[Fighting Fantasy] House of Hell

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I lasted much longer than I had expected to, but this definitely feels like a gamebook that's going to require stumbling through a number of times before finding the right things I need to succeed. I still think the Mordana clue is significant, but apparently not in the form of an ally or confidant.

 

[Nikosandros]

I lasted much longer than I had expected to, but this definitely feels like a gamebook that's going to require stumbling through a number of times before finding the right things I need to succeed.

That's typical of the FF books, at least the early ones, which are the ones that I played back then. They are very deadly and unforgiving and, unless you are incredibly lucky, they do require multiple attempts.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The early books are especially like this, in my experience. Warlock of Firetop Mountain has a lot of great iconic encounters -- I'd say it ranks up there with the best of the early TSR modules -- but there are no clues to guide you toward collecting the right keys or to get the spell to kill the dragon. It's clear that Jackson and Livingstone viewed that as a replayability feature, and not a bug.

In this adventure, finding a dead body causing 3 Fear damage feels way over the top, especially compared to surviving a zombie attack and dealing with a poltergeist. My guess is that this was meant as a last chance to kill the character off before the end of the adventure, which I suspect I was near.

Also, House of Hell is one of these adventures where they clearly didn't work off a pre-existing map, but just kept creating insane floor plans as they went along. I think the Sorcery! series or maybe City of Thieves was the first time it felt like someone sat down and made a map that mostly works before writing the book.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I had a good time doing this. I will do another one, of a seasonally appropriate Fighting Fantasy book, in December.

 

[Echohawk]

I had a good time doing this. I will do another one, of a seasonally appropriate Fighting Fantasy book, in December.

It was fun following along too. If you remember, when you do the next one, please post a link in this thread, so that anyone who was following doesn't miss the next one.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It was fun following along too. If you remember, when you do the next one, please post a link in this thread, so that anyone who was following doesn't miss the next one.

Will do!

 

[Joshua Randall]

Sweet! Err, I mean, we died. That’s terrible.

Can you go back and keep refusing to eat or drink?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I just want to get out of here. Truthfully, it's been almost half a day since I've eaten, but Franklins, Kelnor and this whole house are giving me the creeps. I want to go.

"I appreciate the offer, but I've eaten. I don't want to trouble you all any longer."

This was the wrong thing to say.

Kelnor's eyes blaze with fury, leaping to his feet.

"Franklins woke the staff and prepared this meal for you. You have the audacity to ..."

I raise my hands, placatingly.

((Lamb: Page 196))
((Duck: Page 115))
((Stick to my guns and refuse to eat: Page 96))

The earl rings a bell and the butler appears.

"Franklins, our guest is refusing our hospitality and won't eat or drink. Deal with it!"

The butler touches a button on the wall and manacles spring out of my chair's legs and arm rests, binding me to the chair.

As I struggle, Franklins reaches around the back of the chair with a handkerchief doused in some sort of strong-smelling liquid.

Everything goes black ...

((Wake up in the room as before, bound hand and foot. And also, this time, on an empty stomach.))

 

[Joshua Randall]

The real horror is the food we didn’t eat.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The real horror is the food we didn’t eat.

If I'm going to die a horrible death, I might as well get the Michelin star-quality final meal.