Poor Ensign Chekov...


Lament the curse of Kirk. Lament it well. That group of shining young officers, with bright careers in front of them...were totally destroyed by serving under him. Think about it – in 2267, Ensign Chekov reports for duty as Kirk's navigator, a raw cadet aspiring to one day command a starship of his own someday. (That isn't me talking – that's the original concept for the character.) Thirty years later, as the Enterprise-A sets off on its final cruiser, Commander Chekov reports for duty as...Kirk's navigator. In a modern military, he'd have left decades ago for another posting. Uhura did even worse, if that is possible – two ranks in three decades, and still stuck at Communications. (You want to do a sensible re-imagining? Communications actually means 'Intelligence'. She's a spy.)

This doesn't only fly in the Original Series. In the Next Generation, Riker joins the Enterprise-D after turning down a command. Now, this isn't necessarily the career suicide it first appears – as it is made clear that he turned down a lesser posting for the more prestigious assignment. But he turns down numerous others to stay where he is, and twenty years later remains as Picard's understudy. In the follow-on novelizations, he ends up getting a command at last. The rest of the command crew fares little better – all of them still stuck in dead-end postings, when most of them by Nemesis should really have their own ships, or moved to other shore postings. Deep Space Nine was a bit better for this, but Voyager...poor Harry Kim.

I think what I'm trying to get at is that in the navy, command crews change. People are not assigned for set lengths of time and stay there forever. People transfer to other assignments, go off for training courses, get promoted into new positions. Yes, this doesn't happen every five minutes, but it does happen. No-one stays at the same rank in the same job for twenty or thirty years. I quite understand that there is a desire to see the same well-known characters everyone knows and loves in the roles they are accustomed to, but it has a tendency to stifle the character development which is one of the primary reasons for writing a series in the first place!

When I started the Battlecruiser Alamo series, it was with the knowledge that I wanted to make it as realistic a portrayal as I could, which meant getting the science right (thank you once again, Atomic Rockets) and also meant getting the military concepts right. Naturally, things change and evolve over time – the US Navy is a very different place today than it was a hundred years ago, with new roles evolving and old ones fading away. That's the great challenge – and opportunity – of science-fiction, of predicting how the mundane details change.

'Not One Step Back', the fifth book in the series (available at the end of February if all goes well) will be the start of a new 'arc', and yes – there will be some changes to the cast. Some people will be transferred, some people will be promoted, and new faces will appear. That's all part of the fun. Lieutenant-Captain Marshall will remain the commander of Alamo; that much is absolutely certain, and most of the cast will remain in their current roles...but some will change. And some will come on board. And some will leave.

Having said that...don't think that 'leaving Alamo' means 'never heard from again'. Because one of the other things I was determined to do with the series was make it bigger than the single ship, and that's something I am seriously working on for 2014, expanding the scope of the setting. There's a lot going on, with other elements of the overall series 'arc' that I've got projected for the next couple of years – and I'm going to need some of these characters in new places as time goes on. It will give a chance to see them in new and interesting lights – and allow for the creation of new characters, which for me is one of the great joys of writing!


Some More Inspiration...

Just a little look at the two shelves that are providing the bulk of my inspiration at the moment as I warm up for my new fantasy series...



Enterprise, Lieutenant Wesley Crusher of the Triplanetary Fleet, and the value of Frustration...

I've been asked on a few occasions the question that every author hates and fears – where do I get my ideas from. The traditional answer is some sort of stuff about 'inspiration and perspiration', and there are certainly elements of that, but another answer – on occasion – is frustration. More often than not, I am inspired to write because I've seen an idea done badly, or that there is something that has disappointed me and inspired me to do better. That's where the 'spark' comes from – the perspiration comes when I have to fill in the gaps and turn a one-line tag into a proper story concept, and later a novel.

First example – Battlecruiser Alamo itself, which really started with Enterprise. I actually looked forward to that show after Voyager; I suppose it's fine to admit that I am a huge Trek fan, and watched all the episodes until the middle of Voyager, and only stopped because I was without a television for ages. I even enjoyed Voyager – there, I said it. When Enterprise came around, I managed to get hold of a copy of the first tie-in novel, the Broken Bow adaptation, before it aired in the UK; I read it and enjoyed it. Then I watched it.

There's not easy way to say this, and I apologise to Enterprise fans...but it was not good. The next few episodes were worse, and though I am told that it improved later on, I do not know that for myself – as I have never seen them, and have no real intention of so doing. There are so many interesting things that Enterprise could have done, but that would have required originality and the willingness to take a little risk. Nine years later, I finally got the first of the Alamo novels down on paper – because I loved the idea of taking those first steps into the dark – taking them with some optimism, and seeing what was out there. The idea has evolved an awfully long way from that, but it is where the original seed came from.

Another one, this time a character – Quinn. This is a series about a spaceship we're talking about, and it needs a Chief Engineer. Though in this he is called a Systems Officer. I knew I wanted a distinctive character, and then I recalled a disappointment from earlier on...Wesley Crusher. Now I know what that should have been – they wanted a character that the late-teen audience could identify with, and that isn't that bad an idea. Make him a Midshipman or something like that, have the series show his development as an officer and as a person. That would have been an interesting arc to follow. Instead they turned him – with poor writing – into some sort of a know-it-all whizz kid.

And yet. That idea had legs. Except...what happens next? What happens to the whiz kid when he grows up? So I took the core idea – of a teenager piloting a starship. The Triplanetary Confederation is born in a massive war, it makes sense that they would draw crew from wherever they could, and if that sixteen-year-old is a good helmsman, why not use him? There's a war on, after all! (Especially if they don't know his age when he joins – a little selective hacking. One thing to say 'he's too young' when he turns up, another when he's been doing the job for six months.)

So the character concept and history – he spends two years at the war, serving as a low-ranked officer at the helm, then goes to school and returns to the fleet as an Engineer. Young for his rank, but still with ten years of fleet experience...and where does he go then, with the fleet all he has known for his entire adult life? There's a lot to play with there that I have hardly scratched the surface with, but I do know that 'Quinn' scenes are a lot of fun for me to write. Almost as much fun as the 'Espatier' scenes.


Naturally, this is not where it all begins. I think the Triplanetary series first began in my head at about age eight when I read 'Spacecraft 2000-2100 AD' and another book called 'Flight to the Stars' at about the same time...but that's another story...

Second try at the map...

I really wasn't satisfied with last night's attempt, so here is another try. Black and white looks a darn sight better in any case, and I prefer this batch of hex templates. Reaching a bit for the old Fighting Fantasy/Lone Wolf style...


A Little Sneak Preview


My first serious attempt with Hexographer...turned out pretty well, I think. Right now I'm trying to get a feel for geography...pretty much every name on the map except 'Giant's Teeth Mountains' and 'Greybarrow' is a placeholder...

Creating a Fantasy Setting: Religion

Historically, the issue of religions in fantasy gaming has always been somewhat controversial; the idea of characters worshipping strange gods has attracted all manner of attention over the years, though less so of late. (And sales decline as a result; perhaps we should start trying to attract such controversy again.) More to the point, I have always found religion to be the hardest part of setting creation, hardest to be original. What I have traditionally done in my games is divided into three categories by alignment; 'Law' is essentially early Christianity with some of the names filed off, 'Neutral' is nature worship and Druidism, and 'Chaos' is a collection of semi-random cults.

That was my starting point here, but I was determined to do a lot better than I had in the past. I briefly considered using a real-world pantheon, but opted to take new ground, and then decided that I would try and do something a little different. Law, Neutral and Chaos would still be the starting point I would use, but instead of using actual 'gods', I decided instead to go with the concept of worshipping 'primal forces', my spin on 'element worship', perhaps. Instead of having a pantheon of deities covering a different aspect of the world, there would be two 'elements' that would be engaged in constant battle for control. Magic and Nature.

Magic is the Lawful side; it seeks understanding, order, and logic in the universe. This heads down the 'magic as science' angle to some extent, but I think that works fairly well in any case; after all, there are rules for magic in the books, and it seems sensible enough that there are forces that regulate them, deep in the primal nature of creation. This also explains why clerics have spells, of course; clerics and mages are two sides of the same coin, with arcane and divine magic in this setting stemming from the same source. Wizards are more focused on experimentation and research, going deep into the primal forces and studying them for greater powers; Clerics on utility, on harnessing these powers for good.

The Neutral side remains Nature, exemplified by the Druids. They seek to maintain the balance of life, and worship the cycles of eternity, the ever-changing seasons, serving as the guadians of knowledge and wisdom of the nature of life itself. Humanity is a part of life, of course, and therefore they are not anti-civilisation as such; they simply recognise that there is far more to the world than just that, and that nature also must be protected and revered.

As for Chaos? Well, there are Daemons in the rules for a reason, and each has its cults and worshippers who seek to bring it into the world. They are dependent on their worshippers, and are therefore created of the fears, dreams of lusts of those who dare to conjure them, and the more powerful their worshippers, the more powerful the daemon. Some of them have influence on reality, breaking out of the hellish dreamscape they rule, and some are even strong enough to walk the world – and when that happens, devestation and death follows in their wake.


As for the other races? Well, Elves would follow the druidic code, almost certainly, but their interpretations would be different enough to amount to a religious schism; and their magical abilities would mean that some 'heretics' would follow the worship of magic. Dwarves, I think, are Elementalists – they believe in the power of the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and revere them in their own way. Halflings have ancestor worship, celebrating great heroes, and Gnomes are divided between the Elements and Magic. I'll break this all down more accurately before play begins, but this is where my starting point is for the present.

A Little Bit of Research

Preparations are still ongoing on my next project, starting in just a week's time. I always like to start a new book on New Year's Day; with a bit of luck I will be spending the whole day writing. I've picked up a few fantasy fiction books for the purposes of research from Noble Knight; fingers crossed they will arrive sometime early in the new year, which will permit me to review them for the blog. What are they, you ask? Mage's Blood and Old Bones, Maze of Peril, and Black Festival. All books I've been meaning to pick up for a while in any case...looking forward to reading them. It's been a while since I ordered from Noble Knight, but I've always had nothing but a great experience with them, so I'll flag that here...

Whither Clonan...

I have a feeling that almost every Robert E. Howard fan – certainly every one who has ever put his hand to writing – has wanted to write Conan. Now, the estate of Robert E. Howard has some quite legitimate complaints about people doing this, unless sanctioned by them, naturally (and that particular market has dried up somewhat over the last few years as the pastiches fade away – a pity, as some of them are actually rather good – which means that the only remaining option is to create a new version, a 'Clonan'. Again, some of these are pretty good – I've got an extremely soft spot for Brak the Barbarian, for example. Naturally enough, this is something that has occurred to me as I warm up to starting my 'project x' on New Year's Day.

There is a secret to making this work, and it is quite simply this. Don't write a Clonan. Write your own character, using similar themes and ideals. The concept of 'civilization versus barbarism' is as real today as it was in the thirties; I could make an argument that the dichotomy is even starker now than it was then. The themes still hold good, and there are still plenty of stories to be told along those lines. I still think that there is room for a hero of this type, and yes, I use the word hero. I believe that people want to root for the protagonist of a book, and frankly...it's what I enjoy writing about.

Because here we come to the core of writing, and it is simply this. To paraphrase Nelson – extensively – 'No writer can do very wrong if he is writing about something he finds interesting'. (The original is captains firing on enemy ships, but I still think it works.) I've had a good year, and it's a year that has given me the belief that I can continue to do this for the foreseeable future, but I'm in this to write stories I want to write – because I think that shows through. I don't hold any great regard for 'write what you know', because I've never actually commanded a starship in battle (dammit) nor lead a band of barbarians to war (dammit again).

When I was seriously thinking about taking up writing, I read a lot of books on the theory of writing, and in all honesty, I didn't find much of use there. Maybe I was simply unlucky. One piece of advice I did get that I have adopted was 'write what you have on your shelves'. Essentially, it was recommended that you should take a look at the books you own, and to write in those genres, rather than to chase around going for what might be 'popular'. Try and write in a genre you don't know, and it will show. Write a genre you know and love, and you will have a knowledge of what has been done before, what works and what doesn't, and of the sort of stories that you want to write. Perhaps it is as simple that any writer is a synthesis of all the writers he or she has read in the past. That I would not choose to say.

I'm in a bit of a retrospective mood at the moment, and in the process of making some key decisions about what I'm going to do next year. About all I will commit to at this exact moment is that I'm not making these decisions based on profitability or market trends. Those come into play after I've written the book. I'll base it on the books I want to write next year. It's as simple as that.


Assuming I can work out exactly what that is, of course...

Creating a Fantasy Setting: First Concepts

I'm a gamer. This much must be obvious by now; and I've decided that I want to run a new OSR campaign in the New Year; I've decided to use the remaining days of 2013 to prepare the setting I will be using for my fantasy-related projects next year. You should know that I am terrible at putting things down on paper. The 'Triplanetary' setting of Battlecruiser Alamo mostly exists in my head, I fear...I keep meaning to take some time to write it down, but there's always something more urgent. Though I do intend to put some more bits and pieces down next year, about which more later. With a campaign, I rather need to do better – and perhaps give a little window into my design process....

I know this setting will follow the standard D&D tropes in at least three ways – room for all the character classes, room for the demihuman races – so there are Elves, Dwarves and so on – and of course magic will be a factor. Monsters as well, though I intend to use the traditional approach of 'proscriptive campaign creation'. Click on the link; jrients describes it a lot better than I could, and it's something I always follow when I am starting a new campaign. Any role-playing book is a toolkit first and foremost, designed to provide choices rather than constraints.

Whenever I create a setting, the first thing I do is to work out what I want to place in it. Here I'm just going for a list of bits and pieces, settings I want to see. I'll work out where they fit in relation to each other later. I do know that for a very long time, I have seen in my head a book cover where a longship of the Viking style is drifting between icebergs in the frozen wastelands of the north, so there is going to be an ice-swept sea. That's absolute and guaranteed. And people to crew them, so these wastes will be inhabited, as will the coasts.

I want 'barbarian wastelands'. Principally because I'm old-school enough to like the idea of a 'Keep on the Borderlands'. No problem there; wherever there have been borders throughout history, such things have existed, from the Welsh Borders to the forts that dotted the Old West of the United States; and I've often thought that is actually a good model to adopt. Definitely this is a setting for high adventure, so I'm going to establish a string of them along a 'border'.

I know that this is enough of a fantasy setting for there to be some sort of magic, so...let's have them controlled by wizards, and knit them into a loose alliance, independent of the kingdoms they are protecting. Conflict is good, and the more I can throw in, the more seeds I have for adventures and stories. They need to be defending a natural border, so mountains are the obvious choice; these lands now have big natural borders on two sides – icy ocean to the north, mountains to the – let's say – west. (If you want to see what they look like, either watch Lord of the Rings or go to New Zealand.)

Now, what are they defending? I think there need to be two answers to this question, because I want a variety of nation-states here, and it would take some effort to set up the border forts and establish a magical nobility to garrison them, so the original answer was some sort of continental empire. It fell, perhaps in a civil war, and now the lands are in a Dark Age, the greatest levels of knowledge and magic gone, a few tattered remnants surviving. Some sort of 'Magical Roman Empire', though perhaps looking a little more Egyptian. I can keep the details vague for the moment.

As for today, I know that I want a Druidic Kingdom that uses Rangers as 'Knights', so that needs to be a fairly major player. One of my favourite ever setting elements in any fantasy RPG is Port Blacksand, so I need an equivalent of that here as well – presumably once the 'Rome' of this setting. A remnant empire sounds like it might be fun, so that's going to be dropped in. I'd guess they are in conflict with the border wizards. Pockets of barbarian settlement in the northern coast as they slowly begin to settle in a Saxon/Viking style in the north could be interesting places to visit.

I know I want a 'Port Blacksand', and anyone who recognizes the name will know why. A fallen Roman Empire needs a Rome, of course, and this is a nice fit for it; I think the population levels elsewhere are low enough that it's the largest surviving city, and a 'country' in its own right. There will be large areas that aren't really governed at all, as well – lots of space in between the countries. I want a bit of a 'Wilderlands' feel – plagues and other curses have really hit the population here hard.

As for the demihumans? Well, I think they are largely integrated. Elves I think have their own enclaves in the deep forests and high mountains – being a magical race, I can see them being hit hardest by the fall of the Magical Empire. Probably split into several different factions, even sub-races. Dwarves would probably have their own kingdom, isolationist and xenophobic, so let's put that in. Halflings? Well, if you read any set of D&D rules, they're damn ninjas! They live in human settlements as a seedy underclass. Gnomes – see Elves, but probably worse. I need to think of something good to do with them. The half-breeds? Yes. Which means Orcs, but then I need bad-guys, and they are traditional. For the moment – they exist. I will work out what to do with them later.

So, the early stages of a structure have formed, albeit subject to change. I think I've made a good start; more later.

Sorry for the delay...

My apologies to my readers; I've had a hell of a month so far. My Dad has been in hospital for the last two weeks having a knee replacement, and one thing after another kept him in days and days longer than he should have been – and a fifty-mile trip on public transport each way to go and see him...however, he is out, everything went well, and I can now look forward to a nice Christmas break before beginning work on <mystery project>. I'm trying to work out a more definite schedule for next year than I managed last year – I can tell you know that as long as people keep reading them, Battlecruiser Alamo books will continue to come out, probably one every three months. I already have covers for the next two...

There will be more gamebook reviews, hopefully as soon as tomorrow – I've got quite a lot to get through, and I want to get back to that, but I don't think I can face the Sorcery! Series again for a while. My adventurer has probably settled down and built a house by now on the shores of that lake. I've picked up the 'Golden Dragon' series, and I never actually played those back in the day, so that's something I want to try and get through in what is left of this year.

Oh, other news – I've reactivated another old blog of mine to chronicle my Warhammer 40k adventures, at http://battleforceabomination.blogspot.co.uk/ I'll probably be keeping the two blogs seperate, but I thought I'd mention it.


That's it for today, better posts to come in the morrow! 

Sorcery 3: The Seven Serpents (Playthrough)

First of all, I apologize for my tardiness in getting to the third book of the Sorcery! Saga; my father has been in hospital, and while everything is going very well, it has taken up all of my time for the last week. However, things are settling down now, and I am in a position to launch myself into the fun that is the 'Seven Serpents'. I still think that my character is a bit bonkers. He's left the safety of Khare – yes, safety – and is now wandering around the wilderness. I do have a few useful items, notably the Silver Serpent Ring, which allows me to force any Serpents I meet to give me useful information. That sounds suspiciously like a 'must-have' item. In bad news – I'm still half-wounded. After the Shamutanti Hills, I was restored to full health prior to entering Khare. This time, I have not had that luxury.
Taking a deep breath, I walk out into the Badlands and am immediately attacked by Nighthawks. I look around, wondering again whether I could just go back home, but decide to draw my weapon and attack these evil miscreants. Fortunately, they turn out to have the combat prowess of a Great Tit, so I am busy swatting them when an Eagle arrives to bring me a telegram from Analand that basically tells me that the King told his golfing buddy about the mission, who told his tennis partner, who told his barber, who told his brother the taxi driver, who told his wife...essentially, the Archmage now knows that I'm coming. Sigh. Apparently he will send his Seven Serpents to get me. Other than that, everything's fine, and why haven't you got the Crown back yet.

I walk back to the walls of Khare, hitting my head on them until the pain stops. Then I turn east again (see, I know where I'm going now) and set off on my quest. I sit down to eat some of my provisions – that's half of them gone already, not a good start – when a tree tells me that some guy I've never heard of can be found at some place I've never been. I shrug and head for him – and he offers me food! Good in that I get Stamina back, bad in that I could have saved my rations. Not only do I get to spend the night in his cave...for free...but he tells me that each of the Serpents has a weakness I can use. The Air Serpent turns into a puff of gas, so all I need to do is turn on my wind machine, and...yeah. Presumably this will be useful later on. He gives me his horn and then sends me on my way. I think it's a spell component, so I drop it in my pockets with all the other junk.

I go about three steps when I fall into a pit, faced with a hideous beetle! I get in a good hit, and find out that it is a Giger-Beetle, with acid for blood! Not being Ripley, I stand back and pelt it with the magical darts I got in Khare, not wanting to have to touch the damn thing. Walking over its corpse, I take its treasure. Stone dust. Sigh. No gold, provisions, magic. It's 'loot' is a pile of dust. Shrugging, I take the dust, stuff it into my pockets, and set off down the trail again.

Soon I find another monster lurking in the shadows, this one luring my in with a hypnotic gaze. It's another Deathwraith, but I still have my silver arrows, so success for me! After wasting three arrows, I find out that it is just a guy playing a practical joke. Being a hero, I threaten to beat him up unless he tells me everything he knows. Turns out he doesn't know anything, but he gives me money, a chakram, and some yellow dust. Then he dies. It wasn't me, honest guv! I swear it wasn't me!

Nope, it was the first of the Serpent, the Moon Serpent. I know what you are all thinking. Yes, I thought it too. Remembering the ring, I demand of him his secret, and he tells me. No, I won't tell you, it's a secret, but here is a hint – it has a number in it. I have a feeling that's going to come in handy. Then I get to fight it. With fire, because apparently it sits and waits for me to make fire with a tinderbox. Either it is as slow as a snail, or it is too busy laughing at me to fight. Presumably that's what gives me the big bonus, but I manage to kill it with three blows, collecting a Crystal Orb. Huh. That was easy...worryingly so.

After killing the serpent, I head north until I see an Elven caravan, and wanting food and shelter, I approach, offering the money the fake wraith gave me. I get a cup of herbal tea, some funny soup and home-made bread, but it costs me more than half my gold, and I suspect that I am being thoroughly fleeced here. I smell a trap brewing, but what the hell, at least they've fed me first, and I can hold on to my one remaining Provision. Mental note – set up a fast-food place in the Shamutanti Hills with my reward money. Definitely worth it. What do you mean, what reward money? That damn King...

I put on my one-man stand-up comedy act, which has the Elves in hysterics – apparently they love Goblin jokes. As a reward, I get half-rates at their store, and one item for free! Who knew it, comedy is the way forward. Maybe I can slay the Archmage with a well-placed Knock Knock joke. Of course, all the items on sale are numbered. I then find out he will take anything I will offer him on a successful Skill roll. I have a lot of junk in my pockets and a Skill of 11. Let's start with the stone dust. Which is worth nine gold, apparently. The green wig? Six gold. That useless compass? Seven gold. I've basically tipped my pockets out onto his counter and come away with everything in his shop – an axe, four (!) meals, a pendulum, chainmail, and a pearl ring. Success. This has been a fantastic encounter, and I even stay the night – though I am almost out of money again, as they won't accept trade for that.

Heading off in the morning, I stop to eat Provisions as a wind picks up, and for the first time, I don't worry about running out. I have more food than I have ever head, even if my pockets are stuffed full of rubbish. I spot a dust devil, but ignore it – heading on into the wilderness. I guess I still have six serpents to find. I spot a two-legged creature, and immediately worry that it might be that damned Minimite back again. Nope, it's a gnome with a serpent-shaped stick. Worse. I decide to give him my horn, and she immediately turns into a female sorceress, who offers me the use of her stick. Strapping it to my back, I thank the gods for my luck – it's basically Serpent Kryptonite. After a short walk, I find that I have left the Baklands...that didn't take long.

There's a nice, pleasant village ahead, and I quake in fear. Turns out they are barbarians, eating a rat on a stick. I hope they don't charge me much. Oh, they want me to fight a duel with their leader. No problem, I can do that. I've got an effective Skill of thirteen now. Even with my broken sword; with a good one, I'd be on fourteen. I get scratched, he gets dead, and I leave the village at once. I stop for a rest in the Forest of Snatta, regaining my lost Stamina after the meal of roast god-knows-what in the barbarian village, and set off in the morning, remembering my axe that cuts down everything. Lying around, I find enough nuts and berries for two more meals...my god, I've learned how to live off the land! (Actually, this is pretty pleasant so far, after the insta-death attempts after Khare. No sign of any more Serpents, though.)

Oh wait, here's one. A little snake, crossing my path. I follow it to a tree, and look up, immediately suspicious of shenanigans. Then the tree explodes into fire. Sigh. Another Serpent. I hold up my ring and smirk, and he tells me his secret, before I attack him. It's a damn tough battle, but I win by the skin of my teeth, and I continue on into the forest. Two Serpents down, five to go. I eat some Provisions, and then am attacked by a bear – I guess he wants my picnic basket! Another pitched battle, but despite some terrible rolls, I manage to kill the beast.

Reaching the shores of a vast lake, I settle down for a nap, and in the morning, try and find a way across. There's no sign of a boatman or anything, but I wait, and wait, and wait, and finally realize that I don't know how to get across. My adventure, apparently, ends here, with me waiting on the riverbank. Sigh. This was close to a book-toss, I must admit, but I set out to finish this series and I'm going to. I will figure that my character – as he isn't dead – just walks back to Khare and decides to start again from there, keeping all his kit. So this one has a Part II, like the last...

My Character
Skill: 9/11 (+2)
Stamina: 7/17
Luck: 11/11

Gold and Treasure
2

Equipment (Provisions: 5)
Sword (Dented, -1 to Skill)
Bow and Silver Arrows
Key, Numbered 111
Key, Numbered 206
Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 to Attack Strength using a Sword)
Chain
Unreadable Scroll
Poison
Essence of Bark
Silver Serpent Ring (130 in Book 3)
Medicinal Potion
Tinder Box
Snake-Bite Antidote
Yellow Dust
Chakram (Can throw at enemy before battle, test of Skill)
Crystal Orb
Hewing Axe (227, Book 3)
Brass Pendulum (93, Book 3)
Pearl Ring (124, Book 3)
Secrets of the Baklands (203, Book 3)
Chainmail (153) - +1 to Skill, 1 in 3 chance of reduced Stamina loss
Serpent Stick
Glass Vial to affect the Sleepless Ram

Bonuses, Penalties, Curses
Four guards guard the entrance of Mampang.
Eat not from the larder of Throg.


Sorcery 2: Khare, Cityport of Traps (Playthrough, Part II)

Well, here I go yet again. My character – probably sighing and shaking his head – has made his way all the way back to the main gate of Khare, no doubt swearing when he realizes that he doesn't have the key that would allow him to simply walk through again...because for some reason, probably absent-mindedness, he's decided to walk out of the city back towards Analand. Maybe he got drunk. Who knows. Anyway, I get thrown back into my old cell, and astoundingly, the crazy old man is back again. No sign of my boots, though.

I'm not sleeping this time...which means my Stamina is down to a pathetic seven, and something I need to worry about – though given the paucity of fights I experienced last time, probably not too much. Finding a shop in this city that sells food – and swords, come to that – is a bit of a top-priority for me. I've got gold...but nothing to spend it on! Walking back into the city, I immediately come across a fight. Sigh. This is not a Zombie, but a Living Corpse. Pretty soon it is an Unliving Corpse, and some passing Gnomes toss me five gold pieces. Shame they couldn't have tossed me a sandwich instead.

After the battle, I see some poachers doing something with a pig – deciding to avoid it, I press on. Frankly, I want to get into the Badlands...and a poacher isn't going to have the spell I need. Unless he did. Oh, damn it! It is then I realize that I had the third line all along. Written on a sheet of paper. It didn't make any sense before...but that damn beggar had it. Smacking myself on the head, I at least console myself that I am only scouring Khare for one damn missing line. I have two of the three numbers – this being Fighting Fantasy, I'm trying to put together a three-digit paragraph number – and they are two and four. Presumably in that order, as I got 'two' very early on, and 'four' right at the end. Likely the number I am looking at is in the middle. I'm feeling confident.

Walking to a fair, I take a look at the dancers, and decide to join in. Apparently random passers-by can jump onto the stage and boogie...and it actually gives me a Stamina point! Then I get another one. This is great! Unfortunately all that rubbish in my pockets then leads to a problem. To get out of the dance, I have to roll equal to or more than the number of items I have, or lose stamina. So that's thirteen to roll on two dice, then. Sigh. I'm going to try – and count a 'twelve' as a win. Unsurprisingly, I collapse to the ground...down to four Stamina points.

Staggering away, I go and watch a fight between an Ogre and a Barbarian, on which I am invited to bet. I decline; money isn't a problem right now. I'm offered the chance to fight the Ogre myself, for fifteen gold – and if I had more than four points of Stamina left, I'd probably do it as I outmatch him, but I don't think it's worth taking the risk. Not with only one line to find! Instead I go into a Fortune Teller's tent, only to find that I've spent two gold to play Fantasy Deal or No Deal. Yes, I roll a dice and take whatever is in the box. Sigh. At least I can Test My Luck to improve my chances. I end up with a pair of magical darts...excellent. Feeling tired, and badly wounded, I head for the docks again, and spend the night at the Inn. Of course, the innkeeper tries to kill me again. Sigh.

I got seven Stamina points overnight, so I'm back to fighting trim again, determined to get that last line. It must be around here somewhere. Leaving the inn, I head down a long street, hoping to at last find some shops. Instead, I find a gang of hooligans on the street, and being a truly sensible person, run like hell down a side street until I find sanctuary in the hut of a Gnome. Who has stuff to trade! Wow! And I need one of them badly – it will apparently take me to the last line of the spell. An Enchanted Compass – it must be mine! I manage to swap it for my Gold-Backed Mirror, and off I go! Only to find out it will take me to the damn beggar. Sigh.

Bored, I head for some Gambling Halls. Nobles go to casinos, don't they? It's about all I can think of. No luck; just a couple of games, so I try my luck...and win ten gold pieces on my second try! Fantastic! That's more like it...and leaving the halls, I find a market. Selling things. Like Provisions!!!! And a Sword!!! At last, someone in this damn city that is selling stuff. I'm down to six gold, but with two sets of Provisions, bow and silver arrows, and some stuff that will be needed in the Badlands – snake-bite antidote and a tinder box. This looks very promising. Though I have a sneaky suspicion that I'm going to have to go around Khare yet again. I decide to try the crypt again – maybe that was the place...and sure enough, there is a Deathwraith for me to fight. Thank Libra for the Silver Arrows making the battle fairly short.

And He Had The Last Line! I now have the combination...and I think I can be excused for going right to it, as I'm just bypassing the beggar and the idol. Paying the guards a bribe, I yell out the spell...which I am not going to repeat here...and the gates open! I've made it through!!!! Racing out into the Badlands before the guards can stop me, I do a little dance. Before realizing that I've abandoned myself in one of the most dangerous parts of the world, left what passes for civilization, that I am still half-wounded and mostly-broke, and that the next book is called 'the Seven Serpents', which sounds a bit ominous. Still, I have lived through Khare, and my pockets still loaded with worthless crap, I stride off into the future...

My Character
Skill: 10
Stamina: 11/17
Luck: 11/11

Gold and Treasure
2

Equipment (Provisions: 2)
Sword
Bow and Silver Arrows
Key, Numbered 111
Key, Numbered 206
Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 to Attack Strength using a Sword)
Chain
Enchanted Compass
Green Wig
Unreadable Scroll
Poison
Essence of Bark
Silver Serpent Ring (130 in Book 3)
Medicinal Potion
Tinder Box
Snake-Bite Antidote
Two Magical Darts (Inflicts a hit on a Test of Skill)

Bonuses, Penalties, Curses

Friendship of Flanker (79 in Book 2)

Sorcery 2: Khare, Cityport of Traps (Playthrough, Part I)

Well, here we go again! The Cityport of Traps awaits. Quite why I simply couldn't go around such an obvious deathtrap is a bit of a mystery. I get the impression that this is not dissimilar to the legendary Port Blacksand in many ways, and I've always found this one a bit of an intriguing title. My adventurer managed to get through the Shamutanti Hills without too much trouble, the second time, and I have an awful lot of numbered stuff to enjoy – including the friendship of Flanker. My Luck is pretty high, though I could do with a new sword to replace the one I dented back at the witch's hut – then I'd have an effective Skill of 12, which would be excellent. (Once again, this will be spoiler-heavy.)

Happily, I have a key I can use to get in...nice start. That my character manages to forget to take it with him after getting into the city is probably not such a good thing, but hopefully I won't need it again. Gulp. I spot a building with an old man, and deciding to be friendly, I step in to say hello. Naturally, I am quickly captured. Great. I'm thrown in a cell with another old man, who says that I need a spell to leave the city...but not being a wizard, this is pretty bad news. Fortunately, he knows a lot about this, and gives me a pretty full briefing. I need to find four lines of the spell, held by some of the 'leading citizens' of the city. Let's hope they keep office hours.

After a good – if hungry night's sleep, as I am out of provisions – I wake up to find that the guards have released me and the old man. Naturally, he's stolen my boots – which does not stop me chasing after the git. I make chase and stumble into a pack of Black Elves sitting around smoking pot. I sit down with these stereotypes and take a deep drag myself – it's been a long day, and my feet hurt. It turns out to be good stuff – I get an extra point of Skill for my next fight! Astoundingly, the potheads know nothing of any interest, so I stagger back out onto the street.

Stopping at a fountain, I come across a silverfish who starts to talk to me, guarding a gold coin. He says, “Bwrthhrs”, which I suspect is fish for “Burp!”, and I have no intention of risking life and limb for a single gold; I have a crown to recover, after all. Continuing my obsession with the animal kingdom, I then walk over and try to talk to a horse. When it fails to speak to me, I leap on and ride it down the streets, letting it take me where it thinks I should go. That turns out to be face down on the street, and I have a choice of huts to explore.

I choose to visit the 'Chainmaker' – god knows what sort of stuff he is selling for people; presumably Khare has a thriving S&M community. I toy with buying some chain, and eventually decide to – it might come in handy later. Apparently I can use it to finish off wounded opponents; that could come in handy later. I follow my nose to a pleasant smell, and come across a nightmarish tentacled horror cooking some sort of snack. Yes, in Khare Cthulhu is a short-order chef. Following my usual pattern, I try to steal his stuff, and scare the poor thing sufficiently that I can take everything he owns – a mirror, a scroll and some gold. Loot in my pocket, I leave again...and stumble across my old friend, Flanker the Assassin, who I almost killed a few days ago. He seems fine now, though, and offers to take me to a sage who might be able to help. Success!

I travel to the house of Lortag the Elder, and am invited into his study. Turns out he has a line of the spell, but I have to decode some runes to earn it. Blind luck sees me through here, and I get the first line. And a green wig? Weird. Celebrating, I head for Artists' Row, and take a look at a man making different sorts of fires. He invites me into his hut to see his 'special' fires. I have a sneaky suspicion this will end poorly, but follow him in anyway. He has a chest that I could try and steal – if I wanted to walk across fire to do it. I end up just complementing him on his pretty fire and going on my way. I have to say – thus far Khare seems remarkably tame. Few attempts on my life, and I'm only down a pair of boots.

Onwards through some twisting streets, and I find a human who seems really lonely. I see a good deed for the day coming up – slaying this obviously evil person! I go in, sit down, he offers me a drink, and of course, it is poisoned. Something I learn after taking a nice swig. Fortunately, I have yet to call on Libra in this book, so I can tick off that box, and she just kills him. I end up with gold and some stuff – good work, goddess! Thanks! My pockets are getting crammed with useless junk right now, and I still need a sword... I stumble across a church, holding a prayer meeting – apparently they worship Slangg, the Goddess of Malice. Nice. After a Monty Python reference, I get asked a mathematics question to determine my 'worthiness'; if I get it wrong, I end up a Slangg worshipper. Apparently Slangg only wants worshippers who can't count. I can count, and answer his riddle. Though disappointed, he gives me another line of the spell! Half-way there...excellent.

I really feel as if I am getting somewhere with this book, it's actually a really good experience. Satisfied with my prowess, I find a seedy dive of scum and villainy to stay the night at, called the 'Wayfarer's Rest'. It's a bit pricey, but I have the money, so I buy food and board – and a helpful sailor even buys me a drink! Excellent. He tips me off that to get more of the spell, I need to fight undead. That sounds like fun, so I go along with his suggestion. Turns out that one of the lines is held by a Vampire, and presumably I'm going to have to pay him a visit. I go to bed, and start to get a good night's sleep, only to be woken up by the innkeeper, who attempts to murder me. Guess I'll be giving this place a bad review on Tripadvisor. I am apparently to be 'dinner', but I disarm his trap – and he lets me go back to bed! More amazingly, I go back to sleep again.

Waking up the next morning, I set off onto the road again to find the other half of the spell. I go to look at a monument, which turns out to be the entrance to a local sewer. Sigh. Luck is not with me and I am thrown in by the locals, for whom this is 'sport'. Someone really needs to set up some youth clubs or something around here if this is what they do for fun – hang around sewer outlets waiting for passers-by they can throw in. Well, I stink now, and have to find my way out. Maybe I'll find some spells down here; I know there are smells. Naturally, there is a monster – a Slime Eater! Fortunately, I still have that bonus from the pot I smoked yesterday – I haven't done any fighting in Khare until now – so I have a major advantage.

It takes forever to get out, but I finally emerge in a graveyard, battered and bruised. Hmm – graveyard? Vampire? This sounds promising. I head for a crypt, leap over a magical circle of presumably instant death, and get my chain ready as I head into the gloom. I am asked very carefully if I want to press on – so much so that I decided to leave again. I've come too far to leave now, and I remembered that this is the wrong crypt; it belongs to the Fifth Lord, I wanted the Third. No help here. I leave the middle of the city heading north, and come across another blind beggar. Last time I helped one, it really paid me back, so let's see what happens this time. Turns out I get attacked by Harpies. Great. At least they turn out to be easy kills – I wasn't even scratched. The beggar – somewhat relieved, says he was once a Lord of Khare. Of course he was. He tells me to go to the Temple of Courga, and gives me a silver serpent ring for the Baklands, for Book 3...so again, giving to the poor pays back!

 I find the temple ahead, and look around inside, but there isn't anyone there. After kissing the icon inside for quite some time, the god tells me that I haven't got enough of the spell to get out, and with the Gate just ahead, he is quite right! The book tells me to go back to the beginning and try again. Sigh. Well, at least I'm not dead. I guess I go back to paragraph 1 and take another try at it, tomorrow...

My Character
Skill: 10
Stamina: 12/17
Luck: 10/11

Gold and Treasure
16

Equipment (Provisions: 0)
Sword (Dented, -1 to Skill)
Key, Numbered 111
Key, Numbered 206
Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 to Attack Strength using a Sword)
Chain
Gold-Backed Mirror
Green Wig
Unreadable Scroll
Poison
Essence of Bark
Silver Serpent Ring (130 in Book 3)

Bonuses, Penalties, Curses
Friendship of Flanker (79 in Book 2) – 244 (111), 110 (222)

Sorcery 1: The Shamutanti Hills (Playthrough)

Well, this month I'm doing a batch of playthrough/reviews of classic gamebooks – as a part of my 'warm-up for fantasy' period – and I've decided to start with one I had really fond memories of from my childhood, that in many ways was the quintessential 'Fighting Fantasy' book for me – the 'Sorcery!' series. This consisted of four books, all of which following the adventures of a hero wandering the lands of Kakhabad in a bid to recover the Crown of Kings from the evil Archmage who has stolen it.

A few rules here – I'm going to be playing the same character all the way through in a bid to complete this adventure. Will I even get through the first book? Well, that remains to be seen. I will treat the end of each book as a 'save point', so if I die in the middle of book 3, I will only need to return to the start of that book, not the entire series. That would take years, potentially, and be somewhat repetitive.

Let's see who braves the first book, and ventures into the Shamutanti Hills. Skill...8. Oh, god. This one is going to be difficult. Stamina 19, a totally average roll. Pray for Luck. My prayers are not answered. My Luck is 7. Wow, is this guy the best they could send on this adventure? There are two options here – to play as a Warrior or a Wizard, with a wide array of spells – all the run-throughs I've seen have play as a Wizard, so I'm going to be a bit different and play as a Warrior. Libra help me. I start with two Provisions and twenty Gold Pieces; that's something I guess. So here I go. (Lots of Spoilers, BTW)

My character is given bread and goat's milk as his last meal. At this stage I'm wondering if the Archmage is recruiting. I am apparently a 'worthy champion'...they have really low standards, it seems. A short walk beyond the 'Great Wall of Analand' that defends the kingdom from raiders I find...a sleepy little village. Selling me goat's cheese. What is it with the goats? At least a wandering beggar gave me a page from a Spell Book. Pity I'm not a Wizard...

Finding a quiet spot to rest for the night, I spot some fairies dancing among the trees. Being a weakling, I opt to hide...and my Luck actually is with me! I manage to hide from them and get a good night's sleep. In the morning, I set off, heading into dense undergrowth, and ominously I have to Test my Luck again. This time I am not so lucky, falling head-first into a pit and waking to see a group of head-hunters dancing around me. I am, apparently, dinner – but I pray to Libra, and she puts their fire out with a rain storm, allowing me to escape. So far I am surviving on blind luck and divine inspiration; this does not bode well.

Fleeing into the undergrowth, I manage to stumble across a bear – and making soft, soothing noises, I try and inch my way around it, continuing my non-violent approach to heroism. This fails. It turns out to be a Skunkbear – ouch! I actually have a slight edge on it for Skill, but it's stink gives it an advantage. I'm rather badly hurt, but I win! Guess I am a champion! I've killed a large skunk. I just hope that all the other enemies I am to face are of similar calibre. Blundering into a small village, where the locals seemingly ignore my odour, I get a room for the night, and a combination of food and a soft bed brings me back up to full Stamina. I hope I was able to get a bath, as well.

Walking down the lane, heading westwards – because I momentarily forgot I was supposed to be going east – I stumble across a hut. I get the option to 'leave well alone', but despite being tempted, I entered. Inside is a pretty woman in a cage; now, I've read enough fairy stories to know that she must be an evil witch, so in the cage she stays! Heroically I loot the cabin – but get only 2 gold pieces, and am cursed for the loss of 2 Skill points. Well, I was right about her being a witch, but...crap. Good as dead in a fight with anything with arms.

On to another village. For the 'dreaded badlands filled with danger', there are a lot of sleepy villages around. I see a group of hill-folk talking in a group, and to join them, it seems I must put down my weapon. That can't go wrong, can it. As it turns out, peace is worth it! I get back two Luck points...but then I make a rude remark and have to flee the village, leaving my sword behind. I now have an effective Skill of 2! Mental note – in future, speak to no-one. I camp for the night, jumping at every animal sound and insect. Fortunately, no wandering monsters attack. Just as well, I'd only have harsh language to throw at them right now.

Another village – a leper colony! I can't afford to be choosy, and most of them could probably beat me in a fight, so I talk to them. And catch the plague. This adventure is going great. Cursed, unarmed, and now diseased. Analand really chose well when sending me out. Leaving, I manage to befriend a little sprite, and much to my surprise he doesn't mug me. Probably I don't have anything worth stealing. He takes me to yet another village, where I visit a Crystal Fountain, in the desperate hope for healing. Naturally, this tourist attraction charges; I pay and enter. It works! I am cured of the plague! Still cursed, though. And I get ripped off at the inn.

Leaving the village, this time I remember I'm supposed to be heading east. My sprite – a Minimite named Jann, assures me I am on the fastest path to the village. I trust him. That is a mistake – I am then killed by the Black Lotus. Crap.

Well, that first attempt was a disaster. Time for Take Two. My new adventurer has Skill 10, Stamina 17, and Luck 10; I conclude that the first one was a decoy, as in the film Spies Like Us. More goat's milk as I set out again, this time with a spring in my step of one who might actually have a chance at getting to Khare, the start of Book 2. Once more I set forth on the road, heading to buy more goat at the first village. Sigh. Last time I took the low road, this time I take the high road, camping on top of a ridge. My blissful nap is disturbed by a Werewolf! My last character would have died almost instantly, but this time I kill it – though it got some blows at me first.

Walking on into the hills, I find some Goblin heads on a stick. Lovely. This is a warning to go no further down a path – but there two paths, and I have no idea which one I shouldn't travel down. Sigh. If I knew, I'd avoid it. I go right, hoping I've made the right call. I probably haven't; there are a load of Goblins working a mine up here, and I seem to have walked into them. I can slip into the cave to see if there is anything worth taking – I think it is probably worth a try. Inside I find a Goblin sitting behind a desk. A desk. What, he's doing his taxes?

The resultant fight is over quickly; my LibreOffice outdoes his Excel. He had a Key around his neck with a number on it – resisting the temptation to go to that paragraph, I press on into the dungeon. Typically shoddy Goblin craftsmanship – the damn roof falls on me, and then I stumble into a pit. Finally I get some treasure – fur-lined boots. What the hell are they mining here? Still, the road goes ever onward, and I find somewhere to spend the night.

The next morning, I head out again, and have to choose whether to get a lift from a cart or give alms to a beggar. No choice – I pay the beggar. The driver would have probably got lost, or tried to feed me more goat, or something. My reward for this generosity is a key, with a strong hint that it will be needed in the next book – and I have two of these keys now! Success for me! My head held high, I walk on, heading for some woods. I have a feeling I know what is coming. I am mildly curious what will happen if I help the witch...maybe the Goblin's key will help. It doesn't, so I use brute force. It opens with the first smash, but I blunt my sword in the process.

She wants to help me? I can get help in combat or a magical item. Tough call, but I go with the help in combat – and get Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery! A bonus to my attacks when using a Sword – brilliant! Suddenly I feel as if I really have a chance this time. Then she gives me gold...and summons a Wood Golem to attack me. What the hell? You just gave me a weapon bonus, then unless evil monsters on me. Sigh. To be fair, the resultant combat is quick enough that I suspect she just wanted some firewood. She could have asked.

I spend the night in another village, and set off early in the morning. This time I avoid getting the plague, and walk onwards, finding the same bloody sprite that led me to my death last time. I don't get the option to swat him, and put up with him on my shoulder. I get ripped off at the inn again, and this time avoid the Black Lotus, instead being challenged on the road by a tall guy. I just hope he doesn't have a flesh wound. Talking fails, so I fight him instead. Apparently, beating him to a pulp earned his friendship – now a guy named 'Flanker' will help me in Khare. I seem to be warming up nicely for Book 2. I must almost be at the city by now...

I see an old woman who invites me in, offering some tea. Naturally, I switch my mug for hers when she isn't looking. This was, however, what she was expecting. Fortunately, I have the missing page from her Spellbook, and I don't get turned into a newt. I get the opportunity to ditch Jann...but he might be useful, and I don't cast spells anyway – which he would prevent, so I keep him. The road leads me to a man-orc village, where everyone seems distressed. Maybe a sing-song? Apparently the chief's daughter needs to get married...oh, God. I've seen this episode of Red Dwarf. Too late...

Accepting my fate, I get a good night's sleep, and am woken with bread and milk brought in by the chief – who seems a nice guy for a prospective father-in-law. Breakfast in bed – even if it is in a cell! Apparently he wants me to fight a demon. Well, why not. What's the worst that can happen, huh? I get dumped into a dungeon, and start looking around. And fall into a snake pit, and have to call for help from Libra; fortunately this character hasn't burned that option. The snakes form a ladder, and I climb it to safety! Taking the other path, I find the lost girl! Woot! Now I just need to escape.

And there is a Manticore in the way. This looks bad. It's tougher than me with a nasty sting attack – but with a single Stamina point remaining, I win. I just hope there are no more problems waiting for me, or I am dead. A sharp stone could do it at this point, but this has all the hallmarks of 'end of level boss'. It is! I have saved the girl, and don't have to marry her – and get yet another key, as well as another point of Initial Luck! With a fatter pouch of gold and three keys rattling from chains around my neck – and that git of a Minimite swatted by a local priest, I make my way to the gates of the Cityport of Traps, Khare...but that's another story.

That was great. An excellent romp, and I loved it. These Sorcery books really had everything that made Fighting Fantasy great, with the extra additions of a wonderful adventure to boot. I'm already looking forward to Book 2 – but while I completed this one back in the day, I never got through Khare, so trepidation awaits....

My Character
Skill: 10
Stamina: 17
Luck: 11

Gold and Treasure
15

Equipment (Provisions: 0)
Sword (Dented, -1 to Skill)
Key, Numbered 111
Key, Numbered 206
Key, Numbered 12
Fur Skin Boots (Borrinskin)
Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 to Attack Strength using a Sword)

Bonuses, Penalties, Curses
Friendship of Flanker (79 in Book 2)

Clues and Notes