The Gaming Den

Pull the right lever. If it triggers a trap, find Livingstone and kill him.

You hear a deep rumbling noise and the ground begins to shudder. Slowly and noisily the portcullis rises into the ceiling. You may walk now to the junction. Will you turn west or east?

Hey, I remember playing this in London in 82...feeling silly being in a foreign city and playing a game book, but man was it fun at the time.

The board game wasn't too awful either, for a kid's game.

I am 80% sure that east is the right way to go here. But I keep forgetting how long it takes to reach the junction that makes you walking dead if you pick the wrong way through, so maybe not. But I'm going to vote east.

Cautiously you creep along the passageway. After a short time it turns sharply to the north. At the corner there is a bench of solid wood and above the bench a sign reads "Rest Ye Here Weary Traveler". Here you may stop and eat Provisions if you wish or continue.

As SOP, stop and eat provisions if we've lost at least 4 health, otherwise don't. Our skill is pwnsome, so we don't need to worry about keeping things maxed all the time.

You arrive at another junction in the passageway. Would you like to turn westwards or do you wish to go east?

Uninformed choices ahoy! West.

Horace Greeley reference. Or Henry Hathaway. Either works.

(Kind of surprised at your choice. If Deathtrap Dungeon has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that going west never works well in an Ian Livingstone dungeon crawl.)

You follow the passage westwards, then it turns sharply to the north and, some meters further on, a passage runs to the west. Would you like to go along the westwards passage, or do you want to carry on northwards up the passage?

Well let's not make it any worse. Cut our losses and turn north now.

A rough timber doorway is on the east wall of the passage. You listen at the door and can hear a jolly sort of humming sound. Do you want to knock on the door and go in or will you continue northwards?

Naturally, we have to investigate.

Gratuitous padding is gratuitous. Investigate.

A voice bids you "Come in!" and you walk into a small room furnished with a table and chair, shelves, cupboards and the like, all of which have seen better days. Plates, bowls, cups and hundreds of old books line the shelves. In the midst of all this clutter, you see a little old man in a grubby white gown swaying to and fro in a rocking chair, still humming happily to himself, his eyes fixed on you, but seeming at peace with the world. He bids you "Good day." Do you:

Start to make conversation with him?
Draw your sword and charge at him?
Decide not to waste time with him and leave, going northwards?

He looks white. Let's talk to him.

I'm kind of amused it even gives us the choice to simply murderise him on the spot.

Talk to him.

As you speak the old man rises to his feet. "Oh my, oh my, a stranger!" he starts. "Well, do come in, the shop is open. What can I get you? What would you like to buy? What takes your fancy? Which way are you headed? North? Well" You tell the old man your story. He listens intently and replies, "Oh yes, in that case you will undoubtedly need one of my Blue Candles. That will be 20 Gold Pieces please. Cash if you don't mind. Yes, I know it's expensive, but isn't everything these days? Not so long ago these were only 5 Gold Pieces each; but you know what has happened to the price of candle-wax since the Long Dark Night - oh, but you probably don't since you don't come from these parts. Never mind. I can guarantee it's still worth the price. You might need it sooner than you think . . . "

If you decide to buy a candle, pay for it and add it to your Equipment List. You are getting a little tired of his constant prattling. Leave the room and go northwards.

(Before we continue, do we want to buy a Blue Candle from this guy?)

Buy it. It's like looting, only you get less gold.

Yeah, that sounds like something we'd do. Buy a candle.

Northwards the passageway ends at a solid wooden door. You listen at the door but can hear nothing. There appears to be no choice but to open the door and enter the room, which you do. It's a large square room. You flash your lantern around the room and catch a quick glimpse of its emptiness - although there are murals on the wall - before your lantern suddenly goes out. You try to re-light it, but it will not catch. In the blackness you hear a succession of frightful noise. Howls, screams, cries and wails are getting louder and louder until they reach the pitch where you must cover your ears. (Old Man Henderson Jr. has a Blue Candle.)

You think back to the words of the old man. "You might need it sooner than you think . . ." You grope in your pack and pull out the candle. Immediately it lights itself of its own accord. The howling stops and the room appears bathed in a blue light from the candle. On the walls, the figures in the mural are moving! They are mouthing silent screams as if trapped in a two-dimensional hell. On the wall opposite is another door, which you may leave through, or you may stay to investigate. Add 1 LUCK for your foresight.

Old Man Henderson Jr.
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 14/16
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword, Leather Armor, Crescent Shield (when hit, roll a d6; on a 6 reduce damage by 1)
Provisions: 9 (+4 STAMINA each)
Potions: Potion of Skill (restores SKILL to Initial value, 2/2 uses left), Potion of Invisibility (1 use)
Gold Pieces: 6
Keys: Bronze Key #99
Items: Silky Black Glove, Bow and Silver Arrow, Cheese, Lit Blue Candle

Investigate. It's looting information.

As you watch the living mural, you are unaware of the speed with which your candle is burning. Suddenly it flickers and goes out! You again begin to hear the piercing screams and their pitch grows to an unbearable level. You drop to your knees clutching your ears and crawl towards the wall. Which wall will you crawl towards:

The east wall?
The north wall?
The west wall?

Old Man Henderson Jr.
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 14/16
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword, Leather Armor, Crescent Shield (when hit, roll a d6; on a 6 reduce damage by 1)
Provisions: 9 (+4 STAMINA each)
Potions: Potion of Skill (restores SKILL to Initial value, 2/2 uses left), Potion of Invisibility (1 use)
Gold Pieces: 6
Keys: Bronze Key #99
Items: Silky Black Glove, Bow and Silver Arrow, Cheese, Burnt-Out Blue Candle

North.

North.