[Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 06 – Dracula – Curse of the Vampire

[Beroli]

Fight.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered; preparing to fight the gypsies.

733

Your sword and revolver in hand, you prepare to face Dracula’s loyal Szgany in battle.

If you want to use The Pen is Mightier special ability, cross off one use and turn to 904. If not, turn to 792.

Jonathan Harker has no The Pen is Mightier uses left.

792

If the Blood score is 12 points or higher, turn to 874. If it is lower than 12 points, turn to 836.

The Blood score is lower than 12 points.

836

A gypsy comes flying out of the throng, a keen-edged axe raised above his head, and engages you in battle. (You have the initiative in this fight.)

GYPSY     COMBAT 8     ENDURANCE 7

If you defeat the gypsy, gain 2 Blood points and turn to 904.

Since Jonathan Harker has the initiative and a revolver, I assume that he will try to shoot the Gypsy before beginning the combat. Rolling the dice for the first Combat Test yielded a 5, so Jonathan Harker deals 3 Endurance points of damage to the Gypsy. Rolling the dice for the second Combat Test yielded a 3, so Jonathan Harker deals another 3 Endurance points of damage to the Gypsy.

The fight:
Round 1: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 10+8+1=19; Gypsy’s Combat Rating: 5+8=13;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 16, Gypsy’s Endurance: -1

Jonathan Harker manages to flawlessly kill the Gypsy.

904

You fight with a righteous, vengeful fury, against which no mere servant of the vampire can stand, and another foe falls to your blade.

If the Blood score is 15 points or higher, turn to 933. If the Blood score is lower than 15, turn to 762.

The Blood score is lower than 15.

762

In a lull in the fighting, you see the way to the cart clear.

If you want to seize the opportunity and make a dash for the wagon, turn to 421. If not, turn to 933.

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Mr Jonathan Harker’s Adventure Sheet

Add 10 to the section number and read that one instead.
Agility = 8
Combat = 8
Endurance = 16
ESP = 7
Terror = 15
The Pen is Mightier: 0 uses
Equipment and Notes:
Golden Crucifix
Good Luck Tokens
Flask of Plum Brandy (4 measures, +3 Endurance per measure, -1 Combat next combat for each measure beyond the first in one go, -1 Terror if 2 or more measures are consumed at once)
Map Showing 30 Rooms
Skeleton Keys with The Tag ‘145’
Revolver
Large Knife
Electric Lamp
Silver Crucifix
Garlic Garland
Sacred Wafer
Golden Ducats
Blood: 13
Code Words:
Suicide
Succubus
Spectre
Kereszt
Gonosz
Varázslat
Szerencse
Lángok
Azrael
Bogey
Demeter
Somnambulism
Barbastella
Lunatic
Eptesicus
Exsanguination
Quinquaginta
Orvos
Lycanthropy
Vânători

[Beroli]

Make a dash for the wagon.

[deaddmwalking]

Dash for the wagon.

Keep our eye on the prize. Killing one thousand men won't make a difference if Dracula escapes.

[JourneymanN00b]

Seizing the opportunity and making a dash for the wagon got 2 votes; so Jonathan Harker will attempt this.

421

Outmanoeuvring the Szgany, you pull yourself up onto the cart, as your companions engage the gypsies in battle. Before you is the last of the great wooden boxes containing the cursed earth of Dracula’s homeland, and the vampiric Count cocooned within it.

Pulling free the ropes holding it in place and putting your shoulder behind it, you give the crate a shove, hoping to send it toppling to the ground.

Take an Endurance test. If you pass the test, turn to 461, but if you fail the test, turn to 481.

Rolling the four dice yielded a 10, so Johnathan Harker passes the Endurance test.

461

The box slides off the back of the cart and crashes to the ground. But much to your annoyance, while one corner splinters, disgorging some of the mouldering black soil onto the snow, it otherwise remains firmly sealed.

Hearing a cry and seeking out the source of the sound among the melee of Szgany and Vampire-Hunters, you see Quincey Morris engaged in battle with a brute of a gypsy; the man appears to have the build and stature of a bear.

Seeing that the American is in trouble, you leap down from the leiter to assist him.

Turn to 505.

505

515

You are momentarily taken aback; you recognise the tall gypsy, with the long brown beard and great black hat. It is the coachman who first brought you to Dracula’s castle six months ago.

Giving voice to a terrible roar, the great bear of a man starts to change. His body appears to swell underneath his great fur coat and sharp claws rip through the fingertips of the thick leather gloves he is wearing. He fixes you with blazing red eyes and bares a mouth full of ursid fangs.

You witnessed many terrible things while you were a guest of the Count, and you are not going to let this shape-changing Szgany cow you into submission.

If you want to use The Pen is Mightier special ability, and you still can, turn to 615. If not, make a note that in the battle to come you have the initiative and turn to 928.

Jonathan Harker cannot use The Pen is Mightier, so he will have the initiative in the coming battle.

928

“You look like you could do with a hand!” Quincey Morris says, joining you beside the cart. But before he can make good on his offer of help, the giant gypsy gives a terrible roar and lashes out. Quincey gasps as the brute’s razor-sharp claws rake his ribs, and collapses onto the snow.

You engage the Szgany shape-changer before he becomes a bear entirely. (Who has the initiative in this battle will depend on how you arrived at this point.)

WEREBEAR     COMBAT 10     ENDURANCE 10

If you win the fight, turn to 595.



Jonathan Harker has the initiative and a revolver, so I assume that he will try to shoot the Werebear before beginning the combat. Rolling the dice for the first Combat Test yielded a 6, so Jonathan Harker deals 3 Endurance points of damage to the Werebear. Rolling the dice for the second Combat Test yielded a 12, so Jonathan Harker misses the Werebear.

The fight:
Round 1: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 10+8+1=19; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 7+10=17;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 16, Werebear’s Endurance: 5
Round 2: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 4+8+1=13; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 7+10=17;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 14, Werebear’s Endurance: 5
Round 3: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 11+8=19; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 8+10+1=19;
Die Roll: 1, Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 14, Werebear’s Endurance: 5
Round 4: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 7+8=15; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 10+10=20;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 12, Werebear’s Endurance: 5
Round 5: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 5+8=13; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 5+10+1=16;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 10, Werebear’s Endurance: 5
Round 6: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 11+8=19; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 6+10+1=17;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 10, Werebear’s Endurance: 3
Round 7: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 6+8+1=15; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 10+10=20;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 8, Werebear’s Endurance: 3
Round 8: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 7+8=15; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 6+10+1=17;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 6, Werebear’s Endurance: 3
Round 9: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 4+8=12; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 7+10+1=18;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 4, Werebear’s Endurance: 3
Round 10: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 3+8=11; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 6+10+1=17;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 2, Werebear’s Endurance: 3
Round 11: Mr Jonathan Harker’s Combat Rating: 3+8=11; Werebear’s Combat Rating: 5+10+1=16;
Mr Jonathan Harker’s Endurance: 0, Werebear’s Endurance: 3

Well, Jonathan Harker manages to wound the Werebear down to 3 Endurance, but ends up being slaughtered by him in the end. This is yet another unsurprising death, but it is slightly less sadder than Mina’s death at the hands of Dracula, although she presumably faces the same fate as Dracula’s unholy bride for all eternity.

(Oh, and please check Page 9 of this thread for an image that I forgot to post when we were at section 956.)

There was some previous interest in playing as Count Dracula. My position with that is that his perspective has much to offer in terms of flavor, and there is a good chance that the mechanics unique to Dracula might have some interest. If you wish to play as Count Dracula, I can set this run up when I am able to do so. If not, I would like to thank you for participating in this Let’s Play.

Mr Jonathan Harker’s Adventure Sheet

Add 10 to the section number and read that one instead.
Agility = 8
Combat = 8
Endurance = 0
ESP = 7
Terror = 15
The Pen is Mightier: 0 uses
Equipment and Notes:
Golden Crucifix
Good Luck Tokens
Flask of Plum Brandy (4 measures, +3 Endurance per measure, -1 Combat next combat for each measure beyond the first in one go, -1 Terror if 2 or more measures are consumed at once)
Map Showing 30 Rooms
Skeleton Keys with The Tag ‘145’
Revolver
Large Knife
Electric Lamp
Silver Crucifix
Garlic Garland
Sacred Wafer
Golden Ducats
Blood: 13
Code Words:
Suicide
Succubus
Spectre
Kereszt
Gonosz
Varázslat
Szerencse
Lángok
Azrael
Bogey
Demeter
Somnambulism
Barbastella
Lunatic
Eptesicus
Exsanguination
Quinquaginta
Orvos
Lycanthropy
Vânători

[deaddmwalking]

I'm interested.

I wonder if we play as Dracula we're more likely to lose than if we play against Dracula.

At several points it seemed that not doing anything, or allowing the NPCs to operate without our assistance, was the more favorable choice. I would like to see if it comes out similarly...

[Beroli]

I am still interested in playing as Dracula, yes.

[JourneymanN00b]

Okay folks, so there is enough support to play as Count Dracula. Let’s see if indulging ourselves in fascism pays off.

750
The True History of Vlad the Impaler
17 June 1462

The Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror besieged Prince Vlad the Third and discovered him in a certain mountain where the Wallachian was supported by the natural strength of the place. There Vlad had hidden himself along with 24,000 of his men who had willingly followed him. When Vlad realised that he would either perish from hunger or fall into the hands of his cruel enemy, and considering both eventualities unworthy of brave men, he dared commit an act worthy of being remembered.

As the sun rises over the Principality of Wallachia, from the walls of your palace in Târgoviște you see its rays illuminate the Turkish encampment that lies outside the city. The proliferation of tents covers the land south of the river, as far as the eye can see – an area that rivals the ground covered by the capital itself.

You estimate that the Ottoman army must still number somewhere in the region of 150,000 fighting men, despite many having succumbed to the radical scorched earth policy carried out by your own forces as they retreated before the Turkish advance – poisoning wells, creating marshes by diverting the waters of small rivers, setting pit-traps, and even sending sick people suffering from leprosy, tuberculosis and bubonic plague into their midst.

“My lord, the Sultan prepares for war,” Captain Petru of your Carpathian Guard declares from his place beside you on the battlements.

“Mehmed has a long memory,” you reply, “and is not a man given to forgiveness.”

“It is not so long since you had his envoys killed by nailing their turbans to their heads, my prince,” Radu, your wisest counsellor, reminds you.

“But when the heathen would not take no for an answer, what other message could my lord have sent?” your wife, Erzebet, snaps back.

“Mehmed’s taxes are unfair and unjust,” you reply calmly, never once taking your eyes from the painted pavilions, shining brightly in the morning sunlight.

“Is ten thousand ducats really too high a price to pay to keep the heathen horde from our door?” Radu challenges.

You turn on him then, with fire in your eyes. “And what of the thousand boys he also demanded, to be trained as Janissaries to fight in his armies? That was too high a price to pay! My sworn duty to my people is not to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

“Then we must prepare to be besieged, for the Ottomans have us trapped.”

Perhaps Radu is right. You have some 30,000 men holed up in Târgoviște; an impressive number, no doubt, but not when the Ottomans outnumber your brave Wallachians five to one. The only thing that might turn the odds in your favour would be if you were able to gain some insight into the organisation of Mehmed’s troops and the Sultan’s battle plans.

If you want to command Captain Petru to prepare for Târgoviște to be besieged, turn to 785. Alternatively, if you want to risk sneaking into the Ottoman camp to acquire the information you so desperately need, turn to 720.

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Count Dracula’s Adventure Sheet
Agility = 8
Combat = 9
Endurance = 24
ESP = 7
Blood = 0
Rank: Son of the Dragon
Suspicion = 0

[Beroli]

Sneak into the Ottoman camp.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered; sneaking into the Ottoman camp to acquire the information Dracula so desperately needs.

720

Removing your royal raiment, accompanied by Captain Petru, you leave the palace by one of a dozen secret tunnels that worm their way beneath the capital, and emerge close to the banks of the river. Wading across at a shallow point, you enter the encampment unseen and begin to creep between the pavilions, learning what you can about the organisation of Mehmed’s forces as you do so.

Rounding the corner of one tent, you see a lone Turkish soldier relieving himself – while twenty yards away his fellow Janissaries are busy sharpening weapons and polishing armour – and it gives you an idea. If you stole his armour, you could disguise yourself and go about the camp unhindered.

If you want to sneak up on the soldier, with the intention of stealing his armour, turn to 685. If you would rather not risk drawing the attention of the man’s fellow Janissaries and prefer to continue going about the camp as you are currently, turn to 525.

Please make your votes by 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

Sneak up for the purpose of stealing.

[Beroli]

Steal the man's armor.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; sneaking up on the soldier with the intention of stealing his armour.

685

Creeping up behind the man as he finishes his business, you prepare to pounce.

Take an Agility test. If you pass the test, turn to 655, but if you fail the test, turn to 625.

Rolling the dice yielded a 10, which means that Count Dracula has failed the test.

625

As you stalk towards the Janissary, your foot catches against the guy-rope of a tent, which twangs as you pull yourself free.

The Janissary spins round, his scimitar suddenly in his hand. Abandoning any further subterfuge, you go for the man, determined to silence him before he can call for help. (In this battle, you have the initiative.)

JANISSARY     COMBAT 8     ENDURANCE 8

If you manage to defeat the Turk, how long did the fight last? If it lasted for 7 Combat Rounds or fewer, turn to 550. If it lasted for more than 7 Combat Rounds, turn to 580.

The fight:
Round 1: Count Dracula’s Combat Rating: 8+9+1=18; Janissary’s Combat Rating: 4+8=12;
Count Dracula’s Endurance: 24, Janissary’s Endurance: 6
Round 2: Count Dracula’s Combat Rating: 8+9+1=18; Janissary’s Combat Rating: 8+8=16;
Count Dracula’s Endurance: 24, Janissary’s Endurance: 4
Round 3: Count Dracula’s Combat Rating: 2+9+1=12; Janissary’s Combat Rating: 7+8=15;
Count Dracula’s Endurance: 22, Janissary’s Endurance: 4
Round 4: Count Dracula’s Combat Rating: 11+9=20; Janissary’s Combat Rating: 7+8+1=16;
Count Dracula’s Endurance: 22, Janissary’s Endurance: 2
Round 5: Count Dracula’s Combat Rating: 2+9+1=12; Janissary’s Combat Rating: 7+8=15;
Count Dracula’s Endurance: 20, Janissary’s Endurance: 2
Round 6: Count Dracula’s Combat Rating: 5+9=14; Janissary’s Combat Rating: 8+8+1=17;
Count Dracula’s Endurance: 18, Janissary’s Endurance: 2
Round 7: Count Dracula’s Combat Rating: 9+9=18; Janissary’s Combat Rating: 5+8+1=14;
Count Dracula’s Endurance: 18, Janissary’s Endurance: 0

The fight lasted exactly 7 Combat Rounds, with Count Dracula taking 6 Endurance points of damage in the process, so we will now turn to section 550.

550

The Janissary dead, it is a simple matter for you to remove his hauberk and pull it on over your own leather armour. Putting on his helmet and arming yourself with his scimitar completes your disguise.

Tick off the code word Rejtett and turn to 525.

525

Making your way further into the Turkish camp, you come upon a great golden pavilion. It is at least three times the size of the largest of the other tents and far grander.

Standing guard either side of the awning that shades the entrance to the marquee are two tall Janissaries, that look like they could have been chiselled from granite, their faces hidden by full, thick beards, in the preferred style of the Ottomans. They are both armed with axe-headed halberds.

The tent stands apart from the others, meaning that you will not be able to approach unseen.

Do you want to approach the pavilion boldly (turn to 495), or do you think it would be wiser to retreat from Mehmed’s encampment and return to Târgoviște, armed with the knowledge you have already acquired about the make-up of the Conqueror’s forces (turn to 285)?

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Count Dracula’s Adventure Sheet
Agility = 8
Combat = 9
Endurance = 18
ESP = 7
Blood = 0
Rank: Son of the Dragon
Suspicion = 0
Code Words:
Rejtett

[deaddmwalking]

Approach boldly.

[Beroli]

Return to Târgoviște.

[Thaluikhain]

Have we learned anything useful? May as well be bold.

[JourneymanN00b]

Approaching the pavilion boldly got 2 votes, so Count Dracula will do this.

495

Pulling yourself up to your full height, carrying yourself like the prince among men that you are, you stride confidently towards the grand marquee.

If you have the code word Rejtett ticked off, turn to 465. If not, turn to 388.

Count Dracula has the code word Rejtett ticked off.

465

Considering many of Mehmed’s Janissaries come from Wallachian bloodstock, with your strong Slavic features and thick facial hair, no one questions your right to be here within the camp.

As you approach the entrance to the pavilion, the two sentries cross their axe-headed halberds, barring the way to you. You salute and pass the time of day with them, the Turkish that you were forced to learn when you were a ‘guest’ at the palace of Mehmed’s father, when you were still but a boy, proving of use again to you now. In this way, you manage to discover a little more of what the Sultan has planned. You learn that he has ordered his soldiers not to leave their tents during the night, so as to not cause panic in case of an attack.

(Tick off the code word Stratégia.)

Do you now want to leave the camp (turn to 285), or do you want to tell the guards you have an important message to pass on and ask to enter the tent (turn to 435)?

Please make your votes by 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Count Dracula’s Adventure Sheet
Agility = 8
Combat = 9
Endurance = 18
ESP = 7
Blood = 0
Rank: Son of the Dragon
Suspicion = 0
Code Words:
Rejtett
Stratégia

[Beroli]

Ask to enter the tent.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote acknowledged; telling the guards that Dracula has an important message to pass on and asking to enter the tent.

435

You enter the tent. Inside it is even more opulent than it is outside, adorned with silk drapes and fine Persian rugs and cushions scattered over the floor.

In the centre of the pavilion is a table, upon which lies a map. Standing around the table are the commanders of Mehmed’s forces, and the Conqueror himself. As you enter the tent, he looks up. Years may have passed since you last saw each other, but you cannot hide your identity from the flint-hard stare of the man who you grew up alongside at the court of Sultan Murad the Second.

“Vlad, my brother,” he addresses you, a cruel smile curling his lips. “Have you come to pay me what you owe, or are you here to assassinate me in front of my men?”

Before you can answer him, you are seized. Knowing that certain death awaits you if you stay, bringing all your warrior’s strength to bear, you break free from the men holding you and run from the tent.

Turn to 580.

580

The commotion has alerted other Turks nearby to your presence within the camp. Before you can retrace your footsteps and make your escape, you find yourself surrounded and taken prisoner. As soon as the evidence of your murderous behaviour is discovered, without even facing trial, you are sentenced to death.

With the protestations of who you really are on your lips, one of the Janissaries unsheathes his sword and, with one clean strike, removes your head from your shoulders.

Your adventure is over before it has barely begun.

THE END

Well that was a short and ignoble end for our fascist. I guess the life lesson to learn here is that even though attempting to say no to that ideology has had more failures than successes nowadays, joining it is not the answer, since that will lead to even shorter and humiliating ends. Or maybe the life lesson is to not get too greedy with your plans and return to safety with what you've already got.

With that being said, I am ending this Let’s Play, as I am extremely exhausted, and the coming weeks will be far too brutal for me work wise to start any more runs in the near future. I just found out my work schedule earlier today, and it will be close to impossible for me to provide any updates in a remotely consistent fashion.

Thank you to everybody who participated in this Let’s Play, and for those that are holding the line with their own Let’s Plays.

Count Dracula’s Adventure Sheet
Agility = 8
Combat = 9
Endurance = 18
ESP = 7
Blood = 0
Rank: Son of the Dragon
Suspicion = 0
Code Words:
Rejtett
Stratégia

[Beroli]

I think the lesson is that this book is a meat grinder.

Thanks for running this. Good luck with work!

[deaddmwalking]

Fun, even if it SEEMS unfair. In fiction, we want interesting things to happen to the character, which necessitates not always acting cautiously or even intelligently.

Is there a 'best path' that leads to success? Is it possible to avoid any of the major 'bad things' that seem to be structural plot points (Jonathan going mad, Mina getting turned, etc)?

Since gear isn't especially transferable between party members, it seems that getting all of the special items would require remaining a single character, but that also means potentially raising their Terror score and accumulating other bad things. Is there an optimal strategy in your mind regarding switching characters?

Edit - and of course, thanks for running, especially considering how work has been crazy.

[Thaluikhain]

Thanks for running, this book seemed a lot more interesting than most.

[JourneymanN00b]

Appreciate the thanks headed my way.

Fun, even if it SEEMS unfair. In fiction, we want interesting things to happen to the character, which necessitates not always acting cautiously or even intelligently.

Is there a 'best path' that leads to success? Is it possible to avoid any of the major 'bad things' that seem to be structural plot points (Jonathan going mad, Mina getting turned, etc)?

Since gear isn't especially transferable between party members, it seems that getting all of the special items would require remaining a single character, but that also means potentially raising their Terror score and accumulating other bad things. Is there an optimal strategy in your mind regarding switching characters?

Edit - and of course, thanks for running, especially considering how work has been crazy.

All of the major plot points cannot be avoided, to my recollection. I am not sure on what the optimal strategy is in my mind, but the big mistake that stands out in my point of view is not sticking to John Seward for the chase. If The Pen is Mightier was used to deal with the Werebear, there would have been a very good chance to being able to win the adventure without battling Dracula.

[Beroli]

Huh.

I do not think "the villain can be defeated by another potential PC while you're not present" is good gamebook design.