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Post by thealmightymudworm on Jun 4, 2022 18:30:18 GMT
I've been wondering how we could 'fix' the OSC of this book. I've had a few ideas: 1.) Just get rid of the bastards. 2.) At least let the player test his luck if he loses? 3.) Let the combats take place as usual but the player can use their own skill AND test their luck if they lose? 4.) Have each OSC consist of three rounds where the player only has to win one. 5.) Have a few items that allow you to increase your score in OSC by one point each? Anyone else have any ideas? I haven't looked at the book recently so someone can tell me if this wouldn't work:
- Roll for attack strength as normal with enemies having no higher than Skill 8
- Make it two-strike combat, losing one round leaving you/them teetering, the second finishes you, and
- Let the player automatically win the first round if they call on Tabasha to leap onto the opponent
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Post by petch on Jun 4, 2022 19:04:08 GMT
Like the idea of using Tabasha. She is sorely underused elsewhere in the book.
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Post by vastariner on Jun 4, 2022 21:02:08 GMT
OSC works with just one attack round. But you'd need a high skill.
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Post by CharlesX on Jun 6, 2022 7:47:20 GMT
You see, OSC is such a bad system whatever we suggest is bound to be better . My own suggestion, if as it seems dying if you roll double on 2d6 isn't an option, is maybe roll 3d6 for you against 2d6 for your opponent. You are after all a royal descendant, against 50p Orcs, and having special combat rules for your character was done before in Creature Of Havoc.
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IoannesKantakouzenos
Traveller
Being slowly eaten alive by a Ghoul
Posts: 106
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy (Aventuras Fantásticas)
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Post by IoannesKantakouzenos on Jun 6, 2022 12:03:18 GMT
OSC works with just one attack round. But you'd need a high skill. That would be my suggestion - and one that would make some sense (at least to me).
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Post by slloyd14 on Jul 9, 2022 8:55:22 GMT
So much of the concept of this was cool. It just got let down by several things.
The Khuddam were cool. I like a bad guy mini squad each with their own quirks (I love the Ninja Scroll film). Unfortunately, they have virtually no differences. Even their stats are identical!
You start with a magical sword of light and a companion. The sword doesn't affect your stats and the companion could have had more non section opportunities to help - there is restore skill or luck, but how about combat bonuses?
The underground society sounds great. It would be good to explore that.
One strike combat? Maybe Luke Sharp wanted to speed up combat? Too unbalanced.
Also, Luke must have known about the problems as Daggers of Darkness and Fangs of Fury are nowhere near as unbalanced.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,462
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Jul 9, 2022 15:21:31 GMT
Also, Luke must have known about the problems as Daggers of Darkness and Fangs of Fury are nowhere near as unbalanced. Which is interesting, isn't it? Jonathan Green did the same but he had the benefit of 10 years of internet reviews. I wonder if Luke Sharp was responding to feedback from somewhere or he just decided himself to make his books more fair.
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IoannesKantakouzenos
Traveller
Being slowly eaten alive by a Ghoul
Posts: 106
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy (Aventuras Fantásticas)
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Post by IoannesKantakouzenos on Oct 25, 2022 18:18:34 GMT
Just noticed two more titbits about this one:
1) in the Portuguese edition, there is only one reference where you can discover who is the traitor, because the translator decided to remove the relevant sentences;
2) this must be the only book in the FF universe where Ghouls carry weapons.
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Post by a moderator on Oct 25, 2022 21:18:05 GMT
Depending on how you define 'carry weapons', the Ghoul with assorted blades attached to its body in Revenge of the Vampire may also qualify.
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IoannesKantakouzenos
Traveller
Being slowly eaten alive by a Ghoul
Posts: 106
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy (Aventuras Fantásticas)
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Post by IoannesKantakouzenos on Oct 26, 2022 14:39:47 GMT
Depending on how you define 'carry weapons', the Ghoul with assorted blades attached to its body in Revenge of the Vampire may also qualify. Well, that one is weird, I must admit, since it uses blades that drip acid and it can still paralise you, however the Steel Ghoul seems to have the same type of weapon and you are told that "Fortunately, this Ghoul strikes with long, metal claws and does not paralyse, as Ghouls often do".
But returning to CoM, at (128) you fight a Long-Fanged Ghoul that does not paralise you after three or four strikes. And at (179), if you do not know the Spell for Casting in the Bottomless Pit, you need to not be touched by a single Ghoul to escape (a bit of overkill?); and if you know that spell, in the illo of (14), we can see the same pack of Ghouls with swords and axes which, again, strikes me as odd.
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Post by vastariner on Dec 28, 2022 11:55:37 GMT
Having a quick flick through this book, your enemies have the following skill scores... 4: x1 5: x5 6: x22 7: x17 8: x18 9: x6 10: x8 And this is without taking into account the ludicrous number of occasions where you can lose Skill points. This is actually insane. For starters, this is a fundamental misunderstanding of probability. You are not going to have a chance with skill less than 10 because you only need to lose three dozen or so attack rounds tops to go down. I've not counted whether every enemy is on the same path, but you're going to lose way more attack rounds than that just against Sk8 opponents if your Sk is 9. But if your skill is 12, then you're spending an inordinate amount of time just rolling and rolling for myriads of easy win fights. Because nothing with Sk8 or below is realistically goign to lay more than an occasional glove on you.
What was the point of this? Did Luke Sharp not count the number of fights he was demanding? Did he think that that was the purpose of the books - to be a medium for dice-rolling? That boring the shite out of people was somehow enhancing the experience or the thrill or the danger?
And that's just looking at the REGULAR fights. Before we even think about one-strike combat, which is the single most stupid idea in the entire run of gamebooks. Even leaving aside the staggering and impossible number of fights, you're basically giving a supposedly Fate-decreed hero a 50/50 chance of beating a grannit or jib-jib in a fight. Who the hell thought this was a good thing, or thought that it was in any way fair, or that it could make the adventure experience any more interesting?
We know from WOTT that a rift crawl can be interesting and atmospheric. This one is nothing more than a charnel-house. Which, playing legitimately, you can never explore.
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Post by CharlesX on Dec 28, 2022 12:18:13 GMT
Comparing with the solution, the fights you have to win don't seem particularly unbalanced to me. Yes, a Skill 12 Avatar with above min Stamina will walk, and a min Avatar will have no chance, but it doesn't compare badly with most FF or gamebook series. Balancing is difficult, and most of the fights can be avoided. Of course, the real problem is the One Strike Combats, which are both ridiculous and too numerous. One would break a book. There are a lot of fights in Chasms - there are equally a lot of one line paragraphs with zero indication of which way to go, and technically unnnecessary OSCs. So, you both have to map to go the true path, and the non true path is tedious at best.
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Post by aeris2001x2 on May 1, 2023 6:59:57 GMT
The only non Sci-fi FF I won't ever read again. Has Skylord to thank, otherwise it would hold crown of worst FF ever.
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Post by a moderator on May 2, 2023 0:12:00 GMT
There are one or two challengers for that 'crown' among the newer books.
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IoannesKantakouzenos
Traveller
Being slowly eaten alive by a Ghoul
Posts: 106
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy (Aventuras Fantásticas)
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Post by IoannesKantakouzenos on May 2, 2023 16:50:11 GMT
*cough* Assassins of Allansia *cough*
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Post by CharlesX on May 2, 2023 18:11:15 GMT
*cough* Assassins of Allansia *cough*
Port Of Peril is bad as well. I really wanted to like Port Of Peril, for its setting, return of Zanbar Bone and other things about it, but couldn't, because it's too mediocre and unsatisfying. The gameplay rules inconsistencies and ambiguities tip it from being a below-average gamebook to one of the worst. I like several things about Asassins Of Allanisa as well, concept is good and the tone is suitably dark, but I agree it's very much a missed opportunity. My own bugbear with Assassins is the very Sir Ian five or so Skill and Luck-draining cursed objects (even if one can help you later on, should you divert from the true path route).
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IoannesKantakouzenos
Traveller
Being slowly eaten alive by a Ghoul
Posts: 106
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy (Aventuras Fantásticas)
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Post by IoannesKantakouzenos on May 2, 2023 18:17:42 GMT
Still haven't bothered to find PoP, so I cannot comment on that one.
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