RPG Gamebooks

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

If I tried to contact Gaia, I would freeze Spain, because the name "Gustaran" is either the past subjunctive 3rd person plural (gustaran) or the future indicative 3rd person plural (gustarán) form of the Spanish verb "gustar".  I had never guessed you lived in Germany! 


And it's 2 Doubloons per Weasel, so I could get 5 with my Down Among the Dead Men starting cash and sic them on you.  


Bitcoins were cheap in 2010, so wasting 25,000 on a gamebook instead of hoarding them would be a bad decision even by my standards.  The most expensive ones I can think of are "Hostage!" by Edward Packard ($60.78 used), and maybe the first example of the genre, "Consider the Consequences!" by Doris Webster and Mary Alden Hopkins.



The standards for CYBERNETICS are so low in the Heart of Ice world that anyone who knows how to connect to a modem and router today would count.  But Realms Beyond exists in 2019 when people actually know how to use computers, so hacking it would require an extra Skill check.  Maybe ROGUERY or STREETWISE?


 
Nobody's tried to suck my blood yet, but I have met many zombies. 

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Volcano Island


According to a WILDERNESS LORE check in CHOICE #39, the 2nd Smoking Island may be safe for now.  "Look at most of the island.  It's well covered in vegetation, right?  That volcano has most likely been hissing and spitting for years, but if there had been any major eruption then the jungle wouldn't have grown up to that extent".


Dormant doesn't mean extinct, player character!  Blutz is still insecure about this, and compares the volcano to "Satan's brimstone fires".  Landing on the island provides 2 Provisions by gathering fruit and fresh water.  CHOICE #74 afterwards is a Prospero codeword check, the one you get by breaking your Wand to summon a storm.  Maybe Captain Skarvench will land on this island like Antonio in the Tempest?


With Prospero, CHOICE #75 appears asking the player to either stay on the island for a few days, or flee because the volcano's cone looks "like a thunderhead".  Leaving moves you to CHOICE #40.  Staying regenerates 1 Life Point normally, or restores you to full health with MARKSMANSHIP or WILDERNESS LORE hunting.  You are forced to leave for CHOICE #40 when the volcano's "ominous growls from deep in the earth" can be heard.


Without Prospero, the Belle Dame approaches the cove!  CHOICE #76 is to either leave the island at night, spy on the "shore party", or hide until they leave.  The last option has the same effect as staying on the island for a while in CHOICE #75.  


If you try to leave at night, Blutz sneezes loudly and triggers a CHOICE #77 SWORDPLAY check when the lookout sees you.  If you have that Skill:  "Using a last-ditch trick taught to you years ago by your father, you hurl your sword at the lookout.  It strikes true, penetrating his heart and killing him instantly."  You lose your Sword after this, so hopefully you have the Shark's Tooth Sword from Red Skull Island to serve as a replacement.  (That will be featured in a later post.)  CHOICE #40 ensues.


Failing to use SWORDPLAY in CHOICE #77 activates a SEAFARING check in CHOICE #78 when the pirates pursue you.  Using the Skill moves you to CHOICE #40 after you trick the pirates into running their cutters aground.


Having neither SWORDPLAY nor SEAFARING means your last chance to save yourself is an AGILITY check in CHOICE #79.  With clever AGILITY jumping, you tip some of the pirates off the cutter, and almost make the other boats collide.  


Failing all these Skill checks results in this ending.


"There is nothing you can do to evade capture.  Dragged back in hemp bonds to the Belle Dame, you are hauled up on deck and tossed like sacrificial offerings in front of Skarvench.  In the stark moonlight, his black beard and white face make him look the very picture of Satan himself.  'Bilge-rotten blasted fiend!' you yell at him.  'You can't force honest men to live a villain's life!'


He scowls and spits.  'Aye, you're right, mate.  Honest toil's what you four thrive on, ain't it?  You aren't buccaneer material-I see that now.  Well, I'll give you honest toil.  How'd ye like scrape the barnacles off the hull, for starters?


Lashed to ropes, the four of you are swung overboard and dragged back and forth along the keel of the ship.  Soon the flesh is ragged on your bruised bones, and brine floods into your anguished lungs.  Darkness closes over you for the last time.  It is the end".


Death by keelhauling.  It's mandatory in every Age of Sail gamebook!


Spying on Skarvench's shore party in CHOICE #76 lets you know they're looking for buried treasure.  CHOICE #80 can involve a Monkey check, spying on him some more, or ordering an attack.


Be sure to have Life Point reserves when you make these decisions.  The Monkey acts like the Weasel in the Moon Dog battle, and bites Skarvench's wrist.  Monkey bites are a leading cause of Death:  just ask King Alexander of Greece in 1920!


With both SWORDPLAY and MARKSMANSHIP, you lose 7 Life Points.  The penalty with the combination of BRAWLING and MARKSMANSHIP is 8 Life Points.  "Any other combination of skills is insufficient to save you, and you are quickly slain".


If you win this battle, you win the game.  I'm not kidding.


"Who can say how long the carnage lasts?  Amid explosive gunshots, hoarse yells and the clang of steel blades, your ragged but valiant band struggle to the death against Skarvench and his murderous henchmen.  Eventually the battle shrinks to just you and Skarvench.  Crouching behind his cutlass, he weaves and lunges and parries-cocksure and vicious at first, his sneering smile only gradually fading as he realizes you are the better fighter.  Then his taunts turn to weary gasps as he struggles desperately to defend himself.


You are exhausted too.  You gulp at the air like a drowning man, each swing plumbing the last dregs of your strength.  But at last the red rage fades.  Your enemy lies dying at your feet.  Looking up at you as the evil light fades from his eyes, he musters a mad grin and shrieks with laughter.  'So that's your victory, is it, mate?  A bitter triumph, I'd say!'


You look around, and now you see what he means.  The forest floor is like a scene from a slaughterhouse, your friends lying dead along with the pirates.  You stagger, sick at heart.  You wanted revenge, but not at this high price.  Skarvench gives a last laugh.  'See you in hell', he croaks.  He is dead.  Your adventure ends here".


This may seem like a Bad Non-Death Ending, but consider the fact that you save Queen Titania's convoy because Skarvench isn't around to tell the court wizard to destroy the fleet.  Or do we only care about named NPCs? 


Attacking Skarvench in CHOICE #80 without the Monkey produces the same ending, but you need SWORDPLAY + MARKSMANSHIP and 8 Life Points to win.


Spying on Skarvench in CHOICE #80 brings up CHOICE #81 after the pirates start drinking grog.  You can cast one of your SPELLS, sneak closer, or hide and get the volcano island Life Point recovery.  SPELLS doesn't harm Skarvench, but makes the breeze enhance your hearing.  Skarvench says the buried treasure will be used to pay the shipwright in Port Selenice to build the Moon Dog.  CHOICE #82 after that is to rest for Life Point recovery, or attack Skarvench without the Monkey.


Sneaking closer requires ROGUERY or WILDERNESS LORE in CHOICE #83.  Without that, you're forced into the battle with Skarvench without the Monkey's help.  If you pass the check, you're rewarded with the same information that SPELLS gives and move to CHOICE #82.


I'm surprised there is no eruption Death on this island.  It must have required considerable willpower for Dave Morris not to include one.  With sufficient Life Points, you can achieve a Pyrrhic victory before even reaching the first town.



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Red Skull Island


Two more Smoking Islands to go!  Red Skull Island is the first you can visit if you go to the archipelago in the beginning.  In CHOICE #33, climbing the cliff with AGILITY gets you 2 Provisions from coconuts and the option to either leave the island immediately, or look for a path on the beach in a reduced CHOICE #33.


Looking for food on the beach in CHOICE #33 without any Skills goes to CHOICE #84.  You don't find enough crabs for everyone, and you're forced to either give them to yourself or split them among your crew.  The selfish option makes the companions give you "sour sidelong glances" while you "stare back at them defiantly".  You heal 1 Life Point, get the Chancery codeword, and move to the reduced CHOICE #33.  Giving food to your crew means Blutz eats the crabs because he's the weakest person right now.  After that, it's back to the smaller CHOICE #33.


After climbing the vines in CHOICE #35, you can search for Provisions.  You get enough fruits, nuts, and freshwater until "your bellies are stretched like topgallants in a high wind".  This means 3 Provisions to get you through the Life Point draining sailing CHOICEs.  The player is sent to the confrontation with the cannibals in CHOICE #36.


It's possible but not recommended to offer a gift to the islanders.  You have to give up one of these Possessions:  Sword, Pistol, Amulet, Wand, Crucifix, Toolkit, or all Doubloons.  Then the cannibals throw rocks at you when you're returning to the boat, and you suffer a 4 Life Point penalty.  Unless you use CHARMS, and then you only lose 1.  If you have no gift in this CHOICE #85, you're forced to fight the cannibals.



In CHOICE #37, you can fend off the cannibals with SWORDPLAY for 2 Life Points, or BRAWLING for 4.  Then you leave the island.  MARKSMANSHIP has a different result.  These islanders have never seen guns before, and have an awe of them when you injure one of them with it, just like any silly adventure story.  You get the codeword Fetish by doing this, and it's in the anthropological sense, not the kinky meaning.  After that you move to CHOICE #86, which would also have happened if you ignored the cannibals in CHOICE #36.


CHOICE #86 offers the opportunity to use the Fetish codeword, offer a gift, check for CUNNING, cast SPELLS, or run for the jollyboat.  The Fetish codeword makes the cannibals give you the Feather Shield, an Obsidian Necklace, and the Shark's Tooth Sword.  Characters who have SWORDPLAY and MARKSMANSHIP but not SPELLS or BRAWLING may want to come to Red Skull Island to get these items for the Ejada battle on Grimoire Island.  The islanders also supply you with optional warpaint, represented as the Scrip codeword, before sending you off to CHOICE #38.


Offering a gift in CHOICE #86 and #87 has a different outcome.  The cannibals are friendlier and will give you the Shark's Tooth Sword and the Feather Shield in exchange for the items I mentioned earlier.  You also get the Scrip codeword if you want.   Running away from the islanders in CHOICE #86 or #87 has the same Life Point penalties as giving a gift to them in CHOICE #36.


Passing a CUNNING check in CHOICE #86 gives you the idea to rub chalk from the beach and rub it on your skin to trick the cannibals into thinking you're disease-ridden.  Some moans and mouth foaming convince them all to run away from you and leave the Feather Shield and Shark's Tooth Sword behind.  Go to CHOICE #38 as usual.


Casting SPELLS in CHOICE #86 attracts the attention of the local shaman, who tries to use an "obscene wand carved from a human thigh bone" against you.  But you win the magical duel without any penalties, and get the complete set of items and the Scrip codeword just like using MARKSMANSHIP.


That wraps up Red Skull Island.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Pandanus Island


Pandanus Island is the last Smoking Island, so after this post it'll be time to discuss the "due west" route to Port Leshand.


When the Carab natives greet you in CHOICE #48, you are required to use the Scrip codeword warpaint if you are wearing it.  It's not a good idea to do so unless you're going for a specific Skill check.  The cannibals of Red Skull Island are unsurprisingly the enemies of the Carabs, and wearing their warpaint leads to a confrontation in CHOICE #88.  The MARKSMANSHIP and hand-to-hand combat options are the same as in CHOICE #48, but there are additional decisions for wiping off the paint and offering gifts, or passing a CUNNING check.


The Carabs aren't nearly as impressed with your Pistol as the Red Skull Island cannibals are, because they've often seen foreign sailors using them.  CHOICE #89 is to either leave the island and abandon your Pistol, or fight hand-to-hand.


Fighting the Carabs in melee at any point costs you 6 Life Points without a Skill, 3 with BRAWLING, or 2 with SWORDPLAY.  Some narration comments that Carab warfare is "rarely fatal, intended only as a ritual show of strength.  They lack the murderous instincts of you 'civilized' men".  More realistic than the Red Skull Islanders, who have every adventure story island cliche except for sacrificing someone to a volcano.


CUNNING has the same mechanical effect as trying to parley in CHOICE #48, except Oakley makes up a story about how you're the prisoner of the rest of the crew.  The chief suggests burning you, but you have to prompt Oakley to say you're headed to Port Leshand to face Queen Titania's justice.


With Scrip, you can offer a gift and go to CHOICE #90, where you can either fight in melee if you have nothing, or offer one of the following items to move to CHOICE #49:  Sword, Pistol, Wand, Amulet, Ship in a Bottle, Conch-Shell Horn, Bat-Shaped Talisman, or the Black Kite.



CHOICE #49 destroys the harmful Peccant and Detrude codewords.  Staying on the island with the Book of Charts prompts a Prospero codeword check in CHOICE #91.  Passing it means the Carabs treat you well for a month, restoring all Life Points.  A Glorianne captain named Quintal arrives and says he's going to Port Leshand.  CHOICE #92 is whether to "confide" in him, or "keep quiet and allow him to take you to Leshand as planned".


Confiding in Quintal skips Port Leshand and moves you directly to Port Selenice in CHOICE #21 after the CHOICE #93 Chancery codeword check.  This is your last chance to beat the game if you've twiddled your thumbs for too long in the Smoking Islands.  Moving to Port Leshand with Quintal causes this ending to happen.


"You arrive at Leshand harbour to find the town awash with troops.  It is not long before you hear the news that has stirred up such panic.  'The nefarious buccaneer Skarvench has captured the Queen of Glorianne', a stevedore tells you as he unpacks the ship's cargo.  'He's demanding a million doubloons in ransom, otherwise he'll make a gift of her to her archenemy the King of Sidonia.'


'Woeful news!' groans Oakley.  'The Sidonians will likely break her on the wheel, or tie her to an anchor and send her to sup with Davy Jones!  If only we could have done something to prevent it.'  You could have, but you frolicked too long in an island paradise.  Now your part in history is at an end."


Down Among the Dead Men has more conclusions where you run out of time to finish the quest than Heart of Ice, which only does that if you have no way of either paying for the Venis to Kahira ferry or passing a Skill check to bypass it.


Staying on the island with the Book of Charts, but without Prospero means that Skarvench shows up.  You only gain 1 Life Point because you've stayed for a week instead of a month.  CHOICE #94 asks you to either hide, bribe the Carabs to tell Skarvench you're not here, or confront the pirate yourself.  Hiding demands a CHOICE #95 WILDERNESS LORE check.  Failing that means confronting him anyway and suffering a 1 Life Point penalty for eating food that's probably poisonous.  Using WILDERNESS LORE forces you to flee the island as in many other CHOICEs.


Offering the natives a bribe requires 2 out of the following Possessions:  Sword, Pistol, Wand, Amulet, Ship in a Bottle, Conch-Shell Horn, Bat-Shaped Talisman, Black Kite, Diamond, Toolkit, Healing Potion, Bronze Helmet, Crucifix, or the Dragon Ring.  If you don't have enough items, you have the other CHOICE #96 options of either confronting Skarvench or hiding in the jungle.  (Same as CHOICE #94)  If the bribe succeeds, you move to page 177 like every other "fleeing the island" option.


CHOICE #97 comes when you confront Skarvench on Pandanus Island.  The options are to "fight him here and now", use a Thundercloud Fan, a Bat-Shaped Talisman, or "bide your time".  DO NOT try "here and now" without both SWORDPLAY and MARKSMANSHIP.  Failing this check is instant Death.  Succeeding means you lose 5 Life Points and have the chance to continue fighting or surrender.  But fighting is suicide. . .


"The natives scatter, filled with fear, as the battle rages up and down the beach beside their village.  Men's lifeblood spurts into the sand.  Lusty battle-cries are replaced now by ragged gasps and terse grunts of pain as each blow takes its toll.  You are face to face with Skarvench, locked in mortal combat.  His breath is a putrid gust in your face.  Both of you bear a dozen wounds; your blood runs down to mingle in the gore-soaked sand underfoot.  'I'm sending you to hell-', he snarls through gritted teeth.  His cutlass stabs up, and you feel it grate through your ribs as you are impaled.


'Then we'll go there together!' you cry, responding with a killing blow which he fails to see until it is too late.  The pair of you sag to your knees, locked in a final embrace like old friends.  And you are filled with a fierce exultation as, even while your own life ebbs away, you see the face of your foe go stiff and white in death. . ."


Using the Thundercloud Fan means Skarvench taunts you for a while, but he soon panics when a storm is summoned that starts snapping the Belle Dame's sails.  You flee the island on page 172 like so many other paths, and lose the Thundercloud Fan.  Not a good idea to use it this early, because it has a check during the final battle against the Moon Dog.


The Bat-Shaped Talisman turns day into night and terrorizes Skarvench's sailors:  "The sound that escapes their lips is the voice of fear, born of the most primitive terror of all.  The dark."  This uses up the item, however.  A Provision check CHOICE #99 ensues, and you lose 2 Life Points if you fail.  After that, it's the Jewel of Heaven rescue and CHOICE #16.


Surrendering to Skarvench or "biding your time" activates CHOICE #100, where you must pass a CUNNING, ROGUERY, or BRAWLING check.  There is another option for failing all of them.


CUNNING changes the Belle Dame's charts and runs the enemy ship into a reef.  You escape to page 177, after you lose all your Possessions because the pirates stole them from you.  ROGUERY moves you to CHOICE #99 after you steal a Pistol from a pirate's belt.  BRAWLING is difficult while you're tied up, and you lose 5 Life Points and move to page 177.


Failing all the CHOICE #100 checks on the Belle Dame results in this ending.


"You are dragged aboard the Belle Dame.  Jeering, the pirates gather round and tie you and your friends to the rail.  The burly mate, Porbuck, steps forward swinging a whip in his hand.  His huge flabby face is creased into a ghoulish grin.  'While the cat's away, eh, Porbuck?' says Oakley.  He is trying to sound flippant, but his face is the curdled-milk colour of fear.  'Skarvench won't like it if you kill us before he gets back.'


Porbuck chortles as he raises the whip.  'Don't you go worryin', Oakley.  You won't die just yet.  Reckon you'll beg for it, though. . .'  Hours of agony pass before your flayed bodies are finally cast into the sea.  By that time you gratefully accept the cool oblivion of death".


Staying on the island without the Book of Charts in CHOICE #49 bypasses the Prospero check and moves to CHOICE #92 where you stay on the island for a month and meet Quintal.


The ubiquitous page 177 will be covered in a future post.



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

5 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Page 177


According to my notes, no fewer than 13 paths lead to Page 177.  These mostly involve fleeing from Pandanus Island or an early encounter with Captain Skarvench.  For convenience, I'll label this CHOICE #101.


Going south here leads to CHOICE #99, similar to using the Bat-Shaped Talisman against Skarvench's crew. 


Two other options are to go west without the Peccant codeword, or suffer the consequences if you do have it.  Peccant is the harsher version of the negative Detrude codeword obtained from staying too long at sea without adequate nutrition.


Sailing west activates CHOICE #102 and an automatic loss of 2 Life Points from the harsh temperature.  It's a Provisions check.  2 Provisions gets you to a Jewel of Heaven rescue in CHOICE #16 without penalty.  1 Provision means you'll die right before CHOICE #16 if you have fewer than 3 Life Points.  Having no food inflicts a 2 Life Point penalty, and you have to pass the "3 or more Life Point check" from the 1 Provision option.


And if you're unfortunate enough to sail west with Peccant in CHOICE #101. . .


"Your craft is rocked by churning waves and rattled by incessant storm winds.  Finally it can take no more.  The timbers break apart with a shudder, plunging your sorry little band into the wine-dark waters of the sea.  Your last sight is of Blutz, gasping as he claws for a handhold in thin air, calling to you for help.  But you cannot help him.  You cannot even save yourself".


"Wine-dark"?  If you have to perish at sea, at least make sure you include a Homer reference.



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

6 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Sail West, Young Man!


You didn't think you'd see another Down Among the Dead Men update, did you?  It may be better than most other gamebooks I review on Realms Beyond, but it's a pain from a completionist perspective.  Don't expect full Alternate Path exploration in every book in this topic.


Sailing west at the beginning goes to CHOICE #103, a WILDERNESS LORE check.  If you have that Skill, you soak your clothes in the warm salt water to partially avoid the effects of the cold and lose 2 Life Points.  If you don't have WILDERNESS LORE, you suffer a harsh 4 Life Point penalty at the beginning of the arc.  CHOICE #104 from there is a SEAFARING check.


SEAFARING allows you to make a weather cloth from strips of everyone's clothing to keep water out of the jollyboat.  Without the Skill, you gain the harmful codeword Detrude if you didn't repair the jollyboat with CHARMS at the beginning.


The jollyboat sails on, and Oakley names it the Coffin Lid in a bit of gallows humor.  A mermaid swims by, and CHOICE #105 is a FOLKLORE check.  FOLKLORE doesn't protect you directly, and just gives you information.  LORE from Heart of Ice is far superior for repeat playthroughs because it can protect you directly in Du-En.


FOLKLORE reveals that mermaids are capricious, and want to interact with men because their "submerged realm of twilit silence" is rather dull.  Those who've survived mermaid encounters sometimes gain second sight, because mermaids can predict the future.  Most of the time, victims of mermaids have their breath stolen by a kiss.  But if you have a "firm grip" on a mermaid, you can force her to truthfully respond to your questions.


Blutz grabs the mermaid by the pink hair, causing her to say "Release me, man of the dry land, and I will aid you.  But if you should harm me, I'll lay a curse on you to harrow the hearts of all who hear it!"  CHOICE #106 is what to do with her.  CHARMS, SPELLS, letting her go, asking her about "what lies ahead" or the best way to Port Leshand are all options.


CHARMS is completely useless, because "such crude magic" has no effect on the mermaid.  "Crude, perhaps, my lady', you return with a gallant flourish, 'but I have always found it no less effective for that".  The player character probably tips a fedora too.


SPELLS is efficient, and forces the mermaid to help you to page 178.  The crew of the Coffin Lid ask her about Port Leshand.  "Sail on your present course if you fear neither weird dooms nor fierce weather.  Steer south if a witch's hospitality does not daunt you.  West to face rain and wind and the nightmare ship; south to see the earth god's daughter".  She's telling you that you can get to Grimoire Island from here.


Asking the mermaid about "what lies ahead" is another path to page 178, and she tells you "a cursed ship plies these waters".  Another hint about this is that "a sinister sacrifice is called for when you wish to disembark", but "nothing you can't afford to part with".


The final page 178 option in CHOICE #106 is to ask her about a route to Port Leshand.  She recommends going south to Ejada on Grimoire Island, and tells you the witch can't be defeated if her feet are on the ground.


CHOICE #107 on page 178 is either to sail west or south.  South moves you to CHOICE #40 which I've already covered.  Sailing west switches Detrude to Peccant if you have that codeword.  Oakley sings a song about the Coffin Lid:


"Oh, the Coffin Lid heaves to and fro,
tossed by storms and gales,
What's that thunder now I hear;
four hearts thudding full o'fear?
Or Death's bone fingers drawing near,
and banging in the nails?"


CHOICE #108 is to make him shut up, or say nothing.  Telling Oakley to quit singing is beneficial if you have Chancery, because that codeword is destroyed.  (You'll see how bad Chancery can get in a later update.)  Saying nothing means you gain Chancery instead.  You lose 1 Life Point no matter what you do.


Before moving on from CHOICE #108 to the cursed ship, let's return to the option where you tell Blutz to let the mermaid go.  Doing this in CHOICE #106 creates CHOICE #109 where the mermaid offers to take you south.  A 2 Life Point penalty ensues unless you eat the Monkey.  This takes you to CHOICE #33 and Red Skull Island with the cannibals.  The alternative in CHOICE #109 is to let the mermaid go and sail west as usual in CHOICE #107.


CHOICE #110 happens on page 273, where a "ship's sails show purple-black against the red haze".  Oakley shouts "We're saved!", but you should know better from the mermaid's warning and the FOLKLORE check.  Pass that, and you learn it's the Larnassos, or this world's version of the Flying Dutchman.  Captain Mandrigard stole treasures from the Temple of Dionysus, and was "cursed never to set foot on shore again 'while his hand was still sullied with theft'.  The crew found a loophole and escaped, but Mandrigard still haunts the sea.  You go back to CHOICE #110 with the options of either hailing the ship, or letting it go by.


The Larnassos will take a whole update by itself to cover, so tune in next time to find out!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Larnassos


Refusing to hail the Larnassos goes to CHOICE #111 on page 330.  You can go south to CHOICE #40, go west and die with Peccant, or go west without Peccant and move to page 349 and CHOICE #112.  On that page, you lose 1 Life Point and have to decide whether or not to eat the Monkey.  If you don't, you lose 2 Life Points and go to Port Leshand in CHOICE #18.


CHOICE #113 is the first encounter with the Larnassos.  The captain says "Come aboard, strangers", and offers you his hand to climb on his ship.  You can either use AGILITY, go aboard, or leave as if you never hailed the ship and move to CHOICE #111.


Passing the AGILITY check allows you to leap onto the rigging and cut the ropes, making Mandrigard fall onto the jollyboat.  Stealing this ship doesn't seem to count for the endgame, and you move to CHOICE #111 afterwards.  It is a good way to get rid of Detrude or Peccant if you have those codewords, since those are about how damaged the jollyboat is.


Going aboard the Larnassos without AGILITY is the only way to have an adventure on this route.  Mandrigard has a "carved whalebone" leg, and wears silk robes and a turban.  When asked about his crew, he says "Gone-deserted, the dogs!  I am alone aboard my ship now".  The Larnassos has jewels everywhere, but he laments the curse he received for stealing them.  CHOICE #114 is to ask about the treasure, passage to Port Leshand, or Mandrigard's crew. 


All 3 options go to CHOICE #115, but you learn a bit more about the story with each option.  He says he got the treasure "fair and square, by the law of the sea", and blames "an old fool of a priest" for cursing him.  Mandrigard's never heard of Port Leshand, and he's too old to care about new cities, since he'll be alive long after they sink.  As for the crew, he says they were cursed with him, but managed to find a way to ditch him somehow.  He drinks to "their ill health".


CHOICE #115 is whether to explore the ship or ask more questions.  This is a false CHOICE, as both options lead to page 65.  Mandrigard says "Not a blabber in a thousand harems will wipe out the curse I carry with me-and you poor dolts are part of that curse now.  You'll never leave this ship!  You're my crewmen now-now, and forevermore!" 


Once you start exploring the ship, Grimes points out that the geometrical decorations remind him of the Moorish style.  Blutz notices a wooden casket on the main deck, and we see rainwater and "several dozen skeletal hands" inside.  Grimes thinks a Butcher's Cleaver is the murder weapon, and hands it to you.  It's a Sword substitute.  CHOICE #116 can check for SEAFARING/Toolkit, CHARMS, or nothing.  With the SEAFARING/Toolkit option, you still have to pick another CHOICE #116 option, but you get rid of Detrude/Peccant because you repair the jollyboat. 


Trying to cast CHARMS prompts the "are you REALLY sure?" CHOICE #117.  Grimes wants you to stay on the Larnassos because "we're running before an east wind", and he wants to wait a day.  You can then either cast CHARMS to remove the Larnassos curse on your crew, or stay on board as if it were CHOICE #116.  CHARMS works due to the fact that you haven't been under the curse's power as long as Mandrigard, who's probably a terminal case.  It's a path to CHOICE #111.


Staying on the Larnassos leads to a Morality Test, though one less common than the typical CYOA "Help this character or abandon them".  Instead, Oakley offers this suggestion:  "One way to lift the curse might be to put an end to this wretch".  Yes, you do have the option to murder Mandrigard while asleep and steal his treasure.  Another option is to take some treasure without killing him, or return to the deck.


"It takes no special skill to murder a man while he sleeps, just a callous disregard for life.  As Mandrigard's bright red blood drips down onto the floorboards and scattered jewels, you and your three companions stare at one another in the flickering lamplight.  You all know the significance of your dreadful deed.  Before you were merry rogues-swashbucklers with one eye for plunder and one eye for thrills.  Now you are rank villains".


The prizes you gain for sacrificing your morality are the Chancery codeword and 10,000 Doubloons.  That's far more money than you could ever spend in the game.  First-degree murder is equivalent to not sharing crab meat with your crew or letting your companion sing a morbid sea shanty, according to Down Among the Dead Men logic.


CHOICE #119 after Mandrigard's death is to either cast CHARMS to escape, "think you have an item in your possession that might help", or do neither of those.  CHARMS is a path to CHOICE #120, where you can go south to Pandanus Island, sink the jollyboat with Peccant, or survive to make it to Port Leshand in CHOICE #18.


Trying the "item in your possession" option generates a check for the following items:  Butcher's Cleaver, Crucifix, Toolkit + CUNNING, or nothing.  Butcher's Cleaver is a gruesome path to CHOICE #120, since you come to the conclusion that the reason the coffin is filled with skeletal hands is that the original Larnassos crew amputated them to break the curse on themselves.  For doing this, you lose 1 Life Point and sacrifice the AGILITY Skill if you have it.  It's not mentioned in the text whether the Life Point loss is permanent, so probably not.


Even religion cannot save you in CHOICE #121, and you get a special Bad Non-Death Ending if you try the Crucifix.


"Your fervent prayers go unanswered.  As the four of you kneel there on the deck, heads reverently bowed, Blutz gives a sudden sob.  'God's abandoned us, shipmates!' he weeps.  'We're cursed.'  'Aye', cracks a voice through the gusting wind.  'Cursed to sail adrift under a heedless heaven for all eternity!'


You turn, shocked to see Mandrigard standing on the poopdeck, his turban lost, hair flying wildly and robes snapping about him.  Rain streaks his colourless face.  He stumps forward, his whalebone leg creaking the deck timbers under his weight.  'Prayer, is it you're at?  Ah, you poor fools, haven't you yet guessed the truth?  This is purgatory, mates!  There's no praying your way out of this mess.  Here there's no living or dying, no rest, no atonement, nor answer to your orisons!  This is how it'll be, now and forever, aboard the damned ship Larnassos!'


His screaming laughter rises to the cloud-filled sky, and with a feeling of mounting horror you realise he is right.  You have brought the curse upon your heads.  Now you will sail the seas throughout eternity."


How is it Purgatory if the curse comes from the Greek god Dionysus?  Shouldn't he be talking about Tartarus instead?  Oh well, even murdering the cursed captain can't keep him down.


The Toolkit option makes you take out a hacksaw and attach cursed wood from the ship to the soles of your shoes, removing you from the curse by technicality and advancing to CHOICE #120.  However, this means your steps are noisy and destroys the ROGUERY Skill.  Only do this if you're not playing a stealth character.


Doing nothing in either CHOICE #119 or #121 advances to CHOICE #122, where you can either cast a desperate SPELL, or "only pray to almighty God for deliverance".  The latter results in the same Bad Non-Death Ending as using the Crucifix.  The former summons a storm where it rains wine, and summons Dionysus himself!  "He has skin like gold and eyes of jewelled brilliance, and ringlets of blue hair frame his broad face".


Dionysus isn't impressed with you at first.  "The type of mortal I favour, is a roistering rowdy varlet, full of craziness and lusty with the more uproarious joys that life has to offer.  Not for me these sober scholars with their books and scrolls".  He "can't abide a dainty do-gooder" either.  What does this mean in game mechanics?  You wake up in a tavern in Port Leshand in CHOICE #18, and are taught ROGUERY and BRAWLING.  The catch is that these Skills are mandatory to reflect Dionysus's personality, and you must delete 1 or 2 Skills to make room for them if you don't have both.




Stealing Mandrigard's treasure in CHOICE #118 advances to CHOICE #123 where you have to decide between "simple monetary value" to buy a ship later, or look for magic items.  The "simple monetary option" gives you up to 3 Diamonds and goes to CHOICE #119 without the Chancery guilt of killing Mandrigard.  Each Diamond counts as a Possession, but obviously you want all 3 if you want to get a ship that way.  Opting for magic items allows you to take 2 of the following:  Diamond, Conch-Shell Horn, Bronze Helmet, Dragon Ring, Thundercloud Fan.


Blutz doesn't think highly of magical loot:  "Sometimes I hanker for the old-fashioned days of piracy, when we'd count plain wealth as treasure and didn't look for a patina of magic to tart it up".  After that is CHOICE #124, a FOLKLORE check.  Failing it just moves to CHOICE #119, while passing it eventually does the same thing, but tells you some lore about the items.  The Diamond has no magic "unless the effect of staggering wealth on men's greed can be accounted magical". 


The Conch-Shell Horn supposedly came from Atlantis, and can teleport you to Poseidon's treasure harbor.  But to get inside, you also need to unlock the gate with "the note of a flute or pipe".  The Thundercloud Fan "is surely sacred to the storm deity of far-off Cathay", and summons a hurricane you can command.  The Bronze Helmet "belonged to a Spartan king", and supposedly "confers skill at arms upon the wearer".  But nothing much is said about the Dragon Ring, except "handling it makes you feel distinctly uneasy".


And that's it for the pre-Port Leshand parts of the game.  Maybe in the next update, Gustaran will finally learn what STREETWISE is good for!  (But who knows when I'll write that?)


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

6 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Port Leshand, or What is STREETWISE Good For?


Before Gustaran can learn what use STREETWISE could possibly have in a book where you spend most of your time at sea, let's find out what happens if you're unfortunate enough to keep the Chancery codeword by the time you reach the first city.


"You are back in civilization.  Now you have time to take stock of your harrowing ordeal.  The memory of how you behaved at times gives you little cause for pride, and the dour looks of your companions reflect your inner sense of shame.  Nor do you have what it takes to be a leader of men; you know that now.  Grimes cannot meet your gaze as he shakes hands with you.  'Best we go our separate ways for a while', he mutters.  'Maybe we'll meet again.'


Blutz is more forthright.  'None of us has come through this business with flying colours, mate.  But if we aren't even masters of our own worse nature, how could we ever hope to overcome Skarvench?'


You are reluctantly forced to agree.  Skarvench's soul may be as black as the devil's pitch, but your own is hardly spotlessly pure.  Perhaps his baleful influence has made you what you are today:  no valiant hero, just a fallible adventurer with a sadly chequered past".


Did you really think Dave Morris would let you spend the 10,000 Doubloons you got from murdering Mandrigard?  Now that CHOICE #18 has been resolved, let's go into town with CHOICE #19.


With STREETWISE, you learn from your friend Black Danny McClintock that Queen Titania is coming to visit the colonies, and the local authorities are cracking down on crime.  McClintock is even worried about being punished for drinking or gambling.  The punishment known as "Moses's Law" consists of "thirty-nine strokes of the birch" and public humiliation.  This is based on Deuteronomy 25:3, where the limit is 40 lashes.  Afterwards, you conclude that Skarvench can't show himself in Port Leshand and move back to CHOICE #19.


Gallowglass the chandler sells these Possessions for the following prices:


Crucifix-8
Pistol-10
Sword-10
Compass-10
Parrot-2


Unlike in Heart of Ice, STREETWISE doesn't seem to be required to have enough time to go to multiple shops in a town.  At least not yet.  This makes it a far weaker Skill in Down Among the Dead Men than the later Virtual Reality book.


Doctor Scriptor can help you identify the following items for 1 Doubloon each, though this is not required to use them in later CHOICEs:  Conch-Shell Horn, Bat-Shaped Talisman, Bronze Helmet, Dragon Ring. 


The Conch-Shell Horn is the Horn of Poseidon, according to him, and he says a "phantom boat" will take you to his gate, but it's useless if you don't also have the "key".  You can sell it to Doctor Scriptor for 20 Doubloons.  The Dragon Ring is cursed, and Doctor Scriptor refuses to buy it from you or even charge you a Doubloon for identifying it.  The Bat-Shaped Talisman is the "likeness of the Bat of Night", but he only knows that it is magical and "perhaps it helps you to see in the dark".  Doctor Scriptor doesn't seem to want to buy it, and says that it has 1 or 2 uses left.  The Bronze Helmet is "the helmet of a Spartan king", and possibly offers "some skill at arms".  Doctor Scriptor is willing to buy the Bronze Helmet for 15 Doubloons.


You may want to talk to Doctor Scriptor after you go to Gallowglass the chandler, as afterwards you have a reduced CHOICE #19 with only the letter of marque, Marathon codeword, and leaving Port Leshand options.


With ROGUERY, you can forge a Letter of Marque and add it to your Possessions if you want to take up piracy later in the game.  From there, your only CHOICE #19 options are to either use Marathon or leave Port Leshand.


The official of the dubiously named Office of Prejudicial Trade demands a bribe if you apply to him for a Letter of Marque.  You can then either bribe him with a Diamond or use CUNNING to try to get past him.  Your other CHOICE #125 options are to get the Deed of Ownership in the Marathon building, or simply leave town in CHOICE #20.  The Diamond works perfectly and you get your Letter of Marque.  You can then go to Marathon or leave town as usual.  With CUNNING, you attract the official with an offer of the cut of the privateer profits instead of an advance payment.  For this you gain the codeword Mammon and can either Marathon or leave town.


STREETWISE's true purpose in Port Leshand is to discuss rumors from CHOICE #19.  CHOICE #126 has several options reflecting what you want to learn about:  El Draque, Queen Titania's visit, or Skarvench.  All have STREETWISE checks, and failing them has various consequences.


El Draque rumors with STREETWISE tell you that he's a vampire pirate, though the word "vampire" is never used.  He was a Carpathian mercenary who preyed on ships in the New World and slept in a cargo hold box during the day.  El Draque was hanged at sea and thrown overboard by a Glorianne crew, but the captain was drained of blood later.  The options from here are to learn more rumors or the CHOICE #19 shopping trips.


Skarvench's rumors are about how he's building an odd ship called the Moon Dog in Port Selenice.  The STREETWISE hero may have paid informants in New World cities, but he's not giving any money for information that common.


As for Queen Titania rumors, it's the usual information about how she's staying at Port Tudor and is accompanied by Dr. Wild the court wizard and Lord Calidor's galleons.  


Failing the El Draque STREETWISE check means someone tells you that he swam 3 times around the ship where he was captured after he died.  Then you go to the reduced CHOICE #19 with the Letter of Marque, Marathon, or leaving town options.


Asking about Queen Titania without STREETWISE attracts unwanted attention from a man pointing a knife at your back.  You are then forced into Port Selenice and CHOICE #21, though you don't lose out on the 5 Doubloons and 3 Life Point gain.  


Skarvench with no STREETWISE gives the hero the notion to go to one of Skarvench's favorite bars in a shanty town.  In my notes, I wrote this down as a CHOICE #126 option, because essentially that's what it is except for a separate option.  You can ask for the non-STREETWISE rumors of CHOICE #126, or stay in the bar even though it's dangerous.


Staying in The Hanged Man tavern forces you into a confrontation with Skarvench's spies and assassins.  The ways to deal with them are to fight or pass a CUNNING or AGILITY check.  CUNNING barely fools Skarvench's men into thinking you might work for his crew, and you go to the reduced CHOICE #19 with Letter of Marque, Marathon, and leaving town options.  AGILITY has similar mechanical results when you knock the gangsters down with jumps and kicks, though it's less effective than CUNNING because you lose 1 Life Point.


Fighting guarantees a Life Point penalty, though how much it is depends on your Skills and weapons.  BRAWLING costs 3, MARKSMANSHIP/SWORDPLAY costs 2, and having no battle Skill takes away 6.  Once the fight ends, the same reduced CHOICE #19 as the AGILITY and CUNNING options ensues. 


That ends the Port Leshand walkthrough.  STREETWISE really is a joke of a Skill, isn't it?



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

6 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Port Selenice, or Will STREETWISE be Redeemed?


In this update, we'll learn if STREETWISE is good for something, or whether it's even more useless than FOLKLORE.  The best place to start is the "pedlar" Twitchy Pinque in CHOICE #22.  Passing a STREETWISE check allows you to blackmail him into lowering his prices because you know his merchandise is stolen.


These are the STREETWISE prices:


Pocket Watch-7
Pistol-8
Sword-7
Hornpipe-3
Weasel-2
Amulet-12


Prices without STREETWISE:


Pocket Watch-8
Pistol-12
Sword-11
Hornpipe-4
Weasel-2
Amulet-15


Doubloons don't seem that hard to come by in this game, since there aren't that many items most players will want to buy.  Not even a Weasel discount!


The next stop is the tavern in CHOICE #21, which goes to CHOICE #128.  The patrons include a blind old man drinking brandy and "ruffians" stealing a scholar's glasses.  The options are a STREETWISE check, talking to the blind man, helping the scholar, or visiting the shipyard in CHOICE #23.  


STREETWISE only provides information here.  The blind man is Greymalkin Smith, a former pirate who lost his eyesight in a "powder keg explosion".  Now he's a gossip.  The "ruffians" are wanted men in Port Leshand. 


Greymalkin Smith will only talk if you buy him a drink for 1 Doubloon.  He knows we were with Skarvench because "I hears a thing or two".  Skarvench murdered Smith's old friend Marshy.  He wonders why "tide tables" aren't sufficient for Skarvench, and why he's talking about full moons and clouds and the Moon Dog.  Smith also warns us about "that basilisk he had shipped aboard an' all".


Besides the scholar and shipyard options, CHOICE #129 after talking to Greymalkin Smith has FOLKLORE and SEAFARING checks.  FOLKLORE informs the player that only a Weasel is immune to the mythological basilisk's fatal stare.  SEAFARING tells you that the "basilisk" is really a long-range cannon that is only made by the Royal Arsenal in Glorianne.  Could both of them be true in alternate versions of the final battle?


Helping the scholar get his spectacles back requires Skill checks or a fight in CHOICE #130.  CUNNING and STREETWISE are both valid options.  Fighting the ruffians has Sword, Pistol, or bare handed combat scenarios.


CUNNING tricks the ruffians into believing that Skarvench is protecting the scholar.  Saving him has a codeword reward.  He tells you he was mistaken when he told Glorianne's treacherous court wizard Dr. Wild the time of the next lunar eclipse.  It will happen at midnight on midsummer night, instead of 2 in the morning.  The practical result of this is the Horal codeword which can be combined with the Pocket Watch from the Port Selenice merchant later in the naval battle with Skarvench.


STREETWISE has a similar effect to CUNNING in terms of game mechanics, but this time you recognize your friend Toby Whipstaff among the ruffians.  You tell him that Port Leshand has placed bounties on both him and his brother.  He runs away to warn his brother, and leaves you in peace.


Don't draw a Sword in CHOICE #130, because the Brethren of the Coast will confiscate that, a Pistol, and all your Doubloons as a penalty for violating their code.  No Horal.  The book warned you about this earlier.  You can get away with using the Pistol because you merely point it at the ruffian rather than shoot him, and receive Horal after you scare him off.  The bare-knuckle option is the last way to get Horal, and the Life Point penalty is surprisingly low compared to other brawls.  It's 1 Life Point without BRAWLING, and 0 with the Skill.


All possible conclusions in CHOICE #130 lead to the shipyard.  It's impossible to buy a ship in CHOICE #23, because you'll have to go to the Seat o'the Brow inn anyway. 


Failing to have a Pocket Watch, Crucifix, or Magic Amulet in the CHOICE #24 encounter with Skarvench at the inn is instant Death.  Horal route players will need the Pocket Watch anyway, and the Magic Amulet is included with CHARMS.  If you want a Crucifix, you can steal one from Skarvench's ship at the beginning, or buy one from the chandler shop in Port Leshand.


"Skarvench stands over you.  You see his face as though it were reflected in a pool of blood.  His voice roars and surges in your ears '. . .among the dead men. . .'


The image clouds and clots, then the red haze turns to blackness as your grip on life gives way.  You have met your doom at the hands of your arch-foe, and now there is no one to stop him".


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

7 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Down Among the Dead Men Alternate Paths:  Conch-Shell Horn


If you steal the Conch-Shell Horn from Mandrigard's cursed ship, you can use it in CHOICE #25.  Blowing it summons a "coracle formed of a giant half-shell drawn by a shark and a dolphin".  The shark tells you that they're taking you to Neptune's harbor.  The dolphin warns you that you'll need a vessel to return.  CHOICE #131 is to accept a ride on the coracle, or return to Port Selenice in CHOICE #25 to get a ship with some other item.


Once you reach the harbor, you see a gold chain preventing ships from entering or leaving, and a giant whose legs are at first mistaken for pillars.  He asks you what you want in Neptune's harbor for CHOICE #132:  a ship, help for your quest, or to go home.  The 3rd option sends you back to CHOICE #25.  If you want a ship, you'll have to get past the chains in CHOICE #133.  The options are CUNNING, SPELLS, an item, or to go back to Port Selenice and CHOICE #25.


CUNNING's response to "a key that no-one can see or touch" is to sing "in the key of C".  This works and you obtain a "tall-masted vessel painted all in black except for the blue lacquer adorning her prow".  The figurehead is a "muscular statue in oak wearing a winged helmet on his brow".  It's the Calypso, the only ***** ship except for the Providence from the Ship in a Bottle.


There's a silly scene where you dismiss an ironclad because it lacks masts and you'd think it would be too slow.  After getting the Calypso, you skip to the final naval battle with Skarvench.


SPELLS is ineffective.  You boast that you'll cast a spell to undo magic, only to realize you're only at Neptune's harbor because of magic.  You're kicked to CHOICE #25 where you're forced to try another method of getting a ship.


If you want to try an item, CHOICE #134 offers you these options:  Hornpipe, Monkey, Dragon Ring, or nothing.  The last option sends you back to CHOICE #25 as expected.  The Hornpipe follows the same musical key logic that singing with CUNNING does.  The Monkey works because "no man" can use the key, but this rule doesn't apply to other species.  Blutz is the hero in that scenario because he knows how to talk gently to animals.


The cursed Dragon Ring can be used too, though Oakley and Grimes warn you not to do this by quoting Job and Isaiah.  That's because the Dragon Ring is meant to summon Leviathan.  CHOICE #135 is an "Are you REALLY sure?" check for the item, and refusing sends you to CHOICE #25.  If you're stupid enough not to take the hints from the dungeon master, you'll get this Death.


"Despite Grimes's earnest entreaties, you decide to call upon the power of Leviathan.  The decision alone is enough.  As you raise the hand bearing the ring-even before you can speak the serpent's name-you sense something dark and monstrous rising from the illimitable depths.  Waves rear like mountains to blot out the sky.  The wind shrieks in fear and flees in all directions.


Leviathan rises out of the water.  His body is a tower of bronze scales, each the size of a shield, green with brine stain.  Phosphorescent venom drips from his gaping jaws in a torrent of liquid white fire.  Dank poisonous vapour curls up from the black caves of his nostrils.


You realise your mistake at once.  How could you ever hope to command an entity so fearsome?  As you cower in the boat, you see one more thing that strikes you full of mortal terror; on the face of the colossus there is now a look of fear.  Even he will be hard-pressed to stand against Leviathan, and in their titanic battle four tiny mortals will be trodden underfoot, sent plunging into the ocean depths.  You have brought your own doom upon you".



Asking the colossus for help in your quest causes the player character to speak in purple prose.  "Will you ponder the matter until the stars go out and the moon cracks in two?  Our foe is mortal like ourselves, and does not unfold his plans at the testudineous pace you seem to favour".  I'll probably never see the word "testudineous" in another gamebook!


CHOICE #136 after that is to ask for wealth or wisdom.  Always ask for wealth unless you're desperate to have the SEAFARING Skill for the endgame, because that's what the colossus thinks is "wisdom".  Appropriate for a servant of the god of the sea.  If you obtain SEAFARING this way, you have to delete one of your other Skills.  Probably FOLKLORE or STREETWISE if you're using an established class.  You then proceed to CHOICE #25.


Requesting wealth gives you an Emerald, "one of his tears of mirth at your great gall".  The shark makes a comment about eating Blutz if he goes swimming, though your crewmate doesn't hear it.  Dave Morris makes a special gameplay comment for this item:  "Do not bother noting the Emerald on your Character Sheet, since you are about to spend it".


Your reward for the Emerald is the **** ship Meteor.  CHOICE #137 is whether to rename it, use FOLKLORE, or keep the Meteor name.  The latter 2 options move on to CHOICE #29 and the final battle.  FOLKLORE tells the player that it's bad luck to change a ship's name, based on an incident where the Pelican sank soon after being renamed the Saint Christopher.  If you change the Meteor to the Queen's Ransom, the star rating decreases to ***, and you advance to CHOICE #29 as usual.



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

8 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings