In this review we will delve into a deadly dungeon by discovering The Battlepits of Krarth together. This is the first gamebook in the Blood Sword series (printed for the first time in the early 90’s and republished in a new edition by Fabled Lands Publishing). The gamebook was written by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson, who in 2014 decided to revise the Blood Sword saga by correcting part of the original rules and adding new elements to the plot.
The Battlepits of Krarth is made up of 540 paragraphs which, together with the many and beautiful illustrations by Russ Nicholson, will transport us inside a deadly dungeon.
You can find The Battlepits of Krarth here at a cost of $ 8.99.
The First Steps into the Labyrinth
Every thirteen lunar months, the Magi of Krarth hold a desperate contest to see which of them will rule that bleak and icy land. Teams of daring adventurers are sent down into the labyrinths that lie beneath the tundra, each searching for the Emblem of Victory that will win power for their patron.
Only one team will prevail. The others must die.
The back cover provides us with the first useful elements to enter the setting. Some news, a first assignment. Of course, we still don’t know the mystery of the Blood Sword, as we are novice adventurers in search of glory and power. With these goals in mind, we will enter a deadly maze, made up of challenges and traps. And we will not be alone. The labyrinth is full of enemies and will adapt to our choices. The first decision will be about whether facing this challenge alone or with the help of a party.
Review of The Battlepits of Krarth – Party Building
The part that I liked the most about this gamebook is the fact that it can be played alone or in with friends. Normally reading a gamebook is a solitary experience, or at most we can talk about shared choices, but the protagonist is always only one. In The Battlepits of Krarth instead we will have the opportunity to play up to four heroes at the same time, creating a close-knit party ready to face any challenge. The only rule to maintain the balance of the mechanics is that by increasing the number of people in the party, the average level will decrease.
- 1 player = one hero of 8th level in a category of your choice;
- 2 players = two 4th level heroes in different categories;
- 3 players = three 3rd level heroes in different categories;
- 4 players = four 2nd level heroes in different categories.
The categories (or classes) that we can choose for our heroes are four. The Warrior specialized in combat, the Sage with psychic powers, the Enchanter skilled in the use of powerful spells, and finally the Trickster who does not need much introduction. Each class has its particularities and its strengths among the characteristics.
You Don’t Always Feel Better Alone
I faced the maze for the first time as a Trickster, while in subsequent tries I decided to move an entire party of four by sharing the burden of choices with another player. In all the games, the maze has always proved to be a challenge as fun as it is cruel. All players will feel like protagonists as the gamebook presents different choices based on the class. We will often find ourselves in front of paragraphs that end with:
If there is a Trickster in the party who wants to act go to ….
The different paths will provide additional information or put players in difficulty. I really appreciated this possibility as it continuously involves the whole group who will have to decide the actions of their respective characters. The only note that I feel I can make is that if you face this challenge alone, you will be the only target of all attacks by suffering the numerical superiority of the enemy. You will therefore have to be lucky with the dice, or your health will go inexorably down, leading you to a premature demise.
Review of the Ruleset of The Battlepits of Krarth
Now that we have decided the number of heroes that will descend into the maze, we just have to understand the rules better. Let’s start by saying that it is very simple. On our character sheet we will have several features:
- Fighting Prowess = combat ability and physical strength.
- Psychic Ability = resistance to spells and, in the case of the Enchanter, the predisposition to magic.
- Awareness = the set of mental abilities such as quick thinking, reasoning skills and common sense.
- Endurance = represents the state of health. Injuries result in the loss of a certain number of stamina points. Points can be recovered with healing spells or potions.
As you can see from the images above, the scores to be entered depend on the level of our character. We won’t have to decide anything as the values are fixed. The tests will be considered passed if the result of two six-sided dice is equal to or less than the score. In case of death we will have to start our adventure from the beginning and make more prudent or fortunate choices. If, on the other hand, a character dies in a group of several players, he/she will move the opponents who will try to stop the party.
Final Considerations
The Battlepits of Krarth manages to let us live an exciting challenge. The choice of the group greatly affects the way in which we approach the story. Inside this work we also find some mini-games and mini-maps that will help us manage the combats that really seem a full-fledged role-playing game. We could consider The Battlepits of Krarth as a premise to a larger story. In this gamebook we will become familiar with the rules and increase our fame and our skills.
If you love gamebooks you will love the possibility to play more than one character, or to finally involve your friends in an exciting journey. This gamebook is a must in the libraries of the lovers of the genre.
And always remember the house rule: as long as you don’t take your finger off the page you just leaved, you can always go back, hoping not to get lost in the corridors of the labyrinth.
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