Fangs of Fury

Background - 

The United Nations Headquarters, New York, 1989.

Representatives from every country in the world are in attendance, their little flags sitting on desks in the amphitheater as the semi circle auditorium faced down the raised dais in front of them.  Sitting at the long table were representatives from another place entirely.  

They looked human from a distance, but if you looked carefully enough there were tell tale signs something was off.  Hair would shimmer, eyes with no pupils, proportions slightly too long.  These were representatives' from Tau Ceti.  Before them were legal documents that they had already signed.  Secretary General Cuellar approached the table and put his signature to the documents.  When he had finished he raised the paper up above his head.  The room burst into applause, including a polite ripple from the visitors on stage.  The start strider accords had been signed, the fighting would be over.

Later that day in a secluded non descript meeting room the Secretary General walked in and took a seat.  He pushed the paper across to the three people sitting opposite him.  Philippa, Ian and Luke Sharp.

Secretary General "You already know what it says."

Ian "Yes, humanity will deactivate all star striders and destroy the technology after the visitors have returned home through them."

Secretary General "When all of them have gone home!"

Luke "So I get to go home?"

Philippa "Not quite yet, I take it they agreed to article 7, sub paragraph 13B?"

The Secretary General let out a long sigh "Yes even sub paragraph 13B."

Ian "What's sub paragraph 13B?"

Philippa "Luke here will only return home after he completes one more Fighting Fantasy book."

Luke "You have got to be kidding!?"

Secretary General "No we are not, I do not think you understand how powerful the Puffin organization is.  But this is the price of your freedom, and the price to stop a hopeless war between our peoples."

Luke has his hands covering his face before muttering "Fine!"

With that the Secretary General stood and shook all their hands before leaving, Philippa on his heels.  

Ian stood up and slapped Luke on the back.  "Going to miss you when you are gone Luke, maybe you can bring Fighting Fantasy to another galaxy?"

The look Luke gave him suggested to Ian that this would not be the case.

Fangs of Fury is the fourth and final entry in the series penned by Luke Sharp (Alkis Alkivades), released in July 1989.  His previous entries have been mixed to say the least.  Star Strider and Chasms of Malice were not the best but Daggers of Darkness was a definite improvement.  Hopefully the improvement trend continues and we get a good one here.  I know I have played this one before as I remember the cover clearly.  But saying that nothing else is coming to me, maybe memory will jog during the playthrough.

Covers -

This cover is wild!  No wonder I remember it.  I don't know what the main creature is.  He looks like a different coloured Orc.  Maybe one of those elite orcs from Caverns of Malice.  But lets mention the giant two headed fire breathing snake that he is riding!  Fire is most certainly the theme.  Glowing fire sword, snake breathing fire.  And even this little guy - 

Premise - 

It is not the best start.  Just as I step out of a line to volunteer I remember the number one rule, never volunteer.  My fellow troops are all sniggering as Captain Laski guides me through the inner chambers of a besieged citadel as I hope that its something mundane like water detail or an extra watch.  That would make a great gamebook, citadel of water detail.

I am taken to King Elidor and his 12 wizards who are studying a large dusty map which is being cleaned by the chancellor Snuffserk.  Captain Laski proudly announces he has found a volunteer.  

The king says "step forward brave warrior" and already I know this is a disaster as it must be dangerous if the King is addressing me so.  One of the Wizards then asks if I have been informed of the situation.  The Captain then lies completely saying we were told just how dangerous and hazardous the mission is but I am unable to contradict an officer.

The mage introduces himself as Astragal!  Nope we are out, this wizard (Khul's Yaztromo) is nothing but trouble!  All wizards are nothing but trouble and I am now surrounded by 12 of them!  We are in the Citadel of Zamarra which under siege by the forces of Ostagoth the Grim.  For the purposes of this playthrough since I just said Under Siege, Ostagoth will be played by Steven Segal.  Sorry getting distracted.

The reason for the attack on the small kingdom is specifically to kill all the wizards (good).  Why?  Because in order to conquer the southlands of Khul all the good wizards must be killed.  With help from the evil enchanter Jaxartes, Ostragoth has waited seven years for the wizards to gather in one place to strike.

So why have they gathered all together in one place to allow this to happen?  Well Astragal points out of the window to one of the six stone sentinels.  Massive dragon statues that breath fire direct from the Fangs of Fury and can destroy any evil force with the speed and viciousness that are undreamt by mortals.  But alas they are not breathing fire now because the flame has been extinguished by a traitor!

He then gives me a small torch which all twelve wizards have put their combined power into.  If the torch is used correctly it can relight the Fangs of Fury.  But Jaxartes will know about the torch through the traitor and will do his upmost to get his hands on it.   Beware the black cloaked figures, his mage warriors who he will probably send to get it.

The volcano lies in the land of a strange religious sect, the Wazarri.  Not much is known about them but they supplied the original flame for the dragons so will probably be help.  But beware, no other may carry the torch to the furnace.

My task is to break through the siege lines and head North to the volcano called the Fangs of Fury.  I must go into the depths at its very core and thrust the torch into the white hot inferno.  This will reawaken the dragon sentinels.  But Jaxartes knows all this as well so the volcano will be guarded by fell beasts.

As Astragal pauses for a drink the King pipes up.  He believes that a single person has a better chance of breaking through the siege lines rather than a host of knights, and most of the knights are already known and easily spotted.  He gives me a chance to refuse the mission and for some reason my red shirt says nothing.  

Astragal is back and hands over four small black cubes.  Each one is capable of absorbing white hot heat.  But they will disintegrate after use.  They only have four but he tells me to look out for more.  I am also given some plain armour to replace my livered jerkin when a shifty looking wizard called Morgrek approaches.

He places a bracelet on my wrist and tells me that it will glow each time one of the 14 walls of the citadel falls to the enemy.  If all 14 fall it will kill me as well, so do not try to run away.  If I succeed the bracelet will open and I can sell it for a fortune.  Astragal is clearly not happy but thanks Morgrek anyway.  Yeah thanks Morgrek, you dick.  Clearly the traitor, and even if you are not I am going to tell everyone it was you anyway.

With that we hear battering rams at the main gate?  Wait what about the 14 walls they need to get through first?

I have questions.  Why are they not sending a wizard?  I thought the wizards were the only ones that could save Khul, so why can't they save it now?  Why are wizards such a pain?  Why did I volunteer?  Why has Murray from Turn to 400 not done Appointment with F.E.A.R yet?

Playthrough - 

First thing we get is a picture in the inside cover of a map of Zamara.

Which helpfully does not have the location of the volcano on it.

Skill, Stamina and Luck are the only stats and they are all standard as we have come to expect by now. Provision rules are back to having them anytime outside combat with no restrictions on how many to have at one time and we have the full 10.   

Potions are back!  We know by now, Potion of Strength for stamina in order to keep the blog going as long as possible.  Has anyone ever taken the potion of Skill?

Only other things we start with are 10 gold coins and the 4 aforementioned black cubes.  Interestingly it says if you get any gems note their full names, e.g. star crystal.  

We then get a section on the citadel walls.  This is quite cool, as it could easily have been as simple as track a number.  But instead the adventure sheet has 14 walls on it with white flags.  Every time a wall goes, colour the flag in black.  Its a ridiculous waste of space that could just be one box but I love it!

Skill - 11

Stamina - 15

Luck - 12

Well that was some extreme rolling.  A 5 for skill so delighted with that.  One day I would love a skill 12, I can not remember the last time I got that.  To be fair I have only had skill 7 once, which 39 entries in is highly suspicious!  Even I would be calling that out, so much so I thought Ill need to give myself skill 7 one day anyway or no one will believe me.  I then followed this up by rolling a 3 on two dice for stamina!  And then of course a 6 for luck.

Wait is this not how Chasms of Malice started?

The Captain, a few guards and all 12 wizards lead me down to the deepest chamber in the citadel.  Astragal shakes my hand (stupid wizard), and stands back.  The soldiers lift a slab up and Captain Laski tells me to stick to the left hand wall and do not light a torch or you will be seen.  He then wishes me good luck which takes me aback as he has never said anything kind.  The all important magic torch is hidden in my leather armour (wait can I use it for mundane things like lighting the way?) and I step into the dark hole.  

Just then another boulder hits the walls and I look up to see Captain Laski looking down who tells me I better not fail as can not have anyone besmirching the honour of the seventh foot sloggers.  He then disappears and then the slab is dropped down and I am in pitch darkness.

I feel along the left wall for 400 paces (seeing the number 400 in a paragraph in a Fighting Fantasy book just hits different) until I find a blockage.  Listening carefully I hear shouting and screaming and I can smell the faint whiffs of fresh air.  I feel a smaller tunnel to the right, do I take that or climb the rubble?  Well the captain did say to stick to the left so I decide to trust him and climb the rubble.

I scramble up the pile of rubble into some bright sunlight.  As I come out, I feel a warty hand helping me up.  As I blink in the light a Goblin is smiling back at me but behind him is a group of soldiers pushing a large battering ram against the outer defences.  This is causing a lot of smoke and shaking, so much so that the path I just came out of seals itself with a bit of a landslide.  My new Goblin friend tells me to watch my step and asks which regiment I belong to.  I can say I do not have one or try and blag it.  I feel I should at least try and blag it, I have a high luck score.  It would be a bit suss to be this close to the front line without a regiment.

Luckily I have heard tales of the Bonecrusher Battalions, so I say them.  Not so luckily it turns out that they have not landed yet and the Goblin puts a sword to my throat.  He calls out to his friend Coney to bring the list as he thinks they have another spy.  I am marched to an earthen dug out while they go through a book containing information on all the Knights, Squires and Nobles of the kingdom.  As they can not find me they decide I am not worth anything so better kill me.  I can say I meant to join the Bonecrushers or tell them I am a deserter.

I tell them I am a deserter, hoping they will then find me valuable and not kill me!  I am marched through the trenches to a big wooden wagon with metal bars and forced in.  The Goblin tells me to wait here as he goes to fetch the inquisitor as she always gets to the truth.  It is then that my bracelet lights up for the first time to show the first wall down.  Perhaps it was my friends with the battering ram.  In the cage with me are two soldiers, a woman and a monk.  The monk is smiling and beckoning me over.  Do I stay put or go over.  Well I have only made three choices so far and I have ended up in a cage just outside the citadel so its not going great.  Lets see what he has to say.

His eyes are described as fiery and intense.  He assures me that trust is the way and asks me if I have the torch!  Do I tell him?  Well in the intro it said watch out for the hooded guys, this guy is not hooded.  Also it said look out for the religious sect for help and this guy is a monk so I tell him I have the torch.

This does not seem to phase him and instead seems to spend the next few minutes meditating.  When he stops he says I must leave this place and he will help me.  Introducing himself as Kendoki he confirms he is indeed a monk of the Wazarri.  He says there is no need for any explanations as the prophecy has already told him everything and he knows the way ahead of me is very hard.  Things then get a little trippy.

Ken holds out a white cube and hands it to me.  As I take it, it disappears and instead I can see it spinning in my mind.  Apparently this is the die of the seven levels of the Wazarri.  In my travel to the Fangs I must look clearly and carefully at times of great danger.  If I see a vision of a piece of thread linking six white cubes I can spin the die in my mind and aim for my true level.  Be true to yourself and you will not physically handle anything but the number of white cubes you have will be known to others when I reach the sacred centre.  Ken what are you babbling about?  How long have you been in this cage?

What this means in game terms is if I have a page illustration and I see a thread with six cubes on it, I need to roll a dice and mark that many white cubes to my total.  If the amount of cubes on the page is less than 6, then that is the maximum you can get, even if you roll over that.

Ken then stands up and says no time for explanations other than Jaxartes is killing his people and trying to extinguish the flame.  Look to the novices, the fighting arm of the order who can not speak, the Wazarri Silent Knights.  He then entrusts me with his greatest secret, the name of his religion, XEN.  Apparently saying this out loud will cause him to die in a year and a day.  Ken that’s a bit extreme!

He stands up and takes the metal bar and easily pushes them open.  He tells me XEN is very powerful but he is not allowed to profit from it and must stay in the prison.  He bids me farewell and the rest of us leg it.  I find my sword in a barrel and duck under a wagon as the alarm is raised.  I decide its best to hide in a group.  Do I go to a group of infantry or the orc cavalry and their attendants?  Well I do not think ill blend in with the Orcs very well so off to the infantry.

As I head towards them a Goblin grabs me and ask where I am going and I point to the group.  He says no they are elite so I need to go to the Irregulars on the left.  Hey I am skill 11, that’s pretty elite.

I am marched over to a field full of men, women, children, Orcs, Ogres and lots of other creatures.  Everyone is wearing different armour and weapons and the Goblin finds a big fat man to talk too.  He waddles over along with two others and says normally they only let the high-born join the regiment but since there is a war on they are taking others.  The two others are sniggering so it is clearly sarcasm.  He asks for all my gold to join.  I can refuse, give half or give all.  Yeah I am skill 11, you are not getting my gold.

The fat captain sits back down to put his boots on and says to the others it’s a third share each as the Knucklers attack me.  Skill 5 and Skill 6 though, they are in for a bit of a shock.  I easily dispatch them and the captain just says good, you are in.  Now clean up the bodies.

I sit around watching well disciplined units march past, and realise why we are called the irregulars.  Disputes flare up, fights rage and people are stabbing each other.  Without any command everyone all of a sudden stand up and pick up their weapons and head to the siege lines.  Walking with the rabble I see a mounted unit of Orcs waiting to engage the Zamarran Knights who are sallying from the citadel.  My unit is to slow down the Knights to allow the Orcs to mop them up.  One squad charges straight at us and I see Peric of Inna unseated close to me and his armour is holding him down.  A goblin with an axe is about to cut his head off.  Do I help Peric or mount his horse and break out?  Well a good guy would help Peric, but my missions is much more important.  It would also be hilarious if I cause one of the walls to fall.  Urgh I better play good and help Peric.

The goblin is only skill 6 so I easily dispatch him.  However stupid Peric thinks we were fighting over who gets to kill him and instead swallows a suicide tablet.  Stupid Peric!  Anyway I get grabbed and hauled up in front of the captain, who decides I need to be executed.  I get hit and black out and lose 2 stamina.

I am for the chop, oh wait nice necklace!

I see the 6 white cubes on a string and roll a 4.  I wake with a thudding pain in the back of my head and find my head on the chopping block.  All in all this escape is not going well.  As the Orc prepares to swing, a small dart plants on the side of his neck and he freezes.  A female warrior appears and cuts me loose and throws my sword to me.  She turns to face four orcs which I can help her with or take care of the goblin with the dagger heading towards us. 

I decide to take down the goblin so he can’t stab us in the back.  He is only skill 5 so again I take him down without getting hit.  I turn round to help my rescuer but she has already killed the four Orcs.  She must be skill 12!  She leads me to a tent and its got all my possessions in it, including the torch.  Why does she not take the torch?  She is clearly more qualified!

She then leads me out and we duck from cover to cover and through a trench, past a repair yard and then some chained up elves.  Then we rest and I get 6 stamina back!  That’s some rest.  She does not seem able to talk, so I wonder if she is a Silent Knight.   She does draw something in the dirt though but I can hear something crashing through the undergrowth.  Do I take a closer look at the drawing?  Yes as I am pretty sure she can deal with what is coming. 

She has drawn three figures and points to them then herself.  The only difference is that there shields and daggers point to different compass points –

First – Dagger North West, Shield South West
Second – Dagger South, Shield North West
Third – Dagger South West, Shield West

Well that means nothing to me, but she makes the sign of the cube.

The crashing get closer and she draws her sword.  It is clear she is going to make a last stand.  She points me in the direction to go and I just leave her as she is capable enough.  At least that’s what the text tells me, I would have stayed with her as she is clearly a fighting machine!  A few minutes later I hear screams and clashing steel as the bracelet lights up to show a second wall has gone.  I come to the cliffs opposite the island of Karakum and I can either go down to the sandy cove or stick to the cliff tops?

I like the idea of holding the high ground so I stick to the cliff tops.  My character muses about how difficult it is to get away from the siege lines!  Yep, I have already been captured twice!  I come to a set of tents that look like the commanders.  Do I want to go down or wait a bit?  Let’s wait and see what happens.

As I am watching I hear a twig snap behind me (I could add 1 luck but not required).  Two Rouges are sneaking up with bundles of swag, obviously waylaying lone soldiers.  They attack me, Skill 4 and Skill 5, big mistake lads.  They are dispatched with no issue and I head down to the tents.

Look how far I've come!  I've been captured twice just to get this far!

Are those white cubes on a string on the tent to the left?  I can’t decide so I roll.  I got a 2.  I get distracted by the bracelet glowing again, wall 3 did not last long at all.  I am starting to think all the walls will fall before I am even through the siege.  All of a sudden, I see long nosed sniffer orcs so need to go into one of the tents.

Ok long-term readers will know we always go left, but that leads to the tent with a skull, that seems bad.  The claw also does not look great so let’s go for the nice-looking angel wings.

Turns out it was vulture wings, but its not a disaster as when I enter the tent a person is waiting for me and they belong to the Wazarri and here to help.  They are in fact a spy and help me put on some armour (no skill bonus) and advises me to ride North with a patrol. 

I walk out the tent and with my visor down I could be anyone.  Two dwarf form a mounting block to get me up on my horse (the irony as I write this I am at my daughters pony camp).  As I canter off I am joined by six other riders.  We ride far beyond the siege lines to the North and I manage to get 5 of them to do a sortie to the east (this happens off screen) but I am left with one other who will not leave as she is my bodyguard.  Do I try and out ride her or attack?  She can not be much of a bodyguard as she has not noticed I am a different person!  Skill 11 says just attack her, bit sick of horses by now to be honest.

Well, she was skill 8 and she did gets me a couple of times.  I decide to eat a meal to make up for it, poking a cheese sandwich through my visor.  Yes I know I could just lift it but that’s not quite as funny.

I dismount and take off the hot and heavy armour.  It crashes to the ground which spooks the horse which then breaks away from the branch I tied it too and gallops off.  Bloody horses!  Inside the armour I find a pouch with 5 gold in it.  I rest which gives me 2 stamina back and I regret wasting that provision.  The bracelet lights up again and that’s now 4 walls down.  I can now head to the river or a wider road.  I consult the map and it looks like the road is the easier way to get up to the mountains so I head that way.

The road is deserted until I come to a roofed watering well which has a really old women leaning against it.  She turns and tells me she dropped her masters valuable fiddle into the well and pleads for my help or she will be beaten.  This seems extremely suspect but in the tradition of worrying that I will miss a valuable trinket I head down.

Excuse me good sir, but have you seen a fiddle?

Ah 6 white cubes on a string though.  I roll a 6 as well!  Of course it’s a trap, the old women starts cackling and saying there is some food for you as a Horned Devil appears.  He is only skill 5 and despite the -2 skill penalty for fighting in a bucket he is easily dispatched.  Now the rope is still there, and I can try to climb up it but I also spot a gap in the side of the well.  I assume the old women will just cut the rope so lets try the gap.

I follow the dark dingy tunnel for a few hours as another citadel wall goes down and eventually come to a wooden door.  The next torchlit tunnel is full of bones, rubbish, hats, shoes, fruit and smells terrible.  It leads to another well and I look down and its full of sludge, but there is sunlight.  Just then someone coughs behind me and I can either swing round with my sword and attack or just turn around.  I feel if they were bad they would not have coughed so my sword stays sheathed.

The creature is a mix of a Dwarf and Orc and is holding a shovel.  A Dwarf Orc!  Nice to see a fantasy setting where such love can blossom.  He warns me not to fall into the sludge as the smell lingers.  One sniff of him tells me that is correct and he asks if I am lost.  We are below the village of Teriyakit and his job is the muck shoveler and he shows me the way out.  I climb up a rope ladder into the fresh air and I get the choice of two inns to visit, the Ferret’s claws or the Gannet’s nest?  By the way the village is not on my map!

I go to the Gannet’s nest for no other reason than I know someone who has that as their last name.  It is not a popular tavern and its got some locals, some dwarfs and three very well armed men.  A bald man is selling trinkets and asks if I want a crystal ball for 1 gold.  I have not bought anything yet so decide to try it.

You didn’t tell me this crystal ball came with white cubes!

I roll for my cubes and get a 3.  I am now the proud owner of 15 white cubes and 4 black ones.  The peddler does not take my money as he is here to help.  The image you see comes up on the crystal ball and he tells me to seek the three Wazarri Novices as they will guide me to my goal.  He warns me that wanted posters with my face are around the town (that was quick, getting my likeness printed and distributed ahead of me) and that the men in the corner are Rouge Catchers looking for me.  He tells me to head to the forest, pass the domain of Kragaar (the snake people) to Sikla’s barrow where the Wazarri await.  He tells me to leave quickly so I do but one of the men get up at the same time.  Do I run and duck down an alley or walk away casually.

I decide to go casual, if they knew it was me all three would have gone.  Running just looks guilty.  This is a mistake and he does recgonise me and we end up in a fight.  Skill 6 is nowhere near enough to give me any trouble though and away I go.

I leave the village in haste and stay off the beaten tracks.  Eventually I get to the forest and start following a goat track.  The track eventually meets another but it also comes with three sets of hoofprints.  We follow on until a fork, but fear not its not a blind t-junction!  Carved on the tree is a figure holding a shield pointing west and a dagger going to the south east which the horses followed.

Always Left, and shield sounds better than dagger.  I follow on and another fork with the same thing with a shield pointing west but the dagger points north east.  Ill just follow the shield now. 

I walk for many hours so decide to rest and would have got 2 stamina points back.  But of course another wall goes as the bracelet flashes up again.  I notice a black bottle by a tree root, do I want to pull the stopper and check it out or keep on going.  Bottles tend to be either something bad or something restorative and as I've not tested my luck once and everything still max, I pass. 

As I carry on I hear grunting so decide to walk faster but it keeps up, I begin to run but two wild boar appear.  Skill 5 and Skill 4 though.  They do have very high stamina so the fight goes on for quite a while (12 and 14) and I get caught a couple of times before defeating them.

The path gets darker and occasionally I see twin shafts of flame burning before going out.  I come across a smooth mound which I can climb or continue to follow the path around.  This could be the barrow the peddler in the inn told me to look out for.  I go exploring up the mound.

I have to search for the religion whose name cannot be uttered.  I know that one!  Xen!  Ok I admit at first I thought it was just find the number under the letter and it made no sense.  But the word Xen was actually there in a row!

A thin blue mist rises from the block and figure of a monk appears.  He says if I was previously advised to seek the three Wazzari guides (I was, by a crystal ball) do not for they have now been killed!  Follow the forest path ever straight to the bridge but do not cross it look for the warrior with the fist of fire, she will take…. He gets cut off two manic eyes appear and say Torchbearer!  I shudder and leave the mound.

The forest path is now a blind junction on left, centre or right.  Well strange monk apparition said follow it straight so centre it is. 

Right enough I arrive at the bridge.  Across the bridge I see three figures making camp and the food smells delicious.  Do I cross the bridge or cautiously avoid it and cross the stream.  Well until one paragraph ago I would have thought those were the three Knights from the crystal ball.  Now it’s a big nope and I avoid. 

As I ford the river I see flame rise up into the sky in the shape of a fist to the left.  Do I want to investigate it or head to the camp I saw.  Again follow the monks advice so I go to investigate.

Excuse me but where are your white cubes?

The women is fighting the warriors of Ostragoth’s armies and I go to her aid and end up fighting three Garks! All are skill 7 stamina 11.  I get hit a few times but they are eventually dispatched.  She greets me with a handshake as she can not talk and indicates for me to follow her.

She leads me through a series of difficult paths and secret tracks leading into the lower northern mountains.  Eventually we are looking down at a large fort surrounded by a wall of fire that has been surrounded by goblins being led by a Dark Elf.  We climb down.

As we approach the flame wall the women picks up a stone and makes a gesture and an opening appears in the flames.  We run through but two goblins spot us and give chase.  Once we are through, the flames come back and the goblins are rather horribly incinerated.  Inside the fort it is looking grim.  They only have a dozen knights and their squires and the rest are children.  One of the squires approach and the girl points to me.  He says You have fulfilled the prophecy.  The Wazarri know you as the Torchbearer, the one chosen to rekindle the Fangs of Fury.  He then asks me to follow him and I say thanks to the women.

The Bastion is clearly undermanned and they look like they have not slept for weeks.  I am led to a grand chamber where a badly wounded Knight sits on a throne.  He does not speak but there are two stone chairs, one on his left and one to the right and I realize this is some kind of test and must pick one to sit on.  I have missed something obviously so default to left.

The Knight looks to the squire to speak.  You have fulfilled the prophecy of Kei-Okano, I must go to the Homrath caves and find the key.  He hands me 6 black cubes and I get 6 stamina back to put me at max.  The squire takes me top the gate and points out the mountain.  I pass through another gap in the fire and oddly there is no sign of the besiegers.

After several hours I come across a tall pillar with a chained young boy, he is being attacked by Dragonmen and screams for help.  Do I want to help?  Well never met a Dragonman before so do not know if they are bad or good.  Better help.

I see those sneaky white cubes on the stairs

Rolled a 4 for white cubes.  Well turns out once I free the dude he changes into a Dragonman and I have by far my most difficult fight against three dragonmen.  Two skill 8s and one skill 9.  I do quite well but still need to eat 2 meals afterwards.  Do I want to follow the path or head to the flat topped mountain.  Well the mountain is where I was pointed towards so I go there.

The mountain is quite a journey and cost another 4 stamina if you do not have elf wings.  Elf Wings!  That sounds awesome, why do I not have any!?  I eat another meal.  So at the top of the mountain I find three holes 100 yards apart in the shape of a triangle that I can jump in.  Or try and pick up the trail on the other side.  The key is in the caves somewhere.  Which hole to jump in?  It’s a blind choice.  I split the difference and jump into hole 2.  I land in a chamber full of blocks with the number 75 on them.  I can take the block but it weighs 10 units.  I can carry up to 60.  I take this one and have three numbered exits to take.  This better not be a maze.  I swear if it’s a maze we will have a falling out!

I choose exit 1 and I am now in an empty cave with a drawing of a broken phial and a skull and crossbones.  Mental note, do not break any phials.  Exit 1or 2?  I stick with exit 1 and now a block with 15 on it so I pick that up and now have 4 exits.  I am going to need a map.  Although the way I work these things is take a note of the paragraph to avoid repeats.

I end up in a room with a key suspended from a rope and a bunch of semaphore men.

This means nothing to me and I have seen them while flicking through the book.  I obviously missed the bit where I can interpret them.  Do I want to cut the key down, pull at the rope or continue on.  Well I came here specifically for a key so I cut it down. Another key magically appears and its time to continue on.

I pick up another block, this one has the picture of a mushroom and the number 50, past a cave with an illegible subscription.  Another pictograph I can not read, pick up a block with a circle that is the number 27, a block with a cube and number 22, block with a cross and number 39 which also sets off my bracelet for another wall going down. 

That last paragraph probably shows about 20 minutes playtime and it not depressing at all.  I finally enter a room with phials set in the rock and get asked if I want to open one.  Not after seeing that picture earlier!  

This leads me into a room with block shaped holes with different symbols next to them.  So I need to add up the blocks total and hopefully I can get out. 228 it is.

With that I enter the Fangs of Fury themselves.  It is a blind three way choice of which path to take so you know I go left.  Its another symbol I can not read, and things get very smoky and a black figure passes me.  I decide to keep going left.

The following few hours are just one paragraph and the bracelet glows twice in the meantime.  That is now 9 walls down and I am starting to think this is how I die.  I find a sheer drop and can go down or continue on.  I feel like the source will be down in the volcano so I head down.

I lose two stamina climbing down and I am told if you had elf wings they have disintegrated.  Good serves those guys right with their fancy laddy-da Elf Wings.  The cavern at the bottom has 6 dead monks all smiling with a black cube each.  Do I want to take the cubes?  Nah I have a lot already and have not used then, not worth the risk.  If the monks were alive I might have.

Well amazingly as I pass them a pedestal with 6 black cubes appears and a voice tells me to take them and my dude does (I might have thought it was a trap and ignored them if i had a choice).  

Waiting for me at the top of some steps is one of the mage warriors the intro warned me about.  He is only skill 8 but I do not have a wand so have a -2 skill penalty.  Stamina 10 so I am a bit worried.  As I have not used my luck at all yet and its on 12, I use it with my first hit and then we trade blows before he goes down.  I eat two more meals to celebrate (A Greggs sausage roll and pineapple tart).  

Are you guys playing Q-Bert?

I am in huge cavern.  There is a bridge leading across a chasm that leads to seven entrances.  Out of the smokey mist three monks slowly appear chanting in harmony.  They welcome me to the Fangs of Fury and the centre of their religion.  I am assured I will not be harmed by the holy flame as I have been deemed worthy.  But how far up?  Well that depends on how many white cubes I have.  I thought 19 was a lot but it only gets me up to level 5.

As I enter a voice says I have found the elements of true way and can restore luck or skill to original level.  Luck please.

I enter a room with two charred bodies.  A standing figure has his back to me but whirls around.  It is Jaxartes.  He does an evil wizard speech about him being the mightiest of wizards and that he will be waiting for me around every corner before disappearing.  Blind t-junction alert.  I go left.

This tunnel proceeds to try an torch me and I have to use 4 black cubes.  Before another blind choice.  I keep going left and come to a chamber full of dead bodies.  Both monks and mage warriors.  All are charred and fleshless.  It is then an ape like creature holding a long tube appears.  He introduces himself as Grokkar, defender of the tombs of the dead and I am trespassing.  No discussions, he just starts shooting fireballs at me!  I have to test my luck three times.  Wow first time testing luck and I need to do it three times haha.  I pass each time and again decide to randomly go left.

I am now in a library with more charred bodies on the floor.  Most of the books are burnt.  Just then a burning parchment piece wafts towards me.  Do I want to grab it?  Goin by the burnt bodies, not really, and I can not read this language anyway,

Just like that I am at the ornate entrance to the Fangs of Fury's furnace.  But the flames do not burn and Jaxartes is standing between two giant statues of warriors.  I get another tirade about him putting out the flames, I can not rescue the wizards, he will rule over the world etc etc.  He then proceeds to change size and grows to the same height of the statues and starts shooting flames at me.  Just then though there is a voice saying the key, the key as a cube raises up in front of me -

Its got 50 locks (0-49) and I need a key or lock pick.  If I have a key I should know which one to use, otherwise I need to bash it in with my sword but every wrong answer costs you a black cube or you get torched for 4 stamina.

Now I have a key so why do I not have a number?  I went back and looked at that paragraph and its got the writing I can not read.  So I will need to brute force this.  I know there is no 0 and 1 has been used so I start at 2.  12 black cubes later and a bit of singeing and me gulping down my potion of strength it seems 18 was the answer.  I say seems as its not the clearest.

The flame rekindles and begins to blaze as Jaxartes screams.  I detach the torch from my hiding place and plunge it in and we get a multi coloured light show.  

I accidently joined the power rangers.

Jaxartes screams like he is in the combined torments of hell and we only see his face left.  Now the volcano is hot again I collapse and dream of being lifted into fresh air.  When I do awake there is a cool hand on my brow and I am in a lush valley.  I panic and start firing questions like how are the wizards?  I would have never asked about the wizards.  She smiles and tells me I am in the monastery of Hei-okji of the Wazarri.  She gives me a crystal ball and tells me to take a look.

Nobody told that dude in the tower the plan.

I see the sentinels break free from the walls and start decimating the enemy army.  The girl says I have saved the wizards and their religion and my deeds will be celebrated for ages to come among the faithful.  TURN TO 400!

The bracelet drops off my wrist and all of a sudden transforms so its covered in valuable gems.  When I am recovered I ride back to Zamarra on a white charger (still do not like horses) and see the devastation of the sentinels who have returned to stone, blood spattered on their bodies.  

The King promotes me to Commander-in-Chief of all Zamarran forces and I bump into Captain Laski and I flinch expecting a tirade of abuse.  But instead he salutes me which I return and walk away with a big smile.

Wait who was the traitor?

Notable Encounters - 

Can I even call the siege an encounter?   Probably not as its the entire first section.  There is so much going on here.  You can end up trying to free a stuck catapult, punching a prisoner before they recognise you, getting a boat to an island, getting a child to guide you out, getting shot at by arrows and stealing a mount from the orc cavalry.  It is quite something and I like how there are many, many different ways out.  

You can even end up on a proper ship,  the Gargu-Ran, or another no named ship.  It does not last very long though before either ship sinks and you end up swimming.  Interestingly it does not seem to matter what ship you get on.

Getting taught the Alphabet!

You have to play a stupid dice game of luck though to get him to teach you this.  More likely he will just send you on your way to take care of some drunk orcs stealing grain.  Honestly the amount of times you will go back to this page to decode.

You can work it out at school as well.

This poor little girl is late for school as her bag of rice split open.  The school teacher is about to hit her and you go wading in.  He is not intimidated though and goes for you with his cane which you cut in half with your sword.  I feel Luke Sharp was going through something here.

Those are Elf Wings!

Getting the elf wings involve failing a roll and getting knocked out.  You then have to play some kind of elf game of rugby and win.  They only come in useful in once place, but still its pretty cool.

You do get to fly again though when trying to escape Jaxartes and Astragal possesses a gargoyle and flies you out of the camp.  I always enjoy flying in these games.

The fire demon taking a break from mushroom farming in the Forest of Doom.

This one is interesting.  The Fire Demon bursts into the tavern and you can fight him or hide with everyone else.  But that is just the start, something odd is going on.  Turns out there is a weird wizard kid who wants someone to play with him.  Playing involves fighting for his amusement and the people are clearly terrified of him.

The gem exchange!

Why do you need the gem exchange?  Well because the torch gets stolen and the only way the thief will return it is if you give him 500 gold.  To get said gold you need to go to the nearby Dragonmen cave and basically steal all their jewels and exchange them for gold to then get your torch back!

I also liked the one where you bump into Snuffserk the Chancellor, who tells you Astragal has been captured and he has been sent to mediate.  He wants you to return the torch in exchange for the wizards freedom.  If you had read the baddies expenses report, you know this will be a bad idea.

Do you want to be the hero and save the child?  Or hide in the grass?

Artwork - 

David Gallagher has his first go at the internal illustrations.  I think this is the first time we have had both the cover artist and internal artist being the same person.  David has done covers before as well but not the internals.  From my playthrough I would say my favorite is the Gark battle with the flaming fist behind it.  Closely followed by the tents with the siege scene behind them.  

I really like the idea of having white cubes hidden in the artwork.  It makes it so much more interactive and I found myself pouring over the details.  But in saying that I do feel a few pieces feel rushed.  

This is meant to be a chariot, if you look close, it kind of is.

Now this would have been useful! 

Just having a quite cup of tea as my dragon flies about.

The octopus keeps causing bother!

After the success of Dagger of Darkness, surfing tigers became huge in Zamarra.

There are some pieces which I thought stood out more - 

The dwarf got too greedy trying to steal the Dragonmen's horde.

The Fangs of Fury in all their glory!  Ignore the stone samurai, just push him over with a lucky dice roll.

My favorite one though is - 

Bridge of fire, with mysterious fire dude.

Big Bad - 

Take me seriously!!

If you only read the start of the book you would be forgiven if you thought Ostagoth the Grim was going to be the big bad.  However, he does not even appear in the book outside some vague mentions.  Instead it is the wizard Jaxartes, because of course, wizards!

Jaxartes did not stand out much for me.  His motivation is the normal wants to take out rival wizards so he can rule a big area of Khul.  Well, with help from his pal Ostagoth.  What I do like is that he pops up a few times, not just for a final climatic battle.  In fact you can bump into him at the siege and the only thing that stops him taking the torch is that he is distracted by a sally from the knights.  His disembodied voice stalks you during the escape.  

Then in the Fangs of Fury he appears and starts trolling you and then can have a couple of swordfights with him where he is skill 9 and skill 10.  Both end with him disappearing.  

When you do get to the final climatic battle with him and he grows to a huge size, all he does is spam fireballs at you as you ignore him and frantically smash locks into a big floating cube.  It is a bit anticlimactic to be honest.  I can see why he never made it to the pantheon of iconic Fighting Fantasy bad guys.  There are much better wizards out there, easily forgettable.

Menagerie - 

As well as the usual bunch we do get quite a few different types of creature.  What is disappointing though is the lack of descriptions.  I would love to know more about the Black Feeler Beast or the Beast of Fury.  Or the Thing!  

We do get a lot of Dragonmen - 

They get a bad press but you would be annoyed too if people kept stealing your gems!

Some good old fashioned bridge orcs.  Guarding, yep a bridge.  Ironically you run right past them and this is them catching up.

Do not try and fight the Giant, he is a big dude!  Poor dwarfs need a new boat.

The giants cave is infested by Gremlins.

And you can steal the Marsh Goblins treasure.

As I said, not a lot of illustrations for encounters which is a shame.  I would have liked to see Jinxana who seems to be the main mage warrior. Said mage warriors appear in the second half of the adventure and it is better if you have a wand to take them on.  

The warrior on the front cover is Kraagar and his two headed snake is probably more dangerous than him with its fire, which seems to ignore black cubes.

You also get to fight yourself!  Which is probably the most dangerous combat in the book.  But a special shout out to the Schizoid Genie.  He wants to be your friend, then attacks you, then is very sorry as you run away.  Not sure he would make it in 2026!

Entertaining Deaths - 

It is quite hard to die in this book by making a bad choice.  Most of the deaths involve failing a luck roll or running out of stamina trying to find footholds etc.

Chopping at a tentacle while on a boat, more appear and a giant octopod drags you to your death.

Cutting down a creeper as a Giant climbs down.  He captures you and forces you to play games until the last wall goes down and the bracelet kills you.

Stepping back to avoid the fire of a Dragonman, not noticing the pit behind you which you fall into and die.

Waiting for the two headed snakes flames to die down, they do not and you die.  No mention of black cubes!

The King Dragonman takes exception to you breaking his eggs for jewels and so crushes you in his giant claw.

Taking an Orcs horse.  The reigns magically ensnare you and it takes you straight to the mage warriors.

My favorite of this bunch though is bumping into Snuffserk the Chancellor and giving him the torch. 

Pete's Corner - 

"Even I finished this one!"

Final Thoughts - 

This review took so much longer than planned.  The reason for that was trying to map it took me bloody ages.  I was driving home from work thinking, got an evening of trying to map Fangs of Fury in front of me.  The book feels massive.  I know its only 400 paragraphs but for some reason I just felt that it keeps going.  I ended up with 6 different tabs on my spreadsheet.  What I quickly realised was that basic directions did not matter.  Turn left or right and the only difference would be one paragraph extra and then you would end up in the same place.  Go down the beanstalk to escape the giant or keep running into the cave, both lead to the Gremlins.  And do not even try and make any sense of the siege.  Although that could be excused as its constantly in flux.  I HATED mapping this.  But I do get it, it let Luke Sharp tell a longer story.

Bizarrely, even with the above, it is not linear.  There are many different ways to go and complete this book, the single true path is non existent which I have to applaud.  It adds the replay factor to the book.  And it needs it as the difficulty is very low.  As I discovered in my playthrough, you do not need to learn the language, or how to use the key, or even have a key!  You can even acquire a lock pick with the number 18 on it!  Enemies are all very low skill and you get extremely generous stamina refreshes throughout.  This is one of the books that can say it does not matter what initial rolls you get, it is possible.  But it felt too easy to me.  I should never have been able to win at the end just by randomly guessing.  Am I actually complaining about a Fighting Fantasy book being too easy!?  Madness, what has the world come to?

The mechanics were also mixed.  I do love the bracelet and the walls.  He used the same in Daggers of Darkness but it worked better here.  I actually felt I was going to run out of time.  Now it looks like that would be quite a rare occurrence but it certainly had me worried in my playthrough which added some great tension.  Having the white cubes in the artwork was very interactive as well and a super idea, it had me trailing through them all checking.  I always wanted (still do) to get to illustrations and this rewarded you for it.  The whole Zen cube thing was a bit odd though.

But some of Luke Sharps more frustrating mechanics make a return.  Lots of random dice rolling for horses speeds and foothold locations and number of crossbow bolts.  I hate the randomness and I feel like I am a broken record but we have stats, use them!  The only thing that mitigates it from other times *cough* Chasms of Malice *cough* are that they do not cost you the game with a failed roll and they can also be avoided.  Still, not a fan.  The worst offender though is this puzzle game - 

Ono-Maki will teach you the secret language, but only if your rolls are good enough!  To be fair you can figure it out from the schoolroom but still, my enlightenment levels should not be random dice rolls.  Speaking of the hidden language, I do like this.  It is not necessary but boy does it help.  My partner leaned over at one point and she asked why the book had dancing men in it.  I had to explain it was a type of semaphore code.  She was not having it and insisted they had pom poms and then that got stuck in my head.  

Luke's writing certainly got better and I do like the story here.  The monks of Wazzari are weird but they are something new at least.  His strength is certainly world building but I particularly liked how things were changing independent of your adventure.  For example the Knights you are trying to find get killed during the adventure off screen and a trap is laid for you.  Instead the monks have to come up with a new plan.  The world feels fleshed out and the it makes sense (well apart from how the dragons are getting their flames from a volcano which is quite some distance away).  The descriptive writing is not at a Portal of Evil level, but its still much better.  I think Luke would write a good novel rather than a gamebook.  Although I have not heard the term guts for gauntlets before, who would make gauntlets out of guts?  I do have to call out the final encounter though as its not abundantly clear that its the right paragraph.  There should have been something along the lines of you get the right lock and the cube opens or something.  

The only thing I would say though is that it was not that long ago we were breaking through a siege line.  We did the same in Battleblade Warrior and we only had 7 books in-between.  Although it was a lot harder to get through this siege!  After I finished my playthrough I did a bit of research (reading the entry in You are the Hero) and discovered that Luke wanted to write another book and submitted but editor Marc Gascoigne did not like his writing style so this was his last one and he is still bitter.  Well maybe you should not have ripped his siege idea from his book!

I do enjoy a traitor mechanic, I know its been done before, but I do not mind some repetition with this idea.  I have not figured out a traitor though by finding his expenses before.  It really did make me chuckle.  

As mentioned before, the interactive art is a great (I have never seen Tasks of Tantalon) but I do feel the art is just average.  We have been spoilt recently and while its fine, there is nothing really amazing and in some places feels a bit cartoonish for me.  I have since also read that Dave Gallagher's deadlines were really tight, and it shows in places.

Jaxartes was a bit disappointing for me, I just never really clicked with him.  I found him a bit incompetent and he reminded me more of a Saturday morning cartoon villain (ill get you next time Gadget!).  It is hard 39 books in to make yet another evil wizard stand out against the crowd, he just kind of felt that he was just around rather than than a dangerous threat.  

I hate mazes, but I will let this one slide as its quite small and you can get a map.  

All in all I found this one ok.  The parts I liked I really enjoyed but it kept being dragged down in places.  Which pretty much makes it average for me.  Luke certainly got better as he went but I think his peak was Daggers of Darkness and this one would be second.  Not a bad one by any means but nothing exceptional either.  I probably would have enjoyed it more if the mapping did not descend into a chore.  And how did it go from the impossibility of Chasms to beating both Daggers and Fangs first time?  Difficulty probably needs to be balanced just a bit more in the middle.  Maybe if Luke was given that one more book, but we will never know.

Score - 5 out of 10.

Vault of the Vampire

Background - 

In the war room, Phillipa is looking over the mass of reports.  Paper is everywhere, scattered all over the table.  We see that they are reports are from various recovery teams who are hunting the authors.  Into this scene steps Ian who takes a seat at the table.

Ian "How is it looking?"

Phillipa "Well there has been progress, but its slow going.  We won't get anyone in time though.  Any options from your side?"

Ian just shook his head.

Phillipa "Come on Ian, you own a games company full of nerds!"

Ian "Bryan does not really let me in anymore."

Phillipa looks dangerously over the report she is holding at him "Who are you more scared of?  Him or me?"

Ian does not answer and instead gets up and heads over to Games Workshop HQ.

Cut to GW HQ Board Room, Ian is sitting opposite Bryan Ansell.

Bryan "Look Ian, books are no use, I want models, more models!  Look how well Warhammer is selling!"

Ian "Yes but we need Fighting Fantasy to do well!  Come on you must have someone."

Bryan "Nobody is free! I've got people painting, Citadel are making the minis, Rules are being written, we have white dwarf.  I can't spare anyone!"

Ian "What about Carl from the roleplay team?   He has done one before."

Bryan "What do you mean roleplay team?  We have roleplay?  But that does not have minis!"

Ian "Is that a yes?"

The phone goes and Bryan picks it up and starts talking about an article in White Dwarf.

Ian "Ill take that as a yes."

Ian makes his way down to the WFRP basement and tells Carl Sargent to follow him.

Cut back to the war room.  Ian walks in with Carl.

Phillipa "Ah good Keith you are back."

Carl/Keith "Its Carl."

Phillipa without looking up "Here you are Keith."

Ian turns to Carl and gives him a shake of the head, and to just go with it "Have  you got any ideas?"

Carl/Keith "Well I have an idea for a traditional horror, type, its called Vault of the Vampire."

Phillipa "What? Is the vampire competing in gymnastics?"

The room explodes in riotous laughter which goes on for far too long.  Nobody notices Carl.

Carl/Keith "Well if that's what you want."

Carl leaves, once the laughter stops everyone gets back to normal.  Ian starts looking around.  

Ian "Ah that was funny, imagine if that's what it was Carl?  

Ian keeps looking around, getting more frantic when he realises Carl has gone.  "Carl? Keith?  Oh no, it was only a joke!  Carl!  Carl!!!"

Still in 1989 and Vault of the Vampire is the second book from roleplay royalty Carl Sargent who writes under Keith Martin for Fighting Fantasy.  His previous entry was Stealer of Souls which was just fine. I am expecting his second affair to be a lot better though.  I have never played this one before but I like the idea of a hammer horror type vampire affair.  We have had plenty vampires in Fighting Fantasy but they are side characters and enemies, we have not had one as the main focus.  Really excited for this one. 

Covers - 

Well this one is pretty on the nose.  It is a vampire in a vault!  The vampire in question could not be more stereotypical if you tried.  At least he is more hammer horror than anything more modern such as Twilight, God forbid.  Although give him some glasses and it could be snooker legend Ray Reardon.

The vault itself looks like a vault but it only takes up half the cover, the top half is just plain and feels like wasted space.  I guess this was an attempt to make it feel underground.  Managed to fit in a maiden though!

The best part of the cover for me is the giant bloody V.  Using it for the V for both the Vault and Vampire words is cool and the blood fits the vampire theme perfectly.

Premise - 

Rumor's of great wealth and treasure have led me to Mauristatia, land of unscalable snow capped mountains and freezing mists.  The air is cold and damp so I am dressed in furs and I am riding in a coach as I start to wonder about the rumors as everyone seems poor.  I hilariously decide its because the people must not have found the treasure yet!  That is some wishful thinking!

The coach comes to a halt and the driver unloads the trunks and bags from the roof.  No mention if its just me in the coach but I assume not as I do not tend to have much stuff in these adventures.  Certainly not enough to have loads of luggage.  Anyway we are in the village of Leverhelven for an overnight stay and the tavern is described as small and not luxurious but the food and wine are good.  The people though are not for talking and wary of having a stranger in their midst.  They even bar the door.  

The place is called the Hart's blood but it does not seem to be a hunting area so I politely enquire about the name to the innkeeper.  This goes down like a lead balloon and he turns away from me.  One of the patrons even turns round and spits at my feet!

One old lady though declares that "Furriner's don't know no better" so I take this as a chance to speak to someone and buy her a drink.  After she downs it she tells me that the tavern is actually called the Heart's blood, H-E-A-R-T.

The patrons are stunned and the innkeeper is shouting at her to be quite.  But she will not be cowed.  She tells me that it is the Count!  People vanish from the village as the count takes them to his castle to die a terrible death.  Tears start to flow as she announces that her grand daughter Nastassia was taken yesterday by the coach and headless horseman.  Then she laments that no man is brave enough to go the castle and save her.

Through the tears she begs me to help.  Nastassia is only 17 and has done no harm to anyone.  A one armed man then approaches the table.  He says he takes me for a seeker of adventure and confirms the old lady's tale.  The count is a terrible and evil soul and Castle Heydrich is a place of horror.  He is a former warrior but due to his missing arm can no longer help but he has some gold put away from his better days that he will give me if I help.  

Everyone turns to look at me, imploring for help with their eyes.  I nod my agreement and instantly the door bursts open.  Outside waits a black coach pulled by four jet black steeds.  A spectral figure is standing in the doorway and he beckons at me with his skeleton hand but he says nothing..... as he is missing a head!

Playthrough - 

Of course we have Skill, Stamina and Luck as normal, but we also get a new one, Faith!  Its 1d6 plus 3. This indicates my purity of heart and my belief in the forces of good.  A high faith score will force certain creatures to flee from me, but also that they are more likely to notice me and become hostile.  

I can only thing of the Wham (or might be George Michael solo) song faith (or the Limp Biskit cover), so every time I have to test I will be manifesting George Michael as my in game charachter.

Well I guess it would be nice,  if I could touch your body...

We get told about magic, in that there might be items that allow you to cast a magic spell.  But do not worry about that yet as you are just a brave warrior who must use your wits and courage.

Provisions are back up to 10.  Must be what the coachman was taking in for me.  Slight twist to the rules.  You can eat them at any time outside combat again but you may only eat one at a time.  Sounds slightly more balanced now.

Next is a warning about afflictions.  Curses or other disadvantages of a sinister nature.  Instructions say it wont spoil our fun by saying much about them here but be assured that it is possible to rid yourself of them if you are brave, wise and lucky.  

I start with the bare minimum of equipment (knew that luggage was not mine).  Sword, Leather armour and shield.  I have a backpack which is described as like a rucksack or haversack!  Long term readers will realise this is causing me some angst!  Which one is it!?  I also have a lantern.

A nice little map on the inside cover as well.  

Skill - 10

Stamina - 20

Luck - 8

Faith -  6

I am a very average warrior, which might explain why I am chasing treasure in this backwater.

No illustration for the start which is a shame, especially since it is a blank space instead.  I follow the headless specter out into the misty night and he jumps up into the driver position as the coach door opens.  Do I want to get in, attack the headless horseman or Ignore the coach completely and ask a friendly local how to get to the castle.  Yeah I am not getting in that coach, I just unloaded my baggage after all. I will go and ask a friend.

What is the chances of that Bear being friendly?

The good people of the tavern tell me that the road is too dangerous and only the ghostly carriage can traverse it safely.  However there is a trail that heads north-east through the forest that leads to the castle.  They tell me to head to the foresters cottage to spend the night but I will need to cross a river.  The one armed man gives me 2 gold to pay the ferryman.  The forest is of course full of grotesque shaped trees and sounds of wolves.  Dawn is starting to approach when an arrow whistles past my ear.  A bear appears along with the archer who is poised to fire again.  Do I want to attack the archer or the bear, make a run for it or speak to them.  I feel if they wanted me dead they would not have fired a warning shot so I try to talk.

I let her know I mean no harm but I have left it too late and the arrow is already in flight and it costs me two stamina points.  She calls off the bear and walks over apologising as she is a forest ranger and just assumed anyone going around the forest at night must be up to no good.  So she is a shoot first ask questions later type of girl.  In fairness she does bind my flesh wound for me.  

Her name is Valderesse and I tell her of my quest.  She tells me the count is a very evil man and wolves and bats infest the area around the castle.  He steals away young women to be his slaves, or worse!  Valderesse tells me it was not always so.  The counts brother, Siegfried, was a good man but before she can elaborate there is the sound of thunder and heavy rain starts to fall through the trees.  She tells me to come with her to the ferry and gives me two meals to add to my provisions.

A ferryman that is not a skeleton for a change!

Yep the ferryman is a gnome.  He says it will be 2 gold for the ride but if I want I can stay the night in his hut.  How kind.  I get asked if Valderesse is with me.  As she is she picks up the Gnome by his jerkin and demands he lets me cross for free in return for her saving him from wolves last week.  She then tells me never to accept offers of hospitality from a gnome and instead to head to a foresters hut further up the path.  The gnome is subdued and as I climb onto the boat he whispers some words and the boat magically goes against the current and deposits me on the far side as Valderesse waves goodbye.

I walk on through the mist and notice the distinct lack of noise in the forest which is very unnerving.  After a few hours I come across a stone cottage with a wisp of wood smoke.  Peering through a gap in the door I see a man dozing by the stove with a large knife in his hand.  Apparently the smell of the food is quite good.  I am told if I did not sleep in the Gnomes hut earlier I am now very tired and must sleep here.  Do I want to attack or talk to him.  Well everyone has said the forest hut is a safe place so lets talk first.

Making a loud cough he wakes up and is a bit unsure but offers me some of the food which restores 4 stamina as a tell him what I am up to.  His name is Barandrum and is a retired warrior who was fed up of the bloodshed and wanted to spend some quite time with the creatures of the forest.  Lately though, the creatures are avoiding the place which he puts down to the evil from the castle.  He does say though to keep a look out for Lothar the Castellan as he used to be friendly.  But he has not seen him in months so he may be dead or under the counts spell.  He urges me to take another gift, garlic gloves from his herb garden that he places around my neck.  Now in game this must seem quite a crazy gift as we would not know the count is a vampire.  But the title of the book gives it away a bit and this is quite a useful tool in the old vampire fighting.  I spend the night and get back 4 stamina that I do not need.

The next day I have to take a skill test as I head up a hill which I pass.  I make my way up the hill and coming out of the mist and silhouetted against a three quarter moon is Castle Heydrich  I can walk up to the half open gates or scout around the place.  Seems prudent to walk around first.  

It is a two story building and in the south east and west they have towers.  Bats are flying in and out of the south west tower.  The arrow slits in the towers are too narrow to climb.  Windows give off some light on the ground floor both in the east and the west but the heavy drapes prevent me from peeking in.  I have to make a Faith test by rolling 1d6 and adding 3.  George starts singing, I know that not everybody has a body like you!  But I roll a 5 and fail the test and end up back at the castle gates as the only way in.

The wooden gate opens with a bit of the shoulder and I find myself in the courtyard.  Directly in front of me are brass decorated doors, clearly the main entrance.  But also there is a crypt and multiple doors to the west and a door to the south of the main building.  That is quite a choice.  The count will be in the crypt but its too early for that.  Main entrance is too obvious.  Technically west is left but which one?  

I choose poorly.

I get the option to run, or use an item or fight.  Its early days so I gamble and fight as I only have garlic.  Skill 6 Stamina 5 and Skill 7 Stamina 6.  I only have to fight one at a time as I stand in the doorway.  The better wolf gets one bite but they are dispatched.  I find nothing and get the option to go to the crypt, the south door or the big brass doors.  What happened to the other west door?  I am not going through the main entrance so south it is.

I need to use my lantern as it is a store room with sacks of grain and rats.  Do I want to head to the west door through the room or back out?  Well came this far.

The rats do not take kindly to this and rush to attack me.  Of course I can not fight them as there are too many of them.  Do I keep running or head back.  Lets keep going.

I slam the door shut behind me and keep the squeaking horde at bay.  Beyond is a dusty chamber with a wooden staircase heading up.  Ah I am in a tower!  I need my lantern out to light the way through a dark cobwebbed area.  Two rotten figures that smell of death appear and its time for another faith test.  But I've got to think twice, before I give my heart away.  I pass and the zombies are so taken aback by my singing that I slip past.  

The stairs end at a landing with a door of black wood and silver runes.  As I try to open it the handle becomes a claw and grabs me.  It says leave this place you are not allowed here and lets me go.   Do I want to try and get past or head back to the courtyard.  Well I feel if it does not want me to get past there must be something worth it.

I smash the door with my sword and it punched me in the stomach for 1d6 damage.  I roll a 5 so it must have been some punch so I immediately eat one of my sandwiches in the ruins of the door.

The stairs continue upwards and towards the bell tower.  I hear high pitched squeaking and fluttering up ahead and again get a prompt to go back.  Seems that would be a waste now so I press on.  

Funnily enough a bat swarm flies past and I need to test my luck.  I pass and scare the bats away with my lantern.  Among all the bells I am attracted to a silver one with a blue light.  Its another faith test, 1d6 +3.    And I know all the games you play cause I play them too.  I fail massively with a roll of 6.  I get the option to ring the bell, which might alert everyone or retreat back to the courtyard.  I have not come all this way to go back to the courtyard.  We are ringing it (to the tune of faith).

Sir George Michael himself appears!

The clapper makes no sound as it hits the bell and instead I start to swoon.  Then the former Count Siegfried Heydrich appears.  Clad in shining mail and the shield of purest white with a red cross.  Sounds like he was a Knights templar.  Apparently he is near 7 feet tall, blonde hair and a flawless face.  Siggy asks me to cleanse the place of shame and horror.  His brother slew him with treachery and he calls on me to restore our good name and free the people in Reiner's thrall.   He tells me all his equipment including his sword Nightstar has been hidden here but he does not know where.  So instead he tells me where to find his vassal Mihkhail's sword.  Which is slightly less awesome than his.  

I gain 1 faith and 1 luck for this.  I follow the instructions and find the magic sword in the trapdoor at the base of the tower.  It does nothing for my skill just gives me a magic sword which will be useful in a place like this.

Now finally we go back to the courtyard.  Only two choices now, crypt or big brass doors.  Lets go in the main door.

The doors take me to the entrance hall which is decorated by black and red wall hangings to give it a somber appearance.  There is a faint moaning sound and I get a pretty blind north, west or east choice.  Lets go left.  

Opening the door and its just a dusty cobweb storage area full of lumber.  I get the option to search it but a warning that I could be seen by a person in the main hall.  I do feel I have been pushing it a bit so I go back out instead and go North.  

This leads to a brightly lit corridor with small water colour paintings.  We get another huge selection of options with a doors to the North, East and West along with a corridor off to the east.  Lets try the West door.  

How are you even standing?

I am in a very posh dinning room.  As I go to have a look though the tiger skin rug comes alive and wants to kill me.  It is only skill 7 but its does take a bite out of me before it its put down for a second time in its existence.   Looking around I then find enough items to make up about 4 gold pieces worth of stuff.  I then go to the door to peer into the next room.

Its a snug!  Clearly for people that have just been winded and dined with some nice chairs and stools.  The big find here is a decanter of brandy which has enough for two drinks.  Each drink is worth 4 stamina points.  Says a lot when a drink of brandy helps your stamina as much as a provision.  Also in the haul is a small silver mirror.  

As I leave I hear the east door slam shut, worried that I have been found I can go North or East.  I decide to keep going North.  The door has a silver lock which requires a silver key which I do not have so I am forced to go east.  

Its another door to the North that I open.  This feels like I am in the manor from Resident Evil.  This room is a shrine.  Decorated with white and yellow clothes on tables, stools and writing desks.  Picking up a book I see it is about famous holy men and healers.  It is signed by one Gunther Heydrich and I add book of healers to my possessions.

The east wall has a spy hole so I take a look.  I see a chamber with a pair of motionless halberd wielding zombies.  There is a half open door behind them but with no way to get there I head off to the next door.  

This one has a plaque on it, Doktor Karl Adenauer.  I knock politely and a voice invites me to come in.  The good Doktor is an old man and the room is full of books and his piles of papers are neatly arranged.  He looks at me over a crystal ball mounted on a dragons foot as he introduces himself as a sage in employ of the Count.  He despairs that the count is a wretched man that never gives him enough money for his expensive books.  The Doktor is grumpy but not hostile. Should we attack or talk to him.  Well can try talking first.

Before I can say anything though he keeps talking.  It is clear that he is very obsessed with getting more books that the count wont pay for.  So I need to bribe him with gold.  He accepts treasure in kind and I get a shopping list.

Getting into the library - 6 gold

Where to find the count - 3 gold

Relatives of the count in the castle - 3 gold

Nastassia the missing girl - 2 gold

Whats in the crypt - 2 gold

Any afflictions I have - 2 gold

Well I only have 6 gold so I feel I need to use it for getting in the library which is oddly specific and expensive.

Dok gives me a silver key with the number 378 engraved on it and point me in the right direction and I end up back at the Silver door from earlier.

This time I have the magic reference number and I get in.  The library is shockingly enough full of books.  I am attracted to a section with the history of Mortvania and the Heydrich family.  Having a quick read I discover that when Siegfried was count the land flourished but when he disappeared and Reiner took over it has been fear and misery.  It seems a lot of previous counts have been tyrants with his great great grandfather Eckhart being rumored to be a Vampyre.  There is a note next to it saying "and now I have attained that blessed state".  Reiner's signature is on the book and I match the handwriting to the note.  Finally in the game my dude realises that it is a vampire I am up against.  

In the library is also a small book that I am mysteriously attracted to.  Specifically the shining page 188.  It is a lovely picture of a sword, covered in runes being held to the sky.  Add the book of possessions to your inventory.   

As I search for a way out I find a secret passage which of course takes me to the two zombies I was peeping on earlier.  Skill 6 and 7.  I take a scratch though and decide to have a swig of brandy.  Then I find some stairs and head up past a window where I get asked if I have Lycanthropy.  Luckily I do not and continue up.  

Another two doors.  One plain one in the west wall and a silver handed door on the south.  Well vampires do not like silver so lets try that one.   

Its another lounge, but this one is described as being more plain but bedecked in a lot of plants and herbs.  I am not alone though as another man enters.  He is described as being middle aged with greying black hair in a widows peak.  Wearing plain clothes and carrying a tray with goblets and a decanter he introduces himself as Gunthar Heydrich and asks politely what my business is here.  Do I want to attack or talk. Ill try talking first.

Gunthar gives me some food and wine, getting me 4 stamina points back.  He describes himself as a healer and he know Reiner is an evil and vile creature.  Tragically Gunthar is no fighter and even if he was, he could not bring himself to kill his own brother.  We see he is weighed down by the despair of the castle.  I cheer him up though by telling him I am here to take care of Reiner.  In thanks he gives me a silver crucifix on a chain but  warns me I will also need a stake which he does not have, or the sword Nightstar.  I get offered a chance to show Gunther a book.

I can give him back his book or ask him about the book of swords.  Can I not do both?  I would love to return his book but the sword book has a hidden reference that I can use here so I opt for that.  Gunthar is shocked, it is actually Nightstar but it has been magically trapped in this book.  He says Reiners sister (would it not be his sister as well?) Katarina could help with her magic, but there is a problem.  Katarina is every bit as evil as the count and she will want you to do something in exchange for her help.  He puts his head in hands and we are told he might be too depressed but I am a warrior and here for action!  I wander through the door he came from.  

I appear to be back on the landing with two doors to the north, one on the west or follow the corridor south.  Well lets go left, west door it is.

I am assuming you are Katarina, also evil.

It is a lavishly decorated suite of rooms with plush furniture, exotic carpets, rugs and tapestries.  The place is described as dripping in wealth.  The above lady is waiting for me and mutters that it is polite to knock first.  It says in the text she is Katarina but if you do not speak to Gunthar how would you know this?  Do I want to attack or speak to her?  Well I need her magic for the sword so lets talk.

She offers me some fine wine but I hesitate so she drinks from it first laughing to prove it is not poisoned.  She then asks me straight out if I am here to kill Reiner.  I can say yes, no or here to save the village girl.  I see no point in lying at this stage, she is probably wanting rid of him so she can take charge.

Well right enough she says excellent, she can rule as countess once he has gone.   Do I have the book of swords?  If so double the reference number.  So 376.

She takes a sharp intake of breath and tells me this is indeed Siegfried's sword as Reiner has trapped it in the book for he fears it a lot as one of the only things that can kill him.  Katarina confirms she can release it but before that she asks me to kill the Castellan Lothar.  Hmm I know he is one of the good guys as the Forrester told me and we know Katarina is evil.  I say yes though rather than getting into a fight as I want that sword.  But I can always speak to Lothar hopefully and find another option.

Katarina is happy with this and gives me precise directions on where to find him.  And the book shortcuts us straight there.  Lothar's room could not be more opposite and described as humble.  He does have a bunk bed though!  Lothar is tall, well built and in his late 30s.  He gives me a welcome and jokes I must be lost to come to a place like this.  One of the options says I need to attack him if beguiled but I am not.  Lets talk.

But is not that easy.  As I start to talk I am brought low by stabbing pains and I spasm in agony, losing 4 stamina points in the process.  Lothar acts quickly and pulls out some golden liquid and pours it down my throat.  I start to recover and he sighs as he says you agreed to help her didn't you.  I nod and he understands, explaining that even if I did not mean to go through with it, once word is given freely to the witch you can not break it without suffering consequences.  

Lothar tells me to keep away from Katarina as she is dangerous and taking on both her and Reiner would be very difficult.  He says if I can destroy Reiner, he and Gunthar could deal with her.  He then asks me to turn around while he accesses a secret door.  He returns with a bunch of keys and a stake with a silver point.  Handing over the Castellan's keys he tells me the count sleeps in the crypt but the crypt key is kept in the count's rooms to the south.  The silvered stake is to be used to destroy him while he sleeps.  Lothar then looks puzzled before saying he has overheard the count muttering many times that he has hidden something away with a magic lock and just repeats the same phrase forward and back, forward and back.  He says the count is evil but not mad so it must mean something.  I thanks him and follow his directions straight to the counts suite.

I use the keys to open up the suite and find myself standing on a stone balcony overlooking the courtyard.  The balcony goes all the way around and has three doors that I can access from it.  I pick the first door.

It seems to be a disused and covered in cobwebs and its got all the game hunting trophies on the wall.  And a suit of armour, which of course comes to life.  Its skill 8 but it gets put down, I have another sip of brandy.  And a search turns up nothing.  Lets try the next door.

Wow I was not expecting a church.  Rows of pews are lined up inn front of a pipe organ.  Lots of silver candles line the place.  As I enter though the organ starts to drone but no one is playing it, very ominous.  It seems to summon a mass of black rats!  I try and shut the door but one nips me for 1 stamina.  I then have to roll to see how many more bites I get, which is two more.  I run through though eating a sandwich, get past the door and slam it shut.

I find myself in some kind of workshop, but the tools are unfamiliar to me and its is full of prisms and lenses mounted on iron rings.  There appears to be small caskets made of different woods and I apparently deduce it is a jewelers workshop.  I find an amethyst pin worth 2 gold pieces but alas the silver bars are too heavy to come with me.  The real find is a ring of regeneration (no word on how I know it is a ring of regeneration) but in game terms I automatically gain 2 stamina points after I win a combat!  Not bad!  I am then asked if I have met Gunthar Heydrich.  Why yes I have, so I have to take a skill test which I pass.

Apparently I am not sure about the size of the rooms.  I know where Gunthar's and Lothar's rooms are and there must be a hidden room.  Right enough, after some searching I locate it and blunder in.  There I find a coffin which I tip over (I would have liked to check if anyone was in it first) and out comes a load of earth.  You have destroyed one of Reiner's coffins!  Gain 1 faith point.  Oh but I need some time off from that emotion!

By this time the rats have all buggered off so I can go back to the balcony and try the door at the south end.  I use the Castellan's keys to open the door and enter a lavish reception room.  There is even a chaise lounge and cushions!  Decanters of wines and biscuits are available and I am invited to try red wine (nope blood), white wine (nope don't want to get drunk and already been on the brandy) or biscuits (nope stamina full so not worth the risk) so rather boringly I head out the west door.

The bat I get but a vampire weasel?

This is the counts living room and the rich walnut paneling show us he is a creature of great taste.  However no time to enjoy it as his pet Bat and Weasel attack me.  I have to fight the skill 8 bat as normal but every round I have to roll another dice.  On a 5 or 6 the Weasel sinks its teeth in an I lose another 2 stamina and then another 1 for every subsequent attack round.  And even after that if you win lose another 3 points to stop the bleeding as it runs away.  Oh and if the bat gets me twice turn to page 85.  It does.

Do I have the curse of the healer?  Nope.  Well I get my first affliction, the curse of the bat.  No effects just now.  Eventually I put the bat down and shake off the annoying weasel as I pull out another sandwich.  

I do find 4 gold worth of trinkets but need to test my luck and pass.  And I immediately get the luck point back as narrow blade on the door just misses my hand.  That sounds like it would have been sore.

I don't know why I thought his bedroom would have a four poster bed.  Of course its a coffin!

I particular like the descriptions of the paintings on the walls of the ancestors.  One is blatantly sucking blood and another is posing with a fire demon!  I wonder if its my pal from Forest of Doom?  I open the coffin a lot more carefully and its not got an occupant, just more earth so I smash it up and add another faith point!  Time to pick my heart up off the floor!  Do I want to go poking around the safe or the first or second drawer in his desk.  Lets try the safe!

I unlock the safe, which I am surprised about, was it not locked?  Defeats the purpose of a safe.  It is full of credit notes.....  

Oh and a black iron key to the crypt.  Take a Faith test and add 3, which I pass.  Well with all the coffin tipping its less and I spin round in time to see a green specter starting to form.  Oh when that love comes down without devotion!  I have time to take one action, do I want to try or swipe at it with my sword?  I have a swipe.

Do you have a magic sword?  Yes I do, its not THE magic sword but its still magic.  He loses 2 stamina points.  But its still a Skill 10 and Stamina 12 fight even with that.  Easily the toughest fight so far and I get fairly battered.  Still not fully recovered after that weasel so its eating food each paragraph now for a bit.  Oh wait the ring of regeneration!  2 Back, and 2 more for forgetting about it after the bat and weasel.

Now roll a dice, its 1-5 one result, roll a 6 the other page.  I roll a 2 and promptly lose 1 skill point as the specter had drained my life essence!  Well that was brutal!

Have you fought a Minor Thassaloss?  I'm sorry?  A what?  No I have not.  When I get to the landing I hear a loud crunching noise behind the door.  Do I want to investigate?  No thanks I just lot a skill point and its probably a Minor Thassaloss!

I waste no time and make my way down the stairs and back out to the courtyard and head to the crypt.  As I get the key out a huge shadow looms over me.  But as I spin round its just a bat passing past the moon.  But do you have Lycanthropy?  No I am just Bat man.

Into the crypt we creep.  It is pitch black but I have my lantern and a magic sword.  The stone steps are covered in cobwebs and moss as you would expect in a good crypt.  Gargoyles line the walls, looking down at me as rats skitter about gnawing at human looking bones.  I open another door and immediately have to test my luck....and immediately fall into a pit trap.  It costs me 4 points of stamina and also breaks any brandy or holy water.  Luckily I drank all the brandy.  

I find two doors in the corridor, one is labelled the tomb of Boris the Drunkard and the other is Chancellor Schmidt, the meanest man in Mortvania.  I can try them out or bypass them.  Lets try out Boris.  

In the tomb I find a sarcophagus and open it up.  Boris is a normal skeleton but there is a fancy bottle.  Do I want to inspect the contents?  Well my guess it is booze since he was Boris the Drunkard.  Its more brandy!  Good brandy as well I am told which I immediately swig and get my 4 points back from falling down the pit trap.

I decide to avoid the chancellors tomb using the rule of Fighting Fantasy that I have have had one good choice so the other must be bad.  

The junction end in a black door with heavy iron bands but there are another two doors.  One of them says Doktor Pieter Faustus, Physician to the Count.  Well Lets check it out.

Pickled, erm, everything!

The room is full of surgical equipment, bottled specimens, freaks of nature, jars of fluids and of course plenty severe heads and limbs.  Do I want to leave or keep searching.  Well I am here anyway so lets have a look.

For all that is holy, what the hell is this?!

As I am looking around I hear a strange bubbling sound.  I won't even try and describe it, thank goodness it had an illustration.  It is a necrotic jelly and its only skill 7 but after taking my skill hit its still not great getting into a fight.  If I get wounded turn the page.  I am of course wounded.

Do you have curse of the bat?  Yes I do.

As the jelly slime drips over me my body starts to change shape and I start to grow black fur, I grow wings and turn into a bat and fly away.  Wait, did I just become batman?

 

Now that is an origin story!

Notable Encounters - 

If I had chosen to go to the castle in the Uber that the Count sent for me I would have met another passenger, an unnamed ghost who tries to intimidate you.  If your faith is strong enough he has no effect on you.  Otherwise prepare for a tumble out of the carriage.  One star, the driver did not even have a head, how could he see where to go?

If you end up walking you get into a bit of a scuffle.

Of course in the woods some wolves attack you, but one of them is more than he seems and turns a bit more humanoid.  No problem unless you are wounded which results in the lycanthropy affliction.  Good luck getting through the game without curing it as the moon appears quite a lot.

A lot of labs in the castle!

This one belongs to Karl-Heinz Matthaus and is guarded by his little imp like Homunculus.  Which of course you can kill but then you will miss out on meeting the alchemist.  Karl-Heinz is employed by Katarina to mix her potions to keep her looking young.  He lets slip that she is actually 76.  Handy man to meet if you have a Lycanthropy affliction but you need to steal some herbs from the kitchen for him. 

In true Fighting Fantasy tradition, stay away from the paintings.  Although hilariously if you recognise the defaced Siegfried you storm out in a huff.  But the count can trigger your Lycanthropy through his painting or else the eyes just leak blood. 

Everyone has an eccentric cousin.  Mine is called Murry.

But the Count's one is called Wilhelm.  The only one of the family I did not meet during my playthrough.  Wilhelm is all about luck, and not test your luck, but random dice roll.  If you attack him unprovoked you are punished in faith and luck penalties.  If you are in luck though and he is talking he gives you some good advice on the count, but much more likely he is having an episode and will not help or hinder you.  Watch out for this raven!

A secret chest!

Why was the count going one forward, one back?  Well its the code to get into this chest.  But first you have to crack it - 

Using the counts clue, you can translate what is in the chest and the convenient three numbered paragraph to turn too.  It is Siegfried's chainmail which increases your skill by 1 and even increases your initial skill.  But wildly if you have luck 12 when you pick it up you get bumped up to a massive skill 13!   

Jandor is one of the counts previous victims!

Jandor is indeed a vengeful spirt but the revenge she wants is against the count.  She was a magic user but was taken by surprise by the count and killed.  She directs you to her coffin and the magic ring inside which has some spells charged in it.  You get 6 spells - 

Forcewall - Pretty much create a forcefield around you.

Greatstrike - Next attack does 4 stamina damage if successful.

Jandor's Bolt - Do 6 stamina damage to an Undead creature.

Luckspell - Guess.

Shatter - Destroys a creature made of bone.

Trueheal - Get half stamina back.

You only get three though.  So You would think oh difficult choice here.  Nope, they are selected by ransom dice roll lol! 

If you find Siegfried's tomb he will check your inventory and tell you if it is game over or not.  If you have his book he will guide you through a blood sacrifice to release his sword Nightstar.  You get your stamina back but more importantly plus 1 skill or plus 2 if you are fighting a vampire.  Both can take you past your initial skill.

Artwork - 

Martin McKenna is back and still only 18 when he did this.  And honestly he just gets it.  The artwork is dark and foreboding and just fits the theme perfectly.  I love this so much, its up there with my favorite with Iain McCaig's city of thieves and deathtrap dungeon.  I can not heap enough praise here, there are no duds, its all top quality.  I can see now why people have Martin on the Mount Rushmore of Fighting Fantasy artists.  Only 18!  More talent in his pinky than my entire body!

From my walkthrough I really love Valderesse and her bear and the amazing tiger skin rug.  But the necrotic jelly that led to my demise is my favorite.  Loads more in the menagerie section as well such as the Major Thassaloss!

The Gnome's Dog.  He does not stay this peaceful.

The Giant rat encounter is made ten times better with this picture.

A rude interruption if you stay the night with the Gnome, turns out he works for the count.

Doktor Karl, but only if you ask him a specific question.  Watch out for that globe!

The Wraith was delighted when Mortvania scored in the world cup!

Katarina looking every one of her 76 years!

I never normally talk about the little page break illustrations.  They are nice but I did not really feel the need to mention them.  Until today.

This is the stuff of nightmares!

Big Bad - 

Count Reiner!

The actual Count.

Ok quick bookkeeping first.  The count is the big bad, he is the whole reason we are here.  Yes he is not the last opponent as Katarina makes a bid for power and you could argue she is the big bad, but I am not having it.  Right, glad we all agree.

Count Reiner Heydrich looms over the whole adventure, as he should.  From the very start you feel he is pulling the strings by sending his coach to pick you up.  The whole time it feels like he is just toying with you, like its all a big game.  Multiple times you can hear him mocking you outright.  So it is not like he is not aware of you, he just does not see you as a threat.  There is good reason for this, he is an absolute beast to defeat.

First you need to pass a faith test to stop him paralyzing you.  This will kill you if you are not wearing some garlic.  You can mitigate some of his strength by using a silver mirror and lobbing holy water grenades at him.  Magic can also be used but the count is resistant to magic so it is not quite as effective.  But you really need to chip away at it as when you do get into combat he is skill 13.  Yes skill 13.  Oh and you better have a magic sword or you can not harm him.  His stamina is a whopping 21 as well but you can whittle that down.  

Even then its not over, if you get him down to 4 stamina he turns into a gas cloud and attempts to escape.  You need a forcewall spell to keep him around.   Otherwise he comes back with 8 stamina restored.  If you then get him down again to 4 he gets desperate and tries to bite you.  His skill is reduced by 2 but that is still skill 11.  If he gets you twice you are dead.  

Finally you defeat him and he turns into gas again.  All over?  Nope.  Hope you have destroyed his coffins or he is able to retreat to them and the best you can do is escape.  Got the coffins, great you can find him in his last coffin in the crypt.  All good right?  Not quite!

You need to have the Crucifix or a shield of faith (only need one) and then one of a stake or the magic sword Nightsword.  If not you just have to flee.  But if you have them finally then the count is put down.

Then Katarina appears and tries to take you down.

Menagerie - 

This is about as stereotypical as you can get.  Ghouls, Zombies, Wolves, Wraiths, Specters and of course walking suits of armour.

Resident Evil meets Overcooked.

Ghouls still paralyze you with three hits.  Even giant ones!

Wilhelm's Raven is a b*stard, goes for your eyes and causes skill penalties!  

The theme of skill penalties happens a lot, such as when the specter got me for -1 skill.  And he is not alone.  A lot of others give you afflictions if they hit you a few times.  Also if you want to go full anger you pretty much can attack all the family and workers kicking about the castle and even on the way there.  This rarely goes well with either difficult fights or you are punished for killing innocents.

But there is some more exotic treats in store for you - 

The demonic steed.  My daughter has horse riding lessons every weekend that involves me getting up early and spending a lot of money so all horses are demonic to me.

The Wood Golem, the Stone Golems poor cousin.  I do love how he appears to be stepping out of the page towards you.

The Baobhan Sith will scream and attack you.  Which is perfectly fair since you try and kiss her.  Ah the 80s, a different time where unsolicited kissing was seen as gallant.  

The Major Thassaloss, an absolute beast that also shoots green light at you every turn.  Unless you have the shatter spell and then you can just one hit him.

Entertaining Deaths - 

To be fair for such a tough book, not many instant deaths.  Plenty of other ways to kill you.  

Getting hit by a huge ghoul three times.  You are paralyzed and eaten alive!

Being screamed at by a Baobhan Sith.

Searching a room when you have a major lycanthropy affliction.  A shaft of moonlight hits you and you turn into a werewolf.  

Attacking Katarina without a magic sword.  She captures you in a magic rug and places a copper bowl at your throat in preparation to collect you blood. 

Opening a drawer that you know to be booby trapped, you inhale poisonous gas and as you collapse convulsing as the count walks in.

Not having picked up enough items, the ghost of Siegfried tells you to flee the crypt which you do.  But Reiner is waiting at the entrance for you.

Getting bit by a vampire!

Saving Nastassia but being unable to finish off the count.  A hollow ending, but you live!

Katarina becoming the countess and you her slave, at least you live! 

But the winner for me for this book is - 

Attacking Doktor Karl, a dragons head materialises out of a crystal ball and incantates you.  Your body is then prepared for a ghoul as a delicious barbequed meal.

Pete's Corner - 

"Attacking innocent foresters probably made me worse than the Count!"

 

Final  Thoughts - 

First I want to say how much I loved this theme.  I thought the hammer horror type genre might be a bit too cringy but it absolute works here.  Mortvania may not be the most imaginatively named but it works really well for an adventure.  From the start in a backwater tavern where the spooky goings on start straight away.  The people that you meet feel real and a natural part of the adventure.  From Valderesse and Barrandrun in the forest to the Count's own family, sometimes you feel you are only moving through their world rather than everything revolving around you.  I do like that everyone in the castle is not just an evil villain.  There is a family dynamic going on here where some like Katarina are also evil but wants to be in charge and Gunther and Lothar who are trying to overcome the evil.  And of course Wilhem who is just mad.  Although the count employs quite an array of alchemists and doctors, I would like to be a fly on the wall for his HR interviews.

After some huge country wide adventures, it was interesting to be back in such a smaller environment, in this case a castle and the surrounding area.  It felt a bit like House of Hell in that regard.  Mapping it out showed as well just how much smaller this was.  But I feel this was much more RPG like as befitting the author.  Every interaction would give you multiple choices, so if you wanted to be a murdering maniac, you could be.  Alternatively if you wanted to try and talk your way out of each situation you could certainly try.  So while the scope is a lot smaller, instead it gave you a lot more variety on how you could play.  While I do like the big huge adventures, this was a pleasant change as it was done so well.  

And the writing makes it happen.  At one point I did get a bit worried when I was on a landing with no less than five choices on where to go next but all pretty non descript, it was like a blind T-junction on steroids.  But I did not have to fear, the fun is mapping out the castle, its actually really well designed.  In my play through I mentioned it felt like the mansion in Resident Evil and it really did, you never knew what was going to be through the next door, but you had to have a look!

The atmosphere was backed up by the artwork.  It really sold it for me.  It fits the theme and the tone perfectly.  Honestly its a wonderful job from Martin here and among my favorite in the entire series.  The art can make a good book great and the opposite is true.  I can not praise it enough. 

Great book then?  Well it is not without some flaws.  Most revolve around the crunch of the gameplay and difficulty.

Looking at the non standard mechanics ill start with Faith..."Cause I gotta have faith, faith, faith!"  Ok George, that's enough now.  This joke went too far after the second line.  In my head I was going to get to the climactic battle with Reiner just in time for the chorus.  

Faith is a good addition, but you better get a high score.  We were told that too high was bad as it attracts the bad guys.  Well its very rare that happens, it is much more damaging to have a low faith roll as 90% of the time it ends badly for you, especially at the end.  And when something goes well you get +1 faith score so it must be good.  I do like the mechanic though, adds a different elements to the book and it gets used a lot.

The afflictions are interesting and a lot more punishing, especially the Lycanthropy one.  It does force you to try and seek out a cure as leaving them will not go well for you.  Although it is easier to avoid them than cure them.  An interesting idea but I could take it or leave it, I think the book has enough going for it that they would not be missed.

Magic is the worst of them though.  It comes far, far too late in the adventure to be any good.  Just right on the final stretch which makes the use very limiting.  Some of the spells are interesting and it gives the final boss battles a bit more variety but you should absolutely get to choose.  Random dice rolls to select the spells is a nonsense.  It feels very tacked on for me and again, I do not think the adventure needed it.  

It also highlights the worst part of the book, random dice rolls.  I really hate this in Fighting Fantasy, we have abilities to test against, especially luck!  Yes roll dice but use the stats to pass and fail.  The magic is the worst and I get why you need to roll for Wilhelm to simulate the madness but it should be a test. There are a few more which determine stat penalties in the book but the main positive is they are not game breaking.  None of them I can see would stop you winning, the only one that would hurt is missing the shatter spell for the Major Thassallos but even then he can be beaten in combat.   I've changed my mind, the worst one is when you fight the Specter and you need to roll a 6 to avoid losing a skill point! 

And I would be remiss not to mention the difficulty.  Is it impossible? No I do not think so, but you need a pretty good skill and faith roll.  The enemies are not too bad with just a few skill 10 to get past, but its what they do if they do hit you.  Oh raven got your eyes, lose some skill.  Oh when you are fighting this bat the ferret is biting you.  Oh you got an affliction as it hit you twice.  Oh the Thassaloss is shooting you with green fire from its eyes at the same time.  It can be quite punishing.  But not terrible in Fighting Fantasy terms, plenty brandy to go around to heal you.  Its only really when you get to the boss fight that you need it.  But to be fair you can get the sword and armour to boost your skill, but realistically id say you need skill 11.  

But that's just for the very end to actually finish it, you can do a lot before then.  We have certainly seen a lot worse.  And you do not tend to notice it as much due to the whole actually having a good time playing it.  You do need to item hunt, but unlike other adventures where they can be really random, such as a stone in the forest containing a clue to get through a door in another country, these actually make sense and fit the story really well.

As much as I enjoyed the characters and the family dynamic, I think its the actual setting I enjoyed the most.  Yes its a stereotypical vampire setup but I like that.  And there is enough additions as well such as all the mad scientists going about.  The castle itself is probably the star.  And of course bought alive by the art!

  

But imagine would could have been.......

Score 8 out of 10.