[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 17 - Appointment with F.E.A.R.

[Queen of Swords]

Oh, damn. I like sharks. Enough to donate money to their conservation.

So in good conscience I can't support disturbing or harming an animal that so far has been minding its own business in its natural territory, for the sake of humans who would not be in theirs (if they want to swim that badly, take them to a pool). I vote to go elsewhere and do something else.

[Beroli]

Go elsewhere. I may regret this vote but I don't think we're built to deal with a giant shark.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Jean Lafayette will not go to the beach straight away.

98
As you leave the bank, you hear a bleeping coming from your wrist. Your Crimewatch is receiving a message from Gerry the Grass. The electronic voice speaks two words: ‘PARKER AIRPORT.’ If you want to head straight away to the airport, turn to 410. If, on the other hand, you have still not yet finished with the Alchemists, you may be heading somewhere else. If this is the case, deduct the avenue number from the street number and turn to this reference.

Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

While we do have a clue about the Alchemists, our primary mission is to stop F. E. A. R. so I suggest following up on what our contact is trying to tell us.

[Beroli]

Turn to 118 to deal with the Alchemists. Our contact tells us about general crimes; there's no real reason to believe they're going to be associated with FEAR today.

[SGamerz]

Tough choice without knowing how serious the crime at the airport might be. The Alchemists haven't killed anyone, and I'd prefer to prioritize on crimes that might be life-threatening (I certainly would have wanted to check out the beach earlier if I were around to vote). The chance of there being a plane hijack that might kill someone makes me want to choose the airport.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Jean Lafayette will head straight away to the airport.

410
[spoiler][/spoiler]
You arrive at Parker Airport and ask the nearest security guard whether anything is happening. ‘The Silver Crusader!’ he gasps. ‘Thank goodness you’re here! Follow me. I’ll take you to the Control Tower.’ You follow him up into the Control Tower where you find the place buzzing with activity. The Air-Traffic Controller greets you nervously. ‘Have you heard? No? The police are on their way. Some guy calling himself “the Tormentor” has hijacked a DC10 full of passengers to London. He’s mad! No demands; nothing. Says he’ll crash the plane. Blames it all on “Susan”. We don’t know what to do. A complete nutter! Is there anything you can do?’ Is there anything you can do? If ‘Susan’ means anything to you, turn to 141. If not, you can use your powers. If you have Super Strength, turn to 84. If you have Psi-Powers, turn to 216. Otherwise, turn to 176.

Susan *does* means something to us, thanks to the newspaper’s personal column.

141
If this name means anything to you, you will have a seven-digit telephone number. Add all the seven digits together and turn to this reference.

We do have a seven-digit telephone number: 555-9999. Adding the seven digits of this number gives us 51, which we will turn to next.

51
[spoiler][/spoiler]
You call up ‘Susan’ and a young woman answers the phone. She bursts into tears when you tell her what is happening, and she agrees to come to the airport straight away. An hour later she arrives. Susan Blythe is young, attractive and distressed at what is happening. She agrees to talk to ‘the Tormentor’ over the radio. ‘Richard!’ she sobs. ‘Richard, it’s me, Susan!’ There is a pause before a man’s voice answers: ‘Susan! What are you doing there?’ ‘Oh, Richard,’ she answers. ‘Don’t do this! These people have done nothing to you! And I know that the girl was a private nurse now – but how was I to know at the time?’ Gripping stuff, you think. But at least she’s getting through to him. Ten minutes later, she has talked him out of his original plan. He agrees to land the plane safely, which he does, amid great cheers from the control-tower staff. If you have Super Strength, turn to 35. Otherwise, turn to 285.

Jean Lafayette does *not* have Super Strength.

285
You watch from the control tower as the Tormentor steps out of the plane and gives himself up to the police, who are waiting on the runway. The Air-Traffic Controller thanks you for your help, and you leave. You may add 2 Hero Points. Turn to 10.

10
You leave the airport and head for home. What a day! You slump into a chair in front of the TV and relax with a long, cold drink. You may add 6 STAMINA points for the rest. One thing disturbs you. Your boss, Jonah Whyte, will be livid when you turn up for work tomorrow. You will have to invent some pretty convincing excuses ... The next morning you set off to work early. You decide to travel by subway to make sure you get to work on time. But since when has a superhero’s life ever been easy? ‘HELP!’ shouts a voice further up the crowded carriage. Pickpocket! Oh, no ... just what you needed. You force your way through the crowd on the busy train. As you reach the pickpocket’s victim, that familiar beep – beep – beep sounds from your Crimewatch. Its electronic voice speaks: ‘RADD SQUARE. HURRY.’ You sigh. But what will you do? The train is pulling into a station and you will have to change trains immediately if you are to reach Radd Square quickly. If you want to do this, turn to 201. If you want to apprehend the pickpocket, turn to 185.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 8:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Jean Lafayette
SKILL: 8 Initial Skill = 8
STAMINA: 21 Initial Stamina = 21
LUCK: 9 Initial Luck = 9
CLUES:
Alchemists will raid a branch of Cleveland Bank, at 4 a.m, and then another branch on the corner of 128th Street and 10th Avenue
Tormentor’s name is Richard Storm, has a contact named Susan at 555-9999
Ice Queen’s name is Sylvia Frost
Dr Macabre’s name is Marcus Buletta, will rob a chemist after breaking out of jail
SUPER POWER: ETS
HERO POINTS: 2
BOONS:
2 Rewinds
1 Restoration[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Radd Square.

[Queen of Swords]

Listening to the Crimewatch helped prevent a catastrophe at the airport, so let's go to Radd Square.

[SGamerz]

No idea what Radd Square is. At least with an airport you can sort of guess it might be a plane hijack. We got nothing here. We need to teach Gerry to me more specific next time if he expects us to keep prioritizing his calls. I vote we go seize the pickpocket.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Civilian law enforcement should be able to deal with a pickpocket, so I'd prioritize what sounds like a superhero-level threat.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted, Jean Lafayette will change trains immediately to reach Radd Square, since that action won 3-1.

201
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Radd Square is one of Titan’s City’s most pleasant areas. On a sunny day, the cool sprinkling of the fountain is refreshing and the blossoming cherry trees make it a picturesque place for the locals to eat their lunch and chat. The crowd you have noticed has gathered round the fountain. You change into the Silver Crusader and step over to see what is happening. As you arrive, you hear a piercing scream and panic suddenly hits the crowd. They turn and flee from the fountain. You rush forward to see what is happening. Rising out of the water is a huge figure, some four metres high. Its vast, bulky shape is green and scaly. It opens its huge jaws and leans forwards, snatching a fleeing woman and holding her high. You leap up to fight the creature. If you have Super Strength, turn to 272. If you have Psi-Powers, turn to 326. If you have Energy Blast, turn to 367. If you have ETS, turn to 404.

Jean Lafayette has ETS.

404
You have no special gadgets you can use against such a creature, the likes of which you have never seen before. You will have to fight it:

FOUNTAIN CREATURE SKILL 10 STAMINA 11

Your first hit will cause it to drop the injured girl into the fountain. When you have inflicted your fourth hit, turn to 65.

The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 20;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 9, Player Stamina: 21
Round 2: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 19, Player Attack Strength: 12;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 9, Player Stamina: 19
Round 3: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 9, Player Stamina: 17
Round 4: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 22, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 9, Player Stamina: 15
Round 5: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 15;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 9, Player Stamina: 15
Round 6: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 15;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 9, Player Stamina: 13
Round 7: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 7, Player Stamina: 13
Round 8: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 7, Player Stamina: 11
Round 9: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 12, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 5, Player Stamina: 11
Round 10: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 13;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 5, Player Stamina: 9
Round 11: Fountain Creature Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 15;
Fountain Creature Stamina: 3, Player Stamina: 9[/spoiler]

Well, the fight was certainly a difficult one, but Jean Lafayette manages to land four hits on the Fountain Creature after taking 12 points of Stamina damage.

65
As your fist lands a mighty blow on its chest, something rather unexpected happens. The creature disappears! Along with the bystanders watching the fight, you stare in disbelief. Turn to 138.
[spoiler][/spoiler]

138
[spoiler][/spoiler]
An old man is attending to the girl in the water and another has gone to phone an ambulance. ‘What is happening to the world?’ he asks. ‘Where does a creature like that come from? I have never seen anything like it before, except in my worst dreams. It’s this new-fangled technology, I think. Creates super weapons in space and monsters on the earth. Bah! Sometimes I’m glad my time will soon be up. But Crusader, thank you for saving us. We all owe you our lives.’ You can add 2 Hero Points for defeating the beast. You still don’t know where it has come from, unless the old man has given you a clue. If you wish to try an address, add the street number to this reference to get there. Otherwise turn to 71.

No, old man has not given Jean Lafayette a clue that he can follow.

71
You leave the square to head for work. If only things were that easy. The Radd Square crowd has now focused its attention on you, and those papers and pencils are once more being thrust into your face. A weasel-faced man catches your eye: Pssst! Hey, you, Crusader! Over here.’ He looks a little suspicious and is holding a pencil and paper too. Will you go over and see what he has to say (turn to 126), or will you do your public duty and sign autographs for the crowd (turn to 393)?
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice gets a 4-vote majority to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Jean Lafayette
SKILL: 8 Initial Skill = 8
STAMINA: 9 Initial Stamina = 21
LUCK: 9 Initial Luck = 9
CLUES:
Alchemists will raid a branch of Cleveland Bank, at 4 a.m, and then another branch on the corner of 128th Street and 10th Avenue
Tormentor’s name is Richard Storm, has a contact named Susan at 555-9999
Ice Queen’s name is Sylvia Frost
Dr Macabre’s name is Marcus Buletta, will rob a chemist after breaking out of jail
SUPER POWER: ETS
HERO POINTS: 4
BOONS:
2 Rewinds
1 Restoration[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Talk to suspicious weasel.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, talk to him.

[Thaluikhain]

Talk to weasel.

[SGamerz]

Sure, talking to suspicious guy is the more interesting thing. Signing autographs is boring.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Talk to the sus weasel man.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Jean Lafayette will go over to see what the weasel-faced man has to say.

126
The man draws you down an alley. ‘Crusader, baby. Hi! Look, my name’s Rat-face Flanagan. I ain’t got much time to talk. Gotta get going. Here, read this. See ya …’ You take the note he thrusts into your hand and read the message: ‘There will be an assassination attempt on the President during his visit to Titan City. A decoy will be planted in the crowd. The real killer will be on the roof of the Regent Hotel.’ This is an important lead and you may add 1 LUCK point for finding it. When the President is due to arrive, add 100 to the reference you are on at the time and turn to this new reference to apprehend the killer. Looks as though Rat-face is trying to get even with someone. Now you had better be on your way to work. Turn to 435.
[spoiler][/spoiler]

435
‘Lafayette! Get in here at once!’ No sooner had you stepped through the office door than Jonah Whyte’s booming voice summoned you. You creep into his office, mumbling scanty excuses for being late yet again. ‘Enough!’ he hells. ‘What do you think we are running here? A charity? Do you suppose I should be grateful that you even grace us with your presence? Very noble of you indeed to even bother coming in at all! Well, I tell you what. I’m feeling kind today. You can have the rest of the day off. Without pay! And if you’re not in first thing tomorrow morning, you can start looking for another job!’ You slink out of his office with your tail between your legs. How can you tell him what you’ve been doing? And now you’ve been suspended for a day. Where will you go? Will you spend the day at Wisneyland, the amusement park (turn to 15), or will you go downtown to do some shopping (turn to 202)?
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Jean Lafayette
SKILL: 8 Initial Skill = 8
STAMINA: 9 Initial Stamina = 21
LUCK: 9 Initial Luck = 9
CLUES:
Alchemists will raid a branch of Cleveland Bank, at 4 a.m, and then another branch on the corner of 128th Street and 10th Avenue
Tormentor’s name is Richard Storm, has a contact named Susan at 555-9999
Ice Queen’s name is Sylvia Frost
Dr Macabre’s name is Marcus Buletta, will rob a chemist after breaking out of jail
When the President is due to arrive, add 100 to the reference to apprehend the killer
SUPER POWER: ETS
HERO POINTS: 4
BOONS:
2 Rewinds
1 Restoration[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Wisneyland.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Wisneyland.

[Queen of Swords]

Wisneyland? Really?

But I can't think of anything we need to buy, so... Wisneyland.

[SGamerz]

It doesn't mater where we go, crime will show up in some form. Might as well have some fun before it happens. Wisneyland.

[JourneymanN00b]

Work again kept me from posting until now, arrrgh. I have registered your votes to have Jean Lafayette spend the day at Wisneyland, the amusement park. And yes, Wisneyland is even lamer than WcDonalds.

15
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Wisneyland is swarming with holiday-makers enjoying their day out at the amusement park. The smell of candy-floss and hot dogs hangs in the air and, as you stroll about, youngsters clutching stuffed animals run laughing past you. Screams of delight from roller-coaster riders turning through the corkscrew break through the general hubbub. You are going to enjoy yourself today. Which ride do you want to try:

The Big Dipper? Turn to 187
The Fun House? Turn to 174
The Dodgems? Turn to 357

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice gets a 4-vote majority to guarantee that it will be counted.

[SGamerz]

We are here for the Fun (House)!

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, why not. After that we can ride in the coffee cups and buy a set of rabbit ears.