Deathtrap Dungeon

Background - 

Time has ticked over and we have entered 1984.  Its book five and the pressure is on to produce more books.  With Steve locked in his room coming up with the Sorcery series its fallen again to Ian Livingston to keep churning out the content.  Its tough coming up with new ideas so quickly so he got out his old photo album of his trek through Bangkok. I know I normally start with a ridiculous set up but this adventure is set in Fang and Chiang Mai plus the River Kok all feature as locations along with Baron Sukumvit being named after Sukhumvit Road.  Now I'm all for using real world as inspiration but at least mix it up a bit.  But I guess 1984 was a different time and a lot of people would not have known.  Anyway Deathtrap is the most iconic of the early Fighting Fantasies, well probably all of them.  Up there with Warlock which is interesting as its another dungeon crawl.  I had Deathtrap as a kid and I remember it being very, very difficult.   

Covers - 

The iconic Bloodbeast makes it onto the cover photo.  One of Fighting Fantasy's most unique creations and beloved by fans.  

However I am going to be a bit controversial here.  I am not a fan.  Now its hard to come up with anything unique and it looks amazing but I never understood it threat.  I mean it has to live in a pool of acidic slime and has no limbs.  I just never saw that as much of a danger outside the Dungeon as you could just walk slightly further away out of reach of its tongue.

Still when someone says Deathtrap Dungeon this is the image that comes up.

In 1998 Ian Livingston was running Eidos, very successfully with the release of Tomb Raider.  So it was only natural that they would make a Fighting Fantasy game as well.  Unfortunately it was terrible but it came with a special edition of the book as well.

Its pretty simple, a big skull with a red glint in its eye.  Looks pretty cool though.  

The Wizard reprint decided to ditch out Bloodbeast friend and replace it with one of the internal pictures instead.  Its a very good rendition of it but there are a lot better ones they could have chosen.

Scholastic though brought it back and you know what, its pretty good.  Its a shame its just a small area though rather than the full cover.  All in all a pretty good selection which does not help my blog.  Hopefully the US cover will not let us down.....

Good news everyone!  Its ridiculous.  The strange looking dude looks like he has just opened a door to someones house.  

Lets have a look and see who is inside the door. We appear to have a one eyed bat, a standard skeleton, a sabre tooth cat thing and some kind of orc with a shrunken head.  And of course a friendly looking dinosaur.  Maybe he is Barneys friend. 

 

Hi Kids, want to play?

Premise - 

So the town of Fang hosts an annual tournament called the Trial of Champions every 1st of May.  Wait what?  May?  It appears the fantasy world of Titan uses the same calendar as us!  They must also have Roman God Maia.  Anyway the crazy Baron Sukumvit built a labyrinth in the hills and filled it with deadly traps and monsters.  Apparently designed to require wits and weapon skill its called "The Walk".  So why would anybody take on this challenge?  10,000 gold pieces and the freedom of Chiang Mai.  Although no one has ever succeeded.  Something tells me this year wont be any different.

So my character sees one of the challenges nailed to a tree and thinks yeah, this year I am going to go for it.  Apparently I am not doing it for the money but the challenge that no one has ever done it before.  Well sorry but I am in it for the money!  The only reason I would legit take on a killer challenge that had killed literally everyone that has tried it would be to pay off massive gambling debts.  

We actually get a mini story describing the journey to Fang which includes a trip through Port Blacksand where it is said "You don't waste any time in that City of Thieves".  I see what you did there!  Its more sign that Ian is world building.  

So I arrive in Fang and get treated wonderfully as its pretty much my last three days of life.  Instead of training or finding out about the Trial of Champions and what to look out for I pretty much party it up until I start worrying about what I have done.  Before I can sneak out of Fang I am woken up as its time to go to the Dungeon.  Now this is where the book shows its age.  You are guided through the town by a small man with slanted eyes.  Oh dear.  

So we go through the streets of Fang and arrive at the entrance where the Baron is waiting for us.  There we meet the other contestants.  Two Barbarians who look like Conan, an Elf who is described like a rouge, a Ninja and a fully armored Knight.   Old Sukumvit strides forward and offers us all a bamboo stick, they have a number on them and I draw number five.  Every thirty minutes someone enters.  First the Knight followed by the Elf then Barbarian #1 and finally the Ninja before its my turn.

So apart from the now dated line mentioned above the actual buildup fluff is really good.  Very similar to Ian's previous effort in City of Thieves and it really adds to the anticipation.  What I don't understand though is that you are told the streets are packed as people come to watch.  Well not sure why they bother.  Yes they see the champions enter the dungeon but then what?  Do they all go the exit?  We are all inside a Dungeon, it does not exactly lend itself to a spectator sport.  I used to wonder if there was a wizard projecting onto an equivalent of a big screen for the crowd.  But I doubt the baron would want people to see his dungeons secrets and give them away.

Playthrough  - 

Ian does not deviate from the formula.  I start with a sword and shield, leather armour and my trusty backpack with 10 provisions.  

Skill - 11

Stamina - 14

Luck - 11

Delighted with the Skill and Luck rolls.  Stamina is dangerously low though so its a potion of strength for me.  Only one dose allowed.  Time to take "The Walk".

Delighted to see Iain McCaig back doing the art!  This door and baron look a lot more impressive.  Only thing coming out of this one though is some screaming smoke.  Fellow contestants do not look amused to see me though, I assume I am late.  Except the Knight, he does not care to even look at me. 

So we start by walking down the corridor for five minutes which is lit by crystals in the roof.  I then find six boxes, one for each contestant with the option to open the one with my name.  Sigh, I really don't want to open anything in a place known as Deathtrap Dungeon but I know ill need items to get through.  Better open it.  Well its two gold coins and a note from the Baron saying well done for taking advantages of his help along with the hint that I will need items to get through the dungeon.  Well thanks I had no idea.

Next I arrive at the traditional T-Junction!  Except this time rather than a 50/50 guess of east or west we are told there is a white arrow painted on the wall pointing west.  Also three sets of footprints follow the arrow and one set go the other way.  This is much better as we get to make a choice not based on pure luck.  So on one hand if I follow the majority the chances are they have already triggered some deathtraps so should be safer?  I decide to be a rebel though and go the quieter path.

So I see an obstruction in the tunnel and get the option to turn back, I keep going and its a giant brown sponge that I can climb over or slice open.  Kind of wish I still had the option to turn back now that I know what it is. I decide to climb over it which I manage quite easily, despite it feeling like I would sink in.  Sounds like one of those foam play areas.

My character got through a lot better than I did in real life where I lost a sock.

Next we swing North and come to a very warm section with a handily placed drink of bamboo water.  Now this looks like another obvious trap but its too obvious for me so I have a drink and it turns out to be magic water that protects from the heat.  Just as well as the heat apparently gets really high.  Again though no option to just turn back, clamber through the foam pit and go the other way.

Up next I come to a door in the tunnel with the option to ignore it, open it, or have a peek through the iron grate.  I decide to have a peek and it looks like a pit trap with a rope on the other side.  I get the option to jump over the pit and retrieve the climbing equipment so I go for it and pick up the rope with no issue.

Coming round the next corner I am surprised by some Orcs.  I have to roll and get a three and one of their morning stars hits me and I lose three stamina points as I try and draw my sword.

 

Wait why I am wondering around Deathtrap Dungeon so casually without my sword drawn and ready?  Nobody has survived this challenge, I should know its bloody dangerous.

Luckily the Orcs are very inept in combat and they are dispatched without taking a hit.  I am rewarded with one gold piece and a hollow wooden tube which is a very specific thing to find on an Orc in a Dungeon.

I am still following the one set of footprints but now they go through the next door in the tunnel but never seem to come back out again.  Lets have a look and see if they are in this room.

AH-HA!  I see why you named the dungeon so.  

So yeah one of my rivals are down already.  Its Barbarian #1 who has caught a tripwire in the rubbish and activated a spring board full of spikes.  Very similar to Sideshow Bob.

One of the Barons favorite episodes clearly.  A quick search of the body find some dried meat which I eat as why would another contestant be carrying non healing items?  I am right as its filled with healing herbs and negates the damage of the Orcs morning star.  I wonder over to the goblet which has red liquid.  My thinking here is that the room trap has already been sprung so I go to drink the liquid but activate another trap.  A luck test later and the dart that shoots out misses me and I have spilt the liquid so all I can take from this endeavor is the empty goblet.  Well at least I have one less competitor to worry about.

At this point I see another three pairs of footsteps going North so I follow them.  Sigh, being forced North again, couldn't possibly go the other way.  I suspect this is where we conjoin from the original path choice.

Not what I expected, A giant Buddha statue with giant stuffed Flamingo's? 

Yep I am given the option of climbing up to get the jewels.  Well I wonder what could possibly happen?  But I know you need jewels for the end from memory so up I go with help from the rope.  Now its a choice of left or right eye.  I seem to remember this one is a 50/50 chance of death.  Looking at the picture there is a clear shiny glint on the left eye so going for that.  So that activates the two stuffed Flamingos who I have to fight with a minus three penalty as I am hanging off a big statue by a rope.  It does not go well, I take a battering and now down to 8 stamina by the end.  I get the Emerald though but I fail the luck test to get the rope off the Buddhas neck.  Time to eat some provisions!

Next room I come to is empty and the door shuts behind me, this cant be good.  A voice demands I pay my respects to the Baron and I have the choice of hailing him or calling him a worm.  Nobody likes their boss so I call him a worm and get rewarded with a magical gold ring that lets me make one wish!

Further up the corridor the strangeness continues.

Not what you expect to find in your average dungeon.

I walk into the light hoping for a Netflix comedy special but instead they go all sad and a young girl recites a poem that basically says if you come to a dead end with water, jump in.

We continue along the only path North and come to another door.  Going in grants me this lovely scene.

How can I worm my way out of this one?  Hahahahaha haaha hah ha ....ha....Sorry

Now if this was real life I would stick my hand in and get the dagger as worms are very harmless.  This however is not real life.  I am in a fantasy world in a place called Deathtrap Dungeon so I think I will pass on this.  If I had a low skill I would go for it but with skill still at 11 I do not think its worth the risk.

Now at another T-Junction but unfortunately this one has no flavor and its a 50/50 choice.  I went East last time so will do the same again.  I come across a pit with a rope which you can use, or throw your shield over first or just jump.  I don't trust the rope and put money on something going wrong with your shield if you throw it so I go for jumping which is a test your luck.  I pass and make it across but my luck is already down to eight so I need to be careful.

Next door is filled with stone statues and an old man who wants to ask me a question.

I get the option to attack him but I've found attacking old men in dungeons tend to be the wrong choice.

He points to a statue that I recognise as the knight from the start.  Well that's another challenger gone!  He says this man weighs 100lbs plus half his weight how much does he weigh.  Well with all that armour my guess is more than you think.  Well his three options are 100, 150 or 200lbs.  So I thought about this for a while, it cant be 100 as is at least 100 plus half is weight.  If I pick 150 half of that is 75 so that would be 175 which does not work.  So it must be 200lbs.  I pick correctly so the old man congratulates me and I get +1 skill, stamina and luck.  Except luck is the only one that can actually go up.

The next door I come to is marked with an X.  Probably should avoid it but where is the fun in that.   In we go and we find the picture from the Wizard cover.

There is no way in hell that he does not come to life if I grab the parchment

Luckily he is only skill 8 so I dispatch him easily and have a look at what it says.  It is another rhyme which basically says if you see a Manticore get your shield up to avoid the spikes.

Next I go down some dusty cobweb covered stairs into a cellar.  I get the option to eat some mushrooms but my stats are still pretty high so I decline the offer.  Steps go up again leading to an unlocked trapdoor.  I can hear muffled voices and can knock politely or burst through with sword drawn.  Who would knock?!  Its Deathtrap Dungeon who would possibly be polite enough to open it for you and give you a hand up?  Anyway turns out its some weedy goblins.  I find a mallet and some spikes in a cupboard which is great for climbing.  

I head West as the other option was North and I always avoid going North unless I am forced to.  Next door has an interesting setup.

A skull with jewels, a couple of stones to throw and quite a lot of loaded crossbows

I pick up a ball and hit the skull, it falls down and nothing happens.  So I go into the room and pick the topaz out of the skull.  I am then told I am wondering if their are any more traps.  Hmm probably.  I put the skull back on the plinth, Indiana Jones style.  This was a mistake as I set off the crossbows but pass the luck test and they miss as I am still crawling.

Things take a quick downward turn.  I arrive in an area with a lot of mirrors and I am accosted by a mirror demon that wants to take my soul to another dimension.  

Not sure what to say about this, other than wow!

Luckily I get the option to use my ring of wishes, which I do.  It works and the mirror demon is banished.  Its at this stage I fear I may have made a mistake.  I should have wished to win the Trial of Champions.  Idiot.

Next is this lovely staircase.

I've always wanted a nice double staircase

I cant see any clue in the picture so I go left as I am left handed.  As I continue I find some bodies of Orcs which means another challenger is still on the go.  I get the rare option to put a necklace of teeth on but I don't think I suit Orc jewelry.

I soon find out who it is!

I thought he was wearing cool shades but its an eye patch.

Its a bit uneasy but I get the option to team up.  Hell yeah!  So much of these feel like its you versus the world so to having a companion really appeals to me.  Our first test is when we arrive at a pit and he volunteers to lower me down with a rope.  I don't want to offend this early into the relationship so I go for it.  He tells me his name is Throm and he does not double cross me!  Instead we find a tunnel at the bottom which we follow.

We find a couple of books on shelves in the tunnel.  I am in no rush so I decide to read both.  The red one tells me about the Blood Beast, look out for its real eyes, its only weakness.  The other book actually hides a vial of liquid.  Throm thinks its dangerous so I agree and throw it away.

We come across two cave trolls and Throm takes one and I face off against the other.  Its Skill 10 which is a worry but some lucky rolls mean my stamina only goes down to 10.  I am busy eating some provisions watching Throm.  He wins as well and we find an ancient druid thingy which Throm says we should leave.  He has not steered me wrong so far so I leave it.

Next room has a demonic mouth but we search around first and Throm finds a pouch with a mouse in it.  He has a good laugh which of course causes a rockfall which we only avoid from a luck test.  He says sorry and we shake and have a laugh.  No rockfalls this time as we head through the demonic door.

I have made it to the trialmaster!

 

He informs us he can only let one us pass to we must be tested.  Apparently only he know the way out.  Myself and Throm are not having any of this and we charge him but he has hidden paralyzing darts which hit us and we are forced to agree to the tests.  I go first and I basically have a dice test of guessing if you will roll less than 8, 8 or more than 8 on two dice.  I go with the odds and say less than (as I eat another sandwich from my provisions).  I roll 5 so thats that, next test.  

Which is a skill test of catch a cobra.  I pass and I am taken to a mini gladiatorial ring where I get two anagrams to solve.  One is Minotaur and the other is Scorpion.  I go for Scorpion as they are smaller than Minotaurs.  Unless its Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.  

So its a Giant Scorpion, I feel this was misleading as Giant was not in the anagram.  Its a skill 10 that I have to fight twice per round and if its gets double 6s I assume something really bad happens.  I make it through though and only have to eat one meal afterwards.  If my Skill had been less than 11 though I would be dead now.

But now it gets worse.  As I am resting though the Dwarf returns and I am forced to fight Throm.  Poor Throm got bit by the Cobra and is delirious but its another Skill 10 fight.  The numbers are on my side and I dispatch poor Throm.  The Dwarf shows me the door but in the moment I swing at him.  We end up in a fight but I am weakened by all the fighting so I take a few hits.  Eventually I avenge Throm though.  As I sit eating yet another meal I take the Dwarfs chainmail which would give me +1 skill if I could go above the initial skill.  I have to ask though how in the world does a dwarfs chainmail fit me unless I too am a dwarf?

I hear some buzzing and arrive at a Bushtucker Trial

So I see a Diamond in the crown and I know I need one so in I go.  You have to roll a d6 +2 to see how many stings you get.  I roll a 6 and take an 8 point hit and have to eat two more meals back to back.  And of course its a fake Diamond.

I walk on west and bump into a slave.  I decide to have a chat and he is hoping to one day bribe his way out.  I give him a gold piece and he told me if I see a bird shaped chair there is a doppelganger spell in the arm.   

I hear someone crying out for help so have a look.

Oh hell no

I decide to leg it out of there, nothing good is underneath that tarp.  I continue on and hear some sniggering.  Looking around the corner and oh god its Leprechauns. I get the option of going back the way I came and after the awful experience in Citadel of Chaos I run so fast back the other way.

This way I find a wooden slide that is the only way forward.  Weeeeeee. And land straight into the pit of the Blood Beast everyone has been talking about.  Lucky I have read about him and I cover my mouth to not get knocked out by the gas and I cut his tongue as it lashed out.  So its Skill 12 but I only have to win two attack rounds.  After I do I hit it in one of its good eyes and it recoils and I can run past.

And straight into the Manticore

Luckily I have read the parchment and the rhyme so I pull up my shield and block his spikes.  And of course he is skill 11.  It goes down to the wire, using luck it ends up we are both on stamina 1 so its a straight role.  I got a 7 and he got a 5 and I immediately gulp my potion of strength to restore myself from the brink of death.

After such tough encounters we must be near the end.  And that is confirmed by a Gnome called Igbut who says this is the exit door but I need some gems to open it.

Umm, looks like there is three holes in the lock and I do not have three gems

First my good pal Igbut asks if I have an Emerald which I do!  He says good stuff now how about a Sapphire?  I say what no, you don't want that, how about this lovely topaz?  He is having none of it though.  I ask if I can just go back into the dungeon, as no rules about retracing steps, I can climb up the chute!  But nope just like Ian Livingston, Baron Sukumvit does not allow southward travel.  

But great news, I did not die in Deathtrap dungeon.  Instead I get to embark on a new career working for Igbut preparing and modifying the dungeon for future contestants.  Its not the worst life and better than death!  And I escape my awful debts I was running away from.

Notable Moments - 

Well Deathtrap Dungeon is packed with some great moments.  Just from my playthrough there were plenty.  The Bloodbeast fight is actually a lot more detailed, especially if you have not read the red book.  Don't normally see that from Ian Livingston.  

My favorite though is the team up with Throm the barbarian.  It was great to not feel by yourself in these books.  It just felt different to anything we have seen before.  And it really made me want to kill the Trial Master for making us fight each other.  But that whole part with the Trialmaster really adds to the flavour and separates just going from room to room and adds a lot more story.

But don't pick the Scorpion, it a much tougher fight than the Minotaur.

I did miss some good encounters though like running into a Troll called Ivy.  This is funny as she goes on about her cousin Sourbelly who we bumped into in the last book.  

There is also room in this dungeon for a full blown T-rex!

Except in Deathtrap Dungeon its called a Pit Fiend.  There is a way around him but if you end up in a fight with it good luck as its a Skill 12 Stamina 15 monster.  I feel sorry for the poor dungeon workers who have to feed this thing and clean its Pit for the rest of the year when the Trial is not on.+

Their is also a very good encounter with another one of the contestants, the Ninja who is flinging throwing stars at you.  Although he is also a very tough skill 11 fight. The combat in this book is very punishing.

Artwork - 

This is the second book in a row illustrated by Iain McCaig and unfortunately I believe his last.  Once again he knocks it out of the park.  There is not a dud here which makes is great for enjoyment and the book but a nightmare for a blog.

Just from my playthrough, the introduction image, the Mirror Demon, the Manticore and the Trial Masters. 

Plenty others I missed though.

What a lovely chair.  But Mrs Sukumvit didn't like it so the Baron stuck it in the dungeon. 

 

This guy did not do so good.

The Troglogytes are a lot of fun.

Not only that though we managed to get a cameo from the one and only Ian Livingston,

I bet Ian must have felt like he was trapped in Deathtrap Dungeon when he was trying to write it.  Hopefully he never lost a hand though.

The only one I can say anything negative about is the ninja, it suffers from the lack of background issue.

Not sure what the background is meant to be?  Just a shame as it does not fit the rest of the tone of the art.

But all and all the artwork is the best we have seen so far, Iain really adds to the atmosphere of the book and makes you feel you are in the dungeon.

The Big Bad - 

Well this is tough, there is not like a final boss.  The Blood Beast is followed up by the Manticore and then the final puzzle.  Technically the Big Bad would be Baron Sukumvit but as you only see him a the start and collect some money from him at the end there is not much to talk about.  Thinking about it the big bad is clearly the dungeon.  So lets have a look at my favorite traps in Deathtrap Dungeon.

#5 - Big Spore 

Yep I went through this one right at the start of my adventure.  I was just trying to think of what would be going through my adventures mind.  It was the first thing you really see in this fabled dungeon.  I could understand axes, spears, monsters.  But all he sees is a huge giant puffball.  I decided to climb over it but if you stab the offending object it deflates and covers you in spores which causes terrible itching and costs 2 stamina points.

#4 - Giant Mushroom

Just growing in the cellar near the Skeleton dude.  Not sure its even a deliberate trap as who in their right mind would go, oh look some mushrooms in this place that is world renowned for trying to kill you, lets have a taste.  If you do decide to have a taste you grow so big you can not leave the room.

#3 - Acid Slime Room

There is a room covered in acidic slime.  Now to be fair to the Baron he has left some bamboo stilts in the tunnel before them.  If you pay the 1 gold for them you can use them to safely traverse the acid slime, without even a skill test.  Now if you don't you tear your shirt and wrap it around your feet, does not go well and costs you 3 stamina.  But nowhere do you get the option to go, Oh I could do with those stilts, ok well they are about 30 seconds back that way, ill just head back and get them.

#2 - Indiana Jones

An absolute classic!  Go up the wrong corridor and the old giant boulder rolls after you.  If you don't make it back to the junction in time you get squashed and it all over.  The Baron had obviously enjoyed watching Indy as there is another room where the celling crushes you. 

#1 -  Black Widow in rucksack

I love this as its clearly someone setting up the dungeon has forgot to pick up their backpack and left it in the tunnel.  I can just imagine them getting home from a tough day setting up the dungeon and sitting down and thinking aww sh*t I left my bloody bag.  Never even got to set up the spider trap.  Oh well, I guess no one will notice.  Cut to adventurer finding it, looking in and being bitten by a black widow.  Next thing you know goodbye 6 stamina points.

Menagerie - 

We have seen Steve deviate quite quickly from fantasy norms but not so much Ian in his previous books.  This time he does though as he is not restricted by having to have anything make sense. 

The obvious star is the Bloodbeast.  I like a lot of fantasy and I do not think I have seen anything like it anywhere else.  Its a great way of distinguishing fighting fantasy from other fantasy worlds.  

Yes there is the usual staple of orcs, hobgoblins, skeleton etc  but thats to be expected here and they fit in as the early opponents in the dungeon.  Having the Pit Fiend, Rock Grub and Mirror Demon though introduces some much needed variety into the combat.

Speaking of variety having to fight your fellow contestants helps as well.  The Ninja of course you want to beat but the combat with Throm is bittersweet.  

Oh and I think this is the only time I have had to fight stuffed reanimated flamingos.

Entertaining Deaths - 

Oh where to start.  So many amazing ones here.  I particularly like the hot tunnel.  If you don't drink the bamboo water and also fail a test you pass out and die as you try and press on through the molten levels of heat.  Instead of course thinking its getting very hot here, I think ill go back the way I came and try the other path.

The Mushrooms above is also a great way to go as is crawling through a tunnel and not noticing the drop and falling to your death in what I suspect is the dungeons sewer system.  

If you go a different way with Throm or leave him you eventually end up at a fake exit which actually just traps you in a room until you die.  

Running through Deathtraps is bad enough but of course you could drink acid by mistake on your own and not make it to a puddle.

Ringing a bell that starts to hurt you and screaming for it to stop as a Hobgoblin turns up to stab you.

On my playthrough I got the option to knock at the unlocked trapdoor instead of busting through.  If you knock the goblins open the trapdoor and just stab you to death.  You would deserve this though for the utter stupidity of trying to be polite in a place like this.

Pete's Corner - 

Careful when you decide to poke a giant Buddha in the eye.  

Final Thoughts -   

Well its better than the video game.  Honestly do yourself a favour and watch the introduction.  I especially enjoy the pig with the dynamite attached.

Honestly this was released same year as Metal Gear Solid.

Luckily the book is much better.  The premise is clever.  It allows for a dungeon crawl which does not have to make any logical sense.  The background build up of three pages really adds flavour to the story and the world.  I do have one question though.  What is in it for the Baron and the fans?

Baron Sukumvit "I know what I am going to do, I will build a great dungeon full of traps and monsters.  The greatest heroes in all the land will come to take part.  It will be called the trial of champions and thousands will flock to Fang for the spectacle and the economy will flourish"

Mrs Sukumvit "I don't know why you are fascinated with such gory things but if you must."

Baron Sukumvit "I will build it in the mountain over yonder"

Mrs Sukumvit "Where will you build the the stands?"

Baron  Sukumvit "Stands?  There will be no stands!  Its a dungeon full of traps and monsters"

Mrs Sukumvit "So why would people come to watch?"

Baron Sukumvit "They will flock to see the great champions, we will watch them enter the dungeon."

Mrs Sukumvit "Why would they come up to watch people enter a dungeon and not come out?  Well at least you can get some enjoyment watching them."

Baron Sukumvit "Me?!  I wont be going in the dungeon, its far too dangerous.  Ill give that job to someone else."

Mrs Sukumvit "So where will you be?"

Baron Sukumvit "Ill just wait at the end I guess.  See if anyone makes it out"

Mrs Sukumvit with an exasperated sigh "Fine whatever you want, but only if you get rid of that ridiculous bird shaped chair."

Baron Sukumvit "Always with the bloody chair, fine! "

The introduction of other characters also taking part in the trial really adds to the experience.  You don't feel like you are alone in the dungeon and actually being able to team up with one was great.

The combat though is brutal, no way a skill 7 can make it through as there are two unavoidable skill 11 fights and at least a few rounds with a skill 12.  Even trying to get the emerald is a fight against a skill 7 and skill 8 but as you are clambering a statue you have a -3 penalty.  Good luck with your skill of 4.  There should be a way to avoid or mitigate these to give low skills a chance.

There are a lot of ways to die or at least suffer skill and stamina penalties which will lead to death later.  But that's ok, it fits the theme of the book.  It is meant to be difficult, no one has survived this challenge before.

I can't say enough about the art, it really captures the feel of the dungeon and helps with the immersion.  It is the best of the series so far and it is a shame Iain does not do any more.

The book should be hated for its difficulty, like some other entries in the series, but its not its revered.  And I can see why, the difficulty fits the narrative and everything works.  Its addressed a lot of issues that Warlock had such as random direction guessing and much more flavour with encounters that also make more sense in the context.

I could play this over and over but I do worry I have peaked in the series already.  Only mark down is for the blatant lie that any character no matter which stats they roll can make it though.  No, No they can not.

Score - 9 out of 10

City of Thieves

Background - 

So it is still 1983 and we are already up to book 5 in the series.  The guys were fairly pumping them out at this stage.  Its back round to Ian Livingston again and he sticks with the same formula for the gameplay.  While Steve was changing the rules each time Ian was keeping it simple and instead experimenting with locations.  After giving us the first outdoor adventure in Forest of Doom he now takes us into a fully fledged city.  I have played this a few times and I seem to remember that its quite good.  Pretty sure there are some items to hunt down as well, including some hag's hair I think?

Covers - 

So the same art was used for the original, green zig zag and the dragon editions so I will just show this one as the its the one I have.  

So we have the main villain on the front page.  One Zanbar Bone.  Trying to look menacing with his scythe, I just never found it intimidating even as a kid.  Maybe its his lovely bone ruffle he sports.

The city in the background I really like as a picture, but not as a city.  It looks smaller than the Citadel of Chaos.  

But I guess the biggest talking point is the severed head on a spike, on a children's book....

 

Funnily enough when Wizard republished City of Thieves they dropped the old cover for a completely different cover.  Now we are in a tavern and looks like we have met some thieves.  Appropriate.  Its ok but a couple of issues from me.  The green goblin guy I can not take seriously.  If that is meant to be a menacing look it has failed.  But my biggest complaint is the Word 97 clipart that's been used for the items on the table. 

I draw your attention to the mugs of ale in particular.

Can Scholastic do any better with their cover?  Well its gone back to the main man Zanbar Bone.  He is in a city as well so check.  To be honest even though its not my cup of tea its the best scholastic one so far.  It certainly better than the Wizard effort.

And here we go, always a highlight its the US cover!  Wait a minute, what's going on here?   Its actually pretty good?!  I mean Zanzibar actually looks pretty scary here.  And the city in the background I really like.  Oh no, if these start being good what will I take the piss out of?  

Wait what's that there?

Is that a tongue?  A giant nose?

What the hell is this guy?  Well just as well he and his ridiculous appendage were here or the US cover might have taken home the spoils as the best cover and ruined my running joke.

Premise - 

Well, well.  City of Thieves has five and a half pages of background!  Its got a whole story of setup.  Lets see, I am already a famous adventurer and when I appear in a village people come out to see a dragon slayer.  Well if I hope my skill score reflects these dragon slaying abilities.  Anyway we pick up when I arrive at Silverton.  Normally a well off place something is clearly amiss as when nightfall arrives everyone starts running to get indoors.  

I causally make my way over to the Old Toad inn and before I can be served the innkeeper locks the door with quite a ridiculous amount of bolts.  Still waiting to get served someone starts frantically knocking at the door and the innkeeper has to go back through the whole process of opening all the locks, letting the man in and then locking up again.  At this rate I will never get served.

Anyway it turns out my fame has once again preceded me and the mayor of Silverton, Owen Carralif, has come to speak to me.  Finally we sit down and he treats me to a slap up meal and relates a story of woe.  Ten days ago two of Zanbar Bone spirit stalkers arrived demanding the town hand over the mayors daughter.  Going by his erm skeleton appearance, I am not sure what he would want with the young lady.  I am going to assume its not the usual reasons.  Anyway they of course say no and this apparently upsets Zanbar so much that he send in the Moon Dogs!

The first night the Moon Dogs attacked without warning, killing 23, and they have appeared every night since.  Now as soon as night hits people lock up their doors and hide as the moon dogs have the run of Silverton.  There is even talk of sending Owen's daughter to Zanbar which as you can imagine he is not keen on this option.  

But it's ok as our pal Owen has a plan.  He has an old wizard friend called Nicodemus who he is sure will help him.  Only problem is that he is in Port Blacksand, the City of Thieves.  He gives me 30 gold pieces up front and also a sword which I can keep.  Things take a bit of a weird turn here when we get a long description of the detail on the sword which ends with the line "You have never wanted anything so badly in your life before."  Wait what?  What kind of person am I and what life have I lived that I have not wanted something so badly before?  I am starting to feel less like a hero and more like a psychopath.

I spend the night in the Old Toad Inn but I do not have a good nights sleep due to the Moon Dogs howling and sniffing around.  Its all very good stuff and atmospheric but if I am capable of killing a Dragon I do not know why I don't just go out there with my new shiny sword and kill them?  Well I guess because that would not be a great game book.

Playthrough -

Its back to a standard set up.  We have the fancy sword, leather armour, ten provisions and a potion of my choice.

Skill - 9

Stamina - 23

Luck - 7

Not great Skill and terrible Luck score.  For that reason I decide to take the potion of fortune with me.

So a quick description of the trip to Port Blacksand followed by a description of the sights and smells of the city as you approach.  But before I can get into the city you have to get past the guard.

Why would a city full of thieves care about who came into their city?

Now I will talk about the artwork in that section but wow, easily the best art so far to start the adventure.  Anyway I have the choice of being honest, lying or attacking.  Well as its an evil place I decide to use the same strategy as Citadel of Chaos and act like I am a bad guy (that and my skill is too low to fight my way through).  I tell him I have stolen some silver chalices from Silverton and need to fence them.  Of course he wants to check them out first.  I tell him that's a bad idea as they are cursed and I need to find a wizard to help.  Hopefully this will lead to him pointing out Nicodemus's location.  But he does not, instead saying its a likely story (I imagine very sarcastically) but lets me in as I am no different to the rest of the people in here.  Now I am very confused, do they turn good people away?  Anyway I give him three gold coins for advice, hoping to learn my lesson on not getting the crows advice in Forest of Doom.  Its not great, he just tells me if I am caught without a pass I will be killed so get one as soon as possible.  No advice on how to get one.  Surprised that its not something the guards at the gate deal with!

So as usual its the old East, West, North choice to start but at least this one has a bit of flavor, as it also provides street names.  Key street sounds obvious though as most adventures need a key of some kind so I head that way.  Right enough it was a literal description as I arrive at a locksmiths.

Not sure why a Dwarf would have a tall key cutting machine.

So I can ask him for a Skeleton Key or if he know where to find Nicodemus.  I ask for a key first as in an adventure in a city about a man named Bone makes me think I will need one.  Costs 10 gold though but sure its worth it.  But then to my horror I just leave.  Wait I want to ask about the wizard as well?  Could have easily had an option that said if you have not already asked him about Nicodemus you can ask now or leave.

The street swings North and an urchin appears to give me a note which says six bows are trained on me, leave 10 gold to pass.  It says if I do that I will lose 2 luck points.  Well my luck is already low and this place is called the city of thieves so its probably a scam so I walk on.  

Well it was not a scam.  You have to roll a dice and lose 3 stamina for each hit.  Of course I roll a 6 and lose 18 stamina in one go!  And what's even worse?  I still loose 2 luck points!!  One street along and already clinging to life.  I decide to drink my potion of fortune to go up to 8 luck and four meals!  Not entirely sure how eating more and more food helps with all the arrows sticking out of me but hopefully it helps me not have a really short adventure.  Brutal.

I am told I feel like a pincushion and a little girl beckons me to enter a house.  Erm after that experience no thanks I will keep moving away from this area.  

As I walk along I see one house with a welcome sign in front of it.  I pop my head in and see some stairs, a small gold scorpion and a small silver scorpion.  I do not like 50/50 choices.  I pick up the gold one and I get 2 luck points for having a nice broach.  Sigh, I just restored my Luck with the potion.  Now I get all the options again like I should have had at the locksmiths!  No way I am touching the other one so I have a wander up the stairs.

Oh hello mam,  Is this where I pay for the lovely broach?

Its a Lizardine and it is outraged I have stolen a broach and fights me.  Wait the sign said welcome and I do not get the option to pay for it?  What kind of enterprise are you running here?  Skill 8 means this will be close and it also has a fire attack which has a 50/50 chance of hitting me for more damage every round.  I manage to win and only lose 6 stamina points which is not a disaster.  I find 4 gold coins which I scoop up and option to pick up a bronze scorpion broach.  After getting lucky with the first one I decide not too touch any other broaches and move along.  

Where I am stopped by the guards and asked if I have a pass.  Of course I do not so a battle ensues but luckily they attack one at a time.  Also the city guard appear to be some of the weaker creatures in Port Blacksand so I only take one hit.  Still I have another meal to get my stamina back up to 17.  Already half my provisions are gone.   I am rewarded though with 7 gold pieces, a set of keys and some stale bread so I am glad I did not have the pass.

As I walk on I see a pair boots on a rubbish pile that look about my size and asked if I want to try them on?  No  I do not!  Why would anyone who is already wearing perfectible good boots see a pair in a rubbish heap and want to just try them on?

I arrive at a four way junction complete with street names but in typical fashion I see a crowd and decide to follow them North, always being forced North in these things.  All the commotion is people throwing rotten fruit and eggs at an unlucky man.

My character take these eggs (No choice) and joins in with the bullying.

I do not get any other option but she pick pockets me for 1 gold piece as well.  Maybe that's a fair price for some eggs to throw.  The note says Ye Good Two Shoes. I make a mental note it does not pay to be a hero in Port Blacksand.  I go to the food stalls and get a nice hot fresh meal for 1 gold.  It only restores 2 stamina points which makes me question what the hell is in my provisions?!  A man then offers to play a song of fortune on his lute for 3 gold.  I decline his offer and move on to the next stalls.  

Did not go well for the last guy.

I am offered a game of drop the cannonball.  The prize is that the loser pays 5 gold to the other.  Well I am not short of gold and I guess its skill based and my Skill of 9 is not great so I decline.  Plus he has clearly oiled up which would no doubt make the cannon ball all slippery.

Next stall has some stuff for sale so I decide to buy it all.  I pick up a throwing knife, climbing rope, butchers meat hook, iron spike and a lantern.  Hopefully the folks of the city of thieves did not see me splashing the cash!

Next stop is at a fortune teller which as its a fantasy world I decide to check it out.  

Unlike Mystic Meg this one actually gives me some useful information!

2 gold pieces is all it costs and tells me the person I am looking for is to the North and lives under a bridge in a hut.  But be careful he does not like visitors.  She then looks horrified and shoos me out.  No doubt she has seen my inevitable death.

So I head North to bridge street (no choice, so not sure I needed the information I just got).  It starts to rain and I see a derelict house with the option to shelter in it.  Hmm how bad must it be for a house to be derelict in this place.  I decide to put up with the rain.  

I have arrived at the bridge!

I get the option to wait for the one legged man crossing the bridge but as the other option is to go down the stairs I take that instead, trusting in Mystic Megs advice.

And sure enough I find Nicodemus's hut.  He is not happy but as soon as I tell him about Owen in Silverton he changes.  He says he is too old to do anything about it himself but he will tell me how to defeat Zanbar Bone myself.

You seem a rational and sensible person, how should I defeat Zanbar Bone? 

So I have to fight him at night as during the day he exists on another plane!  I have to shoot him with a silver arrow.  And then rub in some paste into his eyes made of black peril, hags hair and a lotus flower.  Sounds difficult enough but by far the best part is what I am told I need to do to protect from his stare.  I need to get the tattoo of a unicorn in a yellow sun on my forehead...

What in the blue hell is Ian thinking about here?  I am all for suspending disbelief for fantasy but who would do this?  At this point I say thanks and take my remaining gold and my nice sword and leave Port Blacksand to find another adventure which does not feature having to tattoo my forehead.  Oh wait no I am told I continue on.

Next choice is Candle Street or Harbour Street.   Well looking at my shopping list I think ill head for the harbour as black perils are associated with pirates and probably best place to find them.  I see an alley way and decide to investigate as I need to find objects.  All I find are some wild dogs which I have to dispatch and nothing else.  

Walking down the street I hear a carriage coming down the street.

Will you jump out of the way or stand your ground?

I jumped out of the way as they shout its Lord Azzur, he is not going to stop for a nobody like me.  But the driver whips me as I dive out of the way and lose 1 stamina point.  But with that I find myself at the harbour.

Well what do you know, a Pirate ship!  And for the avoidance of doubt a Pirate is photobombing in the corner long before the invention of the camera.

Do you want to board the ship?  Hell yeah!  I decide to go for the Assassins Creed approach as I climb up the netting and sneak below decks to avoid any combat.  I hear snoring from a room and decide to check it out.

Sleeping off hangovers.

I get the option to cut the leather purse from the pirate neck.  Looking at it in the picture, well it could contain pearls.  I go for it and fail miserably.  I have to fight all three pirates.  I take a few hits but dispatch them and find 6 black pearls!  Great news.  I sit down and eat another meal before going through the next door.  There is waiting bath and I get the option to be a pervert and wait and see who comes for a bath.  I really don't want to but its too intriguing and option for a blog writer to ignore so I wait and the captain appears.  Once he is in the bath I press my sword against his neck for information.  He tells me to get a silver arrow speak to Ben Borryman on clog street.  My voyeurism has paid off, maybe not a great message for kids!

I leave the ship and immediately go to clog street to look for this silversmith.  There I see a fallen child and go to help.  But its a trick and actually a goblin thief.  Luckily he has terrible stats and I kill him.  2 more gold in the pouch, some old knucklebones and a clove of garlic (Vampire alert).  I find Ben's shop and go in.  You have the option to attack him but I speak to him instead.  He will make a silver arrow for 10 gold, luckily I still had 14 left so I give him the money and check off another quest item.  

Next I can go down Tower Street or Stable Street.  Well I do not need a horse so I go for Tower street.  I see a man getting attacked so I go to help.  Its a  tough battle against two robbers but I survive with 10 stamina left.  The man takes me to the Hog and Frog Inn and gives me a drink and some ointment which restores 5 stamina but that's it.  No essential items.

As I continue on I see men with sacks on the bridge above me.  I shout out and they shoot me with a crossbow.  One failed luck test later (I have not been lucky once) another 3 stamina points go.  I eat two more meals and carry on under the bridge.  I find the junction with stable street and instead of going south down stable street I am once again forced North.  What does Ian have against the direction South?

After speaking to a blacksmith and not having anywhere near enough gold to pay for a chainmail coat I am next accosted by a man with a ball and chain around his leg trying to escape the guard.  He says he was robbed and could no longer afford his taxes so he was thrown in jail.  I decide to try and help him by cutting the chains with my sword but it bounces off (But I have a Skeleton Key and a set of keys from guards I killed earlier).  The guards arrive and looking at my stamina and dwindling provisions I decide to pretend I caught him.  They buy it and give me 5 gold coins, they say he was a murderer so I do not feel too bad.  

Wandering on I come to the public gardens.  It only cost 1 gold for entry and well I am looking for a Lotus flower so probably the best place to be.  

Oh look, the bushes have been cut in the shape of animals, I wonder what is going to happen?

Well I find the Lotus Flowers but it says their is a sign saying do not pick the flowers.  Well I have no choice I need them so here we go.  I am asked if I have a ring of fire.  Only after a curry so no.  Its a fight against the leaf beasts instead.  Luckily they are not as tough as they appear to be and I only get hit once.  I run out of the garden with another item from the shopping list!

We now travel onto Mill Street and because I am now searching everywhere for fear of missing an item I go down another alley.  I have found the tattooist.  I explain my daft need but I can not afford his price of 10 gold as I only have 8.  Luckily it is not game over as he sends me next door to the pawn brokers.  I sell my scorpion broach and knucklebones for 11 gold.  So I get my tattoo and check in the mirror, I find my appearance strange and shrug my shoulders...again what kind of person is ok with this?!

As I leave I see two troll guards, who are apparently Elite guards.  I can walk past them or climb a tree and jump over the wall.

They do not loo particularly elite to me.

I decide as I have a fresh probably bleeding unicorn tattoo on my head to walk past.  Cant imagine they will want to mess with such a clear psychopath.  It does not work though and again I do not have a merchants pass so I can either give them all my gold and get kicked out of the city or spend a year in jail.  I give them the gold apart from 1 that I hide and I am literally kicked in the ass out of the north gate.  

It is here I get asked if I have everything I need but I am missing the hags hair.  I am told it is too dangerous to go back to Port Blacksand so I must journey back to Silverton and report my failure.  My adventure is over.

Wait a minute, I just got a bloody tattoo of a bloody unicorn in a sun on my forehead and my character gives up like that!!!??  I have black perils, lotus flower, a silver arrow!  Lets go back to Silverton, tell Owen the plan and get some help.  Their must be hags in other locations than Port Blacksand!  I like to think of the adventure myself, Owen and a band from Silverton go on.  Getting the last ingredient and then going on to defeat Zanbar Bone.  Hopefully I use the reward money on laser surgery to remove the tattoo.  

Notable Moments - 

You mean more notable than getting a unicorn tattoo on your forehead?  Lets have a look. 

If I could had started my adventure going up Market Street I would have come across the Spotted Dog Inn.  Now my friend has a shed converted into a pub in his back garden also called the spotted dog but this on appears nothing like it.  Certainly sounds friendly but you go in and its not the most welcoming.

This is a local pub for local people.

What I really liked was the sheer amount of options in here.  Not being served by the barman who summons a troll bouncer to throw you out.  Playing a game of chance with Dwarfs, playing a game of don't stab yourself or even getting into a fight with some goblins.  It is very atmospheric and varied.

One of the more bizarre encounters is when you hear a commotion and decide to go into a house to investigate and find these two.

Erm ok.

They are two old women who dress and act like children.  They are fighting over toys to torture.   You do not really interact much with them other than drinking their foul tasting soup.  I just want to know what was going through Ian's mind when he came up with this idea.

But my favorite encounter that I missed is this one - 

Love the score boards in the background.

So you come across a small stadium and climb in to find a bunch of creatures called Bays playing a game.  The game is called.....wait for it...... Bays Ball.  Yep turns out Ian likes baseball and managed to get it into a gamebook.  You basically hit a home run and are mobbed as a hero or miss and get mobbed by an erm, angry mob.  Its a shame as might have been able to do a bit more here.  Funnily enough Games Workshop would end up making a game based on a fantasy version of an American sport.

Blood Bowl is my all time favorite game.

Artwork - 

So Iain McCaig is doing the internal illustrations for the first time.  And he is making writing a comedy blog very hard.  The reason for this?  Well just look at the art in the playthrough.  Its fantastic.  If you have read the previous posts you will know that I hate a blank or poor background.  Well finally we have detailed backgrounds and they are fantastic.  From as soon as you arrive in Port Blacksand and see all the madness in the background it really immerses you in it.  And do not take away the fact that the main picture also looks great.  Its Fighting Fantasy at its very best here.

The Serpent Queen, a mix of Princess Leia and a Snake!

In the bottom left of the beggar  picture there is a discarded copy of white dwarf!

Look at the detail of the Man-Orcs shop!

The Silversmith before he swallows his key when you attack him.

I told you when I found the garlic there would be a vampire.

When you look at the previous entries then this art is just in another league.  Especially coming straight off the heels of Starship Traveller.  I can only assume Ian blew the art budget on his book leaving Steve to have to get the local primary school to do the artwork for his boom.  

I do like Russ Nicholson's art but a lot of the time its too empty.  Just compare the Giant rats from warlock to the Giant rats in City of Thieves - 

Only one winner I am afraid.

The Big Bad -

Ok I may have thought his name was Zanzibar Bone when I was younger so I got a bit of a shock to find its actually Zanbar.  So the build up of his threat is pretty good but to be honest when I was running around Port Blacksand I kind of forgot about him.  But once you are thrown out you move to his tower as the final location.  The best part I liked about his tower is that unlike your typical bad guy he is not at the top!  You can go right past him, all the way to the roof before having to go back down to his location.  When you do find him, he is tough.  For a start he is disguised as a cat, yep really.  Unless you pick up another item in the tower you do not see this illusion and you are dead.  If you do get past this and he is revealed bet hope your luck is still high as you need to pass a luck test to make the shot with the silver arrow.  And then when you apply the paste you have a 33.33% chance of having the right combination.  There is a 2/3rd chance that you have the wrong combo at which point you die.  There is no way to engage him in hand to hand combat so even skill 12 killing machine heroes will have no advantage here.  Its a very tough final boss but it is possible.

He is upset about being Skeletor's less famous brother.

Actually we should take inspiration from - Grumpy Skeletor and have a parody FF account of some kind.

Menagerie - 

As you would expect there are a quite a few encounters with thieves, gangs and vagabonds.  But although most encounters are human related there still feels like quite a variety of enemies.  The city guards Sournose and Fatbelly are particularly tough and interesting.  If you go down a sewer to find a hag you can come across a giant centipede.  The Hag herself can be pretty tough.  I particularly like when you are in the rich persons house that they set a Fire Imp after you.  You can pretty much get into a fight with most shopkeepers.  Ian introduces a Man-Orc which shows a more cross breeding after the Gark appeared in Citadel of Chaos.  The serpent queen though is a bizarre combination but it show even this early they are trying to think of new monsters to encounter. 

It feels more natural having these creatures all in this city as it is described as a wretched place.  But as soon as we move to Zanbar's tower everything changes to an undead theme, eg.  Vampie, Zombies, Skeletons so it is thematic.   I just found it a bit jarring after Port Blacksand.  You do have to fight two moon dogs though that you can not avoid just outside the tower.  A skill 9 and skill 10 so I doubt I would have been able to win this battle.  This means you need a high skill score to get to Zanbar.  If things like the chainmail gave you +2 attack rather than +2 skill then a low skill hero would have a chance but the rules do not read that way.  Something that could easily be changed in later editions.

Entertaining Deaths - 

When you are trying to avoid Sournose you can elect to climb up a tree onto the city walls.  This can led to twenty guards appearing and arresting you.  After being taken to the dungeons, Sourbelly and Fatnose beat you up a bit and then sentence you to five years!

But what better is if you try and jump off the wall, where you land badly and break your neck.  Adventure over.  

But the award has to go to this one.  After you arrive at Zanbar's tower (either as a guest or you broke in) you find a bedroom where you get the option to have a sleep.  Unsurprisingly this will result in some poison gas being released from the bed during the night and you are added to Zanbar's undead army.  I mean who gets to the big bads lair and then decides, well you know what, I sleep in a strange bed in a strange room of the person I am going to kill is just what I need right now?

Pete's Corner - 

Don't eat the Hags Stew, Because I am in it.

Pete's head, like so many others, is now staked outside Port Blacksand

Final Thoughts - 

Right let me get the negativity out of the way.  First their is a street called Candle Street, but the candlemaker shop is in Clogg Street?  What the hell!?

My main gripe is how my adventurer ended, because in the very next paragraph Nicodemus sends you a letter which says he has got the ingredients wrong and you only need two!  I had two!   It should have given you the option that if you had two you make that type of potion.  Ok I did not have the correct ones but it would have been nice to be able to keep going.  

Also sometimes in Port Blacksand you get the option to backtrack, which is great and much needed but crucially as I went up tower street I could not backtrack to the part of stable street that led to the sewer so there is a crucial 50/50 decision choice.  And a strange decision to have yet another required item in the tower itself.

These gripes aside, I really enjoyed this book.  The atmosphere that is generated in the writing and the artwork really comes through.  Port Blacksand and the city setting really works well.  Even from the start with the longer background setting, you really feel you are in a story.  I loved the Moondogs keeping you awake as you try and sleep in the inn.  Then reaching and exploring Port Blacksand is great.  You really feel you are in claustrophobic and dangerous city with plenty of varied encounters.

And oh man that artwork, it really is inspired and shows what a difference it can make to the story.  I am hoping Ian McCaig is on pen duty more during this series.  

Easily the best one of the series so far.

Score - 8 out of 10