The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: 71

   

Anyone else getting Bakshi flashbacks?

     Aw... he looks so calm and peaceful. I really dig the way his left foot is at such a horribly awkward angle. Really stresses how drunk and clumsy we should expect the goblins to be. Russ Nicholson does a good job with all the little details. The bottle of alcohol, the spilled cup, the scraps of not quite shoes, and the frankensteined armor let me know exactly what kind of poor, suffering creature I am seeing.

I wonder if this strange Goblin-like creature might be one of those Goblins I was warned about.

     The goblin smells worse than a newborn pig that hasn't worked out the difference between mud and manure. Nevertheless, he's sweet while just lying there. I tiptoe gently past. I stop. The cave is so dank and chilly. I slowly remove the picnic basket dear old Brunhild gave me, and drape it carefully over the slumbering dear. He shifts at the addition. I stand very still. He is armed, after all.

     Here we see what sets Fighting Fantasy apart from other gamebooks in the choose your own adventure genre. The rolling of dice. We've spent enough time on those rules, but I want to note how the dice mean the narrative forks without me, as the player, having any control over the direction. The dice just removed a choice.

     Let's roll.

7

     Success! My Luck goes down to 10.

     The goblin turns over and pulls the blanket closer over him. I smile and tiptoe off again.

"Choice": Goblin Keeps Snoring: 301

Henrietta Chalk

Skill: 7/7

Stamina: 19/19

Luck: 10/11

1 Fortune Potion (2 Measures)