Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

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achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

If they're crazy, we may end up fighting them anyway. Attack!

# ? Sep 24, 2017 15:45

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# ? May 15, 2024 14:31

Rigged Death Trap: Feb 13, 2012; BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Tiggum posted:

I may be reading more racism into this than was intended. The options as presented in the book are not actually so provocative.

then again:

quote:

...strange glint of madness in their slanted eyes.

attack for the hell of it

# ? Sep 24, 2017 16:04

Broken Box: Jan 29, 2009

Talk to the toothless madmen, of course.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 16:32

Kanthulhu: Apr 8, 2009; NO ONE SPOIL GAME OF THRONES FOR ME!

IF SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT OBERYN MARTELL AND THE MOUNTAIN DIE THIS SEASON, I'M GOING TO BE PISSED.

BUT NOT HALF AS PISSED AS I'D BE IF SOMEONE WERE TO SPOIL VARYS KILLING A LANISTER!!!

(Dany shits in a field)

Kill the monsters before looting the food.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 16:32

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

Sweet talk 'em out of some lunch

They don't know that we're hostage-taking jerks.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 16:51

Mister Olympus: Oct 31, 2011; Buzzard, Who Steals From Dead Bodies

Kill because the game has never made someone sound suspicious but turn out not to be evil yet.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 17:18

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Talk, that way when they attack we keep the moral high ground.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 17:40

Ratatozsk: Mar 6, 2007; Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

vilkacis posted:

I look forward to hearing about this, because I've never seen them myself.

I'd like to start adding in tidbits in parallel to the LP, if Tiggum doesn't mind. I had all the CYOAs in print form and read the poo poo out of them, so I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to hold back future plot points as they're hinted at in the books. But I do need to read Hunting Wolf through first as well as clarify what to do with a few bygone events like the Crystal Star and its owner: fair game to spoil now? before actually contributing anything of substance.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 18:21

Added Space: Jul 13, 2012; Free Markets
Free People

Curse you Hayard-Gunnes!

I'd wait for book 5 to reveal that since that character is featured prominently.

I don't think any racism is intentional. It's more that your country is the last holdout against the forces of evil, so every other person is suspicious. Heck, we're attacked by our own countrymen several times.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 19:43

Comstar: Apr 20, 2007; Are you happy now?

Talk.

# ? Sep 24, 2017 21:57

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Ratatozsk posted:

I'd like to start adding in tidbits in parallel to the LP, if Tiggum doesn't mind. I had all the CYOAs in print form and read the poo poo out of them, so I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to hold back future plot points as they're hinted at in the books. But I do need to read Hunting Wolf through first as well as clarify what to do with a few bygone events like the Crystal Star and its owner: fair game to spoil now? before actually contributing anything of substance.

As Added Space says, hold off on the thing you spoilered till book five (and same goes for any other characters mentioned in the novels that we still might encounter later), but otherwise I would actually love to hear about this stuff myself, so please do post it.

Mister Olympus posted:

Kill because the game has never made someone sound suspicious but turn out not to be evil yet.

If we'd have talked to them they'd just have run away and we'd have been able to loot their stuff anyway, but this way we have to kill them to get it.

The Caverns of Kalte posted:

The two men stare at you in horror and fumble for their weapons.

You have killed one of them before the other attempts to fight back. He is desperate and attacks you with great fury. You will have to fight him to the death.

Ice Barbarian: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 14

Not that it's much of a fight.

Lone Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 30
Ice Barbarian: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 14
Combat Ratio: 11+

We roll: 9
Lone Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 30
Ice Barbarian: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 0

The Caverns of Kalte posted:

You make a quick search of the bodies and discover that one of them has a triangle of blue stone hanging by a chain around his neck. If you wish to keep this item, put the chain round your neck and mark it as a Special Item on your Action Chart.

You are very hungry and you quickly consume the cooked animal, pausing only to spit out its bones. Then you notice that the fire is burning in a strange, half-spherical metal bowl. The other half of the sphere lies on the icy floor nearby. You find that both halves fit together perfectly. When you open them, you discover that the fire still burns inside. If you wish to keep this Firesphere, put it inside your jacket and mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.

You finish the last scraps of food, and return to the tunnel.

Will we take the Blue Stone Triangle, the Firesphere, both or neither?

# ? Sep 25, 2017 03:19

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

Both loots, while being ashamed of ourselves.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 03:28

Kangra: May 7, 2012

Goodness gracious. Take the ball of fire and the triangle pendant.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 03:29

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

We loot everything we can get our grubby little hands on.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 03:42

RudeCat: Aug 7, 2012; The rudest cat for the rudest jobs

Loot and a hot meal?!

Take both items.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 05:04

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Both. Why would we ever not loot?

# ? Sep 25, 2017 07:11

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Take both items.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 07:59

PZ Smeltzenseltzer: Feb 3, 2008; fortran
~*with style*~

Just the Firesphere. I don't trust things that go around our neck.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 08:19

Comstar: Apr 20, 2007; Are you happy now?

Take both. That Fire-sphere looks useful.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 09:41

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

PZ Smeltzenseltzer posted:

Just the Firesphere. I don't trust things that go around our neck.

If it's something you wear, you can never really tell if it's going to be helpful or deadly until it's too late. Maybe we'll find out later what it would have done. But the Firesphere is a pretty great item. It's not too much different to an ordinary lantern (as fuel never runs out in these books) but it does occasionally have additional uses. I've never really understood how big it's supposed to be though. Big enough to cook on, but small enough to fit in a jacket pocket? :confused:

The Caverns of Kalte posted:

You continue along the tunnel for over a mile, but you soon become tired and stop to sleep. You awake feeling refreshed, but have no idea just how long you have been sleeping�the light of these caverns never changes, be it day or night.

You continue onwards, mile after mile, passing through a series of huge ice halls containing towering pillars of crystal. In one vast chamber, you are mesmerized by the beautiful sight of a shimmering crystal ceiling. But beyond this chamber lies an even greater spectacle. A narrow passage leads on to a ledge running around the brink of a huge chasm, over half a mile wide. As you edge your way around this awesome void, you try not to look down into its windswept depths, many miles below.

You have been on the ledge for only a few minutes when a noise behind you makes you glance back. To your horror, you see you are being followed by a monstrous, two-headed serpent.

You recognize the serpent to be a Javek, a two-headed and deadly poisonous ice snake. As it slithers nearer, you can clearly see the open jaw of the second head and the yellow, curved fangs dripping with venom. It moves very quickly and you know that you will not be able to outrun it along this narrow ledge.

You remove the Firesphere from your jacket, quickly split open the two halves, and place them upon the narrow ledge behind. The Javek hisses loudly, both its heads weaving and darting at you in rage. It is desperate to attack, but it will not approach the Firesphere. Instead, it attempts to slither round the flames, but the ledge is very narrow�no more than a foot wide. It cannot pass without singeing itself. Eventually, angry but powerless, the strange reptile resigns itself to failure and disappears back along the ledge and into the passageway beyond.

You can now retrieve your Firesphere and continue your exploration.

You reach a tunnel on the far side of the chasm and follow it for many miles. You eventually arrive at an enormous chamber, the ceiling of which towers five hundred feet above you. An icy wind, blowing through the many fissures that crack the ceiling, whips around the hall.

That's a long way up, but we could try to climb out anyway. Or we could carry on and look for an easier way out. Which will it be?

# ? Sep 25, 2017 14:55

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Climbing just seems like it's inviting an instadeath for me. Look for another way.

Tiggum posted:

I may be reading more racism into this than was intended. The options as presented in the book are not actually so provocative.

The previous thread took the racism gag and ran with it, culminating in such highlights as:

quote:

There once was a guy from the North
To rescue his mate he went forth
Leftward he headed
Got thoroughly deaded
By a trap in a fortress of swarth.

quote:

It's not the swarthy on the outside that matters, it's the swarthy on the inside.

quote:

quote:

Why do the British covers never show his face?

Because it is YOU! YOU ARE LONE WOLF!

Your mind is blown!

quote:

quote:
what if the reader was swarthy

Well then you can't see Lone Wolf's face because he is hiding his secret shame.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 15:11

Ratatozsk: Mar 6, 2007; Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

The Firesphere is absurdly useful. I'd put it second only to the Somerswerd as Special Items go, although I'm not sure if Project Aon had tweaked some of the other ones.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 15:16

RudeCat: Aug 7, 2012; The rudest cat for the rudest jobs

Keep on looking.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 15:28

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

I always interpreted swarthy as tanned, like a pirate spending too much time in the open sun, rather than black/dark skinned in the racial sense.

Look for a better way.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 15:43

ulmont: Sep 15, 2010; IF I EVER MISS VOTING IN AN ELECTION (EVEN AMERICAN IDOL) ,OR HAVE UNPAID PARKING TICKETS, PLEASE TAKE AWAY MY FRANCHISE

Ratatozsk posted:

I'd like to start adding in tidbits in parallel to the LP, if Tiggum doesn't mind. I had all the CYOAs in print form and read the poo poo out of them, so I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to hold back future plot points as they're hinted at in the books.

I only had 1-5 in print, but at one point circa 2003 John Grant was selling PDFs of the entire series for like $10. I bought them and then lost them several computers back.

I'm pretty sure John Grant did all the writing, based on him ignoring much of the Lone Wolf backstory in favor of his own original do not steal Mary Sue character.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 15:52

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Avalerion posted:

I always interpreted swarthy as tanned, like a pirate spending too much time in the open sun, rather than black/dark skinned in the racial sense.

It can mean either because it literally just means "dark skinned" (from the Old English/Germanic for "black"), but if you look at the way it's used in these books it's definitely meant in the racial sense. Like, basically all the pseudo-Arabs (Vassagonians) are described that way and Sommerlunding (pseudo-English) almost never are. And it just so happens that the Sommerlunding are literally the chosen people of the good gods. Also, good people are never described as "swarthy" even if they have dark skin.

I don't think it was done intentionally, it's just an unfortunate side effect of having a fantasy world with countries based on real-world regions where genuine good and evil exist and are organised into distinct sides that makes some of the author's unconscious prejudices very obvious to a modern audience.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 16:46

ModernMajorGeneral: Jun 25, 2010

Tiggum posted:

It can mean either because it literally just means "dark skinned" (from the Old English/Germanic for "black"), but if you look at the way it's used in these books it's definitely meant in the racial sense. Like, basically all the pseudo-Arabs (Vassagonians) are described that way and Sommerlunding (pseudo-English) almost never are. And it just so happens that the Sommerlunding are literally the chosen people of the good gods. Also, good people are never described as "swarthy" even if they have dark skin.

I don't think it was done intentionally, it's just an unfortunate side effect of having a fantasy world with countries based on real-world regions where genuine good and evil exist and are organised into distinct sides that makes some of the author's unconscious prejudices very obvious to a modern audience.

I was going to bring up how traditional high fantasy which this book is clearly trying to emulate has a history of unfortunate racial stereotypes, and I learned that the bad sort-of-Arab guys in LOTR were literally called 'Swarthy Men' so, uh, yeah.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 17:37

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Climb! The best insta-deaths are the ones you invite.

# ? Sep 25, 2017 21:52

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Avalerion posted:

Look for a better way.

This is a great decision. Climbing leads to frostbite and a permanent -2 Combat Skill penalty. And there's no way out up there anyway so you end up just climbing back down.

The Caverns of Kalte posted:

You discover a low passage that opens out into a cavern full of stalagmites. There are two exits in the opposite ice wall; both disappear into darkness. In the snow around the entrances of both tunnels are many strange tracks.

Hey, it's everyone's favourite set of options; go left or go right?

# ? Sep 26, 2017 03:14

Kanthulhu: Apr 8, 2009; NO ONE SPOIL GAME OF THRONES FOR ME!

IF SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT OBERYN MARTELL AND THE MOUNTAIN DIE THIS SEASON, I'M GOING TO BE PISSED.

BUT NOT HALF AS PISSED AS I'D BE IF SOMEONE WERE TO SPOIL VARYS KILLING A LANISTER!!!

(Dany shits in a field)

Left

# ? Sep 26, 2017 03:26

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

I'm feeling leftish today.

# ? Sep 26, 2017 03:39

ulmont: Sep 15, 2010; IF I EVER MISS VOTING IN AN ELECTION (EVEN AMERICAN IDOL) ,OR HAVE UNPAID PARKING TICKETS, PLEASE TAKE AWAY MY FRANCHISE

left

# ? Sep 26, 2017 03:58

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

# ? Sep 26, 2017 04:09

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Always left.

# ? Sep 26, 2017 06:06

RudeCat: Aug 7, 2012; The rudest cat for the rudest jobs

Leftis right.

# ? Sep 26, 2017 06:32

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Left

# ? Sep 26, 2017 07:58

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

The right tunnel just leads to the same place anyway, but you have to get past another Baknar first.

The Caverns of Kalte posted:

After a short walk, you arrive at a massive ice hall full of crystal stalagmites and stalactites. The floor is covered with animal tracks and bones, yet the vast hall seems empty and still. You notice that the northern wall is a completely smooth surface of granite blocks stretching upwards to the icy ceiling, over one hundred feet above. You suddenly realize that you are staring at the foundation stones of Ikaya�you have reached the ice fortress.

Partially obscured by a large mound of crystals, you can just make out a ramp leading up to a massive stone door in the fortress wall. Your discovery brings renewed hope. If you can gain entry to Ikaya and quickly capture Vonotar, there is still time to reach your ship, the Cardonal, before the pack-ice starts to freeze.

Should we head straight for the door or stop and search the "bone-littered floor" of this room first?

# ? Sep 26, 2017 15:52

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Look for the obvious trap.

# ? Sep 26, 2017 16:00

Kanthulhu: Apr 8, 2009; NO ONE SPOIL GAME OF THRONES FOR ME!

IF SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT OBERYN MARTELL AND THE MOUNTAIN DIE THIS SEASON, I'M GOING TO BE PISSED.

BUT NOT HALF AS PISSED AS I'D BE IF SOMEONE WERE TO SPOIL VARYS KILLING A LANISTER!!!

(Dany shits in a field)

There might be loot beneath all those bones.

Search

# ? Sep 26, 2017 16:08

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# ? May 15, 2024 14:31

Ratatozsk: Mar 6, 2007; Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Kanthulhu posted:

There might be ~~loot~~bones beneath all those bones.

Search

# ? Sep 26, 2017 16:25

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