So, this was quite an adventure. Neither the best nor the worst on here; in fact, quite far from either! There's a lot of good atmosphere: I particularly liked how the skill checks took your non-human nature into account, or how companions could force you into doing things the certain way. In general, the encounters felt very appropriate to the location. At the same time, there are also no memorable characters to be found, and few surprises in writing.
There are some unwelcome surprises in gameplay, though, as while the choices directly in front of you usually lead to logically predictable outcomes for once, (in sharp contrast with something like Hellfire/Riders of the Storm, where the opposite of logical action was more often than not the right one), it is only through blind luck or the process of elimination that you are going to discover which path and series of turns in the road will actually let you win. I.e. the most important item needed to win is found in an incredibly contrived manner. Perhaps Chasms of Malice somehow justifies that find, but I doubt it.
SPOILER
Do the numbers on the bottles have any additional significance? In Chasms of Malice, was there any sort of an episode which could have had plausibly resulted in that bottle getting dropped into the river, or is it all just a complete coincidence? If the latter, then it would seemingly make far more sense to just get it from Goranthian, since it's not like you can bypass it if you want to win.
END SPOILER
There are other encounters where the 150-ref size feels limiting, as your choices seem overly constrained - i.e. that moment early on when our only options after encountering a goblin are to stay and watch or leave, and no way to just attack immediately while he's distracted? Granted, most of them are on paths that are already dead-ends, but they still stick out in the moment. I.e.
SPOILER
We are suspicious of that Gaddon in the web, yet if we don't turn around and attack him on the spot, we still decide to tell him everything, with no option to be more economical with the truth? Further, our character is apparently ready to go and attack a Gaddon who had just been trapped in a web because he finds it suspicious he didn't sense it, but when faced with a chef who actually works for the enemy, even if as a slave, we cannot actually threaten him to get him to talk in any way? Nor, for that matter, can we attempt to loot provisions from the kitchen, regardless of his objections?
END SPOILER
One of the worst things, though, is that
SPOILER
if you know about the breach, then you can end up asking the ogre to join you, only to dismiss him and any other companions two refs later. Even worse, is that you can somehow end up going from 88 to 116, which is just incredibly dumb. I really wish there was a non-Govanthian path where you used some tool to reach the bolts and lock the door after killing the torturer, then waited for a while inside, until your companions attacked at a predetermined time to make a distraction (strange that an exit strategy this obvious hasn't been considered, and you either throw them at the gate or dismiss them), and you could flee through the breach again. Perhaps you could even get the ogre to move the boulder for you. At that point, you might even be aided by Khuddam breaking down.
For that matter, it's strange that the scout could tell you about the breach, but not about the surrounding tunnels. (Perhaps you could at least remember which one to take through a Luck check?)
END SPOILER
Some other weirdness.
SPOILER
In 76, it doesn’t seem to make sense that we automatically accept rest, when just earlier, mere hours were so important.
At 119, are we supposed to believe that the Xokusai took everything else, but let him keep the magical axe?
Bottle #35 is not removed from your inventory after getting used?
I am pretty sure that screaming is the last thing one would be able to do after getting vocal chords melted by acid, but then again, it doesn’t really matter for this ending.
After Phil Sadler's gamebooks, it feels weird to fight a giant spider who doesn’t deal extra damage or anything due to its poison. However, the twist during the premature Khuddam fight was awesome!
That, and a successful stamina check at 63 which still ends your run is amazing. (Perhaps this even deserves the “intermediate” ending marker?)
END SPOILER
YARD Wed Sep 13 07:05:08 2023
And I once again ran out of comment space, so proofreading has to be in a separate comment.
SPOILER
11, 5, 15, 17, 32, 42, 52, 69, 79, 85, 101, 119, 125, 127, 134, 137, 143, 146 - extra space between the options and the question marks.
5 "You run a random direction" (in?)
8 "In future," (the?)
9 "and as a result"
11 "The goblins stares at you angrily"
38 "and new blockades are built." (perhaps barricades?) + "However" he says, + little else I can do for you" says Alkis (missing punctuation.)
45 "poison tipped arrows"
52 "Well lit"
55 "well lit" + "well travelled"
57 "and over run you"
58 "and in future (the?)"
64 "close to the waters edge."
65 "hits you nostrils"
67 "the next it has a skull like head. + reptilian like"
75 "a friend of mine" he says. + I can tell you" continues (missing punctuation.) + "right hand end cell". 80 83 "It is well lit"
87 "he walked straight into the spiders web" + "other (than?) the one you came through?"
97 "while he distracted" + "You here someone" + "large lumber to behind the door"
104 "In front of stretches hundreds of prison cells each with an occupant."
110 "you begin to feel light headed"
107 "because if run into a patrol, you have more chance of winning through as a group"
117 "You will pay for Rungit's life" he says (missing punctuation.)
122 "The mans face distorts with rage" + "telling you to keep away from you"
132 "The tunnel you are running on" (?) + "You are mine" he hisses (missing punctuation.)
141 "In that case" says the Gaddon (punctuation?)
144 "but the numbers are just to great."
150
"Broken and leaderless, the Xokusai flees." (flee?)
