[Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

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[Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

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Greetings, everybody. Hopefully everyone isn’t too bored with pirate content to check this ACE gamebook out. As with the previous ACE gamebook, this adventure presents the choice of playing as one of several characters. The details for that are listed later in this post. Anyone interested in joining this adventure is welcome. I will try to update this thread on a twice per day basis, although this frequency is not guaranteed due to my current workload, especially as we approach the Thanksgiving holidays.

Preface
NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! is a strange sort of a book. In fact, it is a portal to another world: a place lost in time and home to creatures long thought extinct; a place thought by many to exist only in legend; the mysterious island known as Neverland.

As well as the book itself, you will need two dice (or a standard pack of playing cards), a pencil and an eraser. Using these tools, and a simple set of game rules contained within the book, you will take on the role of the one of the protagonists of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and Wendy in a thrilling re-imagining of this classic children’s literature.

YOU decide which route to take, which perils to risk, and which of Neverland’s strange, prehistoric denizens to fight. Play as shipwreck survivor Wendy Darling, automaton avenger Peter Pan, heroic hunter Tiger Lily, or plundering pirate Captain James Hook himself. But be warned – whether you succeed in your quest or meet a dire end will be down to the choices YOU make.

Will you manage to escape from Neverland?
WELCOME TO NEVERLAND

“Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning.”

Introduction

The book you hold in your hands is a gateway to another world, the mysterious island known as Neverland. Once inside its pages, you will find yourself washed up upon a distant shore by stranger tides, to embark upon a thrilling new adventure.

For this is no ordinary book. Rather than reading it from cover to cover, you will discover that at the end of each narrative section you will be presented with a series of choices that allow you to control the course of the story.

In NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! you will be transformed into one of the characters from J. M. Barrie’s classic children’s story Peter Pan and Wendy, taking on the role of either shipwreck survivor Wendy Darling, automaton avenger Peter Pan, heroic hunter Tiger Lily, or even the dastardly plundering pirate Captain James Hook. You decide which path to take, which risks to brave, and even which of the strange inhabitants of Neverland you will meet along the way to engage in battle.

Success is by no means certain and you may well fail to complete the adventure at your first attempt. However, with experience, skill, and maybe even a little luck, each new attempt should bring you closer to your ultimate goal.

In addition to the book itself, you will need two six-sided dice, or a conventional pack of 52 playing cards, a pencil, an eraser, and a copy of the NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! Adventure Sheet (spare copies of which can be downloaded from www. snowbooks.com).
For the purposes of this thread, the NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! Adventure Sheet will be hand-made and periodically displayed.

“To live will be an awfully big adventure.”

Playing the Game

There are three ways to play through NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! The first is to use two conventional six-sided dice. The second is to use a conventional pack of 52 playing cards. The third is to ignore the rules altogether and just read the book, making choices as appropriate, but ignoring any combat or attribute tests, always assuming you win every battle and pass every skill test. (Even if you play the adventure this way, there is still no guarantee that you will complete it at your first attempt.)

If you are opting to play through NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! using the game rules, you first need to determine your strengths and weaknesses.
Two six-sided dice will be used to play though this adventure, unless a majority of posters requests otherwise.

Your Attributes

You have three attributes you will need to keep track of during the course of the adventure, using the Adventure Sheet. Some of these will change frequently, others less so, but it is important that you keep an accurate record of the current level for all of them.

     Agility – This is a measure of how athletic and agile you are. If you need to leap across a chasm or dodge a deadly projectile, this is the attribute that will be employed.

     Combat – This is a measure of how skilful you are at fighting, whether it be in hand-to-hand combat, or wielding a keen-edged blade in battle.

     Endurance – This is a measure of how physically tough you are and how much strength you have left. This attribute will vary more than any other during the course of your adventure.

Unlike some adventure gamebooks, in NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! your strengths and weaknesses are not determined randomly. Instead, they depend upon which role you choose to take on to play through the story.
Special Abilities

In addition to your three basic attributes, you also have certain special abilities that you can employ at critical moments during your journey through Neverland. These vary depending on which character you decide to play in the book but they are described here together for the sake of convenience.

     Beast Lore – You understand the habits and behaviours of the ancient beasts that dwell within Neverland, either having studied palaeontology or through first-hand experience.

     Earth Lore – You are aware of the tectonic forces that work deep beneath the Earth’s crust, threatening to tear the very ground apart, and that cause volcanoes to erupt.

     Flight – You are able to defy gravity and fly as free as a pterosaur.

     Hieroglyphs – You are able to decipher and interpret the meaning hidden within the hieroglyphic script carved into the age-worn ruins found throughout Neverland.

     Plant Lore – You are extremely knowledgeable about all manner of plants, knowing which can heal and which will harm, either thanks to having lived close to nature your whole life, or because you have made a specialist study of the science of botany.

     Sea Lore – You are aware of the movements of tides and ocean currents, as well as the warning signs that indicate a storm is brewing, and how these might affect a vessel at sea.

     Strength of Will – So driven are you to accomplish your aims you are a veritable force of nature, able to subdue weaker minds and lesser creatures by exerting the full force of your indomitable will.

     The Pen is Mightier – You are not native to Neverland, and, on occasion, to avoid coming to blows with an enemy, you may alter the narrative of the encounter, enabling yourself to escape unscathed.

     Tracking – You are able to read the tracks left by animals and people as they move about the island, from footprints left in mud to broken twigs and disturbed grazing sites.

     Wish Upon a Star – You are not native to Neverland, and so if you find yourself in a tight spot you can change the nature of the world around you.

When you are told to select a certain special ability, simply put a tick next to it (or circle the relevant number) on the Special Abilities table on your Adventure Sheet.

These very special abilities can only be used three times each during the course of the adventure, except for Flight, which can be used ten times. Each time you specifically call upon one of them, you must cross off a box on your Adventure Sheet next to the appropriate special ability.
“All children, except one, grow up.”

Your Character

On the following four pages you will find each of the four playable characters in NEVERLAND – Here Be Monsters! described in turn, along with their strengths and weaknesses. Read through these carefully before picking which character you want to play during the course of the adventure, as each one will affect the course of the narrative in quite different ways.

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Wendy Darling

Shipwreck Survivor, The Girl Who Lived

Eldest child of George and Mary Darling, Wendy was eighteen years old when she and the rest of her family – including her younger brothers John and Michael, and their pet dog Nana – boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton on 10th April 1912, for the passenger liner’s maiden voyage.

She is well-educated, well-mannered, and resourceful. While at finishing school in Switzerland, as well as learning the formal rules of etiquette and improving her French, she also learnt how to fence.
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Whenever you see a shipwreck icon beneath a section number, rather than read that section, subtract 10 from the number, turn to this new section immediately, and read that one instead.

AGILITY     9
COMBAT     8
ENDURANCE     18


Special Abilities – Wendy has the special abilities The Pen is Mightier and Wish Upon a Star. However, she may also choose an additional two from Beast Lore, Earth Lore and Plant Lore, giving her four special abilities in total.

Equipment – None.

Companion – Wendy is accompanied by her faithful Newfoundland Nana. If Wendy ever engages in battle, the dog will assist her. As long as Nana is with her, Wendy may reduce the Combat Rating of any opponent by 2 points, and if Wendy wins a Combat Round, roll one die (or pick a card); if the number rolled is even (or the card is black), she may double the damage she causes her opponent. However, please note that if Wendy becomes separated from Nana, these modifiers may no longer be applied.

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Peter Pan

Automaton Avenger, The Boy Who Never Grew Up

Peter remembers little of his life before arriving on the mysterious island his father referred to as ‘Terra Numquam’, and that some call Neverland. What he does recall is that his father was a highly intelligent man, a Scottish-born explorer and inventor, and while it was because he was the former that they became stranded on the island in the first place, it was because he was the latter that Peter is still alive today.

During one of his father’s expeditions, their yacht became caught in a terrible storm, the like of which they had never seen, whilst making the crossing from Bermuda to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Their boat sank, and Peter and his father almost drowned. But as luck would have it they were washed up on the shores of a mysterious island. They gathered up what possessions of theirs were washed up as flotsam, and plundered the wreck of a Spanish Galleon to build themselves a treehouse, after they realised they were trapped on the island, and the nature of the animals that dwelt there.

It was one of the primeval monsters that almost killed Peter when it attacked him in the jungle, not far from the treehouse. He was found by an islander and taken to their stronghold, where a medicine woman treated his wounds and stopped the bleeding. However, he had been terribly maimed, and was not expected to see out the week, and so his father was summoned.

The ingenious inventor set to work immediately, rebuilding his son’s body with materials salvaged from their yacht – providing him with artificial organs, and replacing several bones with metal rods – so that, underneath his skin at least, he is now as much machine as he is living flesh. Since he is effectively a cyborg, Peter no longer ages, and will remain a youth until his artificial heart finally gives out, although whether that will be in ten years’ time or a hundred, he has no idea.

But Peter’s father was old, and all that had befallen him took its toll. Before he died, Peter’s father gave him two final gifts – a jetpack and a device for detecting holes in time – and a duty, to protect the people of the Accala tribe who had helped save his life.

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Whenever you see a clock icon beneath a section number, rather than read that section, subtract 20 from the number, turn to this new section immediately, and read that one instead.

AGILITY     10
COMBAT     9
ENDURANCE     24


Special Abilities – Flight, The Pen is Mightier, Tracking.

Equipment – Jetpack, Short Sword, Chrono-Detector, Shardstone Amulet.

Companion – Peter is accompanied by his tiny clockwork guardian Tinker Bell. If Peter ever engages in battle, the tiny automaton will assist him. As long as Tinker Bell is with him, Peter may reduce the Combat Rating of any opponent by 2 points, and if Peter wins a Combat Round, roll one die (or pick a card); if the number rolled is even (or the card is black), he may double the damage he causes his opponent. However, please note that if Peter becomes separated from Tinker Bell, these modifiers may no longer be applied.

Tiger Lily

Heroic Hunter, Saviour of the Accala

Daughter of Chief Great Panther of the Accala, and therefore technically a princess, Tiger Lily nonetheless dreams of being inducted into the elite warrior brotherhood of the tribe. She is already well on her way, having raised her Sabretooth steed Fang from when he was a cub, after his mother was killed while protecting him from one of the terrible lizards that dwell on the island. She is adept at using not only her flint-headed tomahawk axe but also a spear, whilst hunting with Fang.

Tiger Lily models herself on the great Warrior Queen Lai Tai’Glaa, the legendary ruler of the Accala who supposedly first brought her people to the promontory the tribe now calls home.
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Whenever you see a sabretooth icon beneath a section number, rather than read that section, add 10 to the number, turn to this new section immediately, and read that one instead.

AGILITY     10
COMBAT     11
ENDURANCE     20


Special Abilities – Tiger Lily has the special abilities Strength of Will and Tracking. However, she may also choose an additional two from Beast Lore, Earth Lore, Hieroglyphs and Plant Lore, giving her four special abilities in total.

Equipment – Spear, Tomahawk, Shardstone Amulet, 3 Meals.

Companion – Tiger Lily is accompanied by her trained sabretooth tiger Fang. Fang is a deadly hunter in his own right, and thanks to him, Tiger Lily is able to take down large prey, such as Mammoths or even the terrible lizards, with which the Accala share the island.

Record Fang’s stats, as outlined below, in the Steed section of your Adventure Sheet.

SABRETOOTH TIGER      AGILITY 10 COMBAT 10 ENDURANCE 24

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Captain James Hook

Plundering Pirate, Master of the Jolly Roger

Educated at both Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, and having served as bo’sun to the infamous Blackbeard the pirate, Captain James Hook is now master of the Jolly Roger, and the Scourge of the Seven Seas. A bon vivant, an epicure, and a dandy, he enjoys the finer things in life. However, there is also a ruthless streak in him a nautical mile wide, and he maintains discipline on board ship with an iron will and an iron fist to match, not being averse to making men walk the plank if they displease him. Indeed, it is said that he is the only man of whom Barbecue was afraid.

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Whenever you see a hook icon beneath a section number, rather than read that section, add 20 to the number, turn to this new section immediately, and read that one instead.

AGILITY     9
COMBAT     10
ENDURANCE     22


Special Abilities – Sea lore, Strength of Will, Wish Upon a Star.

Equipment – Rapier, Spyglass, 6 Pistols (worn on a bandolier strapped across Hook’s chest).

Companion – Captain Hook is accompanied by his crew, aboard the Jolly Roger, but his most trusted lieutenant is his conniving bo’sun Smee, a stunted dwarf of an Irishman, who never goes anywhere without his cutlass, which he calls ‘Johnny Corkscrew’.

Mutiny – If Captain Hook does anything to antagonise his crew, he runs the risk of them mutinying. Hook’s Mutiny score starts at zero, but may well change during the course of the adventure. Please note that it may never drop below zero.

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Once you have decided which character you want to play as, write their name in the Character box on the Adventure Sheet, along with the icon you need to look out for, and the section offset you need to apply when you see it. Then record the value of each attribute in the appropriate box on the Adventure Sheet in pencil, and make sure you have an eraser to hand, as they will doubtless all change at some point as you work through the adventure (and some more than others).

Although there are limits on how high each of your attributes can be at the start of the adventure, there is no limit as to how high your Agility and Combat scores can be raised during the course of the adventure, dependent upon bonus points you may be awarded. Your Endurance score may also go higher than its starting level, but it may not exceed 30 points. However, should your Endurance score ever drop to zero, or below, then your adventure is over and you should stop reading immediately; if you want to tackle the adventure again, you will have to re-start it from the beginning, either playing as the same character or as a different one – it’s up to you!
There is also additional content in the form of an exclusive character that was designed to be available to some of the backers of the Kickstarter campaign that funded the project. Said character is Deinosuchus, King of Crocodiles, and this character will also be made an available option in addition to the four main choices.

Bows and Pistols

If you acquire a bow and quiver of arrows, or a flintlock pistol, during the course of your adventure – you may even start with one! – you may use them when instructed by the text, but also during some combats. They both behave in the same way.

If you find yourself in battle, and you have the initiative in the opening Combat Round, you may choose to shoot an arrow or fire a pistol before engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Take a Combat test and if you pass the test, you cause your opponent 3 Endurance points of damage; if you fail the test you have simply wasted your shot.

If you hit your opponent you may take a second shot, but no more after this. Whether you hit your opponent or not, remember to cross off one arrow, or one pistol, from your Adventure Sheet and then conduct the battle as normal.

When you acquire a bow and quiver of arrows, or a bandolier of pistols, you will be told how many you have and therefore you will know how many shots you can make using them.

Please note that flintlock pistols and bows and arrows cannot be used underwater!
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”

Testing Your Attributes

At various times during the adventure, you will be asked to test one or other of your attributes.

If it is your Agility or Combat that is being tested, simply roll two dice. If the total rolled is equal to or less than the particular attribute being tested, you have passed the test; if the total rolled is greater than the attribute in question, then you have failed the test.

If it is your Endurance score that is being tested, roll four dice in total. If the combined score of all four dice is equal to or less than your Endurance score, then you have passed the test, but if it is greater, then what is being asked of you is beyond your capabilities and you have failed the test.

If you are playing as Captain Hook and are asked to test your Mutiny score, roll one die. If the total rolled is equal to or greater than your Mutiny score, you have passed the test; if the total rolled is less than your Mutiny score, then you have failed the test.
Restoring Your Attributes

There are various ways that you can restore lost attribute points, or be granted bonuses that take your attributes beyond their starting scores, and these will be described in the text.

However, an easy way to restore lost Endurance points is to find sustenance. Sometimes you may find enough sustenance that you can take some with you to consume later on in the adventure.

Make sure that if you do find any supplies of this nature you record them on your Adventure Sheet, along with any information about exactly how many attribute points they will restore when consumed. (Unless you are told otherwise by the text, one Meal will restore 4 Endurance points.)
Companions and Steeds

No matter which character you choose to play through the book with, you will be joined by a companion. However, for one reason or another, your companion may not always be with you during the course of your adventure.

To help keep track of whether your companion is with you or not, there is a Companion box on your Adventure Sheet. If your companion is currently with you, simply tick or circle the ‘Yes’ box. If they are not with you for some reason, rub out the mark in the ‘Yes’ box and tick or circle the ‘No’ box, until you are reunited – if you are reunited!

During the course of your adventure you may acquire a steed. You may even start with one. If you do acquire a steed, make sure that you record its attributes in the Steed section of your Adventure Sheet.

In time you will learn the advantages, and disadvantages, of having a mount. Combat with steeds is covered in the next section.
“To die will be an awfully big adventure.”

Combat

You will repeatedly be called upon to defend yourself against the denizens of Neverland. Sometimes you may even choose to attack these monsters yourself. After all, as they say, the best form of defence is attack.

When this happens, start by filling in your opponent’s Combat and Endurance scores in the first available Neverland Encounter Box on your Adventure Sheet.

Whenever you engage in combat, you will be told in the text whether you or your enemy has the initiative; in other words, who has the advantage and gets to attack first.

     1. Roll two dice and add your Combat score. The resulting total is your Combat Rating.

     2. Roll two dice and add your opponent’s Combat Score. The resulting total is your opponent’s Combat Rating.

     3. For each Combat Round, add a temporary 1 point bonus to the Combat Rating of whichever of the combatants has the initiative for the duration of that round.

     4. If your Combat Rating is higher than your opponent’s you have wounded your enemy; deduct 2 points from your opponent’s Endurance score, and move on to step 7.

     5. If your opponent’s Combat Rating is higher, then you have been wounded; deduct 2 points from your Endurance score, and move on to step 8.

     6. If your Combat Rating and your opponent’s Combat Rating are the same, roll one die. If the number rolled is odd, you and your opponent deflect each other’s attacks; go to step 10. If the number rolled is even, go to step 9.

     7. If your opponent’s Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won; the battle is over and you can continue on your way through Neverland. If your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10.

     8. If your Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle. If you want to continue your adventure you will have to start again from the beginning, maybe changing the character you want to play as. However, if you are still alive, go to step 10.

     9. You and your opponent have both managed to injure each other; deduct 1 point from both your Endurance score and your opponent’s Endurance score. If your Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, your adventure is over; if you want to play again you will have to start again from the beginning. If you are still alive but your enemy’s Endurance has been reduced to zero or below, you have won; the battle is over and you can continue on your way through Neverland. If neither you nor your opponent are dead, go to step 10.

     10. If you won the Combat Round, you will have the initiative in the next Combat Round. If your opponent won the Combat Round, they will have the initiative. If neither of you won the Combat Round, neither of you will gain the initiative bonus for the next Combat Round. Go back to step 1 and work through the sequence again until either your opponent is dead, or you are defeated.

Occasionally you may find yourself having to fight more than one opponent at once. Such battles are conducted in the same way as above, using the ten step process, except that you will have to work out the Combat Ratings of all those involved. As long as you have a higher rating than an opponent you will injure them, no matter how many opponents you are taking on at the same time. However, equally, any opponent with a Combat Rating higher than yours will be able to injure you too.
Combat with Steeds

If you are attacked by one of the gigantic beasts or terrible lizards that dwell within Neverland, and you are riding a Steed, you may engage in battle. As with battles you fight yourself, start by filling in the monster’s Combat and Endurance scores in the first available Neverland Encounter Box on your Adventure Sheet. You will be told in the text whether you and your Steed, or the monster, has the initiative.

     1. Roll two dice and add your Steed’s Combat score. The resulting total is your Steed’s Combat Rating.

     2. Roll two dice and add its opponent’s Combat score. The resulting total is the monster’s Combat Rating.

     3. For each Combat Round, add a temporary 1 point bonus to the Combat Rating of whichever of the combatants has the initiative for the duration of that round.

     4. If your Steed’s Combat Rating is higher than its opponent’s, your Steed has wounded the monster; deduct 4 points from the monster’s Endurance score, and move on to step 7.

     5. If the monster’s Combat Rating is higher, then your Steed has been wounded; deduct 4 points from your Steed’s Endurance score, and move on to step 8.

     6. If your Steed’s Combat Rating and its opponent’s Combat Rating are the same, roll one die. If the number rolled is odd, the animals deflect each other’s attacks; go to step 12. If the number rolled is even, go to step 11.

     7. If the monster’s Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, your Steed has won the fight; the battle is over and you can continue on your way through Neverland. If the monster is not yet dead, go to step 9.

     8. If your Steed’s Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, the monster has won the battle and will quickly finish you off too. If you want to continue your adventure you will have to start again from the beginning, maybe changing the character you play as. However, if your Steed is still alive, go to step 10.

     9. Roll two dice and add your Combat score to calculate your Combat Rating. If it is higher than the monster’s Combat Rating, you also injure the beast; deduct an additional 2 points from its Endurance score. If you have killed it, you can continue on your way, but if the monster is still alive, go to step 12.

     10. Roll two dice and add your Combat score to calculate your Combat Rating. If it is lower than the monster’s Combat Rating, the creature has also injured you; deduct 2 points from your Endurance score, and if you are still alive, go to step 12.

     11. Your Steed and its opponent have both injured each other; deduct 2 points from your Steed’s Endurance score and the monster’s Endurance score. If your Steed’s Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, the monster has won the battle and will soon finish you off too; if you want to play again you will have to start from the beginning. If your Steed is still alive but the monster’s Endurance has been reduced to zero or below, the battle is over and you can continue on your way through Neverland. If neither your Steed nor its opponent are dead, go to step 12.

     12. If your Steed won the Combat Round, it will have the initiative in the next Combat Round. If its opponent won the Combat Round, the monster will have the initiative. If neither won the Combat Round, neither will gain the initiative bonus for the next Combat Round. Go back to step 1 and work through the sequence again until either the monster is dead, or your Steed is defeated.
“Others sprawled by barrels over games of dice and cards.”

An Alternative to Dice

Rather than rolling dice, you may prefer to determine random numbers during the game using a pack of playing cards.

To do this, when you are called upon to roll dice, simply shuffle a standard 52-card deck (having removed the jokers) and draw a single card. (If you are asked to roll four dice, draw two cards.) Number cards are worth the number shown on the card. Jacks, Queens and Kings are all worth 11, and if you draw an Ace, it counts as being worth 12 (for example, if you are engaged in Combat), and is an automatic pass if you are testing an attribute – any attribute.

After drawing from the deck you can either return any cards you have drawn or, using the Pontoon method, leave those drawn cards out of the deck. Both styles of play will influence how lucky, or unlucky, you may be during the game, when it comes to determining random numbers.

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“Smee had pleasant names for everything, and his cutlass was Johnny Corkscrew.”

Equipment

You may start your adventure with nothing, or armed to the teeth, but during the course of your quest you will no doubt find all manner of curious items that you will want to pick up and take with you, just in case they prove to be of use later on.

Anything that you do collect should be recorded on your Adventure Sheet, including any clues or passwords, as well as weapons, provisions, and other miscellaneous unusual objects.
“All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.”

Hints on Play

There is more than one path that you can follow through Neverland to reach your ultimate goal, but it may take you several attempts to actually complete the adventure. Make notes and draw a map as you explore. This map will doubtless prove invaluable during future attempts at completing the quest, and will allow you to progress more speedily in order to reach unexplored parts of the island.

Keep a careful eye on all of your attributes throughout the game. Beware of traps and setting off on wild goose chases. However, it would be wise to collect useful items along the way that may aid you further on in your quest.
“Time is chasing after all of us.”

Ending the Game

There are several ways that your adventure can end. If your Endurance score ever drops to zero or below, your trials in Neverland have exhausted and overcome you. If this happens, stop reading at once.

There may also be occasions where you are prevented from progressing any further through the adventure thanks to the choices you have made, or if you meet a sudden and untimely end. In all of these cases, if you want to have another crack at completing the adventure you will have to start again with a new Adventure Sheet and begin the story afresh from the beginning.

There is of course one other reason for your adventure coming to an end, and that is if you successfully complete your quest, the very same quest that awaits you now…

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NEVERLAND
Here Be Monsters!


Second to the right and straight on ‘til morning, it is time to begin your adventure…

If you are playing as Wendy Darling, turn to 1.
If you are playing as Peter Pan, turn to 150.
If you are playing as Tiger Lily, turn to 300.
If you are playing as Captain James Hook, turn to 450.

If you wish to play as Deinosuchus instead of the above four characters, then we would turn to section 65.

Please keep all spoilers covered out of respect to those who want a blind experience. I will use personal instinct to break any ties.

Please vote for the following:

Which of the five characters should we play as? In the case of Wendy and Tiger Lily, which additional Special Abilities should be selected?

Should we follow the gamebook’s rules? If so, should we use dice or a pack of playing cards (specify whether you want to return or leave out any drawn cards if you vote to use playing cards)?

Please make your decisions before 9:00 AM PST to guarantee that they will be counted.
Say No To Fascism. The left is the one true way to go.
Dogopolis
Knight-Baron
Posts: 572
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2022 5:39 pm

Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Dogopolis »

Imgur is not available in the UK. I'm presuming none of those pictures were important, so I'm not going to individually check then. If there is ever an image that needs to be seen please note it and I will run it through a 3rd party image viewing site.

Use dice. I would vote for Deinosuchus as it's probably a more interesting option. Otherwise of the regular characters I'd go with Tiger Lily, Earth Lore and Hieroglyphs.
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deaddmwalking
King
Posts: 6067
Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 11:33 am

Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by deaddmwalking »

I like Tiger Lily. I like Beast Lore and Hieroglyphics, rather than Plant Lore.

That said, I'll vote for Deinosuchus as well. I'm not convinced play will be more interesting, but seeing how they choose to implement it will be weird and curious, so there's that. If we fail to survive, I would hope we could try again as Tiger Lily.
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Thaluikhain
Overlord
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Thaluikhain »

Deinosuchus seems interesting.

(Also, of course Jonathan Green made Peter Pan a cyborg)
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JourneymanN00b
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by JourneymanN00b »

Alright, folks. I have registered your votes to play as Deinosuchus, and to use two dice to play this adventure.

65

You are Deinosuchus, majestic ruler of rivers, mighty monarch of the waterways, emperor of the estuaries, lord of the marshes, King of Crocodiles!

You are master of all you survey. Nothing threatens you within your watery domain, for you are thirty-three feet long and with a powerful bite to match.

Your prey is anything you deem it to be, and you lurk at the water’s edge, patiently waiting to pounce on any unwary fish, marine reptiles, or even dinosaurs as large as you are, your favoured tactic being to drag your victims under the water and drown them.

DEINOSUCHUS      AGILITY 9      COMBAT 10      ENDURANCE 20

You are minding your business, leisurely swimming along a tributary of a larger river, when you become aware of a disturbance in the water ahead of you. You see bright lights flickering under the water, like the reflections of sunlight from mother-of-pearl seashells, and then you feel the current strengthen as it starts to draw you towards the curious anomaly.

Do you want to go with the flow and swim towards the anomaly (turn to 93), or will you swim against the current, in an attempt to resist its pull (turn to 25)?

Image

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PST to ensure that they will be counted.

NEVERLAND Here Be Monsters! ADVENTURE SHEET
Character: Deinosuchus
Agility: 9
Combat: 10
Endurance: 20
Equipment:
None
Special Abilities:
None
Companion: No
Code Words:
None
Mutiny: N/A
Steed: None
Agility: N/A
Combat: N/A
Endurance: N/A
Say No To Fascism. The left is the one true way to go.
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deaddmwalking
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by deaddmwalking »

I want to check it out. Go with the flow.
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Thaluikhain
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Thaluikhain »

Investigate the thingy.
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Beroli
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Beroli »

What is with their "turn magic into technology" fixation? They didn't do that in the Wonderland book.

Anyway, swim toward it.
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JourneymanN00b
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by JourneymanN00b »

Votes acknowledged; going with the flow and swimming towards the anomaly.

93

The force of the current is equivalent to that of the strongest riptide you have ever encountered in the coastal waters of your domain. You feel like you are being dragged into the heart of a powerful whirlpool and for a moment all you can see are flickering lights and all you can hear is the water rushing about you.

And then suddenly all is still, and you are submerged in saltwater, where a moment ago the water you were swimming in was fresh. You surface, only your nostrils, your eyes and the ridge of bony protrusions that cover your spine, emerging from the rippling surge.

You are in a wide, shallow bay, teeming with strange life, from fish you do not recognise to large shelled creatures with protruding tentacles. Ahead of you is the shore of some strange land that is also unfamiliar to you, while behind you is nothing but the vast expanse of an ocean.

You do not know where you are, or how you got here, but your first instinct is to explore your new environment, so will you:

Explore the bay?     Turn to 529.
Make for the shore?     Turn to 744.
Head out to sea?     Turn to 115.

Please make your votes by 10:30 AM PST to ensure that they will be counted.
Say No To Fascism. The left is the one true way to go.
Thaluikhain
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Thaluikhain »

Explore the bay.
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Beroli
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Beroli »

Explore the bay.
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deaddmwalking
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by deaddmwalking »

I'm a bay man, like my father was before. But you can't make a living as a bay man anymore! Ai-Ai, AIIIIIIII!
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Dogopolis
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Dogopolis »

Explore bay.
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by JourneymanN00b »

Votes recognized; exploring the bay.

529

The shallow waters of the bay are warm and you luxuriate in the heat you feel bathing the bony plates of your spine. However, as you explore your new environment, snapping at the occasional darting fish, you sense several curling shelled molluscs bobbing towards you through the water.

The diameter of the shell of each is as much as your head is long, but there are a dozen of the curious cephalopods closing from all directions. What they lack in size, when compared against you, they more than make up for in aggression. (In this battle, the Ammonites have the initiative.)

AMMONITES     COMBAT 6     ENDURANCE 12

Fight the Ammonites as if they were one creature and, if you defeat them, turn to 550.

The fight:
Round 1: Deinosuchus’ Combat Rating: 10+8=18, Ammonites’ Combat Rating: 6+6+1=13;
Deinoschus’ Endurance: 20, Ammonites’ Endurance: 10
Round 2: Deinosuchus’ Combat Rating: 10+6+1=17, Ammonites’ Combat Rating: 6+7=13;
Deinoschus’ Endurance: 20, Ammonites’ Endurance: 8
Round 3: Deinosuchus’ Combat Rating: 10+8+1=19, Ammonites’ Combat Rating: 6+11=17;
Deinoschus’ Endurance: 20, Ammonites’ Endurance: 6
Round 4: Deinosuchus’ Combat Rating: 10+10+1=21, Ammonites’ Combat Rating: 6+10=16;
Deinoschus’ Endurance: 20, Ammonites’ Endurance: 4
Round 5: Deinosuchus’ Combat Rating: 10+9+1=20, Ammonites’ Combat Rating: 6+8=14;
Deinoschus’ Endurance: 20, Ammonites’ Endurance: 2
Round 6: Deinosuchus’ Combat Rating: 10+5+1=16, Ammonites’ Combat Rating: 6+5= 11;
Deinoschus’ Endurance: 20, Ammonites’ Endurance: 0

As expected, Deinoschus flawlessly kills the Ammonites.

550

The inky blood of the Ammonites clouds the waters around you.

If you want to eat some of the strange molluscs, turn to 668. If you would prefer not to, turn to 879.

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PST to ensure that they will be counted.
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Beroli
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Beroli »

We hunger. Eat them.
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deaddmwalking
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by deaddmwalking »

I don't think anything good can come of it since we're unhurt.

If they did something good it would probably be to provide healing. So eating them would be a waste.

If they did something bad, well, that would be bad.

Vote for abstaining from eating. We're cold blooded, so we are not always hungry, and we need to save room for Captain Hook.
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Dogopolis
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Dogopolis »

Eating strange things will have unpredictable results. I'm thinking they're more likely to be goo than bad. Eat them.
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Thaluikhain »

Eating them seems unwise, but interesting, so give it a go.
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by JourneymanN00b »

Votes tallied; eating some of the strange molluscs won by a 3-1 vote.

668

Each of the Ammonites is barely more than a mouthful. You crunch through their shells to get at the sweet flesh within.

Regain up to 6 Endurance points and, your meal finished, turn to 879.

879

Skirting the edge of the bay, you come to a wide inlet, where dense jungle grows right up to the water’s edge. This terrain feels more familiar and is perhaps an area you can claim as your own territory.

But as you swim through the clear waters of the inlet, it does not take you long to discover that something is already threatening the sanctity of your domain. Two shadowy shapes sit in the water above you. The larger one remains still – attached to the seabed by what looks like links of an armoured vine – while the smaller object is moving from the shore of the inlet towards the larger shadow, its flippers breaking the surface with a regular rhythm.

If you are (going) to claim the waters of this inlet as your own private fishing grounds, then you are going to have to show the two interlopers who’s boss!

But which of the two do you want to focus your attack on?

The larger shadow?     Turn to 842.
The smaller of the pair?     Turn to 859.

Please make your votes by 9:00 AM PST to ensure that they will be counted.
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Beroli
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Beroli »

The smaller one, since it's the one that's moving.
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Dogopolis »

Fine by me, small one.
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deaddmwalking
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by deaddmwalking »

The big one is a pirate ship and the armored vine is the anchor chain. The smaller one is a row boat ferrying the pirates to the island. Knocking them out kg the boat should be easy.

Attack the smaller shadow for sure.
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Thaluikhain
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by Thaluikhain »

Yup, attack the rowboat, the smaller one.
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by JourneymanN00b »

Votes acknowledged; focusing his attack on the smaller of the pair.

859

Turning your attention to the smaller of the two objects, you come up underneath it in a ramming strike that, satisfyingly, sets the thing rocking.

But as you break the surface, you are surprised to find that the interloper actually appears to be something like a hollow log – it is certainly made of wood – but it is also full of curious wriggling creatures. They are small and have a peculiar arrangement of limbs, unlike anything you’ve ever encountered before.

In the split second it takes you to take all this in, something flies through the air – two somethings, in fact – and you instinctively catch both of them in your jaws, swallowing them whole. You crash back down into the water and sink to the bottom of the inlet to savour the tasty morsel – it’s not even a mouthful – as the wooden object reaches the larger interloper. You watch as the larger object – which you also realise now is made out of wood – starts to move.

Do you want to follow the object as it departs (turn to 671), or do you want to remain where you are, relaxing in the warm waters of the inlet (turn to 812)?

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PST to ensure that they will be counted.
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deaddmwalking
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Re: [Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 03 – Neverland: Here Be Monsters!

Post by deaddmwalking »

Follow. The pirates are surely trying to do something interesting, and if they leave the boat we'll get another crack at them.
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