[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 29 - Midnight Rogue

[Queen of Swords]

He gets a gold piece for being so very useful.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to thank him and give him a gold piece in order to try to get more information.

[SGamerz]

Bargo takes the money, and shoves it inside his jerkin. "Hang on, young 'un," he says, rummaging in a sack which sits beside him in his little cart. "Maybe I can do you some good in return." After a few moments, he pulls out a rope and grapnel. "There you go," he grins. "I found this a while ago - no good to me, of course, but I'm sure you can put it to some use."

You thank Bargo, and he wishes you luck on your test. Add 1 LUCK point. While you have the rope and grapnel, you can climb as if you had CLIMB skill, unless a paragraph specifically states otherwise. If you already have CLIMB skill, the rope and grapnel has no effect on your climbing ability. Make a note of the rope and grapnel on your Adventure Sheet if you take it - it counts as a backpack item.

You leave Bargo pushing his cart throigh the dark alleys, and decide on your next move. Will you:

Go to the Rat and Ferret (if you haven't already)?
Go to see Madame Star (if you haven't already)?

Or you can leave the Noose and try elsewhere.

We just picked up the 1 Special Skill that nobody voted for!

Adding this to our backpack since there's still more than enough space at the moment.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Carmen Garrett
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 16/16
LUCK 10/10
Special Skills: Spot Hidden, Sneak, Pick Pocket
Backpack Items:
1) Provisions
2) Potion of Fortune (+1 to Initial LUCK, restores LUCK to new Initial value)
3) Rope and grapnel (gives CLIMB Special Skill)
4)
5)
6)
Other Items: Shortsword, leather jerkins and leggings, torch, hand-lamp, tinderbox
Provisions: 10
Gold & Treasure: 4 GP
[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Madame Star.

[JourneymanN00b]

I reread the earlier sections, and I mistakenly thought there would not be a good chance of finding Madame Star. So I vote to see her in her home to see if Carmen Garrett can get additional information there.

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, let's go see Madame Star.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Visit Madame Star.

[SGamerz]

You walk along the Noose towards Madame Star's cottage. Your trained eyes pick out a number of beggars, pickpockets and cutpurses skulking in the shadows, but no one bothers you. Everyone in the Noose knows that you are an apprentice on your test. Finally, you reach the little tumbledown cottage where Madame Star lives. She is a little surprised when she answers the door, but offers to read your future for 2 gold pieces. If you have 2 gold pieces, turn to 289; if not, or if you do not wish to pay, turn to 64.

Do we pay the price?

[Beroli]

Pay her.

[JourneymanN00b]

Yes, I vote to pay 2 Gold pieces.

[pragma]

Pay

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, pay her.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Pay the piper.

[SGamerz]

Madame Star takes your money, and leads you into her front parlour. Showing you to a chair, she sits on the other side of the small table and gazes deeply into her crystal ball. She tells you that you are looking for something valuable, and that it is hidden in a dark place, a place of death. She says that before you find what you're looking for, you must look in a place of sleep and a place of work. This is an important clue; make a note of the number of this paragraph on your Adventure Sheet. You thank Madame Star for her help, and leave her cottage. What will you do next?

Go to the Rat and Ferret (if you haven't already?
Look for a beggar (if you haven't already)?
Leave the Noose and look elsewhere?

Considering the other 2 location we were told we can visit at the beginning, this clue doesn't really give us that much information that we can't already guess. But there's a reference number to note down, and that's probably the really important information.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Carmen Garrett
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 16/16
LUCK 10/10
Special Skills: Spot Hidden, Sneak, Pick Pocket
Backpack Items:
1) Provisions
2) Potion of Fortune (+1 to Initial LUCK, restores LUCK to new Initial value)
3) Rope and grapnel (gives CLIMB Special Skill)
4)
5)
6)
Other Items: Shortsword, leather jerkins and leggings, torch, hand-lamp, tinderbox
Provisions: 10
Gold & Treasure: 2 GP
Clues:
1) Look in a place of sleep and a place of work to find dark place of death where we will find what we're looking for (section 289)
[/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

I guess it depends on whether or not The Rat and Ferret will take time that will keep us from looking at the other two places. I could see this book penalizing us for that so I think it’s time to leave the Noose.

[JourneymanN00b]

I see Darth Rabbitt's point, and also vote to leave the Noose.

[Beroli]

Leave the Noose and go to the Merchant's Guild.

[pragma]

Leave the noose and check the merchants guild

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, we might as well start in the place of work.

[SGamerz]

You leave the darkened alleyways of the Noose, and head out into the rest of the town. Where will you go first?

To Brass's house?
To the Merchants' Guild?

There's already been sufficient votes for the Merchants' Guild, so I think we can proceed:

The Merchants' Guild is on the south side of the Market Square, opposite the Noose. The square is quiet now, all the market stalls have been packed away, and you see no one as you make your way across. You keep to the edge of the square, hugging the shadows - the last thing you want to is to be stopped and questioned by the City Guard, tonight of all nights. When you are about halfway across, you suddenly notice a movement among a clump of trees in the middle of the square. If you decide to investigate the movement, turn to 75. If you prefer to ignore it and carry on towards the Merchants' Guild, turn to 246.

Investigate the thing?

[Queen of Swords]

Investigate.

[Beroli]

Investigate.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to investigate the movement.

[SGamerz]

You approach the trees carefully, your eyes fixed on the place where you last saw movement. As you draw closer, you can see movement again - there is definitely something in there, but it's too dark to see quite what it is. Turn to 358 if you have SNEAK skill, 127 if you don't; or you can decide not to investigate further, and head straight for the Merchants' Guild, avoiding the trees.

Are we sure we want to get any closer?

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, let's get closer.