With the name of the crone I can get the star and fight 'Cassandra'. Unfortunately, taking the shield seems to mean this (final?) demon fight is a lost cause... will have another try without it)
Well, I've just found this little treasure trove, and am currently trying to work out House of Horror. Even given the clues and spoilers in this guestbook, I can't seem to find a happy ending...
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Even using the disembodied hand to finish the fight with the count and his servant, I then fall foul of Cassandra... what am I doing wrong?!
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Robert Douglas Fri Aug 10 22:44:45 2012 General Chat
Yes, it was Carnival of Rust by Poets of the Fall. The gamebook title 'The World is Burning' is taken from the lyrics. Sounds a bit long-winded at first glance, but good old Metric made it into something special.
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He says it's about what might happen 21st December, 2012 - but won't give any more info than that.
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Metric's a bit of a cynic - which is probably what inspired him to start writing The World is Burning. They often say a deep state of mind (depression, for example, madness, or those weird mushrooms the Meso-Americans used to digest!) can actually enhance the IQ.
Just finished 'Blood of the Zombies'. Don't highlight the spoiler below if you haven't played it!
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The gamebook is set in modern-day Romania, so there's guns and grenades to be found in your quest to stop the zombie threat from spreading. It soon becomes apparent that your character (a college student) must not only escape but locate EVERY Zombie infesting Gingrich Yurr's castle to prevent the evil from spreading. It's important to go the right way so you don't miss any, and have certain items to hand at the right time.
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It's quite different to previous titles,
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in the sense that often you'll be dealing with a large group of zombies. This means the combat is more basic: using two dice plus a bonus granted by a particular weapon determines how many you kill in the first round. Skill and Luck (along with their test rolls) have also been dropped from the system. Not sure whether I cared much for this over-simplification - but the gamebook is still quite entertaining with some unique encounters and a few interesting characters to meet along the way.
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The illustrations by Kevin Crossley are fantastic and lend the gamebook a gruesome atmosphere. Those zombies are truly terrifying to look at - not for the faint-hearted! And that one featured on the front cover...hideously great!
Overall, I'd say a worthy title to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of FF, if somewhat different in gameplay.
@C-Star: Thanks for the answer! As to your question:
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I'm sorry to say that this is something I also don't know the answer to. I just guessed it was some trap put in place by Forest Nightmare Demons (who read your mind in order to trick you into letting them consume your soul) and that there wasn't anything more to it. If only the author was here reading this thread...
The tunnels in the beginning were very confusing. Once you were done there the rest wasn't nearly as mind boggling. I did actually find a use for the scar, but it's not exactly good.
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When looking for Defender, try to use your old contacts. When this fails, look for a wizard. What happens when you find one changes depending on whether you have the scar or not.
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I have a question too.
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When you have to assasinate the Count, you can go through the forest. There is a house in the forest which, if you enter, will kill you. But you see Eddora in the house. My question is simply; what the hell is with that house? And who or what is the thing that looks like Eddora that's in it?
@C-Star: Don't sweat it. It really is a fantastic gamebook and I'm just happy that we seem to have reached the same conclusion. I kept missing the following:
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Becoming a necromancer's apprentice in the beginning
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and that's why I found the 'true' ending hard to reach.
By the way,
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In the first mission, if you attack the apprentice wizard son and then let him live, you obtain a special scar. Did you ever find a use for this?
So I finally decided to try and properly complete Outsider. I never would have guessed just how much I missed out on the last time I played! The book was incredibly long (Thank god for bookmarking!). The plot was really great and I also liked the feature of
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A companion that can fight alongside you.
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The endings were numbered really weird, hence the confusion on which is the best. (Again, sorry Glen) But, due to how satisfying it is, and the fact that it seems the hardest to obtain, I really think that
Shame about the House of Hell movie floundering. I've been on the Superteam website, finding nothing changed since 'video 2' (and that was some time ago). I was really looking forward to seeing the story and characters come to life. They were also going to do an interactive version... Hello...sounds familiar!
Recently purchased 'Blood of the Zombies' by Ian Livingstone. I haven't played it through yet - but, presentation-wise, it looks great. The title itself is embossed and the green spine makes a brief return (although I would have preferred the old font used on Puffin spines).
I've always struggled between which format I prefer (Puffin and Wizard). I'll always have a strong memory of collecting the entire series back in 80's/90's - but then I'm quite awed by the updated versions (in these, I've only bought the new titles such as Eye of the Dragon, Bloodbones, etc) going on to the slightly larger sized - including Stormslayer and Night of the Necromancer.
Recently, I've bought Island of the Lizard King and Armies of Death for my nephew who's a games fanatic. Not sure how he got on with them. It's feels a bit nostalgic, as if buying them for the first time, again - if that makes any sense!
Great to hear about another fellow entrant, Ulysses! 'The Ravages of Fate' sounds very intriguing, and I'll look forward to reading it myself.
I wouldn't worry about the 'self-serving motive'. Pete Waterman's mother once said: 'if you don't blow your own trumpet, nobody else will' - I can understand where she's coming from! In other words: believe in yourself, and show people what you can do. We have to assume that we're here only once and must make the most of it. That's the reason why I've entered this competition - and looking forward to all sorts of comments and constructive criticism from fans who read these adventures.
So, our gamebooks are posted when voting phase begins? In the meantime, it would be great hearing from other entrants (probably did the same as Ulysses and I by sending in gamebooks soon as 1st August dawned!)
With an utterly self-serving motive I would like to mention that I have entered the Windhammer competition this year. Once the voting phase begins, please check out my gamebook: The Ravages of Fate.
Yes, Hreinleika is perhaps more obvious than the other. I struggled coming up with a plausible excuse for all these divine weapons turning up in modern-day Britain. Let's just say the second one is hidden.
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If you want a clue,
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it can be found somewhere on the route opposed to visiting Maddesby's place. It also has somewhat different origins to the more 'Christian' Hreinleika. In other words: you don't have to find Maddesby's Notes within the Church (and, if found, the player still has a choice whether to use them or not).
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Good luck in finding the mysterious weapon! :)
I've also received a mail from Wayne Densley - Chronicles of Arborell webmeister. He confirmed that my gamebook entry meets Windhammer Competition requirements. However, I believe all entries will be posted for viewing around 17th September (when the Voting phase begins). Or, they could be posted as they come in. Not quite sure how it works.
And did you say there were two magical weapons? I only knew about Hreinleika. And I never knew about the disease either! Guess a second playthrough is in order at some point.