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  Sorcery. Nay, forgive me – Sorcery! A CYOA series second only to Fabled Lands as far as quality is concerned. It’s an epic 4 book journey through a novel (and unsettlingly illustrated) setting, complete with a unique spellcasting system and a plethora of bullshit insta-deaths.  A crown was stolen, and we journey across 4 different locales, forging our way with steel and spell to retrieve it. I’ve LP’d the book series a few years ago, and was quite excited to see the adaptation up on steam. Unlike (say) Joe Denver's Lone Wolf, it was in no way disappointing. It retains all the text (though not all the mechanics) of the original, while expanding upon and explaining a whole bunch of interesting stuff. Do you recall the Paddington runs in my LP? Completely terrible mage who always rolls the worst possible outcome? Absolutely possible with no deaths this time around. The game also utilizes a fairly unique “rewind” mechanic – basically the videogame equivalent of keep your finger on the last page as you check the results of your choice. Thread participation comes in here – people who contribute to the thread, whether by way of arguments for good choices, relevant or interesting bits of info or fanart of some sort, will have a chance to rewind time to save the goonmind from its own stupidity. Xander77 fucked around with this message at 16:31 on May 7, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 21:20
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 21:48 |
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A post reserved for fanart, current point totals for various posters in the thread, and a recap of our adventures so far.Stats posted:Stamina: 16/20 We saved: Old guy in tree Alianna the Witch Plague village (?) The Swinn chieftain's daughter Lord Shinva's spirit Points earned by posters: idontlikepease: 10 points (1 used up). CirclMastr: 5 points (3 used). Ariong: 2 points. (2 used) Xarn: 1 points. (1 used) JamietheD: 1 point. Talgeese: 1 point. Whybird: 1 point. Comstar: 0 points (2 used). Maps: Shamutanti Hills (book 1)  The Cityport of Kharé (book 2)  Book 1 challenges. Can we: Survive the fields of the Black Lotus? Meet a man with an identical twin? Be eaten to death by bats? Collect 5 Giant's teeth? Collect more than seventy Gold Pieces? Kill a tiny pest? Solve the riddle of Daddu-Ley? Be cursed by a spirit? Set off, and survive, all three traps in the final maze? Complete the game without a single fight (except for the tutorial sparring match)? Be kissed by a witch? Destroy a village? Possibly save a village? Get an item that will be of use only in the third and fourth books? Start of book 2 Book two challenges - can we: Meet Vik the Slaver? Meet the founder of the City of Kharé? Collect the Green-Haired Wig, the Cloth Skullcap, the Bracelet of Bone and the Gold-backed Mirror in a single run-through? (And we mean, a single one!) Buy the Legendary Sword? Or better still, buy it twice? Collect more than a hundred and fifty Gold Pieces? Burn down the market? Meet the King Down Under - and incite a revolt against him? Rig the fight in Dwarftown? Steal gems and jewels from the God Courga? Go bald? Fanart and fanfic: A prayer to our Spirit, by Ariong: Ariong posted:Dear Fox God, The farming Mantis Man, by CirclMaster:  CirclMastr posted:Also I decided to make a YAPatar featuring our green wig: Xander77 fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Oct 30, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 21:20
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Rule explanations and spell list: Stamina and Attack Power. We no longer have the division of Stamina, Skill and Luck. Stamina is our health – we use it to fight, to take damage from various CYOA bullshit, and to cast (some, but not all) spells. Attack power is connected to, but distinct from stamina. This is a bit complicated – the first post actually playing the game illustrates things a bit (with helpful images and the game's own words), if you’re having trouble following. Every round, you and your opponent decide how hard you’re going to attack (limited by your stamina / attack power). If you can only attack up to 10, and you attack with all your might, using the full 10, come next round you’re going to be worn out, and barely able to attack with a strength of 3-4. Your attack power will slowly regenerate, provided you don’t keep swinging with everything you’ve got. More importantly, damage is determined by a fairly complex interplay of how committed to the attack you and your opponent are. If you invest 0 in an attack, you’re “defending” – any attack, including 0.1 strength poke will damage you for 1 health. But that also includes an attack with the strength of 10 or so (though I believe some exceptionally powerful attacks can do more damage even if you’re defending). If you both attack, the one with the lower score will take 2 damage (again, unless the winner is exceptionally skilled). However, if you’re both going for a relatively high-powered attack, the loser will take 3-4 damage, depending on the skill of the winner. High power attacks are high risk scenarios. You can often tell what your enemy is going to do based on their combat messages, but sometimes it’s purely a matter of luck. Which is why: A. Fights are also voted on, with an averaging of the first 3 votes determining the numerical strength of our blow. B. Fights also have the lowest required number of points to retry (more on retries and rewinds below). Provisions: Eat once a day for a bit of healing, eat again during the same day for less healing. If you don’t eat at all during the day, you’ll take a fair bit of damage by the end of it. Your Spirit Guide: Unlike the original game, you have a spirit animal rather than a Goddess. The animal changes to reflect your actions / alignment. We can call on it every few days for a bit of healing and (ever so rarely) to save us from an insta-death / curse / plague. Spells: Depending on the Here are all the spells we can use: Spellbook posted:Spell Name:: ZAP Rewinds: Just to reiterate – whenever you contribute something of value to the LP (a good explanation for your vote that convinces people to vote the same, fanart, relevant anecdotes, a better thread title, whatever), you gain an arbitrary number of points. A small number of points allows you to ask for a re-do on a combat encounter. A larger one allows for a rewind of a CYOA section. A fairly large investment will give you the chance to rewind several CYOA sections back. Exact values will be adjusted throughout the LP. Finally, here’s a handy map of the route we’re going to travel, from bottom left to topmost right: 
Xander77 fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Mar 8, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 21:21
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Finally, a post with some actual gameplay First of all – check out the intro in video form. This LP is going to be a bit short on music and videos, so get them while you can. The intro is really suitably bombastic, and I rather recommend it.    : The book Analander is male by default, but that doesn't mean our Analander can't be female. If only the game itself bothered to acknowledge that...   It is said the Crown was never forged, only found: by Chalanna the Reformer, a lowly foot-Soldier who became Emperor of the Eastern World. Such is the power of the Crown. The air around it crackles with influence. * * Wait… The Crown sits unguarded on a pedestal of light. After so many hardships, can it really be so simple? Or is this yet another deception? And sure enough, as soon as you think of it, the image of the Crown begins to flicker. You turn about, to see something approaching…     It is sunrise. You dress, breakfast on bread and goat’s milk, and collect the pack and sword from beside your bed. * Test the blade * Pray for Luck * Leave the Hut : Now, this is important to note – generally speaking , when you are presented with a number of options, you will only get to partake in an arbitrarily small number, before the rest are cut off. Here, we can safely explore all the options, but that isn’t going to be the case much longer.   : Same here. Generally speaking, when you have several destinations to choose from, you only get the chance to visit one or two. You can draw the path to your destination however you want, it doesn't matter much.Eyes follow you as you leave the hut and walk towards the great Shamutanti Wall. The frontiers-people of this tiny settlement are well aware of your mission. * * Ignore them Well, let them look. When they next see your face, they will be celebrating the triumphant return of a bold adventurer. A man is waiting for you on the path to the Cantopanni Gate, the final doorway between Analand and the wilds of Kakhabad. Your recognize the Sergeant of the Sightmaster warriors. He holds out his hand.   : * * Move, bitch, get out the way!  : This mission will involve procurement on site. One of huts, set slightly back from the others, is decorated with glyphs and strange symbols. A terrible smell emanates from its doorway. This is the hut of the Chief Mage. He has been preparing your spellbook for days, reading star charts to work out which spells will be available to you in different locations in the Hills and beyond. : gently caress magic, am I right? We choose not to enter at all.Magic is the strongest force in the world, but it is unpredictable and strange. Besides, perhaps you will be able to survive with what you already know. But you are making a dangerous choice. : We are, however, forced to train with the Sergeant at least once.You walk with the Sergeant to the training ground, and he wraps the base of his staff in leather.  : 'To begin with, defend yourself against me.' : Goddamit, bluffed on the very first round of the very first fight. With a bit of luck, this battle can be beaten in a single round... or drag on for a while. : Often, enemies who are kind enough to let you know they're going to defend will actually lash our with a a weak little jab, to the tune of 1 attack power, just to discourage this kind of thing. : Most enemies won't be quite so blatant about advertising their next attack, obviously. Some will have a message for you to interpret, sometimes they will just attack. : With a few exceptions, regular enemies will rarely attack with anything stronger than a 5-6. I seem to recall the Sightmaster has an upper limit of 8, so its time to demonstrate what happens to the loser when two strong attacks meet.  : Yup. When a strong attack is overpowered, the loser suffers maximum damage. That's 4 hp in one blow I didn't quite manage to capture. : We throw everything we have into the next blow, and though his is a measly 0.1 jab, we do the regular 2 hp worth of damage. Note that a stronger attack would have been wasted - even had we poured all 10 strength into that blow, it still would have done a mere 2 damage.  : How nice of him to tell us. Take a look at the attack power gauge for both fighters. Even if you don't have a cue telling you how the enemy is going to attack, you can sorta figure out how hard he'll be able to swing.   : And we finally get to see a regular fight round, and the animations that accompany it. Good thing we managed to roll just high enough, rather than drag the combat out any further.You perform a medium play, beating the Sightmaster Sergeant. He bows. ‘You have finished me. Excellent.’ 5 stamina lost. Competent combat. ‘You seem to remember the basics,’ the Sergeant says, breathlessly. ‘Good! Another round?’ : Nah.‘Very good,’ the Sergeant agrees. ‘But if you wish a bout in earnest, then I warn you, I will not go easy on you.’ He indicates the wider yard where there is space for a true match. You reach the foot of the might Gate. It is sealed. The Sergeant places one hand on the wood. ‘The Gate has been locked for some time to deter raiders’ he tells you. ‘But you will have no difficulty. The stars in this place allow the DOP spell to be crafted.’ And he stands back. : So, here's the thing. Unlike the books, you can't choose to play as a magic-free Warrior. The series is called Sorcery, after all. All leaving the spellbook behind does is make sure we have no idea what our spells actually do. Oh, and prevent you from doing certain magical experiments, IIRC. : Every time we cast a spell, we are presented with three star fields. Kinda cool, but the transition gets hella tiring if you're trying out different things in the same situation. : We've been told that DOP is the spell to use here, but why start making sense now?  : ‘Be silent, before I blast you.’ The Sergeant bows low to you, awe in his eyes. He and his Warriors will not forget you. : Anyway, this was a short preview of "a portrait of an Analander as a complete douchebag". The good news? We don't actually have to play things out this way.  : A handy rewind button stands at our beck and call. Starting with the next post, we'll be right back in our tent, ready to start our adventure in a (hopefully) less assholish manner. Go ahead and vote on how we're going to proceed through the outpost and out the Gate. (The rewind button doesn't actually cover the prologue and the choice of protagonist gender. It matters, though not very often, so if you decide to Xander77 fucked around with this message at 22:49 on May 9, 2016 |
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Mar 7, 2016 21:22
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I picked up this game about a week ago, and somehow made it through the first book with only one death.
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Mar 7, 2016 23:30
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Just to clarify things, here's what we can vote on at the moment: Is the Analander going to be male or female? Are we going to be assholes to various fellow Analanders? Are we going to grab all, half, or none of the 24 GP the Sergeant offers us? Are we going to use DOP or a different spell to open the gate? Some of these matter less than others. I'm not putting the spellbook up for a vote, becase there's really no reason not to get it. Xander77 fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Mar 8, 2016 |
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Mar 8, 2016 01:13
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I vote we are a woman Analander, diplomatic, preferring to find our own way in the world (No money), and we shall be practical, and use DOP. Looking forward to see how this goes. 
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Mar 8, 2016 04:40
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Let's say female, since if the book doesn't acknowledge that at all, things will be much funnier that way. We will be nice to other Analanders because with a name like "Analanders" we really don't need any more troubles than the world will already heap on us. Take all of the money because it's money. Use DOP to open the gate because see above about Analanders.
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Mar 8, 2016 06:02
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idonotlikepeas posted:Let's say female, since if the book doesn't acknowledge that at all, things will be much funnier that way. This sounds good to me.
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Mar 8, 2016 07:34
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Xander77 posted:Spell Name:: GUM Umm... these aren't spells. We're a woman (named Steve) We're nice to people who don't threaten/rob us We're going to take all the money, this is a vital mission And we'll dop the gate.
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Mar 8, 2016 10:07
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We're a woman (named Steve) We're nice to people who don't threaten/rob us We're going to take all the money, this is a vital mission And we'll dop the gate. .
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Mar 8, 2016 10:40
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You turn to the crowd and bow. Some smile in return, but are too afraid to approach. Other make gestures of protection; you are going beyond the Wall, so they believe you cursed.: Greetings, Sergeant. : He touches his forehead with two fingers. 'You are almost ready, my lady", he says. 'I have for you a gift from the King. Twenty-four Gold Pieces. It is all we can spare, at this time.' He hold out a pouch. : GIMME. I mean... "Thank you".: 'You should buy some supplies before you pass the Wall. And you must collect your spellbook if you wish magic to aid you. Finally, if you wish to practice your swordplay, I will go one last round with you'. And he points with his staff towards the training ground.: People are much more accommodating when you're not being an rear end in a top hat all over the place. Who knew. Anyways, let's not just take a spellbook along, but bug the Chief Mage for everything he knows about magic: : Oh hey, there's a brand new option on the map, now that we have some sweet sweet  (A different resolution to make destination text more visible? The screenshots are kinda large already...) Small traders in the Settlement supply the Sightmaster Warriors with weapons, armor, food, and clothing. You go over with the Sergeant to the stall selling flaltbreads and cheese. 'Two Gold Pieces per ration', the owner says. *Buy one ration *Buy two rations *Buy more *Haggle ... : Point totals so far:CirclMastr gets 1 point for the first reply. JamietheD gets 1 point for the first vote. The Lone Badger posted:Umm... these aren't spells.
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Mar 8, 2016 13:05
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I mean, sticking things to the ground with glue and the inside of a closed windowless room being dark aren't magical per se.
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Mar 8, 2016 15:49
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We definitely need to buy more than just two rations.
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Mar 8, 2016 18:31
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CirclMastr posted:We definitely need to buy more than just two rations. *I'll take four *I'll take six : We can get six rations for "just" 10 Gold Pieces. On the one hand, going a day without food will result in a loss of health. On the other hand, we only have 24 GP total, and may find more food elsewhere.
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Mar 8, 2016 18:47
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Meanwhile: Here are some of the challenges added into the adaptation. Can we: Survive the fields of the Black Lotus? Meet a man with an identical twin? Be eaten to death by bats? Collect 5 Giant's teeth? Collect more than seventy Gold Pieces? Kill a tiny pest? Solve the riddle of Daddu-Ley? Be cursed by a spirit? Set off, and survive, all three traps in the final maze? Complete the game without a single fight (except for the tutorial sparring match)? (Got them all, except for the second one) Xander77 fucked around with this message at 11:55 on Mar 13, 2016 |
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Mar 8, 2016 21:20
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Xander77 posted:Meanwhile: Here are some of the challenges added into the adaptation. Can we: Some of these, I don't even know how it's possible. But then, I've only done the one playthrough so far.
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Mar 8, 2016 21:46
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Votes? Including votes for "skip this poo poo, I want to get to the good parts" (warning, the good parts will involve even more shopping)?
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Mar 9, 2016 04:54
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If we're now stuck with the buy more option, I guess buy four. If the earlier menu items are still open, though, I want to see haggle, because that sounds like the sort of thing that will lead to hilarious bullshit. The ultimate goal of this would be to buy two at a reduced price, but I suspect it's more likely we won't be allowed to buy any or will get in some kind of fight.
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Mar 9, 2016 05:31
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: Trying to buy 4 rations does open the "too expensive" option, which might the same as "Haggle"? (It is): ‘Do you know who I am? I am Analand’s great The man looks uncomfortable. ‘I know that. But I have to feed my family today, no matter what happens to the Crown.’ : And now we can only buy 1 or 2 rations, no more. Which is kinda bullshit, but not necessarily hilariously so. (This is a cheap a set of rations as we'll ever find, by the way). *Buy one ration *Buy two rations Xander77 fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Mar 9, 2016 |
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Mar 9, 2016 05:40
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Fine, buy two and let's move on with additional shopping (and getting killed).
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Mar 9, 2016 05:43
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idonotlikepeas posted:Fine, buy two and let's move on with additional shopping (and getting killed). I thought we could run through the sparring session with the Sergeant once more - or better yet, the "real" fight after the sparring session in which he doesn't quite tell us his every move in advance - just to get used to the combat system; but since the LP isn't getting a lot of votes at the moment, we may want to get out the Gate and start exploring already?
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Mar 9, 2016 05:55
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Xander77 posted:That's everything we can buy at the moment - Analand only has swords, spells, and stale cheeses to give us. Surely the barbarian Shamutantis (Shamutants?) will have more to offer. Oh god please tell me you're not going to take votes on how we attack every round of combat.
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Mar 9, 2016 06:17
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CirclMastr posted:Oh god please tell me you're not going to take votes on how we attack every round of combat.
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Mar 9, 2016 07:27
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Buy two.
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Mar 9, 2016 10:11
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Xander77 posted:Depends on the level of interest, I suppose. It would certainly encourage the thread to seek more creative solutions than simple combat. Cast ZED 
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Mar 9, 2016 10:17
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: 'You must be sure to eat every day, or you will suffer. Eating more will give you extra strength, but is not necessary". : Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve! You can inhale aaaaaair and process it with a straaaaange mechanism known as luuuuuuungs! With this daaaaaark proceeeeesssssss you can perform the aaaaaaancient rite known as breeeeaaaathing! ... With apologies to superior LPers rendered, let's see what happens if we properly overpower the Sightmaster:   : Hell yeah, one swing, one  : Not being an utter raging rear end in a top hat continues to pay dividends. We wouldn't be able to get this info-dump had we blown up the gate. I fear he is dead. If I overtake him, then he is too slow. That does not concern me.
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Mar 9, 2016 14:24
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If I overtake him, then he is too slow. I played a bunch of CYOA stuff in the distant past, but never this one. Which means I'll get to see all new and interesting bullshit CYOA instadeaths, oh boy! 
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Mar 9, 2016 15:57
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If I find him, I'll laugh at his slowness.
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Mar 9, 2016 17:04
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:The Sightmaster nods, peering at something on the horizon. 'I believe he is returning, but transformed. I hope you do not meet the same fate'. He claps you on the shoulder. : Together, you step into the shadow of the Wall.'One last word', he declares. 'When you have the Crown, find the highest point you can find(sic). We will be watching'. I understand. Watching from where?
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Mar 9, 2016 17:58
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wut
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Mar 9, 2016 18:12
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: Gonna assume that's a request for as much information as possible, as there are a number of "more info" and "stop talking already" choices in the conversation: : With that done, we can finally - FINALLY - make our way through the Gate of Analand, and into the wilderness beyond.  : By : As you can see, the very distant proximity of swarthy folk is enough to drop our stamina from 20 to 10. What do we do in response?Cover my mouth Keep walking
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Mar 9, 2016 22:02
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Can we cast spells at any time? Would MAG work in this instance?
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Mar 9, 2016 22:25
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:Can we cast spells at any time? Would MAG work in this instance?
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Mar 9, 2016 22:36
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Keep walking! Our swarthy folk tolerance is severely lacking and if my CYOA experience has taught me anything, it's that we need to build it up as soon as possible if we are to have any hope of surviving even a single book.
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Mar 9, 2016 23:04
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Walk it off, we'll be fine. Presumably.
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Mar 10, 2016 01:24
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 : In case you're wondering, this is a cutscene mandated nerf. Can't really justify starting the very first book with 20 stamina, can we? On the bright side, having only 10 HP means we'll have to be a bit careful. : Now it's time for the first major decision of this playthrough. This is a non-linear adventure, and we can choose our path. Better yet, there's a fairly coherent map that will let us know where each path is likely to lead. Better better yet, we can always rewind if we're dissatisfied with a particular path (this is a good chance to earn some rewind / hint points with a persuasive argument as to why we should head in a specific direction). Here's a slightly zoomed out view of the surrounding area: : And as long as we're looking, here's the entire map. We aim to cross is length-wise. So. Do we go north to travel cross-country, or east towards a low-rise? Xander77 fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Mar 10, 2016 |
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Mar 10, 2016 01:45
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The seer said we were going to that city first, so let's take the low rise to the city.
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Mar 10, 2016 03:14
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The town is probably a safer bet. Faster than going off-road, too.
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Mar 10, 2016 03:42
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Something that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is that Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, cited the original Socrery! books as major inspirations in this interview: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dark-souls-3-interview-it-wouldnt-be-right-to-cont/1100-6432425/ Neat!
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Mar 10, 2016 06:35
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