of Death gets an A+ in that category.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In terms of design, this is very much an Ian Livingstone book with all the flaws that entails: a very linear path to victory with multiple unavoidable battles against high-Skill opponents. The fight with the Giant Sandworm is particularly annoying, especially because it couples that high Skill with a ridiculously high Stamina: even if you're good enough to beat it the fight is going to last for ages, and there's no way around it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reading over what I've written so far, I feel like I've been overly negative (a trait I've been accused of in real life my many). It's not a bad gamebook, but it does come across a bit like Ian Livingstone on autopilot, or more charitably like Ian has already used up his best ideas on earlier books. There's a lot to complain about when you break Ian's work down and analyse the structure and design, and the complaints I make have been pretty consistent across his books. Where he shines is in setting and details, with tricks and traps and monsters, and the sort of just-macabre-enough elements that get a 10-year-old's juices flowing. Those elements aren't shining quite as brightly here as they were in books like <i>City of Thieves</i> and <i>Deathtrap Dungeon</i>, but there's just enough of the old magic to make <i>Temple of Terror</i> worth a read, Even on autopilot, Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy books are still pretty good.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>SPELL ANALYSIS</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I went through the spells in <i>Sorcery!</i> to figure out which are the most useful, so I thought I might as well do the same for this book. After all, with only ten spells and one book it's a much less daunting task.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Magic Arrow:</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Kills the Harpy</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Wounds the Pterodactyl</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Kills all three Needle Flies (albeit at a whopping cost of 6 Stamina)</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Create Water:</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">On the path through Port Blacksand, allows you to avoid Stamina loss due to thirst on two occasions.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">On the overland path, allows you to avoid Stamina loss due to thirst on three occasions.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Fire:</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Allows you to avoid the Basilisk.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Negates Stamina loss due to the cold desert night.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Lets you escape from the crushing ceiling in the Night Horror's room.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Read Symbols:</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Warns you about the demon of the beach.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Allows you to read a cursed parchment, incurring a large Luck penalty.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Warns you not to drink from the pool.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">In a roundabout way, if you've translated the "do not drink" sign it also lets you translate the signs on the sun and moon doors, which can help you avoid certain death.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Detect Trap:</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Warns you about the pit in the Rat Men lair.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Warns you about the crossbow trap in the dark tunnel.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Light:</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Lets you avoid the crossbow trap in the dark tunnel.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Lets you avoid the blade trap in the dark room, but at the cost of revealing a letter left by the Messenger of Death.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Open Door:</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Opens the door into Vatos, letting you avoid the Serpent Guard.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Opens the door to the room with the empty caskets.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Opens the door to the room with the bronze head that rewards you for answering a question.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Helps you to escape from the crushing ceiling in the Night Horror's room </li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Creature Sleep:</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Puts the Lizard Man to sleep.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Puts the Disciples to sleep.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Jump:</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Allows you to jump the walls of Vatos, and avoid the Serpent Guard.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Allows you to jump the pit after the Giant Centipede's room.</li></ul></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Language:</b></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">This spell is not used even once. The option to use it never even comes up.</li></ul></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>COOL STUFF I MISSED</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Given how long and linear this book is, and the number of times I replayed it, I don't think I missed much at all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>MISTAKES AND RED HERRINGS</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The only significant error in <i>Temple of Terror</i> involves the hammer-wielding stone statue, that animates as a Stone Golem if you pass it on the wrong side. When you first see it, it's described as being made out of bronze. This would be a trivial mistake, except that the dying warrior you encounter shortly beforehand warns you to "beware the shadow of the stone". I believe that warning is about the Stone Golem, but it's pretty useless when the thing it's warning you about isn't even described correctly.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are a bunch of items that never get used. From Abjul's stock, the Sealing-Wax, Ivory Beetle Charm, Silver Mirror, Ebony Facemask and Bone Flute are all worthless. The Monkey's Tail that you find after defeating the Rat Men serves no purpose, which is fairly predictable. The Clay Goblet has no use, and neither does the Knife you take from the Mutant Orc. The one that's most irritating, though, is the Lantern. The instructions say you have one, but whenever it would come in handy the book acts as though you're not carrying any kind of light source. No doubt the instructions are in error here, and you're probably not supposed to have a lantern with you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>BEST DEATH</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are 24 instant death passages in <i>Temple of Terror</i>, and although some of them are satisfyingly gruesome there are few that are genuinely inspired. I've gone with the Messenger of Death, partially because it's one of the best aspects of the book, but also because this death is almost impossible to get. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJyMgTNFtKWK28E6mab47p2KIM2N1Q_0tKvZQMiAEx0rkk3ZuJmv-YqYa5kQ8VxfHMmqoi3-NKzk5vox8IuWyvmGOQygfbP8antQGPiX4eKcukDr55WyZhGK9lAnLSWzyf1Q9jbZiZikk/s466/FF14BestDeath.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="466" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJyMgTNFtKWK28E6mab47p2KIM2N1Q_0tKvZQMiAEx0rkk3ZuJmv-YqYa5kQ8VxfHMmqoi3-NKzk5vox8IuWyvmGOQygfbP8antQGPiX4eKcukDr55WyZhGK9lAnLSWzyf1Q9jbZiZikk/w400-h169/FF14BestDeath.png" width="400" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div>S.T.A.M.I.N.A. RATING</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Story & Setting: </b>The plot involving Malbordus is standard FF fare, and the treasure hunt nature of things is already well-worn territory for the series. The setting, a ruined desert city occupied by a religious cult, had the potential to be great, but in practice it amounts to little more than another Ian Livingstone dungeon crawl. That's not necessarily a bad thing - I do love me some Livingstone - but it's hard to rate it all that highly. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Toughness:</b> For most of the adventure Livingstone gets it about right, but the path to victory is very narrow, and I have to mark it down for that damn unavoidable Giant Sandworm fight. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Aesthetics:</b> The writing here has Ian's usual style, which is just about atmospheric enough to get by. The original cover is great, but the interior illustrations by Bill Houston are a little patchy. Some, like the Messenger of Death, are all time greats, but there are others I'm not so fond of (although I do like that they have an appropriately gritty texture, almost like sand). <b>Rating: 4 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Mechanics:</b> Ian, as usual, doesn't rock the boat too much here, and sticks with the tried-and-true FF basics. He does try to liven things up a bit by letting you cast spells, but they don't get used nearly enough. It's tempting to knock a point off for having a spell that never gets used, but it's really not a big enough deal. <b>Rating: 4 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Innovation & Influence:</b> The desert setting is novel, but other than that pretty much everything this book is doing has been done better somewhere else. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>NPCs & Monsters:</b> There are quite a number of excellent monsters to be found in this book, with the Messenger of Death being chief among them. Where <i>Temple of Terror</i> really falls down, though, is with its villains. The religious cult led by the priestess Leesha is intriguing, but never gets delved into much at all. Malbordus gets a great introduction, but the confrontation with him is so perfunctory that he ends up with almost no character at all. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Amusement:</b> This book is about as middle-of-the-road FF as it gets, but I happen to enjoy that sort of thing. <i>Temple of Terror</i> has never been a particular favourite, but it gets the job done well enough. Take out the Sandworm and I would have rated it a little higher. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Bonus Points:</b> No bonus points for <i>Temple of Terror.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The above scores total 22, for a <b>S.T.A.M.I.N.A. Rating of 44.</b> That puts it 18th out of the 23 adventures I've rated so far: of the main series, only <i>Starship Traveller</i> and <i>Space Assassin</i> are below it. That's perhaps a little unfair, as it's not a bad adventure at all, but it's part of the nature of ratings like this for mediocrity to rate lower the further in you get.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>NEXT:</b> The next post will be an Exploring Titan where I dig into <i>Temple of Terror</i>'s details (assuming I remember them after my long hiatus), and then it's on to <i>Warlock</i> #5.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-67081859873693155882020-10-29T03:11:00.000-07:002020-10-29T03:11:09.613-07:00Temple of Terror - Attempt 10<div style="text-align: justify;">Another post, another attempt to find the five dragon artefacts and keep them out of the hands of the evil wizard Malbordus. Once again, I've skipped ahead because Attempts 8 and 9 were both complete busts. For Attempt 8 I rolled a Skill of 10 and a Luck of 7, but despite not being all that confident about my chances I gave it a good crack anyway. Predictably, I got killed by the Giant Sandworm; I knew things weren't going my way in the first combat round when I rolled a double 6 for it and a double 1 for me. For Attempt 9, I rolled a Skill of 9 and just decided to chuck it in. I skipped through Port Blacksand as quickly as possible, not engaging in any encounters, and when the dwarf warship picked me up I gave the wrong answer when they asked me the identity of their king. As I suspected, they flogged me and threw me overboard, and my adventure was over. I do appreciate a quick spot near the start of a book that I can use to kill off weaker characters.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For Attempt 10, I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 14, and a Luck of 8. Those were not the most encouraging scores, aside from Skill, but I felt like I had a good knowledge of the adventure now, perhaps good enough to avoid encounters that would needlessly lower my stats. I just had to hope that there weren't any mission critical Luck tests involved. For my spells, as usual, I chose Read Symbols, Open Door, Detect Trap and Fire.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had little trouble on the road to Vatos, taking the route through Port Blacksand that I've outlined in previous posts. Even the Giant Sandworm didn't give me much trouble, as the dice were falling in my favour for a change. From the Merchant, I bought the Onyx Egg, the Crystal Key, the Bone Flute and Bracelet of Mermaid Scales; I know that three of those are useful during the adventure, and I took a gamble on the Bone Flute.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After my encounter with the Messenger of Death, my stats were as follows: Skill 10 (with a +1 bonus from wearing an Iron Helmet); Stamina 7; Luck 7; no gold, 10 provisions; also carrying: sword, backpack, leather armour, lantern, brass telescope, 2 silver buttons, pearl, golden key, water canister, brass handbell, onyx egg, bracelet of mermaid scales, crystal key, bone flute, sandworm tooth, iron helmet (+1 skill).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've covered much of the dungeons beneath Vatos before, so I'll go over them as quickly as possible in point form:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Opened some drapes, revealing a door leading to a room with a bucket hanging from the ceiling. Killed a Giant Centipede (Skill 9, Stamina 7), had my own Stamina reduced to 5, and found a Bone Dragon Artefact in the bucket. Ate two provisions, Stamina restored to 13.</li><li>Jumped a pit in the corridor by rolling under my Skill (10) on two dice.</li><li>Got past the Eye Stinger by holding up my Onyx Egg.</li><li>Ignored the iron grille (it's part of the Messenger of Death's trap, featuring the letter H).</li><li>Turned left at the next junction, fought and killed a Lizard Man (9/8). Found an Iron Key.</li><li>Turned left at another junction, traded my Brass Telescope to a Gnome scavenger for a Crystal Dragon Artefact.</li><li>Back past the junction, fought and killed two Rat Men. Found 3 gold pieces and a monkey's tail. Exited room through left arch (ignoring trapped right arch).</li><li>Turned left at T-junction, then right at another junction. Fought and killed two Skeleton Warriors (Stamina reduced to 9). Took a shield (+1 Skill). Found a clay goblet in a crypt - unlocked with my Iron Key - at the end of the corridor.</li><li>Back past the junction, ignored the door leading into the Death Dog's lair. The corridor turned right, and I saw a wounded warrior on the floor, reaching for his sword. The man was dying, and I listened as he gasped out his final words: he was apparently a treasure-hunter, seeking a golden skeleton. He also warned me to "beware the shadow of the stone".</li><li>The corridor turned right again, and I ignored a door leading into a room where I'd had nightmarish visions in a previous game. I continued down the corridor and fought some Giant Fireflies.</li><li>Walked past a statue with a raised hammer, with no ill effects.</li><li>Entered the flooded room with the Tentacled Thing, but because I was carrying the Bracelet of Mermaid Scales it fled instead of attacking me.</li><li>Continued forward at the next junction, found a Silver Dragon Artefact in a dead end alcove.</li><li>Encountered a Phantom, and survived its stare with a roll of two dice under my Skill. Killed the Phantom by throwing a silver button at it. Luck restored to 8.</li><li>Turned right at next junction, took a tapestry depicting a Phoenix from the wall. Ignored the Sphinx chair. Bathed my wounds in a crescent-shaped pool, restoring Stamina to 13.</li><li>Back past the junction, met Murkegg the artist, who told me about the High Priestess Leesha and her art competition.</li><li>Corridor turned right, and I ignored the screams coming from the torture chamber. (I don't think this encounter gives anything useful.) In another room, unlocked with a golden key, I successfully answered the question posed by an ancient idol, and got a +2 bonus to both Skill and Luck (restoring my Luck to 8).</li><li>With two doors forward, I picked the one on the right. It opened into a storeroom full of rugs, vases, urns and other containers. A red-skinned, horned figure climbed out of one of the urns, breathing fire at me. It was a Fiend (6/8), but despite its fire breath I killed it easily. It had a 2-in-6 chance of burning me every round, but I managed to avoid it completely. In a box I found a necklace engraved with a heart, and decided to wear it. Unbeknownst to me it was a necklace for sacrificial victims, and wearing it reduced my Luck to 7.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvRWG0LHCf8ubTeFuufuzW2ZKnRgkMn1gO3vVZnXeZQ-r9iNJQWUdWacIFRPD0OxfTVqNIQhKWn8HwediIoZFmhx-m8VL-6Dfy7UF7Nugx8BMhVN4mU5Kw0YOOLIdaxqM7Obq7d-HDCb1/s413/FF14Fiend.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="286" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvRWG0LHCf8ubTeFuufuzW2ZKnRgkMn1gO3vVZnXeZQ-r9iNJQWUdWacIFRPD0OxfTVqNIQhKWn8HwediIoZFmhx-m8VL-6Dfy7UF7Nugx8BMhVN4mU5Kw0YOOLIdaxqM7Obq7d-HDCb1/w278-h400/FF14Fiend.png" width="278" /></a></div><div><br /></div><ul><li>Going through the left door, I was faced with a door with a coin box attached. I declined to put a coin in the slot (because doing so exposes one of the Messenger of Death's letters) and continued on.</li><li>In the dark corridor beyond I stumbled into a blade at shin height, dropping my Stamina to 11 and my Luck to 6.</li><li>Disabled a Night Horror with my Brass Handbell (requiring a successful Luck test that reduced my score to 5). Picked up its Silver Rod to stop the ceiling from lowering and killing me. Unlocked the door onward with my Crystal Key.</li><li>Found an Ebony Dragon Artefact in a carving of Vatos. Luck restored to 6.</li><li>Challenged by a trio of Dark Disciples. I tried to convince them that I had a gift for Leesha, but the necklace I was wearing made them think that I was a sacrificial victim. They started chanting, and I was compelled to walk towards their altar. I was able to resist their influence (with a roll of two dice under my Skill), and had to fight all three Disciples (9/5, 8/6, 9/5). Only the last one wounded me, leaving me with a Stamina of 9. I took one of their sacrificial daggers with me.</li><li>Fought my way through four stone arms wielding swords.</li><li>Turned left rather than walk through the curtain of golden rain. The tunnel led to a dead end, where I was confronted by a Mutant Orc Assassin who had been sent by Malbordus. The Orc was wielding two long knives, and I would have had to reduce my Attack Strength by 2 if I wasn't also carrying a dagger. I whipped out my Sacrificial Dagger in my off-hand to fight the Mutant Orc (11/11). It struck me once, reducing my Stamina to 7. I took one of its knives and went through the arch with the golden rain.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhmhHrSoO3B3lRb9eUQazQXu4kEaNkIsvC_F11wZgeuPh-51Y5n6Dj7lZF6QF_Nzyygi-AEBRMazIvfxxyupuMKuywvPEaVyrq2UBswV99Ct5QlsiXS8d0tzgGTdLBhgSElog6RyUNWaB/s421/FF14MutantOrc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="281" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhmhHrSoO3B3lRb9eUQazQXu4kEaNkIsvC_F11wZgeuPh-51Y5n6Dj7lZF6QF_Nzyygi-AEBRMazIvfxxyupuMKuywvPEaVyrq2UBswV99Ct5QlsiXS8d0tzgGTdLBhgSElog6RyUNWaB/w268-h400/FF14MutantOrc.png" width="268" /></a></div><br /><ul><li>Fought a Slave Guard (8/8). Stamina reduced to 5. Sat down on some cushions, but refused to sleep. Ate two provisions (6 left, Stamina restored to 13).</li><li>A priest entered the room, and I confronted him rather than hide behind the drapes. Seeing me standing over the dead body of the slave guard, the priest summoned an Air Elemental, which buffeted me against the wall (reducing my Stamina to 11). It buffeted me again as I looked through my pack (further reducing my Stamina to 9). I pulled out my Phoenix Tapestry, and the priest - apparently recognising the significance of the Phoenix - dismissed his Elemental. I explained that the Slave Guard had been killed for trying to assassinate Leesha. (I'm not quite sure what's going on here. Does this priest think I'm one of the artists? Or does the Phoenix have religious significance, and grant me immunity? It's not all that well explained.) Ate another provision (5 left, Stamina restored to 13).</li></ul><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpqxHW_3tg2gk1q_ZoOtPLAAtdsUalY1Q38wEnraom5hljsbKiBg8UbNuM8RveHbt-p1E_Q09CvRygAofItn0U3rOq2QQjhzy9ViyiI43wTH5mMg8M6nVqS9JmC75T3n0-GTaJQ59xBHk/s498/FF14Elemental.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="281" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpqxHW_3tg2gk1q_ZoOtPLAAtdsUalY1Q38wEnraom5hljsbKiBg8UbNuM8RveHbt-p1E_Q09CvRygAofItn0U3rOq2QQjhzy9ViyiI43wTH5mMg8M6nVqS9JmC75T3n0-GTaJQ59xBHk/w226-h400/FF14Elemental.png" width="226" /></a></div><div><br /></div><ul><li>Hacked open locked door, faced with Sun Door and Moon Door. Exited room through Moon Door. (I did a translation on the doors this time, using the key from the "DO NOT DRINK" pool I had bathed my wounds in earlier. The Sun Door has writing that says DOOM and the Moon Door has writing that says DESTINY.)</li><li>Found three coloured pots. Opened the white pot, found a copper ring. Ignored the other two.</li><li>Ignored the trapdoor in the next room. (I'd been down there in the dark in an earlier game, and been dropped on by an Iron Eater, so I figured I shouldn't go down there. I was a little worried that I might miss something vital by skipping it, though.)</li><li>In the treasure room, I ignored the casket and the gems, but took the golden skeleton to honour the fallen warrior that I'd encountered earlier. It was greatly valuable, which restored my Luck to 7.</li><li>Turned left at a junction. The corridor ended at the bottom of a flight of stairs. I climbed up, opened a door that led outside into the Desert of Skulls. There were footprints leading away, around the city wall, but I thought better of following them and returned to the junction.</li><li>Found a bowl of grapes, and ate some. Stamina restored to 14.</li><li>Confronted by two Skeleton Men (9/6 and 9/8). Killed both, Stamina reduced to 8. This is the furthest point I've yet reached in this adventure.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Taking no time to search the Skeleton Men, I ran through an arch and up a flight of stairs. In an opulent room lined with marble pillars, a beautiful woman lay on a couch strewn with satin cushions. It was Leesha, the High Priestess of Vatos. A muscular man with milky-white eyes stood behind the couch, fanning her. At a snap of her finger, the muscular Servant moved to attack me.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTNSUDhAhU8y27C4IT1knoKjIoFgAS7WweQmWkdEjM9bghCgDZPtWULnsNfTJymeXJyy0hIEqJts0XRs_LBD2BfL469PbSIEXvFEtlEauVF1GqAF5C4fc_fD9HtT2keoTlwnOKl6mQrWw/s490/FF14Leesha.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="282" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTNSUDhAhU8y27C4IT1knoKjIoFgAS7WweQmWkdEjM9bghCgDZPtWULnsNfTJymeXJyy0hIEqJts0XRs_LBD2BfL469PbSIEXvFEtlEauVF1GqAF5C4fc_fD9HtT2keoTlwnOKl6mQrWw/w230-h400/FF14Leesha.png" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div>The Servant (8/8) was no match for me, and I cut him down with ease. Leesha rose from her couch, and held aloft a black, crescent-shaped object. Rather than attack with my sword, I pulled out my Giant Sandworm Tooth. This was a lucky coincidence, as this was the only weapon that could harm her. (I'm not sure that the book ever clues you in to this weakness, or if it's just pure chance that the hero chooses this moment to use the tooth.) With a look of horror, she fled from the temple. Before giving chase, I decided to take a look in a chest near her couch. Written in gold dust on the bottom of the chest was the letter D - left there by the Messenger of Death. It drained my strength (leaving me with 4 Stamina), but I was glad to have fully avoided the assassin's trap. (I should have scoffed some Provisions here, but given that the book describes me as trying to chase down Leesha I decided that it would break the narrative.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I chased after Leesha, in time to see her disappear through a door at the end of a hallway. A bronze idol shaped like a dog was in the hallway, and I stopped to quickly investigate. Inside the idol's mouth I found a Gold Dragon Artefact, the last of the five I needed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Giving chase again, I entered a passage where I could see Leesha running through a door to the left. To the right, a Dwarf was crawling towards me, delirious with sunstroke. He called out to me, and I gave up my chase to help him. He was an envoy from Stonebridge, and had been sent by the wizard Yaztromo to deliver me the legendary Hammer of Gillibran. Apparently, this warhammer was the only thing capable of destroying the dragon artefacts, and it was vital that I destroyed the one closest to the entrance of Vatos' catacombs first. The dwarf then died in my arms. Figuring that my chances of catching Leesha were now gone, I took the time to eat two provisions (restoring my Stamina to 12).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggn6_UZHJVXTXS_FJSZ1BSdCH1EDwtuZvS-jkB3_CMz5fF7m5qjU1IRVzCLxe8ObGywAN_3iC1TcAy2Ves5kebP66Ly098Hguml6g1CIji59100gY1rsU1nNOsqEf8mjn3oXJSPIXOFki7/s489/FF14Dwarf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggn6_UZHJVXTXS_FJSZ1BSdCH1EDwtuZvS-jkB3_CMz5fF7m5qjU1IRVzCLxe8ObGywAN_3iC1TcAy2Ves5kebP66Ly098Hguml6g1CIji59100gY1rsU1nNOsqEf8mjn3oXJSPIXOFki7/w233-h400/FF14Dwarf.png" width="233" /></a></div><br /><div>Entering the door I had seen Leesha disappear through, I found myself in a cold room with a high-vaulted ceiling. There was a circular hole in the floor. Figuring that my time was running short, I pulled out the five dragon artefacts, and set about smashing the one I had found near the entrance to the catacombs: the Bone Dragon. It shattered under a single blow from the warhammer. (This is set up like a test of the player's memory, but it's really not that difficult. You just destroy the artefact that's written down first on your equipment list.)</div><div><br /></div><div>A thunderous sound came from the circular pit, and a gaunt man with malevolent features rose up through the floor. Malbordus demanded that I give him the artefacts, but I refused. He clapped his hands together, and I was staggered by a deafening thunderbolt. It quickly dissipated, though, as the copper ring I had found earlier was a ring of protection. Realising that his magic could not harm me, Malbordus drew his sword and advanced.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7myhM5YkAiJGBsYFwTXgrsmppT5etBLjhXzUnjDK9ALgS39OfPz_cmYXnXv4ygHEagCI0Oc2e5z_BHPzijXfLfxcM8RO-UGiHqkPj5x-RJHEfvDNiTAUnHBbAN_vvbaOEI_4CLZZ2kRwE/s372/FF14Malbordus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7myhM5YkAiJGBsYFwTXgrsmppT5etBLjhXzUnjDK9ALgS39OfPz_cmYXnXv4ygHEagCI0Oc2e5z_BHPzijXfLfxcM8RO-UGiHqkPj5x-RJHEfvDNiTAUnHBbAN_vvbaOEI_4CLZZ2kRwE/w301-h400/FF14Malbordus.png" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div>Malbordus was a skilled swordsman (Skill 10, Stamina 18), and our battle was long. He wounded me several times (reducing my Stamina to 6), until I felled him with a final lucky blow. (I used a Luck test to kill him a little faster, even though I probably didn't need to.)</div><div><br /></div><div>With Malbordus dead, I smashed the rest of the dragon artefacts so that no other evil wizard could ever use their power. Now I could return to Stonebridge, take the warhammer back to Gillibran, and perhaps learn some more magic from Yaztromo. My adventure was a success. (It seems more likely to me that Leesha would round up her Disciples and kill me before I could escape, but the book doesn't acknowledge that possibility.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Success, finally! Ten attempts seems like a lot for a book that I never remembered as being particularly difficult, but death is much more likely in Fighting Fantasy when you explore every possible option. My general tactic with FF is to check out everything I encounter, and gradually whittle down the options to the ones that are most beneficial. It results in a lot of early failures (especially in books that I didn't read a lot as a kid), but it gets me there in the end.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be back soon enough with my Final Thoughts on <i>Temple of Terror</i>, followed by an Exploring Titan post. After that, it's on to <i>Warlock</i> magazine #5. which features "Search for the Mungies' Gold", a multi-player adventure from Steve Jackson, and "Dungeon of Justice", a solo adventure by Jonathan Ford.</div></div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-34091043222041231352020-10-24T05:26:00.004-07:002020-10-24T05:26:44.799-07:00Temple of Terror - Attempt 7<div style="text-align: justify;">So I'm back with my seventh attempt at Ian Livingstone's <i>Temple of Terror</i>. But wait, I hear my small cadre of loyal readers ask, what happened to Attempt 6? Unfortunately, that was a quick one, and barely worth writing up. I rolled good stats (Skill 11, Stamina 19, Luck 11), and went into it with a lot of confidence, but around the time I made it into the desert I got into some trouble. First, I rolled a double 6 on my Luck test when I was caught in a sandstorm; this resulted in my Skill being reduced to 10. Not long after that, I had to fight the Giant Sandworm, and it didn't go so well. Our Skill scores were even, but the Sandworm's higher Stamina won out in the end. It was a promising character, but sometimes there's nothing you can do when the dice turn against you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was having good luck rolling my stats though, and that luck continued into Attempt 7: I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 23, and a Luck of 12. With stats like those, I definitely had a good shot of making it all the way to the end of the book. For my spells I chose Open Door, Read Symbols, Fire, and Detect Trap. In Attempt 6 I'd taken Magic Arrow to see if it could get me around the tedious fight with the trio of Needle Flies; it did, but at the cost of a whopping 6 Stamina. So I decided not to bother with Magic Arrow any longer, and focus on spells that would protect me from danger.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I took my usual route through Port Blacksand, heading south via pirate ship and dwarven warship. Once I was dropped off in the desert I killed the Needle Flies with my sword, found a golden key on the body of a dead man, traded a silver button to a traveller for a canister of water, and found a brass handbell after weathering a sandstorm. From the nomad merchant Abjul I purchased an onyx egg, a crystal key, a bone flute, and an ivory beetle charm. By this point I had a Stamina of 21, a Luck of 11, 9 provisions remaining, and 1 gold piece.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Following that, I was attacked by the Giant Sandworm (Skill 10, Stamina 20); this time I made short work of it, taking but a single wound before I killed it (leaving me with 19 Stamina). I took one of its teeth as a souvenir.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I used a Fire spell to shelter from the overnight cold (reducing my Stamina to 18), ignored an oasis, and suffered from heatstroke (leaving me with a Skill of 10), but eventually made it to the lost city of Vatos. The above sequence (further embellished in previous entries) is pretty much what I'll be doing in every game from now on. I won't bother going over it again in future posts, unless something out of the ordinary happens because of dice rolls.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I gained entrance to Vatos using an Open Door spell (reducing my Stamina to 16), crossed a courtyard and went down some stairs. At the bottom of the stairs I found an iron helmet (restoring my Skill back to 11). I should note at this point that I'm changing the way I record my Skill score. Rather than applying bonuses from items directly to the score, I'm recording them separately, and using them where appropriate. In the case of this helmet, the bonus would apply in battle but not when jumping a pit, for instance. I'm still adhering to the rule that I can't exceed my initial Skill score, but this does allow me to mitigate some Skill penalties when I have multiple Skill-boosting items. It's my way of fighting against the bone-headed decision many FF writers make to have these items boost Skill and not Attack Strength; adhering to the latter would solve a lot of game balance issues that the series has.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, after an eerie encounter with the Messenger of Death, I was faced with a T-junction and some drapes. I pulled back the drapes, exposing a door, and went inside. There I found a bare room with a bucket hanging from the ceiling, but before I could examine the bucket I was attacked by a Giant Centipede (Skill 9, Stamina 7). It struck me twice (reducing my Stamina to 12) before I could kill it. Cutting down the bucket, I found a pile of bones, one of which was carved into the shape of a dragon. I had found the first of the dragon artefacts that I was looking for.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leaving the room through a door in the opposite wall, I made my way down a corridor until I reached the edge of a deep pit. Without a Jump spell I was forced to leap across, and I managed to do so with a good run-up. (This required a roll against my Skill, which was effectively 10 in this case; remember, no bonus from that helmet.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Further north I encountered an Eye Stinger, a floating spiny ball with a single hypnotic eye. Not wishing to get close to its poisoned spines, I rummaged through my pack for an object to use against it. My hand closed on the onyx egg I had purchased from Abjul, and when I brought it forth the Eye Stinger stopped in mid-air with its eye closed. I ran past while it was immobilised.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Further north was an iron grille, which I decided to ignore (because looking at it reveals one of the letters left by the Messenger of Death). At the next junction, I turned left, and followed the corridor until it turned sharply to the right.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the distance, I could see a Lizard Man with a curved sword guarding some sacks piled against the wall. With no Creature Sleep spell to use against it, I had no choice but to attack with my sword. The Lizard Man (Skill 9, Stamina 8) was easy enough to kill, but the sacks it was guarding contained only spices and grain. In its clothes, though, I found an iron key, which I pocketed before moving on to another junction, where I turned left.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The corridor ended at a ladder, which led up through a hole in the ceiling. I climbed up into a small, cluttered room lit by a single candle. A gnome sprung up from the corner, warding me off with a wooden pole.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hds8SF5vYJEWS6F2EHpXcsm4I5pAy9FMvsiKEa5Wt875cClT9KJcvKn-5-b8lAis0hDa7ngQ9yT3S0mcOcdw2F9tsDt1EBqCh0X-yXJzODgdKfUqW8khxhOA6-W88r2Ho3naFq52PbX3/s414/FF14Gnome.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hds8SF5vYJEWS6F2EHpXcsm4I5pAy9FMvsiKEa5Wt875cClT9KJcvKn-5-b8lAis0hDa7ngQ9yT3S0mcOcdw2F9tsDt1EBqCh0X-yXJzODgdKfUqW8khxhOA6-W88r2Ho3naFq52PbX3/w274-h400/FF14Gnome.png" width="274" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I talked to the gnome to calm him down, and we chatted for a while. He told me that he had stumbled across Vatos years ago, and decided to stay, living as a scavenger. At first Vatos had been mostly empty, but gradually people were drawn to it, and now there was a High Priestess living here, who would occasionally send her slaves to raid passing merchant caravans. I asked him about Malbordus, but he knew nothing. Instead, he offered to trade with me, asking if I had "one of those fancy things you look through to make other things seem a lot closer than they really are". I gave him my brass telescope (which I had taken from some robbers in Port Blacksand), and in return he gave me a crystal dragon. I had now found two of the five artefacts I was looking for.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leaving the gnome, I climbed down the ladder and made my way back to the junction, heading right this time. The passage opened into a dungy room, where two Rat Men were chewing on the carcass of a goblin. They immediately snatched up swords and attacked me, and I had no choice but to fight back. The Rat Men (Skill 5, Stamina 5 and Skill 5, Stamina 4) were weak enemies, and I killed them with ease. In their pockets I found 3 gold pieces (raising my total to 4) and a monkey's tail.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7joCsCjoAIzKfJAQ4jvkHg8YqRngWQ7f4JYXV2_gGfr2-L3nJlA9QfTltOr5BGjW7Ol0cmT_TQS9G1jiWrtZ8XaMrD31zwiMPlb8Rui2hZrBaqIaywwZDCHBKKR2cFIUAZu-veb9s9MY/s494/FF14RatMen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7joCsCjoAIzKfJAQ4jvkHg8YqRngWQ7f4JYXV2_gGfr2-L3nJlA9QfTltOr5BGjW7Ol0cmT_TQS9G1jiWrtZ8XaMrD31zwiMPlb8Rui2hZrBaqIaywwZDCHBKKR2cFIUAZu-veb9s9MY/w226-h400/FF14RatMen.png" width="226" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">There were two arches leading from the room. I chose the one to the right, and immediately an inner voice told me to cast my Detect Traps spell. I did so (reducing my Stamina to 10), and discovered that the archway was an illusion hiding a pit. I took the left archway instead. (If knowing the spell gives me a warning of when I need to cast the spell, why do I need to cast the spell at all? Couldn't I just back off when the warning sounds in my head? Or is the spell-casting an involuntary reflex?) Before moving on I ate two provisions (leaving me with 8, and a Stamina of 18).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The corridor through the arch soon joined up with another. Looking left I could see that the floor was covered with glass (the result of a prankster who loves hurling cursed scrolls in bottles at people, who I'd encountered in an earlier game), so I went left. I came to another T-junction, and turned right. I was soon confronted by a pair of Skeleton Warriors (Skill 7, Stamina 5 and Skill 6, Stamina 6), the second of which managed to wound me a couple of times (reducing my Stamina to 14). I took a shield from one of the Skeletons (giving me a +1 Skill bonus that I couldn't yet take advantage of). The corridor ended at a wooden door, which I was able to unlock with an iron key. Inside was a room with some empty caskets, and a clay goblet which I took with me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Returning to the junction and heading left, I came to an ornate door in the right wall. It opened into a room with scratched up walls, and I didn't have long to explore before a Death Dog bounded in from an arch in the far wall. The Death Dog (Skill 9, Stamina 10) was tough, and wounded me three times before I could kill it (leaving me with a Stamina of 8). After the battle I ate three provisions to restore my strength (leaving me with 5, and bringing my Stamina back up to 20).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the Death Dog's lair I found a dark tunnel, which I decided to explore (not using my lantern for some reason). I continued crawling in the dark, until my instincts warned me to cast a Detect Trap spell (reducing my Stamina to 18); the tunnel was trapped with a crossbow and a tripwire. I was able to avoid them both and continue along the tunnel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It opened into a dusty room, with a door on the opposite side. As I crossed the room my head was filled with nightmarish images of my own burning flesh, and I lapsed into unconsciousness. When I later woke up, I found that my hands were trembling, and I had lost much of my courage. (This reduced my Skill by 3, leaving me with a Skill of 7; with my helmet and shield, that made my Skill in combat a 9.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leaving the room into a corridor, I saw some dancing lights to the right and went to investigate. They were Giant Fireflies (Skill 5, Stamina 4, Skill 5, Stamina 5, and Skill 4, Stamina 6), which buzzed in to attack me as I approached. One of them gave me an electric shock during the battle (reducing me to 14 Stamina), but I was still able to kill them all. (On any hit, a Giant Firefly had a 50/50 shot of zapping me and delivering an extra 2 points of damage.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The corridor opened into a large chamber, with a bronze idol in the middle. The idol was shaped like a man, with a warhammer raised over its left shoulder. I passed the idol on the side where the hammer was raised, and passed through the room safely.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLMEN8VOHQ92vv8RyRUbHFQ-WsFbwJVE1aSrrJFlN-00CcVtiWjgQ8fZVUzUsVjeYh05dufWGKnZ4k1QsgkA7FMqBgUS35j8Q7pA2gOJtckwAvIE5opCeS-6ZeCIkpSoojhAU7iSvt47q/s490/FF14HammerStatue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="286" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLMEN8VOHQ92vv8RyRUbHFQ-WsFbwJVE1aSrrJFlN-00CcVtiWjgQ8fZVUzUsVjeYh05dufWGKnZ4k1QsgkA7FMqBgUS35j8Q7pA2gOJtckwAvIE5opCeS-6ZeCIkpSoojhAU7iSvt47q/w234-h400/FF14HammerStatue.png" width="234" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The tunnel started to slope downwards, until it ended at the edge of a flooded room. There was a tunnel continuing on the far side, so I waded into the water to cross the room. As soon as I was waist-deep, a pair of tentacles burst from the water and tried to drag me down. The Tentacled Thing (Skill 8, Stamina 10) hit me once (reducing my Stamina to 12), but with a lot of luck I was able to kill it before I was dragged under. (I had to kill this creature in a number of rounds less than my current Skill. With my current Skill being 7 I knew I'd be cutting it fine, so I used my Luck twice in the battle to increase my damage. This left me with a Luck of 9.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The water started to turn black and vaporous, so I left quickly. I ignored a corridor to the left, and kept going straight. I came to a dead end, with a single candle in an alcove, and something glistening behind it. That something was a silver boxed etched with a dragon motif, and inside was a small silver dragon statuette. I had found the third of the artefacts. Happy with my find, I returned to the junction and turned right.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the distance was a cloaked figure carrying a lantern. It didn't respond to my calls, and as I drew nearer it pulled back its hood to reveal a gaunt face and sunken, blood-red eyes: a Phantom! I survived its powerful stare (by rolling less than my Skill on two dice), and decided to look through my backpack for an object to use against it. I pulled forth a silver button and hurled it at the Phantom, which shriveled away to dust (restoring my Luck to 10).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgB8rWgjU-2ER7YVfDC6QBHM8I1A6jT0OGFJB4dwvoDridCl07uXNJK7fNTr1o4YxkOebOoBLIq_ts4mvPx9SAyJl25GZ-P3bQzNJpdddWknZ7ZdECzlbUui5wHfe23UIS44fMQZrhgsm/s411/FF14Phantom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="286" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgB8rWgjU-2ER7YVfDC6QBHM8I1A6jT0OGFJB4dwvoDridCl07uXNJK7fNTr1o4YxkOebOoBLIq_ts4mvPx9SAyJl25GZ-P3bQzNJpdddWknZ7ZdECzlbUui5wHfe23UIS44fMQZrhgsm/w279-h400/FF14Phantom.png" width="279" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At the next junction, I turned right along a corridor lined with tapestries. I took one of them with me, which depicted a phoenix rising from the ashes. Soon I came to a chair carved in the shape of a sphinx, and decided to take a seat. The chair apparently had mysterious powers, but I was fortunate (due to a Luck test that reduced my score to 9); the chair's vibrations restored my strength (and brought my Stamina back to 16).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The corridor ended at a crescent-shaped pool, full of herbal-scented liquid. A sign written in unfamiliar runes was on the wall, which I deciphered with a Read Symbols spell (reducing my Stamina to 15): it said DO NOT DRINK. Rather than drinking, I decided to bathe my wounds in the pool, and found it greatly soothing (restoring my Stamina to 19).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Walking back to the junction and heading left, I found myself in a corridor lined with murals. One of them depicted a great battle between an army of undead and an army of men and dwarves; the leader of the undead was drawing away the souls of the opposing kings with a magical casket. While I studied the mural I was approached by a man who asked me if I liked his work. I replied that I did, and the artist - whose name was Murkegg - was pleased. He told me that the High Priestess Leesha was holding an art contest, with the winner earning 300 gold pieces, and the losers being put to death. Murkegg didn't know anything about Malbordus, but he did tell me that Leesha's inner temple could be reached by walking through a curtain of golden rain. I shook Murkegg's hand, and we parted on good terms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The corridor turned to the right, and I soon came to a door from which I could hear agonised screams. I opened the door to investigate, and entered a torture chamber where a man was hanging from the ceiling by his wrists, being prodded by another man with a branding iron. I leaped in to face the Torturer (Skill 8, Stamina 8), and at first the battle went in my favour. But when he was at death's door the Torturer went into a frenzy, and became a nigh-unstoppable killing machine. Only when my own strength was nearly spent was I finally able to land a blow that brought him down. (Seriously, I got this guy down to 2 Stamina and then he just went berserk; in the next 11 Attack Rounds he wounded me 8 times, and we drew three times. My Stamina was a mere 3 by the end; I ate 3 provisions to bring it back up to 15.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCo6DrVMfcb8NMcL1NgU17LmJbfu3P4xsPqLAvOsuSAKvAQqDhhIAGoidd2GgTmNTUQB6DygzaVoM_KoQ330x1msWE7oDKHQe89cHBj0tiJkzaVzIQW9B9yEAHOXCoGAT9apynfDJrl-j/s487/FF14Torturer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="278" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCo6DrVMfcb8NMcL1NgU17LmJbfu3P4xsPqLAvOsuSAKvAQqDhhIAGoidd2GgTmNTUQB6DygzaVoM_KoQ330x1msWE7oDKHQe89cHBj0tiJkzaVzIQW9B9yEAHOXCoGAT9apynfDJrl-j/w229-h400/FF14Torturer.png" width="229" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I set the torture victim free, and he introduced himself as Thitta, a former servant of Leesha who was being punished for trying to escape from Vatos. He knew nothing of Malbordus, but when I mentioned the Messenger of Death he warned me that he had seen an evil figure place something in a casket in Leesha's treasure room. I thanked him for the warning before moving on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Further along the passage was another door, which I opened with a golden key. In the room was the bronze head of a beautiful woman, which spoke when I entered, telling me that I must answer its question or die. It then asked me how much Leesha was offering to the winner of the art competition. I gave the answer as 300, and as a reward it issued forth a red smoke that increased my power. (This restored my Skill to 9 (11 in combat), and my Luck to 11.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The passageway ended at a room with two doors leading forward. I opened the left door, and entered a room with a mosaic floor. The floor pattern was random, except near the door on the far wall, where it resembled the head of a Medusa. The door had a box with a slot on the top, so I decided to cross the room and drop a gold piece inside. When I did so, a panel in the door flipped open to reveal a letter T scratched into it: the Messenger of Death had struck! (This reduced my Stamina to 11.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The room beyond was dark (that lantern is useless once again), so I had no choice but to step forward into the darkness. As I made my way along a dark tunnel, I stumbled into a blade that cut my shin .(This reduced my Stamina to 9 and my Luck to 10. I should probably have been warned about this by my Detect Trap spell. I ate a provision, leaving me with one remaining and restoring my Stamina to 13.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The door at the end of the corridor opened into a musty room littered with bones and debris. As soon as I entered I was confronted by a one-eyed mutant, who shot a bolt of white light from a silver rod that burned a black patch on the floor near my feet. This was a Night Horror, stalking the corridors of Vatos for prey after dark. Reaching into my backpack (and avoiding another bolt with a Luck test), I pulled forth a brass handbell and rang it; the resultant noise caused the Night Horror to clutch its head in pain and collapse. But when it dropped the rod, the ceiling began to lower, threatening to crush me. I was able to unlock the door with a crystal key and escape (which required another Luck test, reducing my score to 8).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUIwEHORsOMxIt5RIEwK3bSCVD2Bq9_UrVPRoPX_hhUhP4BOQIPovsSj7kT2_DS6_Q4JYsRaogrpTKHA-aKLvzZuckaHepN-8ZJz-KE7E38Y5OGvmXq7tGfflfhTw-s4t5sQH88PCjavf/s384/FF14NightHorror.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="290" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUIwEHORsOMxIt5RIEwK3bSCVD2Bq9_UrVPRoPX_hhUhP4BOQIPovsSj7kT2_DS6_Q4JYsRaogrpTKHA-aKLvzZuckaHepN-8ZJz-KE7E38Y5OGvmXq7tGfflfhTw-s4t5sQH88PCjavf/w303-h400/FF14NightHorror.png" width="303" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In the room beyond the floor was covered with wood shavings, and there was an elaborate carving of Vatos being menaced by Giant Sandworms. I took a closer look, and in one of the carved buildings I found a dragon artefact made of ebony. I had found four of the artefacts I required (and my Luck was restored to 9).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Lxg_P-HLZzl98LTOLvlLOjSvhVdE24R41hhFGU11PobbvcmbTJGODVC5rD28_ZPf1mMYD_rbA0iPFtnVqn3WFU-rgHjnSqKI2T37jBN3gwc4GQS6uG-5a38a-33iB9YpkU4DJsiRArdW/s493/FF14Carving.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Lxg_P-HLZzl98LTOLvlLOjSvhVdE24R41hhFGU11PobbvcmbTJGODVC5rD28_ZPf1mMYD_rbA0iPFtnVqn3WFU-rgHjnSqKI2T37jBN3gwc4GQS6uG-5a38a-33iB9YpkU4DJsiRArdW/w230-h400/FF14Carving.png" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The next room was lined with armour and weapons, and I interrupted a group of men ceremoniously dressing themselves in brown robes. They approached me with sickles when I entered, but I told them that I had come bearing a gift for the High Priestess Leesha. Luckily they believed me (due to a Luck test that reduced my score to 8), but the Dark Disciples refused to allow me to take my gift to her personally. I gave them my onyx egg, and continued on. (I got to choose which item I had to sacrifice here, so I went with one I'd already used.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBRE1TV2V3zYtaCXT_0rMI7Yl0N-Tq3HeLrIN9uSL2lxCgDlqBQK_n3_nMUjx-KOEgKY0lJYaz2rB8s364TRz4J_fXmbf1PqbVULZf-AWRGoO6Bym1DlsENMRskriI3CqvmXiFLW7rxeK/s491/FF14Disciples.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="282" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBRE1TV2V3zYtaCXT_0rMI7Yl0N-Tq3HeLrIN9uSL2lxCgDlqBQK_n3_nMUjx-KOEgKY0lJYaz2rB8s364TRz4J_fXmbf1PqbVULZf-AWRGoO6Bym1DlsENMRskriI3CqvmXiFLW7rxeK/w230-h400/FF14Disciples.png" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At the end of the corridor beyond I could see a shimmering golden curtain, but barring the way were four stone arms wielding curved swords. I had no choice but to hack my way through the Swords (all with Skill 6, Stamina 6), which proved to be more tedious than it was dangerous.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvljf68-dktTrB8Vj5Zc7dr2a9z72vDSIyxR_PxlIBVA-aqbsN-QZKOc24qpHuj4maXAff2jg4oWbO4DzS4mIuwx0CI-Me5jGQxGge0iuqX9lqc45j-EpAGNWtthBGdPBiII7pZzXax1M/s490/FF14Swords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="287" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvljf68-dktTrB8Vj5Zc7dr2a9z72vDSIyxR_PxlIBVA-aqbsN-QZKOc24qpHuj4maXAff2jg4oWbO4DzS4mIuwx0CI-Me5jGQxGge0iuqX9lqc45j-EpAGNWtthBGdPBiII7pZzXax1M/w234-h400/FF14Swords.png" width="234" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The curtain was actually a shower of golden rain. There was a passage heading off to the left, but I decided to walk through the golden rain and into Leesha's inner temple. The room beyond was opulently decorated, and guarded by a huge, bare-chested man in silk pants. The Slave Guard (Skill 8, Stamina 8) wounded me once before I could kill him (reducing my Stamina to 11).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_T4Ecn8onYJTIbl8MkRMkmtgj3JtHJ3kUZK5g3fQaAsBylNsZSmBc6dJgjrOEIiF-feCB-9YICjuF3h4iQrP9uI108KBC-bv3TYnVhs9OKRO-swn1oVx_U_5allRJZ_prZ67aIYLZTnh/s491/FF14SlaveGuard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="274" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_T4Ecn8onYJTIbl8MkRMkmtgj3JtHJ3kUZK5g3fQaAsBylNsZSmBc6dJgjrOEIiF-feCB-9YICjuF3h4iQrP9uI108KBC-bv3TYnVhs9OKRO-swn1oVx_U_5allRJZ_prZ67aIYLZTnh/w224-h400/FF14SlaveGuard.png" width="224" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I was suddenly tired, and had no choice but to slump in some cushions in the corner of the room. I refused to let myself sleep though, and soon I heard a noise coming from the corridor behind the golden rain. I hid behind some drapes, and a white robed man entered the room. Upon seeing the dead Slave Guard he fled, and I decided it was time to move on. There was a locked door, but when I tried to cast an Open Door spell I discovered that the golden rain had robbed me of my magical abilities (it still dropped my Stamina to 9 though; I ate my last provision to restore it to 13). I was forced to hack the lock open with my sword.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The room beyond had two doors, one with the symbol of a sun, and the other with the symbol of a moon. Each of them had writing underneath, but without the ability to cast spells I was unable to read it. I chose the moon door at random, and continued on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3VFdljDy7pgDMhP4D17e89wTH8xJ4olbrfalJFBYCCOys-QNHN4xPe7RVZFqgp0bgyFg1SqO7nB-4LAss0_I5Wu7_1r1kCSGodHxYNz8pi52b6KJNiOQjDpBYMTQmN5-7pFvJG_tW-0J/s484/FF14Doors.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="281" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3VFdljDy7pgDMhP4D17e89wTH8xJ4olbrfalJFBYCCOys-QNHN4xPe7RVZFqgp0bgyFg1SqO7nB-4LAss0_I5Wu7_1r1kCSGodHxYNz8pi52b6KJNiOQjDpBYMTQmN5-7pFvJG_tW-0J/w233-h400/FF14Doors.png" width="233" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In the next room I found three clay pots, one white, one black, and one red. I broke open the white pot and found a copper ring engraved with a lightning bolt. I put it on my finger, and suffered no untoward effects. Feeling lucky, I opened the black pot, and inside I found a monkey's paw. As soon as I touched the paw it grasped my wrist, and I was unable to pull away in time (due to a failed Luck test that reduced my score to 7). The paw was cursed, and before I could prise it away it had drained my spirit (reducing my Skill to 7).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Figuring that I'd found the worst of the three options, I opened the final pot, and was shocked to see the letter E written in charcoal inside. The Messenger of Death had struck again (reducing my Luck to 6 and my Stamina to 9).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next room was empty, with a trapdoor in the floor. I opened it up, and climbed down to investigate the dark room below (again not using the lantern <i>right there in my backpack</i>). I could hear something dripping, and unfortunately it landed right on my head (due to a failed Luck test that reduced my score to 5). It was an Iron Eater, and it dissolved my helmet. (This reduced my effective Skill in combat to 8.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Climbing back up and continuing on, I came to a room filled with treasure: coins, gems, a golden casket, and a golden skeleton statuette. I ignored the casket, remembering Thitta's warning. I did try to take some gems, but (due to a failed Luck test that reduced my score to 4) they burned my sword hand (reducing my Skill to 5 and my Stamina to 8). Deciding that green would do me no good, I left the treasure room without further investigation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the corridor beyond I came to a junction, and went right. Along the way I found a bowl of grapes, which I ate (restoring my Stamina to 12). The corridor ended at an antechamber, which was guarded by two warriors with human bodies and skeletal heads. One of them demanded that I give good reason for intruding on the domain of Leesha. I responded that I had brought her a Sandworm's tooth, and one of the Skeleton Men demanded that I hand it over. I had second thoughts about this (having vague memories that I'd need it later on), so I decided to fight them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPyBlbEL4QBc7wbvYGrk5nNNn9KdcMd5bbw2bj2KOO57AwfZYPb1YfTMEiOstxLGIZzuMlRwkuoj5JRW5EeOpE_FwO2zJUtLAVmLZopNkF0W8UQir2HvtHCk7eDDFloH-uS7hhWnI2XBG/s490/FF14SkeletonMen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="281" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPyBlbEL4QBc7wbvYGrk5nNNn9KdcMd5bbw2bj2KOO57AwfZYPb1YfTMEiOstxLGIZzuMlRwkuoj5JRW5EeOpE_FwO2zJUtLAVmLZopNkF0W8UQir2HvtHCk7eDDFloH-uS7hhWnI2XBG/w230-h400/FF14SkeletonMen.png" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The Skeleton Men (Skill 9, Stamina 6 and Skill 9, Stamina 8) weren't overwhelmingly powerful, but in my weakened state I was no match for them. I managed to kill one of them, but the second eventually wore me down, and my adventure was over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I feel like I was pretty close to the end there, but my curiosity got the best of me. I kept trying things that whittled down my Skill and Luck scores, and by the time I had to fight the Skeleton Men I was in a pretty bad state. That said, I did manage to find four of the dragon statues, and I discovered a whole lot of things I need to avoid. Next time around I'll have much better knowledge of what not to do, and I think I stand a good chance of winning the whole thing.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-66718124855505075412020-10-12T17:47:00.001-07:002020-10-12T17:47:22.277-07:00Temple of Terror - Attempt 5<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm a little late in getting this post up, as I've been sinking most of my time into the first <i>Ultima</i> (which I'm blogging my way through over at <a href="http://crpgadventures.blogspot.com">crpgadventures.blogspot.com</a>). I actually made this attempt at <i>Temple of Terror</i> right after Attempt 4, and I'd been hoping to write it up within a day or two. Now I'll have to write this up from my fading memories, and hopefully that won't cause any omissions or errors</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For this attempt, I rolled a Skill of 9, a Stamina of 20, and a Luck of 12. That Skill didn't bode well for the inevitable fight against the Giant Sandworm, but with a high Luck score I had hopes that I'd be able to scrape through. For my spells I chose Create Water, Open Door, Read Symbols, and Fire.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think I've figured out the best path through the early stages of the book: take the boat to Port Blacksand, haggle the price down with the boat captain, kill the robbers in Port Blacksand (taking their silver buttons and brass telescope), fight the belligerent pirate in the bar (taking his pearl), eat as many provisions as necessary to be restored to initial Stamina, swim towards the warship after your pirate ship is sunk, and befriend the dwarves by correctly naming their king as Gillibran.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the above path I took quite a pounding, being wounded four times by the robbers and three times by the pirates. I also got glassed in the face by the pirate. (At this point, I want to point out the fact that Ian Livingstone rewards you for being glassed and killing a pirate in a barfight, and penalises you a Luck point for being conciliatory and buying a round of beers to avoid the fight. One wonders sometimes about Ian's social life in his younger days.) By the time I reached the dwarf warship I only had 5 Stamina left, but I was able to bring myself back up to 20 by eating provisions at no effective loss, because the dwarves replenished my stock of provisions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now on the desert coast, I headed south to the shell pattern where I'd been killed by an elemental curse in my last attempt. I decided to test fate again, but this time when the shell elemental rose up I fled into the water. This cost me two provisions, but the creature was unable to reach me, so I left the area and went inland to the east.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Along the way I killed three hostile Needle Flies (in a fight that reduced my Stamina to 14), found a golden key on a corpse, and traded a silver button to a camel-rider for a canister of water. Not long after that I was caught in a sandstorm (which reduced my Stamina to 12). Once it subsided, I found a brass handbell in the sand (due to a successful Luck test that reduced my score to 11).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I soon came across a nomad tent, as was welcomed by the merchant Abjul. He gave me some food (restoring my Stamina to 16), and I bought some of his wares: a crystal key, a bone flute, and a silver mirror. This left me with two gold pieces. Before I left I ate one my provisions (leaving me with 7, and restoring my Stamina to 20).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After taking my leave of Abjul, I headed back out into the desert, where I was attacked by a Giant Sandworm (Skill 10, Stamina 20). This was a hard-fought battle, but fortune was on my side, and I was able to slay the great beast. I took one of its teeth as a souvenir. (The Sandworm hit me six times, and there were four rounds in which our Attack Strengths were even. On every round that I won, I used my Luck to double my damage, so I was able to take it out with five hits. By the end of the fight my Stamina was 8 and my Luck was 6. I ate three more provisions to bring my Stamina back to 20.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That night the desert was bitterly cold, but I was able to avoid the worst of it by casting a Fire spell (reducing my Stamina to 19). In the morning I investigated an oasis with birds circling overhead, but thought better of drinking the water. South of that was a pile of rocks, which I ignored. Soon I was being scorched by the desert heat, and I had no headscarf to protect me. I became delirious due to mild sunstroke. (This reduced my Skill to 8. It can be prevented by exploring the rocks that I ignored, but looking in those rocks gets you stung by a scorpion, at the cost of 4 Stamina. I wanted to test which of these options leaves you worse off, and I'd have to go with the sunstroke. A Skill penalty is almost always worse than a Stamina penalty.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I continued on, and soon came to my destination: the lost city of Vatos. Using an Open Door spell (which reduced my Stamina to 17), I opened a door in the city wall and made my way inside. There I found an open square, with an archway on the opposite side and some stairs leading downwards. At the bottom of the stairs I found an iron casket. Inside was a polished iron helmet, which I placed on my head. (This took my Skill back up to 9. I may have to revise my opinion that the sunstroke penalty is worse than the scorpion penalty; the loss of Skill is almost immediately offset, so I'm inclined to go that route from now on. Hopefully I won't need a headscarf later in the adventure.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Further down the corridor I was tapped on the shoulder by a Messenger of Death, an assassin sent by the evil Malbordus; I would have to be careful to avoid finding the letters of the word "death" as I searched the temple.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At a T-junction, I pulled back some drapes to reveal a door in the wall ahead. I opened the door to reveal a dusty room with a bucket hanging from the ceiling. Before I could investigate the bucket, a scuttling Giant Centipede (Skill 9, Stamina 7) emerged and attacked. It bit me twice (reducing my Stamina to 13) before I was able to kill it. Afterwards I cut down the bucket, and bones were scattered all over the floor. One of them was carved in the shape of a dragon: this was the first of the bone dragon statues I had been sent to look for. I put it in my pocket and left the room through a door in the north wall. (This is the only one of the five dragon artefacts whose location I remember.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The door opened at the end of a T-junction, but I ignored the left and right paths to head north. My progress was soon stopped by a deep pit. With no magic to aid me, I had to jump across, and I was able to do (with a successful Skill check).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the gloom of the corridor I saw a hovering, spherical creature approaching. It was covered in spines, and had one large eye in the centre of its body: an Eye Stinger! I looked through my backpack for something to use against it, and found my silver mirror. It had no effect, and as the creature bore down on me I dropped the mirror and it smashed on the ground (reducing my Luck to 5). I was forced to close my eyes to avoid its hypnotic gaze, and swing my sword blindly. Luckily I struck it in the eye, and the creature fell to the floor in a cloud of toxic vapours. (This involved a Luck test, which I miraculously passed. My Luck score was now reduced to 4 though, surely an ominous sign for the future.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZp7oa1Y_08hzQBfd1QvmMliM0QxWVuBl7z4FgLEsCh7-rjktip-SDTRncZFFYVxaxT3afA2mpt3IIYVKw4y_zM9LoNILrTUlSboDIGx-Bv1l_D5rotznrfMO1Eyc7SNxT6YNOQbQ9muF/s375/FF14EyeStinger.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="285" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZp7oa1Y_08hzQBfd1QvmMliM0QxWVuBl7z4FgLEsCh7-rjktip-SDTRncZFFYVxaxT3afA2mpt3IIYVKw4y_zM9LoNILrTUlSboDIGx-Bv1l_D5rotznrfMO1Eyc7SNxT6YNOQbQ9muF/w304-h400/FF14EyeStinger.png" width="304" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As I fled from the Eye Stinger, I saw an iron grille on the left wall. Climbing up to look at it, I noticed that three of its bars had been highlighted with white chalk, to make a letter H. It had been done by the Messenger of Death, and I reeled at the sight of it (reducing my Stamina to 9, and my Luck to 3).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The corridor ended at a T-junction, and I turned to the right. It soon turned sharply left, and a shrieking shadowy figure hurled a glass bottle at me before running away. The bottle broke to reveal an old parchment. I picked it up and read it, hoping that it wasn't another of the Messenger of Death's traps. I couldn't understand the writing, so I cast a Read Symbols spell (reducing my Stamina to 8). The parchment was a bad luck curse, taken from a Mummy's tomb. (This reduced by Luck by 4, which effectively put my score at -1. It's a pure judgment call as to whether to go into negatives with Luck, but at that point it's all rather moot anyway.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I chased after the culprit, but they were long gone, and soon I came to a junction. I turned right, and could soon hear footsteps approaching. I stood my ground as two Skeleton Warriors lurched into view (Skill 7, Stamina 5 and Skill 6, Stamina 6). The skeletons attacked both at the same time, but I managed to defeat them while taking but a single wound (reducing my Stamina to 6). I took a shield from one of the skeletons (which would have restored 1 Skill point if I'd needed it). I sat and ate three provisions (bring my Stamina back to 18) before moving on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkPprFRhHaeaRfsdmtTRTuQnqpfN5apDZFbttTl0E9fDI8Ep276thZ2dACYD1CrIjc4PcJHJW2jjeikwqH1fmBkMWP_W_OLQMcE-_9wZQjMHgUGeofr3wNLjB3egTVfCZKjUrw-lzYH8_/s501/FF14SkeletonWarriors.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="288" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkPprFRhHaeaRfsdmtTRTuQnqpfN5apDZFbttTl0E9fDI8Ep276thZ2dACYD1CrIjc4PcJHJW2jjeikwqH1fmBkMWP_W_OLQMcE-_9wZQjMHgUGeofr3wNLjB3egTVfCZKjUrw-lzYH8_/w230-h400/FF14SkeletonWarriors.png" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At the end of the corridor was a locked wooden door. I didn't have the correct key, so I opened it with a spell (reducing my Stamina to 16). Inside was a room with two stone caskets. The caskets were open and empty, but in the corner of the room was a clay goblet with a heart etched inside the rim. I put in my backpack before returning to the junction and heading west.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I came to a doorway in the left-hand wall, carved around the edged with hideous creatures being consumed in flames. Encouraged by the decor, I decided to open the door and check out what was inside. The room beyond was piled with bones, and the walls were marked with scratches. A huge black Death Dog (Skill 9, Stamina 10) came slavering through an arch in the far wall. We were evenly matched, but after a hard-fought battle I emerged the bloody victor (with my Stamina reduced to 6). I ate the last of my provisions (to bring my Stamina back to 10).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYzzma5IvA2UxkOuGgo86jOj5S9mvQH8vYAzP5loxWlN-Esqcls8Svuq3lLaIQPNi0GH6-p9-mXt2dMuT3RJadBn7OuwyK1Gn3ekvTC6UjF4yqeZfXQ_erIH3QjdbaFs3STZsCLzGML9t/s493/FF14DeathDog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYzzma5IvA2UxkOuGgo86jOj5S9mvQH8vYAzP5loxWlN-Esqcls8Svuq3lLaIQPNi0GH6-p9-mXt2dMuT3RJadBn7OuwyK1Gn3ekvTC6UjF4yqeZfXQ_erIH3QjdbaFs3STZsCLzGML9t/w230-h400/FF14DeathDog.png" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In the Death Dog's lair I found a dark tunnel, and decided to explore inside. Without a Light spell I was unable to see, but I decided to keep crawling along in the dark. I failed to notice a tripwire, and set off a crossbow, which fired its bolt into my throat. (This was due to a failed Luck test. With my score of -1, there was no chance I was going to succeed.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I kind of got what I was asking for by exploring that tunnel: dark tunnels in monster lairs are almost invariably lethal in Fighting Fantasy. I do have a large gripe though: it's specifically stated that you are carrying a lantern as part of your starting equipment. Why wouldn't I be able to see in the tunnel? I suppose I can rationalise that the tunnel is cramped enough to preclude the use of a lantern, but it's a stretch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On a more positive note, that's the furthest I've gotten so far. I also found a path through the desert that doesn't require the use of the Create Water spell, so I'm going to swap that out next time.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-82615573396703769142020-10-07T16:52:00.000-07:002020-10-07T16:52:09.627-07:00Temple of Terror - Attempt 4<div style="text-align: justify;">In my previous attempts at <i>Temple of Terror</i>, I've had some terrible luck with the dice. All three games have ended in combat with monsters (the Giant Centipede, the Sand Snapper, and the Giant Sandworm, respectively). For this attempt, I rolled a Skill of 10, a Stamina of 17, and a Luck of 11, which was heartening. Finally, I had a character that looked like it stood a good chance of making some progress.<br />After choosing spells from Yaztromo (my usual array of Create Water, Open Door, Read Symbols and Fire), I opted to take the path through Port Blacksand. On my last couple of games I fully explored the overland path, and I'm pretty sure that one is both more deadly and less rewarding.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once in Port Blacksand, I allowed myself to be lured into an ambush by some Robbers. Their loot included a brass telescope and 3 silver buttons, which I was pretty sure would come in handy later.<br />At the Black Lobster Tavern I had some drinks spilled over me by a pirate, and rather than back down as I'd done in previous games, I told him to watch where he was going. The pirate reacted by glassing me in the face, and I reacted to that by swording him in the chest. It was actually a pretty tough fight; the pirate had a Skill of 9, and managed to wound me four times. On his body I found 2 gold pieces and a pearl.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next morning I took off on a pirate ship, which was promptly attacked and sunk by a warship. In previous games I'd swam away from the warship, but this time I decided to take my chances by swimming towards it. The crew dragged me aboard, and I was surprised to discover that the crew were all dwarves. (Ships crewed by dwarves a phenomenon that I've only ever encountered in gamebooks, specifically this one and Joe Dever's <i>Shadow on the Sand.</i> Most other fantasy fiction has dwarves as being distrustful of the water and boats in general.) I explained my quest to the dwarves, who decided to test the veracity of my story by asking me who was the current dwarven king in Stonebridge. I answered "Gillibran", and that was enough for them to trust me. They took me the rest of the way south, replenished my provisions to the maximum amount of 10, and dropped me off on the coast. (I feel like the identity of a dwarven king should be common knowledge, but Stonebridge does seem as though it's little more than a village. Gillibran's claims of royalty may be exaggerated, or perhaps he's descended from rulers of an actual kingdom.)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I decided to head south along the coast, where I found a strange pattern of shells on the ground. I'd been warned away from this area previously (by using my Read Symbols spell), but I was curious to check out what would happen if I continued on. It turns out that the area is sacred ground, and the shells formed up into a kind of golem or elemental. I tried to fight it with my sword, but the swirling shells cut me up pretty badly (making me lose 4 Stamina). I had the option of either diving in the water, or running away by land. I chose the land option, only to discover that I was far to slow to outrun the shell demon. It cut me to ribbons, and my adventure was over.<br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>THE POST-GAME<br /></b><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I got too curious in that game, and it cost me. I really do need to stop checking out stuff that I know is dangerous, but my desire to explore every option gets the better of me. The most important thing I learned is that I can use the dwarves to replenish my provisions, which means that it doesn't matter how much damage I take in the early going. I can heal it all with food, knowing that I'll get it all back.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Less beneficially, I suspect that giving the wrong answer to the dwarves results in an instant death. I think I can get to that point without getting into a combat or making many dice rolls, so I might designate it as my "suicide route". Long-time readers may recall that I used the quicksand near the Giant Crab to kill a bunch of low-Skill characters in <i>Island of the Lizard King. </i> It's always handy to have a quick way to die when you roll an unviable character.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-53595169651830103452020-09-28T00:18:00.000-07:002020-09-28T00:18:16.670-07:00Temple of Terror - Attempt 3<div style="text-align: left;">I had another crack at <i>Temple of Terror</i> this afternoon, and let's just say this will be a quick one. I rolled a Stamina of 19 and a Luck of 11 (not bad), but I also rolled a Skill of 8. This is yet another Ian Livingstone book where a low Skill makes it pretty much a suicide mission.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After choosing my spells (Create Water, Open Door, Read Symbols and Fire), I decided to take the overland route again. I didn't relish facing the Giant Sandworm with such a low Skill, and I knew that fight was unavoidable on the path via Port Blacksand.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Heading south, I ignored the encounter with the Dark Elves, as well as the trapped amulet left by Malbordus. The Dark Elves have a bow and some arrows, but I figured I could go without them. That night I camped near some boulders, and one a die roll I scored a 1, meaning I was attacked by a Cave Troll (Skill 8, Stamina 7). I started well, dropping it down to 1 Stamina, but then it hit me a few times in a row. My Stamina was 13 by the end of the fight.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Following that I was attacked by a Harpy (Skill 8, Stamina 5), which further dropped my Stamina to 11. Then I was picked up by a Giant Eagle sent by Yaztromo, and attacked by a Pterodactyl. This is where I discovered that I really should have gone for that bow (or taken a Magic Arrow spell): not only does it wound the Pterodactyl, but it also drops its Skill by a point. As it is, I had to run the Eagle vs. Pterodactyl fight at a 2 Skill disadvantage. Nevertheless, I managed to scrape through by using a lot of Luck to increase the Eagle's damage. I'm not sure if that's strictly following the rules, but it's not like Ian Livingstone plays fair so I feel perfectly justified. My Luck by the end had been reduced to 9.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Further south I found a mirror buried in the sand (and ignored the clay pot with the poison gas inside). After that, I came to my nemesis from the last game: the Sand Snapper. This creature has two tentacles, each one with Skill and Stamina of 7. If at any point the Snapper hits twice in a row, it's an instant death. I was keen to get this fight over with as quickly as possible, so I burned some Luck here as well. It hit me twice, but this time I managed to kill it. Much to my disgust, the bite it had given me before the fight started resulted in me losing a further 4 Stamina, and 1 Skill. I ate a provision, and at the end of this whole ordeal my Stamina was at 7, and my Skill at 7.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Continuing on, I saw a large lizard-like creature approaching, with large yellow eyes. It was a Basilisk, but I had the perfect defense: a mirror to reflect its deadly gaze. I killed the beast and moved on. (It's odd to see a Basilisk that <i>kills</i> with its gaze, rather than turns its victims to stone. Killing is more mythologically accurate, as far as I'm aware, but usually these kinds of books take their lead from <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfd92BVxxIh-kg-MJIJ6zIyVzwhvepmJntnQ8WuY2pHn9PN_FIXz7MMczeMLyoabEwOPnqfo6naMkJHHcIMPGarAyqFzLoZxXqJcRISgv-Gce0aJCMzpIlLvtDT3BnS830gYZn2h8i9_N/s873/FF14Basilisk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfd92BVxxIh-kg-MJIJ6zIyVzwhvepmJntnQ8WuY2pHn9PN_FIXz7MMczeMLyoabEwOPnqfo6naMkJHHcIMPGarAyqFzLoZxXqJcRISgv-Gce0aJCMzpIlLvtDT3BnS830gYZn2h8i9_N/w229-h400/FF14Basilisk.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I found some footprints and decided to follow them, but they only led to a dead body with a horrified expression. I figure this guy got killed by the Basilisk, and with little else to do I took his water canteen and continued. Past that I came the tent of the nomad merchant Abjul, who I'd met in my first attempt at the book; I'd finally reached the point where the paths converged. With a full coin purse, I bought everything Abjul had to offer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I needn't have bothered, because the next encounter was with the Giant Sandworm. With Skill 10 and Stamina 20, it made very short work of me. I didn't even get a single hit in.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE POST-GAME</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once again I didn't make it far, but I did manage to fully explore the overland path. Having done so, I think I'm going to ignore it from now on. First off, it doesn't get around the Giant Sandworm; that one seems to be unavoidable. Secondly, it has two very deadly battles in addition to the Sandworm: the Sand Snapper and the Giant Eagle/Pterodactyl aerial duel. Finally, it only has two items to pick up (the bow and the mirror), and both of them are already useful by the time the Sandworm is reached: if I know my Ian Livingstone design sensibilities, they won't be used at all later in the book. From now on, I'm going to persist with the Port Blacksand path, until such time as it is proven to be the wrong one.</div>Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-37666904158048639772020-09-07T19:40:00.000-07:002020-09-07T19:40:49.029-07:00Temple of Terror - Attempt 2I'm back for another round with <i>Temple of Terror</i>. Last time I got myself killed by a Giant Centipede very shortly after making it to the lost city of Vatos. Dying in battle is maybe the most annoying way to lose in Fighting Fantasy. If you lose because of a choice you made, or because you weren't carrying the right item, at least you gleaned some information from that. Don't open that chest. Don't eat that mushroom. Make sure you find that silver hammer. If you get killed in a fight, it's no help for future games, except to tell you that maybe you need to roll a better Skill next time. So, I'm going into this attempt without much in the way of guidance as to what I should and shouldn't do.<br />
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For this game, I rolled a Skill of 9, a Stamina of 19, and a Luck of 12. Not terrible stats, but I didn't fancy my chances in that unavoidable battle with the Giant Sandworm. There are two paths at the beginning of this book: you can either take a boat downriver to Port Blacksand, or you can journey to the desert on foot. I'm not sure where these two paths converge, so I decided this time - after choosing my spells from Yaztromo (Create Water, Read Symbols, Open Doors and Fire) - to travel overland in the hope that I wouldn't have to tackle the Sandworm this time.<br />
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After an hour of travel through scrubland, I spotted a plume of smoke rising to the east. I decided to investigate, and saw that the smoke was coming from a burning hut. Two Dark Elves in black hoods were shooting flaming arrows at the hut. When the owner of the hut was driven outside by the smoke, they shot him dead.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Paragraph 316 says I just burned down your<br />house and shot your ass full of arrow.</i></td></tr>
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Figuring that the Dark Elves might be servants of Malbordus, I attacked them with my sword. The first Elf (Skill 5, Stamina 6) got one blow in (reducing my Stamina to 17), but I managed to kill the second (Skill 6, Stamina 5) with ease. On their corpses I found 2 gold pieces (which brought my total to 27), as well as a bow and two arrows. I took time to bury their victim before moving on.<br />
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Further south I came to a patch of land that was completely blackened, with a smell of decay in the air. In the middle of this area was a bronze medallion etched with the letter M. Taking this for another sign of Malbordus' passing, I ignored the obvious danger and picked it up. Instantly my hand started to burn, and I dropped the medallion to the ground. Luckily I had not used my sword hand, but the medallion still left the letter M branded on my palm. (The hand I used was determined by a Luck test, which I passed (reducing my score to 11). The burn dropped my Stamina to 16.)<br />
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When night fell, I took shelter in a clump of boulders and went to sleep. During the night I was awakened by heavy footsteps, and attacked by a Cave Troll (Skill 8, Stamina 9). The fight went well for me initially, but the Troll responded viciously, and by the time I killed it I was close to death myself. (It dropped me all the way to 4 Stamina. At one point it won four consecutive combat rounds, so things got pretty hairy.)<br />
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In the morning I ate a meal (restoring my Stamina to 8, and leaving me with 9 provisions). Not long after I set off, I saw a bird-like creature swooping down at me, and heard a piercing shriek. I was being attacked by a Harpy, and I knew enough to stuff cloth into my ears to keep out its mesmerising call. (This was assumed by the book, not a decision I had to make.) With no Magic Arrow spell, I was forced to fight it with my sword. The Harpy (Skill 8, Stamina 5) proved to be an easy foe, and I emerged from the battle unscathed.<br />
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As I continued, a leather pouch dropped from the sky, containing a note from Yaztromo. He informed me that Malbordus was ahead of me, and that he had sent a Giant Eagle to speed me on my journey. I gratefully boarded the Eagle, who carried me south, but that gratefulness became shortlived when a screeching Pterodactyl swooped out of the sky. I shot it with an arrow (requiring a roll under my Skill on 2d6+3), but when I tried to shoot it again I dropped my bow. There was nothing I could do now but hold on as my Giant Eagle (Skill 6, Stamina 11) battled the Pterodactyl (Skill 7, Stamina 9). I had my doubts as to whether my Eagle was up to the task, but despite sustaining some wounds it managed to kill the Pterodactyl, and we were soon on our way again.<br />
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We flew over the Whitewater River, and at dusk we reached the edge of the Desert of Skulls. I camped for the night, but when I woke up I discovered that the Eagle had flown away. I would have to make the rest of the way on foot. After a short time in the desert sun I became parched, and had to use a Create Water spell to refresh myself. I also took the chance to eat a meal (restoring my Stamina to 12, and leaving me with 8 provisions).<br />
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Soon I walked past the bones of some huge creature, and noticed a box half-buried in the sand. I decided to open it, and found a mirror and a sealed clay pot. Curious, I cracked the pot open, and got a face-full of poison gas for my trouble (leaving me with 6 Stamina, and reducing my Skill to 8).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Is this the only skeleton in FF history that<br />doesn't spring to life and attack?</i></td></tr>
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That night I slept out in the open, and ate a meal in the morning.. By mid-morning I was getting thirsty again, but I found some water by cutting open a cactus. I ate another meal before pressing on. (These two meals restored my Stamina to 14, and left me with 6 provisions remaining.)<br />
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Suddenly my foot sank into the sand, and I felt a sharp pain. I stabbed my sword into the ground, and was shocked when a great beast emerged, like a crocodile with two grasping tentacles. It was a Sand Snapper, and I would have to sever both of its tentacles to survive. The first tentacle (Skill 7, Stamina 7) wounded me twice before I could cut it off. The second, though, managed to wrap itself around both of my arms, and I was helpless as it dragged me below the sand to my death.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A lesser author would have called this a<br />Croctopus. And by lesser author, I mean me.</i></td></tr>
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<b>THE POST-GAME</b><br />
I didn't actually lose all of my Stamina in that last fight. The Sand Snapper has a special ability whereby it gets an automatic kill if it wins two consecutive Attack Rounds, and that's how it did me in. I probably owe my death the the Skill penalty I copped when I breathed in the poison gas; I'll have to avoid that next time.<br />
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Unfortunately, that early death meant that I didn't get to find out where the two paths at the start of the book converge. I was hoping to check both out fully, so that I could assess which of them looked the most likely path to victory. I have stronger memories of the Port Blacksand path from playing this as a kid, so I suspect that's the one I need to take. At the moment, though, I have no idea, so I have to keep trying both.Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-28745731647022042652020-09-03T14:52:00.000-07:002020-09-07T19:41:00.603-07:00Temple of Terror - Attempt 1<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, uh, about that emotional farewell I gave at the end of my last post...</div>
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It seems I'm back. My circumstances haven't improved, but after a few weeks of not blogging I found that I missed it. It turns out that I'm mentally better off when I'm producing something, even if that production happens to be as insignificant as a blog about Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. So, for the moment, the blog continues, with Ian Livingstone's <i>Temple of Terror.</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cover by Christos Achilleos</i></td></tr>
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<i>The dark, twisted power of the young Malbordus is reaching its zenith. All he needs now is to retrieve the five dragon artefacts which have been hidden for centuries in the lost city of Vatos, somewhere in the Desert of Skulls. Each day that passes brings him closer to them and only YOU can stop him! YOUR mission is to reach the lost city before Malbordus and destroy the treasures he seeks. But beware! Each step you take leads you closer to your doom...</i></div>
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<i>Temple of Terror </i>really is the end of an era for Fighting Fantasy, as pretty much the tail end of Ian Livingstone's run as the series' main author. Of the books before this, Ian wrote or co-wrote seven. Of the 45 books that follow in the original series, he writes four. Opening the series up to different writers gives it more scope and variety, and was the only way it was ever going to have any kind of longevity. But for me, regardless of the many gameplay issues his books have, Ian Livingstone's books are the core of Fighting Fantasy, and the series loses a lot without his regular contribution.</div>
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(That said, I had no sense of this back in the day, because I thought Ian and Steve wrote all of them. After all, their names were right there on the covers. I was even convinced that they drew the pictures themselves, never mind the wildly differing art styles. Some kids are dumb, and I was one of them.)</div>
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The background of this book begins with Malbordus, a child abandoned by his mother in Darkwood Forest and raised by evil elves. As Malbordus grew it became apparent that he was gifted in the ways of dark magic, but he had to pass one final test before the elves would teach him their secrets: find five dragon statues in the lost city of Vatos, and bring them to life to lead an army in the conquest of Allansia.</div>
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The wizard Yaztromo got wind of this plot, and hurried to Stonebridge to find a hero to go to Vatos to stop Malbordus. Yaztromo, introduced in <i>Forest of Doom</i> as little more than a means by which the player could buy magic items, comes into his own here as the most important good wizard in Allansia. He'll fill that role in most of Ian's books going forward, and while he's pretty much a Gandalf knock-off, well... every generic fantasy setting needs a good Gandalf knock-off. It comes with the territory.</div>
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Yaztromo finds the hero of the book resting in Stonebridge after a recent adventure, and while it's not outright stated that this is a sequel to <i>Forest of Doom</i>, it's pretty heavily implied. The hero is tasked with travelling to Vatos, and destroying the dragon artefacts before Malbordus can get his hands on them. We're back in familiar territory here, with a classic hero-vs.-evil-wizard plot.</div>
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We're in familiar territory as far as the rules go, as well, because <i>Temple of Terror</i> doesn't add anything new to the basic FF ruleset. Creating my character, I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 18, and a Luck of 9. For equipment, I had a sword, leather armour, a backpack, a lantern, and 10 provisions. Yaztromo also gave me a pouch containing 25 gold pieces (which may very well be the same gold pieces I used to buy stuff from him back in <i>Forest of Doom</i>).</div>
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Before sending me off on my quest, Yaztromo took me to his tower to teach me some magic. He had ten spells to choose from, but only had time to teach me four. (This is a little ridiculous, honestly. Pretty much all fantasy fiction treats magic like it's something that takes years of painstaking study to master, but here Yaztromo can teach someone a few spells in what feels like at most a matter of hours. At least in <i>Scorpion Swamp</i> Fake Steve Jackson had the decency to explain this with one-use spell gems when he wanted to pull the same trick.)</div>
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The ten spells are Open Door, Creature Sleep, Magic Arrow, Language, Read Symbols, Light, Fire, Jump, Detect Trap and Create Water. For my four, I chose Open Door, Read Symbols, Detect Trap and Create Water. That last one seemed especially vital, given that I was heading into the desert. For the others, I opted mostly for spells that would allow me to detect and avoid danger. Or, in the case of Open Door, avoid losing because I failed to find a key somewhere. I know your tricks, Ian.</div>
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There's no specific limit on the number of times a spell can be cast, but each casting drains a small amount of Stamina. The only spell of the four I chose with no Stamina cost is Create Water.</div>
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Led by Yaztromo's pet crow, I headed south until I reached Catfish River, where an old barge crewed by unsavoury characters was moored. There was also a rope bridge across the river, but rather than take it I decided to approach the barge crew and book passage to Port Blacksand. (Allansia has really come together as a setting by this point. Pretty much the entire opening of this adventure is made up of elements that were established in earlier books.)</div>
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The captain told me it would be 5 gold pieces for passage, and I decided to pay it rather than haggle with him. I spent the whole journey asleep on a coil of rope, and before long I disembarked in the infamous "city of thieves". (The hero of this book must be young man, because I'm pretty sure that if I slept on a coil of rope I wouldn't be getting up again for at least a few days.)</div>
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As night approached I started looking for a place to stay. An old man in tattered clothes jumped out of a doorway in front of me, and told me that for 1 gold piece he could lead me to a place that offered a room, soup and bread. Impressed by this man's obvious integrity, I was 100% convinced that his offer was genuine, so I gave him the gold and followed him to a dilapidated house. As soon as he knocked on the door, two club-wielding things burst out and attacked me. I'd been set up in a manner so subtle that I had not even the slightest inkling that it was ever going to happen.</div>
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The Robbers (Skill 8, Stamina 7 and Skill 7, Stamina 7) attacked one at a time, and the first one landed some strong hits early, but once I recovered from the shock I made short work of them. (I was hit twice during the battle, reducing my Stamina to 14.) The old man had run off with my gold piece, but a search of the robbers' pockets turned up a brass telescope and 3 silver buttons.</div>
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Continuing down Clog Street and into Harbour Street, I soon found the Black Lobster Tavern. I paid a gold piece for a room for the night, and another for an introduction to a ship captain who could take me down the coast. Gargo was the captain of the <i>Belladonna</i>, and the price of passage was 10 gold pieces. He didn't seem like the sort of man to haggle with, so I paid his price before retiring to my room. Along the way a clumsy patron spilled some ale on me, and I made amends by buying him another round. This cost me another gold piece, and I started to wonder how long my funds would last. (Buying these drinks reduced my Luck to 8, and left me with just 6 gold.)</div>
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The next morning I boarded the <i>Belladonna,</i> which I was surprised to discover was a pirate ship (because <i>Belladonna</i> sounds like the name of a respectable trade vessel, sure). Due to crew shortages, I was told that my job would be to man the cannons, and it wasn't long before my services were required. A ship was sighted off the starboard bow, a man-of-war that opened fire on us. The <i>Belladonna</i> was no match for a warship, and after a brief skirmish it started to sink. I managed to get safely to the deck before the ship sank (with a successful Skill check), and decided to float away on a piece of masthead rather than trust to the mercies of the enemy crew.</div>
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For two days I drifted on the sea, growing weaker and weaker. (I had to roll two dice, and subtract the total from my Stamina. I rolled a 10, which reduced my Stamina to a worrying 4.) On the third day, I was washed up on a sandy beach, with desert stretching to the horizon. I still had my backpack and belongings, but water had seeped into my provisions, ruining three of them. Luckily (due to a Luck test that reduced my score to 7), I had washed up near a grove of palm trees, and was able to replenish some of my strength by eating some coconuts. I ate one of my provisions as well, to get back as much strength as I could for the journey ahead. (This restored my Stamina to 11. The loss of provisions was determined by a die roll, for which I scored a 3. It also caused me to lose a point of Luck, leaving my score at 6.)</div>
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I decided to walk south along the coast for a while rather than head inland. Soon I came to a strange pattern made out of seashells, with a feathered spear thrust into the ground at the centre. I cast a Read Symbols spell (reducing my Stamina to 10), which revealed that the beach ahead was sacred, and that walking on it would anger the "demon of the beach". I decided not to risk it, and headed inland.</div>
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Not long after I heard a buzzing sound overhead, and was attacked by a trio of giant Needle Flies. With no spell that could harm them, I was forced to fight them with my sword. The Needle Flies (Skill 5 Stamina 6, Skill 6 Stamina 7, and Skill 7, Stamina 6) were weak, and attacked me one at a time; only the last one managed to wound me (reducing my Stamina to 8).</div>
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Following my battle with the Needle Flies, I stumbled over a dead man lying face down in the sand. In his hand was a pouch, which contained a small golden key. I pocketed it before moving on.</div>
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As the day wore on, I saw a rider on a camel approaching through the heat haze. I decided to approach rather than hide, and he offered to trade me a canister of water for some treasure. I gave him one of my silver buttons, and gladly took his water.</div>
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After departing from the rider I was caught in a sudden sandstorm (which reduced my Stamina to 6). When the storm subsided, I found a brass handbell half-buried in the sand (due to a successful Luck test that reduced my score to 5).</div>
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I continued on, slaking my thirst with water from my canister. Half an hour later I came across the tent of a desert nomad, and decided to enter. The nomad, whose name was Abjul, was a merchant. After providing me with a meal (that restored my Stamina to 10), he showed me the wares he had for sale. None of the items seemed all that practical, but I bought a crystal key and a brass flute (this left me with 1 gold piece). Abjul told me that he thought Vatos was to the south. I thanked him, and continued on.</div>
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Soon after, a tremor in the ground warned me of danger, just before an enormous Sandworm broke the surface. I had no choice but to fight the Sandworm (Skill 10, Stamina 20), and it was a long, drawn out affair. I eventually killed the great beast, but it was a close call (I was left with just 4 Stamina). I took one of the Sandworm's teeth with me, and ate a provision (restoring my Stamina to 8) before moving on. (This is the sort of thing I hate most in Ian's books: an unavoidable fight with a really strong enemy. The Skill here isn't super-high, but that Stamina is ridiculous, and guarantees that the fight is going to take ages. And let's be honest, the FF combat system isn't interesting enough to justify long, drawn out battles.)</div>
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After a cold night which sapped my strength, I woke up in the morning and ate another provision. (The cold dropped my Stamina to 5, and the food brought it back up to 9). I passed by an oasis with birds circling above, but decided not to risk drinking from it, as I already had some water (as well as my Create Water spell if I needed it). I instead decided to investigate a pile of rocks nearby, which turned out to be a bad idea, as I was stung on the hand by a scorpion (reducing my Stamina to 5). After crushing it with my boot, I found a sack beneath the rocks. Inside was a glass orb, in which a Sprite was trapped. I broke the sphere and released him, and in gratitude he blessed me with good luck (restoring my Luck score to 6). He also informed me that I could use the sack as a headscarf to protect me from the sun, and I gave him my thanks before he left.</div>
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Soon I finished the rest of my water, and managed to avoid heatstroke due to the sack I was wearing on my head. (I do wonder how the Stamina loss from the heatstroke compares to that from being stung by the scorpion.) Eventually, through the desert haze, I saw the ruins of a walled city in the distance. Finally, I had reached the lost city of Vatos. I ate one of my provisions before approaching (restoring my Stamina to 9, and leaving me with just 3 provisions remaining).</div>
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The entrance gate was closed, but there was a smaller wooden door nearby. I opened it with my Open Door spell (reducing my Stamina to 7). On the other side was an open square, with an archway on the other side. I entered the archway, and descended some stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was an iron casket, which I opened. Inside was an iron helmet. It seemed suspicious that a helm would be sitting here in the open without being looted, but this was a <i>lost city</i> after all, and presumably uninhabited. I put the helmet on my head, and was pleased at the fit (and the +1 Skill bonus).</div>
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As I continued down the corridor, I was started by a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw a horrid, gaunt figure, with thick slime oozing from its eyes and mouth. It whispered one word to me - "Death!" - before it disappeared. This was a Messenger of Death, who had been sent by Malbordus to assassinate me. The Messenger delighted in playing games with its victims, and had hidden letters of the word "death" in my path. If I found all the letters, the Messenger would appear and drain my life. (I've always loved this encounter, but it's a terribly inefficient method of assassinating someone. Malbordus would have been better off sending ten blokes with knives.)</div>
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The corridor ended at a T-junction, with some drapes hanging on the wall ahead. I was wary of uncovering any death letters, but also determined to find the dragon statues, so I drew back the curtain. It concealed a door, which I opened. The door led into a bare stone room, with a bucket hanging from the ceiling. I was alerted by a skittering, just before a Giant Centipede appeared and attacked.</div>
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I was unable to escape, and the Centipede (Skill 9, Stamina 7) proved to be a formidable foe. So formidable, in fact, that it killed me, and my adventure ended in its crushing mandibles.</div>
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<b>THE POST-GAME</b></div>
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After losing 10 Stamina while drifting at sea, I felt like I was in a constant struggle to maintain my Stamina. I also got low on Provisions, and got a little conservative with them. Even so, I should have beaten the Centipede, as its Skill was two points lower than mine. The odds were in my favour, but the dice weren't, unfortunately. Next time I need to try to make it to Vatos without losing so much Stamina.</div>
Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-19347084574615249852020-08-09T02:45:00.002-07:002020-09-07T19:41:20.013-07:00The Dark Usurper - Attempt 2 & 3Hi all, I'm back from enforced lockdown with another post on "The Dark Usurper," the serialised Fighting Fantasy adventure from <i>White Dwarf</i> magazine.<br />
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For this attempt, I rolled a Skill of 7, a Stamina of 17, and a Luck of 10. Not great stats, but most of the enemies I fought in my first go-around had Skills ranging from 3 to 5, to I'm not all that worried about it.<br />
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<b>ATTEMPT 2</b><br />
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As you might recall, the adventure begins with the hero, Corwin Calbraith, imprisoned in a tower while an evil brigand (who you might describe as a "dark usurper") lords it over the surrounding lands of Skeln. Last time I escaped by knotting my bedsheets and swinging out the window; this time I decided to try prising up the floorboards. Surprisingly this worked, and I was able to create a hole and drop through to the stairwell below. Skeln really skimped on flooring when it built this castle, but it's paid off in the long run.<br />
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After killing some goblins I escaped into the courtyard. In the last game I ignored the armoury, figuring that it would be more likely to be guarded. This time I checked it out, and it turned out to be a good move: I found a loyal subject there who told me all about how the evil Barnak took control of Skeln (the second part of the adventure assumes you have this knowledge regardless of whether you learn it). He then led me through some tunnels outside of the castle, to a small chamber where my father's sword Stroma was hidden. I took the sword and climbed up into the forest, bidding my servant farewell.<br />
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After summoning my horse Aryll with a whistle, I rode off into the forest and slept the night (ending the first part of the adventure). In the morning Aryll was gone. Heading deeper into the forest, I met a pair of pumas, who led me to a clearing where an old man was being menaced by goblins. I saved the old man, who was really the wizard Asmund, and he took me back to his cave, where he outfitted me with some rad clothes and told me about a prophecy saying that I would save the country. (I gave this more detail in the previous post, but this sequence is very linear so I'm not going to go over it again.)<br />
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I left the old man and made my way to the village of Kari, where I met up with Jorkell, the captain of the local guards. We overthrew the local goblin garrison, and went out to scout the countryside. On our way back, we were forced to battle a small army of 200 goblins that outnumbered us four-to-one.<br />
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I decided to split my force, and attack the goblins from both sides. I mentioned in my last post that I had some trouble deciphering the rules for mass combat; as written it seemed as though it was impossible for my army to lose. It says to roll two dice for every 5 men you have, and on a roll of 1 or 2 you lose that many. Then you multiply the result by the other die, and those are your casualties. I'd been applying enemy casualties for every roll, but I on a second reading I think I'm only meant to do so when I roll a 1 or 2. It certainly works out a lot closer when doing it that way, although it does draw the battles out a lot. It was all a bit of a moot point anyway, because every round you have to roll for yourself and Jorkell as well, and I managed to get myself killed by rolling a 1.<br />
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<b>ATTEMPT 3</b><br />
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That was a quick go, so I decided to have another crack. For my third attempt, I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 21, and a Luck of 9.<br />
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At the beginning there was one escape option I'd yet to try: attacking the guard when he brought my food. As soon as he entered the room I kicked his sword away, then killed him with my bare hands. After that it was a simple matter to escape the castle by going to the armoury and having my servant lead me outside.<br />
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I met the wizard Asmund, made my way to Kari to join forces with Jorkell, went out scouting, and beat the goblin army by charging right up their middle (which seems to be the best of the options for fighting them).<br />
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At the beginning of part 3, I was holed up with Jorkell and an army of 600 in Kari, awaiting the arrival of Barnell's forces. Rather than sally forth to meet them, I decided to stay in Kari and make use of our defensive position.<br />
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The attack soon came, and the fighting seemed to be heaviest at the east wall. I sent 100 men (the maximum possible) to reinforce, and we drove them back. I decided then to seize the initiative and counter-attack, inflicting great losses on the enemy.(I had to roll 2d6x10 for my own casualties, and 4d6x20 for theirs.) Having lost more men than me, the enemy fled in rout, and I sent my men in pursuit to cut them down.<br />
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With the main enemy force in retreat, I decided to go and meet Berwin, an ally with an army who I'm not sure has been mentioned prior to this moment. My forward scouts spotted a group of 40 goblins, and we rode them down and slaughtered them. Soon we met with Berwin and joined our armies before heading for Barnak's castle.<br />
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At the castle, I had three options: a frontal assault, a lengthy siege, or entry by subterfuge. The third options seemed like the one to involve the least casualties, so I took ten volunteers with me through the servants' tunnels (the same ones by which I had escaped). We reached the tunnels without being spotted (due to a successful Luck test).<br />
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Once inside the castle, I had the option of freeing Asmund, freeing Evald (the regent who let Barnak take over), or finding Barnak right away. I figured that Evald would be useless, and besides that I had no idea if he was even alive. I'd have liked to find Asmund, as a powerful wizard is always handy, but I had no idea where he might be. Rather than waste time taking a guard prisoner, I decided to be done with the whole thing and go kill Barnak.<br />
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I found him in the throne room surrounded by thirty guards. At that moment the sounds of battle grew louder: Jorkell was leading an assault on the castle. Half of Barnak's guards left, but I decided to be patient. While I was waiting, I spotted Asmund in a cage, and near him was a gem on a statue by the door. I decided to take the gem from the statue and fit it in the pommel of my father's sword. (This required an "ideas roll", a simple 50/50 shot in 1d6. The sword previously had a magic gem in it, which I had given to Asmund in part 2. Where this gem in the statue came from is anyone's guess, unless it's the same one. Even then, there's no explanation for why it's been placed on a statue.)<br />
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With my father's sword pulsing with power, I turned to face Barnak. He was a formidable opponent (Skill 9, Stamina 10, which is practically god-like by the standards of this book), but I hacked him to death with ease. (I was already at Skill 11, and the gem in the sword boosted that to 14.) Barnak was dead!<br />
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I freed Asmund, and went to find Evald, but I was too late: he'd already been murdered in his cell. Emerging into the courtyard, I saw that my forces were still locked in battle with those of Barnak. I shouted out that Barnak had been killed, and the leaderless enemy surrendered. Tired of the slaughter, I ordered them rounded up and exiled from Skeln. It was time to assume the reins of leadership, and I became Duke of Skeln, with Jorkell and Berwin as my generals and Asmund as my chief advisor.<br />
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<b>THE POST-GAME</b><br />
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Well, I'm glad that was quick. It's all rather linear, and most of the choices don't really matter, dying in mass combat is pretty much the only way to lose unless you do something really stupid or ignore the advice of Asmund.<br />
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For reasons I'll elaborate further on below, I'm going to wrap this one up quickly and give it a S.T.A.M.I.N.A. Rating now.<br />
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<b>S.T.A.M.I.N.A Rating:</b><br />
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<b>Story & Setting:</b> Not being set on Titan, this adventure has something of a unique flavour for FF. It's very clearly inspired by the Crusades, and it has a real-world English/Celtic vibe. I think some bits of magic and a few goblins and trolls are the only fantasy elements in here. The story isn't one that FF has seen before, but it's somewhat cliched nevertheless. It's also marred by some continuity glitches, as well as a whole load of things that never really pay off. The authors go out of their way to give you awesome gear, some magic, and a pair of pumas that follow you around, then basically ignores them all. Not to mention the prophecy, which is just there for no reason. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b><br />
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<b>Toughness:</b> As I mentioned above, the adventure really goes out of its way to funnel you into the right direction, as all of your choices generally lead to the same result. It's also very difficult to lose, unless you roll badly during mass combat. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b><br />
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<b>Aesthetics:</b> Being split across three issues of <i>White Dwarf</i> don't help it here, but it does have some rather nice illustrations from Bill Houston, who also illustrated <i>Temple of Terror</i>. Of particular note is the painting in part two by Alan Hunter, which enhances the adventure's Celtic vibe. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b><br />
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<b>Mechanics:</b> Mechanically this might be one of the worst gamebooks I've ever read. There are options that point to the wrong number. There's an entire paragraph missing from part 1 (luckily not one that's necessary to winning). Continuity glitches are rife, especially surrounding your horse in the first part, something made especially egregious when your horse ditches you at the start of part 2. It's a mess really, and that's before you factor in the ambiguous rules for mass combat. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b><br />
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<b>Innovation & Influence:</b> The setting and story for this are somewhat novel for an FF, and I have to give it some props for its focus on mass combat. The rules are a little difficult to interpret, but the choices outside of that system are fairly well done. <b>Rating: 3 out of 7.</b><br />
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<b>NPCs & Monsters:</b> In terms of monsters this adventure is thin on the ground, with only goblins and trolls. It has a few NPCs, but none of them rise above the level of cliche, and Barnak is a paper-thin villain. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b><br />
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<b>Amusement:</b> I can't say I loved it, but I can say that it was short. <b>Rating: 2 out of 7.</b><br />
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With no arbitrary bonus point, the above scores add up to 16; doubled that gives it a <b>S.T.A.M.I.N.A. Rating of 32.</b> That places it dead last, a full 4 points below such luminaries as "The Dervish Stone" and the preview version of <i>Caverns of the Snow Witch</i>.<br />
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<b>NEXT:</b> Well, I'm sorry to say that there may not be a next. I'm currently at the beginning of six weeks of enforced lockdown, separated from my family through no choice of my own, and I'm pretty much reevaluating my entire life at this point. You might have noticed that I sort of half-arsed this post; blogging's not really on my mind right now. So, I'm taking a break. Will I be back? Honestly, I have no idea. I enjoy blogging about various things, but it really has been taking up way too much of my time. So I might be back, at some nebulous time in the future (possibly with a format change that sucks up less of my time). Or this might be my final farewell, in which case, I say thanks to everyone who dropped comments over the years, especially such regulars as Ross Nolan, Ed Jolley, the mysterious Unknown, Mike, and my Best Internet Friend Tim Byrne (aka Aussiesmurf). You guys made all the effort worth it. I'll still be on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/NPMahney" target="_blank">@NPMahney</a>) if anyone wants to keep in touch, or hassle me into bringing this blog back to life.Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484260988441214366.post-49684945503987720652020-07-11T02:23:00.001-07:002020-09-07T19:41:38.567-07:00The Dark Usurper - Attempt 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyJ876t0w5mwR8U1IBN4jx3SogahKhKWfjLy9ROeciMdkQNgki1_n_2KLXBFZG0xLnoMnQo8RO9D6v5sjMeYyPYzcpax03_-i8Ss3TKjJKrLqrpfjDKmsf2wBWL3Eq5FOH3mrwWrTFrx8/s1600/DarkUsurperCovers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1600" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyJ876t0w5mwR8U1IBN4jx3SogahKhKWfjLy9ROeciMdkQNgki1_n_2KLXBFZG0xLnoMnQo8RO9D6v5sjMeYyPYzcpax03_-i8Ss3TKjJKrLqrpfjDKmsf2wBWL3Eq5FOH3mrwWrTFrx8/s400/DarkUsurperCovers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today's Fighting Fantasy installment is somewhat unusual, in that it was not part of the main series of books, not a spin-off book, and not a part of <i>Warlock </i>magazine; "The Dark Usurper" was serialised over three issues of <i>White Dwarf</i>. At the time <i>White Dwarf</i> was probably the premier gaming magazine in the UK, so I can see the logic here in trying to introduce FF to gamers who might not yet be on board with the series.</div>
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"The Dark Usurper" was written by Jon Sutherland and Gareth Hill. I can't find anything that Hill worked on aside from this, but Sutherland wrote a bunch of gamebooks, and is a name I recognise from 80s gaming. (Although now that I'm googling him, not as much stuff is coming up as I'd expected. Now I'm wondering why his name is recognisable to me, because I haven't read any of the gamebooks he wrote, and there's not much else to be found.)</div>
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This adventure seems to be pretty divorced from the world of Titan, and is unusual in FF canon in that you play a specific character, Corwin Calbraith, son of the Duke of Skeln. For years Corwin has been away fighting the heathens in a crusade, an ill-fated venture that ended with the king wounded and his coffers empty. Corwin left his lands under the rule of his trusted friend Evald Senskell, but when he returned the lands were under the rule of a new duke, and the people were sullen and strangely silent. Corwin rushed to his castle, only to be captured by grey-skinned creatures and imprisoned at the top of the highest tower.</div>
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That's where the adventure begins. The rules aren't provided at all, the reader is simply told that they must have access to a Fighting Fantasy gamebook. That's one way to drive sales, I guess. As far as I can tell, this adventure just uses the most basic of FF rules. You don't start with any gear, so all that's required is to roll for Skill, Stamina and Luck. For my first attempt, I rolled a Skill of 11, a Stamina of 22, and a Luck of 8. Are those stats good enough to make it through? I have absolutely no idea. This is the first time I've laid eyes on this adventure, so I'm completely in the dark.</div>
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<b>ATTEMPT 1</b></div>
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I lay in my cell after three months of captivity, pondering my options of escape; three months was a lot of time for pondering, and I had come up with three ingenious plans. I could either overpower the guard on his next visit, tie my bedding into a rope and climb out the window, or start prising up the floorboards. Of those options, I decided that going out the window would be my best bet.</div>
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After knotting up the bedding, I figured that my makeshift rope would reach about 20 feet below my window; not enough to reach the ground, but perhaps enough to make it to a window below. I decided to risk it, and soon I was dangling precariously at the end, with a window about six feet to my left. I swing over, and scrambled in through the window onto a staircase. (This required a Luck test, which I succeeded at; I got a Luck bonus straight afterwards, so my total remained at its maximum of 8).</div>
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Heading down the stairs, I came to an open door. In the room beyond were three hideous humanoids, noisily playing cards.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Despite the illustration, I don't have a sword here</i></td></tr>
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I decided to sneak past (requiring a Luck test that I passed, reducing my score to 7), and in their semi-drunken state they didn't notice me. I escaped from the prison tower out into a courtyard.</div>
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I had three options: the main gate, the armoury, or the stables. I figured that the armoury would probably be guarded, so instead I opted to go to the stables to find Aryl, my loyal steed. I entered carefully, and managed not to startle the horses. Aryl was there, and I led him back to the courtyard. It was tempting to go to the armoury to find a weapon, but instead I mounted my horse and rode for the gate.</div>
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Two large trolls were guarding the gate, and they heard my approach (as I failed a Luck test, that reduced my score to 6). My horse knocked one of the trolls aside (after I rolled an odd number on one die), but I spurred Aryl onwards, and soon I was across the drawbridge and at the top of a nearby hill.</div>
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At the top of the hill, I saw a light flickering to my left, and dismounted to investigate. The light led me to a trapdoor, which I opened, Easing myself into the chamber below, I saw a chest covered with on old rug. Inside the chest was a bundle containing a sword: it was Stroma, the sword of my father, its balance still perfect. I strapped it to my belt and climbed back to the top of the hill.</div>
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(At this point the continuity gets really screwy, as my character decides to summon his horse with a whistle, and Aryl thunders out of the castle. Never mind that I just rode him out of the castle a couple of entries ago, here he is escaping all over again. I've read loads of gamebooks, and I don't know that I've ever encountered a blunder as big as this one.)</div>
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I had the option of riding to the road and the nearest village, but I figured that it would be best to keep out of sight, and headed for the woods. Deep in the woods, and safe for a time, I settled down to sleep</div>
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(This is where part one ends, and part two begins. The introduction to part two says that my friend Evald Senskell was tricked and imprisoned by Barnak, the titular Dark Usurper, which is news to me. None of that was mentioned in the previous introduction, and I didn't learn anything of the sort during the adventure.)</div>
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I awoke in the morning to find that my supposedly loyal steed had disappeared in the night. (So that whole continuity break was completely pointless!) I headed deeper into the forest, and soon enough I was pretty sure that I had become lost. (At this point I had to make a Luck test, which I failed; my score was reduced to 5.) I heard a scream to the north, and rushed off to investigate.</div>
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I soon came to a clearing, where three goblins were poking a bound man with their spears. Without hesitation I drew my father's sword and charged at them, catching them unawares. One of them wounded me, but even with three-to-one odds I made short work of the goblins. (The goblins were Skill 5 Stamina 4, Skill 4 Stamina 5, and Skill 5 Stamina 3. There was no guidance as to how they should be fought, so I had them all fight me simultaneously just to make things a bit more difficult. At the end of the fight my Stamina was 20.)</div>
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I cut the old man free. He applied some herbs to his wounds, and gave a high-pitched whistle. Two pumas emerged from the forest, and bounded to his side. He introduced himself as Asmund, and told me that he knew a great deal about the problems that I faced. He offered to take me to his home, and I graciously accepted.</div>
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Soon we reached a small clearing with a wooden house, and went inside. There we drank cider, and Asmund offered to teach me some of his skills in exchange for the green gem in the pommel of my father's sword. Reluctantly I handed it over, and he attached it to the end of his staff. Seeming somehow stronger and more bold, he told me to sleep, and said that we would begin on the morrow.</div>
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In the morning I awoke to find that the old man had provided me with new gear: a surcoat, a red cloak, a wolfskin stole, a hunting lance, and a shield emblazoned with the mask of death. I dressed myself like a total badass, and went outside to take Asmund's test.</div>
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The air was full of shimmering lights, and Asmund told me to take them from the air. Rather than snatch at them, I held out my hand and concentrated; the lights gathered in my palm. I had earned the gift of Asmund's Floating Spheres, and was told that to use them I should cast them at a foe and stand well back. I was given enough for two such attacks. (No indication was given as to what these attacks do, so I assume that at some point they'll be given as options in the text.)</div>
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Asmund told me that I should head for the village to the north and seek out Jorkell, who would help me to defeat the usurper Barnak. He gave me some fragments of his own gem, and also the companionship of his two pumas. Then he recited a prophecy at me:</div>
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<i>When the fair-headed man comes forth,</i></div>
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<i>His garments red as blood,</i></div>
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<i>His devices strange and wild cats for kin,</i></div>
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<i>Smite shall he the beast, and we shall be free.</i></div>
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I bid farewell to Asmund and went on my way, with his pumas loping at my side.</div>
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I headed due north, and soon came to the village of Kari. After camping for the night, I headed toward the village. The gate was manned by four guards, so I decided to scout around the outside of the village walls. A lone sentry stood by a watchtower overlooking the area. I tried to sneak up behind him, but (due to a failed Luck test that left my score at 4) he turned and saw me. The Sentry (Skill 5, Stamina 5) was no match for me though, and I killed him easily.</div>
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There were no other entrances into Kari, and the walls were too high to climb, so I resigned myself to going in through the main gate. The gate guards stood dumbfounded as I walked past with my pumas and my rad skull shield. The crowd burst into cheers at my appearance, and surged towards me. I gave a rousing speech, then went to find Jorkell, the garrison commander of Kari, who was at the barracks. I handed Jorkell the fragment of Asmund's gem, and he placed the stone in a circular metal device, where it started to glow. (I have no idea what this is about, but Jorkell states afterwards that Barnak's sorcery is gone, so I guess it has something to do with that. This is the first I'm hearing of Barnak being a sorcerer though.)</div>
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Together we went inside the barracks, where some frightened goblins were ready to defend themselves. I showed them no mercy, and the goblins were put to the sword. Jorkell waved a severed head about, and seemed entirely too into the whole thing. He was starting to grow on me.</div>
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Jorkell offered to show me the extent of Barnak's control, and asked if I wanted to ride west or approach the castle. I decided to check the situation to the west, and rode out with a force of 50 men. Scouts soon reported that there were 200 creatures on the road ahead, so I decided to turn aside and head for the castle. Upon seeing the castle, it was apparent that I'd need far more men to take it.</div>
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Before heading back to Kari, I decided to check out the village of Skelah. It was deserted, as Barnak had taken the people as slaves. While I was in Skelah, I got news that the enemy had cut off our lines of retreat to Kari. If we were going to return there, we would have to fight through an army of 200 goblins.</div>
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Outnumbered four-to-one, I decided that a quick frontal attack would be the best option. We hurtled towards the goblins in two columns, crashing into them and sending them into disarray.</div>
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(At this point the battle is resolved with mass combat rules that I'm not sure I understand. I'll quote them in full. "There are two hundred of them, for every five troopers throw two dice: for each 1 or 2 thrown you lose 1 man, then multiply the two dice scores by each other and that is how many goblins are killed; do the same thing for you and Jorkell, a 1 only means death." So I throw two dice for every five troopers, but am I counting the goblins or my own troops? If it's the goblins I'm rolling 80 dice, if it's my own troops I'm rolling 20. Either way it doesn't matter, because the way it's set up there are always loads more goblins dying than humans. I mean, for every two dice rolled 1 or 2 men can die, and 1 to 36 goblins; I'm not sure it's possible to fail. I reduced the goblins down to 98, and only lost 2 men, which really doesn't seem right. I'm really not sure if it's a bad system, or if I've just interpreted it incorrectly.)</div>
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The goblins surrendered, and we rounded them up and led them back to Kari for interrogation. I decided to head back into the forest to seek advice from Asmund, but his place was deserted. I searched around for him, but soon came to the conclusion that he'd been captured by Barnak. Returning to Kari, I reported the situation to Jorkell, and together we made our plans to defeat the usurper Barnak.</div>
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(Part two ended here, and part three began.)</div>
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We prepared our defenses as men flocked to my banner; I had 600 able-bodied fighters at my disposal. At mid-morning, I was told that the enemy approached. I decided that we should remain in the village and prepare for the attack. Watching from the tower, I estimated that Barnak was attacking with around 2,000 men. I placed 400 men on the walls, and held back 200 in reserve.</div>
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The enemy surrounded the walls, but their heaviest attacks came on the east side. I erred on the side of caution, and reinforced them with 50 men. The enemy swept my forces from the walls, and I threw the rest of my reserves into the fray rather than retreat to the citadel. Our losses were greater, and the enemy poured through the gaps in our defense. (I had to roll 2d6x10 for my own losses, and 3d6x10 for theirs. The dice were unkind.)</div>
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I called the retreat to the citadel, and there with 400 men we made our last stand. (At this point I had to make a Luck test, but with a score of 4 I had little hope of success.) I urged my men to fight, but despair set in, and they started throwing down their weapons. I kept fighting (prompting another Luck test that I failed, because my score was now 3), but the enemy forces were too much, and we were overwhelmed and slaughtered. My adventure was over!</div>
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<b>THE POST-GAME</b></div>
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I'm not sure if I got done in by bad decisions at the end there, or a bad Luck score. If it's the latter, then the adventure has some real design problems, unless there are ways to restore Luck that I've missed. (I mean, it has some design problems anyway: that continuity error with the horse is pretty bad, and the mass combat rules don't make much sense.) I'm tempted to give myself a potion of fortune and ten provisions at the beginning; it doesn't make sense in-story, but it's technically within the rules of vanilla Fighting Fantasy. I'll hold off on that for now, and see if the adventure is legitimately winnable first.</div>
Nathan P. Mahneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184246437497081701noreply@blogger.com2