Hello comers and goers, prospective players and party makers,
I am hosting an online game which, for some mad reason, I think I have time for, and I need one or two more players!
The Game: One part strategy game, one part RPG, one part writing extravaganza.
The Setting: In a world where there is no solid land, but only a hundred islands and continents floating in the mists, the death of a High King has left twelve great realms vying for power. Using wisdom, negotiation, and might, you must take responsibility for one of these realms and lead your people to glory--or destruction.
The Players: The twelve realms are each controlled by another human being (except for a few NPCs, whose identities are secret). A set of skilled writers and gamers, they bring more to the game than I ever might have dreamed.
The Peoples:
The Eldryn are an immortal race who awoke from collective amnesia just over 800 years ago. Only surviving as long as their passion for life does, they must find causes to strive for, or they slip into silence... forever. Their noble caste, called the Nobilis, are creatures of elegance and arrogance who would drive their peoples to the brink in their struggle for dominance against one another.
The Duor are a race of pacifistic giants who were plunged into war, death, and slavery when their continent emerged from the mists to collide with Alendia, the Eldryn homeland, long ago. Having lost the ensuing war, they have spent the last 300 years as a slave race. Will the current chaos and turmoil bring them freedom, or extinction?
The great and beautiful continent of Alendia was shattered in a titanic magical war for dominance between Eldryn noblility long ago. Now, it is divided into two lands, each of whom hate the other. Celida and Quienenas call themselves High Alendia, claiming they inherited the culture and civilization of Old Alendia. Ardath and Essetia name themselves True Alendia, insisting that they carry on the morals and honor of their forebears. Between them, the high city of Tyrenegarde floats, a relic of an ancient age, now closed with the High King's death until the twelve realms can sort out their differences and come to peace.
The remaining lands, scattered beyond the limits of Alendia, are collectively called the Outlands. Perenor is a land of startling civilization, with great cities and broad boulevards, and their own musical language. Sitokia is home to a race of learned barbarians, savages who will quote poetry as they cut your throat. Rhosyn, called the Enchanted Isle, is a place of knights and princesses, jousting and festivals, where it is said that mysterious creatures emerge from magical glades to dance with the Nobilis after too much wine is had. Tilaria is a stern land of merciless laws and hardened warriors. Khande was once a beautiful land--but the warrior caste, the Bushin, rebelled against the Nobilis and left, taking many of the other castes with them. With too many Nobilis and not enough followers, Khande has spent the generations since then in eternal civil war. Only now has a promising young leader emerged to rally Khande from the fallen glory of her past. Orenspeak is the high, cold land where the Bushin and their allies settled after abandoning Khande. From their high mountain peaks, they rule the skies as traders and pirates. They are widely hated, but the High King's laws granted them immunity. Now that the old order is gone, the martial power of Orenspeak is once again free to sway the world.
Where will you fit in? Which of these great lands will you take leadership of? And what future will you guide your Realm into?
Okay, on to the practical stuff:
To be honest, most of the roles are already taken. We've done one turn of the game so far, but the amount of time and energy it took from me was overwhelming, so I went back to the drawing board to put in some more infrastructure to help the game move more quickly. It's looking good, and almost ready to play again.
To give you some context, I someday want to run a roleplaying program for teenagers (like the Roleplay Workshop, where I once worked), and this is the world it will be set in. Half the purpose of this game is to flesh out the setting and backstory for that future roleplaying game. This is your chance to get in on history in the making! Literally!
The goal of bringing in more players is to lessen the burden on me, as storyteller. Managing all the correspondence and turn orders for several NPCs was just too much. I don't want to give up all the NPCs, but I can definitely relinquish at least one, maybe more. This is NOT big enough that the entire internet can join. I've only got space for a few people, but if a world-building game on an epic scale, a strategy game heavy with roleplaying, sounds amazingly awesome to you, then please let me know.
I can link you to the rulebook, character sheets, public book, etc.
(If you want a preview of the map, see the map that's used as the background of my twitter profile: twitter.com/#!/AshtonSaylor.)
Hope to have you on board! Or, if not, hope you've at least enjoyed the read ;)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Lone Wolf: Reborn - Episode 2, A warning comes too late
Eyeing the malicious creature, you judge the timing just right. As you see the Giak climb up on it's haunches, preparing to jump, you leap into action.
You speed from the bushes, rounding the ruined pillar just in time to catch the monster as it falls from the sky toward the unsuspecting back of the young magician--whose eyes widen in surprise as he sees you round the corner, axe raised.
You leap past the magician and intersect the startled Giak in its flight. No sooner has it boggled at your sudden appearance than your axe catches it full in the chest, splitting the startled monster in two. In a spray of blood, the mangled Giak falls to pieces on the ruined floor of the temple.
It was over before it began. (Combat ratio of 10, roll of 7--yeah, it really was over before it began. He didn't even wound us.)
The remaining Giaks scream at you in their horrible language, then flee the field. Given that the dead Giaks you can count amidst the ruins number a dozen at least, and now the mage has backup, you can understand their retreat. Nevertheless, you are glad you don't have to fight further.
The mage approaches and extends his hand in friendship. Just as you take his arm, a spell of fatigue passes over his eyes and he nearly collapses. You help him sit on a fallen block of stone.
‘My eternal thanks, Kai Lord. My powers are nearly drained. Had you not come to my aid, I fear I would have ended my days atop a Giak lance.’
Once he has caught his breath, he explains that he is Banedon, of the Magician's Guild of Toran. He was on his way to warn the Kai Lords of the Darklords' impending attack... but the warning came too late.
He shows you the letter he was to bear to your masters. Your heart sinks as you read that the Darklords gather their strength, and a vast army has mustered just beyond the Durncrag Range.
You explain to Banedon your own tale, and he silently slips a gold chain from around his neck and hands it to you. It is a Crystal Star Pendant.
‘It is the symbol of my Brotherhood, and we are both truly brothers in this hour of darkness. It is a talisman of good fortune—may it protect you on your road ahead.’
With promises of goodwill and future friendship, you both return to your respective missions.
You bid him farewell and continue on into the thick woods ahead. Then something tickles your senses: a noise in the underbrush--is that yellow eyes?
You throw yourself to the ground just as a black-tipped arrow speeds past your head! The Giaks! They did not flee--they merely set up an ambush!
You race through the wilderness, picking your path at random as you try to escape the army of small monsters cackling evilly behind you. Bursting clear from the trees, you catch a glimpse of a cave in a hillside.
You glance back; the Giaks are not in sight yet, and the cave would not be easily discovered by one not looking for it.
Without wasting further time to think about it, you throw yourself into the cave and slither deeply in to hide. The Giaks come up around you, and you can make out their outlines searching at the cave mouth for you.
Luck is with you, and the Giak voices eventually move farther away, the harsh notes of their language barking with frustration.
For a moment, you simply lay back and let yourself relax. After a few deep breaths (and once the sound of the Giaks has moved beyond hearing) you pull yourself together and begin to plan your next move.
You shimmy up the cave entrance to look around. It looks clear. But just then a sudden curiousity strikes you. You look back, deeper into the cave, and only then do you realize how deeply it runs. You have not found the depths of it, and you have no idea what dangers or treasures might be hidden in the darkness.
Section 96:
(P.S. Thanks to Joe Dever, for writing this amazing story in the first place! And to Gary Chalk for these wonderful, evocative old fantasy images!)
You speed from the bushes, rounding the ruined pillar just in time to catch the monster as it falls from the sky toward the unsuspecting back of the young magician--whose eyes widen in surprise as he sees you round the corner, axe raised.
You leap past the magician and intersect the startled Giak in its flight. No sooner has it boggled at your sudden appearance than your axe catches it full in the chest, splitting the startled monster in two. In a spray of blood, the mangled Giak falls to pieces on the ruined floor of the temple.
It was over before it began. (Combat ratio of 10, roll of 7--yeah, it really was over before it began. He didn't even wound us.)
The remaining Giaks scream at you in their horrible language, then flee the field. Given that the dead Giaks you can count amidst the ruins number a dozen at least, and now the mage has backup, you can understand their retreat. Nevertheless, you are glad you don't have to fight further.
The mage approaches and extends his hand in friendship. Just as you take his arm, a spell of fatigue passes over his eyes and he nearly collapses. You help him sit on a fallen block of stone.
‘My eternal thanks, Kai Lord. My powers are nearly drained. Had you not come to my aid, I fear I would have ended my days atop a Giak lance.’
Once he has caught his breath, he explains that he is Banedon, of the Magician's Guild of Toran. He was on his way to warn the Kai Lords of the Darklords' impending attack... but the warning came too late.
He shows you the letter he was to bear to your masters. Your heart sinks as you read that the Darklords gather their strength, and a vast army has mustered just beyond the Durncrag Range.
‘I fear we were betrayed,’ says Banedon, his head bowed in sorrow.
‘One of my order, a brother called Vonotar, had explored the forbidden mysteries of the Black Art. Ten days ago he denounced the Brotherhood and killed one of our Elders. He has since disappeared. It is rumoured that he now aids the Darklords.’
You explain to Banedon your own tale, and he silently slips a gold chain from around his neck and hands it to you. It is a Crystal Star Pendant.
‘It is the symbol of my Brotherhood, and we are both truly brothers in this hour of darkness. It is a talisman of good fortune—may it protect you on your road ahead.’
With promises of goodwill and future friendship, you both return to your respective missions.
You bid him farewell and continue on into the thick woods ahead. Then something tickles your senses: a noise in the underbrush--is that yellow eyes?
You throw yourself to the ground just as a black-tipped arrow speeds past your head! The Giaks! They did not flee--they merely set up an ambush!
You race through the wilderness, picking your path at random as you try to escape the army of small monsters cackling evilly behind you. Bursting clear from the trees, you catch a glimpse of a cave in a hillside.
You glance back; the Giaks are not in sight yet, and the cave would not be easily discovered by one not looking for it.
Without wasting further time to think about it, you throw yourself into the cave and slither deeply in to hide. The Giaks come up around you, and you can make out their outlines searching at the cave mouth for you.
Luck is with you, and the Giak voices eventually move farther away, the harsh notes of their language barking with frustration.
For a moment, you simply lay back and let yourself relax. After a few deep breaths (and once the sound of the Giaks has moved beyond hearing) you pull yourself together and begin to plan your next move.
You shimmy up the cave entrance to look around. It looks clear. But just then a sudden curiousity strikes you. You look back, deeper into the cave, and only then do you realize how deeply it runs. You have not found the depths of it, and you have no idea what dangers or treasures might be hidden in the darkness.
Section 96:
If you wish to explore the cave further, turn to 33.
If you wish to leave the cave and descend the hill in case the Giaks return, turn to 248.
(P.S. Thanks to Joe Dever, for writing this amazing story in the first place! And to Gary Chalk for these wonderful, evocative old fantasy images!)
Friday, February 24, 2012
Fighting Fantazine Issue #8 Review
Review of Fighting Fantazine Issue #8
The Fighting Fantazine has been running since September of 2009, and it is the ezine to go to for all things Fighting Fantasy and gamebook related. Low production value and slightly amateur art is offset by an extremely high level of care and attention that's gone into creating a quality product, and the sheer amount of content is staggering--including two complete, original gamebook adventures!
[This is also my chance to field my new, "Reviews by Ash," review scheme: "Good, Bad, I'm the Guy with the Gun." Seeing as how my name is actually Ash... it seemed appropriate.]
Good:
This is the first time I've ever opened a Fighting Fantazine, and I was blown away by simply how much is inside. You're looking at multiple interviews with people in the gamebook industry, recent news of new releases and exciting products to look out for, nostalgic articles about gamebook lore and history, as well 70+ pages of original gamebooks, adventures, fiction and comics. Wow!
For myself, having already plowed through most gamebook material that is available today, it was an unexpected treat to find two new original pieces of gamebook fiction inside the Fighting Fantazine. That itself might win my loyalty as a reader. In brief, I found Vengeance at Midnight to be a delightful and action-packed sequel to superhero-themed Fighting Fantasy books, such as Appointment with F.E.A.R. I think the pacing could have used some work; I frequently found myself struggling a little to slog through the story, but I found the investigation system to be innovative and engaging. It provided a satisfying puzzle-solving kick.
The other thing that I found extremely useful was the news and updates on new interactive fiction coming out. I saw some titles that I hadn't known existed before, including the full line of Capstone educational interactive fiction, which is something I'm very interested in. What I thought was a second gamebook turned out to be an Advanced Fighting Fantasy adventure for 2-4 heroes, presumably to be run by a gamemaster. The comic was a little hard to get into without having read the previous issues, but had excellent art (random gargantuan boobs aside...) and an amusing premise of gaining power by defeating Fighting Fantasy books. There was also original fiction, yet more interviews, reviews... it goes on and on.
Overall, I would say the best thing about this ezine is the depth. Clearly a lot of work and love goes into producing it, and the amount of content it has to offer is prodigious.
Bad:
As in many things, the greatest strength of the Fighting Fantazine is also it's greatest weakness: content. There's just so much of it. Don't get me wrong, too much is definitely better than too little, but a little more selectivity could have improved the final product, IMNSHO. Three interviews with gamebook industry insiders? That's great... but maybe they could have been spaced out, one in each of three different ezines. Just an example. I don't want to start pointing fingers at what should be in and what shouldn't. The fact is, almost all of it is good content, but part of the job of the editor is not just to rustle up lots of content, but also to make hard choices so that what remains is the best of the best--in an attractive, meal-sized package.
I also have to mention, for the sake of completeness, the art. While the back cover looked really very nice (if not work-safe), the front cover definitely had an amateur quality to the artwork. I haven't seen enough of FF yet to know if this is normal, but it gave the front cover a "home-brewn" feel that might turn off some readers. If there's a budget, it might be worth splurging on art for the front page, if anything.
I'm the Guy with the Gun:
I didn't expect to say this, but I absolutely recommend the Fighting Fantazine for any gamebook enthusiast. This definitely has a "by fans, for fans" feel to it, but if you don't mind the low production values, it's a great place to get news of the industry and even some awesome, original material. Your only challenge might be sorting through the voluminous content to find the bits you're most interested in. Go check it out! You won't regret it =)
The Fighting Fantazine has been running since September of 2009, and it is the ezine to go to for all things Fighting Fantasy and gamebook related. Low production value and slightly amateur art is offset by an extremely high level of care and attention that's gone into creating a quality product, and the sheer amount of content is staggering--including two complete, original gamebook adventures!
[This is also my chance to field my new, "Reviews by Ash," review scheme: "Good, Bad, I'm the Guy with the Gun." Seeing as how my name is actually Ash... it seemed appropriate.]
Good:
This is the first time I've ever opened a Fighting Fantazine, and I was blown away by simply how much is inside. You're looking at multiple interviews with people in the gamebook industry, recent news of new releases and exciting products to look out for, nostalgic articles about gamebook lore and history, as well 70+ pages of original gamebooks, adventures, fiction and comics. Wow!
For myself, having already plowed through most gamebook material that is available today, it was an unexpected treat to find two new original pieces of gamebook fiction inside the Fighting Fantazine. That itself might win my loyalty as a reader. In brief, I found Vengeance at Midnight to be a delightful and action-packed sequel to superhero-themed Fighting Fantasy books, such as Appointment with F.E.A.R. I think the pacing could have used some work; I frequently found myself struggling a little to slog through the story, but I found the investigation system to be innovative and engaging. It provided a satisfying puzzle-solving kick.
The other thing that I found extremely useful was the news and updates on new interactive fiction coming out. I saw some titles that I hadn't known existed before, including the full line of Capstone educational interactive fiction, which is something I'm very interested in. What I thought was a second gamebook turned out to be an Advanced Fighting Fantasy adventure for 2-4 heroes, presumably to be run by a gamemaster. The comic was a little hard to get into without having read the previous issues, but had excellent art (random gargantuan boobs aside...) and an amusing premise of gaining power by defeating Fighting Fantasy books. There was also original fiction, yet more interviews, reviews... it goes on and on.
Overall, I would say the best thing about this ezine is the depth. Clearly a lot of work and love goes into producing it, and the amount of content it has to offer is prodigious.
Bad:
As in many things, the greatest strength of the Fighting Fantazine is also it's greatest weakness: content. There's just so much of it. Don't get me wrong, too much is definitely better than too little, but a little more selectivity could have improved the final product, IMNSHO. Three interviews with gamebook industry insiders? That's great... but maybe they could have been spaced out, one in each of three different ezines. Just an example. I don't want to start pointing fingers at what should be in and what shouldn't. The fact is, almost all of it is good content, but part of the job of the editor is not just to rustle up lots of content, but also to make hard choices so that what remains is the best of the best--in an attractive, meal-sized package.
I also have to mention, for the sake of completeness, the art. While the back cover looked really very nice (if not work-safe), the front cover definitely had an amateur quality to the artwork. I haven't seen enough of FF yet to know if this is normal, but it gave the front cover a "home-brewn" feel that might turn off some readers. If there's a budget, it might be worth splurging on art for the front page, if anything.
I'm the Guy with the Gun:
I didn't expect to say this, but I absolutely recommend the Fighting Fantazine for any gamebook enthusiast. This definitely has a "by fans, for fans" feel to it, but if you don't mind the low production values, it's a great place to get news of the industry and even some awesome, original material. Your only challenge might be sorting through the voluminous content to find the bits you're most interested in. Go check it out! You won't regret it =)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Lone Wolf: Reborn - Episode 1
Hello All! Time for the first proper entry in "Lone Wolf: Reborn," a Let's Play Lone Wolf series.
After getting comments and insight from a number of readers, we have wound up with our Lone Wolf setting out with the following five Kai Disciplines: Healing, Sixth Sense, Animal Kinship, Mindshield and (my personal addition) Weaponskill: Sword. (I cheated a bit and rolled the weapon before deciding whether to pick Weaponskill or not. Since it rolled sword, I really wanted to grab it now for use with the Sommerswerd later.) The other four were all chosen by reader-suggestion.
While out gathering wood as punishment for not paying attention in class, you see a cloud of dark, leather-winged shapes fly overhead, so many of them as to blot out the sun. I quote,
"Suddenly a great black cloud comes from out of the western skies. So many are the numbers of the black-winged beasts that fill the sky, that the sun is completely hidden. "
Quickly realizing their target is the Kai Monastery, you drop your wood and race to the aid of your school! But it is to no avail. You trip and strike your head on a low-hanging branch (what kind of hero are you anyway?)
You awaken to the complete destruction of the Kai Monastery. Here and there amidst the rubble you see the broken bodies of your teachers and fellow students. Wiping away tears with a grime encrusted hand, you realize that you must journey to warn the King...
...for you are now the last of the Kai Lords.
Able to scrounge nothing from the ruins, you depart with only the supplies you had with you: a woodsman's axe, backpack, an emergency healing potion and enough food for one meal. As you leave, you find a single gold coin gleaming in the rubble. You take it for good luck.
Luck that you will sorely need.
Despite your fatigue, you leave the ruins immediately--before the black-winged beasts decide to return and finish the job. A sixth sense seems to warn you that the paths will be watched, so you strike out into the undergrowth at random.
The shriek of some terrible animal above alerts you that you made the right choice in getting off the path. You remain motionless while the sound of great wings beats above you. When all is still again, you press onward.
The sound of shouting and a clap of thunder alerts you to a commotion ahead, through the forest. Staying swift but silent, you approach the noise.
You come upon a forest clearing. In the middle of the clearing stands an ancient ruin, tumble-down walls green with moss. A full war-party of Mountain Giaks (vicious, goblin-like creatures) lays siege to the ruins. Here and there amid the stones lies a broken body of a fallen Giak.
But you cannot see any defenders. The Giaks seem to wave their blades at the inanimate stones themselves. Then a slim, blue-clad figure steps from behind a pillar. As you watch, he mutters arcane words and magical power crackles between his fingertips. He releases the energy in a bolt of lightning into the heart of the enemy, and a half-dozen Giaks fall to the ground in charred husks!
To your amazement, the ruins are being defended by a young man no older than yourself. You recognize his sky-blue robes, embroidered with stars. He is a young theurgist of the Magicians' Guild of Toran: an apprentice in magic.
The remaining Giaks of that group flee from the young mage's position to re-group under the trees. But even as they do so, another bunch move from the cover of forest to attack from another direction, led by one of the tallest and meanest looking Giaks you have ever seen.
While you watch, a small Giak creeps up, hidden from the mage by a wall of rubble. The Giak climbs one of the ruined pillars, a dagger clenched between his teeth. The young magician does not see him!
What will you do?
After getting comments and insight from a number of readers, we have wound up with our Lone Wolf setting out with the following five Kai Disciplines: Healing, Sixth Sense, Animal Kinship, Mindshield and (my personal addition) Weaponskill: Sword. (I cheated a bit and rolled the weapon before deciding whether to pick Weaponskill or not. Since it rolled sword, I really wanted to grab it now for use with the Sommerswerd later.) The other four were all chosen by reader-suggestion.
The Story So Far
While out gathering wood as punishment for not paying attention in class, you see a cloud of dark, leather-winged shapes fly overhead, so many of them as to blot out the sun. I quote,
"Suddenly a great black cloud comes from out of the western skies. So many are the numbers of the black-winged beasts that fill the sky, that the sun is completely hidden. "
Quickly realizing their target is the Kai Monastery, you drop your wood and race to the aid of your school! But it is to no avail. You trip and strike your head on a low-hanging branch (what kind of hero are you anyway?)
You awaken to the complete destruction of the Kai Monastery. Here and there amidst the rubble you see the broken bodies of your teachers and fellow students. Wiping away tears with a grime encrusted hand, you realize that you must journey to warn the King...
...for you are now the last of the Kai Lords.
Able to scrounge nothing from the ruins, you depart with only the supplies you had with you: a woodsman's axe, backpack, an emergency healing potion and enough food for one meal. As you leave, you find a single gold coin gleaming in the rubble. You take it for good luck.
Luck that you will sorely need.
Despite your fatigue, you leave the ruins immediately--before the black-winged beasts decide to return and finish the job. A sixth sense seems to warn you that the paths will be watched, so you strike out into the undergrowth at random.
The shriek of some terrible animal above alerts you that you made the right choice in getting off the path. You remain motionless while the sound of great wings beats above you. When all is still again, you press onward.
The sound of shouting and a clap of thunder alerts you to a commotion ahead, through the forest. Staying swift but silent, you approach the noise.
You come upon a forest clearing. In the middle of the clearing stands an ancient ruin, tumble-down walls green with moss. A full war-party of Mountain Giaks (vicious, goblin-like creatures) lays siege to the ruins. Here and there amid the stones lies a broken body of a fallen Giak.
But you cannot see any defenders. The Giaks seem to wave their blades at the inanimate stones themselves. Then a slim, blue-clad figure steps from behind a pillar. As you watch, he mutters arcane words and magical power crackles between his fingertips. He releases the energy in a bolt of lightning into the heart of the enemy, and a half-dozen Giaks fall to the ground in charred husks!
To your amazement, the ruins are being defended by a young man no older than yourself. You recognize his sky-blue robes, embroidered with stars. He is a young theurgist of the Magicians' Guild of Toran: an apprentice in magic.
The remaining Giaks of that group flee from the young mage's position to re-group under the trees. But even as they do so, another bunch move from the cover of forest to attack from another direction, led by one of the tallest and meanest looking Giaks you have ever seen.
While you watch, a small Giak creeps up, hidden from the mage by a wall of rubble. The Giak climbs one of the ruined pillars, a dagger clenched between his teeth. The young magician does not see him!
What will you do?
If you wish to shout a warning to the wizard, turn to 241.
If you wish to run forward and attack the Giak when he jumps, turn to 55.
If you wish to pick up a chunk of temple marble and throw it at the Giak's head, turn to 302.
Or if you would rather turn and leave the battle area, and run back into the woods, turn to 101.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Review of the Choice of Games gamebook house
Just when I think I've found everything related to gamebooks on the web, I stumble across something else. Apparently there's a whole other production house out there producing gamebooks. Check out Choice of Games.
I thought about doing a review of individual gamebooks published by them, but there's enough similarities in style and composition between them that I'll start by just doing a review of the whole lineup.
The Pros
* I really like the focus on story in the Choice gamebooks. They are less about adventuring and more about navigating political or social interactions. I found the intrigue presented in the "Affairs of Court" series (part 1: Choice of Romance, part 2: Choice of Intrigues) very compelling and fun--a great example of intrigue in the gamebook format (something TMG has promised us as well... hopefully?)
* Very high standards for the kinds of choices players are presented with
* Their books are presented free online, or for a very modest price on various digital platforms.
* There is an announcement on their website that they are currently looking for writers. (For all of us aspiring gamebook authors out there ;) In addition, anyone can write a game using their system and they will host it on their website and share with you a measure of any revenue it generates.
* Large selection! There are five officially published books, and a whole score of fan-made ones.
* Some nice art. Each game has at least one nice piece of artwork, if only for the title.
* Quick! This is also a con, but it is nice that you can bust through one in an hour or two.
The Cons
* The writing is a bit hit or miss. I'm not sure this should be in "cons" because sometimes the writing is very good, but, well... it's just hit or miss. Sometimes I'm very impressed, but other times I felt like it was a bit lackluster, both with overall plots and with the quality of the prose.
* Several of their games use a system where character attributes are inversely linked. For example, in the Choice of the Dragon book, Brutality is an important fighting score. But increasing your Brutality necessarily reduces your Finesse. They only have 100 points to split between them. Similarly, increasing your Honor reduces your Cunning, and vice versa. This makes it hard to feel very much like you're making any progress over the course of the game. You're just moving points about, and if you train one thing here and another thing there, then you end up not improving either. I found that very annoying.
* Traits occasionally available that aren't really relevant. I specialized in magic in my playthrough of the Affairs of Court series (starting with Choice of Romance) and it only really came up once. And it didn't really seem relevant then.
* Too Short: It's fun that they're quick, but I think if they were longer they could be built with more depth to really take advantage of the story-based system they're obviously striving for.
(I hate to belabor myself, but my example of excellent, relatively deep story-based gamebooks remains Endmaster's works on the Storygames website, Necromancer and Eternal. Let me tell you, I could not read through one of those in an hour.)
Suggestions
I have read... apparently all of the Choice gamebooks. Didn't realize I'd managed that yet. My recommendations:
Choice of Broadsides: This was my favorite so far. I'm not a special fan of "high seas" settings, but I though this one was very well put together. Mostly, it just lasted long enough for me to start to care about the character a bit and get invested in what was happening. It does suffer from the inversely related stat pairs, though.
Choice of Romance/Intrigues: Together composing the "Affairs of Court" series, I thought these were pretty fun. Mostly, they are a good example of political intrigue in a gamebook.
Choice of the Dragon: It was okay. I guess it's fun to be a dragon and pick on the little villagers, but I wasn't really sure what the point was.
Choice of the Vampire: *shudder* Despite a beautifully written beginning, the writing went on to completely lose me. Sections frequently had more choices than text. I had very little idea what was going on, and the options available were frustrating and pointless. By the time I got into the supposed "romantic" plotline, it had so completely lost my interest I actually stopped playing. It just seemed easier to close the tab in chrome than to make the next choice.
May the next player enjoy Choice of the Vampire more than I did. It's a shame, because I was all prepared to be really excited about getting to be a vampire in the New Orleans of the 1800s.
Above all, I'm just really glad to see someone out there experimenting with a different form of interactive fiction. As much as I love the Fighting Fantasy/Lone Wolf/Tin Man Games genre of gamebooks (and think the genre is making major improvements as it evolves!) my true passion is interactive fiction as a whole, not just this one, fantasy-adventure, interpretation of it.
Thank you, Choice of Games, for taking your own stab at expanding the boundaries of what gamebooks can be.
Hope some of you enjoy the links :) Happy reading!
Oh--one final thought! If you want more detailed reviews of any of the above, (or any other requests, for that matter) let me know ^^
I thought about doing a review of individual gamebooks published by them, but there's enough similarities in style and composition between them that I'll start by just doing a review of the whole lineup.
The Pros
* I really like the focus on story in the Choice gamebooks. They are less about adventuring and more about navigating political or social interactions. I found the intrigue presented in the "Affairs of Court" series (part 1: Choice of Romance, part 2: Choice of Intrigues) very compelling and fun--a great example of intrigue in the gamebook format (something TMG has promised us as well... hopefully?)
* Very high standards for the kinds of choices players are presented with
* Their books are presented free online, or for a very modest price on various digital platforms.
* There is an announcement on their website that they are currently looking for writers. (For all of us aspiring gamebook authors out there ;) In addition, anyone can write a game using their system and they will host it on their website and share with you a measure of any revenue it generates.
* Large selection! There are five officially published books, and a whole score of fan-made ones.
* Some nice art. Each game has at least one nice piece of artwork, if only for the title.
* Quick! This is also a con, but it is nice that you can bust through one in an hour or two.
The Cons
* The writing is a bit hit or miss. I'm not sure this should be in "cons" because sometimes the writing is very good, but, well... it's just hit or miss. Sometimes I'm very impressed, but other times I felt like it was a bit lackluster, both with overall plots and with the quality of the prose.
* Several of their games use a system where character attributes are inversely linked. For example, in the Choice of the Dragon book, Brutality is an important fighting score. But increasing your Brutality necessarily reduces your Finesse. They only have 100 points to split between them. Similarly, increasing your Honor reduces your Cunning, and vice versa. This makes it hard to feel very much like you're making any progress over the course of the game. You're just moving points about, and if you train one thing here and another thing there, then you end up not improving either. I found that very annoying.
* Traits occasionally available that aren't really relevant. I specialized in magic in my playthrough of the Affairs of Court series (starting with Choice of Romance) and it only really came up once. And it didn't really seem relevant then.
* Too Short: It's fun that they're quick, but I think if they were longer they could be built with more depth to really take advantage of the story-based system they're obviously striving for.
(I hate to belabor myself, but my example of excellent, relatively deep story-based gamebooks remains Endmaster's works on the Storygames website, Necromancer and Eternal. Let me tell you, I could not read through one of those in an hour.)
Suggestions
I have read... apparently all of the Choice gamebooks. Didn't realize I'd managed that yet. My recommendations:
Choice of Broadsides: This was my favorite so far. I'm not a special fan of "high seas" settings, but I though this one was very well put together. Mostly, it just lasted long enough for me to start to care about the character a bit and get invested in what was happening. It does suffer from the inversely related stat pairs, though.
Choice of Romance/Intrigues: Together composing the "Affairs of Court" series, I thought these were pretty fun. Mostly, they are a good example of political intrigue in a gamebook.
Choice of the Dragon: It was okay. I guess it's fun to be a dragon and pick on the little villagers, but I wasn't really sure what the point was.
Choice of the Vampire: *shudder* Despite a beautifully written beginning, the writing went on to completely lose me. Sections frequently had more choices than text. I had very little idea what was going on, and the options available were frustrating and pointless. By the time I got into the supposed "romantic" plotline, it had so completely lost my interest I actually stopped playing. It just seemed easier to close the tab in chrome than to make the next choice.
May the next player enjoy Choice of the Vampire more than I did. It's a shame, because I was all prepared to be really excited about getting to be a vampire in the New Orleans of the 1800s.
Above all, I'm just really glad to see someone out there experimenting with a different form of interactive fiction. As much as I love the Fighting Fantasy/Lone Wolf/Tin Man Games genre of gamebooks (and think the genre is making major improvements as it evolves!) my true passion is interactive fiction as a whole, not just this one, fantasy-adventure, interpretation of it.
Thank you, Choice of Games, for taking your own stab at expanding the boundaries of what gamebooks can be.
Hope some of you enjoy the links :) Happy reading!
Oh--one final thought! If you want more detailed reviews of any of the above, (or any other requests, for that matter) let me know ^^
Monday, February 20, 2012
What makes a good gamebook - Part Two: The Game of Narrative Choices
Hello everybody =) Thanks for being patient. After the positive responses to Part One of this article, I have wanted to take my time and make sure not to let you down with Part Two!
The goal today is, of course, to discuss the game side of a gamebook, and what makes a good game in a gamebook. When I read this article by the excellent Raph Koster (author of "A Theory of Fun") I had a bit of an epiphany: I was thinking of discussing things like combat, inventory, game balance, etc--but the true essence of the "game" in any gamebook is not any of that stuff, it's the narrative choices you make.
A lot of gamebooks have other game mechanics layered in as well: inventory, combat, magic, you name it--but all gamebooks share the core mechanic of narrative choices. This is a "game" in Raph's terms, because the entire gamebook is a problem to solve. The solution is the "best" ending. The problem is finding your way there through the maze of narrative choices. For this to be fun, the choices along the way must be interesting, meaningful and relevant. The player should be provided with enough information to have a chance of success without having to brute-force the problem (using trial and error), but not so much that the solution is immediately obvious.
What I'll do today is go over some common errors, as well as some good types of choices that we often see in gamebooks. To get started, let's look over some of the flawed narrative choices that are frequently used:
The "Which Door" Choice: One common flaw, and one which is a particular pet peeve of mine, is not providing enough information on which to base your choices. This is commonly seen in the "which door do you go through," or "do you go East or West" type of decision. If you have no clues whatsoever what's behind either door, then you might as well flip a coin. There's no choice. Don't get me wrong: luck has it's place. Even this type of faux-choice can be called for if you want to inject some randomness, but it should never be mistaken for a choice.
The goal today is, of course, to discuss the game side of a gamebook, and what makes a good game in a gamebook. When I read this article by the excellent Raph Koster (author of "A Theory of Fun") I had a bit of an epiphany: I was thinking of discussing things like combat, inventory, game balance, etc--but the true essence of the "game" in any gamebook is not any of that stuff, it's the narrative choices you make.
A lot of gamebooks have other game mechanics layered in as well: inventory, combat, magic, you name it--but all gamebooks share the core mechanic of narrative choices. This is a "game" in Raph's terms, because the entire gamebook is a problem to solve. The solution is the "best" ending. The problem is finding your way there through the maze of narrative choices. For this to be fun, the choices along the way must be interesting, meaningful and relevant. The player should be provided with enough information to have a chance of success without having to brute-force the problem (using trial and error), but not so much that the solution is immediately obvious.
What I'll do today is go over some common errors, as well as some good types of choices that we often see in gamebooks. To get started, let's look over some of the flawed narrative choices that are frequently used:
The "Which Door" Choice: One common flaw, and one which is a particular pet peeve of mine, is not providing enough information on which to base your choices. This is commonly seen in the "which door do you go through," or "do you go East or West" type of decision. If you have no clues whatsoever what's behind either door, then you might as well flip a coin. There's no choice. Don't get me wrong: luck has it's place. Even this type of faux-choice can be called for if you want to inject some randomness, but it should never be mistaken for a choice.
The "Cake or Death" Choice: The flip side of that first error is giving too much information. If the player has enough information to be able to definitively determine which is the correct path, then he has too much information. If you're offered cake or death, there's not a choice, unless you're a suicidal maniac. Obviously, you want the cake! You should be able to figure it out, or at least make a good guess, with a close reading of the text, but it should not be clear and obvious, or why offer the choice at all?
The "Shell Game" Choice: A third flaw steps outside of the paradigm of either of the first two, and that's simply making the results of a choice unrelated to the options presented. Like the shell game con, you don't get what you think you're choosing. If you're choosing between apples and oranges, and you get cake with one and death with the other, then wtf? It takes all significance out of the choice for the player, because whatever thought process they went through in order to arrive at that choice is invalidated.
The "Blah" Choice: Finally, I would like to assert that too thin a narrative is itself a game-design flaw (in addition to simply being a weak story.) The reason for this is that the central game mechanic of gamebooks is that of making choices based on narrative. The narrative gives you the terms of your choice. The narrative gives you your reward or penalty. If you don't care about the characters or the outcome of the story, you can't take much pleasure in getting to read the "best" ending.
There's some examples of bad uses of the narrative choice. Now, let's take a look at how narrative choices can be handled well. I'll go through a few good examples to provide contrast.
The "Apples or Oranges" Choice: It can feel very rewarding to pick between two options, both of which offer a benefit, but with benefits that are different enough so that one can't be quantifiably defined as better than the other. This is often seen in picking skills or powers during character creation (see Lone Wolf), or in having a certain amount of money to equip your character early in the game (see The Wizard of Tarnath Tor). This gives a lot of food for thought in guessing which will be most useful, and also gives the player a chance to start identifying with their character. Think of trying to choose between a rope or a better weapon.They are fundamentally different, but both could be useful, depending on what you run into.
The Tactical Choice: Following up from that one, another good choice is one that gives the player a chance to take advantage of skills or equipment they may have previously acquired. If the choice presented hints that one resource or another will be more useful down each path, then it ties into a prior choice made with the same character, allowing the player to exercise an overall strategy. Then, each time a player comes through on different play-throughs, they may make a different choice, based on how they've prepared themselves this time.
The "X or ?" Choice: Another good option is the choice between a known quantity and an unknown quantity. Do you want to brave the guards you know are at that door, or sneak down into the dark tunnel below, with no idea what might be down there? This gives you something to think about, yet there's also no clear right answer.
The Moral Choice: Last but not least is the moral, character choice. Will you kill the enemy you've defeated, or show mercy and let him go? Will you assume leadership of your city, or walk away? Will you keep the jewel of power, or destroy it? Your estranged brother apologizes, do you forgive him or hold him accountable? A character of questionable moral integrity offers their services; do you accept? In some senses, these are the most interesting choices, and the ones every gamebook should be striving for. Not only do they provide meaningful choices but they also help tell a great story, and give the player a chance to really get personally involved and invested in that story.
This list is hardly comprehensive, but it at least provides a starting place to begin discussing choice theory in the terms of gamebooks. There's just one more point I'd like to make before I leave you:
The Principle of Choice-Based Results: The results a player gets should always be determined by choice, not by raw luck. It's okay to provide choices that manipulate odds. It's okay to have the challenges a player is presented with be determined randomly. It's even okay if terrible luck can sink the player even if you make perfect choices. But it's important that at the end of the day, the results be primarily determined by player choices, not raw luck.
To phrase this another way, it should always be possible to succeed with good choices without requiring good luck as well. If you have to pass an arbitrary dice roll in order to have a chance of succeeding, the author has done something wrong. Players sit down to read a gamebook in order to solve a puzzle by reading the narrative to search for the best path, not to play, "let's roll dice and try to get above a 10!" Choices are at the heart of the game, and nothing should ever supplant their rightful place there.
To phrase this another way, it should always be possible to succeed with good choices without requiring good luck as well. If you have to pass an arbitrary dice roll in order to have a chance of succeeding, the author has done something wrong. Players sit down to read a gamebook in order to solve a puzzle by reading the narrative to search for the best path, not to play, "let's roll dice and try to get above a 10!" Choices are at the heart of the game, and nothing should ever supplant their rightful place there.
Well, I think that has about summed up what I've got for today. Hopefully I've provided some food for thought, as far as how to best make use of narrative choices as the central game mechanic of any gamebook. I'm sure there are a lot of directions to go from here, not least of which is analysis of some of the systems provided by specific gamebook rule-sets. But this at least provides a place to start.
To borrow a phrase from Stuart, "Happy gamebooking!"
[Edit: I've made some changes to the formatting of this post to break it up and make it a bit more readable. Those followed with some edits to the content :P]
[Edit #2: Does anyone here know Blogger well enough to have any idea why those extra spaces between paragraphs are showing up randomly between some paragraphs? As far as I can tell, I have two "enters" between each set of paragraphs. I've tried again and again to get rid of them. I just can't figure it. Thanks!]
[Edit #2: Does anyone here know Blogger well enough to have any idea why those extra spaces between paragraphs are showing up randomly between some paragraphs? As far as I can tell, I have two "enters" between each set of paragraphs. I've tried again and again to get rid of them. I just can't figure it. Thanks!]
Friday, February 17, 2012
Lone Wolf Reborn: Character Creation
I have an interesting idea: instead of just reading Lone Wolf myself and writing about it, I will write overviews of the action, and present some of the more critical choices to you. Together, we can decide what route to take =)
I went ahead and rolled up stats and equipment, but I'll get your guys' help picking the Kai Disciplines (always my favorite part!) Let's get started.
Stats: Okay, if I'm going to try and take this incarnation of this character through all 20+ books, I don't want to try and do it with crummy stats. So, I figured I would roll two d10's and keep rolling until both came up 5 or above. Lo and behold, after three terrible rolls, on the 4th roll I got a 10 and a 9! Excuse me while I write this...
Combat Skill 20
Endurance 29
Ah yeah... that felt good. Those are the numbers I always wanted to roll when I was twelve. (Admittedly, I cheated a bit, but a man can only be pushed so far!)
Equipment: Okay, let's tackle "stuff." I've got the clothes on my back, an axe (presumably for chopping the wood I so irresponsibly dropped when I saw my home was on fire) and a bag with... *roll* a lousy 1 gold coin in it. Great. In addition, I find in the wreckage... *roll* a Healing Potion! I was hoping for a weapon, but not too bad.
Moving on...
Kai Disciplines: The Kai Disciplines are the (badass!) pseudo-magic special abilities that make your character (badass!) special. We get to pick 5 now, and learn one more each time we pass a (badass!) book.
Camouflage: The ability to blend in, either outdoors, or in a city.
Hunting: Free meals outdoors, and some woodsmanship skills.
Sixth Sense: I used to always take this skill as a kid. So cool to be psychic.
Tracking: Very nice information gathering skill, useful either in cities or wilderness.
Healing: Amazing skill. Heals 1 point of Endurance for each book section you read with no combat.
Weaponskill: I don't usually take this, but I rolled a sword... Thinking of the Sommerswerd, I suggest we go ahead and pick it up now.
Mindshield: Protect your mind from the psionic powers of the Darklords and their servants.
Mindblast: Psionic powers give you +2 to combat skill, unless the opponent has Mindshield.
Animal Kinship: Speak with and befriend animals. This skill is mandatory to win book 2, unless you're a douchebag and keep the spear for yourself.
Mind over Matter: Move small objects with only the power of your mind. (oooooh...)
Voting begins now! I'll tally results in a day or two, and continue.
Last time I tried this, I rolled awful combat skill. Something like 4. After that, this high-rolling badass should be awesome.
I went ahead and rolled up stats and equipment, but I'll get your guys' help picking the Kai Disciplines (always my favorite part!) Let's get started.
Stats: Okay, if I'm going to try and take this incarnation of this character through all 20+ books, I don't want to try and do it with crummy stats. So, I figured I would roll two d10's and keep rolling until both came up 5 or above. Lo and behold, after three terrible rolls, on the 4th roll I got a 10 and a 9! Excuse me while I write this...
Combat Skill 20
Endurance 29
Ah yeah... that felt good. Those are the numbers I always wanted to roll when I was twelve. (Admittedly, I cheated a bit, but a man can only be pushed so far!)
Equipment: Okay, let's tackle "stuff." I've got the clothes on my back, an axe (presumably for chopping the wood I so irresponsibly dropped when I saw my home was on fire) and a bag with... *roll* a lousy 1 gold coin in it. Great. In addition, I find in the wreckage... *roll* a Healing Potion! I was hoping for a weapon, but not too bad.
Moving on...
Kai Disciplines: The Kai Disciplines are the (badass!) pseudo-magic special abilities that make your character (badass!) special. We get to pick 5 now, and learn one more each time we pass a (badass!) book.
Camouflage: The ability to blend in, either outdoors, or in a city.
Hunting: Free meals outdoors, and some woodsmanship skills.
Sixth Sense: I used to always take this skill as a kid. So cool to be psychic.
Tracking: Very nice information gathering skill, useful either in cities or wilderness.
Healing: Amazing skill. Heals 1 point of Endurance for each book section you read with no combat.
Weaponskill: I don't usually take this, but I rolled a sword... Thinking of the Sommerswerd, I suggest we go ahead and pick it up now.
Mindshield: Protect your mind from the psionic powers of the Darklords and their servants.
Mindblast: Psionic powers give you +2 to combat skill, unless the opponent has Mindshield.
Animal Kinship: Speak with and befriend animals. This skill is mandatory to win book 2, unless you're a douchebag and keep the spear for yourself.
Mind over Matter: Move small objects with only the power of your mind. (oooooh...)
Voting begins now! I'll tally results in a day or two, and continue.
Last time I tried this, I rolled awful combat skill. Something like 4. After that, this high-rolling badass should be awesome.
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