[LP] Lesser-Known Gamebooks. Now Playing: The Fire Demon.

[angelfromanotherpin]

So, the mood's on me once again to join in the LP gamebook fad, and I thought I'd offer some of the more obscure titles from my library. Although I don't think any of these are as obscure as the mutherfuckin' Diceman.

The Cretan Chronicles
A What If... story in mythic Greece. Specifically, what if the Minotaur killed Theseus and also Theseus had a previously unmentioned younger brother who had to take up the mission? Unfortunately flawed, but frequently hilarious. We would start with the first book: Bloodfeud of Altheus.

Marvel Super Heroes
Unlike the rest of these series, which follow a single protagonist through multiple adventures, the MSH brand went with a series of one-shots each with a different hero. The quality was *wildly* uneven, but produced at least one real gem: One Thing After Another, a dimension-hopping story starring Benjamin J. Grimm.

Sagard the Barbarian
A Conan knock-off by Gary Gygax and Flint Dille. I'm not sure further description is necessary or even possible. The Ice Dragon is the first one.

Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries
A rare bird indeed, the mystery-solving gamebook. The player is a cousin of John Watson who becomes involved in some otherwise-unrecorded cases. Gather clues and solve the case, first up is Murder at the Diogenes Club.

The Way of the Tiger
Avenger is a ninja assassin in a fantasy land that otherwise has very few Eastern elements. Also, he's a good ninja assassin somehow. I have very fond memories of this series, mostly involving a more interesting than usual combat system and the way the series went from assassination mission to revolution-incitement to governing to waging war, unlike the Lone Wolf series in which no matter how much power or stature you accumulated, you were always on solo spy missions. Always. Anyway, the first book is called Avenger! and is the most ninja-assassin-y of the series.

[Shrapnel]

Sagard the Barbarian, definitely.

Here's why: Flint Dille worked on Transformers, mostly as a script consultant and writer. He wrote the five part, epically, hilariously error-ridden season 3 opener, "Five Faces of Darkness". End of story.

[JigokuBosatsu]

Oooh. Way of the Tiger. I only did a couple of the books but was always impressed with the wacky setting.

[Ancient History]

I have fond memories of both Sagard and Way of the Tiger, the latter of which is related to the Fighting Fantasy series with a semi-shared world. It's too bad I don't have copies of Joe Dever's other adventure series - Freeway Warrior, Combat Heroes, and World of Lone Wolf.

[JigokuBosatsu]

Didn't realize (or remember) that WotT and FF were connected. If so, that tickles my continuity bone.

[Darth Rabbitt]

IIRC Talisman of Death is explicitly connected to Way of the Tiger, although I don't have the book and can't check personally.

A Google search says that they are connected.

As for what book I'd like angel to LP, I'd be for either Way of the Tiger or Sagard the Barbarian (haven't cast my vote in the poll for either, since I'd like either.)

[angelfromanotherpin]

Sagard it is.

INTRODUCTION
[mako]
You are Sagard.

You are sixteen years old.

A mistral wind howls across the icy moors, blowing back your thick dark hair. On the horizon, jagged peaks of the mountains that form Ratik's border gnaw at the sky like wolves' teeth.

Below you is your tribal village. Your tribe is small, with scarcely three hundred members. You live as hunters, trading pelts for those things you need from the civilized world. Mostly, however, you shun the soft life of those who are civilized and prefer to think of yourselves as the Strong – people of iron.

A tall plume of white smoke rises from the chimney of a wood and stone building. The door opens and a tall, muscular warrior steps out, laughing into the waning dusk. Wafts of song and loud bragging pour out after him. When the door swings shut, the Warrior's Lodge is again silent.

All your life you have wanted to enter the Warriors' Lodge, but you are not yet a warrior. Though your thews are strong and you have already reached a height of over six feet, the warriors think you are still a boy. You will not be a warrior until you pass the Ordeal of Courage.

In Ratik there are no laws – only customs, which are stronger than laws to your tribe. One day you will set out on your Ordeal of Courage. You must perform a brave deed and bring back a trophy as proof. Your trophies, whatever they may be – the fang from a deathviper or the scalp of a mountain bandit – will be presented before the warriors. They shall eye and fondle them, and you shall tell your tale. If they approve, the elk's-horn chalice shall be passed to you. But if they find no might in your deed, you will be greeted with echoing laughter and forced to leave the hut in shame, never again to return to your tribe.

There is no set age for the Ordeal of Courage. Some men have grown old in the village without ever putting themselves through the Ordeal. But they are not warriors. They are kwads and are treated as lessers. You are no kwad. You are to become a warrior and tonight you shall begin the Ordeal of Courage.

To the west lie the Rakers, a dark mountain vastness. They are largely unmapped, though legends have placed strange and dangerous creatures there. Some tales tell of great treasures, others of vague rumors of an Ice Dragon. To the south is the Marsh where Painted Frustis roam. It is said that an ancient structure, the Lost Colosseum, was built in the ancient antediluvian age when the northern lands were a jungle. the land it now stands on is an ice-covered wasteland.

• Head to the west?
• Take the southern route?

(Rules? What rules? You'll get rules when you need them and not before! Seriously, this thing just has a cold open.)

[Darth Rabbitt]

Since I have no fucking clue what a Painted Frusti is, I suggest we go West.

Ice Dragons and great treasure are not mutually exclusive, and slaying a dragon and taking its hoard would make for a great Ordeal of Courage.

[Avoraciopoctules]

Go south. This book is about an Ice Dragon, so avoiding the dragon lair as long as possible will maximize your adventure length, and possibly leave you stronger when you do fight it.

[JigokuBosatsu]

Or render you into a Far Kwad.

[Shrapnel]

I say we go west, because I agree with Jigoku's pun. (Nice one, by the way).

[Avoraciopoctules]

Dying horribly is... sort-of adventurous?

:)

[Shrapnel]

Of course it is. Dying builds character.

I had to go out into the wilderness to get torn asunder by Ick-Yak's and get the worst case of indigestion that I've ever had at least forty or so times before my school chums even began to consider upgrading my status from "kwad" to "cool kid".

[angelfromanotherpin]

(Sagard goes West)

Leaving Home

As custom dictates, you stealthily slipped away from your home without telling a soul, arming yourself with a spear, a dagger, twenty silver coins, a cloak, a skin of wine, and a flint sparking kit.

Night blanketed Ratik as you left. Reaching the summit of the first mountain, you could not help but look back at the small village where you have lived all your life.

You criticized yourself for this, because a true Ratikkan is taught to be suspicious of all things that resemble civilization. Nevertheless, tonight was the first time you had strayed far from the warm fires of your village, which flickered behind you like the last embers of a dying fire.

The snow-crested mountains glow in the moonlight as you cross into the vallet. Ahead of you and above you, faintly swirling like drifting smoke, is a long, narrow pass. Night winds howl, and stray bits of icy snow sting your eyes. Instinct tells you it would be best to negotiate that path during the day when vision is clear. Not far away, you notice a dark recess in the mountain wall. Stepping closer, you find that it is a yawning cave.

Stooping your massive frame slightly, you enter the cave. It is still inside, removed from the howling wind. Striking a flint to spark some tinder, you create a small fire. In its light, you see that this will be a good place to spend the night.

Suddenly, you hear a low growl. The hair at the nape of your neck stands up, and your skin turns to gooseflesh. Your eyes scan the cave. A pure white Mountain Lion eyes you hungrily. Its teeth are bared, and it is poised to leap for your throat. You have never before encountered a Mountain Lion so large. To fight it may mean pain or even death, but to stray into the night will mean certain injury from cold.

• Fight the Mountain Lion?
• Leave the cave?

(Yeah, the sections are pretty wordy. Also, the prose can be kind of questionable. Fires that flicker behind you like the last embers of a dying fire is a phrase that makes my teeth itch.)

[Darth Rabbitt]

How does combat even work in this book? Regardless, we fight. More honor for us.

[Username17]

Do we even have hit points? Fuck it, stab the kitty.

-Username17

[angelfromanotherpin]

Fighting the Mountain Lion

Your first battle is about to begin. Before starting, note this section and go to (reference) for the rules of combat.

Fighting Rules
(I'm not going to type out the full thing.)
• Fights are win, lose, or flee. Winning is when all enemies are at 0 hit points, losing is when Sagard is at 0 hit points. To flee, before Sagard makes an attack, flip a coin; if you win, Sagard escapes, otherwise he attacks as normal. Some enemies cannot be fled from and are noted as such.
• Combat involves the participants taking turns making attacks; Sagard strikes first. An attack roll is a d4 (the pages are marked 1-4 in the upper corners to facilitate this) and does more damage the higher the roll depending on the fighter's Level (the participants' levels and damage codes are listed in each fight). Sagard starts at level 2, and levels range from 0 to 5.
• Sagard has 20 hit points and heals only if you are told he is; he cannot exceed 20 hit points.

Also...
• Bonuses come in four forms: trophies, experience marks, weapons and armor, and special items. Trophies are victory points for the Ordeal, experience marks can level you up (20 for level 3, 60 for level 4), weapons and armor may give benefits in combat, and special items can do whatever.

SAGARD (LEVEL 2: 1/0, 2/1, 3/1, 4/2)
[20] [19] [18] [17] [16] [15] [14] [13] [12] [11]
[10] [9] [8] [7] [6] [5] [4] [3] [2] [1] (You are too badly wounded to continue)

MOUNTAIN LION (LEVEL 2: 1/0, 2/1, 3/1, 4/2)
[10] [9] [8] [7] [6] [5] [4] [3] [2] [1] (You have beaten the Mountain Lion)

Fight!

(I'm not going to note the blow-by-blow)

SAGARD (LEVEL 2: 1/0, 2/1, 3/1, 4/2)
[20] [19] [18] [17] [16] [15] [14] [13] [12] [11]
[10] [9] [8] [7] [6] [5] [4] [3] [2] [1] (You are too badly wounded to continue)

MOUNTAIN LION (LEVEL 2: 1/0, 2/1, 3/1, 4/2)
[10] [9] [8] [7] [6] [5] [4] [3] [2] [1] (You have beaten the Mountain Lion)


The Mountain Lion's Cave

Not only did the Mountain Lion provide you with his skin as a trophy, but he also left a fresh rabbit kill in the corner. Using scraps of wood in the cave to build a small fire, you cook and devour the rabbit, and have a soft sleep on the Mountain Lion's skin. Add the Mountain Lion's pelt to your list of trophies. The kill gained you 2 experience marks. The food and rest restore 6 hit points.

You awaken the following morning and head up the path that had seemed uncrossable the night before. At nightfall, you find yourself in a fertile valley, pitch camp, and sink into a deep sleep.

Sagard, the Barbarian
Level: 2
Hit Points: [16]
Experience Marks: ||
Trophies: Mountain Lion Pelt
Weapons & Armor: Spear, Dagger
Special Items: 20 silver coins, cloak, skin of wine, flint sparking kit.

Shadow in the Mist

Your barbarian instincts bring you suddenly awake from a deep, soothing sleep. Steeling your nerve, you lie still, lightly breathing, but through your partially opened eyes you see a human shape hovering over you. Your nostrils detect a soft scent of perfume, and you imagine a beautiful woman, but you know not to rely on scents from civilization – the scent could also be that of a Medigian Trader who would just as soon kill you as talk to you.

Your hand creeps stealthily to the shaft of your spear; you don't know whether the figure in the mist is friend or foe. You can try talking to the figure, but if the shadow in the mist has evil intentions, you will lose all advantage of surprise. You may strike at the figure, but you would risk damaging a potential ally.

• Strike at the figure?
• Talk to the figure?

[Username17]

Talk. Having just punched something to get the fighting rules exposition, we now need to have a non-combat encounter to get the rest of the exposition. Only once we've talked to this asshole can we get to the next stage of the tutorial.

-Username17

[hogarth]

Since I have no fucking clue what a Painted Frusti is, I suggest we go West.

Assuming that this is in the World of Greyhawk (since that's where Ratik is), the Fruztii are a tribe of barbarians (frost barbarians -- because Fruztii sounds like "frosty", get it?).

[Darth Rabbitt]

Talk.

[JigokuBosatsu]

Parley.

[angelfromanotherpin]

Talking to the Shadow Creature

With your spear in hand, you sit up. "Who disturbs my sleep?" you call in your toughest, most manly voice. The figure jumps. In the light of dawn, you see that it is a Ratikkan girl. Like yours, her hair is dark and her eyes are blue. She is very pretty and about your age. You were wise not to attack her.


The Ratikkan Girl

"I am Glanda, girl of Ratik. Like you, I am undergoing my Ordeal of Courage."

"And what item do you seek?" you ask.

"Eat with me, and I shall tell you," she says, beginning a fire.

Together you eat. Food brings back your strength. You regain 10 hit points.

After dinner, Glanda says, "I intend to bring back the heart of the Ice Dragon."

You laugh heartily. "No man has ever attacked the Ice Dragon and lived. Certainly a young girl could not do it," you say. "Many warriors have died trying to accomplish that task."

"They intended to use strength. I shall use guile and speed. Journey with me."

You eye her. She is a beautiful young girl on an epic mission. One side of you wants to go with her; the other tells you that trying to steal the heart of the Ice Dragon is the pinnacle of foolishness.

• Journey with her?
• This plan is foolishness!

(Huh, so the Ordeal is equal-opportunity. That's unexpected. Also, I like her moxie. I've included an illustration of her that we didn't technically get to see since we didn't fight her. Her weapon of choice is pretty sweet.)

[JigokuBosatsu]

Spiked chain, eh?

Well, while B is certainly true, I vote A.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Agreed, we team up with her.

[angelfromanotherpin]

Plotting the Mission

"It is said that the Ice Dragon's lair is in a temple built by the ancient Gondorians," Glanda begins.

You chuckle. "I have never heard of a dragon living in human habitations."

"Nor have I," she says. Her voice drops to a low whisper. "I have an idea, but you must promise me that you will never repeat what I am about to tell you."

"You don't have to worry. They would laugh at me if I did," you answer.

A look of hurt crosses her face. "Then you promise me also that you will never tell anyone that you are searching for this place?"

"Get on with it," you say. "I do not want to be here until summer making promises." She watches you, her expression frozen. "I promise," you answer with a shrug.

"I believe the Gondorians brought the Ice Dragon to that building."

"For what purpose?"

"I haven't figured that out yet," she answers, "but the Gondorians were a strange race, advanced far beyond any 'civilized' races of our time."

"And how do you intend to find this lair?"

Glanda smiles mysteriously. "I have some notions about where it might be."

"You mean you don't know where it is?" you ask.

"No, but if we look hard enough, we'll find it," she says cheerfully.

(That's a proper meet-cute.)


With Glanda

Your heart flutters as you look into Glanda's pretty eyes. "I could think of nobody I would rather find the Ice Dragon with, Sagard," she says.

Then let us depart," you say.

"Unfortunately, I do not know where it is," she says, smiling.

Your spirits drop. The best quest of your life, and this girl doesn't even know where to take you. You ponder this for a moment, until a voice cuts through the morning mist.

"Glanda! I have been searching all over for you."

"You whirl around to see a Ratikkan boy. He doesn't seem to notice you as he steps toward Glanda.

"How dare you follow me!" she says. "This is my quest," she says, hands on hips.

He stiffens. "Who is he?" he asks, pointing at you.

"I am Sagard. I have just met her this moment," you say.

"Then you will take no offense if I ask you to leave," he responds.

"But Sagard has agreed to join me in searching for the Ice Dragon."

"Then he will do so over my frozen corpse." The Ratikkan boy draws his sword and faces you off.

You can either fight or make a graceful exit. In this issue, you are of two minds. The test of manhood is supposed to be a solo mission, and yet Glanda has created a strange feeling in your chest. This feeling is soft and warm, and you want to be close to Glanda. You fight this feeling for a moment, because it seems dangerously like magic.

• Nobody cock-blocks Sagard!
• Sagard don't need no drama, man...