Playable Audio-book-esque Gamebook adventures?

[peteravastrat]

Has this been done?

Would love to see some, they could work! Do they exist, or should they simply not exist?

Figured out a way to make it work on YouTube but currently waiting on copyright agreement before continuing:



What's the consensus on this type of GameBook?

[Pete Byrdie]

If you really think it could work, perhaps as a test you should simply write your own adventure, thus avoiding copyright issues, or collude with one of the adventure writers on this forum to write one, or adapt one of their previous ones. I'm sure some of them would be interested.

[kieran]

This is the closest thing to an audio gamebook I've come accross: www.gamebooks.org/show_series.php?id=701

[offm]

i agree with Pete there are fan gamebooks made with 400 sections and more (assuming you want longer gamebooks) and do have quality , you just have to ask the authors for permission here are 2 examples: house of pain by Phil Sadler fightingfantazine.proboards.com/thread/444/house-pain-sequel and From the Shadows from various artists(I assume you find some here at the forum) fightingfantasy.com/images/stories/amatadvent/fromtheshadowsv3.pdf
By the Way i do like the audiosbooks project idea very much, and the voice from the audio is very audible and we do have a correct undertanding of the words ( a big plus on audiobooks)

Edit: i am just curious how will you do with battles - combats will you narrate them aswell?

[peteravastrat]

Yes I would narrate them, it is a direct reading from the book so to play these unfortunately you would have to have your own dice etc.

Perhaps I could start with another and find the author to ask permission. Maybe a Choose Your Own Adventure would do better due to no need for combat scenarios?

Currently emailed Ian Livingstone himself so guess we'll find out more soon. If no email in the next 3 weeks then scouting will resume elsewhere.

Haha yes actually I did hear of fax gaming! Use to be a thing for a while but it was difficult. YouTube would just be easy really. If you check my channel link and then click the other Peter Avastrat shown in featured channels... I did actually do a little more of Firetop mountain, playable as well, but stopped due to potential copyright issues and also quality... the quality on the new one is much better.

Will give it sometime for IL to get back but in the meantime perhaps we'll find a project similar to this! Would be an interesting hunt. Really surprised no-one has done it with the recent in-flux of audiobooks.

Thanks for all the replies!

[deadshadowrunner]

I think there is a series called Terror T.R.A.X. which uses audio CDs,you can ask greenspine about it because he owns 2 of them,he has also played through them on his site.

[a moderator]

Deadshadowrunner has said what I came into the thread to say, so I'll just add that I know of one gamebook-style adventure on YouTube: The Dark Room, which is frustrating but amusing (and not work-safe because of language).

[thealmightymudworm]

Intriguing. I enjoyed your reading.

Jan 8, 2016 22:23:39 GMT peteravastrat said:

Yes I would narrate them, it is a direct reading from the book so to play these unfortunately you would have to have your own dice etc.

Perhaps I could start with another and find the author to ask permission. Maybe a Choose Your Own Adventure would do better due to no need for combat scenarios?

Perhaps if you're doing this on YouTube and battles are a problem it might be worth linking to a battle-simulator like the one on offm 's website? Better than asking players to turn offline and hunt for dice, pencil and paper.

Online dice are easy enough to come by of course, for battles with one-off rules etc.

[peteravastrat]

Jan 9, 2016 13:17:08 GMT a moderator said:

Deadshadowrunner has said what I came into the thread to say, so I'll just add that I know of one gamebook-style adventure on YouTube: The Dark Room, which is frustrating but amusing (and not work-safe because of language).

Haha sir exactly how it would work! Absolutely brilliant, love it. Gonna give it a good shot, already started!

[peteravastrat]

Jan 9, 2016 19:34:38 GMT thealmightymudworm said:

Intriguing. I enjoyed your reading.

Jan 8, 2016 22:23:39 GMT peteravastrat said:

Yes I would narrate them, it is a direct reading from the book so to play these unfortunately you would have to have your own dice etc.

Perhaps I could start with another and find the author to ask permission. Maybe a Choose Your Own Adventure would do better due to no need for combat scenarios?

Perhaps if you're doing this on YouTube and battles are a problem it might be worth linking to a battle-simulator like the one on offm 's website? Better than asking players to turn offline and hunt for dice, pencil and paper.

Online dice are easy enough to come by of course, for battles with one-off rules etc.

Excellent plan! The more you do the more you learn. Thanks a lot mate, still waiting on that email, I somehow doubt Sir Livingstone will reply... perhaps my doubts are misplaced?

[peteravastrat]

Still no word from Sir Livingstone, unsurprising. Meanwhile however there's the channel LOTR Tales for which I have recently become narrator!


Also the rights for Oedipus Rex have been gained for a YouTube radio dramatisation. So lots to do, hopefully we may still be in luck with the firetop mountain, in the coming weeks may look into other game-books. Perhaps the Choose Your Own Adventure ones.

Thanks for all the comments guys ^^

Sent that 'Dark Room' around and people really enjoyed it!

[thealmightymudworm]

Jan 8, 2016 22:23:39 GMT peteravastrat said:

Currently emailed Ian Livingstone himself so guess we'll find out more soon. If no email in the next 3 weeks then scouting will resume elsewhere.

Jan 21, 2016 11:03:33 GMT peteravastrat said:

Still no word from Sir Livingstone, unsurprising. 

You're more likely to know about this than I am, but my impression was that the unwritten rule about copyright on YouTube etc was to make sure it isn't worth the holder's while to enforce their rights.

My guess would be that Wizard books would be the most likely party to be aggressive about copyright, and they're not very likely to be given that 1) they're not selling FF books now or soon and 2) it's unlikely that people would fail to buy a copy of the book just because there's an audio version on YT. (If anything people would be more likely to find out/be reminded about it, which is probably why the millions of Simpsons clips are left untouched on there - they just remind people how good the show can be.)

People often say that it's worth not only crediting the copyright holders but including a link to them in the description. Effectively it makes it a free advert for them so if they tried to get your version of TWoFM deleted they'd be deleting 400 free links to themselves. Besides, it seems unlikely that anyone who can't be bothered to reply to a copyright query can be bothered to seek deletion.

This is all just my two pence – apologies if it's obvious/obviously wrong.

[peteravastrat]

Feb 1, 2016 18:28:01 GMT thealmightymudworm said:

Jan 8, 2016 22:23:39 GMT peteravastrat said:

Currently emailed Ian Livingstone himself so guess we'll find out more soon. If no email in the next 3 weeks then scouting will resume elsewhere.

Jan 21, 2016 11:03:33 GMT peteravastrat said:

Still no word from Sir Livingstone, unsurprising. 

You're more likely to know about this than I am, but my impression was that the unwritten rule about copyright on YouTube etc was to make sure it isn't worth the holder's while to enforce their rights.

My guess would be that Wizard books would be the most likely party to be aggressive about copyright, and they're not very likely to be given that 1) they're not selling FF books now or soon and 2) it's unlikely that people would fail to buy a copy of the book just because there's an audio version on YT. (If anything people would be more likely to find out/be reminded about it, which is probably why the millions of Simpsons clips are left untouched on there - they just remind people how good the show can be.)

People often say that it's worth not only crediting the copyright holders but including a link to them in the description. Effectively it makes it a free advert for them so if they tried to get your version of TWoFM deleted they'd be deleting 400 free links to themselves. Besides, it seems unlikely that anyone who can't be bothered to reply to a copyright query can be bothered to seek deletion.

This is all just my two pence – apologies if it's obvious/obviously wrong.

You have a good point but it is a bit dangerous with so many videos to take down you could have a million copyright strikes to your name xD That's the main fear really... copyright strikes would disable the channel creating other content.
Though you are not correct necessarily in terms of lawfulness... What you say is something that is used. To do it when they can't be bothered to take it down doesn't make it right but some companies do just leave it and sometimes it can cause +sales but it doesn't necessarily make it 'right'.

Thanks for the input though buddy, you make me rethink it Didn't know wizard books stopped selling FF! Could be the opportunity then. Might contact them instead.

[slloyd14]

The Pick Your Path podcast has mp3s split up into chapters so you can play them like a gamebook

www.benviewnetwork.com/pyp