tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417337570309175061.post4823680062318934345..comments2024-03-07T13:47:29.810+00:00Comments on Lloyd of Gamebooks: Reducing arbitrary consequences of decisionsStuart Lloydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15100216520313336932noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417337570309175061.post-35122203817321197692012-08-19T14:28:53.977+01:002012-08-19T14:28:53.977+01:00These 5 minute mysteries sounds very interesting. ...These 5 minute mysteries sounds very interesting. I've always been a big fan of a good ol' mystery! <br /><br />A lot of FF books assume that you're a rather noble and heroic type of character, and will reward you for that. Which is part of the reason why, when I'm given the chance to do things that are drastically out of character, I'll usually be tempted to take them. I like the little asides that sometimes crop up, especially in Blood of the Zombies - "You are tempted to kick Otto a few times, but decide that would be petty". Oh go on, just a little kick? <br /><br />There's a lot of really good tabletop games much like these, and it reminds me that gamebooks are often used as gateway programs into those. But after getting as bored with tabletop RPGs as I am, it's nice to take a good long break with these gamebooks and enjoy something simpler (but not necessarily easier!) In fact, there's a pretty good game you can play with a group of people, called 'Werewolf' or sometimes also titled 'Mafia' etc http://www.wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/Werewolf/Zanafarrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17588951783248424353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-417337570309175061.post-65630833769567457362012-08-19T00:49:32.056+01:002012-08-19T00:49:32.056+01:00I think decisions that involve trade-offs can be n...I think decisions that involve trade-offs can be non-arbitrary and much more interesting than "go right or left?" or "surrender to axe murderer?" For example, in a high school story, you might have to choose between rejecting your nerdy friend to get in with the cool crowd, or standing up for your friend and never having a shot at Stephanie, who hangs with the cool crowd. The consequences are fairly obvious, it's the moral aspect of the decision that's interesting -- or at least, whether or not you get to read the "dating Stephanie" branch.<br /><br />Another possibility: reaching a choice via Path A gives you one side of the story, but taking Path B gives you the other. So if you rode to town with the posse, you'd be likely to turn in the murder suspect when you found him hiding. But if you rode to town with the suspect's wife, you'd be likely to help him escape when you found him. You'd have to play through twice to get the whole picture, and there could still be some ambiguity, perhaps colored by which path you took first and made the biggest impression on you.<br /><br />Choiceofgames.com stories often have choices that cause you to question your motivations or how you want to roleplay your character (often with no impact on the story itself, only your view of it -- and yourself).Strangelandernoreply@blogger.com