Cover
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[/spoiler]Salutations to all. I recently obtained a copy of Fighting Fantasy Book #39, which will be the subject of this Let’s Play. Anyone interested in joining our attempt to complete this story is welcome. The plan is to update this thread on a twice per day basis, with the exception of Sundays, where I will try to update more frequently on these days. However, my work duties could possibly cause adjustments to this proposed schedule, since the fall will probably be full of surprises that I will need to attend to.
Preface
Map of ZamarraSix massive fire-breathing Stone Sentinels guard the Kingdom of Zamarra, but their flame has been extinguished and the city is under siege. Ostragoth and his swarming hordes aim to destroy the twelve Wizards of the Mage Order and spread the Evil of the Enchanter Jaxartes throughout Khul. The Sentinels’ Fire must be rekindled.
You are an elite warrior of the city of Zamarra, and YOU have volunteered for the task. Your terrifying mission will take you to the white-hot core of the volcano known as the Fangs of Fury and there is no time to lose!
Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need to embark on this thrilling adventure, which is complete with its elaborate combat system and a score sheet to record your gains and losses.
Many dangers lie ahead and your success is by no means certain. YOU decide which routes to follow, which dangers to risk and which adversaries to fight!
How to Fight the Creatures of Zamarra
For the purposes of this thread, the Adventure Sheet will be hand-made and will be periodically displayed.Before embarking on your adventure, you must first determine your own strengths and weaknesses. You must work out your initial LUCK, SKILL and STAMINA scores. You may use the Adventure Sheet on pages 18-19 to record all the details of your adventure. Here you will find boxes for recording your SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK scores. If it is possible to make a photocopy of this page, do so. Otherwise record all details in pencil.
Skill, Stamina and Luck
Making the appropriate rolls and modifications yielded the following initial scores:Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter the total in the SKILL box on the Adventure Sheet.
Roll both dice. Add 12 to the number rolled and enter this number in the STAMINA box.
Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this total in the LUCK box.
For reasons that will be explained below, SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK scores change constantly during an adventure. You must keep an accurate record of these scores and for this reason you are advised either to write small in the boxes or to keep an eraser handy. But never rub out your Initial scores.
Your SKILL score reflects your swordsmanship and general fighting expertise; the higher the better. Your STAMINA score reflects your general constitution, your will to survive, your determination and overall fitness; the higher your STAMINA score, the longer you will be able to survive. Your LUCK score indicates how naturally lucky a person you are. Luck – and magic – are facts of life in the fantasy kingdom you are about to explore.
SKILL: 10
STAMINA: 19
LUCK: 8
Battles
Fighting More Than One CreatureYou will often come across pages in the book which instruct you to fight a creature of some sort. An option to flee may be given, but if not – or if you choose to attack the creature anyway – you must resolve the battle as described below.
First record the creature’s SKILL and STAMINA scores in the first vacant Encounter Box on your Adventure Sheet. The scores for each creature are given in the book each time you have an encounter.
The sequence of combat is then:
1. Roll both dice for the creature. Add its SKILL score. This total is the creature’s Attack Strength.
2. Roll both dice once for yourself. Add the number rolled to your current SKILL score. This total is your Attack Strength.
3. If your Attack Strength is higher than the creature’s, you have wounded it: proceed to step 4. If the creature’s Attack Strength is higher than yours, it has wounded you: proceed to step 5. If both Attack Strength totals are the same, you have avoided or parried each other’s blows – start the next Attack Round from step 1 above.
4. You have wounded the creature, so subtract 2 points from its STAMINA score. You may use LUCK here to do additional damage (see below).
5. The creature has wounded you, so subtract 2 points from your own STAMINA. Again you may use LUCK at this stage (see below).
6. Make the appropriate adjustments to either the creature’s or your own STAMINA scores (and your LUCK score if you used LUCK – see below).
7. Begin the next Attack Round by repeating steps 1 to 6. This sequence continues until the STAMINA score of either you or the creature you are fighting reaches zero (death).
LuckIf you come across more than one creature in a particular encounter, the instructions on that page will tell you how to handle the battle. Usually you will fight each one in turn.
For the purposes of this Let’s Play, the attack rounds will be resolved all at once. I will generally only consider using Luck in battles if the character has less than 7 Stamina points. For such battles, I will ask whether Luck should be used to improve the odds of winning the fight. In battles where escape is an option and the character has less than 7 Stamina points, I will also ask whether the character should escape from the battle and under which conditions to do so.At various times during your adventure, either in battles or when you come across other situations in which you could either be Lucky or Unlucky (details of these are given on the relevant pages), you may call on your LUCK to make the outcome more favourable. But beware! Using LUCK is a risky business and if you are Unlucky, the results could be disastrous.
The procedure for using your LUCK is as follows: roll two dice. If the number rolled is equal to or less than your current LUCK score, you have been Lucky and the result will go in your favour. If the number rolled is higher than your current LUCK score, you have been Unlucky and you will be penalized.
This procedure is known as Testing your Luck. Each time you Test your Luck, you must subtract 1 point from your current LUCK score. Thus you will soon realize that the more you rely on your LUCK, the more risky this will become.
Using Luck in Battles
On certain pages of the book you will be told to Test your Luck and you will be told the consequences of your being Lucky or Unlucky. However, in battles, you always have the option of using your LUCK either to inflict a more serious wound on a creature you have just wounded, or to minimize the effects of a wound the creature has just inflicted on you.
If you have just wounded the creature, you may Test your Luck as described above. If you are Lucky, you have inflicted a severe wound and may subtract an extra 2 points from the creature’s STAMINA score. However, if you are Unlucky, the wound was a mere graze and you must restore 1 point to the creature’s STAMINA (i.e. instead of scoring the normal 2 points of damage, you have now scored only 1).
If the creature has just wounded you, you may Test your Luck to try and minimize the wound. If you are Lucky, you have managed to avoid the full damage of the blow. Restore 1 point of STAMINA (i.e. instead of doing 2 points of damage it has done only 1). If you are Unlucky, you have taken a more serious blow. Subtract 1 extra STAMINA point.
Remember that you must subtract 1 point from your LUCK score each time you Test your Luck.
Restoring Skill, Stamina and Luck
Equipment and PotionsSkill
Your SKILL score will not change much during your adventure. Occasionally a paragraph may give you instructions to increase or decrease your SKILL score. Your SKILL can never exceed its Initial value unless specifically instructed. Drinking the Potion of Skill (see below) will restore your SKILL to its Initial level at any time.
Stamina and Provisions
Your STAMINA score will change a lot during your adventure as you fight and undertake arduous tasks. As you near your goal, your STAMINA level may be dangerously low and battles may be particularly risky, so be careful!
Your backpack contains enough Provisions for ten meals. You may rest and eat at any time except when engaged in a battle. Eating a meal restores 4 STAMINA points. When you eat a meal, add 4 points to your STAMINA score and deduct 1 point from your Provisions. A separate Provisions box is provided on the Adventure Sheet for recording details of Provisions. Remember that you have a long way to go, so use your Provisions wisely! Remember also that your STAMINA score may never exceed its Initial value unless specifically instructed on a page. Drinking the Potion of Strength (see below) will restore your STAMINA to its Initial level at any time.
Luck
Additions to your LUCK score are awarded through the adventure when you have been particularly lucky. Details are given in the appropriate paragraph of the book. Remember that, as with SKILL and STAMINA, your LUCK score may never exceed its Initial value, unless specifically instructed in a paragraph. Drinking the Potion of Fortune (see below) will restore your LUCK to its Initial level at any time, and increase your Initial LUCK by 1 point.
Gold, Gems and CubesYou will start your adventure with a bare minimum of equipment, but may find or buy other items during your travels. You are armed with a sword and are dressed in leather armour. You have a backpack to hold any Provisions and any treasures you may come across. Zamarran Gold Coins are small, so you can easily carry as many as you can find.
In addition, you may take one bottle of a magical potion which will aid you on your quest. You may choose to take a bottle of any of the following:
Potion of Skill – restores SKILL points
Potion of Strength – restores STAMINA points
Potion of Fortune – restores LUCK points and increases Initial LUCK by 1
These potions may be taken at any time during your adventure (except when engaged in a battle). Taking a measure of potion will restore SKILL, STAMINA or LUCK scores to their Initial level (and the Potion of Fortune will add 1 point to your Initial LUCK score before LUCK is restored).
Each bottle of potion contains enough for one measure, i.e. the characteristic may be restored only once during an adventure. Make a note on your Adventure Sheet when you have consumed the potion.
Remember also that you may choose only one of the three potions to take on your trip, so choose wisely!
The Citadel WallsYou begin the adventure with 10 Gold Coins: mark these on your Adventure Sheet in the Gold box. You are also given 4 Black Cubes: add these to the upper section of the Cube box. The Adventure Sheet also contains a Gem box. Mark any jewels you pick up on your travels and make sure you indicate what type they are – Star Crystals, Blue Gems, Yellow Gems, etc.
For the purposes of this book, the citadel walls and their status will be listed as numbers.You are in a race against time. The besieging armies of Ostragoth the Grim will be attempting to breach the fourteen Zamarran Walls of Defence to kill the twelve Wizards. You have a Bracelet attached to your wrist that will glow each time one of the walls of the defence has been breached. When the last wall has been penetrated, the Wizards will be killed and the Bracelet you wear will kill you. Each time the Bracelet glows you must replace the white flag of King Elidor of Zamarra with the black flag of the Ostragoth-Jaxartes Alliance (pencil in the white flag on the Adventure Sheet). When all fourteen walls are flying the black standard then you have run out of time. The Bracelet will perform its grisly task and you will die instantly!
Please keep all spoilers covered out of respect to those of us who want to have a blind experience. Any ties will be broken by me based on my personal instincts.
Now, this book is much easier to complete than the last several adventures that I ran. So I will be prohibiting resurrections for this book to ensure a balanced experience. Which means that if our hero dies, that is it. Zamarra is history. After all, real life does not allow you to rewind and undo any mistakes that you made in the past. However, I will tell you that this gamebook is reasonable when it comes to player mistakes, has no big Stamina hurdles to overcome, and does not require us to battle any insanely skilled opponents to get to the successful ending. So if we take this Let’s Play seriously, we can easily put this book in the legitimate win column.
Background
Now, turn to 1.Just after you took that one step forward, you knew that it was a mistake. You remembered the training camp: the old lags, men and women who had been through all the wars, used to say, ‘Never volunteer. That’s Rule One.’ And here you are, in a besieged citadel, one step forward, with the rest of the troop chuckling behind you.
Captain Laski smiles and marches you to the inner chambers. Occasionally you hear a crash and the ground shakes as another large rock is catapulted against the citadel’s massive walls. You are angry at yourself for your lapse and hope that you’re just wanted for something like an extra watch or a sortie for prisoners, or perhaps a water detail.
You are marched straight to the King’s Chamber. It is warm and comfortable inside. King Elidor is standing by a huge round table and around him are the twelve Wizards. There are other attendants and bodyguards in the shadows.
The King is studying a large map. Now and again, a fine dust settles on the table and Snuffserk, the King’s Chancellor, wipes it away with a red cloth. ‘Your Majesty, I have the volunteer,’ Captain Laski proudly announces.
The King looks you up and down, ‘Step closer, brave warrior.’ Your heart sinks as the others stare at you. From what the King just said you know that you’ve volunteered for something dangerous.
‘You have explained the situation to the volunteer?’ one of the Wizards asks Captain Laski.
‘My troops were all informed that it was an extremely hazardous mission.’ You look at Laski, but know that you can’t contradict an officer; even less change your mind.
‘Well, I think it’s time the volunteer knew all the details.’ The Wizard bids you follow him to the table, sits you down and begins to explain.
‘My name is Astragal. I am one of the Mage Order, and these,’ he points to the others, ‘are my fellow Wizards from the surrounding lands. As you are well aware, the Citadel of Zamarra is under siege by a massive force led by Ostragoth the Grim, but what you may not understand is the reason for this attack on a small city kingdom. Ostragoth wants to kill us.’ He points again to all the Wizards; they all look a little uncomfortable. ‘He wishes to conquer all the southern lands of Khul and knows that the Wizards of the Mage Order will only work for Good, never Evil. Under the influence of the Evil Enchanter Jaxartes, Ostragoth decided to strike at us once and for all when we met here. He has waited seven years for this opportunity and has mustered a massive force. If we are all killed, the land will be prey to the Evil magic of Jaxartes, once the most powerful of our Order but cast out for delving into the Dark Arts. You have seen the size of the fleet and army numbered against this tiny kingdom of Zamarra. If he succeeds here, Gorak, Kazan, Transoxalia, all of south-west Khul will fall to his power.
‘You may well ask why we did not foresee such a danger. For your answer, look out of that window at one of the six Stone Sentinels of Zamarra. They are not just massive statues of Dragons, they are our defence. They breathe the Fire from the Fangs of Fury. They were charged to destroy any Evil force with a speed and viciousness undreamt of by any mortal.’
You stare at the vast stone creature and can only utter, ‘But why ...?’
‘Yes, why do they not attack now? Because their Fire, their living Flame has been extinguished. Some traitor has craftily Spell-broken their Eternal Breath. Which brings me to YOU.’ Your heart sinks as Astragal points to an object on the table.
He picks it up and hands it to you: intricately carved with all manner of symbols, it is made from a white horn-like substance in the shape of a small torch.
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‘All twelve Wizards here have combined their power to produce this apparently insignificant item. The Stone Sentinels’ Fire must be rekindled. If this Torch is lit at the Fangs of Fury, the Dragons’ Breath will flow again and the creatures may perform their hideous task of destruction. Jaxartes will have knowledge of the Torch, the traitor will see to that. And Jaxartes will want it in his possession. He has invested too much of himself in attempting our destruction, so he fears this Torch and its bearer. There have been rumours of black-cloaked figures appearing on the battlefields outside the Citadel. If these prove to be his Mage Warriors, you must be ever-cautious, for they are extremely powerful and dangerous.
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‘I am certain that Jaxartes will try to extinguish the great Flame at the core of Fury, therefore speed is of the essence. There is no time for careful penetration of the siege lines. We have, however, one ray of hope. The volcano is the centre of a strange religious sect. The name of the religion is not known but its adherents are called Wazarri. They it was who supplied the original flame for the Sentinels. They may help you, but beware, no other may carry the Torch to the Furnace!
‘Your task is this: you must break through the siege, and head north towards the high mountains and find the volcano known as the Fangs of Fury.’ He points to the map which shows a drawing of five fangs clustered together. ‘You must go into the depths, to the very core. There, you must thrust the Torch into the white-hot inferno. At that moment the Sentinels will awaken. But you must beware! Jaxartes knows the secrets of the Fangs of Fury; it will be guarded by all manner of Fell Beasts.’
Astragal walks away from the table and takes a sip from a flagon handed to him by an attendant. King Elidor then speaks to you. ‘It is my belief that one determined person can pierce the siege lines better than a host of knights. It was my decision to use none of the Knights of the Order: their faces are too well known in Zamarra. If you wish to refuse the mission, do so now.’ You know that this is your only chance to go back and not get involved in this risky venture, but somehow you find you cannot say anything.
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Astragal comes back. ‘The heat of the core will be intense. You must protect yourself with these.’ He hands you four small Black Cubes. ‘Each one will absorb the power of a white-hot sheet of fire on one occasion and then disintegrate. Unfortunately, we have no others here. If you find any more, take all you can for you will surely need them.’
You notice that there is some plain leather armour on one of the chairs. Captain Laski motions for you to go over and to put it on. Just as you slip off your liveried jerkin, another Wizard appears in front of you. He has dark, distrustful eyes and holds a bracelet. ‘I have convinced the Mage Order to fit this on your wrist. It will glow when Ostragoth’s force has broken through each of the fourteen Citadel Walls. If the final wall is breached and we are killed, you will also die, so do not think of escaping once you have got through the siege lines. You cannot remove the Bracelet. However, if you succeed it will fall off and you may keep it. It will make you very wealthy.’
‘Thank you, Morgrek,’ Astragal says with a slight air of distaste. ‘I can hear the battering-rams pounding at the main gate. Ostragoth’s creatures must have crossed the moat. There is no time to lose!’
1
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[/spoiler]You are taken to the deepest part of the Citadel. Captain Laski and two soldiers march in front of you and the twelve Wizards shuffle along behind you. Astragal looks at you, shakes your hand warmly and wishes you good luck. He then stands back with the others.
Captain Laski orders the soldiers to lift one of the slabs in the chamber. They prise it up to reveal a set of stone steps leading into a tunnel. The Captain then gives you some advice: ‘Keep to the left-hand wall. Don’t light a torch, you might be seen. And ... well ... good luck.’ You are amazed to hear a good word from your hard-bitten Captain. You check your pack, equipment and the all-important Torch hidden in the secret panel of your leather armour, and step down into the dark hole.
Just then, the ground shakes as another boulder slams into the Citadel walls. You look up. Captain Laski pokes his head into the hole and screams at you, ‘And make sure you succeed. I won’t have you besmirching the honour of the Seventh Footsloggers.’ His head disappears and the slab is dropped back down. You are in complete darkness.
You feel your way along the left side of the wall for about 400 paces and then you fall over a pile of rubble. You get up to find the tunnel ahead is blocked. You listen carefully and can hear shouting and screaming. You also smell faint whiffs of fresh air. You feel around in the dark and find another smaller tunnel to the right. Your first instinct is to go back but you realize that from here on there is no going back. What do you decide? Do you take the tunnel to the right (turn to 260) or do you climb the pile of rubble (turn to 118)?
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[/spoiler]In addition to the above choice, what magic potion do you want to take, and what name do you want to give our hero? Please make your decisions before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.
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