The Rings of Kether

Background - 

Philippa Dickinson made her way through the winding corridors of Puffin HQ.  Holding a lukewarm coffee in one hand she was in a dimly lit, sparse room.  Dust had gathered on the surfaces and most would have thought this area was no longer in use.  Approaching a bookshelf she pulled on the copy of Warlock of Firetop Mountain.  A metallic click sounds and the bookcase rolls along the wall.  A metallic door is revealed and she looks into a small device to its side.  A red laser performs a retinal scan and after a few seconds another click sound as the door opens.

Philippa walks in and surveys the scene before her.  Desks as far as the eye can see.  Each one is furnished with a typewriter and reams of paper.  But that is not what you would notice.  Instead the eye is drawn to the people at these desks.  An army of disheveled looking nerds, frantically typing away.  Some look catatonic, others are crying but the majority are just hammering away at the typewriter.  What is less noticeable are the shackles around each persons ankle, chained to the floor beneath the desk.

She walks through this scene, the pungent smell of nerd threatening to overwhelm her.  Finally she comes to the office in the corner.  She sits down and lights the scented candle as her assistant comes in.  

Philippa "Anything useable yet?" 

Dogsbody "I am afraid not."

Philippa "For gods sake.  Fine get out."

The desk is covered with manuscripts, all with the words rejected on them.  Sighing she picks up the phone and dials the number for Penguin head office.

Mystery Man "Philippa, how goes the operation?"

Philippa "Not good, still not one useable manuscript.  I would be as well using monkeys!"

Mystery Man "I don't understand?  I thought Jackson and Livingston were just nerds and any old nerd could write these things?"

Philippa "Perhaps not, maybe there is something special about them.  I dare not push Ian any more though, he is near breaking point."

Mystery Man "But the books need to keep coming Philippa, the shareholders demand it.  You could be in for big things if you can keep them coming.  What about the others we have used before?"

Philippa "Fake Steve Jackson has fled the country and gone to ground.  The Games Workshop guys have left to make their own books."

Mystery Man "Make sure to burn down the print house.  What about the other one, the Aussie, Chapman?"

Philippa "Space Assassin has not been well received."

Mystery Man "I do not care about quality, the sheep will buy them."

Philippa "Ok, Understood." 

The line goes dead and she puts down the phone.  She takes a key from her pocket and uses it to unlock the desk drawer.  In it there is a manuscript.  It says The Rings of Kether by Andrew Chapman.

Published in May 1985, Rings of Kether is Andrew Chapmans second entry in the Fighting Fantasy series.  He is the first return guest author at this stage and is on record is saying that where Space Assassin was more an ad-hoc exercise in writing a game book, a lot more planning went into this one.  I never played this one before so looking forward to it from that side, but I do dread the Sci-Fi ones.

Covers - 

It is with great regret I have to report that no Wizard, Scholastic, or US alternate exist.  Its juts the standard one.  By the way as I hate the green zig zag (controversial) it took me ages to find a dragon cover.  Cost me £30 as well!  By the way shout out to FantasyDemon159 on ebay, a great resource for getting these books who let me know the dragon one is quite rare.  I would never shelled out £30 for it when I did find it otherwise.

So at this stage no idea who the character depicted is.  Quite a grotesque personage but I really love the deep red alien planetscape in the background.   Nothing jumps out from it though to make it a must buy.  Quite bland.

Premise - 

Not an awful lot in the Mission Briefing this time.  The members of the Galactic Federation have all signed up to a uniform federal law which explicitly forbids the export of narcotic drugs off world.  The Federal Police Force (FPF) though have become aware of a large flow of a narcotic known as Satopil-d coming from the tiny Aleph Cygni system.  

They have decided local law enforcement has failed so the Federal Central Vice have sent their grade 1 investigator (yours truly) to investigate.  And by investigate they mean locate the source of the drug flow and call it in.  Oh wait no, instead of call it in I have to penetrate the organisation and destroy it by myself.  

There is a worry that the local law enforcement are in on this so I travel incognito.  I am an interstellar salesman, selling space fruit.  I decide that I sell Space Mangos.  Once I enter the system I am on my own.

And that's it.  I decide my Mango salesman will be called Guy Incognito. 

Playthrough - 

First up we get to roll up stats for a ship.  Its got weapon strength and shields.  The ship v ship combat works with opposed skill tests to see if you hit and each hit reduces the shield score by one.  But similar to Freeway Fighter you get two insta kill SMART missiles.  

My stats are still the same Skill, Stamina and Luck.  Hand to hand combat works the same as normal but we also get Blaster combat.  Very similar rules to Space Assassin where you roll against your skill to see if you hit and your opponent does the same.  I really liked this last time round as it speeds up combat a lot.  Instead of a d6 though its 4 stamina each time.  Sounds good to me.

We also get four Energy Tablets which each restore 6 stamina points.  Making them the equivalent to one and a half fantasy meals.  

And we get some interstellar currency, 5000 kopecks.  A quick google reveals that a kopeck was a Soviet form of currency.  I can only assume that in this timeline the USSR won the cold war and then successfully colonized the galaxy. 

No backpack of any kind.

Skill - 11

Stamina - 15

Luck - 7

Weapons Strength - 7

Shields - 3

Oh my, 1 for luck, a 1 and a 2 for stamina and a 1 for weapon strength.  I am a bit of a wet leaf but at least I am really good at shooting.  I resolve to try and avoid combat and to just use my smart missiles as soon as I can.  I may be a grade 1 investigator but the vice department clearly are stretched and their spaceships are falling apart a bit.

The view from the cockpit confirms my suspicions on the ship quality.  And hopefully the art gets better!

I get a countdown on dropping out of Hyperspace.  I start to worry about corruption in the Vice squad and getting a hot welcome on my arrival.  Jeepers how deep does this corruption run?  I settle into my crash couch, which sounds great.  All the systems check out and I charge up an anti spy ray shield!  Ain't no spying on me!  I arrive in the system which is dominated by the star Aleph Cygni.  The only planet is Kether which has only one land mass continent with scattered islands.  It has one moon known as Rispen's End and we are close to an asteroid field.  First choice of the book is land at the spaceport on the planet, go to the Moon or explore the asteroid belt. I decide best place to start is on the planet itself.

In something very similar to real life I first have to get through customs.  I cheekily ask if they are looking for drugs but they are after any illegal tech.  Luckily I do not have any.  I get the option to start my lines of enquiry.  Will I ask around the spaceport, head to the local police or a seedy dive of a bar.  Well if films and TV have taught me anything we need to go to the dodgy pub.

I arrive at a place with a crypto-fluorescent sign.  I have no idea what a crypto-fluorescent sign would be.  Its got another sign as well saying no aliens so its clearly racist as well.  I decide against going up to the barmaid and asking who to speak to about underworld activity and play it cool instead.  

Instead of getting to pick who to speak to I have to roll a dice to decide which seems strange.  I meet a deranged navigator who greets me by grabbing my neck and telling me to beware.  I would like to say nope but Guy Incognito decides to buy him a drink.  

I get a long rambling tale that even my character tunes out of.  All I have is something about Tau Cygni, somethings up on the moon and the fat women playing cards is involved.  I decide to watch the woman.  The description of her is not flattering.  I get the option to join the card game or keep watching and following her.  Well with a luck score of 7 I am not getting into a card game.  

She leaves with a belch (classy) and after a successful skill roll we arrive at her block.  I watch her go in and then a light appears on the fourth floor so I have a look at the residents list (handy).  It is Zera Gross, Stellar and Interplanetary Import/Export.  Of course the character that has been described as foul and disgusting is called Gross.....

I could call it a night with a visit to the library the next day but I also get the option for a stakeout!  No way I am going to miss out on a stakeout!

If it was real life I would fall asleep.

I am hiding on the balcony opposite, I imagine behind a plant pot.  It pays off though quickly as a shady character called Arthur visits her.  Ten mins later he is back out and clearly looking to avoid being followed.  So I follow him.

Unsurprisingly he spots me.  I quickly lose him and he gets the drop on me.  He gets behind me and before I can scream he puts his hand over my mouth.  He then gets out a notepad to write a note.  I am assuming he has a lot of hands to cover my mouth and write on a notepad!  The message is - Quiet - Spy Beam! Meet Me, Hotel Mirimar - Rm 1201, 1 Hour.  

Its about now I wonder if ill get any more illustrations for the blog!  I can go back to watch Zera's place again or go to the rendezvous.  It could easily be a trap but its more exciting than the stakeout.  

The hotel is a total dive, even the elevator does not work (I am not told how many flights of stairs up I had to climb to get to 1201) and as I arrive a suspicious man leaves.  He waits at the elevator before realising it did not work.  Which makes me wonder has it just broken down?  I could follow him but I head into the room instead.  The door is locked though.  I again get an option to follow the guy or break the door in.  Hmmm.  Maybe the message was to target this guy.  Then again what's in the room?  I decide to break in.  

Inside is the man I met earlier but he has been shot!  His last words are beware Zera Gross and Blaster B.  I find his name is Arthur Flange of no fixed abode and a letter.

Dear Arthur, Re our plans. Z. doesn't suspect yet.  We must work out the final details.  Met me at the Café Heroes of the Federation on Thursday at 9am.  Clive Torus.

Ok Z is clearly Zera and I am sorry Arthur but I think she is on to you!  The book keeps wanting me to go to the library to look Zera up but I feel I should meet Clive, he is probably next on the hit list.

When I go to the meet Clive does not show.  I ask the Café owner but he has no idea who he is so I leave.

Finally an illustration!

This guy is waiting for me outside.  I can run or draw my own gun.  I want a word with him so guns out!  Its my first combat of the book.  He only takes two shots to go down and he misses me.  His last words tell me that Zera has me marked.  Not sure how she is on to me!  They have taken Clive to Sparks and I am next.  Incognito thinks lets go to Sparks, I think its not the best idea.

I play it cool and arrive at Sparks (which Incognito thinks is some place, I think in a good way) and go up to the bar and order a drink.  Hilariously as I turn around they already have me as two guys have blasters pointed into my stomach.  I have no choice but to go with them.

I am bundled into a car and driven to the country to a manor house.  I get an option to attempt to escape but surrounded by guys with guns I decide against it.

She knows I am a Narc!

Someone must have given her a heads up.  She gives me a choice between death or picking up a package for them.  I do not have much of a choice!  

I am driven back to the city and we go to the glasshouses of Kether which sounds like some kind of botanical garden.  The meet is with Clive's wife!  As I go to meet her though we are both shot.  I loose 3 stamina.  The sniper runs out and grabs the incriminating documents from the fallen Mrs Torus and they speed off in the car.  I can pursue or help the fallen lady.  I am a good guy so I go to her.  Its too late though and she is dead.  The body count around me is starting to mount up.  The book tells me I need another clue.

One of the options is to go up to space.  Well after the navigator was right about following Zera he also mentioned the moon so I would like to check that out.  I have to make a luck test first though and just make it with a roll of 6.  Instead of going to the moon like I intended though Guy Incognito spends five days in space monitoring comms and checking the surface.  I don't understand, at the start you had an option to go to the moon and the asteroid belt but not now?  

Anyway I finally find a suspect satellite and with nothing else to do go and check it out. 

Its very underwhelming.

Apparently its powered by a nuclear generator, which seems a tad overkill.  I get the option to blow it up which seems excessive and a daft thing to do to a nuclear powered satellite.  Instead its time for a space walk.  But I only have limited fuel and if I use four bursts I run out and spiral off to space.  Its a series of skill tests though and I make it to the satellite with no issue.

Hacking it shows that the signal is being broadcast from an asteroid.  I have no idea where the asteroid is though but I do know where the other end of the signal is.  The Isosceles Tower, top floor (seems precise) in the Capital City.

I hire a helijet and land on the roof of the fifty story building.  On said floor is an office for Z Gross and associates but the door is ajar.  I get a blind T-Junction choice!

I head left (because its only 10 sections away), its a big area that has been gutted.  Looks like they left in a hurry before the feds showed up.  I rifle through the left files but they don't have much.  But I do find a vidilink message,  it a message from Zera and Blaster Babbet saying the feds are on to them so destroy all files and rendezvous at Paradise.  Very handily it has co-ordinates!

A secret island!

I hire another helijet, and at this point I realise have not spent any money at all!  Helijets must be cheap.  Lots of options here and its tough.  Two non descript entrances, a freight door or the antigrav dray.  I decide if they are shipping drugs chances are its in the freight area.  Turns out its full of guards, four of them who all open fire!

Now lucky for me these appear to be bottom of the barrel henchman and they miss, a lot!  However with stamina 12 I only have to be hit 3 times.  And I am hit, twice.  With only one skill 5 guard left he keeps missing me.  But I get too cocky and roll a 12 for my attack and miss him.  I am now terrified this terrible nobody guard will be my downfall.  But he misses and I hit him.  That would be a terrible ending!  I immediately pop 2 Energy Tablets to get back to my max stamina of 15.  

Right enough, the place is loaded with Satophil-d!  I find another body and have a look to determine how he was killed.  I cant but he had four energy tablets on him!  I wonder briefly if this was another agent sent before me who got killed by the rubbish guards.  

I wander down the corridor and come across a riddling robot!  He has an  impressive seven (yes 7) sensors!  I get it horribly wrong and it opens fire.

Bizarrely you only get redirected to a picture when you get the answer wrong.  Would have made more sense to show it when you come up against it.  

I get hit but only the once before it goes down and I am back at a T-Junction.  Both directions lead to fading yellow lights.  I decide to not take any chances so I pop an Energy Tablet.  I head left.  

I arrive at Zera Gross office.  She is there and I get a choice between a gun fight or hand to hand.  I am tempted by the quickness of a gun fight but with such low stamina and a high skill score I go for hand to hand.  And end up punching at a fat women...

She gets a lucky punch in  but I knock her senseless.  She lies there "whale like".  Andrew Chapman really wants us to know she is fat.  I don't get any sense out of her but she mumbles the words up, up and left.  That sounds like directions to me!

Sooper Computer

I find information relating to all things about the operation.  This is just a distribution point, the drugs are manufactured on an asteroid.  Bugger I should have gone to the asteroid belt at the start.

I wonder why there would be mines out here....

I decide to try and navigate through it, no sense shooting them and alerting everyone to my presence.  I then proceed to roll another 12 for a skill test and bump into one of the mines which is a god dam hydrogen bomb!  The ship takes 2 shield hits and its down to its last one.  

I have now successfully alerted the asteroid defense system which is going to wipe out my ship, so I fire off my two smart missiles.  This reduces it down to 2 shields left.  Despite my terrible Weapons score of 7 I hit it and reduce it to 1 shield.  It then proceeds to blow me to smithereens.

Notable Encounters - 

You find yourself in a lot of strange situations in this book.  For example at one point when investigating customs you can end up hiding in the lockers.  Of course the security guard starts searching through them but just before he gets to you his mate calls him away for a beer.  Or just burst out and say you are Vice and he will crumble anyway.

Going through the Warehouse front door is not the best idea.

The Warehouse is loaded with peril and chances are you will have to make a break for it.  But hide in the right place and you can get an all important clue from Clive (total bad ass ganger name).

Pew Pew!

The initial visit to the moon is quite boring but go later and you may find yourself losing to these guys, jettisoning out of your spaceship and landing on the surface, looking for air and avoiding an assassin!

This guy runs a really really weird space cult.

Yep there is even a space monastery on one of the asteroids.  Its nothing to do with what you are looking to do but it can provide some clues in a really odd way.  Chances are though that you will be sent to the entertaining deaths section.  This whole section is odd though and does not really fit with the book as a whole.

But the most notable encounter I have to talk about is the car chase.  Its just as well I did not come across it in my playthrough (although I was very close) or the blog will still be going now.  It is massive!  It can lead to a vital clue but also quite a few deaths.  It can loop for a while as well.  After I finish my playthrough I normally map out the book.  I tried to map out the car chase but its so big and sprawling I could not fit it all in on one screen so I gave up.  Now do not get me wrong, it is very well put together and it does add a lot of excitement.  But its too much, a huge chunk of paragraphs is taken up by it and I feel they would have been better used elsewhere.  It really is something though.

Artwork - 

Its another new name this time, Nik Spender, and this was his only outing for Fighting Fantasy.  I will be generous and say its mixed.  But I feel once again a Sci Fi outing has been let down by the artwork.  

There is good work here though.  The warehouse scene and the grand keeper from the encounters above.  As well as - 

The only clean cop in the city.  He couldn't be more 80s if he tried but I really like it.

The Moon Base after you are stranded.  Its a really good description in the text as well.

I also liked the bug erm bug.  

But unfortunately this book is peppered with really boring straight line and outright bizarre art. I mean look a the very first piece when you arrive in the star system.  This should get you pumped for your journey but its so bland.  Add to that the computer I found on the island and the terrible satellite image.

Glad we got a pic of a random robot from a dead end that gives you a solitary grenade.

 

This is garbage, in more ways than one.

To b fair this is not a bad attempt based on the description but answers on a postcard from people that have not read it on what we are looking at here.

This is apparently a Lab.

Wait no this might be the hardest to explain.

I am ok with the Robot and at least there is a background but its sooooo bland.

 

The Big Bad - 

Multiple Blaster Babbets!

So Blaster Babbet is the big bad but to be honest we do not find out much about him during the book.  His second in command Zera Gross gets a lot more screen time.  I understand that Babbet has been wiping his existence from all records for criminal reasons but I would have liked the chance to find out a bit more about him.  Maybe instead of such a long car chase or instead of the monastery.  Or maybe make it that he used to be a monk there.

Anyway he has a cheap reflector trick that leads to instant death if you shoot the wrong version (or spoiler any version).  He has a high skill score of 10 for this book but with only stamina 8.  At least its a hand to hand fight though.  I don't know I just find him anti climatic. 

Menagerie - 

This book features a lot of humans.  I would have hoped Kether was populated with a variety of species but it is not.  Not many encounters here but if you do get in fights its going to be a lot of thugs.  Even when you go into space, still a lot of humans, like Space Monks!

We do have some exotic encounters though - 

The Arcturian Vanque can be defeated by throwing drugs into his very large mouth.

The Androform is a robot death dog!

And yep, this!

The Mind Parasite is the object of worship for the space monks.  You can not fight her but she can give you a clue or insta kill you.  It is the very definition of bizarre.  Its meant to have wings but poor Nik Spender must have had enough by then with all the other craziness in the description.  It sticks out though thats for sure.

I was going to give Zera Gross as top billing though as she features a lot more than Babbet and Andrew Chapman goes at great lengths to vilify her, both with her personality but especially with her foul appearance.  He really wants you to know how fat she is.  I was starting to think Zera is the person on the cover but she is never in space.  But I guess they were not really bothered about that.  

But NO dear reader!  The real challenge here is this man - 

Thats a flashlight by the way, not a shield like I thought.

This guy is equal to the end boss with skill 10 and stamina 8.  Is he a gang enforcer?  No he is a random security guard just doing his job, working at the Computer File Centre.  Why is he attacking you?  Well because he has caught you doing something illegal.  He is one of the good guys.  To be honest should have sent this guy to bust the drug rings!

Entertaining Deaths - 

Politely asking a mind parasite not to eat you.  It does.

Being sacrificed in a strange religious ceremony.

Flushed out the garbage disposal (again).

 

Many times over crashing the car in the car chase.

Suffocating on the moon after ignoring the first dome in the hope that main town is just over the next hill.  It was not.

Going for the or else option when being told to go to meeting or else.

But the best is despite surviving gun fights, explosions and car chases, a gangly bureaucrat catching you a glancing blow with his paperweight.

Pete's Corner - 

Sometimes you have to brake for corners, even in a high speed car chase.

Final Thoughts - 

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Rings of Kether.  There is a lot going on in this book!  Starports, Libraries, Cafes, Hotels, Warehouses, Computer Centres, Moons, Monasteries, Manors, Offices and Drug factories.  I have not even covered everything there either!

Mapping out this book was tough, my tabs have gone into double figures.  There is a lot to do here but this is my favorite part of the book, multiple paths to victory.  It does not matter in which direction you go you should be able to pick up a clue to get you to the next stage.  I love this!  It could be argued that it makes it easier and therefore reduces replay value.  I do not think that is true though as you would want to see the other options, especially as you know you can and it is not one true path.

It really has been put together very well.  Running around Kether looking for clues is fun.  And you can play your character multiple ways.  You can nice cop it or really skirt the law and find the information with more violent means.  

Not a lot of combat in this book and I do not mind that.   This is about being a detective so there should not be much combat.  And I have to repeat I love the blaster combat, it really speeds up the process.

A lot of thought has gone into this book and that shows with the car chase.  I just feel it went too far though and as I said those paragraphs could have been used better elsewhere.  We really needed to get Blaster Babbet fleshed out in the same way Zera Gross is.

The monastery is a bit of a misstep, it does not fit the tone of the rest of the book.  Actually the whole ending sequence is the same.  It feels a little odd and strange.  Like a mini Space Assassin.  Its a shame as up until then everything flowed really well.  The tonal shift is just jarring.  Also what is with Andrew Chapman's fascination with space tentacle monsters.  And the garbage chute was recycled (haha sorry) from Space Assassin as well.

The real kicker though is the art.  It was poor and should have been used more for the interactions on Kether rather than the crazy out there space encounters.  It annoys me as if they had got it right this book could have been great.

Now lets talk endings.  We have two in this book!  The standard page 400 ending is criminally underwritten again.  You defeat Babbet and take him in and that's about it.  Very poor.  But it gets more of a pass than in Space Assassin as there is another ending.  Its a lot longer as you blow up the entire asteroid and it even gets an illustration.  But this is the wrong way around, the detailed best ending should be serving justice, not the murder of everyone on the asteroid!

I am torn, I like the multiple endings idea, but Fighting Fantasy is all about turning to page 400!

I am really going back and forth between 6 or 7 for the score.  If you remember the author had only read Warlock before writing Space Assassin and it showed.  This is the same step up we saw from the series authors after Warlock.  In the end though we have to give it props for its design.

Do not hear much about this one, but its well worth a go. 

I sold zero space mangos.

Score - 7 out of 10.