Post by ashimbabbar on Feb 22, 2024 17:52:58 GMT
It is Rose Estes who introduced TSR to CYOA-style gamebooks. Hence, the Endless Quest gamebooks.
So she did. The rest, as they say, is History.
She wrote a lot of them, of those I know some few are pretty good, a strong minority are pretty awful and the rest is just there taking up space.
Of those I know, four can be mined for HOTT armies. Which is the reason of this post in case someone was wondering.
There is an inverse relationship between their interest as gamebooks and the suitability of the HOTT army you can work out of them, don’t ask why. So I’m putting the best books first to save the best armies for the last.
Two armies for this one ! Neither is very good.
The one created from the bad guys in the book is actually close to suicidally unplayable, but I’m including it because someone with skill, dedication, time, money (all of which I conspicuously lack) could do something visually impressive with it. So here goes.
1 Behemoth : giant amid his chests filled with gems
1 Hero : Minotaur not distracted by a flaming bugbear
2 Beasts : giant beetle, giant ants
1 Flyer : giant wasp
3 Hordes : 1x skeletons, 1x goblins, 1x kobolds
3 Lurkers : 1x dragon cave with a dragon’s clawprints in front (possibly the tip of the dragon’s tail emerging), 1x green slime, 1x the iconic scene on the cover : a water weird shooting from a well above which hangs the huge gem-studded silver key to Kalman’s treasure-room.
STRONGHOLD : iron door to Kalman’s treasure-room
Also, instead of Kalman turning into a toad, you can have him turn into a huge scabby pterodactyl in a sulfur-smelling cloud. What’s not to love ?
OPTIONS :
1 Behemoth : Gargoyle. Its invulnerability to mundane weapons and charge-ahead-with-horn-lowered style would justify the rating1 Blade : iconic baboon with some clothes and sword. The baboon, the giant beetle and giant wasp are actually people Kalman metamorphed for fun (his fun), they thank us when we kill them – the baboon has intelligence enough left to actually try and get himself killed but his rage sort of defeats his purpose
Gamewise, I moderately prefer the one you can fashion from the hero’s party or what can pass for it.
1 Sneaker : Laurus, henpecked bearded halfling bakers’ help who dreams of the big score. Not altogether useless.
1 Lurker : Flaming bugbear ! (an axiom of early AD&D : not much a flask of flaming oil can’t solve)
8 Beasts : pack of blink dogs we meet. Since they blink around all the time they are as dangerous as a much larger pack of ordinary canines.
Magician General : the Evil One, shadow humanoid twice as tall as a man, wielding the outsize magic staff of the wizardly dynasty it usurped
1 Behemoth : animated dragon skeleton
4 Warbands : unusually fierce and dangerous goblins
1 Spear : three goblins with pikes
1 Beast : wolves
4 Hordes : skeletons
OPTION : 1 Flyer : bats. It would definitely make the army a pip sink but if you like bats...
Magician General : Pentergarn, old wizard and deposed king, and eleven-year old Jamie, Our Hero, his lost great-great-grandson
1 Hero : Baltek, muscle-bound hero who sure can handle a sword
1 Sneaker : Lydia, elven thief who has a hard struggle not to go the path of Good
1 Beast : Fox, Our Hero’s pal who is a fox
1 Flyer : Owl, Our Hero’s pal who is an owl
1 Lurker : Tree, Our Hero’s pal who is a tree
Behemoth General : Frost Giant (in case you don’t know your AD&D, 4m-high viking with light blue skin and golden hair and beard. Wields tree trunk.)
1 Dragon : Fangs, the giant’s pet. Slow-witted, cruel and no braver than he ought to be – your average ice-breathing white dragon (I know white dragons are supposed to breath cold, but this one breathes actual ice. Go figure.)
1 Hero : hairy ogre wielding the evil sword Elfslayer (black blade with evil glowing runes. Did I mention we’re playing an elf ?)
4 Warbands : hairy ogres with flint spears and axes
4 Hordes : orcs and goblins
Hero General : Frang Render of Flesh, caped muscular wererat wielding a sword in each hand
1 Behemoth : pair of remarkably dim-witted hill giants
4 Warbands : Gnolls. Their leader can smash Frang, he really can, it’s just not the right time
1 Beast : 3 dire wolves
4 Hordes : 2x orcs, 1x goblins, 1x kobolds
2 Lurkers : 1x gelatinous cube, 1x green slime
Now THAT’s my kind of army – crush the enemy if he stands in the open or mob him if he hides in bad going.
There’s an option though – as the hill giants are playing bowling when we meet them you could rate them as Artilley, drop 1 Horde, and add 1 Blade : fearsome orc guard. Not my idea of fun but it may be yours.
Blade General : king Cedrus and elite
3 Blades : elves with more swords than bows
4 Shooters : elves with more bows than swords
1 Magician : elven illusionists
2 Beasts : GIANT WEASELS !!! Who doesn’t love giant weasels ? The best idea of the book. A family of giant weasels were the royals’ pets at the time the monster army struck – although they slaughtered the old mother her descendants have survived mainly on monster flesh, and they’re positively eager to join the clean-up.