Pool of Radiance: putting off Sokol Keep

[Null Null]

I assume we've all done this. I remember beating Sokol Keep the first time, entering through the side door and laboriously maintaining my battle line while holding and sleeping selectively and trying to keep orcs and hobgoblins from sneaking in the side door. I generally found the important thing was to get 3,000 XP to get your Cleric to level 3, when you got 3 Hold Person spells (given high wisdom) for your trouble. After that it was difficult, but doable. Healing your wizards so they could get off that second Sleep spell after getting hit by orc archers was the hard bit.

So on my third or so playthrough, I did something different. I put off Sokol Keep as long as humanly possible. I cleaned out the Slums, Kuto's Well, Mendor's Library, the Cadorna Textile House, and Podol Plaza, and even sneaked out to the wilderness the long way. Finally, I got to the point I wanted: I had 22,501 XP.

I finally got on the blasted boat, shestni'd my way past the undead, and barged in the side door. I had given my wizard a fitting name, I thought, in my 12-year-old way:

ANNIHILOS CASTS A SPELL
SPELL: FIREBALL

I heard the 'pop' noise, and it was all over. It was followed by the satisfying sound of orc and hobgoblin after orc and hobgoblin dying with one hit. Even if they saved, they went down. Immediately after the spell went off, the enemy surrendered one by one.

Yeah, it was an elephant gun to kill a fly. But it was fun.

[Milos Gulan]

Oh lol that game is really interesting. My group played it on table top, but probably got hit badly by some ghosts or phantoms on the graveyard where their ranger walked of to safety leaving the rest with bad experiencies. I guess later they couldn't continue though they made it to the church to heal up.

Anyway I wasn't there that time and I missed all of it which makes me just wanting to finish that module as I have been reading novels about it which were really great Pools of Radiance, Pools of Darkness and Pools of Twighlight, actualy not those but Curse of the Azure Bonds trilogy (about Alias and her saurial companion Dragonbait) which were awesome and based on Curse of the Azure bonds game which I also haven't been done yet but I think that would be great thing to do sometimes in the future.

Btw in serbian Soko means Hawk, like saying to someone sokole would mean calling him hawk. Also there is a Valjevo castle there which is town in Serbia and it always felt a bit interesting for us here to play with names like Valjevo Castle or Sokol Keep

[PetrusOctavianus]

I loved all the huge battles in Pool of Radiance. So much more fun with a few epic battles than fighting a small patrol every 10th step.
My favourite is probably the three consecutive fights in the Kobold Caves. Zhentil Outpost was a good one, too. Not to mention the bar brawls. 

[Milos Gulan]

Awesome, well that is one big reason for me to play Pools of Radiance as well as Curse of the azure bonds. Hm lol I wish I was playing it on table top too, though my group finished it not so good I am sure they had a great time. They also played that Ravenloft/Forgotten Realms adventure without me named Castle Spulzeer, but I don't know how it went or even if they actualy played it.

[ManuelM]

So cool  Got a lot of good memories of that battle, but never waited that long so i was high levelled enough to use a fireball on the gang. Almost makes me want to go through PoR for that again. God, how I love those Gold Boxed days...

[SilentThief]

I had such a hard time with the trolls in the slums that I always put that battle off till I had fireball. A group of first levels versus an equal number of trolls was suicide.

But I totally understand your satisfaction once you can watch them fall...

ST the satisfied

[GoldBoxFan]

Weird thing about POR is that some of the easiest battles are in Valhingen Graveyard. There are even several Proclamations about it when the game starts. Those generated skeletons would be fairly easy kills. I think you can avoid combat to the cemetery if you know the correct way to talk your way past the random encounters. I hope to try it some day. 

[Null Null]

A 'low-level challenge', like people do for Final Fantasy and Nethack? I prefer the single-character thing--I've seen people do it on Youtube for Pool, Curse, and Secret at least. A party of 3rd-level clerics could probably hold Tyranthraxus' guards, but how you'd deal with Big T is another question--you can't dish out enough damage.