Dreams of Darkness (Issue 14 adventure)

[The Editor (Alex B)]

Talk about our first "Lone Wolf" adventure here.

[downtrod]

If you are not conversant with the Lone Wolf rules or else don't have much time, just read from section one and where you are asked to pick a random number, make one up. I did this, and felt that the storyline was well written, engaging, humorous and leads to a very satisfying conclusion. Just make a start and you'll love it.

[champskees]

Errors with Dreams of Darkness:

Para 165 should link to Para 108, not 102. Otherwise you will have to kill the assassin twice.

Para 176 asks if you possess a Yew Bow and the Marksmanship Skill. It should also ask for the Barbed Arrow.

[champskees]

The first Lone Wolf adventure from Fighting Fantazine, and on the whole it’s pretty good. Each of the different skills you can select from the beginning are used frequently throughout, so it seems balanced throughout most of the adventure. The end sequence can be a bit harsh and I think the final enemy’s combat skill of 20 is a little too high. The strongest element of the adventure is perhaps its replayability. From the very first paragraph your choice will lead you on two very different paths, and the skills you select will change the outcome of many encounters. All in all, I liked it.

This solution recommends a base Combat Skill of 14+. The higher the better. It intends to provide the user with the best possible chance of making the random roll at the end and defeating the final enemy. Note that D10 refers to a roll of 0-9.

You start with:

- Sword (Weapon).
- Portable Cooking Gear (Backpack Item).
- 50-59 Lune.

Skills:

- Battle Tactics (+2 Combat Skill – Highly recommended).
- Marksmanship.

- Head southwards through the Forest of Prume.
- Roll D10.
- If 0-4:
        o Join her in committing their souls to Ishir.
        o Take Jade Frog (Special Item).
- If 5-9:
        o Fight Cs 12 En 14 Half-mad Bandit.
        o Take 27 Lune.
        o Take Bow (Weapon).
        o Take Arrow (Special Item).
- Restore 2 Endurance.
- You possess Battle Tactics.
- If you possess a Jade Frog:

        - You wish to show it to the monk.
        - Lose Jade Frog.
        - Take Silver Fork.
- Restore 6 Endurance.
- You do not possess the Dark Languages skill.
- You do not possess a Vellum Scroll.
- Take 8 Meals (fill backpack).
- You must eat here (-Meal or 3 Damage).
- You possess the Battle Tactics skill & wish to use it here.
- You possess the Marksmanship skill.
- Lose Bow or 1 Meal if you do not possess a bow.
- You possess the Battle Tactics skill.
- You possess the Marksmanship skill.
- Roll D10. If 0-3: Fight Cs 12 En 9 Wounded Cener Druid.
- Take Cener Scroll.
- Add note: Turn to Para 179 to read the scroll.
- Continue heading toward the Cursed Plain.
- Restore 2 Endurance.
- You must eat here (-Meal or 3 Damage).
- You must eat here (-Meal or 3 Damage).
- You do not possess the Dark Languages skill.
- Restore 2 Endurance.
- Travel to the west and give it a wide berth.
- You possess 2 Meals and wish to throw them to the Akataz to distract them (-2 Meals).
- 2 Damage.
- You do not possess the Way of the Wild skill.
- You must eat here (-Meal or 3 Damage).
- You must eat here (-Meal or 3 Damage).
- You do not possess an Ebony Ring.
- Roll D10 (+1 if you possess the Battle Tactics skill).
- If 0-4: 2 Damage.
- You do not possess a Yew Bow or a Barbed Arrow.
- Roll D10 (+1 if you possess the Battle Tactics skill).
- If 0: Death.
- If 1-5: 4 Damage.
- If 6-9: 2 Damage.
- Fight Cs 17 En 23 Dark Brotherhood Assassin.
- Take Laumspur (restores 4 Endurance when used, Backpack Item).
- Allow the Cener priest to touch you.
- Call out to the moon goddess Ishir.
- If you possess a Silver Fork: Restore 5 Endurance.
- Roll D10.
- If 0-1: Death.
- If 2-6: -1 Endurance per point to bring score to 7.
- Fight Cs 20 En 26 Undead Servitor.
- Your mission is a success.

[outspaced]

Glad you liked the adventure! Thanks for the positive feedback on it. I really wasn't sure whether the Lone Wolf style would appeal to hardened Fighting Fantasy fans, but I gave it my best shot anyway. Good to see that the replayability is high; I stressed over that quite a lot. In Lone Wolf, replayability is about being able to follow different routes to a successful completion; many times in Fighting Fantasy, replayability means dying a hundred times until you find the One True Path through the book. Even so, there needs to be a certain level of danger to make the adventure exciting enough that it isn't just a cake-walk.

About the link error: I think I originally planned for only those with Dark Languages to be able to gain the items, but that does indeed mean you'll fight an Assassin twice. It's been almost 18 months since I finished writing this, but I have a vague memory that the second Assassin combat was correct--it was supposed to be a different Assassin. However, I'm not sure I made this at all clear, and looking at it now, your fix actually makes more sense, so I agree that 165 should link to 108. As for the 176 issue, I can only claim mea culpa and highlight that at Project Aon we've had to fix a number of similar issues in the actual Lone Wolf books, so I'm in good company!

[champskees]

I can see why you would think I'm all about fighting fantasy, but I have been a long time LW fan as well. About 4-5 years ago I played all of the books on the project aon site, I just wish all authors were as generous with their works! The only thing I hated was that (from memory) the Sommerswerd (is that right?) gives you a +10 bonus which basically makes every adventure after acquiring it a cakewalk. Surely that cannot be right...now you've made me want to read them all over again!

[kieran]

Feb 17, 2015 6:49:37 GMT champskees said:

The only thing I hated was that (from memory) the Sommerswerd (is that right?) gives you a +10 bonus which basically makes every adventure after acquiring it a cakewalk.

+8 bonus but yeah, it made things a lot easier. Until Joe Dever decided to "balance" things by making vital combats near impossible to win regardless of whether you had the Sommerswerd or not (see Cauldron of Fear, Prisoners of Time, Deathlord of Ixia etc).

[a moderator]

Not to mention making some fights more difficult for Sommerswerd-wielding characters. From recent(ish) attempts at books 7 & 8 for my blog, I know that Lord Zahda and the Gnaag Helghast gain 8 and 10 Combat Skill respectively if you have the Sommerswerd, and I'm sure there are other examples.

[kieran]

True, but at least those fights are therefore challenging but doable whether you have the Sommerswerd or not. It's fights like the Chaos Master who is ridiculously tough without the Sommerswerd and even more ridiculously tough with it that make me want to kick Joe Dever up his stonewash jeaned backside.

[a moderator]

Edit: Never mind - misread the post to which I was replying.