003: Can Phil survive the city of thieves? (Read below) OR Don't be silly (Also read below)

So I have in my possession two FF gamebooks and as part of my research the plan is to play through them, see how they work and hopefully give me some ideas for my attempt. First up is City of Thieves - I have the necessary equipment and I've promised myself that I won't cheat. Every choice made is final, every dice roll counts.

First up, character design. Skill - basically how good I am at fighting, maximum score 12 (6 basis plus one dice roll), minimum 7. Then stamina, how many hits/damage I can take, max score 24, min 14. Then luck, which if I remember right, crops up here and there to add tension (max 12, min 7 again).

So my man has the following stats (drum roll please)
Skill: 12
Stamina: 20
Luck: 9

Ok, not a bad start there - I'm a good fighter with a bit of staying power. This is all good news. It also seems that I can take some provisions that restore stamina and a magic potion that restores one of the three categories. Think I might go for a luck potion as it also add one to the initial score. The food will keep my stamina up and my skill is already nice and high.

On to the adventure. Basically I've been persuaded to help out a distressed village. I need to go find an old wizard who'll help me kill this bad guy called Zanbar Bone. Fairly standard stuff! The only problem is that the wizard, Nicodemus, lives in the City of Thieves, dun dun duuuuuuun.

Now, I'm not going to write about every decision made, just the highlights. Opening the story I have to get in to the blasted city. Tempting as it is to fight the city guard straight away, I'm thinking it'd be better to be a bit more diplomatic. Maybe just ask to see Nicodemus, that can't go too wrong, can it?

They attempt to arrest me for no good reason. Sod this, violence it is.

I'm free, phew, now to explore the city...

....and within 5 minutes I'm in a bar brawl with a troll

My superior skill comes into play and I win without taking any damage. Good stuff. I hope they'll serve me a sodding drink now.

A drink and an attempted mugging later and I'm off to the market

I like markets! The money I reverse mugged the muggers for gets me a load of new kit and I make it unscathed to the bridge that the wizard is supposed to live under. After the innkeeper gave me directions to the wizard I have been quite direct in my approach, so have probably missed some chances for adventure along the way. But, I have a mission to complete!

So I meet the wizard who tells me that to defeat this Zanbar character I need:
a unicorn tattoo on my flipping head(!)
silver arrow
black pearl
hag's hair
lotus flower

Right then, off to find the nearest Tesco

Got the arrow, but have also taken an arrow to the shoulder (not the knee, neatly avoiding an annoying internet meme). Still alive, and on we press.

Now got the lotus, although I did have to fight some "leaf beasts", I kid you not, possessed topiary

I am now the proud owner of a stupid tattoo right in the middle of my goddam forehead, grrrr.

 Arghhh, a brutal fight versus two city guards and I'm forced to flee. A farmer and his kid help me escape the city, but I don't have all the items. Is this the end?!

In short, yes.

Crappit.

Humph.