Post by pip on Jul 10, 2021 18:15:24 GMT
Death at Appledore Towers
by Gerald Lientz
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Do not read further if you don't want this gamebook to be spoiled for you.
This is a solid entry in the series. There are many different ways to get a good ending through different combinations of clues, so even though some luck with the dice is still required, you have a very good chance to get at least the second best ending if you simply pick the right options.
For the purpose of this walkthrough, I will consider the game is lost if you are offered to try again, even though the book acknowledges partial successes and also allows you to just give up and read the solution. In the conclusion, I will explain the clues you need to have found in order to get the best ending (with maximal congratulations from Holmes), or the other good ending (where Holmes congratulates you a little less).
Skills
For this adventure, I recommend boosting Communication and Artifice, and downgrading the other skills.
Walkthrough
Keep in mind that when I tell you not to bother doing so or so, it’s because it has no use when it comes to getting a good ending in regard to the book’s mechanics, but of course you can still learn useful information to help you solve the case in your head. We’re just focusing on solving the case gamebook-wise here.
Chapter 1: Investigating the garden
Start by following the intruders’ tracks, then cross the wall and follow their trail. Since you’re doing this before doing anything else (which means you have neither Decision 1 nor Decision 2), the tracks will be fresher and you get the best possible chance to find Clue C, by passing an Observation 7+ test. Clue C is not mandatory, but it can later on lead to other clues which may make a difference at the end. Continue investigating as you like, until you are told you’ll continue the investigation inside.
Note that, if you’re not following the walkthrough, the book may at some point tell you to remove Decision 1 here, but you shouldn’t do it, or it will cause (non-gamebreaking) inconsistencies during the rest of this small chapter.
Chapter 2: Investigating the crime scene
Search the desk when you are offered to do so, and search the appointment book for Clue D, as well as a chance to get Clue E on a successful Observation 8+ test (not finding Clue E actually doesn’t matter, because if you follow the walkthrough, you are bound to get a replacement clue later on, namely Clue O). Conduct the rest of the search in any way you like.
When you are asked if you want to review the clues you’ve obtained so far, and when you are asked if you want to see the body right now, it’s actually better if you don’t do either as :
- There’s nothing useful gamewise to gain.
- For convoluted reasons that I will not explain here, not doing it gives you a (very) small extra chance to find Clue P later on, just in case the recommended way to find it doesn’t work. We’re really talking about a tiny extra chance here, so if you prefer exploring these options anyway so you can read the extra sections, feel free to do so.
Whether you skipped these options or not, you will eventually start questioning the staff.
Chapter 3: Staff interrogations
If you want, you may question Green about the dog to find Deduction 11 on a successful Intuition 7+ test, but you have another, sure-fire way to find it after that, so you don’t need to.
Question Silversmith and ask to hear his version. On a successful Intuition 8+ test, this conversation branch will let you find Clue J. That clue is not a mandatory one, but it will make some later rolls easier if you have it. If you want, ask him about the household routine to find Clue I (since you have Clue D from earlier), but we will also find that clue afterwards. Do NOT ask him about Milverton’s business affairs, or he will become grouchy and won’t help you with the next questions. Ask him about the dog when you get the chance for Clue I and Deduction 11.
Question Jenkins. If you have Clue J from the previous interrogation, ask him why he let the papers burn to get Deduction 12 on a successful Communication 7+ test. This deduction is also not mandatory, but will make some next rolls easier. If you don’t have Clue J, on a failed Intuition 8+ test (that’s right, failed), you may get another chance to ask why he let the papers burn as explained above. If you have Decision 12 by now, ask him about Milverton’s business, keep pushing for information, pass a Communication 7+ test, ask him who killed Milverton, pass a Communication 5+ test, and you will find Clue K. If you don’t have Decision 12, don’t bother asking about Milverton's business, but do ask who killed Milverton, and if you pass a Communication 9+ test you will find Clue K. (Decision 12 helps here, because passing both a 7+ and 5+ test is still statistically easier than a single 9+ test).
Don’t bother questioning Mrs Lindon.
Question Mrs Cox and ask her opinion of Milverton. On a successful Intuition 8+ test, you will find Clue L.
Don’t bother questioning the kitchen maid.
Question Mary Jones. If you pass an Observation 7+ test, ask her why she was crying, then ask her about locking the dog up, then ask her to describe her fiancé for Clue M. If you fail that test, it doesn’t matter because, thanks to Decision 11 and Clue I you got earlier, later in the interrogation you will still get to ask her to describe her fiancé for Clue M.
Don’t bother questioning either Bessie, Shepherd, Reynolds or Yates.
Question Johnny. Ask his opinion of Milverton, then ask about the exciting place to find Clue O. If you want that tiny extra chance to obtain Clue P I mentioned above, also ask him who could have killed Milverton. If you pass an Observation 6+ test, ask him about the “dream”, ask him about the two men, then pass a successful Communication 7+ test, you will find Clue N.
Chapter 4: Visit to Holmes
This is where you get the tiny extra chance to find Clue P (the regular, much easier chance will come later), assuming you’ve followed my recommendation at the end of Chapter 2. You will now either automatically visit Holmes, or be asked if you want to do so. If you’ve followed my recommendation, you don’t have Decisions 9 or 10 (which would cut your visit short), but you may have Clue N. If so, ask Holmes if he and Watson were the male intruders, and you will get Clue P on a successful Communication 12 test. Obviously, whatever happens during this visit, do not tell Holmes you want to give up on the investigation, or you’ll get an early game over.
Chapter 5: Miscellaneous visits
After visiting Holmes (or declining to do so), you will be asked if you have Clue C but did not identify the two male intruders. This second requirement is not tied to any clue or deduction, so it’s up to you to decide whether you have identified them: by this point, depending on how the rest of the investigation went, the book may have flat out told you that they were Holmes and Watson, or you may have found revealing clues and guessed as much, or you may be in the dark. If you satisfy both requirements and pass a Scholarship 6+ test, you will be offered to publish advertisements in newspapers. Do so, in three different newspapers for best results. Choose to mention unusual passengers. You will check Decision 15.
Since you have Clue D, you will be asked if you want to visit the Countess d’Albert. Do so. On a successful Intuition 8+ test, you will think of asking Lord Ellington for a recommendation later. Do so to get Decision 20. If you made it, you will have to pass a Communication 5+ test with the Countess. Remind her of Lord Ellington’s letter and pass a Communication 4+ test to find Clue Z. If you didn’t get Decision 20, you can still succeed but the tests will be harder. You will have to pass a Communication 8+ test, then pick either answer, and pass another Communication 8+ test. If you make it, you will find Clue Z.
Since you have Clue M, you will be offered to look for Escott. Do so. You will have to pass either a Communication 9+ test, or a Scholarship 8+ test (if you failed the first test). Choose to visit the foreman and offer him 10 shillings for best results. On a successful Communication 5+ test, you will find Clue Q and Clue P.
At this point, if you checked Decision 15, you will be waiting for people to answer your newspaper advertisements. You will have to rely on a random dice roll (not tied to any skill). On a result of 5 to 9, you will find Clue S. You will then get to try a random dice roll again, and, on a result of 2 to 5 followed by a successful Communication 9+ test, you will also find Clue R. If, for the first random roll, you got a result of 10-12, you will not find Clue S, but you will, as above, get a chance to pass a Communication 9+ test to find Clue R. Note that, in both cases, if you fail the Communication test for Clue R, you will get the useless Clue U instead.
By now, you will be asked if you have Clue T, which you won’t have. Just keep going and take whatever decisions in the next sections, because whatever you do, in the end you will always obtain that Clue T. If you checked Decision 15 but did not find Clue S, you will get another chance now. If you have Clue R or Clue U, you will find Clue S on a random dice roll of 7-12. If you don’t have either of these clues (meaning you got 2-4 on the original random roll), you will repeat the exact same sequence in the paragraph above for a last chance to find Clue S and/or Clue R.
Chapter 6: Visiting Milverton’s victims
If you don’t already have Decision 20, you will get another chance to check it following an Intuition test, but by now it is useless. Next, you will begin wondering which of Milverton’s victims are worth visiting. For this, you will be asked whether you have Clue K and/or Clue L. While these clues may make a difference at the end, here they only help you narrow down the list of people to visit: even if you have neither of these clues, you will still be offered to visit the right people, at the trivial cost of being also offered to visit a number of people who have no useful information for you.
Visit Lady Blackwell. Send in a note for her. At some point, you will be offered to ask why she feels safe / free of anxiety. This may work, but it’s easier if you don’t ask. Decline and, if you pass an Intuition 7+ test, you will be able to ask her if she had an agent, then to ask for the agent’s name. Do so to obtain Clue X.
Visit Lady Blakeney. She’s not there, but you can ask the butler what she looks like to find Deduction 19.
You can skip all the other visits.
Chapter 7: Breaking and entering
Search Lady Blakeney’s house. There, you can either try to create a diversion and pass a Communication 7+ test, or try to go through a window and pass an Artifice 8+ test (I recommend the first option). If you succeed, you will have to pass an Artifice 7+ test to find Clue Y. After finding Clue Y, or if you failed any of the tests, there will be a chase sequence where you have to escape the house’s servants and possibly the police. No matter what you do and no matter what you roll here, you will end up escaping one way or another, as long as you never choose to fight a policeman (which will likely result in a game over).
Chapter 8: Final visit to Holmes
If you have Clue P:
If you are asked if Holmes and Watson killed Milverton, say it wasn’t them. Say you know who the murderer is. It is Lady Blakeney.
You will get the best possible ending if you have :
- Clue Y and either :
* Clue D and Clue Z
* Clue S and Decision 19
* Clue K
* Clue L
You will get a slightly less good ending (it’s still good, but Holmes doesn’t congratulate you as much) if you have either :
- Clue Y
- Clue K, Clue L or Clue Z and either :
* Clue D and Clue Z
* Clue S and Decision 19
If you don’t fulfill any of these requirements, you won’t be able to get a satisfactory ending.
If you don’t have Clue P:
Say the two male intruders were Holmes and Watson.
If you’ve been following the walkthrough, you will necessarily have Clue O. If you also have either Clue Q or Clue R, you will be able to continue as if you had Clue P, in the way described above.
If you don’t have either of these clues but if you have Clue X, you will be able to continue as well, but Holmes will be displeased with you regarding this part of the investigation, so I consider that this downgrades your ending.
If you have neither Clue Q, R or X, you won’t be able to get a satisfactory ending.
Mandatory tests for the easiest path to the best ending
- Communication 9+ (or Scholarship 8+ if that fails), then Communication 5+ for Clue P
- Communication 7+ or Artifice 8+, then Artifice 7+ for Clue Y
Then either one of these:
* Either Intuition 8+, then Communication 5+ and Communication 4+, or if the first Intuition test fails, Communication 8+ and Communication 8+ for Clue Z
* A random 5-9 result, or a 10-12 result followed by a 7-12 result, or a 2-4 result followed by a 5-9 result for Clue S
* Either Intuition 8+ (or a failed Intuition 8+ test if the first test fails), Communication 7+, Communication 7+ again, then Communication 5+; or, if either of the 2nd/3rd tests fail, a single Communication 9+ test for Clue K
* Intuition 8+ for Clue L
Best skill configuration AFAIK: boosting Communication and Artifice to +3 by downgrading all the other skills to -2 gives you a 64.7% success rate for the best ending (and a 85.7% success rate for the lesser endings)
by Gerald Lientz
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Do not read further if you don't want this gamebook to be spoiled for you.
This is a solid entry in the series. There are many different ways to get a good ending through different combinations of clues, so even though some luck with the dice is still required, you have a very good chance to get at least the second best ending if you simply pick the right options.
For the purpose of this walkthrough, I will consider the game is lost if you are offered to try again, even though the book acknowledges partial successes and also allows you to just give up and read the solution. In the conclusion, I will explain the clues you need to have found in order to get the best ending (with maximal congratulations from Holmes), or the other good ending (where Holmes congratulates you a little less).
Skills
For this adventure, I recommend boosting Communication and Artifice, and downgrading the other skills.
Walkthrough
Keep in mind that when I tell you not to bother doing so or so, it’s because it has no use when it comes to getting a good ending in regard to the book’s mechanics, but of course you can still learn useful information to help you solve the case in your head. We’re just focusing on solving the case gamebook-wise here.
Chapter 1: Investigating the garden
Start by following the intruders’ tracks, then cross the wall and follow their trail. Since you’re doing this before doing anything else (which means you have neither Decision 1 nor Decision 2), the tracks will be fresher and you get the best possible chance to find Clue C, by passing an Observation 7+ test. Clue C is not mandatory, but it can later on lead to other clues which may make a difference at the end. Continue investigating as you like, until you are told you’ll continue the investigation inside.
Note that, if you’re not following the walkthrough, the book may at some point tell you to remove Decision 1 here, but you shouldn’t do it, or it will cause (non-gamebreaking) inconsistencies during the rest of this small chapter.
Chapter 2: Investigating the crime scene
Search the desk when you are offered to do so, and search the appointment book for Clue D, as well as a chance to get Clue E on a successful Observation 8+ test (not finding Clue E actually doesn’t matter, because if you follow the walkthrough, you are bound to get a replacement clue later on, namely Clue O). Conduct the rest of the search in any way you like.
When you are asked if you want to review the clues you’ve obtained so far, and when you are asked if you want to see the body right now, it’s actually better if you don’t do either as :
- There’s nothing useful gamewise to gain.
- For convoluted reasons that I will not explain here, not doing it gives you a (very) small extra chance to find Clue P later on, just in case the recommended way to find it doesn’t work. We’re really talking about a tiny extra chance here, so if you prefer exploring these options anyway so you can read the extra sections, feel free to do so.
Whether you skipped these options or not, you will eventually start questioning the staff.
Chapter 3: Staff interrogations
If you want, you may question Green about the dog to find Deduction 11 on a successful Intuition 7+ test, but you have another, sure-fire way to find it after that, so you don’t need to.
Question Silversmith and ask to hear his version. On a successful Intuition 8+ test, this conversation branch will let you find Clue J. That clue is not a mandatory one, but it will make some later rolls easier if you have it. If you want, ask him about the household routine to find Clue I (since you have Clue D from earlier), but we will also find that clue afterwards. Do NOT ask him about Milverton’s business affairs, or he will become grouchy and won’t help you with the next questions. Ask him about the dog when you get the chance for Clue I and Deduction 11.
Question Jenkins. If you have Clue J from the previous interrogation, ask him why he let the papers burn to get Deduction 12 on a successful Communication 7+ test. This deduction is also not mandatory, but will make some next rolls easier. If you don’t have Clue J, on a failed Intuition 8+ test (that’s right, failed), you may get another chance to ask why he let the papers burn as explained above. If you have Decision 12 by now, ask him about Milverton’s business, keep pushing for information, pass a Communication 7+ test, ask him who killed Milverton, pass a Communication 5+ test, and you will find Clue K. If you don’t have Decision 12, don’t bother asking about Milverton's business, but do ask who killed Milverton, and if you pass a Communication 9+ test you will find Clue K. (Decision 12 helps here, because passing both a 7+ and 5+ test is still statistically easier than a single 9+ test).
Don’t bother questioning Mrs Lindon.
Question Mrs Cox and ask her opinion of Milverton. On a successful Intuition 8+ test, you will find Clue L.
Don’t bother questioning the kitchen maid.
Question Mary Jones. If you pass an Observation 7+ test, ask her why she was crying, then ask her about locking the dog up, then ask her to describe her fiancé for Clue M. If you fail that test, it doesn’t matter because, thanks to Decision 11 and Clue I you got earlier, later in the interrogation you will still get to ask her to describe her fiancé for Clue M.
Don’t bother questioning either Bessie, Shepherd, Reynolds or Yates.
Question Johnny. Ask his opinion of Milverton, then ask about the exciting place to find Clue O. If you want that tiny extra chance to obtain Clue P I mentioned above, also ask him who could have killed Milverton. If you pass an Observation 6+ test, ask him about the “dream”, ask him about the two men, then pass a successful Communication 7+ test, you will find Clue N.
Chapter 4: Visit to Holmes
This is where you get the tiny extra chance to find Clue P (the regular, much easier chance will come later), assuming you’ve followed my recommendation at the end of Chapter 2. You will now either automatically visit Holmes, or be asked if you want to do so. If you’ve followed my recommendation, you don’t have Decisions 9 or 10 (which would cut your visit short), but you may have Clue N. If so, ask Holmes if he and Watson were the male intruders, and you will get Clue P on a successful Communication 12 test. Obviously, whatever happens during this visit, do not tell Holmes you want to give up on the investigation, or you’ll get an early game over.
Chapter 5: Miscellaneous visits
After visiting Holmes (or declining to do so), you will be asked if you have Clue C but did not identify the two male intruders. This second requirement is not tied to any clue or deduction, so it’s up to you to decide whether you have identified them: by this point, depending on how the rest of the investigation went, the book may have flat out told you that they were Holmes and Watson, or you may have found revealing clues and guessed as much, or you may be in the dark. If you satisfy both requirements and pass a Scholarship 6+ test, you will be offered to publish advertisements in newspapers. Do so, in three different newspapers for best results. Choose to mention unusual passengers. You will check Decision 15.
Since you have Clue D, you will be asked if you want to visit the Countess d’Albert. Do so. On a successful Intuition 8+ test, you will think of asking Lord Ellington for a recommendation later. Do so to get Decision 20. If you made it, you will have to pass a Communication 5+ test with the Countess. Remind her of Lord Ellington’s letter and pass a Communication 4+ test to find Clue Z. If you didn’t get Decision 20, you can still succeed but the tests will be harder. You will have to pass a Communication 8+ test, then pick either answer, and pass another Communication 8+ test. If you make it, you will find Clue Z.
Since you have Clue M, you will be offered to look for Escott. Do so. You will have to pass either a Communication 9+ test, or a Scholarship 8+ test (if you failed the first test). Choose to visit the foreman and offer him 10 shillings for best results. On a successful Communication 5+ test, you will find Clue Q and Clue P.
At this point, if you checked Decision 15, you will be waiting for people to answer your newspaper advertisements. You will have to rely on a random dice roll (not tied to any skill). On a result of 5 to 9, you will find Clue S. You will then get to try a random dice roll again, and, on a result of 2 to 5 followed by a successful Communication 9+ test, you will also find Clue R. If, for the first random roll, you got a result of 10-12, you will not find Clue S, but you will, as above, get a chance to pass a Communication 9+ test to find Clue R. Note that, in both cases, if you fail the Communication test for Clue R, you will get the useless Clue U instead.
By now, you will be asked if you have Clue T, which you won’t have. Just keep going and take whatever decisions in the next sections, because whatever you do, in the end you will always obtain that Clue T. If you checked Decision 15 but did not find Clue S, you will get another chance now. If you have Clue R or Clue U, you will find Clue S on a random dice roll of 7-12. If you don’t have either of these clues (meaning you got 2-4 on the original random roll), you will repeat the exact same sequence in the paragraph above for a last chance to find Clue S and/or Clue R.
Chapter 6: Visiting Milverton’s victims
If you don’t already have Decision 20, you will get another chance to check it following an Intuition test, but by now it is useless. Next, you will begin wondering which of Milverton’s victims are worth visiting. For this, you will be asked whether you have Clue K and/or Clue L. While these clues may make a difference at the end, here they only help you narrow down the list of people to visit: even if you have neither of these clues, you will still be offered to visit the right people, at the trivial cost of being also offered to visit a number of people who have no useful information for you.
Visit Lady Blackwell. Send in a note for her. At some point, you will be offered to ask why she feels safe / free of anxiety. This may work, but it’s easier if you don’t ask. Decline and, if you pass an Intuition 7+ test, you will be able to ask her if she had an agent, then to ask for the agent’s name. Do so to obtain Clue X.
Visit Lady Blakeney. She’s not there, but you can ask the butler what she looks like to find Deduction 19.
You can skip all the other visits.
Chapter 7: Breaking and entering
Search Lady Blakeney’s house. There, you can either try to create a diversion and pass a Communication 7+ test, or try to go through a window and pass an Artifice 8+ test (I recommend the first option). If you succeed, you will have to pass an Artifice 7+ test to find Clue Y. After finding Clue Y, or if you failed any of the tests, there will be a chase sequence where you have to escape the house’s servants and possibly the police. No matter what you do and no matter what you roll here, you will end up escaping one way or another, as long as you never choose to fight a policeman (which will likely result in a game over).
Chapter 8: Final visit to Holmes
If you have Clue P:
If you are asked if Holmes and Watson killed Milverton, say it wasn’t them. Say you know who the murderer is. It is Lady Blakeney.
You will get the best possible ending if you have :
- Clue Y and either :
* Clue D and Clue Z
* Clue S and Decision 19
* Clue K
* Clue L
You will get a slightly less good ending (it’s still good, but Holmes doesn’t congratulate you as much) if you have either :
- Clue Y
- Clue K, Clue L or Clue Z and either :
* Clue D and Clue Z
* Clue S and Decision 19
If you don’t fulfill any of these requirements, you won’t be able to get a satisfactory ending.
If you don’t have Clue P:
Say the two male intruders were Holmes and Watson.
If you’ve been following the walkthrough, you will necessarily have Clue O. If you also have either Clue Q or Clue R, you will be able to continue as if you had Clue P, in the way described above.
If you don’t have either of these clues but if you have Clue X, you will be able to continue as well, but Holmes will be displeased with you regarding this part of the investigation, so I consider that this downgrades your ending.
If you have neither Clue Q, R or X, you won’t be able to get a satisfactory ending.
Mandatory tests for the easiest path to the best ending
- Communication 9+ (or Scholarship 8+ if that fails), then Communication 5+ for Clue P
- Communication 7+ or Artifice 8+, then Artifice 7+ for Clue Y
Then either one of these:
* Either Intuition 8+, then Communication 5+ and Communication 4+, or if the first Intuition test fails, Communication 8+ and Communication 8+ for Clue Z
* A random 5-9 result, or a 10-12 result followed by a 7-12 result, or a 2-4 result followed by a 5-9 result for Clue S
* Either Intuition 8+ (or a failed Intuition 8+ test if the first test fails), Communication 7+, Communication 7+ again, then Communication 5+; or, if either of the 2nd/3rd tests fail, a single Communication 9+ test for Clue K
* Intuition 8+ for Clue L
Best skill configuration AFAIK: boosting Communication and Artifice to +3 by downgrading all the other skills to -2 gives you a 64.7% success rate for the best ending (and a 85.7% success rate for the lesser endings)