Daniel (@dungeondive) continues City of Chaos with Bing on one body point, hunting the looking-glass and the apothecary. A washerwoman’s gossip hands him clue #9 a second way — confirming there’s more than one route to each clue. He buys the looking-glass at the gift shop (to deflect the wizard’s lightning) and learns of clue threads about the dark tower, the rose, and the apothecary Beldon.
It’s a punishing stretch. Bing intervenes against a murderous priest to save a dying traveller carrying a spray can — and is killed, respawning at the gates. Dizzy weathers more chaos: a rabid dog fight leaves him with the entropy plague (losing a body point each turn, needing a healer, sumathologist or temple), and the beautiful-but-deadly Nagas demands all his groats or items. The episode’s richest find is an info board in the merry-man inn: Sif’s brother seeks news of him at the Dragon Dung — confirming Dizzy must reach the Duelists with the ring — and pointing to the apothecary and pawn shop.
Daniel grows openly mixed on the game: the story enthralls, but the deadly combat and slog of movement frustrate. He muses about a streamlined way to play.
When a game’s story grips you but its core mechanics frustrate, do you push through for the narrative or set it aside?