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Tammy Mon Mar 23 05:47:21 2020 |
It solely depends on you. Don't listen to critics that tell how you should go about things. It's your writing, it's your choice. If they don't like it, that's fine. Some people are just too lazy to read a lot of text while others are impatient and want to get to the interaction immediately. It's always a curfew on my mature content, don't make it so violent, don't be so gory or sexual, but it's what I do. If they don't like they don't have to read it or bother leaving a comment. If you want your gamebook to be wordy, then alright. If you want it short and to the point, very well. It depends on you and as i always tell others "DO IT to please YOU not others because once you start writing for others you lose your enjoyment of far-fetched creativity and now you'll be afraid to let them down, expect greater things, or rely strictly on judgement and reviews of your work." But as it's always nice to hear feedback, write the book with as many long reference as you like. Just don't be like Charles Dickens who took two pages full of paragraphs to describe a tree. |
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Derek Metaltron Sun Apr 12 10:45:30 2020 |
Hey everyone, new person here, some great content on the site! I am just wondering what people's opinions are about doing fan made game books (either with FF mechanics or not and either open world or not) based on established settings, probably any of the following... - Star Wars - Doctor Who - Marvel - DC - Fallout - Skyrim - Horizon: Zero Dawn - Hitman I want to say I have a lot of ideas and a lot of free time right now because of current situations and I really like the idea of dipping my toes into making a gamebook finally, but I don't know if some people dislike games that take content from established universes (outside Fighting Fantasy anyway) or not. But clearly I have my loves and it's nice when you have some lore or even RPG inspired material to work with! Also I am wondering what size is best to start with! Long term I would love to make a 1000+ section epics that Fabled Lands would be proud of with plenty of adventures and quests and such but I know it's best to sharpen my skills on something more straightforward first! I have to say I liked Andrew Wright's idea of micro adventures with 25 sections or mini adventures with 50 sections, and the short games with 100 sections sound ideal too, so should I start there before tackling a 400-500er or a 1000er? Thanks in advance! |
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Robert Douglas Sun Apr 12 14:52:43 2020 |
Hi Derek, welcome to the group! A good list of possible ideas for gamebooks set in those particular worlds/universes. Personally though, I would say that open-world video games such as Fallout and Skyrim already speak (perhaps more efficiently) for themselves within RPG circles. Much as we all love gamebooks on this site, and how entertaining they have been and still can be despite their somewhat archaic approach to gaming, each one of us are painfully aware the limitations regarding choices. Admittedly, open world video games have much more choice of direction, methods employed, beside the sight and sound lacking in gamebooks. One of my favourite games would be Deus Ex - and Ian Livingstone was actually the Eidos Chairman during release way back in 2000. Even so, its 'multi-path' approach was partially inspired by the gamebook mechanic: do I go in guns blazing, venture beneath by taking the sewers, or climb that ladder to the rooftop and go from there...? However, the Marvel universe of superpowered heroes and villains is very popular - and one already emulated by Steve Jackson in the form of his fantastic 'Appointment With F.E.A.R'. Reading through it might give you inspiration, even what you might have done differently. And the good thing about this is you can execute such ideas and have it posted on this site. However, please bear in mind, while FF publications are open to fan-written prequels, sequels, or parallels to the plots, tread very carefully around copyright-protected worlds and universes. As you said yourself: 'based' upon - and it's far better to create your own world inspired by, but not directly taking from, established worlds/universes. Appointment with F.E.A.R achieved this without treading on the toes of actual Marvel superheroes/villains - yet they had similar ideas, powers, and character backstories. Steve Jackson made a tribute to his beloved Marvel comic hobby and all without incurring legal wrath. All published novels and gamebooks set within such franchises - Dr Who, Assassin's Creed, Star Wars, Robin Hood, to name but a few - were written by authors specially commissioned and bound under legal contract. Sorry if I sound a bit like a lawyer, but rules are there for a reason. Whether the overall theme is horror, sci-fi, steampunk, post-apocalypse, comedy, including some or even all these genres, the best thing is to play to your strengths - or your loves as you mentioned above - as you already have the necessary inspiration necessary for enthusiasm. As to actual length, I would recommend a short adventure as an ideal starting point - something like 100 entries - just to get your teeth into, trying out ideas first, and that many entries gives you some room to play with during writing. However, one factor to also bear in mind is not to limit yourself; for example, you might have written about 120 or 130 by the time you've finished writing in all your ideas. 50, 100, 400....all are ideal round numbers. Don't be afraid, or limit yourself, to have 125 or 415. I'm currently writing Sean Calibre Book 2 and planned something like 450 entries - I suddenly realized there wouldn't be enough to cater for the scope of choices and expanded it to 600! Whatever you decide, I hope the writing goes okay <:-)> |
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Yaztromo Fri Jun 19 04:23:47 2020 |
Over ten years ago I came across a Star Wars fan gamebook series that followed Lone Wolf game mechanics (after all, the Jedi are not that different from the Kai...) and it was really great! WRT size, my strong suggestion is to start small. You will increase size once you will get your technique perfected. I suggest you make a good use of the (free) tool called Libro Game Creator http://www.matteoporopat.com/librogame/libro-game-creator-3/#download-lgc Don't get scared off by the language, there is also an English version.... |
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A.E.Johnston Sat Jun 19 02:58:30 2021 |
Hi Derek, It has been a while since I have messaged, but saw your question and just wanted to chip in my $0.02. - Star Wars: Everyone likes Star Wars- BUT therein lies the issue. This is such a large franchise I wouldnt be surprised there are already officially published gamebooks, so I would likely steer clear unless it is a franchise you are very passionate about. - Doctor Who: I am not a large fan of Doctor Who, but this would likely fall into the sci-fi category. Ulysses AI has explored may sci fi stories, so it may be worth looking into another genre. - Marvel: Not a big comic fan, and it seems that this is already a series with a huge fanbase. Originality and making stories may be an issue and outweigh the value of the established media. - DC: See above for Marvel. - Fallout: Promising! the post apocalyptic genre is of great enjoyment and almost criminally overlooked. The Fallout game series also has diverse background in their games, and provides a good background. - Skyrim: Also sounds promising, another Bethesda game series with diverse gameplay and background that would translate well to FF. - Horizon: Zero Dawn: I am not familiar enough to comment. - Hitman: Would transfer well to FF! Good idea, worth looking into. Hope this helps! |
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YARD Fri Aug 11 12:03:39 2023 |
I was excited when I first saw this conversation topic, but now I realize the last post was 2 years ago, and the initiating post over 3 years ago! Seems like Derek hasn't been able to go ahead with any of those ideas? To be honest, it's really quite impressive that The Project has 56 gamebooks by my count, and practically all of them appear to be original works? Well, Bodies in the Docks is obviously Lovecraftian (though since Lovecraft has always been public domain, it's still a different kind of a phenomenon) and perhaps some are related to the settings of the official Fighting Fantasy books (I really haven't played that many of the official gamebooks) but it is still remarkable that no-one has apparently decided to spin off a more widely familiar setting, and instead all successful works have staked out their own claim. Oh well, perhaps I can be the first, then. I'll keep the setting a secret until my work is done, to avoid raising expectations in case it fails, but I'll say the setting I intend to work on is not any of the ones which were mentioned above. |
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Gabe Fandango Wed Aug 16 06:50:51 2023 |
Hi, I realize that this hasn't been very active for a while, so I hope the site admin will see this... I've recently finished writing my first gamebook. Well, technically, I wrote it many years ago, back in my student days, in handwritten manuscript. Of course, I had to go back and more or less edit every single section when I decided to turn it into a softcopy version, because the original draft was written by a kid (and who frankly wasn't very fluent in English - it wasn't my Mother Tongue). I can't really call it a rewrite - the content and design of the book pretty much remained as it was, but I basically reworded all the sentences and paragraph to make the English less broken, and added an extra line here or there to patch up some missing loopholes. The end result is something like what Terry Pratchett described his book "The Carpet People" to be: something that's not entirely written by young me or old me. Anyway, the book is actually meant to be part of a "series" of sorts. It's an idea similar to the "companion adventures" of the Lone Wolf series published under Mongoose (although kid me thought of the idea before Mongoose did it), with the PC of each mini-adventure being a minor character of the main series. The book I've recently "finished" features a minor character from "The Warlock of Firetop Mountain" as the PC - namely, the bearded prisoner rescued by the Hero from his cell and now trying to escape from Firetop Mountain (the title of the mini-adventure is called "Escape from Firetop Mountain). Anyway, I understand that you may not have the time (or think it's good enough) to ever make this book available for online play on this site, but I'm hoping you can at least still put it on the downloads section if I send you soft copy. Can I just check if I can still send the softcopy to this address in the contact link to be hosted in the download section: <info@ffproject.com>? Many thanks. |
| Yes, definitely. |
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Gabe Fandango Wed Aug 16 14:50:07 2023 |
Thank you. I've sent the soft copy to the above address. :) |
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Durbidalla Wed Feb 19 11:30:14 2025 |
Hey. I have been thinking about writing a gamebook myself. I already have the main lines and the twists in mind. It'd be of course one set in the continent of Allansia, on an isolated overhanging recess in the Lion Heights, far enough from Kharnek to not have experienced destruction like it. It enjoys a temperate micro climate. Synopsis: "You are a human deserter from an armed confederation of hamlets of the plains of Bronze. Tired of being a puppet to the political machinations of the kinglets, you took advantage of an important courrier mission to make your escape. Your concern to shake off the squadron of your pursuer, the persistent and highly capable seneschal Harsenf, lead you towards an isolated town located in the Lion Heights. Unbeknowst to you, you have become a pawn in the intrigues of an order of warring Maenads. Their prosperous but unstable society revolves around keeping Bakrys drunk, the high-ranked demon who conquered their land long ago. Your timing is most unfortunate because it is the night of Shekka's Moon... Can you find any trustworthy ally among the Maenads? Will you be able to finally get rid of Harsenf? But most importantly, can you survive a land tainted by the powerful spirit of Bakrys?" |
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Ulysses Sun Feb 23 09:52:00 2025 |
@Durbidalla Sounds interesting. Looking forward to seeing more. |
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Durbidalla Sun Mar 2 17:56:40 2025 |
I have thought of another adventure, but I will have to choose one of them to focus one. Title: The Azurean Horde Synopsis: Unexplainable events of great magnitude are happening in Northern Allansia. The storm God Suhk is furious, unleash terrible thunderstorms, wrecking havoc upon crops and causing scarcity of food. Besides, the blue dragons, ordinarily confined to the skies, are pushed away from their habitual habitat. The clergy of Salamonis have noticed a worrisome detail, as their contacts with the mountainous temple of Totenchak have abruptly ceased. Nearby it, the fearsome Popess of the Sky Demons was sealed in eternal glaciers, during the war of the wizards. The sages of Salamonis fear that order of the Azurean Horde, an once disbanded secret society at her service, is near to resurrect her. Not only would Allansia experience a general rarefaction of oxygen, but the legions of the Popess, exiled in the highest sky spheres, would claim the land as their own. Only you, a powerful warring exorcist, can set off to Totenchak and avert another critical threat to the world... Which adventure would you prefer? I have a preference for this one, personally. I have already in mind the two correct paths and the wild goose path leading to a game over. |
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Durbidalla Sun Mar 2 19:44:20 2025 |
For this one, I thought of a Faith system. Since you are an exorcist fighting a demonic faction nestled in the depths of the Totenchak temple, faith is a factor as important as the blessed artifacts you use or magic. It is different of luck, which will be tested only as you face perils not related to encounters. You throw two dice. Only once per request. If they both have a score superior to 3, you have enough faith to overwhelm an enemy trying to unleash a curse, charm you or thwart your attempt at exorcism. Thanks to this, you sometimes defeat a foe without having to draw your sword. Failure in Faith test can result in stamina loss, or against the main antagonists high-priestess Fehedra and Mebari, the Duke of the Lower Celestial Sphere, death. |
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Durbidalla Tue Mar 4 09:02:33 2025 |
Well, I decided to write The Azurean Horde. I think this one inspires me the most. I have yet to write fully the backstory prologue, but I can still tease you with the very first paragraph. Make sure to tell me what you think or return feedback if I can bring some needed corrections...
SPOILER
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Ulysses Wed Mar 5 00:12:20 2025 |
@Durbidalla Writing what you find inspiring is most important. If I had have gotten back to you sooner I would have recommended the first story because it decribed the main character's dilemma very well: they are on the run trying to escape a pursuer and stumble into something that will complicate their attempts to escape. You may have a similarly compelling character dilemma for the second story, but it didn't seem to be included in the synopsis. The only feedback I will give, which is only my own opinion based on the very few things you have shared is a general comment that world-building can become too prominent, especially at the beginning of a story. Generally, the characters of the story (even in a gamebook) are what readers relate to and give a reason to care about the details of the world the characters inhabit. In the example of your story, I care less that there is a cult trying to reawaken an evil popess, and more about why the main character is the only one who can meet the threat, and why they want to or have found that responsibility thrust upon them. Hopefully that is helpful! |
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Gavin Wed Mar 5 04:49:23 2025 |
I agree that world building can be granted too much prominence. Pratchett, who is otherwise far from a favourite of mine, reckoned he used to just have the heroes run down random streets he made up. |
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Durbidalla Fri Mar 7 08:43:38 2025 |
Mmm, if I understand correctly, you recommend me to write more extensively about characterization, for at least the first paragraph? Does it mean, have the reader relate more with the main character, so that they get more engrossed with the world building elements I feed them? Should I write more about what personally and dramatically connects the main character to the stakes and what eventual emotions may complicate his quest? Do you think it's a bit plain that the main character in my draft is only driven to act because he is appointed by the sages of Salamonis? And last question, do you think it'd be a better idea to strew world building's exposition as the adventure treads along, through the character's reflection? I am very pleased with your feedback. As a writer, my outlook can be different of that of a reader, I get it. If I didn't consult you, I probably would have gone on a trajectory where this gamebook ends to be a well written but rebarbative grind. Before I can continue, I need you to answer these five questions. They may hold sway to how I flesh out the first and some other key paragraphs. I might even add a sub-quest depending on how I repurpose the character. |
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Durbidalla Fri Mar 7 09:33:26 2025 |
By the way, the reason why I decided not to write about this deserter's escape gamebook, is because I am creatively stumped about a couple of critical key plot elements. For instance, the main character gets to be imprisoned in a cell on the logistics department building of the orchard domain, instead of the prison block near the vineyard where any male foreigner is normally assigned to stay (since they're enslaved by the Maenads). I cannot think of a good explanation on why the main character gets special treatment on the get go. And why the logistics department leader doesn't directly invite the main character in her office if he can be of special use. In my mind, the first part of the adventure should involve him to escape a cell and walk across a second story wraparound porch until he eventually finds this office. It is more compelling in a storytelling standpoint to me. More than just have him already at the office and share a conversation with the lady. Of course, I can directly disregard everything and make the main character into an ordinary enslaved guy, but then again, I don't see how a leader would feel compelled to use him as a political pawn, as she conspires to steer the micro nation in any particular direction. After all, why would she entrusts critical information to a random slave who may only weaponize it to rebel and escape? It'd endanger the chief's Maenad's agenda more than anything. There has to be a mutually benefitial deal going on between the deserter guy and that chief Maenad. I just don't manage to define it in a satisfactory way. |
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Ulysses Thu Mar 13 12:08:44 2025 |
@Durbidalla First and foremost you should write the kind of gamebook you want to write. If you've happy to consider my opinion, I would answer your questions as follows: I would summarise my advice by saying that you want to give the main character a reason for undetaking an adventure that the reader is interested in seeing develop. At the end of the story you want to reward the reader with the ending, not just that character; therefore you want to engage the reader in the adventure from the outset. For example, the main character being appointed by the Sages of Salamois to undertake the mission can be a very rich and engaging start to your story, be it as dramatic as the main characater being plucked from obscurity because of a prophecy, or just as simple as being hired in a tavern because they are a famous exotcist. Giving the main character a reason or motive just makes it a more complete experience. Because you are writing a gamebook, you do want your reader to 'inhabit' the character to some extent, so to leave room for that you either need to avoid proscibing an entire pesonality, or have some broad character strokes that most people can relate to. What determines 'too much personality' is if the choices you are offering the reader would not be viable choices for the character you have defined. The story still needs to be driven forward by the reader's choices, not by your main character's personality. Since you are introducing the Faith System, I would suggest introducing the in-universe role of faith for the character, to present how they see challenges as tests of faith. This doesn't need to be elaborate or detailed; if you want to start your story on the side on the mountain, you can have your character look down at the village in the valley far below and recall how the villagers claimed that acending the mountain was impossible, only a madman would try...but armed with your fath you had no dount you would suceed. Finally, I do suggest you introduce your world-building as it is encountered by your main character. My initial comments were prompted by long detailed paragraphs of information that I ended up skipping over because it was a long list of things I don't care about --- until your story makes me care about them. Your writing gives the impression that you think a lot about the setting of your world, and that level of detail is importanrt for you to know so you can introduce it when it is needed, but the reader does not need an infodump at the beginning before they even know what the story is and if they are interested in it. Anyway, I hope those comments are helpful. I'm not an expert, just a guy with opinions. |
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