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Post by champskees on Oct 4, 2013 12:59:20 GMT
As someone who deconstructs the books for fun I think this book is very well designed. There are many ways to get to the end, some tough fights, but the book can be completed with minimum stat rolls almost 100% of the time once the true path is found. I really think Steve Jackson did a good job here, one of the better books in the series (considering this was no.2, really impressive).
I recommend the following spells:
- 2 Levitates
- ESP
- 2 Weakness
- Luck
- Stamina
If you have Luck 7: Take another Luck spell.
Otherwise: Take another Stamina spell.
- Pose as an herbalist.
- Kylltrog.
- Tiptoe through the shadows towards one of the groups.
- Approach the group around the fire.
- Sit down with them around the fire.
- Learn the password ‘Scimitar’.
- Get more info on the liquid vial.
- Draw your sword and fight.
- Fight Sk 5 St 6 Dwarf.
- Fight Sk 6 St 4 Goblin. Use Luck if 7+.
- Fight Sk 5 St 7 Orc. Use Luck.
- Take Copper Key, Jar of Creamy Ointment & Potion of Magik (2 free spells).
- Carry on towards the citadel.
- Ignore her and continue.
- Make your anger obvious to her.
- Knock three times on the door.
- You know the password.
- Say ‘Scimitar’.
- Go forwards to the door.
- Ring as instructed.
- Believe him & take the left fork.
- Risk tiptoeing in.
- Prepare to use a spell.
- Cast a weakness spell on him.
- Fight Sk 5 St 5 Gark.
- Take 6 Gold Pieces & Hairbrush.
- Go right.
- Enter room as instructed.
- Read ‘secrets of the black tower’
- Add Note: ‘217’ for the lock.
- Leave the room through the door at the far end.
- If stamina is 8+:
- Investigate the paintings.
- 1 Damage & restore 1 Luck.
- Take the right stairs.
- Try the left hand door.
- Use a copper key.
- Tell her you have a special gift for her.
- Offer her your hairbrush.
- Test luck. Fail = try again until you get it (cast your luck spells if you have to).
- Take Golden Fleece.
- Take the left hand door.
- Ignore the box and go around the trench.
- Feel in your backpack for an artefact (-1 Skill, -2 Stamina, -1 Luck).
- Pull out a jar of ointment.
- Use something from your backpack.
- Pull out the Golden Fleece.
- Use lock combination (‘217’). Turn to Para 217.
- Try quickly to side-step the weapon.
- Test Luck. Succeed = 2 Damage. Fail = 5 Damage.
- Cast a weakness spell.
- Cast an ESP spell.
- Cast a levitate spell.
- Fly over to the window.
- Pull one of the drapes down and throw it over his head!
- Cast a levitate spell to exit the citadel.
- Balthus Dire is dead. The Vale of Willow is safe from attack – for the time being at least. Your mission is a success!
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Post by Cadneus on Feb 12, 2016 16:12:16 GMT
There's a cool map of the Black Tower online for anyone who wants to use it to play the book -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fighting_fantasy_citadel_of_chaos_map.jpg
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Post by celestialconquerer62 on Apr 7, 2016 20:14:02 GMT
There's a cool map of the Black Tower online for anyone who wants to use it to play the book - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fighting_fantasy_citadel_of_chaos_map.jpg I still never get why such a muscle bound hunky force of brute strength, swordskill and dark magic can be defeated by the sodding sun shining through his window. I mean it doesn't even kill undead most of the time unless they're turning it off. Dire is not a vampire to my knowledge. |
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Post by Akharis on Dec 8, 2018 13:58:05 GMT
Ah, this brings back some memories. This was the first game book I ever read; I've always had a soft spot for it! The encounter with the washer woman and her family was good!
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Post by marblefigure on Apr 22, 2019 17:54:20 GMT
Ah yes... that poor washer woman. This was one of the few gamebooks to specify that the player character is male - the washer woman calls him "young man." Otherwise, there is Battleblade Warrior, Creature of Havoc (the creature and Marr are said to have a father-son dynamic), Legend of Zagor... any others?
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Post by philsadler on Apr 22, 2019 19:01:42 GMT
Midnight Rogue: that's you on the cover. Dead of Night.
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Post by greenspine on Apr 22, 2019 19:30:51 GMT
In section 360 of The Rings of Kether Zera Gross refers to you as 'him'.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,290
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Apr 22, 2019 21:11:42 GMT
The hero of Black Vein Prophecy is definitely male
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Post by daredevil123 on Apr 22, 2019 21:35:00 GMT
You can be referred to as "he" in Scorpion Swamp and The Crimson Tide. I think the same is true in US Steve Jackson's other books if I remember correctly.
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Apr 22, 2019 22:14:55 GMT
You can be referred to as "he" in Scorpion Swamp and The Crimson Tide. I think the same is true in US Steve Jackson's other books if I remember correctly. Captain Bloodaxe's crew certainly seem pretty unambiguous in the intro to DotD. "'Keelhaul him! Run him up the mainmast and use him for a flag! Troll for sharks with him as bait!'" |
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Post by daredevil123 on Apr 23, 2019 15:59:34 GMT
You can be referred to as "he" in Scorpion Swamp and The Crimson Tide. I think the same is true in US Steve Jackson's other books if I remember correctly. Captain Bloodaxe's crew certainly seem pretty unambiguous in the intro to DotD. "'Keelhaul him! Run him up the mainmast and use him for a flag! Troll for sharks with him as bait!'" Yeah, that must've been what I was thinking of. I'm pretty sure there's something in Robot Commando as well though. |
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Post by vastariner on Apr 25, 2019 20:32:06 GMT
The hero of Black Vein Prophecy is definitely male And named. |
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jun 1, 2019 15:49:20 GMT
How the heck can you lose 1 in a 1000 attempts with 12/24/7? You must be playing with those loaded dice you need to win Crypt and Spellbreaker?
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Post by daredevil123 on Jun 1, 2019 16:04:03 GMT
How the heck can you lose 1 in a 1000 attempts with 12/24/7? You must be playing with those loaded dice you need to win Crypt and Spellbreaker? There's a very slim chance you could fail the Luck tests to get the Golden Fleece. |
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jun 1, 2019 21:50:53 GMT
How the heck can you lose 1 in a 1000 attempts with 12/24/7? You must be playing with those loaded dice you need to win Crypt and Spellbreaker? There's a very slim chance you could fail the Luck tests to get the Golden Fleece. I would take an extra luck spell instead of a stamina spell for sure so you would have to be stupendously unlucky so, possibly, even 1 in a 1000 would be rendered improbable. |
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Post by champskees on Jun 2, 2019 6:57:29 GMT
I might review the code for this one, as you can get two more luck spells from the potion of magik. I think the calculations are based on just one luck spell for the golden fleece.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jun 2, 2019 13:08:03 GMT
I might review the code for this one, as you can get two more luck spells from the potion of magik. I think the calculations are based on just one luck spell for the golden fleece. This is what I was driving at plus the Stamina Spell is superfluous so you have one extra Luck spell. That is autistic fanaticism for you. Whether that is a good thing is very debatable. |
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Post by Akharis on Jun 15, 2019 13:38:47 GMT
You'd thought that Balthus Dire would've had the sense to removed the magical lock combination from the Black Tower's public library, wouldn't you! I guess, he wasn't ruthless enough to be the conqueror of the Vale of the Willow after all!
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jun 15, 2019 21:13:56 GMT
You'd thought that Balthus Dire would've had the sense to removed the magical lock combination from the Black Tower's public library, wouldn't you! I guess, he wasn't ruthless enough to be the conqueror of the Vale of the Willow after all! People who are arrogant enough to say "Impudent peasant" are apt to overlook minor details. See Aristotle on the "great souled man" who has a lofty disdain on all that is trivial and ineffectual such as libraries. |
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,290
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Jun 16, 2019 12:01:53 GMT
You'd thought that Balthus Dire would've had the sense to removed the magical lock combination from the Black Tower's public library, wouldn't you! I guess, he wasn't ruthless enough to be the conqueror of the Vale of the Willow after all! It had another book which details his secret weakness. |
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Post by schlendrian on Jun 16, 2019 16:06:35 GMT
I've heard Balthus Dire is a great believer in the value of Freedom of Information. Turns out he went a bit overboard with it.
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Post by Akharis on Jun 20, 2019 15:36:16 GMT
Here's my solution, with reference numbers:
1
261
81
251
321
339
134 - password
60
213 - dwarf, goblin, orc
235 - key, ointment, potion of magik
245
161
106
218
118
273
371
177
5
40
243
352
11
152 - weakness spell, gark
180 - hairbrush
99
38
132
238 - magical lock
18 - information
31
169
197
363
228
296
292 - lady lucretia
42
91 - golden fleece
140
25
206
182 - ganjees
322
291
328 - hydra
226
37
229
217
293 - shielding spell
374 - balthus dire
158 - weakness spell
77
187 - e.s.p. spell
279 - levitation spell
78
124
400
First game book I read and is a favourite as a result. Best bit is the battle with Dire at the end!
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jun 20, 2019 18:06:06 GMT
Here's my solution, with reference numbers: I am not sure you are supposed to put reference numbers on here but I cannot remember the rule. You do not state which spells you wish us to choose other than what is specified in the solution. I do not have the gamebook to hand but do you have anything different to add to the two solutions already provided above? |
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Jun 27, 2019 22:29:08 GMT
I've heard Balthus Dire is a great believer in the value of Freedom of Information. Turns out he went a bit overboard with it. Mr. B Dire’s failure to understand fully the provisions of the Allansian Freedom of Information Act (282AC) tragically resulted in him losing his life halfway through a game of Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
Information regarding his allergy to sunlight could and should have been categorised as a ‘harm-based exemption’, which is to say that information likely to …
Endanger physical or mental health, or endanger the safety of the individual
... is information exempt from disclosure under the Act.
In addition he failed to follow simple guidance regarding the creation, management and storage of passwords.
By contrast, the Ganjees, fully within their rights, removed all documentation pertaining to them from the Citadel’s library and archived it off-site.
(see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act_2000 for full details)
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Post by schlendrian on Jun 28, 2019 5:37:49 GMT
Brilliant. Thanks for the laugh.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jun 28, 2019 17:32:24 GMT
In a related sub-section substances the Ganjees found either highly sought after or highly repulsive were not removed on site and are now the subject of an on-going law suit.
(Late 83/early 84 I was baffled as to why the Charmed Amulet route was incorrect until I was forced to assess the options in a new light).
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Post by jmisbest on Sept 8, 2019 13:47:20 GMT
Can someone do me a walkthrough for this book that will prove a major challenge for A Character with A Skill and A Luck both of 6+6 or 12, A Stamina of 12 +2 4's or 20 and A Magic of 6 +5 +3 or 14?. Please and thank you |
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Sept 12, 2019 16:04:49 GMT
Can someone do me a walkthrough for this book that will prove a major challenge for A Character with A Skill and A Luck both of 6+6 or 12, A Stamina of 12 +2 4's or 20 and A Magic of 6 +5 +3 or 14?. Please and thank you We have had a request like this before and I am not sure anyone on here would create a bespoke solution for you.
I would take the solutions provided on here as a base as they show the 'foundation' of each book and then use your imagination to create whatever you so desire.
I believe half of the fun would be finding encounters you could then solve in a 'maximized'(stupid American spelling) solution.
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Post by Adam on Aug 19, 2020 11:20:09 GMT
Recently got this book, and finished it eventually. It's been interesting looking for alt solutions but they're all basically the same. My issue is, theres anlot of content in this book which makes for an interesting adventure, but unless you ignore most of it and take the path to the library to get the code, can this book be beaten?
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Post by tyrion on Aug 19, 2020 11:36:16 GMT
Recently got this book, and finished it eventually. It's been interesting looking for alt solutions but they're all basically the same. My issue is, theres anlot of content in this book which makes for an interesting adventure, but unless you ignore most of it and take the path to the library to get the code, can this book be beaten? You can get knocked out in the library and meet the calacorm, the leprechaun, see the golem and visit the wine cellar. You end up in the dining room. Still doable on minimum stats i think. Most ff books have interesting stuff that you won't encounter if you want to succeed. |
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