It's taken a good deal longer than expected, but at last I'm returning to Gary Chalk and David Kerrigan's Prince of Shadows duology. Given that, in Lone Wolf style, having successfully completed the first book would give my character an additional Street Skill, it might be advisable to have another go at Mean Streets rather than move on to the second book, Creatures from the Depths, but I've never actually attempted Creatures, even though I've owned it for longer than I have Streets, and I think it's about time I actually gave it a go.
To recap the premise for anyone who's not familiar with the series and didn't just read the playthrough of the first book linked in the previous paragraph, my character is Prince Edrix, heir to the throne of Salos, but keeping a lowish profile since my uncle Luko seized power following the not-at-all-suspicious incineration of my parents. The 'ish' is because the identity I've assumed so as to reduce the risk of my suddenly experiencing a severe bout of spontaneous combustion is that of an actor, so I have been making public appearances, just not as myself. Also because I recently joined the Resistance who seek Luko's overthrow, and played a pivotal role in an act of civil disobedience designed to strengthen public opinion against the usurper. And on account of my not being very good at concealing the birthmark which identifies me as the missing-presumed-fried Prince.
Anyway, that's me in plot terms. As regards stats, I'm...
Strength: 20 (owing to the quirks of the character generation set-up, this is both the minimum possible score and the most likely one)
Princely Skills: High Tongue, Persuasion
Street Skills: Streetfighting, Gutter Speak
Randomness determined what proportion of my Skills came from each category, and of the three Street Skills I picked last time round, Orientation seemed the best one to drop, as the description indicates it to relate to the streets at ground level, and the description on the back of the book suggests that I'm going to be spending more time in subterranean warrens than urban sprawl.
The adventure commences with my death in combat. Well, my character's character's death in combat: I'm playing the villain in the play currently being performed by the troupe, and tonight's performance has just reached the climactic fight scene. During the curtain call I see that the audience includes Hannuk, the leader of the resistance, who silently indicates that he wants to speak with me.
Master Melfi, the leader of the troupe, invites all players to a celebratory drink at a local tavern, and indicates that he can pay some of us tonight. My funds are pretty low right now, so if this adventure calls for any significant expenditure, accompanying my fellow performers might be the better option, but on this occasion I prioritise finding out what prompted Hannuk to seek me out.
A brief exchange of words with the Resistance leader allows me to set up a proper meeting with him, while still giving me time to show my face at the tavern and get a share of the funds being shared out. I don't loiter once I have the money, but head off to the arranged rendezvous.
Along the way, I cross the path of one of the barbarian mercenaries Luko employs to help keep the populace subdued. Ducking into a nearby alleyway could raise suspicion, so I try to swagger past like somebody who has nothing to fear from those in authority. Alas, he's looking for an opportunity to rough someone up, and I have no choice but to fight. At least I get to strike first - perhaps I can get the death spiral built into the combat system to work in my favour this time round.
The fight includes quite a bit of swinging and missing on both sides, and a couple of lucky swipes on the part of my opponent bring my Strength perilously low, but I scored a few more blows than he did, so the trouble he was looking for turns out to be more than he could handle. Still, I'd probably have been better off fleeing at the earliest opportunity - I just forget that self-preservation isn't treated as a vice in Prince of Shadows. There's still a chance that the enemy will wound me as I disengage, but the rules aren't as disparaging about beating a strategic retreat as in some other gamebook series.
Proceeding to the harbour, I join Hannuk and several other Resistance men in a boat, and after rowing (hopefully) beyond earshot of any lurking secret policemen, informants or paparazzi, Hannuk explains that we need to take action because Luko has arranged a politically advantageous marriage. If it goes ahead, he'll add a sheen of legitimacy to his rule and gain allies able to provide him with a lot more manpower for oppressing his subjects.
A fast-moving boat approaches, and turns out to be crewed by more of Luko's hired thugs. Aware that flight is not an option, Hannuk tries to convince them that we're just fishermen, out on the water so late because we were delayed by the need to make repairs to our nets. One of the goons boards us, missing his footing in the darkness, and randomness determines that while sprawling in the nets he becomes aware of the weapons concealed beneath them, but has the presence of mind not to raise the alarm while he's vulnerable. I twig what he's up to and, lacking the Skill that could help here, quietly warn Hannuk that the game is up, also causing a little disorder by seizing the halberd with which our vessel has been grappled. We cannot escape, though, and combat is soon joined.
Rather confusingly, the text tells me that my opponent gets first strike, and then indicates that I get first strike unless I want to exchange the halberd for a sword. It also says that the barbarians are all armed with spears, yet my opponent wields a two-handed sword. Oh, and as far as I can tell, my chances of being able to strike a blow would improve from nonexistent to mediocre if I were to fight bare-handed rather than hanging on to the halberd. A slim chance is better than no chance, and I only need survive for two rounds of combat before something occurs to change the state of play, so I'll drop the halberd. Even if I manage to hit my enemy, it'll only marginally reduce the likelihood of his being able to wound me, but a couple of per cent could make all the difference between living and dying.
My punch misses, his stab does not (and would not have done even if I had landed the blow). Thanks to the damage I sustained in the earlier fight, that's enough to finish me off. If I'd run away from that earlier fight, I might have survived. And then again, I might not. Escape was not an option during the two rounds preceding whatever would have happened next, and if my enemy's second attack had also proved successful, that would have been enough to kill me even if I'd started the fight at full Strength.
I think before I next attempt either of these books I might modify my gamebook manager, so at the end of the first round of any combat, I get a reminder that flight is an option.
