[LP] Lesser-Known Gamebooks: The Cretan Chronicles.

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[LP] Lesser-Known Gamebooks: The Cretan Chronicles.

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

The Cretan Chronicles was a gamebook series which I think suffered a lot from having three authors. The premise is that Theseus dies fighting the Minotaur, and the quest has to be taken up by Theseus' little-known little brother Altheus. It was published by Puffin under the same Adventure Gamebooks imprint they used for Fighting Fantasy.

The first book is kind of a fun romp, where the player wanders around playing out various myths and acquiring the favor and disfavor of various gods. The second book is mostly really well-done court intrigue, capped off with a labyrinth-crawl, but unfortunately 'difficult' in the gamebook sense. The third book is... ugh, an incredibly tedious slog of serial shipwrecks and isolated encounters, culminating in a non-ending; it's supposed to be Greek Tragedy, but at least those were fucking satisfying. Book 3 has a few nice moments, but as a whole it should be avoided at all costs.

The books have an inconsistent tone, sometimes parodic, sometimes dreamlike, sometimes sirius biznes; that's not inherently bad, but it isn't done particularly well. The books also have a gimmick, which is that if the reference number is in italics, you can turn 20 references ahead to... well, yeah. See, the books are very inconsistent as to what that mechanic is actually supposed to be. Sometimes it's supposed to be 'trying to have a vision,' and sometimes it's 'try something 'outside the box' (without knowing what it is ahead of time).' That second one is what causes (almost) all the problems because I don't think it ever comes up in a way that wouldn't have been better handled as just a regular option.

So the whole thing is a mixed bag, but a fairly interesting one. As someone who had devoured every FF book I could get my hands on, I couldn't help but check them out. Anyway, enough preamble, let's get to it.
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Trembling with terror at the tale of Hermes, you rush out of your cottage and into the fields. You search for your mother, Aethra, and find her huddled under a spruce tree tending the goats. In haste you blurt out the words of the god.

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'My son,' replies your mother, 'the words of the god fill me with sorrow, but they are true, for the gods never lie. You must follow the orders of the winged messenger. Travel to violet-crowned Athens and seek your father Aegeus. Take with you my jewel, for it was once your father's, and he will surely recognize it. But first visit Passes, High Priest of Troezen, and take what advice he can give you. Good luck, my son; prove worthy of your noble father and your dead brother.'

Having spoken, she turns away lest you catch sight of her tears. You linger a moment, then, with the jewel clasped firmly in your hand, you rush down the hillside into the town. It is dawn, and rosy-fingered Eos has only just tinged the horizon with red. The streets of Troezen are empty, save for a handful of scurrying slaves already about their masters' business, and you come quickly to the temple. The High Priest greets you; he already knows of your errand.

'Altheus, before you lies a great journey to lands of which you have never even dreamt. Many dangers await you; without the aid of a god you cannot prevail. Choose now a patron god or goddess to guide and help you.

'Grey-eyed Athena offers you the gift of wisdom; Ares, god of war, offers strength. If beauty tempts you, think of Aphrodite. Apollo, the archer god, controls the gift of prophecy, while Hera, queen of the gods, has influence over Zeus. Your travels are sure to take you across seas and oceans, and these are Poseidon's province. Choose now one of these six to aid you, and pay them homage. Good luck, Altheus son of Aegeus.'

• Aphrodite?
• Ares?
• Poseidon?
• Athena?
• Hera?
• Apollo?
That order is really weird, as it's neither alphabetical nor the order in which they were presented to us. Anyway, this is a fairly important choice that will have repercussions throughout the series.
Altheus the Amicable, son of Aegeus
MIGHT: 5 (4 Natural +1 Club)
PROTECTION: 10
HONOUR: 7
SHAME: 0

Possessions
Club (Might 1)
Mother's Gem

The Gods
Zeus (Listening)
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Post by Starmaker »

Such gross crimes as patricide, marrying one's own mother or failure satisfactorily to maintain one's armour
Arson, murder and jaywalking.

I think we should go for either Ares (for combat bonuses) or Apollo (for what is most likely consequence-free hints, because I liked the Serpents' hints and I'm curious about the system here and you should be, too). Poseidon is situational, Hera probably grants a second appeal to Zeus and we should focus more on winning and not having to appeal to him. Wisdom and beauty sound super-specific like the Key in Dice Man (Athena might grant protection, because Aegis, but the best defense defence is you know what).
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'd be in favor of either Apollo or Athena. Prophecy and Wisdom sound like the two most useful abilities to me (I don't know how high the numbers of our foes will be so having extra combat bonuses may not be necessary). That being said, it would be pretty damn fun to see what a champion of Aphrodite plays like.
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Post by MisterDee »

Ì've played the second book in this series, but I don't remember it at all.

Thematically, Altheus is Athenian, so Athena would obviously make sense.

But in the hope of some Altheus-on-Ariadne action, I vote Aphrodite :)
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Okay, as I calculate things, that's a tie between Apollo and Aphrodite. I'm breaking the tie in favor of Aphrodite because she's a lot more interesting than Apollo. Also, Apollo's thing is that he prevents any negative consequences from taking a hint at the 'wrong' times, and you guys deserve to feel the outrage that system brings on.
You offer prayers to Aphrodite and then start on the journey to Athens, where your father is king. The road is hard desert, and the sun beats down relentlessly. After many more hours your feet grow weary and your sight grows dim. In the distance ahead, you see a lone horseman galloping towards you.

• Hide in the ditch until he goes past?
• Carry on as normal?
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Post by Starmaker »

No reason to lose honor on account of a single horseman. Carry on.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Agreed. We will not hide from our first potential encounter.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

'Hello, stranger,' coos the rider, evidently a very beautiful woman. 'You've come a long way, and you look worn out. Want a ride? I can offer food and succour. Jump up behind and hold on tight.'

• Accept?
• Refuse?
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Aphrodite is our patron, so I can't see this going wrong.

EDIT: Accepting her ride, that is.
Last edited by Darth Rabbitt on Sun Jun 15, 2014 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Starmaker »

Accept.
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Post by Sirocco »

As much as I despize my people's mythology being brutally sodomized (I'm looking at you, Kevin Sorbo!), I'll give this a go, since Theseus' legend is among my favorites. Sad to see that in this alternate universe he met with a most unfortunate end. :p

So yes, accept the ride from the beautiful woman who is probably a goddess in disguise.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

As you ride along, the lady reveals herself as the goddess Aphrodite. 'You're a good boy, Altheus,' she simpers. 'You have shown trust in beauty,' she continues, with a coy flick of her hair, 'and for that trust I shall reward you. To revenge your brother's death, you must travel to Crete, which is an awfully long way away. There, before all else, you must seek out Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, who will aid you in your struggle. She is kind and fair – though nowhere near as fair as I am – and you can trust her. Now I shall take you to Tiryns, and there we shall rest. I have one more vital piece of knowledge to impart to you, but that can wait until we are comfortable.' Seeing that your mind bubbles with unanswered questions, she pats your shoulder reassuringly and gives you a winning smile. 'Relax.'
Most of the patron deities just show up and drop their benefits on you, but a couple of them play a little more hard-to-get. Aphrodite's benefits aren't anywhere near as concrete as some, but they are significant.
The goddess' horse is fast, and you soon arrive in Tiryns. You see an inn with a gaily painted wooden sign, 'The house of Procrustes.' The goddess shakes her head. 'I have my own little place, close by. It's far cosier.'

You ride through the dark streets to a secluded mansion. Even the porch is larger than the cottage in which you have lived all your life, and priceless blue glass statuettes stand all around in alcoves.

'They're of me,' breathes the goddess. 'Rather nice, don't you think? This one's terribly good, but the arms are missing.' You go inside and sit down. You ask about the vital piece of knowledge which the goddess has not told you.

'Later,' whispers Aphrodite.
In the morning the goddess is gone. You leave the house and carry on out of the city.
And by 'benefits,' I mean 'as in "friends with..."' Yeah, it's only implied that you boink, but it's only slightly more subtle than the old 'for modesty's sake, let us turn our gaze elsewhere' captions used in the old Spider-Man comics. Also, you don't have to deal with Procrustes of the ill-fitting bed, which is nice. That statue is one of many references scattered throughout the series, and I know I don't even get all of them, because while I know the myths pretty well, the writers also draw from the plays and such, which I am much vaguer on.
You leave high-walled Tiryns far behind you as, mulling over the night's events in your mind, your journey north to Mycenae. The road is high-banked, and there are few travellers. Some hours pass, and you reach a place where a track joins the road. Unsure of your route, you question a passing farmer, on his way to market at Tiryns. He tells you that the track leads east to Epidaurus, home of Asclepius the healer, but that the road leads as you thought to Mycenae the lion city.

• Take the track to Epidaurus?
• Carry on to Mycenae?
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Post by SGamerz »

Wow, Cretan Chronicles.....very long since I last read these. And you guys chose someone other than Apollo, or Athena! Good luck on that, I see a ****load of suicides (due to Shame overload from crappy hints) in Altheus future! :biggrin:

I vote for Mycenae, simply because that's the route I don't remember taking myself (I can remember the healer's route fairly well).
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Again, I figured that Apollo or Athena would be the most generally useful, but Aphrodite would be the most fun. So far I am not disappoint.

We don't need any healing so far, but maybe Asclepius has herbs or potions for future use. Half a vote for going to Epidaurus.
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Post by Sirocco »

Mycenae was a big city by the standards of that era and sounds more interesting. Epidaurus on the other hand has Asclepius & healing. Meh. Let's say Epidaurus, and we can resume our journey afterwards.

(Epidaurus also has a nice theater, for the more culturally inclined.)
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

As you trudge along the dusty road, the midday sun beats down on your back. You sit down to take a drink, and as you do, you notice something strange beside the road. You stand up, and when you reach the place, there is a skeleton, sheathed in rotting leather armour. Across the road a boot and a broken, rusty sword hilt lie, in evidence of an ancient struggle for the traveller's life. The place is overgrown with bushes and scrub. You sigh and utter a quick prayer to your patron that your fate will be a happier one, and that amicable Altheus will live at least to see the halls of his father. But the journey beckons and you set off again to Epidaurus.

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• Proceed?
• Take a hint?
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Post by SGamerz »

Darth Rabbitt wrote:Again, I figured that Apollo or Athena would be the most generally useful, but Aphrodite would be the most fun. So far I am not disappoint.
Apollo gives us full protection from negative consequences gained from bad hints, which I do agree will make for a comparatively boring play since we can just grab every hint we see without fear of repercussions (although the sheer hilarity of the riduculous things the book assumes you want to do through hints more than makes up for it IMO.)

Personally I would have gone for Athena, who gives us partial protection from hints(and some stat boost). We'd still have to be careful about picking up too many bad hints, but picking the bad ones won't be quite as lethal. Seriously, I don't like Altheus' chances without any protection from the hint system.....but either way it's going to be fun! :biggrin:

I'm going to refrain from the next vote unless it really needs a tiebreaker, since I know what happens here, and I'll try not to spoil it for new players. :)
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Let's take a hint; I want to see what they're like.
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Post by Sirocco »

I'm a bit discouraged by SGamerz for metagaming reasons, but I'll go along with my first instinct and take the hint offered.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Just as you are about to leave, you notice something glint in the bushes. You investigate. It is an old, rusty helmet, but still useful (Protection 2, Might 0). Pleased with your find, you continue.
On some level the hint system is a marvelous simulation of asking the Greek gods for help. The responses are capricious and arbitrary, for good or ill.
You come at last to the town of Epidaurus. You look around in amazement at the crowded streets. Unfamiliar faces push past you and crush you against the high-towered walls. No one stops or notices you, and they all seem miserable, as if abandoned by the gods. Eventually courage builds itself in your mind, and you seek to converse with a high-born lady. She ignores you with a contemptuous glance. Almost in despair you seize a passer-by and shake his arm. 'Friend,' you say, 'where is the inn? Why is the town so afflicted? Is Olympian Zeus angry with its people? Do the Harpies visit your feast-tables, laden with the fruits of the earth?'

The man only shakes his head and points lamely ahead. You look and see a scruffy tavern. You turn to question the man, but he has scurried off. Resigned, you walk towards the small, squat building. The steps are unwashed, and the windows are caked with dirt. A sign above the door tells you that it is indeed a place where you can find a room for the night.

• Go in?
• Or go away?
Altheus the Amicable, son of Aegeus
MIGHT: 5 (4 Natural +1 Club)
PROTECTION: 12 (10 Natural +2 Rusty Helmet)
HONOUR: 7
SHAME: 0

Possessions
Club (Might 1)
Mother's Gem
Rusty Helmet (Protection 2)

The Gods
Zeus (Listening)
Last edited by angelfromanotherpin on Tue Jun 17, 2014 5:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Starmaker »

So the "hint" is a helmet we wouldn't have found otherwise? Huh.

Enter, if there's anyone inside they might be able to tell us what's wrong.
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Post by SGamerz »

Starmaker wrote:So the "hint" is a helmet we wouldn't have found otherwise? Huh.
Yeah, the problem with the hint system in this series is that most of them are pretty random or arbitrary, with little clues to what the hero would actually do/think when the player may be thinking of something entirely different. A lot of it is "guess if the author is feeling generous or sadistic". There are a few cases where knowledge of Greek mythology would help, but those are rather rare in comparison with the random ones.

At least the first book isn't too punishing, for the most part.

Go into the tavern, 'cos taverns = booze, and getting boozed is like a tradition for classic heroes of ancient mythology.
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Post by Sirocco »

Let's see if we can find out what's plaguing these people. Tavern.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Inside, it is worse than even the wretched exterior suggested. There is a powerful smell of rotting food and unwashed locals. Despite being nearly overcome by nausea, you step up to the bar.

'Innkeeper,' you shout, 'a room for the night!'

At the far end of the bar the innkeeper, a grossly fat, cowardly looking man, continues to ignore you. Beside you an old man, with bare feet, speaks.

'Son, if I were you, I would leave at once, for Epidaurus is beset by foul bandits, terrorizing the temple of Asclepius the healer. Go quickly, for they will likely kill strangers, or perhaps, since you hold yourself as a hero, you could rid our town of this curse,' he adds, with sarcasm heavy in his voice.

The innkeeper has now come over, and proffers you a key to an upstairs room.

• Pay him and take the key to the room, going upstairs for long-fingered Sleep to brush closed your weary eyelids?
• React to the old man's taunt at once, and seek the bandits?
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Post by Sirocco »

Are we men or are we mice?! Of course we help.
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