41) Master of Chaos

[hynreck]

From another salvage operation lead by Mudworm (thanks!). I've said this a few times now, but this one review does seems really really short. I'm afraid of the amount of insanities I'll have to unleash to bring this up to a respectable size. Cause surely I don't remember much about this book? Or worse, I remember other folks opinion...

I finished this new book a couple of days ago (years ago now!) and was overall pleased with the experience. The background opening was a wee bit on the ridiculous side of things, just a quick excuse to put you in the setting, but roaming the streets of Ashkyos was overall a great experience. I would agree that the first part of the book was the best, but the ending section wasn't bad either, just the middle part that dragged on and on with nearly only consumption of meals to break the monotony. I thought the encounter with the bad guy at the end was also rather weak (this is NOT Balthus Dire) but there's a nice twist with a good link with the rest of the story that kind of makes up for this. (Overall, it feels as if this review was in response to some specific comments made prior my post, which is entirely possible, but hard to properly verify. Probably explain why it feels a bit disconnected, but I have neither time nor energy to do it all again. Eventually, when I play this game for real I might update or offer a new review, until then...)

The cover illustration is indeed pretty bad. Not atrocious, but let's say it's no wonder it's Les Edwards least favourite. I thought the same creature was much better in the inside illo. About those, I also thought that David Gallagher's illos were much better overall than his last work in Fangs of Fury. Far less distortion between the foreground and background, nothing funky. Pretty solid stuff. Apparently I've also got the first edition of the book as I'm lacking the colour map on the inside cover as told in the book. Only the basic black and white near the background. Shame I guess. So, not my favourite book, but still a great way to pass the time, so I'd give it a thumbs up! (all FF or gamebooks are great way to pass the time, in any case. How much time you indeed lose to one though is entirely dependent on its quality)

Well, I don't really see how I could improve on this with my actual limited knowledge. I can probably make it a whole lot worse, though, so I'll leave it alone for now.

Thanks for reading!! (can't stay serious for a second, if I had a twin, he'd be dead by now and I'd have no problem playing Van Gogh in a futur play) 

[a moderator]

Dec 6, 2013 16:42:22 GMT hynreck said:

the ending section wasn't bad either, just the middle part that dragged on and on with nearly only consumption of meals to break the monotony. 

I take it you didn't get a ticket for the boat. If you can get the money for it (and don't mind fighting the cover creature), that cuts down the travel time a lot, and there are a couple of incidents other than just consumption of food along the way.

[stevendoig]

Played this again a fortnight ago. - Yet again I failed to meet (or didn't notice) the Dark Elf!

[a moderator]

Re: encountering the Dark Elf before the end of the book.

SPOILER: Click to show

While you're on the ship, he'll intervene if you're in danger of being killed by the Tentacle.

If you go to Stavian's Guursh Bar in the Old Quarter of Ashkyos, you can thwart an attempt at kidnapping him. If you do that, you're more likely to meet him again, as he has a debt of honour he'd prefer to repay before he has to kill you and take the Staff.

[hynreck]

You are right, greenspine, I didn't take the boat, if I remember correctly I think I got the camel. Unfortunately I don't remember quite a lot about the book, especially that part. I just remember (and of course my old writings confirm this) that it was quite boring. I think a mutant tried to do me in.

Next time I'll try the boat for sure, but next time I'll be playing this game by the rules (well, as long as those rules makes a tiny bit of sense, but I'll tell if this is the case) so I might not make it that far!

[a moderator]

My TUFFF playthrough:

When this came out, I looked through it in the shop, spotted a bad ending that appealed to the warped side of my character, and bought it. I read it through at first, but did come back to it to play later, faring poorly because I insisted in sharing the beating meted out at the start, and then seeking out the ship's Captain in Ashkyos before getting any decent equipment. Given that I bought it so promptly, I imagine that it was a map-free version, but the copy I picked up when getting back into FF in 2001 did have the map, and it was scanning the map for online fans who'd never seen it that led to my playing the book through to a legitimate victory for the first time.

I think it unlikely that someone with the stats I roll could have the reputation I do in the Background, but that's not the oddest thing there. The first couple of pages have the wizards talking as if they don't know who has the Staff, only that it would have to be someone powerful and evil to be capable of having stolen it. and then towards the end they know his name, his whereabouts, and the manner of his death three centuries previously. Even if Amberon was keeping the dying Great Wizard (or possibly Marilyn Monroe) from knowing these details in case they hastened his demise, he continues to speak as if ignorant of the villain's identity even after leaving his expiring mentor's deathbed.

Anyway, I get myself press-ganged as required, and lose over half my Stamina just by travelling in such miserable conditions. While swabbing the decks, I see the Captain attacked by a sea creature, and intervene in the hope of being given better treatment. I fare poorly, but am rescued by the Dark Elf passenger, who does me a further favour by pointing out that my efforts merit a reward, however inept they may have been. He's an interesting character, by no means a pure villain despite being ultimately opposed to me.

My circumstances do improve after that (well, I don't lose any more Stamina, which is better than nothing), and I join another 'trusty' slave in escaping from the ship once we reach our destination, my Blindsight averting what could have been a painfully embarrassing encounter with a dozing crew member.

Out and about in Ashkyos, I head for the warehouses and use my Tracking ability to apprehend a petty thief, getting a reward and a day's work in return. The following day, such are the whims of fate (or Keith Martin), I find myself on the other side of the law, acting as lookout while the Great Ashkyos Saffron Robbery goes down. Again my carrot-heavy diet saves me from potential inconvenience or impalement, and my disreputable employer's hospitality helps restore me to full health. He also tells me some local gossip about the Tentacle-severing Elf, and a Necromancer seeking casual labour.

Proceeding to the Old Quarter, I get out of the way of a fugitive mule, because animal handling skills stopped being useful after the second Lone Wolf book. Proceeding to the place where old Neccy has been touting for business, which is nowhere near as cheap 'n' nasty as the name suggests, I observe dodgy dealings afoot, and stick my nose in. I really should have invested in a weapon and armour beforehand, though, as the man on the door makes mincemeat of me.

[oakdweller]

***QUITE A FEW SPOILERS AHEAD***


Crippling the player’s resources was a pleasantly mean way to get Master of Chaos going. Few FF adventures actually have you starting with no food, (almost) no money, no weapon or other equipment. Before this one, I think that Trial of Champions and Creature of Havoc had you starting out with almost nothing, but even then it wasn’t really a major issue in those books. Beneath Nightmare Castle has you scrabbling around for resources a fair bit, but Master of Chaos makes the situation almost desperate.


There is a clear ‘four act’ structure for this one. The first act is a short cruise on a slave galley, the Diablo, where the book pummels away at your STAMINA score from the outset, with a three-point penalty on the very first paragraph. Bad food, floggings and even a possible keel-hauling drain your life force away, with (I think) only one opportunity to replenish yourself whilst on-board. (How did victims of keel-hauling ever survive? Drowning would have been inevitable I would have thought). I don’t think that I’ve ever actually died during this stage of the adventure, but the constant barrage of abuse certainly creates a suitably exhausting experience. As such, when – and if – you make it onto dry land, it’s a genuine relief.


The exploration of Ashkyos is my favourite part of the adventure. I quite like ‘hub’ style choices, but only if they’re tempered by some sort of restriction, otherwise it falls flat and has no sense of urgency. The NOTORIETY score is a neat alternative to the usual time-tracking idea, although for once I wonder whether the book is too generous in allowing you to roam before it’s kicking out time. (Or perhaps I was just lucky on my recent play-through). Limiting the number of options that you can take from a list of so many routes adds to the replay value so well. It’s a shame that the map of the town that the text insists is on the inside front cover was forgotten about (or at least it has been in my edition), but it doesn’t detract from the game too much.


Ashkyos also hides one of my all-time favourite FF characters, the chatty mongoose Jesper. I’ve mentioned before that most followers in FF are rather cardboard, with broad characteristics rather than actual personalities. Jesper is a gem, aiding your hunt for cash as soon as you purchase him by incubating exotic bird eggs which then hatch out into valuable specimens. All the while he boasts of his friendship with a wide variety of previous owners and waxes lyrical about biting the heads off snakes. He more than earns his keep in both entertainment and practical adventuring value. The moment when he excuses himself for a while so that he can visit a lady mongoose across town is really cute.


‘Act three’, the journey through the wilderness towards Kabesh, is the only part of the adventure that dragged for me. (And yes, I know about the boat ticket that you can purchase, but the game shouldn't penalise you with dreariness for choosing more independent options). Although I can appreciate that such a long journey would necessitate needing to keep yourself well fed, the frequency at which the book starts pestering you about eating meals or losing STAMINA got very tedious. I was on foot the whole time, which probably didn’t help, but if enjoyment of the narrative is dulled so much by such ‘realism’ then it really should’ve been handled differently. My exasperation of this practice was further compounded when I came across a deer. The text asked me if I had a crossbow to shoot the creature with: yes, and a good job too as I was nearly out of provisions. After a successful SKILL roll, I felled the deer only to be told that it was inedible because I didn’t have a lantern to cook it with. What?! Why couldn’t I have been asked about cooking issues before I got my crossbow out? Also, if food is all that vital, then surely eating the venison raw would be better than going without wouldn’t it?
I could've sliced it thinly with my sword and called it carpaccio. 

One cracking surprise amidst all this annoyance is the stop-off in Rahasta, an isolated town that is inhabited by mutations. The residents are a surly lot, who certainly provide an interesting contrast to those of the more civilised Ashkyos. Even though I didn’t visit it on this play-through, I remember spending the night in a thoroughly nasty hostel that used to be a plague house for victims who were driven insane by their disease (see reference 60). The night ended with an assault by a dwarf that was half way to becoming a crab.


The final stage is entertaining enough, especially as there’s a little treasure-hunting side quest that you can carry out too, but is far too easy. With a few exceptions, you can only search each of the locations in Kabesh for the entrance to the Chaos Pits once. However, unlike in Ashkyos, there are no other limiting factors, which means that you can take your sweet time in finding the correct location. When the correct location is visited it’s actually quite difficult not to find the entrance.


Shanzikuul, the principal villain, is a pretty average cool-headed megalomaniac. He’s not a bad character, but there’s nothing particularly memorable about him either. As with the fight against Count Heydrich in his earlier book Vault of the Vampire, Martin offers up a variety of ways of dealing with Shanzikuul. It doesn’t work quite as well here, but it’s still far better than a straight-forward fight.


David Gallagher’s art has never really done much for me I’m afraid, being a bit too on-the-nose and often lacking in interesting detail. However, illustrations that did catch my attention in this book include the two-headed troll (35), the bustling Ashkyos marketplace (181) and the crazy guard with the weird helm on (248). There’s a continuity error that I noticed in the illustration for reference 153 though, which depicts a two-legged Captain Shagrot. I can’t remember whether his peg-leg is mentioned when you’re actually on the Diablo, but it’s definitely there if you bump into him later at the docks.

[vagsancho]

Fantastic Book. I love the idea of putting the Evil and the Chaos in different sides.

[vagsancho]

Have the desire to feel again this Book soon. Fantastic Book. I have the feeling that some feeling escapes me in this Book. It is there i just know it, but i cant achieve it. Great Book though. Love the separation between chaos and evil.

[hynreck]

As long as there is feelings then you should feel it because feelings are for feelings and feel magical.


...feel

[sylas]

Aug 31, 2015 16:00:01 GMT hynreck said:

As long as there is feelings then you should feel it because feelings are for feelings and feel magical.


...feel

If Fighting Fantasy and I are one, then feeling a Fighting Fantasy book would be like feeling myself. Maybe that's the magic that Vags feels. The books, that is; not me.

[hynreck]

Like said in another thread: I do think Vags feels himself a bit too much while reading FF books. Just slightly disturbing, coming from Vag.

[vagsancho]

Aug 16, 2015 0:25:39 GMT vagsancho said:

Have the desire to feel again this Book soon. I have the feeling that some feeling escapes me in this Book. It is there i just know it, but i cant achieve it. Great Book though. Love the separation between chaos and evil.

I was wrong. Weak book! only saved by the powerful idea that evil and chaos are different forces.

[kieran]

May 22, 2019 15:02:04 GMT vagsancho said:

Aug 16, 2015 0:25:39 GMT vagsancho said:

Have the desire to feel again this Book soon. I have the feeling that some feeling escapes me in this Book. It is there i just know it, but i cant achieve it. Great Book though. Love the separation between chaos and evil.

I was wrong. Weak book! only saved by the powerful idea that evil and chaos are different forces.

Never really considered that point but I suppose the fear about Shanzikuul stealing the Staff of Rulership was that he could bring order to chaos, making it a much bigger danger.

[vastariner]

One thing that struck me.

Shanzikuul is such a character that he could conjure up most fell spirits, and could in turn be conjured up after centuries of death.

Yet he got caught, flayed, and dismantled, by Wild Hill Men.

What went wrong? Maybe a spell backfired?

[kieran]

Well I suppose in MoC he is brought down by one lone adventurer despite all his powers. Maybe these were just some tough hill men. Or maybe they overwhelmed him with huge numbers.

I like the air of mystery to Master of Chaos - we never find out how Shanzikuul came back or even if it is the same Shanzikuul and what exactly is his relationship with the dark elves. They were his allies before but why are they trying to kill him now? Are they trying to kill an imposter or did Shanzikuul betray them in some way?

[slloyd14]

I loved this book.

It's nice to have skills.

I liked the slave beginning. It gave some dimension and made me use my ingenuity. Also, with the right skills, you can get a pretty good amount of money to help you.

I loved the city exploration the most. I wouldn't have minded if the adventure was about 90% Ashykos.

I love Jesper. It's always great to get a companion, and, although I lose him before the dungeon, he doesn't die. He is also really useful. Bonus!

The overland journey is kind of blah. Standard stuff. The "eat a meal or lose 2 stamina" rule confuses me. Why can't you just skip 2 meals and then just eat 1 meal to restore 4 stamina points?

The dungeon is good. It has the flavour of a dungeon created by a guy who warps things, because there are mutants in it.

I liked the dark elf. It's always fun to have villains who have some characterisation rather than just generic villains who do nothing but act as a boss monster at the end of the adventure.

Speaking of which, Shanzikuul is a bit like that, but he does offer you a deal before he tries to kill you. And you can steal a sweet ring from him and actually put it on giving you a 4 point swing in skill difference.

Overall, I loved this book. I think the city section raised it up for me.

[terrysalt]

Jul 10, 2022 22:20:09 GMT slloyd14 said:

The overland journey is kind of blah. Standard stuff. The "eat a meal or lose 2 stamina" rule confuses me. Why can't you just skip 2 meals and then just eat 1 meal to restore 4 stamina points?

Nope. Keith thought of that. The rules say that if you have provisions, you have to eat them. The 2 stamina is only if you have none left.

[slloyd14]

Jul 11, 2022 2:20:30 GMT terrysalt said:

Jul 10, 2022 22:20:09 GMT slloyd14 said:

The overland journey is kind of blah. Standard stuff. The "eat a meal or lose 2 stamina" rule confuses me. Why can't you just skip 2 meals and then just eat 1 meal to restore 4 stamina points?

Nope. Keith thought of that. The rules say that if you have provisions, you have to eat them. The 2 stamina is only if you have none left.

Ah, I missed that. Fair enough.