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Post by The Editor (Alex B) on Sept 12, 2016 20:49:42 GMT
Yes, Andy has mentioned BtP2 as the reason why he hasn't finished his AFF tale "Hunt for the Black Whale" for the magazine.
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Post by philsadler on Sept 13, 2016 5:39:51 GMT
Yes, Andy has mentioned BtP2 as the reason why he hasn't finished his AFF tale "Hunt for the Black Whale" for the magazine. I know it won't be easy for him to write but I'm so looking forward to it. As for his last one, I 'borrowed' both the Necrotic Jelly and the Spectre for House of Pain.
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Post by philsadler on Sept 15, 2016 5:57:52 GMT
Meanwhile , here is the pdf of the new version, that is available for download on this thread : link 499 paragraphs? Are you serious? No. No way. That does not result to me.I'm gonna break Internet protocol and reply to the same message twice. I still don't understand the above post. I mean does he not read Sorcery 4 because it's 800 refs? Does he not read Creature of Havoc because it's 460? Or Howl of the Werewolf because it's 515, Starship Traveler because it's 343 or, biggest shock of all, Eye of the Dragon by his beloved Ian Livingstone because it's 407? It's just, to my mind, a ridiculous and arbitrary way of casually ignoring an amateur work merely because it's not 'professional'. Well I've read most of the 'professional' books, including Chasms of Malice, Space Assassin. Starship Traveler, Rings of Kether, Rebel Planet, Star Strider, Blood of the Zombies and of course the infamous Skylord. Having done that I can tell you right now that 90% of all 'amateur' works are better than any of those 'professional' ones. Regardless of the amount of references they have.
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Post by philsadler on Sept 15, 2016 6:04:57 GMT
Why? A few FF books had more than that. It's strange to dismiss it simply because of its paragraph count. You might like it! PS Or you might hate it. Not 499. No way. 500! In some aspects, i have a close mind.Well so do I in some respects. In this respect I feel that every single FF book apart from Starship Traveler and Howl of the Werewolf had 400-something references. Well, all three of my books are also 400-something too: Hellfire: 499 Riders of the Storm: 400 House of Pain: 499 It's interesting that Hellfire used to be 560 references long back in 1999 when I thought I still had a chance of having it published. Aware that it was not 400-something, I got rid of all of the dead wood and tidied it up, even having to get rid of a few nice sections, just to get it down to an acceptable 499 or 400-something if you will.
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Post by lordomnibok on Sept 15, 2016 22:11:14 GMT
Writing just one decent gamebook takes a commendable effort and a lot of resolve. It is clear from your book’s intro that a lot of love has gone into it; the beginning flows nicely on from its predecessor, with a compelling start which is nicely written. I see that a few people on here have written gamebooks, and I genuinely respect anyone who takes on a challenge of this scope; it shows a great love for a great genre.
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Post by greyarea13 on Sept 16, 2016 1:50:16 GMT
Yes, Andy has mentioned BtP2 as the reason why he hasn't finished his AFF tale "Hunt for the Black Whale" for the magazine. I know it won't be easy for him to write but I'm so looking forward to it. As for his last one, I 'borrowed' both the Necrotic Jelly and the Spectre for House of Pain. Glad to hear you found Beyond The Pit inspiring! One of the reasons I wrote it was for the monsters to be used in gamebooks as well as AFF. BTP2 (no real title yet) is currently creeping along (easier than its predecessor at the moment, which is good), and I promise HFTBW part 2 will be finished soon/one of these days! :-)
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Post by philsadler on Sept 16, 2016 8:33:28 GMT
Writing just one decent gamebook takes a commendable effort and a lot of resolve. It is clear from your book’s intro that a lot of love has gone into it; the beginning flows nicely on from its predecessor, with a compelling start which is nicely written. I see that a few people on here have written gamebooks, and I genuinely respect anyone who takes on a challenge of this scope; it shows a great love for a great genre. Thanks for that. It's funny that you should mention the intro because that was actually written over a decade ago for another group project known as 'The Cure'. That was also a sequel to House of Hell but I didn't like the way it was going (It had no Fear points and wasn't set in a House) so left it.
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Post by philsadler on Aug 7, 2018 21:27:55 GMT
Yet another mistake from me: reference 25 I have swapped with 414 with 437. Now the text will punish or reward the reader correctly. First post updated.
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Post by philsadler on Oct 25, 2018 18:10:21 GMT
Mini play-through from Rob Hatton:
If anybody is a fan of the more horrific side of the gamebook world, may I heartily recommend that you download a copy of this adventure. It is called HOUSE OF PAIN, by Phil Sadler, and is intended as a sequel to the Steve Jackson classic House of Hell. (I have included the direct link to download it below) The book appears to place YOU back into the role of the protagonist of HoH, and you have just escaped from an asylum. Yes, it seems that the trials and the horrors experienced in the house of Drumer have taken a grave toll upon your mind, which has become broken and paranoid. Despite, or perhaps because of this, the first place to which you head upon your escape is the very site of your torment. It seems that you need to see the place in ruins to know that the danger is passed, and that indeed it did really happen, and wasn’t just a figment of your broken mind. However when you arrive expecting to see a burnt out shell, you find a newly built house sitting upon a large estate of land, surrounded by high security rails. Sneaking in at an opportune moment through the gates, you follow a group of hooded figures who have just arrived, but once you set foot on the grounds you begin to experience the horrors once more. You cannot escape through the locked gates and electrified fence, and to make matters worse you are confronted with no less than a trio of Messengers of Death, who will be playing their deadly game of hide and seek as you attempt to escape the place. You resolve yourself to somehow find a way out of this situation by exploring the grounds and the house itself, looking for the answers to explain why you have found yourself back here once more..... SK 10 ST 18 LK 10 FEAR 21 PREDICTION/GOALS This is a big adventure, around the 500 mark I think, and as well as the original fear score (2d+12 instead of 1d+6) there are also 3 phobias which must be chosen from the list provided. These will obviously have an impact upon the adventure at some point, no doubt prohibiting certain actions in a relevant situation. There are also 4 items which you carry that can be attempted to use during the adventure, which involve the Jackson style of adding/subtraction/dividing etc the particular paragraph you are on, but you are never prompted to use them. Instead you must use trial and error at any given situation that you feel could be relevant, which is a nice subtle addition to the adventure. So time to get cracking on my first attempt....... The play-through will be found in the comments below, together with the results of subsequent attempts....
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Post by philsadler on Oct 25, 2018 18:10:38 GMT
Rob Hatton PLAY-THROUGH.... PART ONE.....
So.....standing in the grounds of this new house I am faced with a choice of locations to explore, in a very similar vein to the classic Keith Martin hub, where you explore somewhere and return to the central point and then search another location.
The first place I elect to visit is the small groundskeeper's house a little way up the path to the north, and upon approaching I get the distinct feeling of being watched from many unknown locations, but nevertheless I enter the house unchallenged and unmolested.
Inside I discover an empty shell of a downstairs area, with literally no furniture or fittings bar one black cupboard, which I decide to search. Upon opening the cupboard door, I discover a multitude of animal bones piled high within, but I only make a cursory search through them before deciding against entering the space for further exploration.
Instead I decide to search the upstairs, finding a similar situation of dereliction here, with even the glass missing from the windows. As a consequence, the floor is piled with dead leaves, which I tentatively poke around with my foot until I uncover a torch, still in good working order. But when I pick the object up, a small pool of blood is revealed underneath, which to my horror begins to form into the shape of the letter D.
In a state of shock that the Messengers have already scored their first point in this game of death, I flee the empty house and run towards a small garden area, walled off and enclosed.
The little door opens after some shoving and I duck through the archway into the garden, taking in the various features to investigate, which consist of a greenhouse, a refuse pile, a bonfire, a fountain and a small waterfall feature.
Thus finding myself in another mini-hub, I elect to investigate the greenhouse and open its door to reveal a scene of total horror, confronted by a wall of heat, putrid stench and screams.
Steeling myself against this assault upon my senses, I resolve to enter the structure and discover two rows of human faces set into the soil, realisation dawning fast upon me that these poor souls have been buried alive. What is more, there appears to be plants growing through and out of them, leaving them in a state which is beyond rescue.
Curiously, the text gives me no option of attempting to rescue them or even putting them out of their misery, instead I numbly search the greenhouse for useful items. (This I will put down to the unbalanced mental state of your character, and perhaps this is all in his head? Who knows....)
At one end of the gruesome bed of misery, I discover a mirror which has been stuck into the earth in such a way that upon a certain angle of the sunlight, the concentrated beam reflects onto the face of the nearest unfortunate soul. Part of her face is already burned and blistered, and so by removing the mirror I grant this small mercy, but again I fall short of actually taking any further action to end the suffering of these people.
Leaving the greenhouse and it’s screaming stench, I walk over to the waterfall to investigate this, and once more am met with the pathetic sounds of human suffering. Tethered under the cascading fall are a trio of what once must have been human beings, except they are mutilated beyond all recognition, even of their gender.
At this point a splash of the “water” lands on my arm, causing it to sting and then burn, which is when I realise that this liquid is actually acid. These poor wretches are being slowly melted alive...... if anyone was in any doubt that this adventure is for adults only, I think this now settles the matter. Mr Sadler, this is some f***ed up s**t.....
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Post by philsadler on Oct 25, 2018 18:10:50 GMT
Rob Hatton PLAY-THROUGH.... PART TWO....
I decide that I have seen enough of this garden of delights, and so make my way back to the main hub, satisfied with my singular find in the greenhouse.
Next I decide to take a walk through some woods on route to a nearby lake, but soon get the feeling of being watched again, with the trees close and suffocating.
I eventually find myself standing by the lake, looking across the dark and eerily still waters, with the distinct feeling that they have not been disturbed in a long time. In the exact centre of the lake is a small island, with what looks to be a gravestone standing solitary upon the grass, which piques my interest sufficiently enough to begin searching for a boat. (The prospect of swimming across is not appealing in the slightest)
It’s not long before I discover a small boat, complete with a pair of oars, moored upon the bank. Suddenly the sound of running feet forces me to spin around and confront a robed and hooded figure, rushing at me with a blistering speed, and which I only just manage to dodge aside. The figure rounds upon me for another charge, reaching for my throat with horribly rotted and taloned hands, which I am barely able to hold at bay.
The undead thing before me is a Wight, a creature who’s touch chills to the bone, and I am forced to fight it with my bare hands no less (I still don’t possess a weapon). However I do eventually triumph over the creature, and kick it’s body into the black and foreboding waters, instantly regretting the disturbance it causes to the surface.
I summon up the courage to climb into the little craft, the sense of dread and foreboding growing ever stronger about the nature of the lake, particularly it’s unknown depth..... and possible inhabitants....
However, after a few moments of tentative rowing I begin to build some confidence, and am soon making impressive headway across the lake. It seems like no time at all before I make landfall upon the shore of the little island, and drag the boat up onto the bank to make sure I have a safe method of return to the mainland.
Making straight for the grave, I am surprised when I behold the incomprehensible scrawl which covers the whole headstone, which appears to be in no language known to man. However, I am given the option of spending a point of luck in my attempt to decipher the strange script, which I eagerly do.
Happily, after spending some considerable time studying it, I begin to make sense of the writing. It basically tells the story (in the first person) of the man buried here, and how he fell in love with a Mirror Demon, who tried to take him through her portal into another dimension. He survived this encounter (though perhaps his sanity did not) and took from the demon a gold ring, which he promptly buried himself alive with! (Presumably after scrawling his own epitaph on his gravestone)
Its at this point that I spot the very same ring (Presumably) half buried in the surface soil, which I decide to take with me, and stand up to return to the boat. It’s then that I finally spot the ragged corpse of an old hag which was propped against the other side of the stone, though it’s a wonder I didn’t smell it, and I walk around to better see the thing. Around it’s neck is a strange green key on a chain, which I pluck up the courage to take and examine, and I see the word “Angelicas” inscribed on it.
Whilst I ponder the significance of this, I see a movement in my periphery and to my horror I regard the corpse turn it’s ghastly head to look directly at me, before uttering a soul-rending scream. The creature before me is a Banshee, an undead nightmare which has come to herald my doom, but I don’t intent to stick around.
Dodging the creature’s initial lunge I run full pelt for the boat, but unfortunately not quickly enough, and I feel her filthy claws rake my back. I don’t stop for a moment however, and I dive into the boat, using my momentum to propel the craft into the water.
The Banshee halts at the water’s edge and lets forth another terrible howl, but I ignore this whilst concentrating on rowing away from the island at top speed. I pause for breath when I am half way to the shore, counting myself lucky to have escaped that situation with my life, but little do I realise that the danger is far from over.
All around my boat the water suddenly begins to boil and surge, and from beneath it’s surface emerges a vision from a nightmare, an huge alien head with spider-like eyes and a mass of writhing tentacles.
Whether this is an octopus, a kraken or something akin to a Lovecraftian horror, it’s intent is the same regardless..... my demise.
The tentacles curl around my pathetic little tub, ready to break it to pieces at a moments notice, leaving me with few prospects of escape. But from somewhere within my terrified mind I formulate a plan of action, and reaching into my coat I pull out the flash light I found earlier, directing it’s beam directly into those predatory eyes.
The effect is instant, though only temporary, as the creature flinches away from the artificial light and consequently releases the boat.
With this one chance to escape I row for my life, but the recent exertions have taken a toll on my stamina, and the tentacles once more wrap themselves around the boat.
This time there is no escape as the boat, with me trapped inside it, is pulled beneath the surface of the cold, black water.........
THIS ADVENTURE ENDS HERE.....
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Post by philsadler on Jan 12, 2019 8:48:47 GMT
Just had this nice review by Condutas over on www.ffproject.com/gcomf5t2s0.htmThere are SPOILER warnings but you can ignore them because any spoiler information has already been deleted. "OK let me see here... Sorry for the time waiting for this, only now I had time to actually put all my thoughts into a nice text (real life and being a IT person takes a lot of my time) First, I didn't really saw any bugs at all. It took me over 30 tries (don't recall the number but between 30 and 40 tries) Since there isn't any online version, I could see my opinions in each step, which can be considered as "meta gaming". Much like my review to your "Riders of the storm" I will start with the [deleted] (the most equivalent thing to the "Trinitour" calls on your other book.) The SPOILER instant deaths if you haven't done exactly this in the past, like for example the way you have to [deleted] after been [deleted] END SPOILER are in my opinion a good touch to the game. Of course, I have to put on here the SPOILER 3 secret [deleted] END SPOILER For exactly the same reason. Either you can enter their, lets say, "rooms/intersection zones" with the right items or you are dead, much like the elementals in "Riders of the storm". The adventure only gets better with those kind of "checkpoints" where you either stop and die or you keep going. That's a very good thing. The amount of items needed to win the game is on the line of your "Hellfire" adventure. Personally, I consider it a little too much. SPOILER there is a lot of items that may not be 100% needed but they are very helpful to have, like the [deleted] END SPOILER Now, about the fourth wall breaking SPOILER from what I understand, we are supposed to use past knowledge in our adventure. END SPOILER The game even acknowledge that there are other "me(s)" that have tried this i the past SPOILER I remember the [deleted] saying I have ancestral memory, the room with the [deleted], the NPC telling I have a chance this time END SPOILER More of this: SPOILER I didn't understand the references of the presence, of the [deleted] that go out of [deleted],way to help you... END SPOILER It makes me more confused than anything. Do the good npcs know they are a pawn in a SPOILER good vs evil kind of game? END SPOILER Is the SPOILER the Presence END SPOILER just like you, [deleted], a neutral entity? The last part about this "breaking the fourth wall" (and this one part I hated a lot) is SPOILER the [deleted]. no matter how I try to see and observe the entire map, I don't think ONE LIFE char can [deleted], without breaking the fourth wall and assuming multiple runs END SPOILER SPOILER knowing all the [deleted], in the house looks possible with one life, if my maps aren't failing me, same for the [deleted], but NOT the [deleted] END SPOILER WhatI mean is, its possible to do the entire run, get to the SPOILER [deleted] and not knowing the [deleted] END SPOILER doesn't seem plausible. The fights, now: Fair, fair fair. Definitely good, funny, the fact that we keep getting better weapons and harder opponents is lovely. Of course, SPOILER the [deleted] END SPOILER Makes for my favourite enemy in the entire book, how we can either kill her easily, "adjust and improve" to kill her or just downgrade failing hard on her. Kudos for that. Also love the SPOILER 3 vs 3 END SPOILER Arena kind of thing, near the end. The last boss is easy, as long as SPOILER you actually have [deleted] (the first time I get to him I already had [deleted]) END SPOILER is ok. All in all... Its the best horror adventure on this site, I consider one of the best adventures on this site. In terms of difficulty, I would say your riders of the storm is much to my liking.. Combat wise, house of pain is the best book from you. In terms of fun, I am very pleased, but I am biased to horror books, so there is that... Very nicely written, with a powerful atmosphere. And, for my final comment, nice use of the phobias system. Impressive!" Well I'd like to thank Condutas for this review and I hope it encourages a few of you to try the book:
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Post by philsadler on Jan 12, 2019 9:08:20 GMT
Here are my replies to his comments, Spoilers have been deleted again: Thanks for your review!
'The amount of items needed to win the game is on the line of your "Hellfire" adventure. Personally, I consider it a little too much.'
I honestly thought that there were less essential items in this book, although quite a few were useful.
'Now, about the fourth wall breaking
SPOILER from what I understand, we are supposed to use past knowledge in our adventure.'
I'm not sure I'd call that 'fourth wall breaking' because that was mean I was speaking to the reader and not the character. It was just me trying to explain why sometimes people would recognise you, and why you would sometimes remember things even though 'you' had never been there. It's just my way of making gamebooks a bit more realistic.
As for the presence. I don't know really, t's just an entity to add spice to the story. As for the good people you come across, well all FF books had good people, but I think that most/some of the good people in this book realise that there's no way out for them, apart from you.
'The last par about this "breaking the fourth wall" (and this one part I hated a lot) is
SPOILER the questioner. no matter how I try to see and observe the entire map, I dont think ONE LIFE char can know the answers without breaking the fourth wall and assuming multiple runs'
This is exactly why I used the 'ancestral memory thing, so as to be more realistic as to why one character could 'remember' things that hadn't actually happened to him personally. In addition I'm sorry that you hated that segment but I got the idea from the awful Crypt of the Sorcerer and I wanted to take what was a good idea and had awful execution and turn it into a good idea with good execution.
'Makes for my favorite enemy on the entire book, how we can either kill her easily, "adjust and improve" to kill her or just downgrade failing hard on her. Kudos for that.'
Well there was one of 'that' type of enemy in House of Hell! As usual, I wanted to take the idea and make it much better. You may be interested to hear that I originally intended to put one of 'those' types of enemies in Riders of the Storm but left it out in the end: do you remember the graveyard and the line 'laughter rings out suggesting you are not yet finished here?' Well that was going to be the first hint of one of 'them'.
'Also love the
SPOILER 3 vs 3 END SPOILER
Arena kind of thing, near the end.'
Yeah, that took me ages to figure out. it was inspired by Sword of the Samurai's 'fight pit' section.
Thanks so much for your comments!
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Post by philsadler on Aug 15, 2022 18:58:09 GMT
Just found this old deleted reference which I don't think I've ever posted before:
Just as you are stepping over to the window a figure you hadn't noticed before walks out from the shadows nearby. From the neck down she looks like a young well-dressed woman, at least as far as you can tell in this gloom. From above the neck she is an atrocity. Her entire face has been cut off, right down to the muscle and bone. Yet, as far as you can tell she still smiles at you, sending trickles of blood pouring down her chin onto her dress. Taking a step back so as to not be too close to this thing, she speaks to you.
'Before all this,' she points at her ruined face, 'I used to be quite beautiful, but then I glimpsed what lies waiting beyond it and realised my own imperfections.' She brings out a concealed dagger, 'So I did this to myself.' The dagger is still dripping blood.
With tears in your eyes you ask her what could make her do such a thing to herself.
She smiles again as more blood drips from her face and falls onto her shoes. Indeed, for the first time you realise just how bloody she is. "The Gate," she says simply. Then she raises the dagger and slashes at her neck before you can stop her. Her body slumps to the ground at peace at last.
What lies waiting beyond? She's actually looked through the Gate itself?
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Post by philsadler on Oct 30, 2022 13:58:09 GMT
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