Howdy, everyone. With this FF Let’s Play, we will now have a thread for each of the 71 Fighting Fantasy books that have been published as of today. This is truly a landmark accomplishment for any forum to have, and I hope that it will distinguish this website out of the other gaming forums out there. The book that we will be playing to finish off the entire Fighting Fantasy collection will be Book #71, which was published along with Book #70 to commemorate the series’ 40th anniversary. Anyone interested in joining this special adventure is welcome. As usual, I will try to update this thread on a twice per day basis. However, there will be some delays on Memorial Day weekend, as I will not have reliable access to the Internet during that time.
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HOW WILL YOU START YOUR ADVENTURE?
IF YOU ARE NEW TO FIGHTING FANTASY …The book you hold in your hands is a gateway to another world – a world of dark magic, terrifying monsters, brooding castles, treacherous dungeons and untold danger, where a noble few defend against the myriad schemes of the forces of evil. Welcome to the world of FIGHTING FANTASY!
You are about to embark upon a thrilling fantasy adventure in which YOU are the hero! YOU decide which route to take, which dangers to risk and which creatures to fight. But be warned – it will also be YOU who has to live or die by the consequences of your actions.
Take heed, for success is by no means certain, and you may well fail in your mission on your first attempt. But have no fear, for with experience, skill and luck, each new attempt should bring you a step closer to your ultimate goal.
Prepare yourself, for when you turn the page you will enter an exciting perilous FIGHTING FANTASY adventure where every choice is yours to make, an adventure in which YOU ARE THE HERO!
How would you like to begin your adventure?
IF YOU HAVE PLAYED FIGHTING FANTASY BEFORE …It’s a good idea to read through the rules which appear on pages 271-279 before you start.
ALTERNATIVE DICEDon’t forget to enter your character’s details on the Adventure Sheet, which appears on page 280.
Obviously, a pair of dice is available for every die roll that needs to be processed in this adventure.If you do not have a pair of dice handy, dice rolls are printed throughout the book at the bottom of the pages. Flicking rapidly through the book and stopping on a page will give you a random dice roll. If you need to ‘roll’ only one die, read only the first printed die; if two, total the two dice symbols.
HOW TO FIGHT THE CREATURES IN SHADOW OF THE GIANTS
For the purposes of this thread, the Adventure Sheet will be hand-made and periodically displayed.YOU have been preparing for your quest by practising your swordplay and building up your strength and STAMINA. You possess a sword and a backpack containing Provisions (food and drink) to help sustain you during your adventure. Before setting off, you must first roll dice to record your SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK scores on your Adventure Sheet on page 280, which you should also use to keep a record of the items you find on your adventure. Use the Enemy Encounter Sheet on page 281 to record combat with monsters during the adventure. Write your scores in pencil or make photocopies of the blank Adventure Sheet and Enemy Encounter Sheet to use in future adventures.
SKILL, STAMINA AND LUCK
Making the appropriate rolls and modifications yielded the following initial scores:To determine your Initial SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK scores:
• Roll one die. Add 6 to this number and enter this total in the SKILL box on the Adventure Sheet.
• Roll both dice. Add 12 to the number rolled and enter this total in the STAMINA box.
• Roll one die, add 6 to this number and enter this total in the LUCK box.
SKILL reflects your swordsmanship and fighting expertize; the higher the better. STAMINA represents your strength; the higher your STAMINA, the longer you should survive. LUCK represents how lucky a person you are; the higher your LUCK score, the luckier you will be.
SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK scores increase and decrease during an adventure, and you must keep an accurate record of them. Although you may gain additional SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK points during the adventure, your Initial scores may never be exceeded unless special instructions are given.
SKILL: 9
STAMINA: 16
LUCK: 11
BATTLES
ESCAPING FROM BATTLESWhen you are told to fight a creature, you must resolve the battle as described below. First write down the enemy’s SKILL and STAMINA scores in an empty box on the Enemy Encounter Sheet found on page 281 and make a note of your own SKILL and STAMINA scores. The sequence of combat is then:
1. Roll the two dice for your enemy and add the total to its SKILL score. This is your enemy’s Attack Strength.
2. Roll the two dice for yourself and add the total to your current SKILL. This is your Attack Strength.
3. Whose Attack Strength is higher? If your Attack Strength is higher, you have wounded your enemy – go to 4. If the enemy’s Attack Strength is higher, it has wounded you – go to 5. If both are the same, you have both missed – start the next Attack Round from step 1 above.
4. If you wounded your enemy, subtract 2 points from the enemy’s STAMINA score. You may use LUCK here to do additional damage (see ‘Using Luck in Battles’ below).
5. If your enemy wounded you, subtract 2 points from your STAMINA score. You may use LUCK to minimize the damage (see ‘Using Luck in Battles’ below).
6. Make the appropriate changes to either the creature’s or your own STAMINA scores (and your LUCK score if you used LUCK) and begin the next Attack Round (repeat steps 1-6).
7. This continues until the STAMINA score of either you or the creature you are fighting has been reduced to zero (death).
LUCKDuring certain battles you will be given the option to Escape. If you think you are going to be defeated, you may Escape, but you must lose 2 STAMINA points, as your opponent is deemed to have wounded you as you flee.
HOW TO TEST YOUR LUCKAt various times during your adventure, you will be told to Test Your Luck. LUCK plays a part in deciding what happens to you.
USING LUCK IN BATTLESRoll two dice. If the number rolled is equal to or less than your current LUCK score, you have been Lucky. If the number rolled is higher than your current LUCK score, you have been Unlucky. The consequences of being Lucky or Unlucky will be found in the paragraph you are sent to. Each time you Test Your Luck, you must subtract one point from your current LUCK score. The more you rely on luck, the riskier this becomes.
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 our adventurer 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 our adventurer has less than 7 Stamina points, I will also ask under which conditions our adventurer should escape from the battle.During battles, you have the option of using your LUCK either to score a more serious wound on a creature, or to minimize the effects of a wound the creature has just scored on you.
If you wounded the creature: you may Test Your Luck as described above. If you are Lucky, subtract an extra 2 points from the creature’s STAMINA score (i.e. 4 instead of 2 normally). But if you are Unlucky, you must restore 1 point to the creature’s STAMINA (so instead of causing 2 points of damage, you have only caused 1).
If you were wounded by the creature: you may Test Your Luck to try to minimize the wound. If you are Lucky, restore 1 point of your STAMINA (i.e. instead of causing 2 points of damage, it has only caused 1). If you are Unlucky, subtract 1 extra STAMINA point.
Don’t forget to subtract 1 point from your LUCK score each time you Test Your Luck.
RESTORING SKILL, STAMINA, AND LUCK
POTIONSSKILL
Occasionally, an event may alter your SKILL score. For example, a Magic Sword may increase your SKILL, but remember that only one weapon can be used at a time. You cannot claim 2 SKILL bonuses for carrying two Magic Swords.
Drinking the Potion of Skill (see ‘Potions’ below) will restore your SKILL to its Initial level.
STAMINA AND PROVISIONS
Your STAMINA score will change a lot during the adventure. As you near your goal, your STAMINA level may be dangerously low, so be careful!
You start the game with enough Provisions for ten meals. You may only eat one meal at a time. When you have a meal, add 4 points to your STAMINA score and reduce your Provisions total by one. Keep a record of your Provisions in the box provided on the Adventure Sheet. Remember to use your Provisions wisely.
Drinking the Potion of Strength (see ‘Potions’ below) will restore your STAMINA to its Initial level.
LUCK
Your LUCK score will change during your adventure. For example, you may find a lucky charm which adds to your LUCK score. Or an evil spell might reduce your LUCK score.
Drinking the Potion of Luck (see ‘Potions’ below) will restore your LUCK to its Initial level.
HINTS ON PLAYYou begin your adventure with a sword and a backpack containing Provisions (food and drink). You will find gold, treasure, weapons, armour and artefacts on your adventure. But not all items will help you on your quest. Some might even harm you!
You may also take a Magic Potion which will aid you on your quest. Each bottle of potion contains enough for one measure, i.e. it can only be used once during an adventure. Choose ONE of the following:
A Potion of Skill restores SKILL points to their Initial level
A Potion of Stamina restores STAMINA points to their Initial level
A Potion of Luck restores LUCK points to their Initial level
These potions may be taken at any time during the adventure but not during combat.
Please keep all spoilers covered out of respect to those who want a blind experience. I will use personal instinct to break any ties.There is ‘one true way’ through Shadow of the Giants and it will probably take you several attempts to find it. Making notes and drawing a map as you explore will help you on your quest.
Not all locations contain treasure. Some contain deadly traps and creatures. There are several ‘wild-goose chase’ passages, and while you may progress through to your ultimate destination, winning is not guaranteed.
The ‘one true way’ involves a minimum of risk and even with low Initial dice rolls, you should be able to win.
Good LUCK on your adventure and may your STAMINA never fail!
This book has a fair difficulty level, and our hero will not need to fight any opponents at a severe disadvantage to get to the successful ending, assuming that sensible choices are made through this adventure. To ensure a balanced experience, I will not give our adventurer any resurrections or boons for this Let’s Play. So, if our adventurer dies, the Let’s Play ends with a bonus death entry which will probably be coupled with a (cringeworthy) life lesson. It would therefore be wise to take this Let’s Play seriously.
BACKGROUND
NOW TURN OVER…Less than a day’s walk from Firetop Mountain, Anvil is a bustling mining town which began as a small settlement and grew quickly following the discovery of gold in nearby caves. The menfolk are mostly gold miners, whilst the womenfolk are the lawmakers who mete out tough justice to wrongdoers found guilty of any crime.
There was never a lot to see or do in Anvil. Visitors were few other than local farmers selling their produce or sneaky thieves who slipped into town to try their luck on unsuspecting citizens. The only other outsiders in town were the rugged Dwarf gold miners hired in from nearby Stonebridge. Eager to shake hands with everybody, the Dwarfs would greet people with an outstretched hand and a beaming smile. The residents soon learned to avoid their handshakes since a Dwarf miner’s huge, big-knuckled hand would crush theirs, which, if it happened, would send the Dwarfs into fits of laughter. It was all a game to them. Following a long stint in the mines, the Dwarfs would let off steam by taking part in arm-wrestling contests in the noisy taverns of Anvil, risking their hard-earned pay in wagers. Most were bad losers, and many a punch was thrown following a loss in a close-fought contest.
Travelling merchants avoided the mining town, so the mayor built a permanent market in the town square. She made a deal with the merchants of Kaad for Anvil to become the eastern terminus for their trade route across the Pagan Plains. The new market quickly became popular, attracting both the merchants of Kaad and people from the surrounding villages. Whilst some of them would fall foul of a miner’s handshake or a sly thief, the market boomed.
You are an adventurer who has recently arrived in Anvil to buy a new sword to replace the one you broke forcing a dungeon door open on a quest to find a treasure chest. The chest contained a map and 50 Gold Pieces (make a note on your Adventure Sheet on page 280). You are eager to go on another quest, this time on Firetop Mountain. There were scribblings on the back of the map which described a large quantity of gold concealed in a secret room by the Warlock Zagor. But you dare not venture into the monster-filled passageways beneath Firetop Mountain without a new sword.
Wary of Anvil’s thieves, you hide half your Gold Pieces in your clothing and half inside a secret pocket in your backpack. It is early morning, and you are walking through Anvil’s crowded market, looking at the various stalls. You are not alone. The market is busy with people buying cloth, food, spices, weapons and tools from the brightly robed merchants who make shrill cries to attract their customers. Unable to find a sword to your liking, you are about to leave the market when you feel a tug on your arm. You turn around and see a scrawny, one-legged old man in scruffy clothes peering up at you through half-closed eyes, his mouth hanging open.
‘I saw you looking at those swords back there. None took your fancy, did they?’ he says in a scratchy voice. ‘Maybe I can help? Dunbar Lapp’s my name and selling is my game! I know someone who has the best swords in town. Much better quality than anything those swindlers from Kaad have got to offer! Interested?’
The old man appears harmless enough and you tell him to take you to the sword seller. He leads you out of the market and down a narrow street, his wooden crutch tapping sharply on the cobblestones. The top floors of the creaking wooden houses on both sides of the street jut out overhead, and when you hear a shrill cry of ‘Look out below!’ from above, you just manage to dodge being drenched by a bucket of dirty water tossed out of an upstairs window. ‘You were lucky that was water. Sometimes it isn’t!’ Dunbar says, chuckling. You pass the locals on their way to the market, but they pay you no attention. Dunbar talks non-stop, telling you in gruesome detail how he lost his leg to a snow wolf in the Icefinger Mountains when he was young. You arrive at a shop with heavy wooden shutters pulled back from the window. ‘Here we are. Swords and Shields,’ he announces proudly with a sweeping gesture of the hand. He invites you to go in, saying, ‘Amaric stocks every type of sword you could ever want. He’ll see you right. I’ll wait for you outside and trust you will tip me later.’
YOUR ADVENTURE AWAITS!
May your STAMINA never fail!
1
A small brass bell jingles overhead as you walk through the doorway into the shop. Inside, you see a huge display of swords and shields mounted on the walls. On the floor to your left, there is a wooden barrel full of spears, and on your right, a collection of daggers and axes sticking out of an old tree stump. Wearing leather armour to protect him, a tall man with a flat nose and thick brown hair is standing behind the counter opposite with his arms folded. He looks at you suspiciously as you enter and reaches down to produce a wooden club from under the counter. ‘You are not from these parts, stranger. How can I help you?’ he asks in a firm voice. Will you:
Ask him if he knows Dunbar Lapp? Turn to 84
Tell him that you would like to buy a sword? Turn to 369
Jump over the counter and attack him? Turn to 109
In addition to the above choice, what name do you want to give our hero, and which magic potion do you want to take out of the three potions available? Please make your decisions before 7:00 PM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.
