Intro
The evil night-prince, zanbar bone, has been sending his vicious moon dogs to terrorise the good people of Silverton every night. Now the town people want somebody to defeat zanbar and end his reign of terror.
It will be necessary to enter the treacherous Port Blacksand and seek the advice of the good wizard Nicodemus, before confronting zanbar himself in his own stronghold.
Another great opportunity for the Analand Sorceress….
Stats.
Surprisingly for an Ian Livingstone title, the game is not especially combat-heavy. Few of the opponents you will face are actually very strong, with just one daunting battle near the end. The final encounter with zanbar bone is not a formidable battle, but a death-or-glory luck test.
The greater challenge is gathering all the items you require to achieve success, whilst making sure that you retain enough gold, as you will have to buy some of these items.
In Adventurer mode it is not too difficult, providing your starting skill & luck are good.
In Hardcore Hero mode, you will require optimum skill of 10, plus very high stamina & luck to have a decent chance.
In both modes, choose the potion of fortune, as it is essential that your luck score is high when you reach the final encounter. You should be able to gain enough stamina points along the way to offset the dearth of provisions in hardcore hero mode.
A Change Of Scenery.
To prove the old adage that “there is more than one way to skin a snattacat”, the walkthru presented below differs from previous ones and describes my own preference for the best route thru the south side of Port Blacksand, going via Key Street rather than Clock Street. It allows for the following considerations:
1: You avoid the danger of losing all of your gold on one freak roll in an early luck test, and then also avoid having to lose provisions trying to replenish it.
2. Altho you miss out on the magic helmet (+1 A.S.) you pick up the elven boots, which give you +1 skill. As they are a magical item, this allows your skill to go above it’s initial value, effectively increasing your A.S. by one.
3. You pick up the silver scorpion brooch which replenishes one stamina point after each battle, even if you won a flawless victory, altho it cannot take your stamina above it’s initial value. As you will fight plenty of opponents with low skill scores this is very useful, especially in hardcore hero mode where you will be short on provisions.
4. The skeleton key from the locksmith is not really worthwhile. if you buy it and then fail the skill test at bays’ ball you will not have enough money to pay for the silver arrow, resulting in you losing ALL of your provisions. In hardcore hero mode this would be a disaster.
5. If you fail the skill test at bays’ ball and run out of gold after purchasing the silver arrow, you should still take the detour past the vagabonds then pose as a tax collector to gain enough gold to afford the tattoo. As the vagabonds have fairly low skill, i think this is a better option than the alternative, which would be pawning the silver brooch.
Steam Achievements.
Three are self-explanatory: Free-read win, Adventurer win & Hardcore Hero win. Simply follow this guide to complete the quest in each mode.Three of the other achievements “Just My Size“, ” Aye, Aye Captain” and “This Will Only Hurt A Lot” can also be completed during this winning walkthru. They are indicated where they occur.
The remaining achievement requires only a minor detour from the main walkthru and is unlocked as follows:
Runs In The Family Pt 1:
Follow the guide until you leave the tattooist, then risk walking past the trolls, show them your merchant’s pass, answer “no”, but instead of letting them throw you out, attack them. Defeat Sourbelly Sk 10 St 11 to unlock the achievement.
(An aside: Sourbelly is the sibling of Poison Ivy, the troll which you have to defeat in “Deathtrap Dungeon” to unlock the achievement Runs In The Family Pt 2.)
Entering Port Blacksand.
+30 g.p.Tell them you wish to be taken to Nicodemus.
Allow the guards to take you away.
Ignore the old man.
Feign illness.
Tell them you have plague.
+2 g.p., + merchant’s pass
Port Blacksand South Side.
Continue walking west.
Obey the instructions. -10 g.p.Enter the red house.
Pick up the golden scorpion. +2 luck
Pick up the silver scorpion. (Restores 1 stamina after each battle.)
Leave the house.
You possess a merchant’s pass.
Try on the boots. + magic elven boots, +1 skill
Steam Achievement: Just My Size
-1 g.p.
Walk past the lyrist.
Walk on.
Buy a lantern. -3 g.p.
Continue north.
Press on ahead.
Climb down the steps. +info
Port Blacksand North Side.
Continue east.
Ignore the shouting and continue east.
Climb over the wall.
Ask to join in their game.
Skill test. Pass: +8 g.p., + potion of mind control, + silver flute, + eye-patch, +2 stamina
Fail: -10 g.p.Walk past him.
Continue along Harbour Street.
Hide out of sight.
Walk down the jetty to board the ship.
Board the ship by the rope-ladder.
Try sneaking to the stairs.
The door on your left.
Creep up and cut it loose.
Luck test. Pass: ok, Fail: Fight three pirates: Sk 6 St 6, Sk 5 St 4, Sk 7 St 4
(Use one luck test to help you defeat the pirates, if required.)
+ black pearls, +2 luck
Look in the other room.
Stay and find out whose bath it is.
Confront him. +info
Steam Achievement: Aye, Aye Captain
Continue north up Harbour street.
Stop for a chat. +info
Stop and help.
Fight goblin thief: Sk 5 St 4
+2 g.p., + knuckle-bones, + garlic
Continue east.
Enter the silversmith shop.
Talk to him.
You can afford his price. + silver arrow, -10 g.p.
Continue east into Stable Street.
If you still have some gold and your stamina or luck are below initial: Pay for a drink. (-2 g.p., + 3 sta, +1 luck)
Otherwise: Refuse and keep going east.
Lift the manhole cover.
Climb down the ladder.
Walk north.
Fight three giant rats: Sk 4 St 4, Sk 5 St 4, Sk 5 St 5
Continue north.
If you have mind the potion of mind control you are unaffected by her and can take some hair.
If not: Luck test. Pass: Fight hag: Sk 7 St 7, Fail: DEATH
+ hag’s hair
Return to the street.
If you have no gold, walk round the corner.
You do not have a throwing knife.
Fight three vagabonds: Sk 7 St 5, Sk 6 St 7, Sk 5 St 6
+1 g.p.
Enter the white house.
Pose as a tax collector.
Open the bag. +12 g.p., +1 luck
Then, continue below at **
If you still have some gold, return to the junction and go into Tower Street.
Avoid the brawling men.
Walk under the bridge.
**
Continue north.
Hand him over to the guards. +5 g.p.
Go into the gardens. -1 g.p.
Pick a flower.
You don’t have a ring of fire.
Fight leaf beasts: Sk 6 St 6
+ lotus flower
Walk down the lane. (Ignore the barrow boy.)
You can afford his price. + unicorn tattoo, -10 g.p.
Steam Achievement: This Will Only Hurt A Lot
Risk walking past the trolls.
You have a merchants pass.
Answer, “no”.
Let them throw you out.
Zanbar Bone’s Black Tower.
Roll 1d6:
1: Fight orc Sk 5 St 4
2: Fight snake Sk 6 St 6
3: Fight wolf Sk 5 St 5
4: Fight bear Sk 4 St 4
5: Fight ape man Sk 7 St 6 (+ owl talisman)
6: Fight troll Sk 8 St 7Fight two moon dogs: Sk 9 St 10, Sk 11 St 9
(Use luck tests to help you defeat the 2nd opponent, if required.)
Pull the chord.
If your stamina is less than 3:
Tell him you are a lost traveller.
Wait a few minutes, then explore the tower.
Then, continue at *** below.
If your stamina is 3 or more, attack him. -2 sta
Fire the silver arrow. (You will retrieve the arrow afterwards.)
Take the unicorn shield. +1 skill (This is a magical item, so it can increase your skill above it’s initial value.)
Explore the tower further.
***
Ignore the door and climb up to the third floor.
Ignore the door and climb up to the next floor.
Open the white door.
Open the sarcophagus.
Throw your lantern at it.
Inspect the open sarcophagus. + ring of golden eye, +2 luck
If your stamina is less than maximum:
Progress to the next floor.
Carry on up the stairs.
Fight two death hawks: Sk 4 St 5, Sk 4 St 4
Ask if he can heal your wounds. +6 sta
Then, continue at ### below.
If your stamina is at maximum, open the black door.
###
Walk over to the chest.
You are wearing the ring of the golden eye.
Fight three skeletons: Sk 6 St 7, Sk 8 St 6, Sk 7 St 7
(Use luck tests to help you, if required.)
Use your potion of fortune!
Luck test. Pass: success, Fail: DEATH!
Use lotus flower & hag’s hair.
You have destroyed the evil night-prince and ended the torment of the good people of Silverton.
You return to a hero’s welcome and a rich reward. YAY!
City of Thieves – Ian Livingstone: Thank you for this article. I had this book when I was a kid and came across it in a second hand shop recently. I’ve enjoyed this type of adventure for the first time in years and I found the walkthrough really useful.