Before I start on my thoughts regarding Shadow on the Sand, I will just mention that I have, as with my Way of the Tiger page, placed a PayPal donation button on the right-hand side of the home page of this playthrough.  These posts will always remain available to all free of charge.  However, for… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Conclusion

And as many of you would no doubt have guessed, the reveal of my final obstacle is not, as some may have hoped, a femme fatale, but rather the (musical sting!) Darklord, now explicitly named as ‘Haakon, Lord of Aarnak’. How I now know the name and title (!) of the Darklord can, I guess, be… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Attempt 2, Part 9

So…. How about that puzzle, eh? Were you one of those, like me, that had ongoing struggles with how a ‘city’ should be defined? Let’s look at that map again. If we define city as… Every named ‘mini-castle’ on the map, the total is…15 Every ‘mini-castle’ with a ‘flag’ (and consider the rest towns), the… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Attempt 2, Part 8

Initial note : The team at Hypnogoria did an excellent podcast on the life and work of Joe Dever.  Check it out. So – the warrior monk / wizard combo are strolling through the outskirts of a desert town, looking for the ‘Dougga market’ which is apparently close to the object of our search :… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand, Attempt 2, Part 7

Well! After my little rant last time, I’m sure there’s no chance of any repetition this time, right? Right? After enjoying my down time with the crew, while somehow managing to stay sober, I get cheerfully shown to a bunk (with an amusing apology for it being ‘too short’) and enjoy some much-needed shut-eye. I… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand, Attempt 2, Part 6

Aside : Long entry today with bonus social commentary, where I arguably read WAY too much into a single sentence of a gamebook!  In other words, a day ending in ‘y’. Back to it. Anyone who has watched either an episode of Lost or the classic 1966 Batman television show will know all about faux cliffhangers.  That is,… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Attempt 2, Part 5

As my temporary mount (a giant bird, for those who haven’t been following along) takes off, it manages to scatter a number of my Drakkarim pursuers.  One Drakkar even manages to take a tumble off the elevated area, presumably to his death (pending his own personal R10 check).   Project Aon link – falling Drakkar  … Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Attempt 2, Part 4

I use my Copper Key and slink through the door, as crossbow bolts ‘thunk’ into the surface of the wood behind me. I emerge into a secluded garden, and stroll into an area covered with purple phrases from Nicholas Sparks novels such as ‘sculptured pool’ and ‘exotic shrubs’. You know what I’m talking about. On… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Attempt 2, Part 3

You know how children react when they first enter the chocolate room at the Wonka factory? If you don’t, here’s a reminder : That’s EXACTLY how Kai warrior-monks react when they gain access to an armoury in an enemy castle. I first snoop inside a book resting on the counter, which turns out to be… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Attempt 2, Part 2

Lone Wolf rises from the ashes of that errant tree which broke (!) his fall in the Vassagonian capital. Let’s just take as read that I make the same choices in preparation for this mission (although I neglect somehow to warn my reincarnated self about the Zakhan’s upcoming death, which would have saved me a LOT… Continue reading Shadow on the Sand – Attempt 2, Part 1