[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 13 - Freeway Fighter

[Darth Rabbitt]

Look inside.

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, look inside.

[Thaluikhain]

Keep investigating.

[JourneymanN00b]

Once again, I offer my apologies for the delay, as real-life issues have bogged me down hard. I have registered your votes for Cross Chris to open the rear door to look inside.

195
You turn the handle and pull. An explosion, accompanied by a brilliant white flash and deafening noise, sends you reeling backwards. The door was booby-trapped! Roll 1 die and deduct the number from your STAMINA score. The door hangs off its hinges but there is nothing inside the ambulance. Its owner will probably be on his way now to see who he has caught. You feel too weak to reach the Interceptor, and decide to crawl into hiding. If you wish to hide in the grass, turn to 182. If you wish to hide under the ambulance, turn to 356.

Rolling the dice yielded a 4 for Stamina loss.

Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT (or before maintenance begins, whichever is soonest) to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:

DRIVER’S NAME: Cross Chris
SKILL: 11 Current Skill: 11
STAMINA: 29 Current Stamina: 25
LUCK: 7 Current Luck: 7
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Map
Flashlight
Compass
Flat-U-Fix
Revolver
Knife
MED-KIT (Delete as used): 10
Credits: 200
DODGE INTERCEPTOR: SPECIFICATION
FIREPOWER: 7 Current Firepower: 7
ARMOUR: 27 Current Armour: 6
MISSILE WEAPONS:
Rockets: 4
Iron Spikes: 3
Oil: 2
Fuel:
Car Modifications:
Car Accessories:
Spare Wheels: 2
Boons:
1 Rewind
2 Extra Petrol Canisters

[Beroli]

Hide in the grass.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I think the owner is less likely to expect us to hide under the ambulance, but also there might be more traps on the ambulance (even if not, they might just run us over). So grass seems the safer bet.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Cross Chris will hide in the grass.

182
You crawl painfully into the tall grass and wait. Soon you hear the noise of approaching footsteps. Through the grass you see a scruffy man, gun in hand, standing only a few metres away. A cigar hangs out of the corner of his mouth and around his head is tied a red headband. He is obviously the man who set the booby-trap. Suddenly he sees your trail of blood leading into the grass. He turns and fires blindly into the grass. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 227. If you are Unlucky, turn to 116.

The luck roll yielded a 6, meaning that Cross Chris was lucky.

227
[spoiler][/spoiler]
The bullet thuds into the ground only a metre away. You immediately sit up and return fire.

HIGHWAYMAN SKILL 8 STAMINA 12

Resolve this combat using the Shooting rules, but reduce your SKILL by 1 point for the duration of the fight because of your injury. If you win, turn to 131, but reduce your SKILL permanently by 1 point if you are shot more than once.

The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Highwayman Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 20;
Damage Roll: 6
Highwayman Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 25
Round 2: Highwayman Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Highwayman Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 25
Round 3: Highwayman Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Damage Roll: 5
Highwayman Stamina: 1, Player Stamina: 25
Round 4: Highwayman Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Damage Roll: 4
Highwayman Stamina: -3, Player Stamina: 25[/spoiler]

Chris Cross shoots the highwayman dead without getting hit. Not too surprising, but a welcome change from the disaster that was the first vehicle battle.

131
[spoiler][/spoiler]
You search through the dead man’s pockets and find 150 Credits and a pair of kuckle-dusters. You pocket your findings and, when you feel strong enough, limp back to your Interceptor, wondering how long your Med-Kit will last. You turn the ignition key and burn up the road, heading east (turn to 22).

22
You flash past a road-sign which shows a turning to the south immediately ahead. If you wish to drive south, turn to 311. If you would rather keep cruising east, turn to 203.

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]DRIVER’S NAME: Cross Chris
SKILL: 11 Current Skill: 11
STAMINA: 29 Current Stamina: 25
LUCK: 7 Current Luck: 6
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Map
Flashlight
Compass
Flat-U-Fix
Revolver
Knife
Knuckle-dusters
MED-KIT (Delete as used): 10
Credits: 350
DODGE INTERCEPTOR: SPECIFICATION
FIREPOWER: 7 Current Firepower: 7
ARMOUR: 27 Current Armour: 6
MISSILE WEAPONS:
Rockets: 4
Iron Spikes: 3
Oil: 2
Fuel:
Car Modifications:
Car Accessories:
Spare Wheels: 2
Boons:
1 Rewind
2 Extra Petrol Canisters[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

Keep cruising east.

[Thaluikhain]

East is more left than south, so keep east.

[Darth Rabbitt]

East works for me.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Cross Chris will keep cruising east.

203
The road is open and wrecked cars are an infrequent hazard. The speedometer reads well above the maximum speed-limit that used to control the road, but you know that there is no chance of getting a speeding-ticket now. Your enjoyment, however, is short lived: a road-block of upturned cars and trucks comes into view. You slow down and survey the scene, sensing danger. Will you:

Fire a rocket at the road-block? Turn to 372
Try to drive around the road-block? Turn to 317
Turn around and drive back to the last junction to head south? Turn to 278
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 11:00 AM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

[JourneymanN00b]

Since nobody voted, my decision is to fire a rocket at the road-block like this guy did with his gadget-filled car.

372
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Reaching forward, you press the rocket-launcher button on the control panel. The Interceptor shakes as the rocket is fired, and the explosion which follows immediately is loud and blinding. When the smoke clears, you see that the road-block no longer exists. Suddenly you hear the roar of a motor-cycle engine starting up and see two leather-clad, armed riders appear from behind a bush and blaze up the road through the hole in the road-block. The passenger turns and fires a warning shot at you as the bike races away. If you wish to drive after them, turn to 95. If you would rather let them get away, turn to 309.

Please vote before 1:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]DRIVER’S NAME: Cross Chris
SKILL: 11 Current Skill: 11
STAMINA: 29 Current Stamina: 25
LUCK: 7 Current Luck: 6
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Map
Flashlight
Compass
Flat-U-Fix
Revolver
Knife
Knuckle-dusters
MED-KIT (Delete as used): 10
Credits: 350
DODGE INTERCEPTOR: SPECIFICATION
FIREPOWER: 7 Current Firepower: 7
ARMOUR: 27 Current Armour: 6
MISSILE WEAPONS:
Rockets: 3
Iron Spikes: 3
Oil: 2
Fuel:
Car Modifications:
Car Accessories:
Spare Wheels: 2
Boons:
1 Rewind
2 Extra Petrol Canisters[/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Drive after them; we don't want our rocket to have gone to waste.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, let's drive after them.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Cross Chris will drive after them.

95
Before you have time to catch them, they turn around and drive straight towards you. The machine-gun above the headlamp blazes red and white as it spits out bullets at you. You press the accelerator down hard on the floor and race the Interceptor towards them, your finger clutching the machine-gun trigger.

MOTORCYCLE FIREPOWER 6 ARMOUR 9

If you win, turn to 249.

Should a rocket be used for this Motorcycle battle? If so, under what conditions should it be used? The first choice to receive two votes over all other choices will be used to resolve the Motorcycle battle. If no choice has a winning margin before 3:00 PM PDT, I will make the choice based on which votes are cast.

[Darth Rabbitt]

We already spent a rocket getting to these guys, so I'd be in favor of not using another.

[Queen of Swords]

Makes sense, don't use another rocket.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized, Cross Chris will resolve this battle using the machine-gun.

The battle:
[spoiler]Round 1: Motorcycle Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 11;
Damage Roll: 1
Motorcycle Armour: 9, Player Armour: 5
Round 2: Motorcycle Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 16;
Damage Roll: 1
Motorcycle Armour: 8, Player Armour: 5
Round 3: Motorcycle Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Damage Roll: 4
Motorcycle Armour: 4, Player Armour: 5
Round 4: Motorcycle Attack Strength: 12, Player Attack Strength: 13;
Damage Roll: 4
Motorcycle Armour: 0, Player Armour: 5[/spoiler]

The battle was much better than the face off against the Red Chevvy – Cross Chris managed to destroy the Motorcycle without too much trouble and only took 1 Armour damage in the process.

249
You walk over to the wrecked bike, carrying your revolver in one hand and the Med-Kit in the other. One of the men is dead and the other is barely alive. You kick his pistol away from him and see if he can be saved. He opens his eyes, smiles and says, ‘Fat Jack and the boys will get you for this.’ Then he slumps back and is still. Your Med-Kit cannot help him. You check the bike over and notice a locked side-pannier. If you would like to open the pannier, turn to 206. If you would rather head off east without wasting any more time, turn to 163.

Please vote before 3:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]DRIVER’S NAME: Cross Chris
SKILL: 11 Current Skill: 11
STAMINA: 29 Current Stamina: 25
LUCK: 7 Current Luck: 6
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Map
Flashlight
Compass
Flat-U-Fix
Revolver
Knife
Knuckle-dusters
MED-KIT (Delete as used): 10
Credits: 350
DODGE INTERCEPTOR: SPECIFICATION
FIREPOWER: 7 Current Firepower: 7
ARMOUR: 27 Current Armour: 5
MISSILE WEAPONS:
Rockets: 3
Iron Spikes: 3
Oil: 2
Fuel:
Car Modifications:
Car Accessories:
Spare Wheels: 2
Boons:
1 Rewind
2 Extra Petrol Canisters[/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Open the pannier.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote acknowledged; Cross Chris will open the pannier.

206
You fire at the lock of the pannier. Three shots and it’s open. Inside you find a pair of handcuffs, a map and 200 Credits. After putting the handcuffs and Credits in your jacket pocket, you look at the map. There is a red circle drawn around New Hope. Obviously these men came from the same gang that attacked New Hope. A small town named Rockville is marked with a red cross and is not too far southeast from where you are now. No doubt it is the temporary home of the bikers. You decide to change the wheel on your Interceptor before any of the bikers’ friends arrive (turn to 346).

346
Fortunately the wheel-hub is not damaged and you are able to fit the spare wheel quite quickly. You are soon charging down the road, shaking your head at the mad world you are forced to live in. You soon arrive at another signpost which points down a narrow dirt track towards a town called Rockville. If you wish to drive south to Rockville, turn to 157. If you would rather keep heading east, turn to 45.

Please vote before 5:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]DRIVER’S NAME: Cross Chris
SKILL: 11 Current Skill: 11
STAMINA: 29 Current Stamina: 25
LUCK: 7 Current Luck: 6
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Map
Flashlight
Compass
Flat-U-Fix
Revolver
Knife
Knuckle-dusters
Handcuffs
MED-KIT (Delete as used): 10
Credits: 550
DODGE INTERCEPTOR: SPECIFICATION
FIREPOWER: 7 Current Firepower: 7
ARMOUR: 27 Current Armour: 5
MISSILE WEAPONS:
Rockets: 3
Iron Spikes: 3
Oil: 2
Fuel:
Car Modifications:
Car Accessories:
Spare Wheels: 1
Boons:
1 Rewind
2 Extra Petrol Canisters[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

Keep going east.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered, Cross Chris will keep going east.

45
Speeding along the open road, you do not notice the iron spikes that have been laid down by highway bandits. You drive straight over them, and only realize that you have done so when a puncture makes the steering-wheel start to judder. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 304. If you are Unlucky, turn to 60.

The Luck roll yielded a 7, meaning that Cross Chris was Unlucky.

60
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Both of the rear tyres are punctured and you swerve to a halt. A man suddenly appears from the ditch by the side of the road, holding a bottle with a flame-lit rag at the mouth. You realize with horror that it is a petrol bomb, but there is nothing you can do to stop him throwing it at your immobilized car. Roll two dice and deduct the total from the Interceptor’s ARMOUR. If you survive the explosion, turn to 135.

Rolling the dice yielded a 6, which was more than enough to destroy the Interceptor. Because this death was caused the Dodge Interceptor’s Armour reaching 0, and there are no more restorations left, Cross Chris’ life and his mission unfortunately end here.

Bonus death entry:
As soon as the Molotov cocktail hits the Dodge Interceptor, tongues of flame spread out from the point of impact. Damaged from the Red Chevvy battle, several of these flames manage to reach the Dodge Interceptor’s lithium-ion cells, causing the car to explode in a lethal wave of heat and force. As Cross Chris falls victim to the explosion, his thoughts are filled with surprise, then anger, and then pain. Out of all of these thoughts, two of them materialize into coherent internal sentences, “Why did I get subjected to the worst kind of luck?! I’m sorry, New Hope that I failed you.” As a strange kind of soft forgiveness blooms from the pain, Cross Chris brings into internal existence his last thought, “Life sure loves to troll me. May the next life be better than this.” After that, his soul leaves his destroyed body and the giant explosion, and his world fades and goes out.

Well, this is a sad conclusion for Cross Chris. This is an example of how an adventure can get cut short if our hero gets plagued with bad die rolls. To be fair, quite a few people think this book was a dud, so I would not feel too bad that our hero did not last too long, even with the boons. I guess the life lesson here is to just take the loss when everything goes bad for you and devote your energies and resources elsewhere.

I will apply this lesson by starting a new thread for the other book that I recently got with Freeway Fighter very soon. Thank you all for playing, and I hope to see you in the next thread, as I believe the writing in the next book I will run is certainly better than Freeway Fighter.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]DRIVER’S NAME: Cross Chris
SKILL: 11 Current Skill: 11
STAMINA: 29 Current Stamina: 25
LUCK: 7 Current Luck: 5
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Map
Flashlight
Compass
Flat-U-Fix
Revolver
Knife
Knuckle-dusters
Handcuffs
MED-KIT (Delete as used): 10
Credits: 550
DODGE INTERCEPTOR: SPECIFICATION
FIREPOWER: 7 Current Firepower: 7
ARMOUR: 27 Current Armour: -1
MISSILE WEAPONS:
Rockets: 3
Iron Spikes: 3
Oil: 2
Fuel:
Car Modifications:
Car Accessories:
Spare Wheels: 1
Boons:
1 Rewind
2 Extra Petrol Canisters[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

Damn, that was quick. We never even made it to the oil refinery.

Just out of curiosity, were we on the right track direction-wise?

[JourneymanN00b]

Damn, that was quick. We never even made it to the oil refinery.

Just out of curiosity, were we on the right track direction-wise?

We were unfortunately not on the right track. We needed to drive south to Rockville in that previous decision, where we would have had a chance to free Sinclair and get a canister of petrol along the way. Going east would have ordinarily led to a Game Over due to running out of petrol. I did say that that this book was hard, which was why I decided to provide some boons to improve our chances. Obviously, it did not work out due to the plethora of bad rolls.

[SGamerz]

You guys are way too into this "avoid right turn because fascisim" thingy. We shouldn't just be blindly going left. We ONLY take that option if we're given a blind random direction choice with nothing to go on. In this case, we're given a map that shows us the baddies' headquarters. CLEARLY, this time our duty was to go right to hunt it down so that we can DESTROY THE FASCIST, not avoid them.