City-of-Thieves/Files/Gamebook/City-of-Thieves-Solution.txt

City of Thieves
Solution by Mr Creosote
https://www.goodolddays.net

There are various valid ways to traverse Port Blacksand and arrive at a winning conclusion. This solution takes some optional fights against weak enemies. There are some unavoidable random dice rolls on the way. Anyway, this is one of the books where winning may not be the main purpose. Rather, it is about exploring this city. Following this solution will make you miss some of the best moments.

The solution assumes that when equipping special equipment, skill can be raised above the initial (cases in point: the helmet and the chainmail). It is explicitly stated for the helmet. If you disagree for the chainmail, don't bother getting it. The critical point of this adventure, without a doubt, is the fight with the moon dogs towards the end, one of which has skill 11. Considering three points of skill being acquirable in the city, it should be possible to win with an initial skill roll of 8 or above.

An alternative approach could be walking up Market Street instead of Clock Street at 74. This enables to acquire a shield which (by the book) increases attack strength by 1 (not capped by skill initial). You have to face two thieves before (7/7 8/6) at 296. It does require to /fail/ one luck roll at 64, which can be enabled by using luck every combat round against the thieves, and then fighting a wolf (5/5). This provides you a key at 97 which, in turn, can be used to open a locked door at 353. At 340, you find the shield, but only after another two more tests of luck at 128 of which you need to win at least one in order to not lose a skill point. I.e. you will need to drink your potion of luck in between, making it unavailable for use in the tower. Acquiring both the helmet and the shield is, unfortunately, impossible. If it were, it could be the winning strategy to get both, risking even the temporary -1 skill, and balance it out with the chainmail again.

The format of the following solution:

Section
(Optional comment)
Decision

1 // You start with 30 Gold Pieces
(Take a Potion of Luck with you)
Tell him you wish to be taken to Nicodemus

202
Allow yourself to be taken away

151
Ignore the old man

29
Attract the guards' attention

143
Tell them you think you have the plague

306
(Get 2 Gold Pieces and a merchant's pass) // 32 gold
-

74
Go east down Clock Street

17
Stop to talk to him

331
(Fight Madman 5/5)
-

86
Smash ball on the ground

45
Place it on your head

376
(The helmet grants +1 luck and +1 attack strength)
-

161
Keep going northwards

282
Keep walking north

247
(Test your luck)
(Assuming lucky)

384
Set off west again

396
Enter the shop

145
See what she has to offer

293
(Trade two provisions for the golden flower)
-

24
Enter the shop

336
Ask the price of the rings

36
(Get Ring of Fire, -8 Gold Pieces) // 24 Gold
-

196
-

148
(Lost 1 Gold Piece) // 23 Gold        
-

287
(You can buy food to restore stamina here. Solution offers room to spend 1 Gold Piece.)
Walk past him

398
Walk on

52
(Buy Iron Spike and Meat Hook, -3 Gold Pieces) // 20 Gold
-

200
Continue north

117
Press on ahead

31
Climb down the steps

329
(Receive Nicodemus' shopping list)
Turn east down Candle Street

238
Continue east

139
Ignore the argument and continue east

375
Climb over the wall

40
Ask to join in their game

168
(Test your skill)
(Solution assumes success; if unsuccessful, drop Iron Spike and Meat Hook)

359
(Get 8 Gold Pieces, a Potion of Mind Control, a silver flute, a piece of chalk  and an eye patch; +2 stamina) // 28 Gold
-

91
Toss a Gold Piece into his tin

332
(-1 Gold, +1 luck) // 27 Gold
-

124
Walk down the alleyway

326
(Fight wild dogs 4/4 and 4/3)
-

184
You do possess one of Mrs Pipe's golden flowers

55
(Get 10 Gold Pieces) // 37 Gold
-

180
Hide out of sight behind a barrel

34
-

171
Walk down the jetty to climb on board the ship

399
Board the shop by climbing the rope ladder

87
Creep along the deck to the stairs

50
Open the door on the left

271
Creep up and try to cut it loose

162
(Test your luck)
(Solution assumes lucky)

7
(Get six black pearls, +2 luck)
Open the other door

232
Hide behind the door inside the room to see who is about to take a bath

12
Surprise him by drawing your sword and utter a loud 'Ahem!'

176
(Learn about the silversmith in Clog Street)
Leave the ship and continue your search of Port Blacksand, walking north up Harbour Street

78
Continue north up Harbour Street

256
Stop to talk with the women

320
(Learn location of a hag)
-

216
Stop to help

72
(Fight the goblin 5/4)
-

208
(Get some garlic, old knucklebones, +2 Gold) // 39 Gold
-

317
Continue east

280
Enter the shop

213
Talk to the silversmith

248
You can afford his asking price

85
(Get silver arrow, -10 Gold) // 29 Gold
-

100
Continue east into Stable Street

246
(Optional)
Pay for a drink

98
(+1 luck, +3 stamina, -2 Gold Pieces) // 27 Gold
-

363
Lift the manhole cover to see where it leads to

48
Climb down the ladder

321
Walk north along the tunnel

356
(Fight the rats 4/4 5/4 5/5)
-

28
Continue further north along the tunnel

265
You have a Potion of Mind Control

82
(Get hag's hair)
-

104
Climb up ladder to continue east

205
Walk back to the junction and turn right into Tower Street

127
Avoid the brawling men and continue north

348
Walk under the bridge and continue east

30
-

76
(If you lost the Bay's Ball game, skip this part and move on)
Walk through the barn doors

25
Make conversation with the blacksmith

169
Pay 20 Gold Pieces for a chainmail coat

46
(+2 skill, -20 Gold) // 7 Gold
-

115
Hand him over to the town guards

274
(+5 Gold Pieces) // 12 Gold
-

222
(-1 Gold Piece) // 11 Gold
Go into the gardens

370
Risk picking one of the flowers

14
You have a Ring of Fire

237
(Get lotus flower)
-

133
Walk down the lane

182
You can afford his high price

279
(Get tattoo, -10 Gold) // 1 Gold
-

307
Risk walking past the Trolls

290
You have a merchant's pass

219
Answer 'No'

393
Let them throw you out of the city

156
You have all items and the tattoo

201
(Fight a random creature)

138
(Depending on the creature you fought)

312 / 283
(If you fought an ape man, get an own talisman to see in the dark)

217
(Fight the moon dogs 9/10 11/9)
There are two possible strategies here:
a) Use luck as much as possible, drink the potion of luck after to be prepared for the final test of luck.
b) Drink your potion of luck before, use luck twice during the fight. You can restore two points of luck later on.

259
Pull on a cord hanging down in front of the door

4
Tell him you are a lost traveller

339
Explore the tower after waiting a few minutes

77
Climb up to the third floor

310
Climb to the next floor

65
Open the white door

319
Open the sarcophagus

352
Fight the Mummy

193
(You have a Ring of Fire)

286
-

163 
(You have found the Ring of the Golden Eye, +2 luck)
-

231
Enter the black door

96
Walk over the the chest

257
You are wearing the Ring of the Golden Eye

385
(Fight three skeletons 6/7 8/6 7/7)

203
(Test your luck)

244
Lotus flower and Hag's hair

337
-

400
You have won!

Comments

Mr Creosote

Feel free to share anything about City of Thieves here!

Jake Beamer

woww YES I love these books! Recently grabbed this reprint. The art is ALWAYS such - sword and sorcery ftw!

Posted on Mastodon

Attachment: 395878f86bdcf1f7-1697985501-jpg

Mr Creosote

Island of the Lizard King is next on my list. It was not one of my favorites in the 80s, to be honest. But lets give it a chance. Not sure how long I can keep up going through them in order ;)

Posted on Mastodon

Jake Beamer

hahaa that's so awesome. Great to see it here, I miss what I saw of it over on the bird site

Posted on Mastodon

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