What would have been in a 'Bandersnatch' FF book?

[misomiso]

Ok so this is in reference to the famous Black Mirror interactive episode 

And the full question is -

What do you imagine would have been in an actual 'Bandersnatch' Gamebook if if had been published as a Fighting Fantasy book back in the 80s, and would would you have LIKED to have seen in it? 

A couple of things to remember:

1) What would have imagined the story to be, and what would you have liked it to be? 

2) What do you think the gameplay would have been?  Would there have been any innovations? 

3) If you google the book, the prop used in the show is VERY thick.  I mean I'm thinking between 3000-5000 entries at least.  How would it have been organised?  Would it have subdivisions?  Different Acts?

4) And as a bonus who would have done the art! 

ty

[CharlesX]

Tbh I don't see Bandersnatch as an FF gamebook, chiefly because it's so ambitious and stand-alone I think it would have its own rules. We're told basically nothing about Bandersnatch gamebook, it seems to have a non-descript cover IIRC with just a few vaguely SF-looking blocks, which could be near-future, post-apocalyptic, far-future, time travel, present-day, given the size of the gamebook probably more than one of those things. I've always thought SF is one of the genres which benefits more from longer-than-average gamebook size. Given the trippy nature of Bandersnatch show, there might be dream\supernatural\surreal references, as well.
  I don't know whether it would have a skills pool, dice or coins based points, or straight CYOA. My feeling is any could work, but again basing my judgement on Netflix's Bandersnatch, I don't see it as particularly combat-based, perhaps with some puzzles, although ones with a reasonable difficulty level (unlike certain FF  ). My first feeling is the writing would be like Steve Jackson at his best, very atmospheric although perhaps not flawless 😵. There might be androids, mutants, new planets and species - it could be wonderfully innovative, like Traveller or Star Wars.
   I've suggested Bandersnatch could be an SF gamebook, but of course Lewis Carroll's Bandersnatch was a Fantasy work, and there could be Fantasy acts or subquests. Looking again at the cover, it looks slightly like it could come from an SF Asimov novel, or from a Terry Gilliam Fantasy film.
   I'd think something so ambitious would be 'mission impossible' to transfer onto a computer game in 1984 - The Lord Of The Rings games released in the mid 80s after the successful The Hobbit adaptation are widely regarded as mediocre - but that is another story.

[CharlesX]

So, no other takers?
  One thing I like about Bandersnatch gamebook is it looks big. Comparing pizza with monkey brains, that is to say, going on a tangent, compare Bandersnatch book with the almanac paper from Back to The Future 2, which supposedly has all major sports statistics from 30 years, and is barely thicker than a calendar. I still think a Bandersnatch gamebook, still more video game, might belong in a parallel dimension where adventure games and computer tech had a bigger, better development, but I can imagine it being real, and that's amazing.

[misomiso]

Yes - the book definately looks like the kind of mad ravings of creative lunatic!

My take is that it would be something like an Alice in Wonderland type of book; ie a weird strange world that the reader is transported too.

In terms of design I always thought it would be something along the lines of what Sorcery! was intended to be with maybe five 'Acts' or sub books each one doing something different and designed ina different way.

[bloodbeasthandler]

May 20, 2022 14:23:23 GMT CharlesX said:

So, no other takers?
  

For all my talk about wanting future FF to be a bit like Black Mirror I have only watched the first two series, on DVD, and dont and never have subscribed to Netflix. So I've got nothing worthwhile to say here.