Bones of the Banished (Issue 5 adventure)

[The Editor (Alex B)]

Chat about Brett's adventure here.

[The Editor (Alex B)]

A Hungarian translation was published in issue 7 of Kaland Játék Kockázat.

[champskees]

Corrections to the magazine adventure Bones of the Banished:

Para 115 should link to Para 272 instead of Para 271.
Para 64 should not link to Para 177 for a failed skill roll.

Other possible errors:

I believe that these are also errors in the adventure, but it is possible that I have perhaps missed something. Note that I have checked the entire adventure by reading the paragraphs sequentially and also mapped the entire adventure.

Para 185 appears to not be linked to previous paragraphs (closest are 206 and 155). This makes it impossible to obtain the Neanderthal's Spear.

Para 179 appears to not be linked to previous paragraphs (closest are 246 and 36). This makes it impossible to obtain the Oldbone Necklace.

Para 54 asks if you possess a javelin. There does not appear to be a javelin in the entire adventure.

If anyone can shed light on the above three issues it would be much appreciated.

fightingfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Bones_of_the_Banished

Good to see I wasn't just going bananas. 

[champskees]

As per the above, there are a lot of issues with this adventure. It is actually fine up until you leave your village the second time round. After that, it gets very messy due to the number of errors. The idea of recruiting additional party members was great, but was not executed well at the end. The idea of riding a dinosaur was great, but was not executed well at the end. The idea of items was great, but – you get the idea.

This solution is based on the magazine adventure as it stands. Skill 9+ is recommended for this adventure due to the Skill Tests at the end.

Start with:

- Dagger.
- Rucksack (10 Item Capacity).
- 5 Meals (1 Item Slot each).

- Take Rope (1 Item Slot).
- Speak to Paru, your childhood friend.
- Take Paru up on his offer.
- Add codeword: Urap.
- Add note: each round, Test Skill 7. Success = 2 Damage to enemy.
- Speak to Wanushu.
- Take Torch (1 Item Slot).
- Set off on your journey.
- Head east.
- Seek instruction from a higher power.
- Seek advice from the gods without leaving an offering.
- Take Aardwolf Skin (1 Item Slot).
- Add note: +2 Attack Strength next combat.
- Scale the hill and investigate.
- Roll D6.
        o If 1: Fight Sk 6 St 7 Lion. Do not skin it.
        o If 2-3: Nothing happens.
        o If 4-5: Fight Sk 7 St 5 Struthiomimus. Take Struthiomimus Skull (1 Item Slot).
        o If 6: Fight Sk 7 St 9 Pterodactyl. Take Pterodactyl Wing (1 Item Slot).
- Investigate.
- Trade Aardvark Skin (-1 Item).
- Take Silver Headband.
- If either Skull or Wing:
        o Trade Struthiomimus Skull or Pterodactyl Wing (-1 Item).
        o Take Lucky Charm (automatically lucky when Test Luck, one use, 1 Item Slot).
- You have received the silver headband.
- Add note: It does not count as a rucksack item.
- Add note: Para 271 has the code for understanding any language.
- Risk sleeping out in the open.
- Eat here (-1 Meal, -1 Item).
- Creep past them towards the cliffs.
- Venture a bit further and risk being spotted.
- Investigate further.
- Test Luck. Fail = 4 Damage & Keep looking for the village entrance.
- Go left.
- Lift up one of the lids.
- Look in the hole to the left.
- You have a rope, descend into the hole.
- Take a closer look first.
- Give Udeme one of your meals (-1 Meal, -1 Item).
- Take Endurance Charm (automatically successful when Test Stamina, one use, 1 Item Slot. +1 Luck).

- Note the above is not necessary, but it is worth knowing that this item is here.
- Strike out north-east along the spine of the ridge.
- Rush to lend Sefu your aid.
- Test Skill. Fail = D6+1 Damage.
- Fight Sk 8 Ankylosaurus for seven rounds.
        o +2 Attack Strength for duration of combat.
        o If hit by enemy: Roll D6. 1-3 = 6 Damage to you. 4-6 = 6 Damage to Sefu.
        o Sefu has 15 Stamina.
- If Sefu survived: Add codeword: Ufes (+1 Luck).
- Explore the cave.
- Add note: Paru will not help you whilst in the cave.
- Do not light a torch (-4 Skill whilst in cave).
- Head right.
- Spend some time exploring the cave (1 Damage).
- Continue digging and recover the mysterious item.
- You are not carrying a lit torch (1 Damage).
- Take Talisman of Agility (automatically successful when Test Skill, one use, 1 Item Slot).
- Add note: -1 Skill until you leave the mountain.
- Light a torch now (-1 Item, remove -4 Skill penalty).
- Try and sneak past it.
- Test Skill.
- If fail:
        o Try and flee from the maddened beast (3 Damage).
        o Test Skill. Use Talisman of Agility here (-1 Item).
- Take the longer route through wild territory.
- Investigate the ruins.
- Use silver headband to translate.
- Message: Behold Thrandeus the Mighty, forty-second emperor of glorious Celenasia. All shall obey his divine will!
- Find a way around it by heading right.
- You have the codeword Urap.
- Do as he wishes.
- Test Skill. Success = 2 Damage. Fail = 4 Damage.
- Trophy score = 0 (auto fail).
- Result is greater than the total of your trophies.
- Restore 4 Stamina.
- Take 1 Torch (1 Item Slot).
- Take 5 Meals (1 Item Slot each).
- Throw away Rope (-1 Item).
- Add note: Kuwi is with you (+2 Attack Strength).
- You have the codeword Urap.
- Add note: Paru is with you (+2 Attack Strength).
- Take the time to skirt around it.
- Fight Sk 8 Pterodactyls for D6 rounds.
- Add 1 Delay.
- Descend the path to the right.
- I assume you have the codeword Ufes (+1 Luck).
- Add note: Sefu is with you (+2 Attack Strength).
- Test Skill. Fail = 3 Damage.
- Roll D6. If 1-3: Kuwi no longer provides her attack strength bonus.
- Examine the dark opening.
- Don’t light a torch (-4 Skill until you return to daylight).
- Message: Behold the Kings of Celenasia (Left 1-26, Right 27-52).
- Head right.
- You are looking for Thrandeus the Mighty. Turn to Para 42.
- Investigate the doorways at the back of the chamber.
- Open the door on the right.
- Try to reason with the long dead sorcerer.
- Add 1 Delay.
- Continue to listen to the wizard’s ramblings.
- Take Halcyon Crystal (+2 Luck).
- Restore 1 Skill & 6 Stamina.
- Add 1 Delay.
- Leave the chamber and explore the empty doorways at the end of the passage.
- You possess the Halcyon Crystal.
- Add note: Subtract ten from current para when you want to use crystal against an enemy.
- Test Luck. Use Lucky Charm here. It is assumed you make this roll.
- Use crystal. 115-10=105. Turn to Para 105.
- Add note: Wanushu is with you (+2 Attack Strength).
- Add codeword: Uhsunaw.
- Take the longer route through the forest.
- Add 2 Delay.
- Fight Sk 12 St 14 Styracosaurus.
        o If hit by enemy, Roll D6. 5-6 = 3 Damage.
- Your Delays score is 5.
- Fight Sk 7 St 8 Neanderthal & Sk 8 St 8 Neanderthal together.
- Use crystal against Ogmil. 266-10=256. Turn to Para 256.
- Add codeword: Nellaf.
- You have the codeword Nellaf.
- Fight Sk 13 St 25 Tyrannosaurus Rex.
        o If hit by enemy, Roll D6. If 1-5: You are hit. If 6: Remove one companion.
        o Enemy deals 4 Damage per hit.
        o If combat is longer than 6 rounds: Death.
        o If you hit enemy twice in a row:
             - Strike a blow at the slaver gem.
             - You do not possess a javelin.
             - Test Skill three times. Fail any = 6 Damage & continue combat.
- Note the above combat is easier than it looks. By this point you will have a +6 or +8 modifier to your attack strength, so it should be easy to hit the enemy twice consecutively. The tricky part is making all three skill rolls – use your Talisman of Agility if you still possess it.
- You are declared next warrior-chieftain of the tribe.

[The Editor (Alex B)]

Certainly appreciating these play-throughs, Jake! We'll just have to work harder at our end to ensure there are less of them in future.

(I shudder to think what you'll make of my 2nd adventure from issue #8...)

[a moderator]

Jan 10, 2015 12:34:13 GMT champskees said:

Corrections to the magazine adventure Bones of the Banished:

Para 115 should link to Para 272 instead of Para 271.
Para 64 should not link to Para 177 for a failed skill roll.

Other possible errors:

I believe that these are also errors in the adventure, but it is possible that I have perhaps missed something. Note that I have checked the entire adventure by reading the paragraphs sequentially and also mapped the entire adventure.

Para 185 appears to not be linked to previous paragraphs (closest are 206 and 155). This makes it impossible to obtain the Neanderthal's Spear.

Para 179 appears to not be linked to previous paragraphs (closest are 246 and 36). This makes it impossible to obtain the Oldbone Necklace.

Para 54 asks if you possess a javelin. There does not appear to be a javelin in the entire adventure.

If anyone can shed light on the above three issues it would be much appreciated.

fightingfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Bones_of_the_Banished

Good to see I wasn't just going bananas. 

One you missed:

The 'look in the hole on the left' option on para 180 should lead to para 26, not para 180.

Playthrough and associated grumbling here.

[Peter]

After several attempts, I got close enough that I feel that I know the way through.  The errors made it frustrating.

I like the way creatures and other things are described from the character's point of view.  For example, a triceratops is called a threehorn, and a pterodactyl is a wingfinger.  There were several pathways to explore, and it seems that there are items that are advantageous rather than essential.

Having companions added variety, and the mechanic didn't require arduous bookkeeping or dice-rolling.

Hard enough that it was interesting, but not hard enough to be demoralising.  And the illustrations are top-notch.