[Let's Play] ACE Gamebook 01 – Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland

[deaddmwalking]

It's 1:46 where I am - that means it's tea time. I will give a .99 vote for sitting at the table (327).

[Thaluikhain]

Sit at the table.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; taking a seat at the table.

327

Sitting herself down in the large arm-chair, Alice surveys the delights spread out before her. There are plates of cucumber sandwiches, jam tarts and slices of pink and yellow sponge cake wrapped up in a layer of marzipan, and a large teapot, of course. There is also all manner of cutlery, including a large bread-knife, and the silver tea tray used to bring everything to the table.

What should Alice do now?

Pour herself a cup of tea? Turn to 338.

Prepare herself a picnic? Turn to 349.

Pick up the bread-knife? Turn to 359.

Take a closer look at the tea tray? Turn to 369.

Leave the table and be on her way? Turn to 15.

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

[Thaluikhain]

Oh, pick up bread knife.

[deaddmwalking]

I'm skeptical that a bread knife is functionally better than a scissor, but weapons are good. My first inclination is to pour ourselves a cup of tea, but we can take the bread-knife instead.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; picking up the bread-knife.

359

The bread-knife could be used by Alice as a weapon, if she doesn’t already have one.

If you decide to take the Bread-Knife, add it to Alice’s Adventure Sheet. If she ever finds herself in combat using the Bread-Knife, any successful strikes she makes against an opponent will cause 3 points of damage, rather than the usual 2.

Now what do you want Alice to do?

Pour herself a cup of tea? Turn to 338.

Make herself a picnic to take with her? Turn to 349.

Take a closer look at the tea tray? Turn to 369.

Leave the table and be on her way? Turn to 15.

Please make your votes on whether to take the Bread-Knife and what to do next before 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

As a proper English person and as it is once again just about tea time, let's pour a cup (338).

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote recognized; pouring herself a cup of tea. Since there is no vote on whether to take the Bread-knife or not, I will have her leave it.

338

“Why, I’m quite parched,” Alice declares reaching for the teapot. As she does so the teapot hops out of the way.

Alice reaches for the teapot once again, and once again it skips away from her clutches. Only it is not the only thing on the table that is moving now; the cutlery has started to rattle loudly as it dances on the tablecloth.

Turn to 251.

251

Alice watches in appalled amazement as all the crockery and cutlery that has been carefully laid out on the table rises into the air and comes together to form a distinctly humanoid shape. The strange creature – if it can even be called a creature – has knives and forks for fingers, and a large teapot for a head.

The Tea Service stalks across the tablecloth, with rattling clattering steps, reaching for Alice with its cutlery claws.

If Alice is able to use The Pen is Mightier ability, and you want her to take this course of action, turn to 281. If not, turn to 55.

Alice is able to use The Pen is Mightier ability. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

We're allowed to use 'Pen is Mightier' 3x total, since that's the only option available to us apart from not doing anything, I vote we use it.

For the breadknife, I misunderstood and thought that picking it up was keeping it. I'm generally inclined to keep any items we can since eventually we might need to sacrifice one or more later. If that's still an option I'd vote to keep it, but if you want to avoid 'take backs' that's fine and I'll be more careful responding in the future.

[Thaluikhain]

I agree with the above.

[JourneymanN00b]

Okay, so I had Alice take the Bread-Knife, and use The Pen is Mightier ability.

281

“Well, this really isn’t my cup of tea at all!” declares Alice, crossly. “If it was up to me, I’d see you sent packing to a village fete and have the local children smash you to pieces with wooden balls.” And saying that, she takes hold of the end of the table cloth and, giving it a sharp tug, whips it out from under the Tea Service.

Cups, plates, sugar bowl and teapot all come crashing off the end of the table, the knives, forks and spoons landing amongst the broken pieces of crockery.

Turn to 298.

298

Alice decides that she has had enough of this place, but as she is wondering which way to go, she catches sight of a broad grin, floating two feet above the path that leads east away from the fur-thatched cottage. Unable to contain her curiosity she sets off along the path, even as the smile fades back into thin air.

Turn to 6.

6

And so, Alice finds herself at the entrance to a magnificent maze. If she stands on tiptoe she can just see the turrets and heart-carved crenulations of a high-walled palace beyond the towering yew hedges. It is quite apparent to Alice that the only way to reach the palace is to negotiate the leafy labyrinth.

Taking a deep breath, she steps forward into its shaded pathways, and promptly comes to a junction. Laid out on the ground in coloured gravel is an ornate compass rose, with a large red heart at its centre. Left is north and right is south, so which way should Alice go?

North? Turn to 38.

South? Turn to 90.

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

Alice’s Adventure Sheet
AGILITY: 9
LOGIC: 9
INSANITY: 1
COMBAT: 9
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER: 2 uses
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: 3 uses
ENDURANCE: 21
EQUIPMENT:
Scissors (Deals 3 damage in combat)
Jar of Marmalade (4 portions, +4 Endurance per portion)
Golden Key
Shrinking Potion
Bread-Knife (Deals 3 damage in combat)

[Thaluikhain]

Handy for them to say that north is left, so north.

[Dogopolis]

Eschew the communism that is left. Go right.

[deaddmwalking]

North. Still standing in the place that I am, thinking about direction, wondering why we have it now.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; going north won over going south by a 2-1 vote.

38

Alice follows the gravel path, hemmed in by the clipped yew hedge walls, until she comes upon the lichen-covered statue of a flamingo that has been placed at a turn in the trail. Which way should Alice go now?

East? Turn to 58.

South? Turn to 24.

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

[Dogopolis]

Try east, as South would just be a 180

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense, east.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; going east.

58

Alice soon comes to another branching of the ways in the yew-hedge maze, but which way should she go?

North? Turn to 70.

East? Turn to 465.

West? Turn to 38.

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

[Dogopolis]

Plow on east

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote recognized; going east.

465

The gravel path gives way to grass and Alice finds herself standing at the edge of what she supposes is a croquet-ground, although it is unlike any croquet-ground she has seen before, all ridges and furrows, with arches made of doubled-over playing cards larger than any she has ever seen… or has she?

If Alice has visited the Croquet-Ground before, turn to 248. If his is her first visit, turn to 365.

This is Alice’s first visit.

365

“I should quite enjoy a game of croquet,” says Alice, but where are the balls and mallets?

Just then she spies a pink mallet resting against a bench at the edge of the lawn, and a moment later she sees what she supposes pass for balls in this warped Wonderland.

Hunched in the middle of the lawn are two large spiky balls. “Why,” says Alice, “they look just like hedgehogs.”

As if having just heard the child, the balls twitch and start to roll towards her. They are only a few feet away when they unfurl and get to their feet.

Alice has never seen hedgehogs like these before. As tall as men, with a thick cloak of quills covering their backs, their fingers end in sharp claws and their eyes burn with a bestial fury. Giving a blood-curdling cry, the mutated humanoid hedgehogs bound towards her.

Take an Insanity test and if Alice passes, turn to 515; if she fails, turn to 485.

Rolling the dice yielded a 7, so Alice passed the Insanity test.

515

As the mutated humanoid hedgehogs bound towards her Alice has the presence of mind to arm herself, sprinting for the bench and snatching up the croquet mallet.

If Alice chooses to use the Mallet in battle she swings it like a mace. Every time she lands a successful blow with the Mallet, roll two dice (or pick a card). If you roll 2-10 (or you pick an Ace up to a Jack), Alice’s strike causes 3 Endurance points of damage to her opponent. However, if you roll 11 or 12 (or pick a Queen or King), Alice’s blow knocks out her opponent, removing them from the fight.

“Shall we play?” says Alice, Mallet at the ready.

Turn to 28.

28

The Spinebacks are driven by an insane, animalistic bloodlust – a bloodlust that can only be sated by the taste of raw flesh.

If you want Alice to use the Curiouser and Curiouser ability to change the story at this awkward time, turn to 18. If you want her to use The Pen is Mightier ability instead, turn to 87. If you want Alice to prepare to fight the mutated humanoid hedgehogs, turn to 78.



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

Alice’s Adventure Sheet
AGILITY: 9
LOGIC: 9
INSANITY: 1
COMBAT: 9
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER: 2 uses
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: 3 uses
ENDURANCE: 21
EQUIPMENT:
Scissors (Deals 3 damage in combat)
Jar of Marmalade (4 portions, +4 Endurance per portion)
Golden Key
Shrinking Potion
Bread-Knife (Deals 3 damage in combat)
Mallet (Deals 3 damage in combat if 2-10 is rolled, knocks out opponent if 11-12 is rolled)

[Dogopolis]

Lets's try Curiouser and Curiouser as we have 3, (although obviously this one is not guaranteed to make the situation better)

[deaddmwalking]

I like beating them with the mallet. I vote not to use any special abilities - I don't want things to get weirder. With the knock-out ability I think our odds in a fight are pretty good, even with two of them. I vote 78.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, keep the special abilities, use the cool new weapon.

[JourneymanN00b]

Preparing to fight the mutated humanoid hedgehogs received 2 votes, so Alice will do that without using any of her abilities.

78

As the first of the Spinebacks comes for her, the second holds back, meaning that Alice can fight the horrors one at a time. (Alice has the initiative.)

COMBAT ENDURANCE

First SPINEBACK 8 7
Second SPINEBACK 8 7

If Alice defeats both of her opponents, turn to 117.

The fight:
(First Spineback)
Round 1: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+8+1 = 18, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+9 = 17;
Mallet Roll: 7, Alice’s Endurance: 21, First Spineback’s Endurance: 4
Round 2: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+7+1 = 17, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+10 = 18;
Alice’s Endurance: 19, First Spineback’s Endurance: 4
Round 3: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+9 = 18, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+7+1 = 16;
Mallet Roll: 9, Alice’s Endurance: 19, First Spineback’s Endurance: 1
Round 4: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+8+1 = 18, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+11 = 19;
Alice’s Endurance: 17, First Spineback’s Endurance: 1
Round 5: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+11 = 20, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+8+1 = 17;
Mallet Roll: 9, Alice’s Endurance: 17, First Spineback’s Endurance: -2

(Second Spineback)
Round 1: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+12+1 = 22, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+12 = 20;
Mallet Roll: 4, Alice’s Endurance: 17, First Spineback’s Endurance: 4
Round 2: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+3+1 = 13, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+6 = 14;
Alice’s Endurance: 15, First Spineback’s Endurance: 4
Round 3: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+10 = 19, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+6+1 = 15;
Mallet Roll: 7, Alice’s Endurance: 15, First Spineback’s Endurance: 1
Round 4: Alice’s Combat Rating: 9+9+1 = 19, First Spineback’s Combat Rating: 8+7 = 15;
Mallet Roll: 6, Alice’s Endurance: 15, First Spineback’s Endurance: -2

Alices disposes of the Spinebacks, but takes 6 damage (a rather high amount) from the two fights.

117

Having endured such an unpleasant encounter at the strange croquet-ground, Alice is more than happy to be on her way. But which way is she going?

East? Turn to 250.

West? Turn to 58.

Alice is going east.

250

The path Alice is following turns sharply by ninety degrees. Should she head north (turn to 270) or go west (turn to 465)?

Since going west goes takes her back to the Croquet-Ground, I will have her go north.

270

A little further on the path forks again. Should Alice go east (turn to 300), south (turn to 250) or west (turn to 280)?

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

Alice’s Adventure Sheet
AGILITY: 9
LOGIC: 9
INSANITY: 1
COMBAT: 9
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER: 2 uses
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: 3 uses
ENDURANCE: 15
EQUIPMENT:
Scissors (Deals 3 damage in combat)
Jar of Marmalade (4 portions, +4 Endurance per portion)
Golden Key
Shrinking Potion
Bread-Knife (Deals 3 damage in combat)
Mallet (Deals 3 damage in combat if 2-10 is rolled, knocks out opponent if 11-12 is rolled)

[deaddmwalking]

Didn't we roll ann11 in round 5 of the first fight, and a 12 in round 1 of the second fight?

Edit - I misunderstood. I thought if our attack roll was an 11 or 12 the mallet automatically took out the opponent - I see now that you made a separate roll to see if the ability activated.

Edit 2 - Might as well go West.