Thursday, March 17, 2011

April Adventures

So I was looking through my blog list and found a post on the Sword +1 blog.  There is a challenge out in the blogosphere to post something every day apart from Sunday weekday in April.   
Points for working out.
Points deducted for hairstyle.

After some quick thought, I've decided to enter.  I will write a post about a different gamebook villain beginning with each letter of the alphabet.  I will give them a score out of 10 for the following things:


Prominence - Does the villain harry you with minions and traps or do they just sit in a dungeon and wait for you to come to them?  Do you encounter the villain before the finale?  Is the villain proactive in achieving their ambition or are they just a boss monster at the end of the book?

Karam Gruul would score highly whereas Balthus Dire would have a low score.

He's hard.
Hardness - How difficult is it to achieve victory over the villain in your encounter with them?  I do not mean the whole book (after all, Zanbar Bone wasn't causing you the trouble you had in Blacksand) but the point from where you enter the room with them in or tackle the minions immediately around them.  If the situation is hazy, it is down to my arbitrary and biased judgement.

It is also not all about stats either as you may not even enter into combat with some gamebook villains.  It is more to do with the items and actions that you need to beat them.

Razaak woud get a high score for this whereas the netherworld demon from Crown of the Kings would get a low score.

These guys do not lack ambition.
Ambition - What are they actually out to do?  I'm marking this simply on the scale of what they want to do as their means of achieving their ambition comes under style. 

Globus (wants to capture the Aleph and probably rule over a multitude of worlds) would have a high score whereas Abdul the Butcher (tries to prove himself a better pirate by looting a few hundred gold pieces) doesn't really haev much ambition.

StyleDoes the villain have many and varied ways of trying to achieve their ambition or is it just a bog standard 'invasion plan'. Does the villain just set out to kill you or do they try to torture you, harass you, kill your friends and generally enjoy their villany rather than see it as some kind of boring job?  Is their lair a humdrum dungeon or do they enjoy wierd and bizarre structures?  Are they distinctive or just another evil sorcerer?

Necklace of Skulls has a lot of style whereas the guy from Stealer of Souls lacks in this area.



Diabolical genius - Any idiot can install a pit trap in their home but it takes brains to kill off all of your contacts before you've even found them (Moonrunner) or simultaneously transport you to another world while  stealing your young fit body and leaving you in an old one (Magehunter).
Peace out, man.

Mencius would score quite highly on this whereas Zanbar Bone would not.

Below is the list I have made so far.  If I have written more than one name, I'll base it either on a vote or on m whim when I come to that letter.  The villain does not have to be the big bad of the book.  If anyone can think of a villain whose name begins with P, Q or Y, I would be grateful (Queen, Liche is a bit lame but it's the best I've got so far).

I will then end with a special bonus piece on Zagor as to why he actually isn't a villain.  

Agglax, The Archmage
Balthus Dire, Bythos
Cinnabar
Darramous
Exterminus
Feior
Grim Dugald, Gnaag, Globus
Hate, Count Heidrich
Ikiru
Jaxartes
Karam Gruul
Lizard King
Malbordus, Myurr
Necklace of Skulls
The Overlord (Coils of Hate and/or Citadel of Chaos by JamieThomson)
P
Queen, Liche 
Razaak
The Sorcerer (Siege of Sardath)
Titanium Cyborg 
Unthank
Vonotar the traitor
Wizard Ansalom (also a bit lame)
Xakhaz
Y
Zharadon Marr

If anyone has any suggestions, please leave a comment.  I look forward to it!







5 comments:

  1. And how about the Winter King for W?

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  2. May I suggest "Parsion" from Lone Wolf. It’s a clever villain!

    Ikaros

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  3. Thanks for the suggestions! I'm done, now and I've started writing my posts up.

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  4. Sorry, my mistake - still need a Y. If nothing else, I could put 'you' and find the instances where you have to battle yourself.

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