Let's Play: Diceman

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:26 pm

So Diceman magazine was a short-lived fully-illustrated choose-your-own-adventure comic that came out in 1986, which was at about the height of the gamebook craze. It was the brainchild of comics legends Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill, so it had no shortage of talent involved. Alas, it folded after five issues. I don't know if it wasn't profitable, or if the people just ran out of time or interest for it, but it's a shame, because it was actually pretty good, and also there's no way Alan Moore wouldn't have eventually written for it.

Diceman was closely associated with Mills' most famous creation, 2000 AD Magazine, and most of the stories used properties from that publication, including Judge Dredd, Nemesis the Warlock, ABC Warriors, Slaine the Barbarian, etc. Notably, some of the (successfully completed) stories were canon and referenced in the main publication!

But the only original character created for Diceman was... the Diceman himself. He didn't appear until the second issue, so he only got four stories, alas. He was... well, I'll let the pages do the talking.

Who wants to take the case?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:43 pm

The Diceman will take any case fitting his powers, even if the person offering it throws in some disses at him.

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 3:04 pm

Hee hee... Dice of Destiny.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 3:56 pm

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 4:11 pm

(If you have high enough resolution, those should show up side-by-side.)

So the first fateful choice is upon us. The first stone is rolled, and yields... The Key!

• Accept the power of the Key?
• Try for a different force?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 4:26 pm

Other than possibly Lighting, the Key looks like the best option there, so I suggest we keep it.

Also, the Secret Tribunal and its actions seem like what Jack Chick thinks everything that isn't Jack Chick's very specific interpretation of Christianity is.

CapnTthePirateG · Post by **CapnTthePirateG** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 5:55 pm

I like the web, but let's keep the key.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 6:03 pm

From now on, the choices will be in the image.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:07 pm

The Key makes us good at talking to people. Try to bluff our way in.

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:24 pm

Fire escapes are inherently awesome, but we has boosts to talking to lesser squishy carboganics. Through the front door we march! MARCH, I SAY!

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:36 pm

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:17 pm

Police officer.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:34 pm

Again, we have mad talking skills and we should use them.

Bluff our way past Hagrid here.

angelfromanotherpin · Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:55 pm

(This guy is great.)

(4, 26 Mind remaining)

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:02 pm

This is just great.

I don't think dissing the Nazi anthropologist Runemaster while he has us as his captive will get us anything good, while figuring out where the rest of his plan is going will help us greatly (and possibly buy us more time to escape our bonds.)

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:45 pm

Incredible.

I agree with Darth.

Dr_Noface · Post by **Dr_Noface** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:08 am

I hope his plan utilizes vril energy.

ishy · Post by **ishy** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:14 am

I've seen gangsters turn into politicians

What's the difference?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:25 am

ishy wrote:
I've seen gangsters turn into politicians
What's the difference?

If you're a gangster, you bribe people, if you're a politician, people bribe you.

Otherwise they're exactly the same.

angelfromanotherpin · Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:43 am

Alas, not even the redoubtable Diceman is immune to the scourge of bullshit.
It turns out that as a bearer of the Key, Rick must make sick burns to win the day...

...

(6, 14 Physical remaining)

(2, 12 Physical remaining)

(7, 19 Mind remaining)

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:36 am

Really?

Ubermoth Runemaster looks like he can fly, so taking the stairs inside will deny him his biggest advantage.

Korgan0 · Post by **Korgan0** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 3:13 am

Stairs.

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 11:59 am

That's the least mothman looking mothman I've ever done seen.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:06 pm

Here? From the center of the Earth already? Buuullshiiit!

It's an unfortunate artifact of the format that the Diceman stories tended to be very railroady. They put three games in each magazine, so they were cramped for space to start with - and the graphic format ate that space fast, so there just wasn't room for things to branch off much. Some of the stories managed it better than others, but this one has very few real choices.

...

Oh look, that's not a real choice either.

(3)

If you get the 1/3 unlucky chance, you fall to your death unless you have The Fist.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:41 pm

I'm assuming not throwing the dag will lead us to horrible death, so throw that at Fuzzy.

We're going to do what we should have done 20 years ago!