Choose Your Own Adventure: Difference between revisions

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You enter the marble-clad forum to discover a GHOUL feasting on a corpse. Do you want to:
* Attack the GHOUL? (Turn to [[Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies|203]])
* Use your Potion of Persuasion, if you have one? (Turn to [[The End of the World Asas We Know It|288]])
* Try to sneak around? (Turn to [[Ludicrous Gibs|17]])
 
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== Literature ==
* In ''[[Time Machine Series (Literature)|Time Machine]]'' the reader had to search through a historical era to discover artifacts or lost knowledge. The books only had one ending, but also included inventories that affected your choices.
* ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'', a wildly popular British series that included simple [[Tabletop Games|Tabletop RPG]] elements, with dice as randomizers.
* ''[[Sorcery (Literature)|Sorcery]]'' brought ''Fighting Fantasy'' to an older audience; its books featured very dark artwork influenced by Goya.
* ''[[Lone Wolf]]'', featuring an epic swords-and-sorcery world and a continuing story line. You can read most of them all open-sourced and legal, complete with author approval, at [http://www.projectaon.org/ www.projectaon.org].
* ''Crossroads Adventure''.
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* ''Way Of Th eTiger'', written and illustrated by FF alumni is an especially well written series featuring a [[Ninja]]. Unlike many similar books, this series spends pages describing its world while telling an exciting and atmospheric story with a lot of variety that involves the player not only fighting but also have to deal diplomacy, politics and command strategy.
* ''[[Golden Dragon Fantasy Gamebooks]]'', a short but atmospheric series with a simple playing system.
* ''Endless Quest'' and ''Super Endless Quest'' (later ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks'') were [[Dungeons and Dragons|TSR's]] official lines of game books, and included novels set in the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' and ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' continuities. Some early books even drew from TSR's non-fantasy games like ''[[Spy Fiction|Top Secret]]'', ''[[Gamma World (Tabletop Game)|Gamma World]]'' and ''[[Space Opera|Star Frontiers]]''.
* ''[[Wizards, Warriors and You]]''.
* ''[[Give Yourself Goosebumps]]'', a spinoff of [[RL Stine]]'s ''[[Goosebumps]]'' novels. The "game over" endings were often as gruesome as they were creative, giving many young readers their first direct encounters with horrific imagery. These also have the unusual structure of having the story branch off into two distinct storylines completely cut off from each other, with an earlyish choice in each book determining which one the reader followed. This pivotal choice wasn't exactly pointed out either, so in the early stages of each book, the reader was left in suspense as to which choice would suddenly set them down a distinct path for the rest of the adventure.
* Steven Brust authorized one when starting the ''[[Dragaera]]'' series; it stands as a possible case of [[Old Shame]].
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* The ''[[Doctor Who]] Decide Your Destiny'' books. These aren't the first ones done for the show.
* The ''[[Narnia]] Solo Games''.
* [[Nintendo]] released some "Nintendo Adventure Books", which were essentially Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books starring either [[The Legend of Zelda (Franchise)|Link]] or [[Super Mario Bros.|Mario and/or Luigi]]. Unlike many examples of this trope, in each book there was ''only'' one good ending, with the bad endings having "GAME OVER!" written at the end.
* Not a game, exactly, but [[Edward Gorey]]'s ''The Raging Tide or The Black Doll's Imbroglio'' is a non-linear story using the [[Choose Your Own Adventure]] technique.
* ''[[Les Messagers Dudu Temps]]'' (''The Messengers of Time''), a French gamebook series that was marketed as being written by some guy called "James Campbell" despite being a totally French production (including the illustrators) and "being translated from English". HA! Nevertheless, the gamebooks focus more on the storytelling and the universe than the actual gameplay (which is quite linear).
* ''Life's Lottery'' by [[Kim Newman]] uses the ''CYOA'' format to take you through a fairly ordinary life (or extraordinary, it depends on you) from birth in the '70s till death, and the small choices you make may have great impact on your life - in the playground, do you like [[The Man Fromfrom UNCLEU.N.C.L.E.|Illya Kuryakin or Napoleon Solo]] better?. The first choice you have to make is whether or not to draw breath after being born. If not, [[Catch Phrase|"go to 0"]]. It can also be read straight through, to reveal a very different story. The main character later appears in the [[Diogenes Club (Literature)|Diogenes Club]] stories, in which he has the power to shift between different [[Alternate Universe]] versions of himself.
* ''Be An Interplanetary Spy'' was an interesting variation where you had to solve puzzles (analogues to your current situation) instead of simply making a choice. Essentially a multiple-choice visual logic test with a plot.
* ''[[The Fabled Lands]]'' are a fantasy series of gamebooks written by Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson that have recently been republished in 2010. During its initial release in the 90s, only the first six were ever released. In addition, only the first two were ever published in the USA, under the name ''Quest''. Despite all this, they are amazingly fun to play, mainly because of their open-ended style. While most other gamebooks had a definite objective, the Fabled Lands books just plonked you down in a random place and said, "have fun whatever you do." Other cool features were six unique character classes, the ability to buy ships and houses, and a huge number of quests you can do whenever you want, or not at all. To give you an idea of the scope of these books, I've played them for years, and still occasionally discover new things.
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* ''Der Schatz im Ötscher]]'' (''German for "The treasure in Mt. Oetscher"'') is an Austrian "Choose your adventure book". You're traveling through the caves of the Oetscher (one of Austria's highest and mythological most important mountains) and search for a treasure, while being hindered by traps and monsters from folklore and myths. One especially memorable ending had the protagonist being [[Body Horror|slowly and explicitly]] [[Baleful Polymorph|transformed into a toad]] by an old witch.
* There were three or four of these based on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' called ''Stake Your Destiny'', each set in different spots in the series. It doesn't specifically say where, the first is presumably during Season 1 and two more in Season 2.
* ''[[Animorphs (Literature)|Animorphs]]'' had a pair of CYOA spinoffs, which were not well received. Perhaps it was the fact that the story did not actually branch at all, and making the wrong choice simply got you killed on the very next page.
* ''Badlands O fHark'' and ''Invaders Of Hark'', where the titular [[Death World]] offered so many wacky ways to die it made ''[[Shadowgate]]'' look benign.
* ''[[Lemmings]]'' was adapted into two, based loosely on the storyline introduced in ''Lemmings 2: The Tribes''. In the first, you took control of eight Lemmings tribes in an attempt to regain eight pieces of the [[McGuffin|broken medallion]]. The second took on a more linear narrative where a small band of Lemmings has to go out to battle an unknown enemy, which is making the Lemmings act against their natures (eg, Shadow Lemmings setting up bright floodlights or Highland Lemmings turning English).
* A series of these type of books were also published in the [[Carmen Sandiego]] franchise which follow the premise of the computer games.
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' had a series at the height of his phenomenal popularity in the UK, written by the authors of the novel series but not belonging to that continuity. One was an [[Adaptation Expansion]] of the second [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]] game, in which Robotnik has built Metal Sonic to rampage around and destroy the real Sonic's reputation (any similarity to the plot of the nineteenth ''[[Lone Wolf]]'' book ''Wolf's Bane'', published the previous year, is entirely coincidental - the book, and sometimes Metal Sonic himself, still have the nickname "Hedgehog's Bane" in some circles) and Sonic has to hunt him down through the game's levels.
* ''Find Your Fate'' was a series of interactive books based almost entirely on licensed properties. There were books based on ''[[G.I. Joe]]'', ''[[Thunder CatsThundercats]]'', ''[[Transformers]]'', ''[[Jem]]'', [[James Bond]], ''[[Indiana Jones]]'', ''[[Doctor Who]]''...
** They weren't the only ones to do such a thing. ''Endless Quest'' (a series mainly set in the world of [[Dungeons and Dragons]]) had books about [[Conan]] and [[Tarzan]], and ''Which Way Books'' had a pair of [[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]] books and a spinoff mini-series based on DC Comics heroes.
** The [[Hardy Boys]] and [[Nancy Drew]] also had their own choose-your-own [[Crossover]] series called "Be A Detective", which ran for six books.
* In ''Inside UFO 54-40'' the [[Golden Ending|best ending]] is [[Unwinnable Byby Design|deliberately unreachable]] through regular gameplay (or, as the game puts it, by "making a choice or following directions").
* Steve Jackson Games licensed their popular ''[[Car Wars]]'' tactical combat game as a series of six books published by TSR (several being expanded adaptations of adventures previously published in their house organ ''Autoduel Quarterly''), with some random die rolling to simulate combat.
* When ''[[Super Mario Bros 2 (Video Game)|Super Mario Advance]]'' was first released, a ''[[Choose Your Own Adventure]]'' book that corresponded with the game's events was released by Scholastic. Each of the four characters went through one of the various worlds on their own and came together to fight [[Big Bad|Wart]], and at the same time, it was something of a guide for advice.
** Following it were ones for ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Gamesof (VideoSeasons and Oracle of Game)Ages|The Legend of Zelda Oracle Games]]'' and ''[[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land]] 4''.
* The ''Panurgic Adventures'' series, of which the best known is ''[[Heart of Ice]]'', by Dave Morris (of ''[[The Fabled Lands|Fabled Lands]]'' fame). ''Heart of Ice'' is a slightly different take on [[After the End]]; inspired in part by Jack Vance's ''Dying Earth'', it's a quest set in a world where [[AI Is a Crapshoot|an insane AI]] has triggered global weather changes and turned the Sahara into a desert.
* The old Polish gamebook ''Dreszcz'' ("Shiver") from the 90s; it emulated ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'', and is mostly memorable for being horribly error-ridden (and [[Unwinnable By Mistake]] many times over).
* ''[[Can YouYOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?]]'' is a more adult twist on the genre, and is [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]] - your choices determine how well you do in the [[Zombie Apocalypse]].
* ''[[Fahrenheit (2005 video game)]]'' and [[Spiritual Successor]] ''[[Heavy Rain]]'' are two high-profile videogame examples of this trope, but are more accurately described as [[Visual Novels]].
* ''Pretty Little Mistakes'' and ''Million Little Mistakes'' by Heather McElhatton are meant to be "adult" variations on the format. Both have a realistic, present-day setting, but it doesn't preclude some very fanciful things from happening to the main character.
 
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** It's probably a different one that was in the Jan/Feb issue (No 77) of Fantasy Gamer magazine, which is now available in the Python programming language. Just search for "doesn't exist. Can't happen with computer version," and compile. It's the Paranoia Christmas Special! Contains [[Stupidity Is the Only Option]], [[But Thou Must!]], and [[You Can't Thwart Stage One]], I think?
* Several other RPG's include a short solo adventure to give you a chance to see the game's mechanics in action. Like ''Ghostbusters,'' ''[[Champions]]'', ''[[Teenagers From Outer Space]]''...
* There was once a ''two-player'' example called ''1 On 1'', with one player playing the heroes and the other playing the villains; naturally, there was a combat system and stats so the players could interact. The ''Combat Heroes'' series by Joe Dever (of ''[[Lone Wolf]]'' fame) is another example of this concept. Also, the ''Lost Worlds'' gamebooks; each character in the system had his/her own book, and any two players could battle by exchanging books. The series was franchised to [[Marvel Comics]] and ''[[Star Wars]]''; right now, arguably the most famous version is the ''[[QueensQueen's Blade]]'' series, which is basically ''Lost Worlds'' <small> WITH HOT [[Action Girl|ACTION GIRLS]] IN [[Stripperiffic|TINY OUTFITS]]!</small>
* The [[Tabletop RPG]] ''[[Tunnels and Trolls (Tabletop Game)|Tunnels and Trolls]]'' had a line of "Solo Adventures", which were essentially gamebooks with the game's rules and dice added as a randomizing element.
 
 
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* The sprite comic ''Metroid: Third Derivative'' once used a 12-panel [http://bobandgeorge.com/comics/archives/metroid/Metroid239.png example] as filler.
* [[Jason Shiga]] has a few gamebook [[Web Comics]] on [http://shigabooks.com/ his website]. ''[[Meanwhile]]'' is the longest and best of these.
* ''[[Ctrl +Alt +Del]]'' did an [[Alternate Universe]] [[Choose Your Own Adventure]] story-arc in April of 2008, a second arc in December 2008, and a third in mid-2010. At particular points in the story line, readers were given a choice between different actions that the main character Ethan could take and were encouraged to send an email to a special account to indicate their selection. The choice with the most votes was illustrated for the next installment of the comic. Counts as a CYOA because Tim Buckley had already scripted out where each choice would lead ahead of time, and did not change "bad endings" even if they won the popular vote. The first story ended halfway through with the main character dying horribly due to a failed [[Air Vent Passageway]] escape. Following this, the structure was modified so the narrative would have fewer "dying horribly" options and more "Ethan gets screwed but the story can continue" choices. Though [http://www.cad-comic.com/images/news/planetofdoom_storytree.gif\] is still pretty bloodthirsty, the voters managed to get through it alive.
* ''[[City of Reality]]'' ran an arc which essentially functioned as this, run by a snarky time-reversal device.
* ''[[Dinosaur Comics (Webcomic)|Dinosaur Comics]]'' once had a "[http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1027 CYOA]" that amusingly features a [[But Thou Must!]]. A [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1486 later guest strip] by [[MS Paint Adventures|Andrew Hussie]] features T-Rex attempting to do an animated strip version of a CYOA, with Dromiceiominus and Utahraptor discussing with him about the problems with handling a CYOA in said format. {{spoiler|It falls apart in the fifth panel, where T-Rex and Utahraptor end up carrying their conversation through the panel shifts.}}
** In case you want to read the whole thing at your own pace, [http://www.swfcabin.com/open/1287951646 here you go]. Click the image (actually the .swf) after clicking the link and then use the left and right arrow keys (on your keyboard) to navigate.
* The second [[MS Paint Adventures|MS Paint Adventure]], ''BardQuest'', was in this format, but it was abandoned pretty quickly for being too complicated to do as a serial.
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== Web Originals ==
* ''[[Choice of Games]]'' is a [http://www.choiceofgames.com/ website] designed to host these types of stories.
* Lore F. Sjoberg's [http://www.brunching.com/chooseadventure.html "Choose Your Own Damn Adventure"] on the website ''Brunching Shuttlecocks''. In stark contrast to the usual escapist fare, a sardonic take on [[Real Life]] is played out in the form. It was later followed up with four sequels, "Choose Your Own Damn Serial Murder", "Choose Your Own Damn Sex Act", "Choose Your Own Damn [[Pokémon (Franchise)|Pokémon]] Adventure", and "Choose Your Own Damn [[Harry Potter]] Adventure".
* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'''s 2005 Halloween cartoon was the interactive animation [http://www.homestarrunner.com/ween05.html Halloween Potion-ma-jig]. It actually featured a bit of bait-and-switch, presenting the viewer with one adventure in the intro (helping Homestar find his costume and escape a haunted mansion) and then giving them another (helping Homestar find ingredients for Marzipan's Halloween potion... ''after'' he had doodled all over her recipe).
* ''[http://www.bradthegame.com Brad: the Game]'' is just one big [[Mind Screw]]. One gross, perverted, strangely attractive mindscrew (it's also written by a Reverend).
* The ''[http://www.addventure.com Addventure]'' series and spin-offs took the concept, put it online, and did the obvious thing of allowing readers to write their own chapters to add to them... How well this worked varied considerably, although those moderated for spelling and sanity (or at least consistency) tended towards being decent.
* The 4chan [[Web Original]] known as ''[[Ruby Quest (Roleplay)|Ruby Quest]]'' was a [[Choose Your Own Adventure]] operated via [[Wild Mass Guessing]], played out over the course of two months by an author/artist known only as Weaver. It has spawned various other so-called "collective games", varying in quality. Most were [[Troll|trolled]] to death, while [[Dorf Quest]] (based off ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'', which is very popular on the /tg/ board of 4chan) and Joan's Quest are still running.
** However, the "Quest Threads" have not stopped appearing, and have now become a main staple of /tg/, with multiple different settings and gameplay rules to choose from. Just look up the "Quest Threads" or "Collective Games" tags in the [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html /tg/ archives].
** The /m/ board has also seen three major Quest Threads, with the largest being [[Super Robot Wars Quest]] (based off [[Super Robot Wars]]). There's also [[Musou Quest]] (a [[Gundam]] / [[.hack]] mix), and /m/ Quest.
* There is an [[X Wing Series]] [[Star Wars (Franchise)/Fanfic Recs|fanfiction]] called ''[http://yonwords.livejournal.com/2315.html Flight School]'' which fills this trope. It's pretty short, but also quite decent. Note that while some endings are better or worse than others, impressing or not impressing the famous pilots, none result in death. Or maiming. Or worse, expulsion.
* Some of the aforementioned Internet gamebooks includes the Unending BE Addventure, Anime Addventure, and one on a site called Vampyou.com.
** http://www.bearchive.com/~addventure/game1/docs/1.html ('''NOTE: extremely NSFW!''' The "BE" stands for [[Breast Expansion]].)
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* [http://www.somethingawful.com/d/flash-tub/tub-adventure.php Tub Adventure], as seen on [[Something Awful]]'s Flash Tub.
* As seen with ''Haircut'' above, link annotations in [[YouTube]] videos can be used to make CYOA videos like ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3zJcMlqWZA A Heavy's 2fort Adventure]''.
* Mike Kayatta, of [[The Escapist]], created a ''[[Mass Effect (Video Game)|Mass Effect]]'' [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9514-Pick-Your-Path-Mass-Effect Pick Your Own Adventure].
* [[Writing Dot Com]] has an entire section devoted to these, simply calling them "Interactives" and allowing the readers to not only choose their adventure, but add to it as well.