Coming soon - Simon Osborne's Lovecraft-inspired gamebook. Expect it in about three weeks' time.
ffproject Wed Jan 28 21:22:48 2004
Bodies In The Docks
Here it is. I should point out that the rules have been heavily simplified from the original version, but the story remains unchanged.
Harry Mon Apr 26 12:30:39 2004
I think that 'Bodies in the Docks' needs to be more balanced. Encountering 2 'Deep Ones' at Sk: 10 St: 24 and Sk:9 St: 28 means fighting simultaneously against two creatures either one of whom would be stronger than the average PC. This comes immediately after fighting two cultists . . . what's the point in this? Just to kill the player? If I wanted a game that relied entirely on dice rolls I would play Ludo.
Phil Tue Apr 27 06:08:55 2004
"I think that 'Bodies in the Docks' needs to be more balanced. Encountering 2 'Deep Ones' at Sk: 10 St: 24 and Sk:9 St: 28"
I agree. If there's no way past them or no way to weaken them, then it is completely ridiculous!
James Mon May 10 03:24:41 2004
Hey, great site!
I loved the setting and style (not to mention the skill choosing part) of "bodies in the docks", and have just played some of hellfire. Im now wondering if there are another gamebooks done by the same author of Bodies in the docks or similiar ones i can find.
The good news is that Simon Osborne is working on a sequel to Bodies In The Docks.
Many years ago, he also wrote a gamebook called Curse Of The Yeti which can be found on the downloads page. Be aware, though, that this is not representative of his later writing, and doesn't have anything in common with Bodies In The Docks.
An updated version of Riders Of The Storm, in which a minor mistake has been corrected, is now available on the Downloads page.
Also added is Simon Osborne's very early work, Curse Of The Yeti.
Darmok! Tue Jul 6 18:10:25 2004
Just a small thing but I think paragraph 15 in Bodies In The Docks has a "who's" that should be a "whose".
You're right. I have now corrected it. Thanks.
James Sat Aug 7 18:41:31 2004
any word on simone osborne's sequel to "bodies in the docks"? or any new gamebooks written by him? (ive read curse of the yeti).
also does Gavin mitchell have any other gamebooks besides outsider?
No news on the Bodies In The Docks sequel. Gavin Mitchell has written no other gamebooks to my knowledge. He did make a start on one - Afterlife - but it doesn't look like this will ever be completed.
R.J. Fri Nov 19 10:49:31 2004
Hi, I'd just started playing 'Bodies In The Docks', and found the creativity and pace of the storytelling to be excellent.
Sadly though, I was unable to carry on playing after 10 minutes as the colours (bright white on dark grey) used for the text had way too much contrast it not only left 'glare-streaks' in my eyes but also a banging headache!
Anyone else had this problem?
R.J. Mon Nov 22 04:56:40 2004
Wow, I think 'Bodies in the Docks' is simply marvellous - besides having an original (afaik) and interesting storyline, it is also rather rich in detail for a gamebook. Kudos to Mr. Osborne for his ingenuity. Too bad it's so short... Any chance this might be extended to a 400-sectioner in the near future?
(PS: I overcame the problems I had initially with the 'way-too-contrasty' text by changing my browser's text settings.)
Eliot Ball Sat Dec 18 15:12:51 2004
I think theres somthing wrong with Bodies In The Docks. I selected Tommy Gun usage at the beginning but when I was fighting I could not use it. I still got a fairly long way through it though.
Yes, you're right. I think I've fixed it now though.
??? Tue Dec 21 16:15:47 2004
Hi eliot in order to use the tommy gun you must have elephant gun usage and tommy gun usage
???
Eliot Ball Fri Jan 14 14:48:58 2005
Bodies In The Docks is really reallyreallyreally hard (I ran out of different ways to say it - without being complicated). If anyone has any tips could you please pleasepleaseplease put them in this guestbook, 'cos I'm having loads of trouble with it.
asgardian Sun Jun 18 06:53:39 2006
Just played Bodies on the Docks. Handled it flawlessly until...the cavern. Two Cultists, OK. But two Deep Ones with those stats? Even with a Skill of 12 and a gun and the silver knife, survival is unlikely. You need a Stamina of 24 to have a chance! I think had the fight taken place later after finding some First Aid, it would have been more reasonable. Otherwise, a good read.
asgardian Sat Jun 24 03:44:28 2006
Oh, re: Bodies on the Docks...
SPOILER
The trick is to play as the Gangster and select the Tommy Gun and Knife Proficiency. If you use the Tommy Gun on the Deep Ones you can get one of them down to a STAMINA of 1 before having to go hand-to-hand with the Knife. You still need a SKILL of 12 to beat the odds, but it helps. S]
END SPOILER
Chernobyl Mon Mar 31 16:54:34 2008
Hey can you talk to whoever made bodies in the docks and maybe convince him to write a sequel
He (Simon Osborne) was certainly at one point working on a sequel, but as it's been over five years since Bodies In The Docks was written, I wouldn't hold your breath. If you want to encourage him yourself, his email address can be found at his website http://homepage.ntlworld.com/outspaced.
duffmeister Fri Jun 13 18:44:01 2008
If Simon Osbourne won't write a sequel to'Bodies in the Docks' can someone ask him to either explain some of the loose ends fom BITD or let someone else write one. (And if he is going to, could he, since it was such a great adventure)/
What would Simon Osbourne's sequel to Bodies in the Docks be about?
I take it you read the review and response I posted links to last time you asked a similar question. That's all I know on the subject, but Simon is quite easy to get hold of : see the links page for his site. Better still - because I'm sure you're not the only one who is interested - you could also try posting this question on one of the Yahoo groups.
Pietroschek Mon Nov 2 20:35:33 2009
It has been a pleasure to play "The mysterious case of Bodies in the Docks" by Simon Osborne. I made it another PDF though, as my Linux is a bit burdened with DOC format on occasion. Very good classic Cthulhu flair!!!
Steampunk Sat Dec 18 12:27:40 2010
Hey, just a line to say that I really enjoy this site! I come back to it every few months to try a few more of the games.
Bodies on the Docks so far is my favourite- I love how there's no hint at the beginning what the theme really is. Instead, I was sucked in by the atmosphere, I was wondering where it was all going. And then the Deep Ones appeared...
Great stuff. I hope the site continues to be a resource for fans and writers of gamebooks!