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Post by philsadler on Aug 13, 2021 17:40:57 GMT
Baron Sukumvit
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Aug 13, 2021 18:44:02 GMT
Voodoo pirate Captain Cinnabar preferred to Balthazar Sturm, but I've not read Stormslayer as much so am not as familiar with him.
The Riddling Reaver runs rings round Astragal
Grimslade is pretty interesting - an evil character who you can actually work for, lives in a properly evil-looking castle.
and last vote for sadistic gameshow host Baron Sukumvit.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,462
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Aug 13, 2021 18:48:42 GMT
I like Balthazar Sturm's mad scientist vibe so I'll vote for him.
I really like Astragal and think he's better than a Yaztromo knock-off as he is often dismissed. But the Riddling Reaver is probably my favourite FF character so sorry Gally.
The backstory to the Dire Spectre is pretty intriguing but he doesn't really have much in the way of personality. Grimslade has plenty though and there's quite a lot of options and consequences in dealing with him so I'll go with him.
And speaking of zero personality, Arachnos is probably the most bland villain in FF. Sukumvit wins this one handily.
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Post by tyrion on Aug 13, 2021 20:06:12 GMT
Cinnabar, voodoo zombie pirate.
Riddling reaver, has to be one of the best protagonists in the whole series. As illustrated in magehunter, for preference, rather than the lizard man on the titular book cover.
Grimslade. Send your freaking statue if you want the amulets that badly.
Sukumvit, because why is Arachnos not a spider? And why do I have to use maths to beat him?
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,462
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Aug 13, 2021 22:52:53 GMT
Riddling reaver, has to be one of the best protagonists in the whole series. As illustrated in magehunter, for preference, rather than the lizard man on the titular book cover. I'm sure this would be much to Paul's annoyance but I always think of the Reaver as a lizard-like creature and have to correct myself that he's not. I guess that cover made quite the impression on me.
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Post by peasantscribbler on Aug 13, 2021 23:07:38 GMT
Sukumvit is a worm! (but he still gets my vote).
The Riddling Reaver vs. Astragal makes my head hurt. These two shouldn't fight each other, although I guess I can imagine circumstances in which they might. I only know RR from Slaves of the Abyss, but he is awesome in that book. Astragal fills me with confidence as a competent good guy with his finger on the pulse of what's happening in Khul. I'll give a slight edge to Astragal.
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Post by drmanhattan on Aug 14, 2021 14:08:59 GMT
Once again the mysterious voice calls out, only this time, to your great surprise, in a far less threatening tone, 'Good, my master likes those who show spirit. Take this gift to help you. It will grant you one wish, but one wish only. Farewell
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Post by a moderator on Aug 14, 2021 15:52:30 GMT
Once again the mysterious voice calls out, only this time, to your great surprise, in a far less threatening tone, 'Good, my master likes those who show spirit. Take this gift to help you. It will grant you one wish, but one wish only. Farewell Terms and conditions apply. To sum up, if that wish isn't to get rid of a mirror demon, forget it.
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Post by drmanhattan on Aug 14, 2021 20:07:39 GMT
Hahaha brilliant!
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Post by petch on Aug 15, 2021 16:03:16 GMT
And so Round 1 draws to a close - somewhat underwhelmingly - with another set of one-sided victories. Cinnabar (5-1), the Riddling Reaver (5-2), Grimslade (6-0) and Sukumvit (6-1) all make mincemeat out of their opponents.
Winners: Captain Cinnabar, The Riddling Reaver, Grimslade & Baron Sukumvit
That concludes the opening round of the competition, then. Thanks all for the votes and thoroughly entertaining observations so far! The participants have been thinned by half, the playing field littered with the dying and the dead. While the cleaning crew prepares for the next round by clearing away the severed limbs and putting sawdust down over the bloodstains, let's take a moment, in the manner of the 'in memoriam' segment of the Oscars, to remember who we have lost in Round 1 (for the full sombre effect, feel free to put Classic FM on in the background while plaintively reading the following list):
Round 1 Eliminations: Isthra, Jaxartes, Blaster Babbet, Shanzikuul, Agglax, Morgana, Razaak, Nazek, Sharcle, Ulrakaah, Dark Elf Sorcerer, Mordraneth, Gingrich Yurr, Captain Bloodaxe, Globus, Zanbar Bone, L'Bastin, Ikiru, Cyrus, Krazic, Count Varcolac, Minos, Malbordus, Chingiz, Lord Azzur, the Hell Demon, Bandit Leader, Xakhaz, Balthazar Sturm, Astragal, Dire Spectre, Arachnos
On to the second round! The surviving contestants have once again been randomly paired off, this time by the means of numbered ping pong balls being drawn from a pair of repurposed bingo machines by former Blackburn Rovers and Celtic forward Chris Sutton, and a hobgoblin. Called Dave. Dave the hobgoblin.
Round 2 Relem vs Myurr Voivod vs Akharis The Lizard King vs The Riddling Reaver Shareella vs Yaztromo Belgaroth vs The Titanium Cyborg Horfak vs Balthus Dire Reiner Heydrich vs Lord Mortis Captain Cinnabar vs Karam Gruul The Ancient vs Feior Laskar vs Jann the Minimite Lord Carnuss vs Rannik Unthank vs Baron Sukumvit Abdul the Butcher vs Zagor Zharradan Marr vs The Archmage Grimslade vs Orghuz Mencius vs Bythos
The Riddling Reaver barely has time to recover from his skirmish with Astragal before being thrust straight back into battle in the opening set of fixtures against the Lizard King. But what better way to kick off Round 2 than with some hardcore, uncensored demon-on-demon action?
Relem vs Myurr
Voivod vs Akharis
The Lizard King vs The Riddling Reaver
I'm away for a couple of days, so a slightly longer voting window than usual (and a break from my awkward mashing together of fantasy and football metaphors); the next deadline is 4pm Thurs 19th.
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Aug 15, 2021 16:11:28 GMT
Myurr
Voivod
The Riddling Reaver
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Post by CharlesX on Aug 15, 2021 16:23:17 GMT
Myurr Voivod The Riddling Reaver As Patrick Swayze put it, ditto.
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Post by philsadler on Aug 15, 2021 16:51:30 GMT
Myurr because he has four arms.
Akharis because he's a mummy.
The Lizard King because he has a gonchog on his head.
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Post by peasantscribbler on Aug 15, 2021 18:07:21 GMT
Here's the situation as I see it. Ishtra was taken out in the first round, setting off an intense competition for supremacy of the Pit between rival Snake Demons Sith and Myurr. One of Sith's lieutentants, Relem, has rushed to establish his position in the fluctuating balance of power by directly challenging a superior in Myurr. Meanwhile, those Lizard Men who worshipped Ishtra have converted en masse to the worship of Myurr. Doubtless, Myurr has begun to use his power to quicken the ascendency on the Earthly Plane of the Lizard Men over the Caarth, Sith's chosen servants. The Riddling Reaver, sensing that a dramatic shift is underway, has undertaken to take out key Lizard Men chiefs, including the Lizard King, in order to maintain some balance.
Here, I share RR's concern for maintaining balance and so choose him to defeat the Lizard King. This is especially important because Relem's challenge against Myurr will fail, and Myurr will gain the upper hand over Sith in the Demonic Plane.
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Post by The Count on Aug 15, 2021 21:42:54 GMT
Relem looks like he is carrying out a full frontal assault and doesn't look like a He Man toy
Voivod only hides behind 5 beings not 500
The Lizard King has a similar disdain for mere items of clothing as Relem and therefore is also not suitable for being an 80s cartoon and accompanying model line villain
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,679
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Aug 15, 2021 22:59:18 GMT
Normally I'd go with Relem, but pitted against Myurr, I'll have to go with Myurr. He's more insidious. Voivod is a tad more interesting than Akharis. Riddling Reaver again cos he's the best.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,462
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Aug 16, 2021 12:47:21 GMT
Myurr is a lot more sneaky than Relem, so I'll go for him.
Voivod and Akharis are both a bit forgettable for me. The back story for Voivod is slightly more interesting so I'll go with him.
And the Riddling Reaver at least has the decency to wear clothes while in his lizard-man guise so I'll pick him over the Lizard King.
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Post by tyrion on Aug 16, 2021 14:13:39 GMT
Myurr, seems to have a bit more of a plan than ride around in a tower shooting stuff.
Voivod, especially for the ending
Reaver. Still the best.
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Post by natwa on Aug 19, 2021 10:06:10 GMT
I've been lurking here for some time now, so thought it was time to register and participate a bit. I based my answers on who I actually thought would win in an actual fight between the baddies in question.
So I choose Voivod over Akharis because the only way to defeat Voivod is through compassion and mercy, which are things that FF baddies are in short supply of. Since Myurr seems to be a higher order demon than Relem, that would also make him more powerful so I go with Myurr over Relem. And, finally, I choose the Riddling Reaver over the Lizard king because the Riddling Reaver is a Trickster Supreme and I'm sure he would find a way to trick, and thus defeat, the Lizard king.
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Post by petch on Aug 19, 2021 15:32:03 GMT
Four arms prove better than two heads as a high-scoring Myurr comfortably defeats his demonic brethren Relem by 8 votes to 1. Voivod unravels Akharis with similar ease, winning 7-1. Judging by comments, the Reaver is starting to emerge as something of a crowd favourite as he dispatches his cold-blooded foe 7-2.
Winners: Myurr, Voivod & The Riddling Reaver
Next, two competitors who won their first round matches without a single vote against them return to the battlefield, Shareella and Horfak. They may however find their next opponents much more difficult to overcome as they are paired up with some big names in Yaztromo and Balthus Dire.
Shareella vs Yaztromo
Belgaroth vs The Titanium Cyborg
Horfak vs Balthus Dire
Once again, a longer voting window than usual (apologies for the delays, am on my hols and have a few trips planned!). The next deadline is 4pm Mon 23rd.
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Aug 19, 2021 16:04:06 GMT
Yaztromo Titanium Cyborg Balthus Dire
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Post by CharlesX on Aug 19, 2021 16:11:49 GMT
I would have voted for Yaztromo, but after falsely accusing Shareella of casting a stamina-draining spell every reference elsewhere in this board she gets my sympathy vote if not my blessing.
Belgaroth and Balthus Dire, both though the competition is strong.
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Post by philsadler on Aug 19, 2021 17:38:10 GMT
Shareella because Yaz is overused.
Balthus Dire because he has a scary name, says interesting things and, most importantly of all, I don't know who the other one is.
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,679
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Aug 19, 2021 18:38:30 GMT
Shareella - got to appreciate a woman who is that determined to kill you. Belgaroth - only because I don't like Vladimir Putinshki. Balthus Dire - no contest here. Horfak is only a lackey to a villain who didn't even make the contest
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Post by tyrion on Aug 19, 2021 19:37:07 GMT
Shareella, yaztromo gets a bit annoying. 'go and do this quest' he tells you. 'no, I'm not going with you, despite being the most powerful wizard in allansia. But would you like some helpful stuff to take with you? No, you can't have them all.'
Titanium cyborg, a different type of villain.
Balthus dire, you impudent peasant.
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Post by The Count on Aug 19, 2021 20:04:08 GMT
Shareella isn't rammed into every single book
Belgaroth is more interesting than someone who can be defeated by a visit to the local electronics shop
Horfak doesn't melt when his wife washes the curtains
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Post by natwa on Aug 20, 2021 11:47:47 GMT
Yaztromo is smart enough to ensure that when he battles another, it's on his terms, unlike Shareella, whose overconfidence shows in, among other things, not taking precautions against adventurerers coming armed with anti-vampire paraphernalia. Yaztromo also seems to have magical and other items for almost any occasion, so I'm sure he'd have something available to take out Shareella too, if it was to come down to fight between the two. Sure he's a bit lazy, but if he had to fight, I'm sure he'd be able to take out Shareella and find a way to ensure that she's permanently out of action.
Balthus Dire is a better fighter than Horfak and, unlike Horfak, a magic user to boot. He also seems a bit smarter, so as long as he made sure that they didn't fight outside in broad daylight, I'm confident that he would win.
I don't know enough about Belgaroth to compare him to the Titanium Cyborg, so I'll leave the decision on who is the best baddie out of those two to others.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,462
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Aug 20, 2021 11:52:47 GMT
Yaztromo is the more iconic character plus he's smart enough not to challenge people to mortal rock-paper-scissors.
Balthus Dire wins again for me. So much personality and options to that encounter.
Abstain on the other one.
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Post by Peter on Aug 20, 2021 23:12:08 GMT
Shareella is intriguing, powerful and frightening. Yaztromo is overused and only selectively helpful. Yaztromo will turn you into a frog if you dare to challenge him, whereas Shareella will enslave you for the rest of your life.
I would rather have Yaztromo as an ally because he will offer me more incentive to side with him. But in terms of enemies, Yaztromo scares me more – I think I would prefer to live as Shareella's slave than as a frog trying to survive in the Forest of Doom.
So, in spite of Yaztromo probably being superior, I will side with the Snow Witch.
I haven't encountered Belgaroth yet, but I like the idea of the Titanium Cyborg. The fact that you can defeat him by switching off flight mode only makes him more appealing.
Horfak was a ruthless business owner who pursued power due to being arrogant, whereas Balthus Dire's egotism developed from his power (or that's the way I see it). So, according to the adage "it's not arrogance if you're the best", the warlord of Craggen Rock gets my vote.
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Post by sleepyscholar on Aug 21, 2021 4:02:14 GMT
Shareella isn't rammed into every single book Shareella because Yaz is overused. Blimey, that's harsh. I mean, name me a Paul Mason book that doesn't have the Riddling Reaver in it!
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