Coils of Hate [CYOAntisemitism]

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Coils of Hate [CYOAntisemitism]

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

Prologue posted:

You are down on your luck, but you will not swallow your pride and look for a job. Every day a throng of hopefuls gathers outside the rich palazzi of the riverfront. Others seek to join a trader�s caravan as a guide or a guard. Those turned away drift at last to the seaweed-stinking waterfront to become rowers in the fleet and begin a life no better than slavery.

In your heart, you know that your destiny, the destiny of the Judain, is greater than this. Not for nothing have you toiled to learn your skills. Now you are without peer among your people. One thing only you lack: a sense of purpose, a quest to show the world your greatness and put your skills to the test.

The city of Godorno is a stinking cess-pit. The Judain are not wanted here. Your people are rich but the pale ones of Godorno covet those riches. �Usurers, thieves,� they cry as your people walk the streets going about their daily business.

The Overlord stokes the fire of discontent. When those who speak out against his cruel reign disappear, never to be seen again, he blames the Judain. When people starve because he sells the harvest to the westerners for jewels and silks, his minions say it is the Judain who profit from his peoples� wretchedness. Now the people hate you and all your kind. Soon it will not be safe to walk the streets. The caravan lines are swelled by tall proud Judain slaves with their glittering black eyes, backs bent under casks of spices and bolts of silk.

In the past two centuries Godorno has become a byword for decadence, luxury and idle pleasure. Everywhere you look you see the insignia of the winged lion, once the proud standard of the city�s legions. Now it stands as the very symbol of corruption and evil.

Now turn to 1.

Where to start with this book? Let's just suffice it to say that the Usurous Judain allegory just gets weirder and more bewildering the deeper we get. Plus that beastie from the cover (check out an enormous version of the pic for the some curious little details) plays a very large role in things - this one's a doozie.

The Virtual Reality series came out in the early 90's and aimed to remove the random element from CYOAs familiar and central to the Fighting Fantasy series. You can find the two previous entries Green Blood and Down Among the Dead Men, if you're looking to get a feel for things. Green Blood was penned by the same author as Coils, one Mark Smith best known for the Way of the Tiger series.

Also unique to this series is the character creation. Some classes are similar to those seen in the past books, although the exact titles are "updated" for this adventure.

Choose One of These Characters posted:

The Avenger
Skills: AGILITY, STREETWISE, SWORDPLAY and UNARMED COMBAT
Profile: Your life is dedicated to settling blood feuds. If there is injustice, you are called upon to even the score.
Life Points: 10
Possessions: Sword
Money: 10 gleenars

The Sandek
Skills: ROGUERY, SEAFARING, STREETWISE and SWORDPLAY
Profile: Your ruthlessness and ambition have made you a respected leader of the Godorno underworld
Life Points: 10
Possession: Sword
Money: 20 Gleenars

The Chakham
Skills: AGILITY, CHARMS, FOLKLORE and UNARMED COMBAT
Profile: You have preserved the sacred traditions with pride. Now use your skills and wisdom to become the savior of your people
Life Points: 10
Possession: Magic Amulet
Money: 10 Gleenars

The Cabbalist
Skills: CHARMS, FOLKLORE, SEAFARING and SPELLS
Profile: You have travelled far and wide in the study of magic and now it is time to put your knowledge to the test
Life Points: 10
Possession: Magic amulet, magic wand
Money: 10 Gleenars

The Schnorer
Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, STREETWISE and UNARMED COMBAT
Profile: You live by your wits, a familiar figure on the streets of Godorno where you are famous for your audacity
Life Points: 11
Possessions: None
Money: 7 Gleenars

The Nazirite
Skills: CHARMS, CUNNING, SWORDPLAY and WILDERNESS LORE
Profile: Your talents derive from your holy vows, which endow you with great strength and luck
Life Points: 12
Possessions: magic amulet, sword
Money: 9 Gleenars

The Seer
Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, SPELLS and SWORDPLAY
Profile: Your life amounted to nothing until the angel Raziel appear to you in a vision and granted you second sight
Life Points: 10
Possessions: magic wand, sword
Money: 10 Gleenars

Alternatively, design your own character, taking any four skills of your choice from the Glossary of Skills on page 9. Your character will also have any possessions needed for the skills chosen (e.g. a wand if you choose SPELLS) and will start with 10 gleenars. Your initial Life Points score will be 10.

For simplicity's sake, we'll forgo that final option. Please vote on one of the pre-made classes. For a brief rundown of what exactly our skills entail, enjoy the following:

Glossary of Skills posted:

AGILITY
The ability to perform acrobatic feats, run, climb, balance and leap. A character with this skill is nimble and dexterous.

CHARMS
The expert use of magical wards to protect you from danger. Also includes that most elusive of qualities: luck. You must possess a magic amulet to use this skill.

CUNNING
The ability to think on your feet and devise clever schemes for getting out of trouble. Useful in countless situations.

FOLKLORE
Knowledge of myth and legend, and how best to deal with supernatural menaces such as garlic against vampires, silver bullets against a werewolf, and so on.

ROGUERY
The traditional repertoire of a thief's tricks: picking pockets, opening locks, and skulking unseen in the shadows.

SEAFARING
Knowing all about life at sea, including the ability to handle anything from a rowboat up to a large sailing ship

SPELLS
A range of magical effects encompassing illusions, elemental effects, commands, and summonings. You must possess a magic wand to use this skill.

STREETWISE
With this skill you are never at a loss in towns and cities. What others see as the squalor and menace of narrow cobbled streets is home to you.

SWORDPLAY
The best fighting skill. You must possess a sword to use this skill.

UNARMED COMBAT
Fisticuffs, wrestling holds, jabs and kicks, and the tricks of infighting. Not as effective as SWORDPLAY, but you do not need weapons � your own body is the weapon!

WILDERNESS LORE
A talent for survival in the wild - whether it be forest, desert, swamp or mountain peak.

So please cast a vote for our character, and in a day or two we'll get rolling with the Coils of Hate!

Ratatozsk fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Oct 7, 2015

# ? Jul 24, 2015 02:24

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 12:04

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

One more quick bookkeeping note - while I had an electronic copy of the previous books, I'm stuck with a physical copy for this one. I'll be transcribing things as we go as I prefer how it looks (vs uploaded scans), but it's more than likely there will be some goofs as we go. Please don't hesitate to point these out as we go along.

# ? Jul 24, 2015 02:28

CirclMastr: Jul 4, 2010

Wow, there's no subtlety to this one, is there?

I say we go with the Seer so that we have sword and spell at our disposal.

# ? Jul 24, 2015 06:28

Tarezax: Sep 12, 2009; MORT cancels dance: interrupted by MORT

I say we dispense with subtlety and go full Nazi~~rite~~. :godwin:

# ? Jul 24, 2015 11:16

CommissarMega: Nov 18, 2008; THUNDERDOME LOSER

Oh man, this book. I remember buying it as a kid, and let me tell you, it was a hell of a thing to read as someone who'd been raised anti-Semitic (I'm not anymore, I swear!) I'll vote for The Seer, please.

# ? Jul 24, 2015 12:58

Bellmaker: Oct 18, 2008; Chapter DOOF

Tarezax posted:

I say we dispense with subtlety and go full Nazi~~rite~~.

CHARMS, CUNNING, SWORDPLAY and WILDERNESS LORE? Sounds stupid good so Nazirite

# ? Jul 24, 2015 13:19

CzarChasm: Mar 14, 2009; I don't like it when you're watching me eat.

Nazarite

Swords, charms, wilderness, a magic amulet and the highest starting life points? Yes please.

# ? Jul 24, 2015 14:14

Ghostwoods: May 9, 2013; Say "Cheese!"

Meh, Godwin. Calling Seer.

# ? Jul 24, 2015 14:29

MinistryofLard: Mar 22, 2013; Goblin babies did nothing wrong.

Cabbalist. Get some of that freaky kabbalah action going.

# ? Jul 25, 2015 03:24

Worklurker: Jan 2, 2014

The Nazirite
Strength and luck are always the most important stats

# ? Jul 25, 2015 03:32

No Gravitas: Jun 12, 2013; by FactsAreUseless

The seer!

# ? Jul 25, 2015 11:06

CrookedB: Jun 27, 2011; Stupid newbee

The Cabbalist.

# ? Jul 25, 2015 13:55

Xander77: Apr 6, 2009; Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.

Should I do a Yiddish to English translation of some of the terms involved, or are you going to do that in a lore post?

# ? Jul 25, 2015 15:20

Decoy Badger: May 16, 2009

Let's be the Schnorer since I want to be Woody Allen as an action hero.

# ? Jul 25, 2015 16:59

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

The Nazirite. Luck and Swords are pretty good to have.

What are you using to scan the text in?

# ? Jul 26, 2015 01:36

Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

The Seer! We shall win this through faith :worship:

# ? Jul 26, 2015 04:54

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

Xander77 posted:

Should I do a Yiddish to English translation of some of the terms involved, or are you going to do that in a lore post?

Happy to have the input there. I don't believe the book inject much more as we go further in, but we'll see what comes.

# ? Jul 26, 2015 05:29

HerraS: Apr 15, 2012; Looking professional when committing genocide is essential. This is mostly achieved by using a beret.

Olive drab colour ensures the genocider will remain hidden from his prey until it's too late for them to do anything.

I don't know how you can read that list of character options and not go with Nazirite. I mean we have holy vows to kill all the jews and all!

# ? Jul 26, 2015 05:40

Xander77: Apr 6, 2009; Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.

Right, let's break this down:

The Avenger: Probably this, though it's a common enough a word that I can't be sure.

The Sandek: "Godfather". Doesn't carry the same associations in Yiddish (or in any language up until a certain movie came along) but... yeah, that's what the book is going with. Judaism doesn't have a baptism ritual (for the most part) so the godfather is the person who holds the boy during his circumcision.

The Chakham: Literally "wise man". A Torah scholar.

The Cabbalist: I supposed everyone are familiar with the Kabbalah at least by way of cultural osmosis. The thing is, despite pop-cultural associations with "Jewish Magic", the practices and rituals of the Kabbalah are about an esoteric connection with the Holy Spirit more than any sort of practical application.

The Schnorer: Beggar. Also a pejorative way to refer to charity solicitors ("The Schnor" as a whole) and similar community organizers.

The Nazirite: Vow Giver or Hermit (temporary). Someone consecrating themselves to god. An equivalent of medieval knightly geas. In modern day Hebrew, mostly means "monk" (non-Jewish) since the Hermetic rituals has mostly parted ways with various branches of modern Judaism.

The Seer: It's an English word. Do you really need that one clarified? The angel Raziel, meanwhile, is the patron of secret knowledge. Also, bitching scarves.

# ? Jul 26, 2015 08:06

StoryTime: Feb 26, 2010; Now listen to me children and I'll tell you of the legend of the Ninja

Well this is a thing.

# ? Jul 26, 2015 09:41

MysticalMachineGun: Apr 5, 2005

Voting for The Sandek. Suggesting Marlon Brando head pic.

# ? Jul 26, 2015 11:51

Russ L: Feb 26, 2011

The Schnorer, 'cos it's always fun to play as a conman type.

# ? Jul 26, 2015 11:52

Ramc: May 4, 2008; Bringing your thread to a screeching halt, guaranteed.

Subtle.

# ? Jul 26, 2015 16:31

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

Seer: 5
Nazirite: 6
Cabbalist: 2
Schnorer: 2
Sandek: 1

Page 1 posted:

Walk the streets you must, for there is no food and nothing to be gained from idling here in the hovel you call home. You push the rotten front door open gently. There is a wet cracking noise and it splinters, coming off its hinges. You jump past into Copper Street as it falls into the street and breaks. It is beyond repair.

Even before you turn the corner of the narrow mired street a prowling thief, a sewer rat escaped from the fleet, is going into your home. Let him. You are carrying everything you own. He will find nothing but tick-ridden blankets and a leaking earthenware pot or two.

As you turn your back on the grey stone shacks of Copper Street a youth, gangling and pasty-faced, spits in your eye and calls out �Judain scum.� The boy is beneath notice. He sneers with his nose in the air, like the rich folks of the riverfront, but his sailcloth breeches are out at the knees. His father is probably a tanner or a tinker or some such.

Your time in Godorno has taught you to ignore such insults.

If you cannot stand this treatment any longer, however, and round on him, turn to 33.
If you walk on, humbly wiping the spittle from your cheek, turn to 48.

: Hey, at least I'm not some filthy stinking elf!

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'The Hammer' Sherman the Nazirite

Skills: CHARMS, CUNNING, SWORDPLAY and WILDERNESS LORE

Life Points: 12/12

Gleenars: 9

Possessions: Amulet, sword

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it, a pointy-toothed native, Ejada, the Moon Dog, Skarvench

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd, gale'd, yardam'd, rack'd

# ? Jul 26, 2015 18:37

CrookedB: Jun 27, 2011; Stupid newbee

Well, we didn't choose to play an Avenger so turn to 48.

# ? Jul 26, 2015 20:00

Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

Yeah, let's be kind for now. 48

# ? Jul 26, 2015 20:14

John Lee: Mar 2, 2013; A time traveling adventure everyone can enjoy

... 48, yeah, but what the heck is up with that character sheet?

# ? Jul 26, 2015 20:22

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

I'm THE Avenger

Also, did we miss a previous life? It sounds very exciting, if rather short.

quote:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it, a pointy-toothed native, Ejada, the Moon Dog, Skarvench

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd, gale'd, yardam'd, rack'd

# ? Jul 26, 2015 22:36

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

Comstar posted:

I'm THE Avenger

Also, did we miss a previous life? It sounds very exciting, if rather short.
?

I'm loosely continuing the character (or at least their approximate headshot) from the previous books. Links in the OP if you're particularly interested to see how Jay was countless swords of the Westermen'd to death.

# ? Jul 27, 2015 00:03

MysticalMachineGun: Apr 5, 2005

You guys are wusses and we have swordplay. Don't take that insult! 33

# ? Jul 27, 2015 01:54

Russ L: Feb 26, 2011

I recall another Judain who encouaged us all to turn the other cheek. It didn't turn out well for him. 33.

# ? Jul 27, 2015 06:05

Decoy Badger: May 16, 2009

We don't have extra life points for nothing. Kill!

# ? Jul 27, 2015 14:20

CzarChasm: Mar 14, 2009; I don't like it when you're watching me eat.

Save the life points for someone who really deserves it. This is probably the tamest of the insults we'll have to endure. Make like Tay Tay and Shake it off

# ? Jul 27, 2015 15:40

CommissarMega: Nov 18, 2008; THUNDERDOME LOSER

Russ L posted:

I recall another Judain who encouaged us all to turn the other cheek. It didn't turn out well for him.

He got to live forever, sounds pretty good to me :colbert:

Turn the other cheek: 48

# ? Jul 27, 2015 15:56

Oblivion4568238: Oct 10, 2012; The Inquisition.
What a show.
The Inquisition.
Here. We. Go.; College Slice

quote:

The boy is beneath notice.

# ? Jul 27, 2015 17:26

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

Page 48 posted:

The youth is not content to leave it there. He means to draw blood. He closes stealthily and is about to stab you. His shadow falls across you before the blow is struck.

If you have STREETWISE and wish to use it, turn to 99.
If you have UNARMED COMBAT and wish to use it, turn to 92.
Otherwise there is no time to draw a sword or use sorcery. You must run for it, turn to 130.

But SWORDPLAY is "the best fighting skill"! Hogwash!

Page 130 posted:

The youth is quick and he moves to stab you in the back as you flee. ~~If you have AGILITY you are faster and soon leave him behind.~~ Otherwise you feel a sharp cold pain as the blade bites into sinew and muscle and rasps against your shoulderblade: lose 1 Life Point as blood stains your clothes dark red - you are lucky it was not a killing blow. This guttersnipe is good with his knife. 'I thought you Judain had black blood,' he sneers as he lets you go.

Turn to 201.

: Up yours, you sniveling starveling!

Page 201 posted:

The street winds down towards the Riverfront and the center of the city. It is crossed by large avenues lined with tall straight cedars that lead up to the citadel. You hear the ringing of the town crier's bell. At the end of the street is Greenbark Plaza. Here a large walled flowerbed encircles a rare sight. It is a greenbark tree, eighty feet tall. The smooth bark is striped lime green and grey-green and the heart-shaped leaves are golden yellow. There is a shrine here to the tree spirit with a few offerings of potash and wine.

Next to the shrine is the town crier dressed in his traditional black and gold tabard. He unfurls a scroll and begins to declaim to the gathered crowd. He is flanked by a bodyguard of the Overlord's men armored in black leather. You push forward to hear better.

Turn to 254.

Page 254 posted:

'Now hear the will of the Overlord. The salt tax will be doubled forthwith.' The crier's voice rings out confidently but there are growls of discontent all around.

A man turns to you and says, 'Doubled! Do they intend to squeeze us till we are nought but dried husks lying in the dust?'

'Ssh,' you say, wanting to hear what else the town crier is saying.

The amnesty for those who worship false gods is at an end,' he declaims to the crowd. 'The punishment for heresy is death.'

There is a wail from somewhere in the crowd and two of the soldiers barge their way towards the poor unfortunate. Townsfolk are knocked to the ground but no one lays hand on the soldiers. A woman dressed in a blue robe runs away up the street with the soldiers in hot pursuit.

The crier affects not to have noticed the disturbance. 'Now hear this. The Overlord decrees the Judain outcast. The life of a Judain is of no worth. The keeping of the Judain as slaves within the precincts of the city may continue. It is the wish of the Overlord that all good citizens of Godorno shall not rest until the Judain have been driven out or enslaved.'

You listen in horror. This means that none of your people is safe within the city. The crowds start to chant: 'Kill the Judain, kill the Judain.' The man who spoke out with such indignation about the salt tax now looks at you and then points, shouting 'Judain!' The mob will soon be baying for blood.

If you have CUNNING, turn to 301.
~~If you have SPELLS and a wand, you could cast a spell of disguise (turn to 88) or disappear in a puff of smoke (turn to 104).~~
~~If you have STREETWISE, turn to 333.~~
If you choose to fight you can use SWORDPLAY and a sword (turn to 270) ~~or UNARMED COMBAT (turn to 284).~~
If you have none of these skills, or think that using them now would only get you killed, you are pelted with cobblestones as you run off. Lose 4 Life Points, then turn to 70.

: Yegads, things are picking up quickly!

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'The Hammer' Sherman the Nazirite

Skills: CHARMS, CUNNING, SWORDPLAY and WILDERNESS LORE

Life Points: 11/12

Gleenars: 9

Possessions: Amulet, sword

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it, a pointy-toothed native, Ejada, the Moon Dog, Skarvench

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd, gale'd, yardam'd, rack'd

# ? Jul 28, 2015 02:05

MysticalMachineGun: Apr 5, 2005

Told ya we should've shivved that punk :argh:

Trying to take on an angry mob doesn't sound like a very safe idea. We have cunning, let's use it!

# ? Jul 28, 2015 02:23

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)

Use our CUNNING.

# ? Jul 28, 2015 03:23

CirclMastr: Jul 4, 2010

Let's (try to) be cunning about this.

# ? Jul 28, 2015 06:05

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 12:04

Russ L: Feb 26, 2011

Cunning, because I assume it'll involved pointing and shouting "He went thattaway, let's git 'im!"

# ? Jul 28, 2015 07:28

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Coils of Hate [CYOAntisemitism]

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