Pool of Radiance AAR: A GrogHeads™ Experience

Started by BanzaiCat, August 20, 2015, 10:46:03 AM

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BanzaiCat

#195
Quote from: Sir Slash on April 05, 2016, 09:04:06 AM
Hey BC. I remember when playing the Gold Box series it was essential to have a "Mirror" in your party's equipment to defend against certain monster's gazes that could turn a character to stone. But was that in this game or did that come later, like Curse of the Azure Bonds or one of the others?

I think that's Zhentil Keep in COTAB.

Apropos of nothing, I bought the gold box Krynn series from GOG today, though it'll be a while before I can actually get to it. Since this one was received so positively I might do another AAR with separate forum members (some of you in this thread were accidentally overlooked, and yes I still feel bad about that). It will very likely not be until I get this POR game completed and get more progress in my Fleet Commander Nimitz AAR as well.

Sir Slash

"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

Emeraldlis

For a man that was chained to a cell wall for goodness knows how long ......skullcrushers hair managed to still look remarkably groomed !!  ;D
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm " winston Churchill 😉
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune , or to take arms against a sea of trouble ,and by opposing end them "  hamlet  🎭

A bad hobbit is hard to break - Staggerwing
Booooo!!!!! Repeat !!!!!!!   - MetalDog

FarAway Sooner

Been following this thread for all 14 pages, and I LOVE IT!!  Didn't want to chime in until then, as I wasn't current, but this stuff is freaking brilliant.  The Grishnak scene was beautiful, just beautiful...

Now that the Dokken theme has been introduced to this thread, I've got to say that it would have been appropriate to have Mirth belt out the following video to his Hobgoblady Love:


Sir Slash

I'm thinking Gusinator and Skullcrusher should have a "Chest-Off" contest next in downtown Phlan to raise money for all the Kobold orphans they've created.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

BanzaiCat

Thanks for the positive feedback, folks...much appreciated.

Short update: I did once again try the Kobold Caves. The gorram little bastiges beat me twice, but they cheated the second time. Had BBMIKE cast a Stinking Cloud off to the side with the first wave to possibly take down a Troll; we got lucky a few rounds later and the Troll "choked and gagged from nausea," basically immobilizing him and making him helpless. He went down fast. Once the damnable Kobolds started surrendering en masse, I put BBMIKE into the Stinking Cloud, because someone needs to stand on a square the Troll occupied, otherwise the f*cker might stand right back up.

It's a calculated risk; BBMIKE might "choke and gag" (lol) himself, but with the Kobolds surrendering, I saw no problem; he'd at least be on a square. Well, it was a moot point - he merely coughed, which I think reduces THAC0 or to-hit or whatever first edition calls it. It's not supposed to check every round, but apparently it decided to do that. The next round we felled the last Troll and the damn game made BBMIKE choke and gag.

I didn't think it would be that big a deal because we were going to start the next wave/battle and figured he'd un-choke and un-gag. Unfortunately that was not the case. The damn game started the second wave/battle with BBMIKE immobilized, and of course one of those Kobold Leaders immediately targeted him with a bow, putting him down. No way I was going to survive without his Fireballs (lol x 2), so I rage quit for the second time.

Can't recall what the first rage quit was for.

Anyway, looks like I'll be going back to an earlier save and trying our luck against the Lizardmen. At this rate I think the end boss could do himself a favor and enscone himself in the Kobold Caves. The place is worse than Fort Knox.

God, I hate Kobolds. And the Kobold Caves. They're worse than Detroit.

mirth

"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

FarAway Sooner

Yeah.  I remember Trolls being dreadful in this game.

Burning them doesn't put them out forever in this game (much to my dismay, I recall), but you almost have to kill them using hit point damage and then camp a fighter on top of them.  My own recollection is that a well-placed Sleep spell puts all the Kobolds in the front rows to sleep so I can then concentrate front-row attacks on the Trolls, then move forward and stand on top of them while I begin to waylay the other Kobolds.

I also haven't seen you using Silence 15' spells for your cleric.  When I was fighting large groups of magic-users (more common in the 2nd game in the series), that MU-suppression spell was worth its weight in gold.  I also remember, in the 2nd game, having both my Magic User and my Fighter/Magic User with 17 or 18 DEX to ensure somebody could get off a Fireball to suppress the spell-casters in the 1st round.

The 2nd game was much harder than the first, though.  Brutally hard, really!


BanzaiCat

I've not messed with Silence yet because there really aren't any mage-heavy encounters in POR (unless I've just totally missed something, which is possible).

The Kobold Caves battle just plain sucks. The three waves are:

- Wave 1: Four trolls (one on right flank and three on left), about 60 Kobolds, and about 15 Kobold Leaders. The Kobold Leaders use bows and while they miss 75% of the time, the other 25% is highly annoying, especially when they roll double damage (they did that a couple of times in this last, second attempt of mine, further infuriating me - lol). The Trolls aren't too difficult to deal with here. The Kobolds are not a threat at all, but with that many of them, they're bound to make a hit or two. My fighters can Sweep on them and kill multiples, but it can be highly frustrating to have a guy miss several times (GUS did that once, missed three of four Kobolds in a Sweep attack...ugh).

- Wave 1-a: Between the first and second wave, the Kobold King orders ballistas (!) to fire. As if three waves aren't enough of a challenge, this serves to reduce HP even further because they ALWAYS hit and ALWAYS seem to do 10-15 points of damage to each of my characters.

Wave 2: About 80 Kobolds and eight hogs (warhogs, warthogs, whatever the hell they are). The Warthogs are much, much worse than Trolls, because these bastards can stand right back up multiple times, right after they're felled! If it weren't for the Hogs, it would be a simple matter to wipe out the Kobolds. But noooooOOOooo.

Wave 3: If I remember right, this is yet more Kobolds and more Trolls.

With only two Fireballs to BBMIKE's name, it's difficult to choose where to use them. I was going to use one on the second wave, but as I said, the game made BBMIKE suffer the effects of the Stinking Cloud after he'd already made his saving throw (I still don't get it, but live and learn and reload I suppose), and dropped him like a useless NPC in the next wave.

What's more annoying about these waves is that it takes a long time for the computer to run the enemy. Not because of processing power, but because there's SO damn many of them. It gets frustrating.

Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold: moves
Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold: moves
Kobold: moves, misses PC
Kobold: moves, misses PC
Kobold: moves, hits PC for 4 HP
Kobold: can't move, guarding
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, misses
Kobold Leader: bow attack, hits for 6 HP, then again for 4 HP
Troll: misses
Kobold: moves
Kobold: moves
Troll: hits for 6 HP
***Yay, it's KYZBP's turn...I have him attack a Troll...*TINK*...swing and a miss
(Repeat 30 more monsters moving before next PC gets to go)
(Watch as DIRTEN just moves back and forth and does nothing)
(Prays that Kobold Leaders shoot arrows at DIRTEN; occasionally prayers are answered)

That's the Kobold Caves final battle in a nutshell.


FarAway Sooner

That is annoying.  I vaguely remember always going for two mages (maybe the 2nd one was usually a Fighter/MU/Thief) just to get the crowd control and trap/chest unlocking.  I only made him a Fighter so he could use a bow and wear nice armor. 

But I do remember those battles were very unpleasant.

Bison

Trolls are an awesomely devious nightmare in old school D&D.  If iirc, there are some walls you can use to your advantage by blocking LOS and funneling the monsters into a more manageable front.

Sir Slash

I remember trolls and the frequent "Misses" by your characters as equally rage-inducing. Sometimes you just had to have the rolls go your way to win--- when all nine planets aligned perfectly.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

KyzBP

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on April 08, 2016, 06:46:59 AM

***Yay, it's KYZBP's turn...I have him attack a Troll...*TINK*...swing and a miss

Maybe KYZBP was a little unmotivated and miffed because you were dissing his hometown.

"They're worse than Detroit."
Clerics have feelings too. :'(

Sir Slash

It would be hard to concentrate on accuracy with Gusinator and Skullcrusher's protruding chest nipples staring at you.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

JasonPratt

"There's nothing like a good movie! -- or even a bad one for that matter." For example: Doctor Detroit.  :buck2:
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