Adult Choose Your Own Adventure Books

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 1:43 pm

Heeheehee.

Heh.

Eh?

Oh dark gods there's a damage system.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:00 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_novel

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:04 pm

I don't think Kobold Wizard is a CYOA.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:32 pm

You know, I believe you're right. Mea culpa.

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:34 pm

S'okay. You could replace it with "Ocean of Lard," though I don't recall that that one is any good.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:47 pm

Well, I really don't think any of them are likely to be any good. I suppose I could throw in one of the choose-your-own-fashion books...

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:49 pm

I rated "Super Giant Monster Time" a 3, more on potential than anything else. There's a pretty big nostalgia factor for these types of books, so to overcome that requires a pretty damn good writer or incredible concept.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:53 pm

Leress · Post by **Leress** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 5:48 pm

Monster Girl Quest NSFW

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 5:49 pm

I'm thinking maybe The Den should make one. "MAGIC TEA PARTY: A Choose Your Own Barrel Of Cocks Adventure"

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 5:59 pm

We can set it in Finality!

"You are Nam Orphanmaker, a sword-for-hire on one of the backworlds, a servant of many unworthy masters. You have long heard of Finality, and now that your latest master is dead at your own hands you have come to the City of the Planes to find your fortune."

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 6:00 pm

Sounds like we have some work to do.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 7:44 pm

I just want to add that I fully approve of this thread, and would like to contribute as much as I could to a Den CYOA.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 7:47 pm

Fighting Fantasy Style or Choose Your Own Adventure style?

I could see busting out a simplified fighting system and putting a few "action scenes", but it could also be pure Magic Teaparty.

In any case, I think the thing to do is arrange a pile of index cards on a cork board, and basically shuffle the numbers so that everything between entry 1 and entry 400 is mixed up.

-Username17

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 7:51 pm

I think string and pins have to be involved as well.

The sections on chargen and combat should look like half a dozen people tried to rewrite each others' rules in favor of their own.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:01 pm

I'm in.

I vote for having some mechanics. We have some good minds for those here, seems like a shame to miss the opportunity.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:04 pm

Before you do that, though, you'd want to block out your story flowchart (and decide what your overall plot is going to be).

I think you get maximum mileage from having several short segments that can be completed in any order, where each section gives you hints that can be used in the other sections. Not "if you have solved the NUMBER PUZZLE, turn to the appropriate page" hints, just turning educated guesses into sure things (the barman is a sucker for compliments, the church of many roads values charity, and so on).

That way, player choice matters without there being trap choices that just get you killed.

As far as a combat system, it would be hilarious if players had the choice to win or lose fights. Like:

Entering the room, you come face to face with a bloodthirsty ogre! A keychain dangles from the hide pelts at his waist. Are you strong enough to defeat him before he knocks you unconscious?

(you decide!)
If you are going to defeat him, turn to page 38 (which has the action scene where you kill him and gets you the keys)
If you are going to get knocked out, turn to page 52 (which has the action scene where you get knocked out, and gets you into the dungeon)

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:07 pm

For replayability, I think you're going to want three main adventures that branch off early. So when Nam gets to Portal Pentagram, he sees two fliers and a tout and whichever one he follows sends him down a different broad adventure path.

In one of them, you're part of an attempt to rob the Bank of Finality. Bad End is that you get eaten by the dragon. Good end is that you run off with a bunch of money.

In one of them, you're investigating a missing person case. Good end is that you find the body tossed into the Myconid circles and confront the killer, causing you to end up with a girlfriend.

In one of them a powerful item was stolen from the armory and you are supposed to track it down. Good end is that you either use the item yourself and turn into a rakshasa, or return the item to the armory and get a steady and well paying job.

-Username17

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:09 pm

Definitely. One of my favorite parts of the old CYOA were the non-standard game overs, like one where you became (a)God.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:23 pm

Whatever wrote:As far as a combat system, it would be hilarious if players had the choice to win or lose fights. Like:

Entering the room, you come face to face with a bloodthirsty ogre! A keychain dangles from the hide pelts at his waist. Are you strong enough to defeat him before he knocks you unconscious?

(you decide!)
If you are going to defeat him, turn to page 38 (which has the action scene where you kill him and gets you the keys)
If you are going to get knocked out, turn to page 52 (which has the action scene where you get knocked out, and gets you into the dungeon)

You know? Part of me really likes this. It's a solo adventure and you can't keep people from cheating, so just acknowledging that players can win or lose fights at their whim is kind of a neat touch.

-Username17

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:41 pm

I like the idea of binary combat, although I'm not sure whether or not we want the BBEG to be tougher by requiring that you make a few choices that you can get hints on a la Balthus Dire (assuming you do the wizard's duel with him) or Yaemon. So you have things like "do you kick the Dragon Master in the balls or try to yank off his magic amulet?" Not entirely sure on this one though.

For endings, I wonder if there should be a few "Yes/no, but" ones (more fun than several "You Lose" endings if you veer off the One True Path). For example:

Do you succeed in your quest to stop Raelzarm the Lich-King, who killed your parents and plans to take over the realms?

Yes: You stab the fucker in the face and become the new king.
Yes, but: You thwart the BBEG's plans but he gets away, vowing revenge.
No, but: You fail to stop him, but make it away with your life and start planning your next adventure.
No: You die, and the Lich King eats your soul. He then reanimates your soulless corpse as a zombie slave.
Note: this is just an example.

EDIT: clarified a few things

K · Post by K » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:45 pm

Am I the only one who read the Lone Wolf books? Those were the highest quality versions of the choose-your-adventure-style books.

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:46 pm

Lone Wolf was good, if a bit repetitive. The spinoff Greystar was much better.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:47 pm

It's a solo adventure and you can't keep people from cheating, so just acknowledging that players can win or lose fights at their whim is kind of a neat touch.

It's not a bad thought, though my instinct in that case would be to put some sort of a cost on declared victory, even if it's just flavor text like breaking a finger and worrying that it won't heal right. If I had my druthers, I'd probably get into stuff like 'winning fights can fuck you up more than losing them – or just running,' and 'what sort of a person is this kind of murder-machine.' But that probably doesn't belong in D&D-flavor Finality.

If we go the three branches route, I would try to have the branches cross over at least a little. So, in the non-bank-robbing branches, you wind up hearing some fallout from the robbery, like a tripped alarm at the bank draws away some loose security at a key moment, or a guy is upset because his vault was looted, or maybe you run into some NPCs looking for a safe-house or a route out of town. Stuff like that.

Orion · Post by **Orion** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 9:30 pm

My friends and I enjoyed this one: http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland ... id=5061808

EDIT: We also liked this one: http://www.amazon.com/Holocaust-Roseman ... 0807403075

Both are excellent party games.