[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 22 - Robot Commando (Take 2)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go save the missile and try the fuel refining plant next.

[SGamerz]

You decide to visit the Fuel-refining Plant. This is where the radioactive ores that power the robots are processed. A single block of fuel will drive a robot for a year. As you approach, you realize that some of the robots standing around the plant are active! The Karosseans have sent a force to garrison this strategic point. What will you do:

Proceed normally?
Attack?
Flee?
Try a ruse?

[Queen of Swords]

Try a ruse.

[Thaluikhain]

Ruse

[SGamerz]

If you have already been challenged by Karossean soldiers using a number as a password, and you remember that number, turn to that reference. Otherwise, turn to 236.

We don't know of any number password...

Over the radio comes a challenge: "Eighty-eight!" If you know the countersign that is required for that password, turn to number of the countersign. If you do not know the proper response, turn to 389.

We don't know the response, either...

The Karosseans fire on you. Lose 1 ARMOUR point and fight.

You must fight the enemy robots. There are two of them, both Tripod Robots. These speedy machines walk about on three legs; they have metal tentacle-arms that can carry guns or other devices. You recognize them as handling-machines belonging to the fuel plant. The Karosseans have taken them over as guard robots! You must fight them both at once.

Each Tripod will have a separate attack on you in each Attack Round, but you must choose which of the two you will fight. Attack your chosen foe each round as in a normal battle. Against the other you must throw for your Attack Strength in the normal way, but even if your Attack Strength is greater, you will not wound it. You must just count this as though you have defended yourself from it. However, if its Attack Strength is greater, it will damage your robot in the usual way.

First TRIPOD ARMOUR 7 SPEED Fast SKILL 8
Second TRIPOD ARMOUR 7 SPEED Fast SKILL 10

If you Escape, turn to 293. If you defeat both Tripods, turn to 30. If your robot is defeated, turn to 336.

Ok, this is bad. We have to fight both together, one of them is more skilled than us, and they're both faster, so we can't flee.

Do we use LUCK for this battle?

Adventure Sheet:
Name:
SKILL: 9/9
STAMINA: 18/20
LUCK: 9/9

POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)
Seeker Missile (used once between combat rounds to hit automatically for 10 ARMOUR damage. Must be attached to a robot before it can be used.)

CURRENT ROBOT: COWBOY ROBOT
ARMOUR: 7/10, SPEED: Medium, COMBAY BONUS: 0, SPECIAL ABILITIES: None

SAVE-POINTS/UNUSED ROBOTS FOUND:
DRAGONFLY MODEL D - section 1

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to use luck here, and hope that we survive.

[Thaluikhain]

Second that, but looks like we'll be hitting a rewind soon.

[SGamerz]

COMBAT LOG:
Tripod Armour#1 14, PC 13. PC is at 6.
Tripod Armour#2 21, PC 16. PC is at 4.
TA1 15, PC 20. TA1 is at 5.
TA2 15, PC 16. PC avoids damage.
TA1 17, PC 18. TA1 is at 3.
TA2 14, PC 19. PC avoids damage.
TA1 12, PC 17. TA1 is at 1.
TA2 16, PC 19. PC avoids damage.
TA1 16, PC 21. TA1 is destroyed.
TA2 17, PC 21. PC avoids damage.
TA2 16, PC 21. TA2 is at 5.
TA2 15, PC 18. TA2 is at 3.
TA2 20, PC 19. PC is at 2.
TA2 17, PC 14. PC is defeated!

I can't believe how close we came to actually winning! 3 double-6s for us in one fight is a really rare thing. We might have won if we'd used some LUCK!

Your robot falls and you lie stunned in the wreckage. The tentacles of a Tripod pull you out. You are a prisoner of the Karosseans! You have failed in your mission. Your adventure is over.

Losing robot combats in this book isn't always a Game Over, but unfortunately, this one is.

We have no choice but to rewind to the beginning and take the flyer robot instead.

Now what are you going to do? You know that, although there are probably Karosseans everywhere, their base is at the Capital City. But you can't just charge in there and attack them with your little robot! You must prepare well before you make your move. Fortunately, there are many cities in Thalos. You will be able to search the whole country for help, if need be, before you confront the invaders. Two large cities are fairly close. If you want to go to the City of Knowledge, turn to 93. If you want to go to the City of Industry, turn to 209.

Back to Square 1. Do we want to retrace our steps in the beginning? We will avoid the dinosaur fight this time due to being on a flyer (and note that even though we died the previous time, we actually did learn a number password there).

Adventure Sheet:
Name:
SKILL: 9/9
STAMINA: 20/20
LUCK: 9/9

POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)

CURRENT ROBOT: DRAGONFLY MODEL D
ARMOUR: 5, SPEED: Very Fast, COMBAT BONUS: 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Because this craft is so maneuverable, you can escape from any opponent – even another Very Fast one – if given the option to Escape.

SAVE-POINTS/UNUSED ROBOTS FOUND:
DRAGONFLY MODEL D - section 1

[Queen of Swords]

Let's try the City of Knowledge first this time.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go to the City of Knowledge as well.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, Knowledge first

[SGamerz]

You head for the City of Knowledge. It is your people's greatest centre of learning. There, you hope, you will find information that will help you defeat the invaders. After about an hour of travel, you sight a flying dinosaur ahead of you. It dives aggressively towards you. You must fight it. It is a Pteranodon, a large, predatory flying dinosaur. It is lightly built, but speedy and aggressive.

PTERANODON ARMOUR 3 SPEED Fast SKILL 9 SPECIAL ABILITIES: None

If you defeat the Pteranodon, of if you Escape, turn to 186. If the Pteranodon reduces your robot's ARMOUR to 0, turn to 116.

We have a slight advantage in this fight: we are faster and have +1 combat bonus, it's even flimsier than our flyer, and we can also flee anytime (as long as we have more than 2 ARMOUR - remember, we take an automatic hit if we flee). The only risk is that our robot is still fairly flimsy as well, so a couple of bad rolls can still end us.

Do we fight normally? Flee to avoid the risk? Or use LUCK to speed up the fight/reduce damage to us?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to flee the fight to avoid the risk.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for fighting the dinosaur.

(IIRC, Pteranodon's aren't technically dinosaurs, but this one is probably an alien Pteranodon so it might be different)

[Queen of Swords]

Escape, we're not likely to get any loot even if we win.

[SGamerz]

Jason Scott (the name having been confirmed by the result of the poll) decides flee from this encounter, and his Dragonfly robot takes a parting blow before he gets away.

Not long ago you passed a village, There might be something useful there. If you want to check, turn to 13. If you want to press on to the City of Knowledge, turn to 361.

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Jason Scott
SKILL: 9/9
STAMINA: 20/20
LUCK: 9/9

POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)

CURRENT ROBOT: DRAGONFLY MODEL D
ARMOUR: 3/5, SPEED: Very Fast, COMBAT BONUS: 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Because this craft is so maneuverable, you can escape from any opponent – even another Very Fast one – if given the option to Escape.

SAVE-POINTS/UNUSED ROBOTS FOUND:
DRAGONFLY MODEL D - section 1

[Queen of Swords]

Let's check out the village.

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate random thingy.

[SGamerz]

You enter the village and investigate. You find one useful robot, a Digger Robot. This slow but powerful machine rides on treads. It has a bulldozer blade on the front, a scoop-shovel on the back, and two large claws for lifting.

DIGGER ROBOT ARMOUR 16 SPEED Slow COMBAT BONUS 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES: The digger robot can try to strike with the scoop-shovel. This is a clumsy attack (-2 to your roll), but if it succeeds, the foe takes 6 points of damage!

If you do not have a robot, you take the Digger Robot. If you already have a robot, you may pick which one to continue with. You set your course once more for the City of Knowledge.

Finding new robots is always good, because even if we're not interested in using it now, it counts as a future save-point.

This thing is the opposite of our speedy but flimsy robot, being slow and clumsy but with loads of ARMOUR. Do we want to switch robot now?

[Thaluikhain]

Swap robot, speed isn't that vital, and armour 16 and a special attack is nice.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to swap the robot for sure.

[Queen of Swords]

I'm a Transformers fan, and this reminds me of the Constructicons. So let's take it.

[SGamerz]

speed isn't that vital

Actually, you can say that speed (or lack thereof) was what killed us last round. We could have gotten away from the fight with the Tripods with knowledge of the useful password if our robot had been fast enough. Also, higher speed gives Attack Strength bonus. While it's not the equivalent of SKILL, Attack Strength bonus can often be more useful in combat than extra STAMINA/ARMOUR.

Of course, the big weakness of the Dragonfly is that its ARMOUR is so low that Escaping more than twice would destroy it anyway (which kind of puts a cap on its supposed Special Ability), so it was never going to last for very long.

Anyway, Jason Scott ditches the Dragonfly for the Digger and continues on his way...

You are in the City of Knowledge. If you have already been here, turn to 40. Otherwisem keep reading. Here are all of Thalos's greatest universities and museums. This is the home of those who most value learning. Here, you hope, you will find something to help you in your lone struggle. You have a wide choice of possible destinations within the City of Knowledge. Where will you go:

The College of Medicine?
The Thalian Museum?
The Dinosaur Preserve?
The War College?
Out of the city?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Jason Scott
SKILL: 9/9
STAMINA: 20/20
LUCK: 9/9

POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)

CURRENT ROBOT: DIGGER ROBOT ARMOUR 16/16 SPEED Slow COMBAT BONUS 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES: The digger robot can try to strike with the scoop-shovel. This is a clumsy attack (-2 to your roll), but if it succeeds, the foe takes 6 points of damage!

SAVE-POINTS/UNUSED ROBOTS FOUND:
DRAGONFLY MODEL D - section 1

[Queen of Swords]

The College of Medicine, to find a cure for the sleeping sickness.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, medicine I guess.