With board games becoming more story-driven, it makes sense for game publishers to look toward classic adventure stories for design inspiration. It makes even more sense to design a game around the Choose Your Own Adventure books – stories that invented the “gamebook” and captured the imagination of a generation
Category: Gamebooks
Interactive fiction conference streaming June 9th
So, remember Choose Your Own Adventure books, the Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf gamebooks, and other solo-adventure enabling products? Those are interactive fiction. We like to bring them up from time to time because they were formative influences on our gaming tastes long ago, and they still provide a great
2011 Windhammer Prize Voting Begins
The entries in the 2011 Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction have been made public, and voting is open until October 30th. If you’re a fan of interactive fiction and want to reap the fruits of this year’s competition, just visit this page. As the competition page so eloquently puts
Fabled Lands back in print
The Fabled Lands series is one of the most ambitious gamebook projects ever attempted: a huge world which can be explored in a totally non-linear fashion, with each book representing a different region full of adventure and hazard. The tragedy of the series is that it never sold well enough
Voting begins in Windhammer Prize gamebook competition
The third year of the Windhammer Prize competition is now underway. Five short gamebooks are available for free download, and you can vote to determine which author wins the cash prize! If you’re a fan of solo adventures, take the time to check it out here. If you’re really ambitious,
Windhammer Gamebook Competition Entering Third Year
In case you missed out on the first two years, the third annual Windhammer Prize is posting its rules and schedule early to allow plenty of time for writing and judging original gamebooks. While this hasn’t quite reached the scale of the computer-based Interactive Fiction Competition, it’s a similar opportunity
OgreCave’s Christmas Gift Guide 2009, part 3
If you plan to give gifts this holiday season – or better yet, receive them – you’ve surely been perusing local stores and forming a list. The Cave dwellers have done the same, in the third section of our OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2009. This portion, the Twelve Boxes for
OgreCave’s Christmas Gift Guide 2009, part 2
Another weekend of holiday shopping is here, and you’ve probably formed some ideas of the larger-cost items you’ll be picking up (or requesting from others). In case your mind’s not quite made up yet, the OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2009 continues with its second section, Twelve Days of Roleplaying. This
Lone Wolf gamebooks to become feature film
Variety.com reports that Convergence Entertainment has secured the rights for a live action Lone Wolf feature film. Joe Dever’s classic fantasy gamebook series has already made the transition to full roleplaying game through Mongoose Publishing, but the leap to the movies is a big step. Convergence also secured the rights
OgreCave reviews – Dragon Warriors & Citadel of the Corruptor
A pair of lovely new reviews have just gone up in our RPG section. First, Demian has become acquainted with the new edition of Dragon Warriors from Magnum Opus Press, and he clears up why the RPG used to be mistaken for a gamebook. Then Gerald joins our illustrious (dubious?)
State of the Mongoose 2008 report posted
Still a significant publisher in tabletop gaming, Mongoose Publishing has just given its fans a status update in the form of its annual State of the Mongoose report (also copied below). Points of interest include plans for Hammers Slammers, a full color Traveller-powered game based on David Drake’s classic sci-fi
Voting begins in new gamebook competition
This year, the home of the free online Chronicles of Arborell gamebooks is hosting a competition to encourage new authors. All the entries are in, and readers are now encouraged to take a look and vote for their favorites. The adventures begin here. Take a look, put in your votes,
Best Choose Your Own Adventure list at AOL
It isn’t often that we link to an AOL feature article, but their list of the top 20 Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks is somewhat entertaining. We lend even more credence to the list due to the author thanking Gamebooks.org, a site created and run by OgreCave’s longtime staff member
State of the Mongoose ’07: aggressive and hungry
For everyone’s safety, we try to keep tabs on any snake-eating mammals lurking nearby, and come to grips with what Mongoose Publishing plans to unleash on gamers in the year ahead. The traditional State of the Mongoose address was posted today, this time as a temporary forum, and so far,
Magnamund tourist season nearly open again
As promised last year, the Lone Wolf gamebooks, a popular entry point into roleplaying for many nostalgic gamers, are returning this September thanks to Mongoose Publishing. Original series author Joe Dever has expanded and updated the 28 original books, which Mongoose will release in both paperback and hardbound collector’s editions