[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 57 - Magehunter

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Wed Oct 21, 2020 3:11 am

Oh, good catch, to the storyteller!

SGamerz wrote:Depending on which path we took to meet him, it's possible for the PC to be given the choice to attack the mage (and yes, possibly successfully kill him).

That makes sense, maybe I was remembering that.

SGamerz wrote:Anyway, this city, as Khasim mentioned, is Kallameher. Those who participated in or read the LP topic for the Riddling Reaver RPG will be familiar with that name. This book is set way after that story, however.

Huh, I'd always thought before, though that was mostly based on the Reaver, IIRC, turning up in here and presumably being defeated at the end of the Riddling Reaver. Though defeated isn't necessarily dead, I guess, and in the LP, the heroes stopped about 1/3 of the way through anyway.

Always been one of the selling points of this book to me, the crossover with the Reaver, though in retrospect not sure if I liked the Riddling Reaver, or it was just the only FF RPG book I had when growing up.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 10:37 am

Thaluikhain wrote:Huh, I'd always thought before, though that was mostly based on the Reaver, IIRC, turning up in here and presumably being defeated at the end of the Riddling Reaver. Though defeated isn't necessarily dead, I guess, and in the LP, the heroes stopped about 1/3 of the way through anyway.

The Reaver also makes a cameo appearance in FF32, which is definitely set after RR, since the already-widowed Lady Carolina was ruling Kallamehr at the start of the book. So no, the Reaver certainly wasn't dead after the RPG.

I'm not sure if it's possible for any mortal to permanently kill the Reaver anyway, considering that in this book:

It's possible for the PC to shoot and kill the Reaver with his pistol, but the next time the PC tries to Test his Luck, he gets summoned to Lord Logaan himself (he wasn't named, but his description is clearly taken from the ones in the Titan handbook in the section that talks about Logaan the Trickster). Logaan will berate the PC for daring to rely on the Luck God after killing his favoured creation, make him automatically fail the LUCK test, and would also rant about having to "make" a new Reaver. So it sounds like it's more of an intelligent God-created magical construct than a normal living being.

You should only seek out a storyteller you have not met before. Which storyteller will you look for?

Al-Fakik?
Al-Haddar?
Al-Nashshar?

Or, if you will settle for the first one you run into, turn to 119.

Several players have already stated their wish to visit Al-Haddar, so let's proceed:

After mentioning the name of Al-Haddar, you easily find his house on a quiet street near the west gate. When you enquire within, you meet the storyteller himself, a powerful-looking man with drooping jowls.

You explain what you are doing in the city and he welcomes you warmly, offering you the hospitality of his house. After introducing you to his beautiful wife, Dunyazad, he claps his hand three times, summoning a servant to bring drinks and dainty sweetmeats. He explains that, although he doesn't know anything that might be directly relevant to your search, he does have a large stock of stories. "Sometimes my stories can help a person with their difficulties," he explains, "for none of them are imaginary - all are true - and the truth is a powerful thing."

If you accept Al-Haddar's hospitality and remain in his house, turn to 158. If you would like to do some more searching elsewhere before night falls, note down the number '158' - you may return to Al-Haddar's whenever you are given the option to go to the place where you have arranged to stay. If you have the word 'trail' written down, turn to 205; otherwise, turn to 241.

The book makes it clear that we can come back to him any time (241 is the "hub-central" section for Kallamehr where we would have the option to visit the place we arranged to stay). Do we want to stay at his house now, or check other options first?

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 11:02 am

That's handy, look elsewhere first.

(Never knew that about the Reaver, seems odd)

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 11:42 am

Search elsewhere since we go to the same section after searching.

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:15 pm

Other options first

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 12:16 am

Since we have the option of returning to Al-Haddar at any time, my vote is to do some more searching before night falls.

If we head back to the previous choice branch, my vote is to make enquires and hunt for clues, as I do not believe the authorities will necessarily be helpful, and magehunting methods aren't going to be too useful here, since I feel Kallamehr has multiple mages living within its walls.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 1:53 am

We get directed back to the main hub to do more searching, but since we hadn't picked up any 'X's or new codewords yet since the last time we've been there, we are faced with the same options we did last time. Since only one player voted an actual acti0on to make enquiries, let's go with that:

Choosing your subjects with care, you make discreet enquiries concerning recent newcomers to the city. You learn about all sorts of strange arrivals, but one in particular seems to match Mencius's current appearance. His clothing is described as outlandish, and his hair-colour also fits. Going by the name of Saba, he has established himself rapidly in the city by means of his regular performance of magic in the bazaar and area of the city made up of tents and frequented by lower-class merchants. If you continue to make enquiries, turn to 136 if you have the word 'early' written on your Adventure Sheet or to 233 if you don't. If you hurry on to the bazaar in search of Saba, turn to 364.

Do we want to check out this Saba guy now? Or continue making enquiries?

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 3:37 am

My vote is to continue to make enquiries, as this could be a red herring, and I feel this is a case where we should get all information possible before acting.

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:53 am

Continue to make enquiries because I don't think we're well enough armed to fight Mencius yet. Not even one flintlock!

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:39 am

Are we allowed to come back here if further enquiries give us reason to think we can take Mencius?

Either way further enquiries, feels too early in the book for the clmactic confrontation.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:10 am

To enquiries!

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 1:35 am

Further enquiry reveals that Saba is not the only foreigner matching Mencius's current description to have arrived recently in Kallamehr. A street urchin tells you about a strange-looking person who somehow managed to obtain an audience with the city's ruler, Asiah Albudur; shortly afterwards, this person was granted permission to live in the Rangor Tower, overlooking the market - a building which has stayed empty since the death of the city's previous ruler. Mark a cross on your Adventure Sheet. If you go straight to Ranger Tower, turn to 312. Otherwise, you may go to the bazaar to check on Saba or choose another option.

"Choose another option" just takes us back to the central hub section, so if you vote for that, please indicate which option you want to take from there as well. We still haven't gained enough crosses or new passwords to open up any additional options there yet.

Which lead do we follow (if any)?

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 3:54 am

My vote will be to check on Saba. The Rangor Tower is probably where Mencius lives, and Jamie Van Ginyu clearly does not have the equipment to deal with him now.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 9:55 am

At the bazaar, you creep among the tents until you reach a central, cleared area. Here a crowd is watching Saba perform on a makeshift stage. His clothing is certainly outlandish, but it doesn't resemble anything from your own land. Saba, heavily made up, is currently making a profusion of silk scarves appear from various parts of his body, flinging them on to a table that is already laden with rabbits, fruits, cups, balls and even a little yellow bird in a cage. His build seems to be right, and his hair-colour and facial shape match, but you cannot be certain that this is Mancius because of his heavy make-up. If you wait in ambush and attack the magician when he finishes his show, turn to 343. If you prefer to follow him discreetly, turn to 134. Otherwise, you may give up on Saba; mark a cross and turn to 241.

Attack, track, or abandon this lead?

Again, if you give up on this lead, please indicate which option you wish to take next from the central hub.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:03 am

Follow the yellow bird cage!

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:26 am

I don't really remember this bit, but a street performer isn't the villain unless they are a clown. It's a rule.

EDIT: By which I mean follow.

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:09 pm

Follow discreetly

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 4:21 pm

My vote is to follow Saba discreetly to see if anything notable happens.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 9:26 am

Mark a cross on your Adventure Sheet. After the show, you follow the magician, taking care that he can't see you. He makes his way to a tent on the far side of the tent district. You check as many footprints as you can see clearly, but none are those of a cat. You wait for a short time after he enters his tent, then peer in carefully. The magician seems to be eating a light meal. If Kurt is with you, turn to 177. Otherwise, you can prepare to ambush him or you can give up and try something else?

No additional new options here for JVG, unfortunately...

Attack the magician or not?

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 9:31 am

Half a vote for "prepare" to ambush the guy we're not looking for, in the hopes we don't actually attack him.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 1:30 pm

If he is Mencius, we're not ready for that fight; if he isn't Mencius, we don't need to do a murder. Give up and try Ranger Tower (and also hope we don't get forced into combat there).

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 4:12 pm

I agree with Omegon's reasoning. Give up and try something else? I think the only other thing we can do is check out Ranger Tower.

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 6:35 pm

My vote is to give up and try something else, as Saba clearly is not our target and I do not feel that trying to ambush an innocent magician is the correct play here. If we head back to the previous choice branch again, my vote is to go to the market and see if we can get some additional supplies.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:40 am

pragma wrote:I think the only other thing we can do is check out Ranger Tower.

Why? There's still nothing stopping us from going shopping, looking for authorities, or try using whatever traditional mage-hunting methods available to us. And we can still crash at Al-Haddar's house for some story time.

Anyway, the reason I didn't insist on everyone picking which option to take if we don't ambush Saba, is because we've now accumulated 3 crosses on our Adventure Sheet, which opens up a new section when we return to the central hub area:

If you have three crosses marked on your Adventure Sheet and do not have the word 'home' written there, cross off the word 'early', if you have it, and turn to 194.

From the way we've been picking up crosses, I think it's safe to say they represent the amount of time we've spent in the city. More stuff happens when we've picked up 5 crosses (whether they are good or bad is yet to be seen).

You are just wondering where you should go next when a jaunty figure strides up to you, grinning all over its too-familiar face. It's Mencius, flaunting his borrowed body. There are people all around, so you hope that he will be loath to attract attention to himself with serious magic; all the same, your eyes dart around for possible venues of escape. "I promised revenge, and I shall have it," he says in your own language, but with a friendly smile on his face and an easy tone in his voice. "It will be my pleasure to extinguish your soul utterly, and it will be especially easy, as this magic-rich world has amplified my powers threefold. As a small gesture of my contempt for your abilities, by the way, allow me to present you with this." So saying, he hands you a box. Your scalp prickles as you imagine what may be within. If you have a Book of Craft, turn to 33; otherwise, turn to 275.

And before we proceed further, we have a hidden option of trying to initiate a body-switch.

Obviously, JVG wants his own body back, but do we think this is the right time, or could there be a more suitable opportunity later?

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:44 pm

Hold on. I only count two crosses: One where we made further enquiries and one where we were deciding to ambush Saba or give up on him. Where did we pick up the third one?