2
YOU ARE THE HERO
We'll start our investigation of Adventure gaming by allowing you to take part in an Adventure which does not need the computer.
The Adventure you will experience-WEREWOLVES AND WANDERER-is, in fact, based on the first program we will enter into the computer, and uses the same map, the same monsters, and much the same wording.
However, the computerless Adventure, in which you make decisions about what you want to do, where you want to go, and how you want to act, is not as satisfying as the computer version of the game we will develop. The main reason for presenting it in this book is to give you a feel for Adventure gaming, and especially for the program we are going to develop, without your first having to enter a very long program.
Many Adventure games make use of dice for determining the outcome of battles. As you may well not have dice lying conveniently around, our Adventure simply asks you to toss one or two coins, with the outcome of the toss deciding who has won a fight, and so on.
It is very simple to take part in this Adventure. You just follow the instructions, reading each section as you are directed to it, and then move to the new section indicated. For example, the text might read: "You come to a fork in the road. Turn to 84 if you want to turn right, to 12 if you want to turn left."
You turn to the indicated section, where new instructions (and choices) are waiting. In due course, you'll either complete the Adventure successfully, or you'll die in the attempt.
One of the real advantages of using a computer for Adventure gaming is that it can be used for all the "housekeeping" tasks. These include such things as rolling the dice and interpreting the outcome, keeping track of your score, of the number of monsters killed, the objects which are in the various locations you'll explore and in your backpack, and controlling the fights. This allows you to get on with the fun of actually enjoying the game, and allows you to let your imagination have full rein to fill in the background details and scenery for the Adventure.
Unfortunately, you'll have to do much of this housekeeping yourself in this first Adventure. The only equipment needed to take part is a pen and paper, this book, and two coins.
You start the game with $50 in gold, and a strength rating of 50. Your strength is diminished in certain battles, and the amount of gold and other treasure you have may change as you find gems lying around, you are robbed, or have to pay bribes. You die, and the game ends, if your strength falls below zero. From time to time you may well be told something like: "You lost that battle, your strength is halved." When you come across an instruction like that, divide your current strength rating by two, then round up to the nearest whole number. Don't worry about the fractions.
You'll have to keep a written tally of your strength and wealth, and the number of monsters you kill (this is called the "monster tally"). At the end of a game, you work out your score, which is based on the strength you have left, the money you have and the monsters you have killed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Sometimes you'll be directed out of a room in the middle of a particular instruction, When you return to that room from that particular "subdirection," go to the part of the original description which is after the line which sent you to the subdirection. Otherwise, you'll be shuttling back and forth till the end of time.
The Scenario
This Adventure, WEREWOLVES AND WANDERER (where you are the wanderer, and the werewolves and other unsavory creatures inhabit the imaginary environment you are about to visit), takes place within an ancient, abandoned, stone castle.
You read about the castle in a faded letter you found in a trunk left, to you by your grandfather. Unfortunately, you could only find the second page of the letter, so you are not sure of the full story. However, from the page remaining, you understand the castle was abandoned centuries ago after a curse was placed on the inhabitants by an old witch who had been evicted during a particularly harsh thunderstorm. The king's wife was ailing, and he (wrongly, as it turned out) blamed the witch for his wife's illness. He thought by throwing the witch out, her malignant influence on his wife would cease. This did not happen, and his wife became more and more ill, and finally died.
Her last days were not peaceful. The old woman's curse brought a reign of terror to the castle, as many odd creatures and ghosts took up residence within the castle. Finally, the king and his court could stand it no more, and they fled from their former home, never to be heard of again.
The creatures invoked by the witch stayed on, and are living there still. You are about to enter their realm.
The Choices
As I pointed out before, you start the game with $50 in gold, and a strength rating of 50. Take out your pen and paper, and head three columns as follows:
STRENGTH WEALTH MONSTER TALLY
50 50 0
All you have to do now, as you progress through the castle, aided only by your quick decisions and your two coins, is keep track of your progress. You'll find that you can take part in this adventure several times, as the outcome will be different each time. Keep a record of your final score, and see if you can better it each time you go exploring.
You start by proceeding straight to section 7:
1
You are in a dank, dark dungeon. The only light comes into the room from a small hole in the west wall. You must now flip a coin. If it lands heads, go to 11; tails, move to 5. To leave the dungeon, go to 25.
2
You are in the L-shaped upper hallway of the castle. A moth flutters across the room near the ceiling. To the north is a door and there is a stairwell in the hall as well. If you wish to peek through the door to the north, go to 33. If you wish to look down the stairwell, go to 39. You must flip a coin; if it lands tails, go to 13. To go through the door, go to 30. To go down the stairs, go to 21.
3
Looking down the stairwell, you can see a gloomy, unpleasant looking room, the guardroom of the ancient dungeon. Go to 21.
4
Inside the sack you find jewels worth $500, so add them to your wealth and then go to 9.
5
The ghost of the guard has awoken! Your strength is halved due to the fright you suffered. Now go to 1.
6
You are in the Great Hall of the castle. There are two doors in the L-shaped room. You notice the wood panels around the room are warped and faded. As you look around, a mouse scampers across the floor. You whirl around at a sudden noise. Flip a coin. If it is heads, go to 43. If it is tails, you see to your relief there is nothing there. If you want to look out of the windows to get your bearings, go to 28. To exit by the north doors, go to 29. To move to the east, go to 21. Going to 29 will take you to the west.
7
You are at the entrance of a forbidding-looking stone castle. You are facing east. The huge wooden entrance door stands lightly open. To enter the castle, go to 40.
8
A werewolf awakes in this room. He attacks you. Flip a coin. If it is heads, the werewolf has beaten you, so go to 37. If it is tails, you have killed it. Add one to your monster tally, then go to 35.
9
You are in the storeroom, amidst spices, vegetables, and vast sacks of flour and other provisions. The air is thick with spice and curry fumes. If you want to look under some of the sacks, go to 31. If you want to look inside the top sack, go to 4. To leave by the south door, go to 42. Go to 35 if you wish to leave by the north door.
10
Looking up the stairwell you can just make out an elaborately decorated hallway. Go to 21.
11
There are rats in this dungeon. They steal gold pieces worth $10 from you. Go to 1.
12
You are descending very, very slowly. Your strength is sapped by a magic spell left in the elevator. Divide your strength by two, then proceed straight to 42.
13
A malevolent Maldemer attacks you. You can smell the sulfur on his breath. Your strength diminishes by 10. Flip two coins. If they both come up heads, you have killed the Maldemer, so add one to your monster tally. After the battle, go to 42.
14
You've done it! That was the exit from the castle. Double your strength, then go to 27.
15
You are in the castle's ancient, hydraulic elevator. If you wish to descend slowly, go to 12. To get down as quickly as possible, go to 24.
16
Horrors. There is a devastating Ice-Dragon here. It leaps toward you. Blood drips from his claws. Flip a coin. Heads you win, adding one to your monster tally. Your strength drops by 10 if you win; by 20 if you lose. After the fight, go to 30.
17
This is the monarch's private meeting room. The echo of ancient plotting and wrangling hangs heavy in the musty air. Flip a coin. If it lands up heads, you find an emerald worth $100, then go to 21, the exit through the south door. If it is tails, you are attacked by a ghastly Gruesomeness which was hiding behind the drapes. Flip the coin again. If it lands tails again, you win, adding one to your monster tally. If it lands heads the Gruesomeness wins. While you are lying exhausted on the floor, he steals $100 from your wealth. Now go to 21.
18
This tiny room on the upper level is the dressing chamber. There is a window to the north. If you wish to see out the window, go to 22. There is a door which 1eaves the room to the south. To use this door, go to 32.
19
The noise is frightening. What on earth (or beyond it) is inside that room? Go to 23.
20
Aha... wealth! You find great treasure here worth $900 in gems and gold. Add it to your wealth, then go to 30.
21
You are in the inner hallway, which contains a door to the north one to the west, and a circular stairwell. The room is small and unfriendly. To look down the stairwell, go to 3. To look up the stairs, go to 10. To leave by the north door, go to 17. Go to 6 if you wish to leave by the west door. Go to 2 to go up the stairs, or to 25 to go down them.
22
Looking out the window you see, below you, the secret herb garden. Looking hard to the left, you recognize the land you crossed to get to the castle entrance. Now go to 18.
23
You are in the room which was used as the castle treasury years ago. A spider scampers down the wall. There are no windows, just exits to the north and to the east. If you wish to listen at the north door, go to 19. If you want to leave by the north door, go to 32. Go to 36 to leave by the east door.
24
You feel exhilarated, as a positive spell is triggered by your swift downward flight. Your strength is doubled. Now go to 42.
25
You are in the prison guardroom, in the basement of the castle. The stairwell ends in this room. There is one other exit, a small hole in the east wall. The air is damp and unpleasant . . . a chill wind rushes into the room from gaps in the stone at the top of the walls. To go east, go to 1. To go up the stairs, go to 21.
26
Looking out the south window you see the ornamental lake. There is a view across open fields through the east window. You look longingly at the outdoors, then go to 42.
27
Your score is five times your strength, plus two times your wealth, plus thirty times your monster tally. You have come to the end of the adventure. Now proceed with the rest of this book.
28
By straining your eyes through the mist which has swirled up while you've been exploring, you can see below you, looking southwards, an ornamental lake. By craning your neck round to the right through the west window you can just see the entrance door to the castle. When you've finished looking, go to 6.
29
You are in the castle's Audience Chamber. The faded tapestries on the wall only hint at the splendor which this room once had. There is a window to the west. By craning your neck through it to the right you can see the castle entrance. Flip two coins. If they both land heads, you find diamonds worth $169. If they are both tails, you must fight the fanatical Fleshgorger which suddenly stumbles into the room. To fight the Fleshgorger, flip both coins again. One head and one tail, you defeat it, adding one to your monster tally and doubling your strength. If the two coins are heads or tails, you lose, and your strength is halved. To leave by the north, go to 40. To leave by the south or the east doors, go to 6.
30
You find yourself in the master bedroom on the upper level of the castle. Looking down from the window to the west you can see the entrance to the castle, while the secret herb garden is visible below the north window. There are doors to the east and to the south. You must flip a coin. If it lands heads, go to 20. Go to 16 if it comes up tails. To leave by the south door, go to 2. Go to 82 if you wish to leave by the east door.
31
A ferocious werewolf leaps at you, his eyes glinting violently. Flip two coins, quickly. If they are the same, you defeat the werewolf. Although your strength is diminished by ten, you manage to escape, and go to 9. If the coins are different, the werewolf starts tearing you apart, cutting your strength to half of what it was before. You drag yourself away, and go to 9.
32
Oooh . . . you are in the chambermaid's bedroom. Faint perfume hangs in the air. There is an exit to the west and a door to the south. However, your attention is caught by the steady thumping coming from behind the bed. Fearfully, you look behind it, and a devastating Ice-dragon leaps at you! You smell the sulfur on his breath. Flip two coins. Unless they are two heads, you lose, and 15 is struck from your strength tally. If you win, add 100 to your strength. To leave by the north, go to 18. Go to 30 if you wish to leave by the west door. The south door leads to 23.
33
Peering into the room you see it was once the master bedroom. It appears quiet. As you turn back you notice a small bottle on the ground. Quickly, you uncork it and swallow the contents. Flip two coins. Unless they are both tails, the bottle contained a wonderful elixir which has tripled your strength. If the coins were both tails the bottle contained only water. Now go to 2.
34
Now you're under attack from a nasty, ghastly Gruesomeness. Flip two coins. Two tails, you win, and add 50 to your strength. Two heads, your strength is halved as the G.G. defeats you. Now go to 2.
35
This is the castle's kitchen. Through windows in the north wall you can see the secret herb garden. It has been many years since meals were prepared here for the monarch and the court. A rat scurries across the floor. Flip a coin. If it lands heads, you stumble, making a noise, and must go to 8 to see the effect that noise has had. To leave by the south door, go to 9.
36
You are in a small room which is outside the castle itself. You can see the lake through the southern windows. Flip a coin. If it is heads, go to 41. To leave by the north door, go to 15. Go to 23 if you wish to leave by the west door.
37
You are dead!!! Go to 27.
38
Go to 14
39
Looking down the stairwell you can see a small room below, and on the floor below that, you can just make out the gloomy guardroom. A ghost of a former guardsman suddenly appears on the stairwell. He demands $100. If you have it, pay him, then go to 2. If you do not have enough, the guard attacks you in anger. Flip a coin. Heads, go to 37. Tails, halve your strength, then go to 2.
40
You are in the hallway entrance to the castle. It is dark and gloomy, and the air of decay and desolation is very depressing. You suddenly feel very frightened. To run away from the castle, go to 7. To proceed through the south door, go to 29.
41
A spider bites you on the leg. Your strength is diminished by 20. Now go to 36.
42
You are in the rear vestibule. There are windows to the south. To look out them, go to 26. Flip a coin. If it lands heads, go to 13. To leave by the north door, go to 9. Go to 38 to leave by the east door.
43
The horrendous Hodgepodge attacks you!!! He fights wildly, madly. Flip two coins. Unless they are both tails, you have beaten it and double your strength. If they are both tails, the H.H. beats you, and your strength is halved. Now go to 6.
Once you've played this game a few times, you're certain to have a much better idea of how Adventures "feel," even though this coin-operated Adventure is a very pale shadow of the interactive enjoyment you'll experience when you get the programs up and running on your computer.
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