kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,462
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Apr 19, 2020 20:16:28 GMT
400 – I have twice what I need. You mean you finished with 1600 gold pieces? That seems impossible from what I remember of the book but maybe I was just bad at it... I was thinking the same! As far as I recall, the target is very tight. A pity as this is a book that encourages experimentation.
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Post by a moderator on Apr 20, 2020 18:03:10 GMT
Following the route babbagefart listed, I make the total 824 gold at most, and since there's an unspecified expenditure at section 62, lower seems likely. 804 would still be enough to win, but the 'twice what I need' claim does suggest that the 'divide by two' instruction at section 36 has been overlooked.
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Post by babbagefart on Apr 27, 2020 7:19:06 GMT
17) Appointment with FEAR
This is a book that gets some hate. As a kid I think the cover put me off but I did get my hands on it eventually and remember thinking it was pretty good. Let’s see…
Attempt 1: Super Strength
Skill: 13 Stamina: 17 Luck: 11
Hero Points: 0
127 – Scarlett Prankster (-50)
108 – Daddy Rich (ap113, 58th)
1 263 191
149 – I’m not gonna get very many Hero Points by spending my time arguing about dog shit.
228 386 112 323 60 72 55 294
197 – Add 30 when I reach a lion’s cage? Hmmm…
18 369 3
93 – A Hero Point at last.
67 111
429 – I’d rather live in Port Blacksand than here. This place is crime-ridden.
133 380 409 185 166 296
423 – A Decoding Computer? Cool. Shame I don’t have ETS…
86 15
187 – What are the odds?
415 103 43 169 288 322
117 – I suck as a superhero.
79 134 85 373 239
76 – Love this! Intriguing options all over the place. One wonders how Jackson thought it all up.
21 7 374
311 – FEAR meeting today? You’re joking!? Umm…
349 394 220
292 – Well that was all over rather quickly.
Attempt 2: Psi-Powers
Skill: 9 Stamina: 19 Luck: 12
Hero Points: 0
Let’s do it!
280 – (Richard Storm – the Tormentor)
152 – (Timothy Grant)
1 289 104
211 – He likes to keep things interesting, does Jackson…
195 348 73 181 284 328 237 375
120 – Pretty easy.
350 397 256 24 209 286 316
64 – Ice Queen (-20). Well at least I got something for my trouble.
438 201 326 65
138 – Shit! What was the address again? I forgot to write it down…
238 – There we go… The lion’s cage reference (+50)
71
126 – (President +100). Feels like we’re getting somewhere this time.
435 15 174
143 – I could cheat as I have a clue for the Scarlett Prankster but got it in the last adventure.
439 37 103 43 407 196
432 – The same clue about the visit of the President. It’s good that there are multiple ways to find clues.
79 245 190
395 – Mysterious. But knowing Jackson maybe there’s a secret reference to turn to if you find the right clue. Either way, I don’t have it just now.
226 122 21 121 177
258 – So the meeting takes place tomorrow? I already know that! So I’m saving the President solely for Hero Points? And the nobility, I guess…
311 349 46 220
292 – This is tough… Got 16 Hero Points that time though.
Attempt 3: ETS
Skill: 11 Stamina: 17 Luck: 8
Hero Points: 10
Let’s do it!!
88 – Alchemists (128st, 10av)
280 1 228 112 259 5 60 98
118 – Oh, Steve. You’re so clever…
437 354 336 372 410 176 49
285 – Feels like most of what I’m doing is just for Hero Points, which our author admits in the notes are nothing to do with the adventure.
10 185 166 296
423 – I get to go home and use my Decoding Computer.
329 – FEAR meeting address 176!! We have something important at last!!
202 151 428
300 – Poisoner (-30)
327 4
310 – Irritatingly I do not have the lion’s cage clue this time.
45 148 158 135 276
38 – Sydney Knox (-40). Thanks, Gerry. They don’t call you ‘The Grass’ for nothin’.
215
175 – Vladimir Utoshski – Circuit Jammer! All I need now is to know where the meeting takes place.
125 97 231 347 362 342 58 208
427 – It’s taking place at the Chinese Laundry? This is going well.
311 – I guess the Chinese laundry is in town?
70 – Avenue? Which avenue? I don’t believe it. The address is not enough??
368
292 – Really thought that was going to be the one…
Attempt 4: Energy Blast
Skill: 9 Stamina: 20 Luck: 8
Hero Points: 3
Let’s do it!!!
88 – Alchemists (128st, 10av)
222 – Tiger Cat (Think I know when this comes into play)
1 263 99 305 228 112
420 – Covering all bases. Fourth attempt but the different skills and events don’t make it feel as repetitive as some other books I’ve had to play through several times.
83 – Sylvia Frost (-20). I know where she turns up too.
60 98 118 309 128 243 336 372 72 180
123 – I’ll remember that for next time, friends. Go screw yourselves!!
18 369
278 – Energy Blast is proving to be my least favourite super-power if I’m honest.
124 – Mantrapper (+60)
67 111 429 355 283 261 53
13 – Merchandise for meeting on the 28th? A clue.
380 409 185 166
296 – I can’t decode it with my Decoding Computer this time. Try something else.
20 86 15 357
388 – Well that sucks…
103 202 41
331 – I’m wondering if I’ve missed something here.
428
300 – Poisoner (-30), yeah, yeah, yeah.
327 408 26 158 416
240 – Red herrings all round.
38 – Sidney Knox (-40). Thanks again, Gerry.
215 175 125 412 382 320
150 – Energy Blast is useful for a change.
227 107 97
77 – Starting to learn the book at last!
129
12 – Energy Blast back to being the most useless super-power ever!!!
436 241 362 114 22
364 – Meeting tomorrow at 11:00.
40 21 100 157 311 70 368
292 – Hopeless indeed…
I’m going to try it one more time. Think my best chance is with the PSI power.
Final Attempt: ETS
Skill: 10 Stamina: 21 Luck: 12
Hero Points: 0
Let’s do it!!!
280 88
1 – Let’s get it right this time!!
263 99 305 228 112 420
83 – The Sylvia Frost Clue.
60 98 118 309 128 210 243 336 372 72 299 294
197 – Lion’s Cage Clue. We’re on the right track (helps when I have played it through four times and with this book you get to play right through to the end each time – sooner or later anyone will work out the true paths).
18 369 278 168
124 – Mantrapper Clue.
67 111 429 355
156 – ETS is the best Silver Crusader if you ask me.
380
409 – Let’s get that cigarette packet.
185 166 296
423 – The good old Decoding Computer never let’s me down. Not sure if this code means anything in the bigger picture though.
329 15 174 271 143
90 – The Scarlett Prankster!
74 103 202 41 331 391
396 – Mantrapper!
16 – Sidney Knox Clue.
428 300
327 – Most likely to have a lion’s cage? The circus!!
4 310 360 207
92 – Quicksliver password. Running out of time though…
433 148 258 135
240 – Is this museum nothing more than a reference-burner?
276
38 – Sidney Knox Clue. Again! Reliable as always, Gerry, but grass some more people out for me next time, will ya?
215
175 – Circuit Jammer! Just about got my full house!
125
412 – I know all about the Poisoner and I found him last time but don’t think I received that clue in this attempt. Damn!
268 107
97 – I have the Ice Queen clue.
77 129
182 – FEAR meeting somewhere on 3rd Avenue.
241 362
342 – A quick peek at my notes reveals this to be the way to find out that the meeting is at the Chinese laundry. I think we’ve done it!!
58 208 427 311
70 – 3rd Avenue, thank you very much.
30 – YESSSS!!!
176 – Not 178. Thanks Decoding Computer!! What!! It’s not the right reference!?!?!?!? (A little peek reveals that it’s not reference 178 either).
30 368
292 – What. The. f**k!? I really thought I had it that time.
And that’s it! The first book I haven’t completed on this journey through the series. I give up! I just don’t have enough time to keep going through this one. The nature of it means that you can’t even speed-read it to hurry a couple more attempts or I might easily miss the clue. To make matter worse – I am sure I remember that each of the super powers has a different address and location.
This book gets some hate. I think it’s an ingenious attempt. Totally original, it appears very simple in design until you start really playing through it a few times and then it becomes apparent just how deliberate everything is, how intricate and complex it really is. To think that Jackson has written four adventures into one makes it really impressive for me. It must have taken ages planning out each route and interlinking them to make sense with each other. It’s further evidence of what Steve was capable of and was trying to do with his books, constantly trying to push the genre forward. He’s the most important author in game-book history, I think, at least from an evolutionary perspective. Some might say Dave Morris but I say Jackson.
It’s surprisingly easy as well, in the way that I managed to successfully reach the end of the adventure on each play-through. There weren’t really any times where survival was on a knife-edge. The difficulty lies, just like in House of Hell, in solving the puzzle. When I think about this book in the context of the series we had Livingstone’s forgettable road-trip through Mad Max-ville not too far back and then the ‘book of two halves’ Rings of Kether (which started off so well but just couldn’t keep it going). While Seas of Blood is good it feels more like an amateur entry. This elevates things for me. Without this book it’s debatable whether all of the advanced tricks that future authors would employ would have developed in the same way.
Rankings:
So it could be the Primary / Recency association (or whatever psychologists call that thing where you show a preference for the first and last entries in a series) but I’m gonna place this one pretty high. Fourth place…
1) Deathtrap Dungeon 2) City of Thieves 3) Talisman of Death 4) Appointment with FEAR 5) Island of the Lizard King 6) House of Hell 7) Scorpion Swamp 8) Seas of Blood 9) Temple of Terror 10) The Rings of Kether 11) Caverns of the Snow Witch 12) Citadel of Chaos 13) Freeway Fighter 14) Forest of Doom 15) Warlock of Firetop Mountain 16) Starship Traveller 17) Space Assassin
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Post by a moderator on Apr 27, 2020 13:05:08 GMT
Attempt 1: Super Strength [...] 187 – What are the odds? Given that the Scarlet Prankster has his secret base at Wisneyland, I can't help but wonder if the disproportionately high risk of fatal accidents at the amusement park is a consequence of malicious 'pranks' on his part. You even got a clue that should have sent you straight to the right room from Chainsaw Bronski! The solution is different for each power, so using clues from previous attempts can seriously mess things up. You got the clue relating to this when you took the Tiger Cat in. Your notes can't be detailed enough. Er... You had this, but you didn't read the text carefully enough at section 30. It said to add the building number (176) to the avenue number (3), but you just went for the building number. Go to (176 + 3), and we'll pretend that this never happened, okay?
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