What are /r/gamebooks' favorite Products & Services?

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I would say the paragraph booklet that came with Ambush!, a solitaire boardgame from 1983. You play the game on a hex terrain map using cardboard counters, and look up paragraphs in the booklet all the time to see if you encounter things, and to drive the enemy "AI". The paragraphs are linked like in a gamebook, but you have lots of entry points and don't spend a lot of time navigating between paragraphs.

Second would be Ranger, a boardgame from 1984 that is also based on a booklet of paragraphs. It is more like a traditional gamebook because every mission you play you start reading from paragraph 1 and then just keep reading like a gamebook until you reach an end (plus various die-rolls and taking notes and drawing things on the erasable map as you play, so it is somewhere between solitaire boardgame and gamebook).

There are a few more gamebook/boardgame hybrids, mostly from around 1980. I find all of them interesting.

And Fabled Lands, of course. And the Virtual Reality series that did away with randomness, but other than that plays/reads much like any typical 80's gamebooks.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livenovel.thehereticalnine

It's being reviewed now, hopefully it's live by the time you see this.

Here are a couple promo codes. You only need one, but if anyone else sees this comment, feel free to take one.

C8JNNJ84U8T85EJ3VEP2B49

4FF4EQ59J6T363RMTGZVWHV

E1U93J8W4BL3URK1X9T0EBD

5E9WR4AMXXDZUCBJH696RKP

If you use Android, you can play through the Kai, Magnakai, and Grand Master series using a free and very well made app called "Lone Wolf Saga" on GooglePlay:

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https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.GDVGames.LoneWolfBiblio

Sooo I'm going to shill here, but I feel it's very appropriate. My team here at MetaArcade have been partnering with Flying Buffalo to bring Tunnels & Trolls to mobile, and it just launched! It's called Tunnels & Trolls Adventures and you can find it on the Apple and Google App Stores.

Naked Doom is our free adventure. We don't have Deathtrap Equalizer in yet, but certainly plan to in the future. Our other adventures are Buffalo Castle, Seven Ayes, Golden Dust Red Death and Grimtina's Guard. We're releasing Stop Thief! tomorrow and Hot Pursuit next week (well, that's the current plan).

Our Naked Doom is a bit more forgiving, but if you read some off the app store reviews, you'll see it's still quite harsh.

Google Apple

Regardless if you play on pen & paper or in our app, hope you have fun!

Look up Combat Heroes by Joe Dever. He's the author of the Lone Wolf gamebook series but these look to be something VERY similar to what you're looking for.

Here's someone looking for the same thing and has pictures: http://www.grimrock.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2705

I use Twine. I don't write traditional gamebooks, though. Mine are more digital gamebooks. You can find a tutorial for how I write here: Twine Tutorial.

I recently played Stephen Colbert's Escape from a man sized cabinet, and it was a fun little diversion. It was done using something called "Twine" which seems like a really good possibility for gamebooks. I haven't had much chance to check it out yet though, but based on the Colbert game it seems like it could work quite nicely.

Hi, in case you’re still interested in grabbing a copy of my new gamebook, here is the Amazon UK link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B094CXWV9C/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=17S72MVEHZCNQ&dchild=1&keywords=kj+shadmand&qid=1621458703&sprefix=Kj+%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1

Hi! - yes I actually released the physical book first but for some reason Amazon hasn't linked them together - it's available across Amazon if you are not in the US (I'm in the UK for example lol)

I remember reading a baseball one when I was a kid that I enjoyed. You were the manager of a baseball team and had to make strategic decisions throughout the game. I think it might be this one: https://www.amazon.com/Playoff-Champion-Choose-Your-Adventure/dp/055356000X.

Sure. Here you go : https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4894258080/

Not sure why they changed the title from kanji to katakana for this reprint, the first one was... much more atmospheric.

Choices, Stories you play on Andorid, and presumbably Iphone might work.

there is also Choice of Games though you might have to preplay individual titles before you make a decision. Also note that Choice of games has an explicit policy on allowing the protagonist to be gay or bisexual. The stories arn't sexually explicit mind you, but do include romantic relationships. Some stories have the option of having no romance at all, but again this is a reader choice.

Try this:

https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Ice-Critical-IF-gamebooks/dp/1909905003/ref=asc_df_1909905003/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312166033806&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11633792838581233094&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev...

It looks like it's $10 on Amazon

My first book is about to take off!

The King of Awakening

Dive into the adventure of Dennis Cutler, a young Saxon warrior from the Middle Ages who makes a vow to save Europe from society’s darkest forces.

Author: Derek Martic Langdon

Genre: Dark fantasy

Language: English only (United Kingdom)

Release date: November 15, 2022

This book is NOT recommended for people under the age of 18

The marketing campaign is being run by the Savvy Book Marketing agency.

Pre-order now on Amazon Kindle for just $4.99 usd

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJH3J3GZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PZ4QFZ823ZED&keywords=Derek+Martic&qid=1666034275&sprefix=derek+martic%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-1

There is a series of gamebooks thats the best I've found until now, the problem is its in italian (and maybe french too) It's called "fra tenebra e abisso" (betwen darkness and abyss)

app on playstore

So you’re talking about a different series than this one? Some comments mentioned the name of the first one being war torn kingdom so I thought it was this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09N2PRYLS?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tpbk

Book!

I don't know how it's done with english gamebooks, but in France, they are re-releasing gamebooks since few years, I bought this one.

« Scriptarium » an associative publishing house which collaborates with « Gallimard Jeunesse », dissects everything down to the comma, with the original version at hand, to extract as many typos, faults, errors, inconsistencies, inaccuracies or blunders as possible.

And in some gamebooks, there are also bonus texts of 4 kinds: Background, Biographies of known or important characters, Mini-bestiary and playable pre-drawn characters with a short history.

There's lots of them, have a look at https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Hitler-Praise-Fire-Horrible/dp/149284232X Most of the other books bought with the hitler one are pretty much adult only ones.

I wrote a set of game books based on battles about ten years ago.

There's four in the series:

• Hastings.
• Marathon.
• Arnhem.
• Iwo Jima.

When I wrote them, they were based on the current unsderstandings of the battle. There's one path you can take that reflects the historical outcomes.

Here's Arnham:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arnhem-Gary-Smailes-February-2011/dp/B01B99RVT8/ref=sr\_1\_10?crid=2DSHBYJVRQ3F0&keywords=gary+smailes&qid=1654593093&sprefix=gary+smailes%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-10

Iwo Jima:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EDGE-Battle-Books-Iwo-Jima-ebook/dp/B00C3GXFSS/ref=sr\_1\_7?crid=2DSHBYJVRQ3F0&keywords=gary+smailes&qid=1654593093&sprefix=gary+smailes%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-7

For a sandbox gamebook series, yes. If you like them at all, snag all 7 while they're still in print - there is a LOT of gameplay there, it just isn't as story driven as others.

Story wise, there are others that are probably better, but there won't be book-to-book progression. The best for that would IMHO probably be the Lone Wolf books, Sorcery is very good too (both of these you can carry your character forward.)

Morris & Thompson have a standalone book that was originally a Fighting Fantasy novel that has been reprinted slightly re-written to mesh with Fabled Lands: Keep of the Lich Lord

Not as serious as Fabled Lands, but a similar feel/same author - Vulcanverse

You can travel between books 1-4 (book 5 isn't out yet.)

Take his data out of the homebrewery and manage it yourself with Pandoc? Books are a bit unwieldy but going with a new tool is hard, too. There's Scrivener, yWriter, and various similar apps that mostly support markdown (if he wants to stick with that).

Crusoe Crew was a bit like that.

You could probably do a group read of nearly any gamebook. The group must make choices together, and then just multiply the number of enemies by the number of players whenever combat comes up.

Although at some point you might just be better off running D&D or some other tabletop RPG...

someone has marked it has spam, so i am not sure i should follow this link see here: https://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/chaosium.com?utm_source=addon&utm_content=popup

Till otherwise stated i will not follow this link

Judging from the preview at Amazon, it's purely choice-based.

I’m a new gamebook author and yet to make it onto any lists. My debut adventure uses Fighting Fantasy type mechanics in adaptations of classic sci-fi and fantasy novels. It’s received some excellent reviews so far. Feel free to take a look: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B093RP19V7/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=2L9SYVRVJWYUK&dchild=1&keywords=kj+shadmand&qid=1630340425&sprefix=Kj+%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1

I by far enjoy more linear gamebooks, especially Ian Livingstone‘s FF books. Jon Green also excellent. I’ve also started a trilogy of gamebooks that seek to adapt H.G.Wells novels into Fighting Fantasy-esque adventures. Here’s a link to Book 1 in case it may be of interest. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B093RP19V7/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=2L9SYVRVJWYUK&dchild=1&keywords=kj+shadmand&qid=1630340425&sprefix=Kj+%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1

Would you be interested in trying my debut gamebook ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau: An Interactive Adventure’? It’s up on Amazon in hyper-linked e-book and paperback. Have a chap developing it as an app game, as well (:

Here’s the .com link: https://www.amazon.com/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B093RP19V7/ref=tmm\_pap\_swatch\_0?\_encoding=UTF8&qid=1626278487&sr=8-1

A key question for me before starting a gamebook is: will it be ‘one true path’ or will there be multiple paths through the gamebook? My preference is for the latter; it seems more plausible to me to allow for different decisions to have some validity and effectiveness in completing the adventure. One drawback with this approach is that you will need to stay on top of the multiple pathways through the book and ensure the logic holds together. If successful, you’ll have a much more ‘realistic’ and (IMO) satisfying adventure! If interested in seeing what this method achieved, do take a look at my gamebook.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B093RP19V7/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=1PUQ3HS8N6CY6&dchild=1&keywords=kj+shadmand&qid=1622634658&sprefix=Kj%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1

I just released the first in a series of classic literature adaptations. Book 2 is in the planning phase as I write (: Here’s the link to The Island of Doctor Moreau - An Interactive Adventure.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B093RP19V7/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=1PUQ3HS8N6CY6&dchild=1&keywords=kj+shadmand&qid=1622634658&sprefix=Kj%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1

Not in the app store (yet) but James Schannep has a highly acclaimed zombie gamebook that’s just come out in a 10-year hardback edition.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/INFECTED-10th-Anniversary-Illustrated-Collectors/dp/1954747012/ref=sr\_1\_1?dchild=1&keywords=james+schannep+infected&qid=1622634350&sr=8-1

My gamebook uses a Fighting Fantasy-esque mechanic that pits Ballistics (ranged skill) against Ranged Defence (dexterity and/or armour) to resolve a shooting round with a D6 roll.

Doubles result in an auto hit and allows 19th century gunpowder weapons to cause double damage. A successful FATE test can double this damage once again - so you can literally blow a monsters head off with a single shot!

Certain guns have additional bonuses, such as rapid fire, scatter-shot damage against a mob etc. Do take a look!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B093RP19V7/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=34QZN7I7YO34O&dchild=1&keywords=kj+shadmand&qid=1622634233&sprefix=Kj%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Hi, here is the UK link to my gamebook, if you’re still interested in a copy!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B094CXWV9C/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=17S72MVEHZCNQ&dchild=1&keywords=kj+shadmand&qid=1621458703&sprefix=Kj+%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1

Thanks! It’s on discount in the Amazon store at the moment:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Doctor-Moreau-Interactive-Adventure/dp/B093RP19V7/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Kj+shadmand&qid=1620154526&sr=8-1

I guess I can finally say I'm published! Took a long time and a lot of work to get to this point but so happy it's finally done. Published simply through Amazon but - still published 😃

Sandbrook: The cult wants you https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1084135310/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HpQGDbFA66JT1

Hello adventurer, we have release a free version of the app for those who would like to give it a try.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.madmustachecompany.gamebookfree&hl=en

This version has some limitations compared to the full app, but it gives a nice preview for free!

Sharpen your blades, adventure await!

After two years or hard work, we released the game today. It's been a long side-project with a lot of ups-and-downs for me and my childhood friend. Created with a lot of love, sweat and tears. No backers or money, just a lot of effort :D

The game is featured as a free game with a single in-app purchase which unlocks the full game. In other words, you download it for free and can play up to a certain point and get the full content by paying a one-time fee of approximately $4.99, depending on where you live.

• App Store
• Google Play

Hi all! Thought I would post this here - we've decided to create a day for people to celebrate their love of interactive fiction on Thursday. I'm also making "Sandbrook Museum" and it's sequel free to download for the day to celebrate 😆 You can find it here if interested! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YKG2PJ7

at exactly $15 Destiny's Role 1: Mistress Of Sorrows https://www.amazon.com/-/de/Destinys-Role-1-Mistress-Sorrows/dp/B085RTM9MS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&qid=1597669244&refinements=p_27%3AMark+Lain&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Mark+Lain

Hi all! I posted here a short while ago asking how short a gamebook can be - so here it is - a mini gamebook just under 50 pages and about 100 or so links. Its in the same world as my last, but with an episodic style about a failing journalist who finds more than she wanted underneath the local town museum. Ive put it on Amazon as print and ebook and hoping to make it free this weekend like I did with the last book, but I have to wait until it is 'released' on Friday. Do have a look and tell me what you think!

Hopefully the first in 4-5 histories. This one's quicker and more gruesome than Sandbrook so check it out if you like Lovecraft style horror ��

Sweet, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Link for those interested: Nightshift: Choose your path and face the consequence https://www.amazon.com/dp/108948528X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AgETDbC0N0A57

Others: Virtual Reality, Webs of Intrigue, Super Endless Quest/AD&D Adventure Gamebooks, Diceman.

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Detective's Choice is a cool series (mobile devices only). https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=detectivesChoiceV1.toucher&hl=en\_US

I am interested in this, but I would like to know how your app differs (or improves upon) the <em>Lone Wolf Saga</em> app?

Commercial digital gamebooks should be like this imo. Not only with atmospheric soundtrack, but with different ambient sounds for each location, with sounds effects. Here is one of gamebooks where its done (its in russian)

For kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Jeffrey-Dean/e/B014HZARME/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Ice-Critical-IF-gamebooks-ebook/dp/B00EWNI4WW/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=KDVS5EE4WK2HAWBR42R3

You will probably enjoy the Critical IF gamebooks by Dave Morris. They feature full-fledged skill and inventory systems, but do away with the need for dice.

They're available from Amazon. If you get the Kindle app, you can play them on your phone.

The series has four books. Heart of Ice is only $0.99; the others are $2.99.

https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Ice-Critical-IF-gamebooks/dp/1909905003/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469453418&amp;sr=8-3-spell&amp;keywords=hearth+of+ice+gamebook and https://www.amazon.com/Assassin-Orlandes-Gamebook-Adventures/dp/1909679607/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469453558&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=assassin++orlandes+gamebook

You might like Red Dog. I would like to see a conspiracy gamebook too. Also think a dark fantasy gamebook for mature readers Game of Thrones style would be fun.