[LP] Lesser-Known Gamebooks: He-Man and the Memory Stone!

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 5:46 am

Taking/stealing a page out of angelfromanotherpin's book, I'm going to try running a non-FF style gamebook. Vault of the Vampire, hopefully, won't be my last FF LP attempt, but I think I will be alternating between an FF book and a "lesser-known" book for variety's sake, if there's sufficient interest!

To start, I'll be doing a pretty short gamebook from the Masters of the Universe Adventure series.....I say "series", but as far as I know, this is the only actual gamebook in the series

(there have been other non-GB graphic novels released under that series).

I think Demian's Gamebook Web page does a better job of summing up this book better than I ever can:

"This book is aimed at a very young audience, and thus the writing is simplistic and the gameplay extremely easy.......(The book) is a bit disjointed at times, but the cheesiness of the He-Man universe is kind of amusing and the book has a fairly high replay value despite being so easy to complete since there are so many different ways to win...The combat system is entirely random but more interesting than one might expect; whenever He-Man gets into a fight, a table is presented. If you roll very well, He-Man wins the combat outright; otherwise, he either loses life points or gets a bonus on the next roll. Simplistic, but more interesting than "Roll 4 or higher or else you die."

Sounds simple, right? Yeah, there's really only one stat to keep track of, and that's He-Man's Life Points (he starts with 12). And a single 6-sided die is all it takes to start playing!

As for the premise of the book...well, there's no backcover blurb on this book, so I again refer to Demian's simple summary:

He-Man must find and destroy the evil Memory Stone used by Skeletor to steal Man-at-Arms' memory.

So....anybody game for this short (but hopefully fun) ride?

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 5:33 pm

Ladybird! Anything done by them can't be bad. I'm game.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 4:57 am

I'm game too.

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:52 am

THis is new. I'd like to see how it goes.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:34 am

Alright! Let's begin!

Deep underneath Snake Mountain, deeper than even Skeletor had dared to go before, the slave Skelcons had found a cavern. They immediately summoned their master.

Skeletor rushed through the mines, down towards the newly-unearthed cavern. "At last, we have found it; the brain-draining stone truly exists!"

Pushing aside his gibbering servants he entered the small chamber.

"Now to put an end to that laughable buffoon, He-Man! I will suck his mind dry!"

Skeletor raised his energy blade until its tip almost touched the small grey stone in the centre of the chamber. With an evil cackle the Lord of Destruction set about the task of draining He-Man's mind. But unknown to him, the stone was not perfect and its brain-draining powers missed their mark. Instead they struck Man-at-Arms.

In Castle Grayskull, Man-at-Arms was busy repairing and recharging the energy weapons when the black beam struck him like a shadowy hand. He fought strongly but the ancient stone's power, forged by who knows what foul creature, succeeded in sucking his memory dry. He could no longer remember anything.

Skeletor was furious. He had seen what had happened through his video lens. "Fools!" he shouted, as the Skelcons hid in the deep shadows, afraid of their master's anger. "I shall still destroy He-Man! Without Man-at-Arms to repair and invent their weapons, their castle is defenseless."

Back at Castle Grayskull everyone had crowded round Man-at-Arms. They soon realized what had happened. Stratos had caught a glimpse the beam with his super-sensitive eyes.

"There is nothing,else that can be done," said He-Man quietly. "We have no other means of transport, all our machines are useless without the expert Man-at-Arm, to maintain them. While you all remain here to protect the castle from attack, I must go with Battle-Cat and the trusty Power Blade to recapture his memories."

If He-Man decides to leave right away, turn to 20.
If he decides to wait till nightfall, turn to 69.

Depart now, or travel by night?

Note: There are graphics filling every page, but the majority are mostly obscured by the blocks of text over the page, so I will only be scanning the more "complete" and more interesting ones.

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 2:10 pm

Go now. There's no reason to wait.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 2:29 pm

Night is the time of the enemy. Haste.

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 3:01 pm

Go with all haste.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 3:22 pm

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:27 am

The faster we defeat Skeletor, the faster we can make gainz restore our friend's memories.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:12 pm

We must make haste!

Just as the jaw-bridge is about to be lowered, Stratos rushes up to He-Man. "I don't think you should leave during the day. Your mission will be made easier if you leave in darkness. This will also give me time to investigate the lie of the land."

He-Man agrees and returns to help build more defences for the castle.

We've been waiting on the RAAAIILROAD, all the lifelong daaaaaay.....

While He-Man gets ready for his great task, Stratos, Lord of Avion, takes to the air to search the area for dangers. It is dusk when he returns. "Through the thick leaves I saw Beast-Man and a band of large creatures heading this way along the road."

Leaping to his feet, He-Man mounts Battle-Cat and they race over the jaw-bridge and into the night.

If He-Man follows the road through the forest, turn to 61.
If he tells Battle-Cat to plunge through the undergrowth close to the roadside, turn to 100.
If he decides to walk alongside Battle-Cat, turn to 66.

Enemy scouted! How are we going to travel?

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:39 pm

I say we plunge mindlessly through the undergrowth, because rushing into a bunch of plants is never a bad thing.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:50 pm

That's some badass railroading right there. Let's see if it gets any worse. Plunge heedlessly through the undergrowth.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:04 pm

Terrain features (giant plants) probably aren't as tough as a miniboss (Beast Man). So let's go into the undergrowth.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:20 pm

Like all men, He-Man can't resist the urge to plunge deep into the first available bush.

Battle-Cat's mighty muscles ripple with strength as he bounds through the thick undergrowth. Soon Battle-Cat catches sight of the hairy Beast-Man swinging through low branches which lead him deeper into the uncharted Evergreen Forest.

If He-Man tells Battle-Cat to speed up after Beast-Man, turn to 143.
If he thinks it might be a trap, turn to 30.

Do we think it's a trap.

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:20 pm

Ambush Beast-Man fromthe undergrowth. (posted simultaneously)

IT'S A TRAP!

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:29 pm

Of course it's a trap. /Admiral Ackbar

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:39 pm

(Yeah, considering this book is targeted at younger children, when the text suggests that something is bad, it generally is.)

Battle-Cat suggests with He-Man that Beast-Man is trying to lead them into a trap. He suggests that they split up and try to foil his plan by attacking from both sides at once.

If He-Man decides to do this, turn to 6.
If he wants to return to the road, remembering that Castle Grayskull does not have much time, tunr to 40.

Do we want to follow our pet kitty's suggestion?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 2:57 pm

There's still Beast Man's army on the road, so let's split up the party (which never goes wrong, amirite?) and attack the hump from behind.

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:01 am

Trust the cat of war.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:19 am

It is time to ambush the ambushers!

The two heroes split up. Making a wide detour, both He-Man and Battle-Cat arrive at opposite sides of the trap that has been set for them. A strong net, tied between two springy saplings, would have made them helpless prisoners had they blundered into it.

With a roar, the great green and yellow tiger scatters Beast-Man and his people. They run into the trees, howling in fright.

Awwww.......isn't our kitty brave?

Leaving Beast-Man's trap behind, Battle-Cat and He-Man head back to the road.

The road is well used and heads through the Evergreen Forest towards the wide grassy plains in the south. There He-Man hopes to find even faster transport than the faithful Battle-Cat but there is still a long way to go.

What treason! How can He-Man possibly think of finding other transport than his faithful kitty?

The dark night fades into cool dawn light as Eternia's sun rises over distant hazy mountains. Soon the dense forest thins out and the vast grassy south plain comes into sight.

The dawn silence is shattered by a terrible screeching sound. He-Man turns just in time to fend off a hurtling body with his shield. The creature jumps to its feet as Battle-Cat's hairs bristle in anger.

A hideous monkey-spider has dropped down on He-Man from its perch, high in one of the great trees. Looking like a large monkey with spider's legs coming from its body, it approaches, dripping poison on the ground.

Roll the die and score, using the table below, until you get a 6.
1 - H-Man is bitten on the leg, turn to 25.
2 - He-Man fends off the foul creature.
3 - He-Man wounds the creature. Add 1 to your next throw.
4 - He-Man wounds the creature badly. Add 2 to your next throw.
5 - He-Man knocks the creature out, turn to 45.
6 - He-Man fells the creature with one blow, turn to 45.

Our first battle! Anyway, that sentence about "roll until you get a 6" seems to be the standard line for most combats in this book, but in this particular fight we only need to roll a 5 and above to win. However, in most fight we're merely told to subtract Life points if we score low, but this is one of the few fights that give us a specific section to turn to if we get bitten...and something tells me we really don't want to go there....

FIGHT!

Die roll: 6! We KOed the monster in the very first round!

Leaving the monkey-spider behind, He-Man and Battle-Cat jog through the wispy grass down a gently sloping hillside onto the great southern plain.

"The creature I seek is a horse with a man's mind, though his human side is tempered with a horse's natural nervousness."

He-Man turns to the great cat. The huge tiger nods in agreement. "I understand, He-Man," he growls in reply. "If you wish, I will return to Castle Grayskull."

If He-Man tells his friend to do this, turn to 139.
If He-Man doesn't want Battle-Cat to leave, and the two continue deeper into the plain, turn to 105.

NOOOOOO! He-Man, you traitor, how can you turn your back on your most faithful partner?

Do we want to jilt our kitty in order to court the horse?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:09 pm

Our kitty hasn't let us down before, so let's keep him around.

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 2:54 pm

"A horse with a man's mind, though his human side is tempered with a horse's natural nervousness"...?

Da hell?

Anyway, we keep Battle-Cat, because his original toy was crap.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 4:28 pm

Keep the cat. The horse has shown little tactical acumen thus far, whereas Battle-Cat is clearly smarter than we are.

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:47 am

Of course he is, he had a statue in Northhampton. And this happened to it. (They removed the picture, alas.)