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Post by Paul Mc on May 10, 2016 8:34:51 GMT
To deduct a stamina point instead of adding a fear point in the game "House of Hell" to prevent yourself dying.
e.g. You open the door and a ghost jumps out at you add 2 fear. Oops I'm gonna die of fright, I'll knock 2 off my stamina instead.
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Post by philsadler on May 10, 2016 11:14:36 GMT
I would say that's definitely cheating!
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,678 
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on May 10, 2016 12:27:33 GMT
yup, that's downright cheating cos it's not in the rules and it's not even something that could be classed as misinterpretation such as Skill/Attack Strength where it would make more sense. if you're struggling with the book, just put your Fear score to maximum instead of rolling so that you can get further then roll for future attempts when you have a better grasp of the book and its surprises.
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Post by philsadler on May 10, 2016 13:52:56 GMT
I'm pretty sure that you only need a Fear of 8 to complete it if you do everything right. So it's much more fair than an Ian Livingstone book would be.
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Post by divination on May 11, 2016 0:53:14 GMT
For sure. House of Hell is so gruesome and well written, getting a fear point or two is worth it just to see some parts. But yes you get a lot of inevitable fear points.
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Post by a moderator on May 12, 2016 15:51:36 GMT
I'm pretty sure that you only need a Fear of 8 to complete it if you do everything right. So it's much more fair than an Ian Livingstone book would be. 8 if you semi-cheat and miraculously guess the correct password, 9 if you get the clue to the password. |
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,678
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on May 12, 2016 16:53:58 GMT
the Fear score adds much to the gameplay as it raises the tension and literally makes you fear for the choices you make. it's exceptionally clever.
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Post by philsadler on May 12, 2016 19:40:09 GMT
Pity it wasn't used more often. I mean it was in Star Strider (I think?) and I'm pretty sure that was not the best book?
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Post by deadshadowrunner on May 14, 2016 6:04:27 GMT
Fear was in Star Strider but it wasn't really fear per se...I can't remember the exact details. It wasn't the best book but it was one of the better sci-fi books imo (along with Kether, Rebel and Commando). In fact I quite liked it.
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Post by philsadler on May 14, 2016 7:58:35 GMT
Ah, I've heard a lot of good things about Robot Commando, but some say it's silly.
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Post by Pete Byrdie on May 14, 2016 11:44:16 GMT
Ah, I've heard a lot of good things about Robot Commando, but some say it's silly. Personally, I have fond memories of Robot Commando. Mucking about in giant transforming robots and fighting dinosaurs with relatively non-linear exploration opportunities popped my top. In fact, it would probably make a fair open-ended computer game. I don't recall any particularly convincing reason being given for dinosaur ranching, nor any explanation as to why dinosaurs from Earth’s prehistory existed on an alien planet, but you don't really get enough of a sense of the culture and history of the planet on which the book is set anyway. I'd have loved to have seen a sequel to Robot Commando that filled in some detail. |
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,458
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on May 15, 2016 7:08:17 GMT
I always thought Robot Commando disappointingly bland for a book with such a fun premiss. Fear in Star Strider worked like testing your luck without losing a Fear point each time you did so. Fail and you generally took Stamina damage from the "terrifying" Gromulan illusions. Not the most inspired extra stat the series ever had but there was nothing really wrong with it per se. I really enjoy the start of Star Strider - tons of exploration in a colourful setting with some genuinely funny background details (I love the Gromulan sitting in front of you in the shuttle watching a soap opera while eating odd sounding Gromulan delicacies and the Houlgans are a brilliant idea). But as it goes on, the encounters and settings get less detailed and the unfair instant deaths increase exponentially. And the suggested strategy of hacking Grom terminals in the various cities to get info on the president's location is a flawed one since the Paris terminals have all the information the Rome and Madrid ones have and more making finding them a complete waste of time . A deeply flawed book then but one I always hoped Wizard Books would release a fixed version of because, with a bit of tinkering, it could be the best sci-fi book in the series. But as it is I would rate Space Assassin, Freeway Fighter, Rings of Kether and Robot Commando higher. The Fear score in House of Hell has its flaws. For one thing, you can only win by definite cheating if you roll a 7 and by arguable cheating if you roll an 8. For another, it discourages exploration as it makes you afraid to try anything new, and House of Hell is a book where there's so much good stuff to discover. And finally, as Per Jorner, said in his review of it, telling people when they're scared and asking them to take note of it kills immersion and makes the book less scary. Fear in Star Strider is probably the better thought-out stat, forgettable as it is. |
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Post by coppertop71 on May 29, 2016 15:02:09 GMT
There are quite a few rooms in "House of Hell" that will add to your fear points so once you know which ones you can avoid, then it will get easier but it's a very hard book to do anyway. Just keep notes on your map etc (for instance, one of the paintings at the start will give you a fear point if you choose it).
Just keep doing it and you should get further each time making notes as you go. I think most of us have cheated at some point (and some you HAVE to cheat due to fatal editing problems) but you get a proper sense of accomplishment if you play by the rules
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Post by philsadler on May 29, 2016 18:49:01 GMT
but you get a proper sense of accomplishment if you play by the rules I agree, which is why books like Crypt of the Sorcerer or the truly awful Chasms of Malice are such a kick in the teeth. |
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Post by a moderator on May 29, 2016 21:38:15 GMT
In some ways it's worse when a potentially good gamebook is impossible without cheating. Crypt and Chasms wouldn't be that great even if they were playable, but Spellbreaker's flaws spoil what could have been a classic.
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Post by coppertop71 on May 29, 2016 23:42:14 GMT
Yes I know and it's a real shame that those books weren't properly play tested. I guess puffin ran out of steam with them and just didn't care. It's clear these books still have appeal if only to FF fans and if puffin did another print run with the original cover art & the errors rectified, I bet they would sell well (if only a limited run) & it would stop sellers on Amazon selling for silly prices.
I have all the books now except for 3 which are ridiculously expensive & my collection is a mixture of Wizard & Puffin books and as such are not consecutively numbered. I know some of the newer titles were only Wizard publications but a new run of the puffin books would be fab. That's my view anyway
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