I'm very glad that you've took the time to write a full-sized sequel to my favourite FF book. Lots of nice monsters and a few interesting puzzles. The nods to the original were good too.

However, much like your Any Port in a Storm (which I also liked), there are far too many passages where you're not making any choices. Also, far, far too many tests. I mean when you fight the imps I think you test yourself about 7 times or something (assuming you have to fight them in that way).

Also, and I'm sorry to have to be a bit negative because I know personally just how much criticism can hurt; the start of the story is just too melodramatic. I want to get back to the house and fight demons, not listen to people arguing about other people. I'm also not too sure about guns in a book like this. I mean I know it's modern day, but it's also about demons, undead and the supernatural, most of which would probably laugh at firearms.

Let me finish by saying that it was still a good read and that I will go back to it like so many of us have done.

Robert Douglas
Sat Oct 18 15:13:36 2014

@ Phil Sadler,

Thanks for the comments. I share your sentiments about House of Hell being a firm FF favourite; I enjoyed writing The Curse of Drumer and consider it one of my best works to date.

I appreciate that, on reflection, there were too many dice roll tests (something which I'm not keen on myself). If you're playing the online version, however, you'll find many choices and weapons/items possession factors are catered for automatically, making it appear that the player is railroaded down a path of half a dozen entries before making a choice or test roll. But the Download section has you 'noting' items and info on the Adventure Sheet then relying on you turning to the correct reference. Very old-fashioned, yet it will prove the above point.

As to the melodrama, I wanted to establish that the player's character appeared as a (seemingly) ordinary bloke in a (seemingly) ordinary setting (village, the pub, lunchtime) meeting with friends at some ruins which soon turns out to be the House of Hell. Everybody's taste is different, granted, but in my defence Steve Jackson narrated about a travelling businessman on a dark, stormy night, then presented the House as an old, isolated place, while only hinting occasionally at something wrong - long before the demons and ghouls ventured forth. I wanted some controversy between key characters, a dangerous conspiracy between surviving Black Night Brotherhood, while the authorities may have a part to play....setting the scene, setting the pace. I never like to drop players in at the deep end.

Watching an interview with Michael Biehn who played Kyle Reece in Terminator taught me a fine lesson: the story should always be told on the move, in segments, hinted at. You get the idea. Hence the dialogue and scene setting. Sometimes, a little prelude at the beginning of films - the scroll-up you see in Star Wars, or voice-overs by an actor such as in Enemy at the Gates - is quite acceptable. For gamebooks, this can be translated to the blurb you often see on the back cover. Something to get the audience hooked and wanting to watch/read more without giving too much away about what's to come.

As to the guns, on reflection I wasn't really sure about whether they were a good idea or not. I understand your point as to whether they're a credible tool against demons and the supernatural - but don't forget there's a (barely) human element at play in The Curse of Drumer. The Black Night Brotherhood are responsible for summoning such powerful entities to our world, as such they're probably just as influential to the plot, yet can still die normally. Saying that, play through it again and you'll find 'ordinary' bullets don't affect many of the demonic encounters in TCOD. Also, while TCOD had to have some continuity (references) with House of Hell, I wanted to pull away from repeating the claustrophobic, indoors atmosphere, while the player's character would have more of a criminal background, somebody tougher, somebody familiar with firearms...yet still loyal to his friends. A sequel should move matters apace, not repeat on what's already been achieved.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy further forays and succeed in ending the curse of Drumer!

Yaztromo
Sun Dec 7 15:23:28 2014
Skull - non-optimum ending reached

Lots of LUCK/SKILL/FEAR/fight rolls...eventually I got a bad streak...

Old_Peculier Sat Jan 31 12:05:06 2015	This is one of my favourite FF games on this website.
	Thanks Steve. Robert will be pleased.

Robert Douglas Sun Feb 8 12:31:49 2015	@ Andy, Hang on...you're not having me on are you? Still, glad OP enjoyed TCOD.
	Well, I can't prove that it isn't him... Come to think of it, I can't actually recall ever seeing an example of either Jackson or Livingstone commenting on an amateur FF gamebook at all.

Welp I Tried
Sun Feb 22 22:51:05 2015
Skull - non-optimum ending reached

Zai Alam
Mon Mar 2 18:43:23 2015
Skull - non-optimum ending reached

Good game! Quite enjoyed it.

Robert Douglas
Mon Mar 2 22:31:41 2015

@Welp,

Sorry you died, but at least you tried.

@ Zai,

You had a good run, alongside some fun.

Amir
Thu Mar 19 07:02:57 2015

I enjoyed the book! Nice variation of gamebook horror in a less claustrophobic setting. In particular, I'm curious if:

SPOILER

END SPOILER

Phil Sadler
Thu Mar 19 09:21:48 2015

Robert. Did you mean your last post here to rhyme?

Paul Mc
Thu Mar 19 19:31:51 2015
Skull - non-optimum ending reached

Far too many die roll tests, I had a run of bad luck in the end

Paul Mc
Thu Mar 19 20:08:39 2015
Star - optimum ending reached

I did it!!! I got lucky with the stats and die rolls.
To complete this you NEED to have good stats, Skill fear and luck must all be 11 or 12... and you need die rolls to go for you.

Robert Douglas
Thu Mar 19 20:38:17 2015

@ Amir,

Glad you enjoyed TCOD. In answer to your speculation: I think it's more fun if there's a group of people, or at least two, as a dialogue factor can help bounce ideas around, also aid times of suspense, convey matters of great import, a character's background, qualities and weaknesses can affect the plot itself, which serves to make the story less boring - if used well. The group idea has been utilized in many stories such as The Last Train, Domain, Descent, From Dawn Till Dusk....and many others. Dracula is a true classic and one of the many as you'd pointed out. Whilst writing TCOD, I left out any notion of female heroines and damsels in distress as it's been done too many times before. I'm not against romance, but it can at times get in the way. Still, I'm geared more towards a heroine, i.e: a sharp and spirited woman who can handle herself in a fight. Think of Sarah Connor (Terminator), Alyx Vance (Half Life 2), Ripley (Alien franchise). Yet they're still proud of their feminine side!

Ah, by backstory I'm guessing you've latched on to a certain character briefly met by the player in House of Hell? Sorry, I couldn't activate the 'spoiler' option - but that should be cryptic enough (please excuse the pun)!

@Paul Mc,

Yes, I must apologise for the thousandth time about those infernal (excuse the pun) test rolls. I'm not sure if Andy decided to have a minimum Skill of 10 to 12 max (barring magical bonuses). Can't remember what we agreed upon. Before final editing by Andy., I l played through TCOD and got killed my own gamebook about half a dozen times!

@Phil Sadler,

Whatever made you think that....oops oh dear and drat!

meschlum
Tue Jun 23 20:22:53 2015
Skull - non-optimum ending reached

Got the alternate weapon, picked the automatic Fear successes, wandered into the Pit of Doom, and failed the Fear check. So it looks like the automatic successes didn't work.

Robert Douglas
Sat Dec 12 10:44:36 2015

I'm wondering if I should make a change to 'The Curse of Drumer'? That riddle used to open the secret 'hellclock' door doesn't make much sense with 'a couple' factored into the equation which was really intended for the 400 paragraph limitation; works well enough for Download Section version, but rather confusing for those playing the clickable version (in list above left).

We discussed this at the time. I found the puzzle in the original text incomprehensible as written (even though it's based on a fairly simple general knowledge question), and the online version cleared this up, in my mind at least.

I think in either case the confusion stems from the fact that Jimmy speaks instructions to the player rather than the character : "I know the long hand is used to halve the three digits", something that makes no sense for him to say.

I'm leaning towards just removing the references to the long hand altogether in the online version, it was never part of the puzzle anyway.

Robert Douglas
Sat Dec 12 21:51:55 2015

That would be okay Andy. As you say, the long-hand part of the puzzle doesn't make sense for the clickable version of TCOD. But it does work for the Download version regarding the 400 ref limit. Apologies for the way it was written down. Sorry I didn't go with this before you put the adventure on the list. Entirely my fault.

Anon
Sat Feb 27 23:54:16 2016
Skull - non-optimum ending reached

Terrible mechanics, impossible to win even with 12 luck because it's tested ALL THE TIME.
Obviously this was never play tested. Not so much a FF adventure as a novel with annoying and impossible dice rolls.

Robert Douglas
Sun Feb 28 15:44:01 2016

@Anon,
I apologise for the frequency of dice rolls. However, it's not impossible to win as the above stars testify. Granted, TCOD is fairly hard to complete - but surely that's better than a really easy gamebook? How many fans have complained about such? Also, please bear in mind that, while it's a hobby done out of choice, amateur writers spend many hours and much effort completing their work. Even paid and published authors/artists have feelings. I've been through all this before and now I'm going to say this for the last time: CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM PLEASE!

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