Blacksand!

Infobox Advanced Fighting Fantasy book


caption=The cover of "Blacksand!" illustrated by John Sibbick
function=Rule book
location=Allansia, Titan
authors=Marc Gascoigne &
Pete Tamlyn
illustrator=Russ Nicholson
coverillustrator=John Sibbick
year=1990
ISBN=ISBN 0-14-034396-2

"Blacksand!" (ISBN 0-14-034396-2) is the second of the three rule books that make up the Advanced Fighting Fantasy roleplaying game. It was written by Marc Gascoigne and Pete Tamlyn, illustrated by Russ Nicholson and was originally published in 1990. The system is based on Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy series. It builds on the rules set out in the first Advanced Fighting Fantasy book, Dungeoneer.

Although the Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks are currently being republished by Wizard, there are currently no plans to republish any of the Advanced Fighting Fantasy books. [http://www.fightingfantasygamebooks.com/members/letters_december2006a.htm]

tructure

The book differs from the previous book, Dungeoneer, in that it jumps straight into the new rules, without an introductory adventure. As well as new rules it contains information on creating adventures based in towns and cities and provides information on designing a settlement. The book also includes a wealth of information on one of the most popular Fighting Fantasy settings, Port Blacksand. The book ends with an adventure that utilizes the new rules introduced in the book.

Rules

"Blacksand!" introduces several new rules. It introduces new Special Skills relating to urban settings. It introduces a range of new rules for magic: spells can now be reversed, some new spells are added, a range of less-powerful spells with their own Special Skill called Minor Magic Spells are introduced as well as new rules on Priest characters, including their own range of Magic Spells. The book includes rules for variety of new actions and situations relating to urban settings, and to finish introduces new rules on Social Scale.

Adventure

"Blacksand!" contains a single adventure, the plot of which follows on from the adventures in the previous Advanced Fighting Fantasy book, Dungeoneer.

The adventure, 'A Shadow over Blacksand', begins with the players answering an advertisement for bodyguards to escort a merchant caravan. The caravan is run by a cowardly man named Waldo, who has entered into a deal with a man named Brass, who is based in Port Blacksand. Waldo does not wish to travel to Port Blacksand so he has arranged to meet Brass in the village of Meerham, some distance from Blacksand. However Brass is murdered, and the only person with him at the time is Waldo. This begins a short 'murder mystery' style investigation by the players. It transpires Brass was murdered by a Demon, meaning that evidently he has the victim of some kind of sorcerous assassination. The players travel to Blacksand after being promised they will be rewarded by Brass's estate if they catch his murderer. After an extended investigation it transpires a mysterious religious cult, the Priests of Elim, are responsible. The players must raid the temple of the cult. In the temple the players find a letter from Sargon, the dark priest from 'Revenge of the Sorcerer' in the previous book. The adventure climaxes when a Brass Golem is activated, which the players must defeat.

References

ee also

*Fighting Fantasy
*List of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks
*Dungeoneer
*Allansia