[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 22 - Robot Commando (Take 2)

[SGamerz]

The College of War is easy to find; it is a huge five-sided building built all of brick. If you have been here before, turn to 332. If you have not been here before, keep reading. A robot of unfamiliar design is standing in front of the building. You recognize it as a Karossean military robot. What will you do:

Attack immediately?
Try to pass as one of the invaders?
Leave before you are noticed?

[JourneymanN00b]

I say we try to pass as one of the invaders, as attacking immediately is probably not wise and leaving risks losing critical items or knowledge.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, try passing as one of them.

[SGamerz]

If you are wearing an enemy uniform, turn to 177. If you do not have a uniform, Test your Luck: if you are Lucky, turn to 199; if you are Unlucky, turn to 223.

We're not wearing their uniform, but either way, if it's possible to pass ourselves off as one of them, it appears that the Karosseans at least outwardly don't look too different from the people of our own planet.

Dice roll = 4 (Lucky).

Your gamble is successful. The enemy pilot has no reason to believe that any Thalians are awake, so he assumes you must be a friend. He ignores you as you go past him peacefully.

You park your robot beside the door and enter the College of War. You are alert for other Karosseans, but apparently the sentry outside was the only one. The halls and rooms are littered with beribboned generals, fast asleep.

Following the signs, you head for the library to see what you can learn. But, just as you get there, you hear a roaring sound from outside. Looking out of the window, you see three sleek fighter-planes hurtle down, sprout legs and turn into robots like the sentry outside. The Karosseans are arriving in force!

You quickly look around the room. There are several volumes on the counter, as though someone was trying to check them out just before the sleeping sickness hit. The books are too large to carry, and you have time to look at only one. Which title will you choose:

The City of Guardians?
Emergency Prodedures?
Karossean Military Robots?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Jason Scott
SKILL: 9/9
STAMINA: 20/20
LUCK: 9/10

POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)
Blue Potion
Luck Amulet (+1 Initial and current LUCK)

Notes: The ancient Karosseans would settle a tribal dispute by choosing champions - one from each tribe - instead of allowing a battle between the whole tribes. The reference number of the book that provides the above information is 111.

CURRENT ROBOT: DIGGER ROBOT ARMOUR 16/16 SPEED Slow COMBAT BONUS 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES: The digger robot can try to strike with the scoop-shovel. This is a clumsy attack (-2 to your roll), but if it succeeds, the foe takes 6 points of damage!

SAVE-POINTS/UNUSED ROBOTS FOUND:
DRAGONFLY MODEL D - section 1

[Queen of Swords]

Looking out of the window, you see three sleek fighter-planes hurtle down, sprout legs and turn into robots

"Transformers, more than meets the eye..."

As for the books, I doubt Emergency Procedures was written to take sleeping sickness into account, so it's either City of Guardians or Karossean Military Robots. I'll go with the latter.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for this City of Guardians, which sounds like a secret location.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to take the City of the Guardians book, as that seems more likely to give us needed information.

[SGamerz]

The book gives you the location of the City of the Guardians, the secret base that is the headquarters of the army of Thalos. The map reference is 22. Make a note of this number. Substitute it for 'XX' when you are given the option to visit the City of the Guardians. You may find another use for the map reference as well. For now, of course, you must deal with the Karosseans outside the building you are in！

You realize that you must leave quickly. Looking outside, you see that the Karosseans have entered the building. The fools have left their robots outside and unguarded, parked near yours, You spring out of the window and run for them. If you get back into your own robot, turn to 322. If you get into a Karossean robot instead, turn to 345.

This will count as a new save point if we choose not to take the Karossean robot.

Which robot do we prefer?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Jason Scott
SKILL: 9/9
STAMINA: 20/20
LUCK: 9/10

POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)
Blue Potion
Luck Amulet (+1 Initial and current LUCK)

Notes:
1) The ancient Karosseans would settle a tribal dispute by choosing champions - one from each tribe - instead of allowing a battle between the whole tribes. The reference number of the book that provides the above information is 111.
2) Map reference for location of the City of the Guardians, the secret base headquarters of the army of Thalos, is 22. Substitute it for 'XX' when given the option to visit it.

CURRENT ROBOT: DIGGER ROBOT ARMOUR 16/16 SPEED Slow COMBAT BONUS 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES: The digger robot can try to strike with the scoop-shovel. This is a clumsy attack (-2 to your roll), but if it succeeds, the foe takes 6 points of damage!

SAVE-POINTS/UNUSED ROBOTS FOUND:
DRAGONFLY MODEL D - section 1

[Queen of Swords]

Try the Karossean robot. It might be a better model.

[Thaluikhain]

Ooh, try enemy robot.

[SGamerz]

Laughing, you scramble into an enemy combat robot! The Myrmidon is the standard combat robot. It has two forms - humanoid and fighter-plane.

MYRMIDON
Human Form ARMOUR 12 SPEED Medium COMBAT BONUS +1
Plane Form ARMOUR 10 SPEED Very Fast COMBAT BONUS +1
SPECIAL ABILITIES: The Myrmidon can change shape - from humanoid to aircraft, and back.

The Myrmidon takes one combat turn to change forms. During that turn, the robot makes its normal combat roll, but if it wins, it does no damage to the foe- it just defends itself. If you are not in combat, the robot can change shapes freely, with no penalty of any kind, except that if the robot is in humanoid shape and has 2 or less ARMOUR points, it will fall apart if it changes to a plane!

The controls are unfamiliar. If you have read the manual to Karossean robots, turn to 322. If not, turn to 3.

Unfortunately, we didn't read the manual, although we had the chance to do so.

Because you are not familiar with this type of robot, you do not get the normal COMBAT BONUS with it - in fact, your SKILL is 1 less than usual while you use it. You realize that you had better get out of here while you can.

Ouch! Unfortunately, we're stuck with a penalty. At least being able to switch to a plane gives us a chance to Escape if we have to.

You are leaving the College of War. Where will you go:

The College of Medicine?
The Thalian Museum?
The Dinosaur Preserve?
Another city?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Jason Scott
SKILL: 9/9
STAMINA: 20/20
LUCK: 9/10

POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)
Blue Potion
Luck Amulet (+1 Initial and current LUCK)

Notes:
1) The ancient Karosseans would settle a tribal dispute by choosing champions - one from each tribe - instead of allowing a battle between the whole tribes. The reference number of the book that provides the above information is 111.
2) Map reference for location of the City of the Guardians, the secret base headquarters of the army of Thalos, is 22. Substitute it for 'XX' when given the option to visit it.

CURRENT ROBOT: MYRMIDON
Human Form ARMOUR 12 SPEED Medium COMBAT BONUS +1 -1 (due to unfamiuliarity)
Plane Form ARMOUR 10 SPEED Very Fast COMBAT BONUS +1 -1 (due to unfamiuliarity)
SPECIAL ABILITIES: The Myrmidon can change shape - from humanoid to aircraft, and back.

SAVE-POINTS/UNUSED ROBOTS FOUND:
DRAGONFLY MODEL D - section 1

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to try another city.

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, another city.

[SGamerz]

You are leaving the City of Knowledge...hopefully, wiser than when you came. Where will you travel now:

The City of Industry?
The City of the Jungle?
The City of Storms?
The City of Worship?

[Queen of Swords]

The City of the Jungle, to get the flower we need for the potion.

[Thaluikhain]

That makes sense, to the Jungle.

[SGamerz]

You are in the City of the Jungle. If you have been to this city before, turn to 349 immediately. If this is your first visit (no matter how many places you have already been in the city) keep reading.

This is a relatively small city, a home for explorers, gatherers of valuable plants and lovers of the wilderness. Wild dinosaurs often walk the very streets of the City of the Jungle. What will you do here:

Explore the city?
Explore the jungle?
Leave the city?

[Thaluikhain]

"If this is your first visit (no matter how many places you have already been in the city) keep reading". Hmmm?

Anyhow, city first.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, city first, then jungle.

[JourneymanN00b]

I also vote to explore the city.

[SGamerz]

"If this is your first visit (no matter how many places you have already been in the city) keep reading". Hmmm?

Looks pretty clear-cut to me. Why?

You decide to explore the city. If you explore the northern portion, turn to 16. If you explore to the south, turn to 225.

[Queen of Swords]

Random choice? I'll pick northern.

[Thaluikhain]

Well, if it's your first visit, then the number of places you've already been in the city is zero, surely?

And may as well go north.

[SGamerz]

Well, if it's your first visit, then the number of places you've already been in the city is zero, surely?

I thought it was fairly clear that the book is just making sure that the reader doesn't confuse first visit to the city with first visit to this section (which we will probably be referred back to again after we explore each location in the city), in case the reader mistakenly turn to 349 the second time he reads this same paragraph.

You turn north through the deserted city. You see few people lying in the streets here; thinking of the jungle so close by, you shudder. You fear you know what has happened to the people here. Then, rounding the corner, you see that you were right. A Nothosaurus is coming towards you, long tongue flickering. This dinosaur walks on all fours or swims in shallow swamps. It is both a predator and a scavenger. If you flee immediately, turn to 331.Otherwise, fight the creature:

NOTHOSAURUS ARMOUR 7 SPEED SLOW SKILL 9

If you kill the Nothosaurus, turn 51. If your own robot's ARMOUR is reduced to 0, turn to 279. If you Escape, turn to 331.

Both forms of our current robot are faster than the dinosaur. This means 2 things:

1) We can Escape if we want to (provided we don't wait till it's reduced us to 2 or less ARMOUR).
2) The bonus we get for being faster than it just about cancels out our default combat penalty of using an unfamiliar robot, making this a very even context and us holding a very slight edge in ARMOUR (provided we use the walker form, which I'm going to presume we do here, since we're already faster and flying gives no extra advantage in battle mechanics-wise).

So, do we fight or try to escape? And since our stats are close to even, do we want to use LUCK here for extra insurance? For extra damage output or reduced damage to ourselves?

[Queen of Swords]

I doubt we'll get anything useful by killing a dinosaur. Escape and try the southern part of the city.