Seas of (my own) Blood, volume 2

Today is a “twofer” post, being two very short playthroughs of Fighting Fantasy 16, Seas of Blood.

Yeah, they were that short.

Playthrough 1

I rolled up a skill of 7 and luck 8, so I expected that my 17 stamina isn’t going to last very long.

For my first venture, I decided to visit the island of Enraki, the one with warrior-priests to a god of war. Cuz why not, they sound like easy marks!

I  organized a guerilla team and we decided to sneak around the back, making our way through the mountains until we came to a weaker and lower part of the fortress walls. We lobbed some fire arrows as a diversion, then attacked! It was not an easy fight, and I was badly injured before we finally prevailed, destroying the fortress and capturing some slaves and gold. Still, that cost half of my stamina.

We continued south and spent a few days fruitlessly patrolling the trade routes hoping for some easy prey. At this point I have a lot of time to reflect and to wonder how a skill 7 luck 8 person ever made captain, let alone a career as a pirate, let alone one of the most feared pirates of the sea. But eventually we come upon a ship that surely won’t fight back – because it’s already a shipwreck. Figuring that an already-sunken ship is a fight I can actually handle, I dive in to see what’s in the hold.

Sprites. Water sprites. That’s what’s in the ship.

Well, at least it wasn’t a giant lobster.

Oh crud. The sprites want me to fight a giant lobster. Of course. But if I survive, they’ll put in a good word for me with the wind sprites and I’ll have good luck sailing. Well, okay then!

I fight the giant lobster, and the water and wind sprites both make good on their promise, and I get a bonus when rolling for time taken to sail.

However, the fight left me dangerously low on stamina so I have to rest for a few days. During my recuperation, I have even more time to reflect and to wonder, why I only heal when the ship isn’t moving. It’s other people doing the rowing and the swabbing and the flibbering of the gibbets, so why does that affect my health? But I’m pulled out of my spiral of self-doubt when our lookout spots an island that’s not on the charts. Interesting!

I give orders to go ashore, half expecting the lost island-city of R’lyeh in which great Kathlaho lies dead and dreaming. And well, I’m not far from wrong. The island itself is a ginormous sea monster and it eats 2 of my crew before we escape. This whole escapade just keeps getting worse!

And it keeps getting even worse still, as our next scene is the Channel of Goth, where two armies are meeting for war.

It’s not even our war, but as we try to race through the lines and get out of their way, they mistake us for an enemy ship. They ram us, board us, and overrun us. There are no survivors.

Damn. Harsh, dude.

Playthrough 2

My next captain is skill 1 and luck 8, so I’m feeling a bit bolder this time. However, my crew strike is only 7 so I’m not feeling much bolder.

Out of the port, we head west to attack trading caravans in the desert. Six days later, we arrive and decide to pillage the village.

But they raise an alarm and the militia comes. Their team has a strike of 9 to my team’s 7.

And five rounds later, we’ve been wiped out to the very last man, including me.

Our adventure ends here.

The seas of blood, indeed – mine!