[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 17 - Appointment with F.E.A.R. (Take 2)

[Darth Rabbitt]

The laboratory seems more likely to have some important plot information we’ll need later.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, let's try the lab.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, labs just seem more interesting

[JourneymanN00b]

Sure, I also vote to look at the laboratory.

[SGamerz]

You quickly change into the Silver Crusader and rush to the Peter Laboratories. It is near the centre of town, annexed to the nuclear physics department of the university. When you arrive, you are sent straight upstairs to the third floor, but told to be careful. A group of students and professors are huddled by the stairs. You are told what has happened. Four Alsatian dogs which were being used in dangerous radiation experiments have escaped from their cages, They are locked in a room down the corridor and are barking wildly. Although they should not be radioactive to the touch, their bite could be lethal, should their saliva enter an open cut.

If you survive this episode, you may award yourself 1 Hero Point for each of the dogs you capture, but you must deduct 1 Hero Point for each person who is bitten by a dog. If you have:

ETS, turn to 328.
Energy Blast, turn to 306.
Psi-Powers, turn to 105.
Super Strength, turn to 237.

It actually sounds like an interesting mini-game to keep track of how many people get bitten as you cry to subdue what is basically equivalent to 4 rabid dogs, but the lethal bite thing doesn't sound good at all...

You concentrate hard from outside the door and will the dogs into submission. Their frantic barking dies down as your power reaches them. When all seems to be calm, you open the door and step inside. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 401. If you are Unlucky, turn to 213.

Ack, not LUCK test again, that precisely what we don't want! Why can't it be a Skill test?

Dice roll = 7 (Unlucky).

Two dogs are not fully under your control. As you step into the room, they push past you and rush into the screaming crowd outside. Your first duty must be to deal with these beasts.

First RADIATION DOG SKILL 7 STAMINA 5
Second RADIATION DOG SKILL 6 STAMINA 5

Fight them one at a time. When one of the dogs first rolls a higher Attack Strength than you, turn to 31. But before you do, note this reference, so you may return here afterwards. If you defeat both the escaped dogs, turn to 247.

The fact that we are told to note down the section number indicates that being bitten is at least not an immediate Game Over, so that's something, I guess.

If our LUCK wasn't so crummy, I might have stopped for votes on whether to use LUCK to increase damage and speed up combat, but I think that's more likely to hinder than help at this point. On the bright side, it does seem like we can persuade the dogs to "give in" when their STAMINA drops to 2 or less like most normal combats, since we're not told otherwise, so we need to hit each dog just twice to subdue them.

COMBAT LOG:
Radiation Dog#1 12, Silver Crusader 14. RD1 is at 3.
RD1 11, SC 15. RD1 is at 1 and is subdued.
Radiation Dog#2 8, SC 14. RD2 is at 3.
RD2 10, SC 17. RD2 is at 1 and is subdued.

Terrible rolls all round, but our SKILL gap ensures us the flawless victory...

You must now return to the Lab to fight however many dogs remain.

...godammit!

Fight however many dogs are left, one at a time:

First RADIATION DOG SKILL 7 STAMINA 5
Second RADIATION DOG SKILL 6 STAMINA 5
First RADIATION DOG SKILL 7 STAMINA 6
Second RADIATION DOG SKILL 7 STAMINA 7

Each time you are successfully attacked by a Radiation Dog, roll one die. If the result is a:

1, 2 or 3 - The dog cuts you with its claws. Lose 2 STAMINA points.
4 or 5 - The dog knocks you back into the wall. Lose 2 STAMINA points and deduct 1 from your Attack Strength next round.
6 - The dog bites you. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, you suffer 3 STAMINA points of damage, but survive. If you are Unlucky, the wound is fatal.

If you defeat the dogs, turn to 350.

In case you are wondering, yes, we'd have to fight all 4 dogs no matter what. The only difference in the LUCK test earlier is that only 1 dog manages to get outside, and any dog that scores a "knock-back" attack on us while we're fighting them outside gets to bite an innocent bystander, which costs us Hero Point. Considering Hero Points bring no actual material benefits in terms of gameplay (not counting our house rule), there's practically zero difference in the results of that last Luck test, since either way we need to fight all 4 dogs 1 at a time.

COMBAT LOG:
Radiation Dog#3 16, Silver Crusader 18. RD3 is at 4.
RD1 14, SC 16. RD3 is at 2 and is subdued.
Radiation Dog#4 12, SC 19. RD4 is at 5.
RD4 14, SC 14. Tie.
RD4 12, SC 18. RD4 is at 3.
RD4 15, SC 21. RD4 is at 1 and is subdued.

You are congratulated by the crowd for having averted what could have been a disaster. Note the Hero points that you have scored, deducting 1 point from the original 4 for each bystander that was bitten by a dog. As you leave the University, a crowd of autograph hunters has gathered outside. Will you slip out the back way to avoid them and make for home, or oblige by stepping out to face the crowd.

Do we crave the fanfare and spotlight?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Jean Lafayette
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 15/23
LUCK 5/7
Super Power: Psi-Powers
Hero Points: 7
Clues:
1) A young boy, Timothy Grant, known as the Brain Child, has extremely vivid dreams which seem to come true In certain instances. He lives on 100th Street.
2) Daddy Rich, an eccentric millionaire who has everything money could buy, gets his kicks by murdering innocent victims and revels in their fear. He has very expensive tastes and lives in a penthouse apartment at 113, 58th Street.
3) Man wearing gold watch is trying to keep some dark secret from the Silver Crusader that involves a pawnbroker's shop that is next to a diner.
No. of failures thus far: 0
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Avoid.

Also, as well as having no provisions to regain stamina, a chance of insta kill makes those rather scary. Do they escaping dogs have a chance of insta-killing us, or do they just eat bystanders? If the latter, would be better to fail the luck test.

[Queen of Swords]

Oblige, just to see what happens.

[SGamerz]

Also, as well as having no provisions to regain stamina, a chance of insta kill makes those rather scary. Do they escaping dogs have a chance of insta-killing us, or do they just eat bystanders? If the latter, would be better to fail the luck test.

The insta-killing chance is exactly the same (if they bite us, and then we roll a 6, we must pass another Luck test or die).

Failing the luck test isn't better. It makes no difference, unless you mean "deliberately forgo the luck test altogether to save a LUCK point". I don't think that's allowed in FF Luck tests most of the time unless the text specifically tells you that the Luck test is optional. In this case, it wasn't.

[Thaluikhain]

I'll change my vote to a half vote to avoid a tie.

[SGamerz]

The crowd cheers as you walk down the steps of the building. You are surrounded by energetic hands thrusting pieces of paper at you. You have signed a dozen or so autographs when your ears prick up. A cry is coming from a few doors down: "Stop! Thief!" Sounds like a job for the Silver Crusader! You break through the crowd to investigate.

And of course, the crime continues to follow the Superhero around...

Quick as a flash, you spring into the shop ready for action. It is a small sweets, candies and tobacco shop. The proprietor, a Mr Kalvin Farquarson, is standing behind the counter in a state of shock, his head buried in his hands. You shake his shoulders and tell him to pull himself together. He composes himself and stammers: "Terror! The little terror...! Pulled a gun...grabbed everything on the counter...and ran out through there!" He points through the shop to what is apparently the back door. Will you race for the back door to stop the thief before he can get away, or will you grab something to use as cover first?

So, someone decided to risk robbing a small candies and tobacco shop within earshot of the local Superhero who's probably already making himself known when he was signing autographs in a crowd and being the centre of attention. That robber must have a really strong tobacco/sugar addiction to think the gain is worth the risk.

Also, I think the illustrator wasn't paying attention to the text. The robber is apparently some "little terror" (if that means a kid, I guess that explains why he robbed a candy store), but the picture shows the described robber to be bigger than the proprietor.

[Queen of Swords]

Assuming the "little terror" had a gun, I don't think there's anything in the candy store which can stop a bullet, and if this is actually a child, maybe the gun is a toy? Regardless, race for the back door to stop the thief.

[Thaluikhain]

Oh, this is one of the parts I remember, so I'll avoid voting.

[SGamerz]

There seem to be only 2 active players at the moment, so we might as well proceed:

You fling open the back door and your eyes scan the dirty yard outside. In the far corner of the walled yard is a pile of boxes and you can make out a shoe protruding from behind them. If you have ETS and wish to use a gadget, turn to 402. If you wish to use Psi-Powers, turn to 209. If you wish to use Energy Blast, turn to 344. Otherwise, turn to 232.

This isn't an automatic usage check, so we can in fact choose not to use our Superpower. Do we want to?

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, use Psi-Powers.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Let's use our powers.

[SGamerz]

You send a powerful submission blast of mental energy towards the figure behind the boxes. An anguished scream sounds from the thief. The foot twitches, then rests motionless. You step carefully over to investigate.

You grab the unconscious thief and pull him out from behind the boxes. As he slides out into the daylight, you gulp. This little villain can be no more than nine years old! You may well have hurt him badly! In his right hand he clutches his booty - a half-eaten Goo Bar. Desperately, you shake him, and eventually his eyes flick open. He is terrified to see you and you scowl at him sternly. But secretly you are relieved that he is not seriously hurt. You pick him up and march inside the shop.

So apparently "everything on the counter" turns out to be just a single Goo Bar. That shopkeeper deserves a kick up the ass for exaggerating the case.

After giving the young boy an earful, you send him on his way. Then you turn to the shopkeeper. You are furious! You had thought that this was a serious robbery, not merely a youngster's prank to steal a bar of candy. The cowardly shopkeeper has wasted your time. You may gain no Hero Points for this capture, but you must lose 1 Hero point if you knocked out the young thief. In fact, if you did knock him out, you had better get moving quickly before any of the passer0bys find out what has happened. This is just the sort of thing that your critics will pick up on. Will you leave quickly, or would you like to give the shopkeeper a piece of your mind first?

I actually kind of like this minor trap encounter, although I do think it might have been better if the text clarifies what the hero was intending to do with his power precisely. The penalty isn't a harsh one, and if vigilante superheroes do exist, then I'd say this is a kind of issue they may realistically face: being too hasty and end up causing more damage than the issue warrants. And as I said previously, the shopkeeper's description of the culprit's size and the location/type of shop does somewhat hint at the nature of the robbery. I'm not sure whether the mismatched picture was a deliberate attempt to mislead or mistake/misunderstanding on the illustrators part, though.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Jean Lafayette
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 15/23
LUCK 5/7
Super Power: Psi-Powers
Hero Points: 6
Clues:
1) A young boy, Timothy Grant, known as the Brain Child, has extremely vivid dreams which seem to come true In certain instances. He lives on 100th Street.
2) Daddy Rich, an eccentric millionaire who has everything money could buy, gets his kicks by murdering innocent victims and revels in their fear. He has very expensive tastes and lives in a penthouse apartment at 113, 58th Street.
3) Man wearing gold watch is trying to keep some dark secret from the Silver Crusader that involves a pawnbroker's shop that is next to a diner.
No. of failures thus far: 0
[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

So was the shopkeeper flat-out lying when he said the thief pulled a gun?

Anyway, this was a fiasco, so let's just leave.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Yeah, I'm guessing the shopkeeper is just a hero point sink and staying will just lose us more.

[Thaluikhain]

You can see why this is the part I remember from this book.

I don't remember what happens next, and the text did suggest we leg it, so leave.

[SGamerz]

So was the shopkeeper flat-out lying when he said the thief pulled a gun?

If you'd stayed to give the shopkeeper a piece of your mind, it's revealed that the kid had a water gun.

You make your way home and spend the rest of the night relaxing in front of the TV after the day's excitement. You may add 6 STAMINA points for the rest. The next morning you leave for work early. You travel by bus. As the bus enters Radd Square, you notice a disturbed crowd in the centre of the square. Something is happening! At that very moment, your Crimewatch sounds! You hold it to your ear and hear its message: 'COWFIELD DAIRY.' FAST. Quickly you get off the bus. Will you investigate the disturbance in Radd Square, or will you follow your Crimewatch's instructions and head towards Cowfield Dairy, two blocks away?

What kind of job do we do that we can afford skip work entirely the previous day and now are probably going to do so again the very next without even once having to call our boss to make up some excuse?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Jean Lafayette
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 21/23
LUCK 5/7
Super Power: Psi-Powers
Hero Points: 6
Clues:
1) A young boy, Timothy Grant, known as the Brain Child, has extremely vivid dreams which seem to come true In certain instances. He lives on 100th Street.
2) Daddy Rich, an eccentric millionaire who has everything money could buy, gets his kicks by murdering innocent victims and revels in their fear. He has very expensive tastes and lives in a penthouse apartment at 113, 58th Street.
3) Man wearing gold watch is trying to keep some dark secret from the Silver Crusader that involves a pawnbroker's shop that is next to a diner.
No. of failures thus far: 0
[/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Investigate the disturbance.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, investigate.

[SGamerz]

Radd Square is one of Titan City's most pleasant areas. On a sunny day, the cool sprinkling of the fountain is refreshing and the blossoming cherry trees make it a picturesque place for the locals to eat their lunch and chat. The crowd you have noticed has gathered round the fountain. You change into the Silver Crusader and step over to see what is happening. As you arrive, you hear a piercing scream and panic suddenly hits the crowd. They turn and flee from the fountain. You rush forward to see what is happening. Rising out of the water is a huge figure, some four metres high. Its vast, bulky shape is green and scaly. It opens its huge jaws and leans forwards, snatching a fleeing woman and holding her high. You leap up to fight the creature. If you have Super Strength, turn to 272. If you have Psi-Powers, turn to 326. If you have Energy Blast, turn to 367. if you have ETS, turn to 404.

So what exactly was the crowd looking at before the monster came out?

You concentrate first on the creature's mind. Nothing happens. You are not sure it even has one. Then you try a different approach. You will the water to heat. It starts to steam and the great creature feels the heat. It roars loudly and drops its victim into the fountain. The woman is unconscious and bleeding badly. You must return the water to normal temperature straight away. After doing this, you face the creature:

FOUNTAIN CREATURE SKILL 10 STAMINA 11

When you inflict your fourth hit on the creature, turn to 65.

This is one of the tougher enemies in the book. Even though the odds are still in our favour, it may do some serious damage if we're unlucky...

(And once again, although there's no reminder from the book, I'm assuming that we lose 2 STAMINA for using our power.)

COMBAT LOG:
Fountain Creature 14, Silver Crusader 17. FC is at 9.
FC 14. SC 21. FC is at 7.
FC 19, SC 19. SC is at 17.
FC 17. SC 19. FC is at 5.
FC 17. SC 19. FC is at 3.

Well, we were lucky, that wasn't as bad as it could have been.

As your fist lands a mighty blow on its chest, something rather unexpected happens. The creature disappears! Along with the bystanders watching the fight, you stare in disbelief.

An old man is attending to the girl in the water and another has gone to phone an ambulance. "What is happening to the world?" he asks. "Where does a creature like that come from? I have never seen anything like it before, except in my worst dreams. It's this new-fangled technology, I think. Creates super weapons in space and monsters on earth. Bah! Sometimes I'm glad my time will soon be up. But Crusader, thank you for saving us. We all owe you our lives." You can add 2 Hero Points for defeating the beast. You still don't know where it has come from, unless the old man has given you a clue. If you wish to try an address, add the street number to this reference to get there. Otherwise turn to 71.

Do we know where to go from the old man's clue?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Jean Lafayette
SKILL 11/11
STAMINA 17/23
LUCK 5/7
Super Power: Psi-Powers
Hero Points: 8
Clues:
1) A young boy, Timothy Grant, known as the Brain Child, has extremely vivid dreams which seem to come true In certain instances. He lives on 100th Street.
2) Daddy Rich, an eccentric millionaire who has everything money could buy, gets his kicks by murdering innocent victims and revels in their fear. He has very expensive tastes and lives in a penthouse apartment at 113, 58th Street.
3) Man wearing gold watch is trying to keep some dark secret from the Silver Crusader that involves a pawnbroker's shop that is next to a diner.
No. of failures thus far: 0
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

To Timothy Grant, add 100 to this reference and hope he doesn't live on a huge street.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Yeah, this is presumably the work of Timothy Grant, so off to 100th Street.