These days gamebooks are available in many different
formats: we have our classic prints, with softcover and hardcover, and our
newer electronic format, with text file and game. Some gamebooks are very
short, like the ones I have posted so far, while others are large mammoth books.
Some had a plethora of illustrations, while others are text only. Some come
with extra materials required for game play, such as special cards, dice, etc.
While others can be played without needing any other materials at all. In this
post I’m going to discuss different aspects of gamebook formats.
Print or PDF?
I’m going to start off with the big question that’s being
asked in today’s digital era. Print or PDF? Gamebooks were originally published
in print, with a few select titles being turned into electronic format; for
example the first few Fighting Fantasy gamebooks were made available for ZX
spectrum. There were also text adventures, which were very similar to
gamebooks, such as Zork, which actually had a gamebook spinoff series. Today
many of our old favorite 80s series are now out-of-print, but there now seems
to be a rise in electronic formatted publications. So what are the advantages
of each?
Print: There’s nothing quite like the feel of a good book in
your hands; being able to flip through pages allows us certain things a digital
copy might not afford us, like being able to appreciate all the artwork as you
skim through, hidden ending like those of UFO 54-40, and a more general idea of
how the book is laid out. Although a book can get scuffed up, dirty and
damaged, it is a medium that will never go obsolete; in the future programs
required to read today’s digital gamebooks will be extinct and it will be
impossible to play those old favorites, however we’ll still be able to read our
old print gamebooks no matter how much technology changes.
PDF (or other electronic format): This adds a lot to the
simplicity of play; hyperlinks and automatic die rolls make things much easier
for the player. Also certain mechanics can be hidden from the player when
needed (for example in citadel of chaos when you are asked for the password you
are given a list of options to guess the password, when realistically a guard
wouldn’t give you a list to guess from). Also this format makes gamebooks more
portable; you can carry a library full of gamebooks in your pocket in ebook
format. Also all the automatic die rolling make it so you can play on the go
easily; you can be sure to lose a die when playing a gamebook on the subway.
I can see the appeal for both, however I myself however
prefer print; it’s easier to add to my collection, if ever my phone or computer
stops working I won’t lose my precious gamebooks. I also like to be able to
fudge some of the die rolls if they are too unfair (e.g. roll a two on 2d6 or
you die). And I like to browse through them and see what paths I missed after
reading them.
Large or Small?
Does size matter? When gamebooks first came out there were
usually quite short and without many options. Some series have continued this
way, such as choose your own adventure, which can be less than 100 pages long
with a significant about of linear sections of pages. Since then it seems
authors have been determined to expand in size, today we have our recent Legion
of Shadow at almost 700 pages. There exists a wide variety in the lengths of
gamebooks; there are some gamebooks that are around 1000 sections long, and
over 500 pages, while others (usually fan written) can be around 10 sections
and only a single page. So let’s take a look at the different advantages and disadvantages
of large and small gamebooks:
Large: while large gamebooks do have more room for
interesting narrative, sections and choices, it doesn’t necessarily mean that
the authors will fill it up with that. There are some full length novels that
will simply give the reader a choice of two ending at the very end, just barely
qualifying to be called a “gamebook”. I also find that the largest gamebooks usually
contain a variety of different plots within them (example: Life’s Lottery,
Pretty Little Mistakes, and all the subquests of Legion of Shadow and Fabled
Lands). For those who want one strict story line to follow and finish your
gamebook with no stone overturned, this is not the type for you. However, that
being said, for those who like to explore and love long text with detail, then
reading a short gamebook just doesn’t cut it when compared to some of the
larger gamebooks out there. Having a larger gamebook with more sections allows
the player much more freedom and a lot more options, plus a good deal of replay
value.
Short: It can be fun to pick up a small gamebook in your
spare time and finish it all in one go, exploring everything it has to offer.
And being short doesn’t necessarily mean the player doesn’t have many options: some
of said page-long adventures will include many sections on that single page
leading the player all around to different locations with a myriad of choices
on each section, though there probably won’t be many locations to visit aside
from the ones listed on each section. However these are only really good as quick
stories or games; you aren’t going to get a big role-playing adventure across
the land with complex in-depth plots in a short gamebook.
In my opinion, while I do enjoy the occasional short
gamebook, because they can be fun and quick adventures. This is the style I
have gone for in all the adventures I have written thus far. However most often
I like a nice big gamebook because I enjoy having a wider variety of options,
more complex plots, and a larger area to explore.
Illustrations
I’m just going to mention this one quickly because I believe
that we can universally agree that the more illustrations the better; they say
a picture is worth a thousand words, and they might just be right. Illustrations
can help the player really see what the author was trying to create with their writing,
while still using their imagination to elaborate on the illustrator’s drawing. I
find this helps in bringing the gamebook to life. Illustrations can also act as
puzzle for the player, such as in The Forgotten Spell, and give clues to the
player as well (like in Siege of Sardath section 332 where the text describes Sorrel
as having a scar over his right eye, but in the picture it is over his left,
meaning it is a trick!). Vivez l’Aventure had lovely two page illustrations,
for each section, proving that it’s impossible to have too many illustrations.
Extra Materials
For extra materials I am including play aids, tables,
adventure sheets, cards, dice, etc. Everything other than the text itself you
need in order to play. There are a variety of different types; there are common
household game items, like dice and pencils, there are tables to refer to in
the book or print out, also some old gamebooks even had plastic “filters” to
reveal certain hidden sections of text. The question is do they have a positive
or negative effect?
Extra Materials: On one hand, play aids can be used to add a
lot of depth and interesting mechanics to gameplay; in fact most of these play
aids provide most of the “game” in today’s gamebooks. In order to add elements
of chance to the story and game authors most often use dice to give the player
random outcomes, which helps keep things interesting and unpredictable. Authors
also use the adventure sheet keep record of what a player has done so as to
cause a player’s past action to affect them later in the story i.e. to add
consequence.
No Extra Materials: On the other hand, sometimes game items
can be difficult to use when on the go. As I said above; it’s kinda difficult
to roll your dice and write on your adventure sheet when you’re on a crowded
bus. Also there’s nothing wrong with reading a plain old CYOA without the fancy
dice and character creation. Many of the best gamebooks are written like that;
Life’s Lottery, a Million Little Mistakes, and Endless Quest are all playable
with nothing else but the book in your hands.
So now in my opinion, while it is nice to have easily usable
gamebooks out there that can be read and enjoyed in almost any situation, I
enjoy taking advantage of all the interesting mechanics play aids have to
offer. I encourage gamebook authors to take advantage of all the different
extra materials they can incorporate into their works, but to also write a
simple CYOA-type every now and then.
Conclusion
While I like gamebooks in just about every format they come
in, whether print or PDF, large or small, illustrated or not, requiring extra
materials or being stand-alone, there are certain formats that do seem to be
preferable to others. I would say the ideal gamebook format would be a print
hardcover, that was extremely long, filled with illustrations and using a
variety of extra materials to add spice to its mechanics. That isn’t to say
authors shouldn't experiment with the format of gamebooks and try a bit of
everything.
Now I want to hear what YOU think! What is YOUR favorite format
for a gamebook? Which series do YOU think presented the best format of
gamebook? What do YOU think of my opinions?
