The Gaming Den

Posted: **Sun Mar 29, 2015 1:44 pm**

Welcome everyone to my first multi-player gamebook series LP I'm not counting Heroquest). I hope you will enjoy the game long enough for us to get through all 5 books.

So what's this book about? The main plot of the overall series talks about how the world is threatened by the impending return/resurrection of 5 powerful beings known as the True Magi, sorcerous rulers who controlled a large portion of this magical world (the world is known as "Legend", apparently) a couple centuries ago before they (and all the rest of their kind) were destroyed in some magical holocaust. A small band of adventurers found out that the only object that's capable of stopping them is the MacGuffin known as the Blood Sword, also known as the Sword of Life. Except that the Sword isn't in one piece at the moment, and the adventurers had to begin by travelling around looking for the pieces to join them together before they go the True Magi.

That's what the series is about. Book 1, which we are starting with, has nothing to do with that plot. In fact, Book I is the one book that can be see as a standalone from the rest of the series, probably because the authors meant for this as more of an introduction to both the game and this new world they creation. Book 1 does introduce a certain NPC that will become one of the major characters in the rest of the series, though.

Cover:

From the back cover blurb of this first book:

Every thirteen lunar months the Magi of Krarth hold a deadly contest to see which of them will rule that bleak and icy land. Teams of daring adventurers are sent down to the labyrinths that lie beneath the tundra, each searching for the Emblem of Victory that will win power for their patron.

Only one team can survive. The others must die.

So.....almost sort of like a Deathtrap Dungeon, huh? Except you can play in groups instead of solo.

The "Magi" mentioned above are the current lords of Krarth (as opposed to the "True Magi" of history), and Krarth was the kingdom that used to be under the True Magi's rule. There's also a glossary in the book that explains some of the names and places of this world. I will post that after I'm done with all the rules.

So what sort of characters are we playing as? As mention, the book is designed for up to 4 players. You can do with less, and starting with less characters means that the characters will start at a higher level, or 'rank', as they are called in the book. To be precise you can play as:

a single eighth-rank character
two characters of fourth rank
three characters of third rank
four characters of second rank

Ranks are gained through experience points, which we will gain at the end of every book we successfully complete. Generally, the amount of XP gained is fixed for each book, but there are also certain events that we may encounter that allows us to gain/lose extra XP due to certain heroic/inappropriate actions we take. Some of them may apply to only 1 character (for example, the Warrior is generally expected to behave in a honorable and courageous manner, so if he made a choice that can be deemed cowardly, he'll be the only member of the party to gain less XP at the end of the book). Every 250 experience points gained allows a character to gain a rank.

Higher ranked characters obviously get higher stats, and low-ranked characters can improve their stats as they 'level up'. What stats, you ask?

Fighting Prowess a measure of how powerful a fighter the character is;

Psychic Ability an indicator of the character's resistance to attack spells and (in the case of an Enchanter) his or her aptitude for magic;

Awareness a difficult concept, as it encompasses quickness of thought, dexterity and general nous;

Endurance the attribute measuring the character's state of health; wounds are deducted from Endurance, and if it reaches zero then the character dies.

The way the stats are distributed will, of course, also depend on the character class.

Speaking of which, let's take a brief look at the character classes:

Your world is the magical land of Legend. In Legend there are many kinds of Adventurer, each with unique skills and techniques for dealing with creatures of the supernatural. Those who rely on a good sword and the strength of their right arm are called Warriors. The practitioners of the magical arts are called Enchanters, with many deadly spells always ready at their fingertips. Sages are a class of ascetic monks - wise in ancient lore, but also skilful in the use of quarterstaff, bow and the unarmed martial arts. Lastly there are the Tricksters; they are swift and dextrous swordsmen, but their true forte is the use of stealth, guile and cunning to achieve their ends.

Other than stats, the major difference between the characters is that there will often be "Special Character options". (e.g. 'If there is a Trickster in the party, turn to ...'.). When cases like this happens, only that particular character class get to see that section and the information contained (as I mentioned in the poll thread).

Generally, the Trickster and the Sage tend to get the most Special character options, but the Enchanter gets them fairly often too (not to mention he gets the most options in Combats due to the wide range of spells he has). The Meatshield Warrior, as might be predicted, is more limited in terms of special options, but does get the chance to stand out from time to time. Sometimes, the book makes it clear which character should get priority (e.g. the Enchanter only gets to do his stuff if the Sage isn't there). Sometimes, all 4 characters have the option do something, in which case the players will have to vote on it.

In this playthrough, here's what I'm proposing in terms of character options, in what I see might make the most sense: when one or more character has the option to act, everyone get to post who they think should act, but the player who picked those characters must agree. So If the Trickster's player thinks the Sage should do something, the Sage agrees, then the Sage gets to act, even if the Warrior and the Enchanter both vote for the Trickster. If both Trickster and Sage think they should do something, then the decision will depend on the majority player votes.

Encounters:

Similar to Heroquest,, there is a "Battle Order" to be decided between the 4 characters, and usually it makes more sense to put the better fighters in front, as they will be facing the brunt of enemy attacks (however, there will be occasional situations, normally after players make a bad decision and get ambushed, when the players at the back get threatened more by close combats). But rather than Player 1 always getting automatically targeted like Heroquest, here we have actual character/enemy positions illustrated on maps:

As you can see, the PCs are marked in accordance to their Battle Order positions (1-4). Enemies are marked by letters, usually the Initial letter of their names/type (in this example 'M' = Monster). Black boxes on the maps are inaccessible locations (like pillars). Shaded (but non-black) squares are inaccessible to PCs, but not to the enemies, for various reasons (for example, that square may represent a pit, and the enemy might be able to access it because they can fly). If the option to flee is available, exits will also be marked on the map, as shown above.

There're still more rules to go, but I've run out of time ATM. :/

I'd been hoping to get the individual character details up today, but it'll have to wait till tomorrow. Interested players are still welcome to register their choices for the characters they wish to play in the meantime!

Posted: **Sun Mar 29, 2015 2:37 pm**

Legend is the default game world for the RPG Dragon Warriors, which came out in 1985-6 and also got a Mongoose Publishing reprint in 2009. Blood Sword is written by the same author as Dragon Warriors, and the internal art is from one of DW's better illustrators.

What's weird is that although Blood Sword is by the authors of Dragon Warriors and set in the game world of Dragon Warriors, it doesn't use anything approaching the Dragon Warriors' mechanics. Sure, Dragon Warriors used all the polyhedrals and you'd at least want to adapt that to d6s only for a wider audience, but this goes well beyond simplification. Even the classes are different; the Warrior maps fairly closely to a DW Knight, but while the Sage has some shared flavor with a DW Mystic, they are not really the same. The Enchanter is only the same as the DW Sorcerer (or Elementalist) in that they are spellcasters. The Trickster is completely unrecognizable as the DW Assassin.

It's an odd decision to have made, and so is the complete lack of Dragon Warriors cross-promotion. That might have something to do with the two series having different publishers, I don't know.

The cover's claim to being 'the first game book series for both solo and multi-player adventures' might be technically accurate. Multiplayer books had been in print since 1983, but were either 'a series' (like Lost Worlds) or 'for both solo and multi-player' (like FF's Clash of the Princes), but I don't know of any other that fits both descriptions.

Posted: **Sun Mar 29, 2015 4:54 pm**

Dragon Warrior, you say?

Enchanter, Warrior and Martial Artist Sage are in the back, which I suppose makes the person in front the Trickster.

Posted: **Mon Mar 30, 2015 1:19 pm**

Let's get the rest of the infodump out of the way:

Combat:

Combat takes place in Rounds, each of which represents about ten seconds of action. Each Round, everyone who is taking part in the combat gets the opportunity to perform one action if he or she wishes: to attack, cast a spell, or whatever. Actions are taken in sequence based on each combatant's Awareness score. The combatant with the highest Awareness acts first.....(snip)

Combatants with equal Awareness scores act simultaneously. A combatant who is killed (reduced to zero Endurance) before his turn does not get to act.

These are the possible combat options and the circumstances in which they may be used. A character may choose any option for which he or she is eligible as his or her action for the Round:

MOVE

This action allows the character to close and fight an enemy, or to move to an exit (if any). If you take the move option while an opponent is fighting you, then (unless your Awareness is higher than the opponent's) you take an automatic wound. Once all surviving characters in the party have moved to an exit, the party may flee at the start of the next Round.

FIGHT

The character must be close enough to an opponent to fight (directly adjacent). When striking at an opponent, you roll two Dice. A score of equal to or lower than your Fighting Prowess means that your blow has hit. If you hit, you roll a damage Die (or Dice, at higher ranks) to see how much of an Endurance loss you have inflicted. If your opponent has an Armour Rating, you must reduce your Die roll for damage by this amount, and the result (if greater than zero) is deducted from the opponent's Endurance.

Take an example. You have a Fighting Prowess of seven and a damage roll of one Die. You are attacking a Troll whose Fighting Prowess is six and which also rolls one Die for damage. You have the higher Awareness, so you get first blow. Rolling two Dice, you score a three; this is less than your Fighting Prowess score, so you have succeeded in hitting it. Next you roll one Die for the damage your blow inflicts. You get a six, but the Troll has an Armour Rating of two so only four points are deducted from its Endurance. If still alive (that is, if it hasn't yet been reduced to zero Endurance) the Troll now gets to hack back at you. It rolls six on two Dice - equal to its Fighting Prowess, so good enough to hit you (though only just!). For its damage Die roll it scores a one; because you have an Armour Rating of two this means that you lose no Endurance. The Troll's claws hit you, but scrape harmlessly off your studded leather jerkin. The battle rages on for another Round . . .

DEFEND

You cannot attack in the Round in which you choose this option, but it has the advantage of making you harder to hit. If you defend, then your opponent must roll equal to or less than his Fighting Prowess on three Dice in order to hit you. You do not get to strike a blow yourself in the Round you are defending.

SHOOT

This is an option for Sages and Tricksters only. You fire an arrow at any one opponent. Unlike the fight option, you do not have to be adjacent to them because arrows are long-range weapons. You cannot choose to shoot if an opponent is striking at you in the same Round - that is, you must dispose of any opponents who have closed to attack you before picking off others with your bow.

FLEE

Sometimes the text will give your party the option to flee from a fight. All surviving Adventurers must have made a move before the party can flee. When this option is taken, the entire party flees at the start of the Round, so their opponents get no chance to hack at them or cast spells as they run off.

MAGIC

These are options for Enchanters only.

There are mainly two types of combat magic. BLASTING spells simply inflict damage when they are cast, and you deduct the damage the spell does, less your Armour Rating, from the target's Endurance score. The other sort of spells are PSYCHIC spells, and can be resisted. To resist a PSYCHIC spell you must roll two Dice and obtain a score equal to or less than your Psychic Ability score. If you succeed in this roll, the spell fails to work against you. If you fail to resist it, Armour does not protect against its damage. You will always be told whether a spell is of the Psychic or Blasting variety.

Before you can cast a spell, you must call it to mind. If done during a combat, this takes one Round. You can call spells to mind at any time - and keep them in mind without effort - so you may wish to have a few ready before encountering an enemy - rather like having a cocked and loaded crossbow.

However, each spell that you have in mind temporarily reduces your Psychic Ability by one until it is cast. If you keep several spells in mind at all times, you will therefore be adventuring with quite a low current Psychic Ability, and this makes you vulnerable to psychic attacks.

The attempt to cast a spell takes one Round. It does not happen automatically. In order to cast a spell successfully, you must roll equal to or less than your Psychic Ability on two Dice. You must add the Complexity Level of the spell to the Dice roll. If you fail to cast it, you can try again the next Round; this time the roll is easier, as you subtract one from the two-Dice-plus-Complexity roll. If you fail again, you subtract two from your roll on the next Round. If the spellcasting process is interrupted (for example, you take a Round out to dodge or fight) then you have to go back to stage one.

An example to show how this works: Ragnarok is an Enchanter with a Psychic Ability of nine. He has called two spells into mind in case of trouble, so he currently has a reduced Psychic Ability score of seven. In an encounter with three hobgoblins he decides to use his Sheet Lightning spell. This is a Complexity Level four spell, so the first Round he tries to cast it he must roll seven or less on 2 Dice+4. He fails this difficult roll but continues trying on the next Round, this time making 2 Dice+3. He fails again, so on the third Round he needs to make his roll of seven or less on 2 Dice+2. This time he succeeds, and a crackling bolt scatters the hobgoblins.

If Ragnarok had stopped trying to cast the spell in order to fight, and then started trying again the Round after that, he would have had to start with a 2 Dice+4 roll again.

The spells available to the Enchanter and their Complexity Levels will be listed in the Enchanter's character details section.

You can perform only one of these actions in each Round. (except Tricksters, who sometimes get the opportunity for two actions in a Round. This will be explained in his character details section)

Oh, and with regards to Armour Rating and Damage mentioned above, every character will start with a set of Armour, and every Armour found in the book will have an Armour rating. Each person can only wear 1 set at a time, so Armour Ratings do not stack.

Every character will also have a Damage rating (e.g. 1 Die +1), and this will improve as they gain rank, just like their other stats. Some magic weapons will give you bonus. Fighting without a weapon carries a -2 penalty to BOTH Fighting Prowess and Damage rating.

Equipment and Encumbrance

Each character can carry ten items at a time. If you are fully encumbered and find another item you want, you must discard one of the items you're already carrying (or give it to another player) in order to make space for it in your backpack. This is one of the benefits of a multi-player party: 40 backpack spaces for loot as opposed to just 10.

Every character starts with a money pouch, and each can hold a maximum of 100 coins. The Trickster and the Sage (who can perform archery during combat) will start with quivers, which can hold up to 6 arrows each.

Ad now, finally, the individual character attributes!

The Warrior

You are the master of the fighting arts. You have better Fighting Prowess than any other adventuring type at the same rank, and when you strike a blow you inflict more damage. You also have chainmail armour which provides an Armour Rating of three - better than the armour available to other characters.

These advantages give you a real edge in any fight, but you do not get things all your own way. You have none of the other characters' special skills - the Sage's ESP, for instance, or the Trickster's low, devious cunning. Also, because you are of noble birth and follow the honourable traditions of your ancestors, you must be careful to stay true to the code of chivalry. You may take an experience point penalty if you behave in a dishonourable, cowardly or uncouth manner.

You begin with three items that you should also note down:

• sword
• chainmail armour (Armour Rating three)
• money-pouch

As said before, pretty much the meatshield of the party. Special options tend to be relatively fewer compared to other characters. However, there are still occasional times when the Warrior gets to do something special, like pulling off a cool martial arts maneuver in an emergency situation. Special magical weapons also seem to have a slightly higher chance of giving extra benefits when wielded by him. Also, sometimes his status of "noble birth" may receive different treatments from NPCs.

The amount of money a character starts with depends on what rank they are, so I will list them (and the stats) when players begin registering so that we can determine how many characters will be in this playthrough.

The Trickster:

Some Adventurers are honest, chivalrous and honourable. Not you. You are basically a rogue - a likeable rogue, perhaps, but a rogue nonetheless. You live by your wits. If you can win a fight by trickery or by shooting someone in the back, you will. Cunning is your main weapon.

But when you have to face someone in a straight fight, you are no pushover. After the Warrior, you are perhaps the best fighter in any party.

Three special rules apply to you:

Dodging technique

You are very adept at evading attacks. When an opponent makes a fight roll against you, he or she (or it) must roll 2 Dice+1 instead of the usual 2 Dice.

Archery

As long as you have your bow and arrows, you can use the shoot option in combat. You do not have to be in an adjacent square in order to shoot. A shoot roll is just like a fight roll - that is, to hit you must roll equal to or under your Fighting Prowess on two Dice.

Regardless of your rank, arrows inflict only one Die Endurance damage (less Armour Rating) on the target.

Quick Thinking

Once in each combat you can use this ability to take two actions in the same Round. The first action happens at the point in the Round when you would normally get to act, that is, as governed by your Awareness. The second action comes at the end of the Round when everyone else has had a chance to do something.

Items:

sword
studded leather armour (Armour Rating two)
money-pouch
bow
quiver

The Trickster also tends to get special options when there are opportunities to use stealth (e.g. picking locks/pockets), trickery (cheating at games, disguise), charm, and occasionally performing (e.g. playing a musical instrument).

The Sage:

Your upbringing has been in the spartan Monastery of Illumination on the barren island of Kaxos. There you studied the Mystic Way - a series of demanding psionic disciplines and rigorous physical training.

Several special rules apply to you:

Archery

As long as you have your bow and arrows, you can use the shoot option in combat. You do not have to be in an adjacent square in order to shoot. A shoot roll is just like a fight roll - that is, to hit you must roll equal to or under your Fighting Prowess on two Dice.

Regardless of your rank, arrows inflict only one Die Endurance damage (less Armour Rating) on the target.

Quarterstaff technique

Your expertise in quarterstaff fighting includes a knowledge of critical nerve points. When attacking with the staff, you can elect to make your fight roll on three Dice instead of two. This is obviously more difficult, but it means that if you do hit you inflict an extra one Die damage and knock your foe off-balance, causing him to take his action at the end of the following Round (that is, as if he had an Awareness score of one).

Healing

You can use this psionic ability at any time except during a combat. When you attempt to Heal, you decide how many points of Endurance you are going to use. You deduct these from your Endurance, then roll 1 Die-2 and multiply this by the number of points you expended. The result is the Healing energy (in the form of Endurance points) that you are able to draw from the Cosmic Flux. These points may be distributed as you wish among the players (including yourself). No player can increase his or her Endurance above its initial score, of course.

An example will show how this works. Alfric is a Sage who decides to expend five Endurance in a Healing attempt. He thus rolls 1 Die-2 and multiplies the figure by five - rolling four on the Die, say, and thus getting a total of ten Endurance points. He could restore his own Endurance to what it was before he tried the Healing, and this would still leave him with five points to distribute to himself or his companions as he wishes.

Negative results on the 1 Die-2 roll are counted as zero, as mentioned earlier. Your power of Healing is always a gamble, though, because you might roll one or two on the Die and thus get back no points from the Cosmic Flux.

Other psionic powers

Your other psionic powers will be explained in situations where you might need them. They include:

ESP: the ability to detect thoughts;
Paranormal Sight: the ability to see through soft materials such as curtains, fog or water (not stone or metal);
Levitation: the ability to negate the force of gravity on your body, allowing you to rise vertically into the air;
Exorcism the ability to dispel ghosts and other wraiths by stifling the paranormal energies that sustain them.

Items:

• quarterstaff
• ringmail armour (Armour Rating two)
• money-pouch
• bow
• quiver

In classic RPG terms this is the Cleric/Healer of the party. He's also the scholar of the group, and will be the one who receives special options when there're opportunities to find out info/exposition via book knowledge/lore/reading runes and ancient symbols/languages.

A notes regarding his special abilities: it says that he can Heal any time he's not in combat. In order to prevent this from being abused, I think we should limit this to just one Healing attempt per room (as in each time he moves to a different location), or maybe no more than once per section if you want to be more generous. Let me know which you'd prefer.

The Enchanter:

Forget the mundane arts of swordplay. You can use a sword if you have to, but your true forte is in the manipulation of occult powers of Sorcery.

Your special skills are more involved than those available to any other character because you have a host of useful and deadly spells at your command.

The combat spells available to you are as follows:

Volcano Spray Complexity Level one
Causes all enemies in the vicinity to lose one Die Endurance. This is a Blasting spell, so it cannot be resisted. The enemies' Armour Rating, if any, is deducted from the damage Die roll.

Nighthowl Complexity Level one
A Psychic spell that affects a single opponent. If the opponent fails to resist, he/she/it [even more inclusive than usual!] must make fight or shoot rolls using one Die more than usual (that is, on three Dice rather than two Dice) for the next four Rounds.

White Fire Complexity Level one
This Blasting spell strikes one opponent, causing the loss of 2 Dice+2 Endurance (less Armour Rating).

Swordthrust Complexity Level two
A Blasting spell affecting one enemy, who loses 3 Dice+3 Endurance; armour reduces the damage in the usual way.

Eye of the Tiger Complexity Level two
When this spell is cast, you can either add two to your Fighting Prowess and damage rolls or add one to the Fighting Prowess and damage rolls of everyone in the party including yourself. This lasts for four Rounds of combat.

Immediate Deliverance Complexity Level two
Used during a combat from which you wish to flee, this spell Teleports everyone in the party to the exit (if there is one). You are then ready to beat a retreat in the next Round.

Mists of Death Complexity Level three
All enemies in the vicinity lose two Dice Endurance if they fail to resist this Psychic spell. Armour gives no protection.

The Vampire Spell Complexity Level three
This Psychic spell can be directed against a single foe, who loses four Dice Endurance if he fails to resist it. Some of the vital energy he loses is channelled into you: your own Endurance is increased by half the amount he loses (rounded down). Of course, your Endurance still cannot exceed its initial score.

Sheet Lightning Complexity Level four
A powerful Blasting spell that inflicts 2 Dice+2 damage to all opponents in the vicinity. Armour protects from this as usual.

Ghastly Touch Complexity Level four
This is the only spell that requires you to be in an adjacent square to your intended victim. It is a Psychic spell that affects one opponent, who loses seven Dice Endurance if he fails to resist it - and two Dice even if he does resist it. Armour gives no protection.

Nemesis Bolt Complexity Level five
This highly focused bolt of energy strikes one foe, who loses 7 Dice+7 Endurance. It is a Blasting spell, so armour will reduce the damage.

Servile Enthralment Complexity Level five
This Psychic spell affects one enemy. If not resisted, it brings the enemy under your control. He/she/it simply stops moving and in non-combat situations may respond to your questions. If you order an Enthralled foe to fight for you (that is, against his own former companions), you must roll one Die: on a six he recovers his wits and attacks you. Enthralment lasts long enough for you to leave the vicinity, so you proceed as though you had slain the opponent in question.

You also have a number of non-combat spells. These include:

Summon Faltyn, which calls a sly, faerie creature to serve you for a time;
Prediction, which grants a glimpse into possible futures; and
Detect Spells, which informs you when magic is operating nearby.

There is no need to make Dice rolls to cast such spells because it will not usually matter whether it takes several attempts to get them to work.

Items:

• sword
• silver armour (Armour Rating two)
• money-pouch

Something the book doesn't mention in the beginning (but which will become clear after we use the spell for the first couple times) is that the Faltyn usually requires a price for whatever service we ask of it (we can refuse and dismiss it if we don't like the price it names, but sometimes the full penalty of the price isn't obvious when first named), and it's cunning enough that it will try to out-bargain the Enchanter so that sometimes, using the Faltyn to achieve a purpose may end up costing us more trouble than it's worth! (Of course, sometimes the Enchanter gets the chance to outwit it and come out on top.)

So finally, now that the character details are out, please indicate which character you wish to play as so that we can finalise on the party!

Posted: **Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:11 pm**

My first choice would be Sage (it looks like the most fun class) but I'd be willing to take another character if anyone else really wants to be a Sage.

Posted: **Mon Mar 30, 2015 8:39 pm**

I'd be game for enchanter. Figuring how to balance spells prepped and spell complexity should be interesting. Also detect magic!

Posted: **Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:35 pm**

I'll take the Warrior. I know he's going to be the least interesting, but I figure I can make up for that with IC pomposity.

Posted: **Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:26 am**

I'll be the Trickster, being kind of a prick and getting rewarded for it sounds great.

Posted: **Tue Mar 31, 2015 2:38 pm**

Alright, now that we have at least 1 player for each character, let's check out the stats:

WARRIOR

NAME: ???
RANK: 2nd

Experience: 250

Fighting Prowess: 8
Psychic Ability: 6
Awareness: 6
Endurance: 12
Damage: 1 Die+1

Items:
1 Sword
2 Chainmail armour (Armour Rating three)
3 Money pouch (10 gold pieces)
4 - 10 Empty slots

TRICKSTER:

NAME: ???
RANK: 2nd

Experience: 250

Fighting Prowess: 7
Psychic Ability: 6
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 12
Damage: 1 Die

Items:
1 Sword
2 Studded leather armour (Armour Rating two)
3 Money pouch (10 gold pieces)
4 Bow
5 Quiver (6 arrows)
6 - 10 Empty slots

SAGE:

NAME: ???

RANK: 2nd

Experience: 250

Fighting Prowess: 7
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 6
Endurance: 10
Damage: 1 Die

Items:
1 Quarterstaff
2 Ringmail armour (Armour Rating two)
3 Money pouch (10 gold pieces)
4 Bow
5 Quiver (6 arrows)
6 - 10 Empty slots

ENCHANTER:

NAME: ???

RANK: 2nd

Experience: 250

Fighting Prowess: 6
Psychic Ability: 8
Awareness: 6
Endurance: 10
Damage: 1 Die-1

Items:
1 Sword
2 Silver armour (Armour Rating two) [armour of any other material interferes with your magic]
3 Money pouch (10 gold pieces)
4 - 10 Empty slots

Before we start, there are still a few things we need to determine:

1) Battle Order. As mentioned earlier, this predominantly affects combat, so Warrior and Trickster are likely to be better-used at the front. but there are also other situations that are affected by this. For example, occasionally when the players make a non-character-specific option to do something, such as picking up an item/stepping through a portal/sitting down in a magic throne/etc, unless they specify which one of them does it, the character in the first Battle order will be assumed to have done the deed, and will automatically reap whatever benefits or punishments that result from it, so take this into consideration as well when you vote on the Battle Order of the party.

2) Death. Obviously, if the entire party dies during an encounter, we do what we usually do in previous gamebook LPs: rewind/retcon/restart. But what if only 1 character dies? By the book's rules, the player of the dead character will then take over the GM role and roll for the monsters, but that's not happening while I'm here.

There're a few ways I can think of to do this, but you guys feel free to suggest your own:

a) The character gets revived/resurrected after the battle/fatal encounter, we add a death-count to his character sheet, and just move on as normal.

b) The character gets revived after the encounter, but takes a penalty in XP gain at the end of the book for each death.

c) The character stays dead for the rest of the book, but gets revived at the beginning of the next one.

d) The character dies for good, and the player doubles as a 2nd/3rd player for one of the characters (this can happen for option C also till the end of that book).

Any other ideas on this?

3) And finally, as the first players to register, you guys get to pick your characters' names. And gender too, if you like. There's nothing in the book to indicate that the characters are of any specific gender.

---

And even though all 4 characters have been selected, new players are still welcome to join. The more the merrier! I'm still hoping the 2 remaining silent voters in the poll thread will show up (assuming that Darth, angel and Shiritai were among those 5).

Posted: **Tue Mar 31, 2015 3:14 pm**

I shall be Dame Caecilia Wither-Stoat (Kiki to my friends).

re:deaths, I'm for option c).

Posted: **Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:45 pm**

So turns out it's pretty difficult to find a picture of a dude in leather armor who looks even remotely trustworthy without being either a pansy in ruffles or a Forest Service mascot.

Benedict of the Crimson Spires, Honourable Duelist

Posted: **Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:43 am**

Enchanter Reed, Ninth of the Inverted Tower

As far as deaths go, I'd vote for either option A or C. A question about movement, though; does a move only adjust you one square?

Posted: **Wed Apr 01, 2015 2:08 am**

I just read the Enchanter's description again, and man, that silver armor thing is a remarkably distinctive piece of flavor.

Posted: **Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:32 pm**

Shiritai wrote:Enchanter Reed, Ninth of the Inverted Tower

As far as deaths go, I'd vote for either option A or C. A question about movement, though; does a move only adjust you one square?

No, movement isn't limited to 1 square. Moving close enough to attack an opponent, no matter how far, takes one round, as does moving to the exit, no matter how far.

BTW, is Reed supposed to be male? The pic looks a little ambiguous to me.

Option C is getting the most votes so far, so do you guys think the dead player still get the full XP (keep in mind that he'll be at a lower level in the next book if he doesn't)?

Also, no suggestions on Battle Order? Any volunteers to stand in front?

If there's no preference for this I will stick to the default format suggested by the book (1: Warrior, 2: Sage, 3: Enchanter, 4: Trickster).

Waiting on Darth's character and votes before I start.....

Posted: **Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:48 pm**

The default is probably fine (it suggests we expect to get jumped from behind at some point), although in a lot of games you wanted the thief up front for trap detection purposes.

Posted: **Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:27 pm**

SGamerz wrote:BTW, is Reed supposed to be male? The pic looks a little ambiguous to me.

Then my work here is done. I only regret that we're not using a more gender-ambiguous language.

As far as order goes, I'd think we'd want the trickster up front (highest awareness) and the warrior bringing up the rear, unless we end up fighting in a lot of 5-foot hallways. Movement doesn't sound like it'll be an issue at all, and there's no battlefield control.

Posted: **Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:58 pm**

My vote would be for option C, and to give any dead players full XP.

I'll write up my character after I get back from my classes.

Posted: **Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:04 am**

Seems like most of you are in favour of Option C, so that's what we'll be going with....

I won't have internet access for at least the next 24 hours, so I'll start the adventure now.

A few things to take note throughout the game:

Sage (Darth): As the healer of the group, healing is made at your discretion. I can't be deciding when to do that since you'll have to decide how many Endurance points to spend and how much of the regained points to distribute to each member, so please pay attention to your party members' health after combats. As mentioned previously, I won't be allowing unlimited heal attempts within the same section to prevent abuse.

Enchanter (Shiritai): As the book said, you can call spells to mind at any time during the game, and calling spells to mind outside combat saves you the trouble of spending 1 extra round to do so once fighting starts. You can decide to call any spell to mind (even more than 1) any time, but each spell you carry reduces your Psychic ability by 1. It's probably prudent to start calling spells to mind if you can anticipate combat coming in the next section, but again that's completely at your discretion.

Battle Order: angel doesn't seem to mind having the Trickster ("thief") up front instead of the Warrior, and nobody else said anything, so we'll start with Shiritai's suggestion for Battle Order: 1) Trickster, 2) Sage, 3) Enchanter, 4) Warrior. Battle Order can be changed any time when you're not already in combat, but again you guys need to voice it out, or I'll leave it unchanged.

Encounters/Combat: Obviously, it'll take way too long if I stop to let you guys vote on your actions round by round, so what I'll do is this: before every combat, I will post the map and the opponents' stats and any special rules for that particular combat, and then leave a couple of days for you guys to state your general strategies for your own characters (e.g. who wants to move forward and engage your opponent, who want to stick to defensive and let others do the damage, which spells you want to cast, and do you want to keep trying to cast the same spell until you succeed, etc) If something unexpected happens (like the enemy scoring a lucky hit and nearly kills one of you), I will decide at my discretion to change the strategy (like having that character disengage/defend for rest of the combat). I may also decide to change a character's action if, like having him switch to offensive, if I think it's likely to end the combat quicker. My priority at such times will be trying to let everyone survive the combat, unless the player stated otherwise beforehand.

Any objections to the above, please let me know.

Any now, finally, let's begin!

For the whole day now you have been approaching the smoke columns rising up vertically hundreds of metres from the flat plains of Krarth. The sky above is blue, cloudless and cold. A bitter wind blows across the dry, sere grass of the marshes and send sluggish ripples through the puddles of mire which occupy the low ground. The monotony of the landscape is broken only by the occasional stunted willow growing by black, muddy pools and meres.

Kalugen's Keep is a monolithic black citadel looming ahead of you. Hoping to reach its gates before nightfall, you curse the throng of peasants and merchants milling towards it. You jostle through them towards the citadel - this morning just an imperceptible speck across the bleak wastes, but now a monstrous edifice that seems to fill the horizon.

You know that you have only until tomorrow to find a sponsor among the magi of Krarth, for tomorrow battle will be unleashed in the pits beneath the citadel. Fame and fortune will go to the Adventurers - and their sponsor - who return from the labyrinthine Battlepits with the Emblem of Victory. If you find no magus who is prepared to sponsor you this time, you will have to wait through another long year for the next contest. A year through which the marsh waters will rise, drowning the land and the causeways leading to the citadel, rendering Kalugen's Keep impregnable. No one enters or leaves in that time except the magi on their flying carpets, and only in the mid-year can the citizens emerge to sow their fields with corn and rice before the harsh winter months begin again.

At last you manage to break through the gabbling crowds of the baggage train and ride under the grey blocks of the massive gate, its portcullis open like the maw of a hungry god. The dour streets are festooned with the flags of the magi - the one week of the year when this grim place is ablaze with colour, you reflect wryly - and street criers call out the glories of their lords. In the central square you see a booth where the magi's stewards are registering the combatants whom their masters have employed for tomorrow's contest. Each hero, or group of heroes, must take their sponsor's pennant with them into the Battlepits, but as you scan the racks outside the booth you see that only three pennants remain. Three stewards stand by the pennants. Three magi seek champions.

The stewards grin sourly as they see you eyeing the pennants. Over the years they must have engaged dozens of brave Adventurers on their respective masters' behalf - and how many of those Adventurers went down into the Battlepits never to emerge? You scowl back at them grimly, but they only smile the broader. They know you must choose one of the pennants. As you debate the choice, an old merchant wrapped in greasy furs and obviously the worse for drink sees you contemplating the booth.

If you ignore the drunken merchant and go over to the booth, turn to 452. If you talk to the merchant, turn to 69. If there is a Trickster in your group and he or she wishes to act, turn to 58. If a Sage wishes to try something, turn to 18. If an Enchanter wishes to try something, turn to 398.

And already, we face one of the many occasions where the Warrior is the only guy that doesn't get to do anything special.

So, you guys need to decide whether each of you want to do anything. I'll reveal this: some of the Special Character options may just give you some info and then leads you right back to the same section, where another character can act, but not all of them are like that. So other than deciding whether you want to do something, everyone should also vote who you think should act first. The order is important, because it's possible that Character B can still do something after Character A is done, but If Character B starts first, Character A may not get to do the same.

From the way the choices are worded, the party can't stop any individual character from acting if he wants to, so, say, the Enchanter wans to do something, the rest of the party can't force a party-wide decision (like speaking to the merchant) with their votes, but they can out-vote him by voting for another character to act first before him (providing the other character agrees).

Hope that all makes sense.

So...what to do (and who to do it)?

Posted: **Thu Apr 02, 2015 1:08 am**

"Pepito" Cascadero, Master of the Mystic Way.

Gave up looking for a picture of someone in ringmail, and just dug something out of my hordes of fantasy image folders. At the very least, I'm hoping this is androgynous enough to beat Shirtai, so I can declare victory in something. Androgynous priest/monk? Check.

I personally think that we should have the Trickster talk to the (literally) slimy merchant.

Posted: **Thu Apr 02, 2015 2:57 am**

I think the Trickster should take [action not specified].

Posted: **Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:11 am**

I'd want to try Prediction, and see if it might ever cut off options.

Posted: **Thu Apr 02, 2015 8:33 am**

Let's see what I can do.

Posted: **Thu Apr 02, 2015 2:17 pm**

Starmaker wrote:Let's see what I can do.

I second this. I can't think of any downsides of using ESP.

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 1:48 am**

Shiritai wrote:
Starmaker wrote:Let's see what I can do.
I second this. I can't think of any downsides of using ESP.

Unfortunately, Starmaker isn't the Sage, he's the Trickster. The Sage (Darth) voted for him, too.

Trickster wins by vote majority.

TRICKSTER:

Under the merchant's beer-stained fur jacket you notice a bulging money pouch. Being a Trickster, your thoughts naturally turn to theft.

If you wish to try to rob the merchant, roll two Dice. Your attempt at robbery succeeds if you roll less than or equal to your Awareness (turn to 121). If you roll more than your Awareness, then your attempt fails (turn to 181). If you don't want to try robbing the merchant, return to 1 and choose again.

Now that the Trickster's option is specified, does he want to go through with it?

This is the Trickster's option, so Starmaker's vote is the only one that really counts, but the other players are of course free to voice their opinions to see if they can influence his choice.

Note that the Trickster's Awareness is 8, so the test would be having to roll 8 or less on two dice.

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 1:56 am**

Let's go back and see what I can do. I don't want to risk getting caught by this guy, and Pepito can (presumably) just ESP this guy's ass (which would be my suggestion if it comes up as a Sage option here).

The Gaming Den

[Let's Play] Blood Sword I - The Battlepits of Krarth

[Let's Play] Blood Sword I - The Battlepits of Krarth