Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Part 2


"You desperately want to drink the salt water, but you know that to do so would be a sure road to death."  If this were a cruel CYOA like Lost Jewels of Nabooti, my decision to avoid salt water would have the outcome "you die of thirst, but not as quickly". 


We see the wreck of the fishing boat Serena after hours of drifting, probably from Hawaii since it also says "Honolulu".  We rely on the wind to take us to the Serena since we're too feeble to paddle.  "The bow is much higher than the stern, and waves are breaking over the rear deck".  This is represented by a two-page drawing on 34-35, and the only text on those pages is "Turn to page 36".


Pete's an optimist who thinks "they must have taken the lifeboat and tried to find land".  We never find the Serena's crew, not even as underwater skeletons.  Pete finds a "wooden barrel with a brass spigot" that contains about 4-5 gallons of water!  We drink some of it immediately, and ration the rest as Pete suggests.  The only food we find is "a tin of dried apples and a bag of rice".  Other supplies include "a tool kit, an alcohol stove, and a few packs of matches".


We eat a dried apple and go to sleep.  The next morning, I make a "crude spear" out of a knife from the tool kit and consider whether to go fishing.  CHOICE #4 is whether to fish now and risk a barracuda attack on Page 45, or wait until later and risk starvation on Page 49.  Or will I merely exchange the barracuda for a great white shark?


A day later, and my "eyes hurt from staring out to sea for so long".  Apparently I decided not to go fishing at all, or else these are the most patient barracuda in the seven seas.  Pete spots a freighter passing by, and thinks there's only one way to attract its attention:  set the Serena on fire!  "You look at Pete to see if he is joking, but his expression is serious."  CHOICE #5 is whether to follow Pete's pyromania on Page 109, or abstain on Page 106.


"The idea of burning your ship out from under you and getting back on the tiny raft is more than you can bear.  'If they don't come, we won't last long on that raft,' you say.  'At least we're safe here.  And maybe we can think of some other way to signal a ship or plane.'  Pete looks glum.  'I'm not sure you're right,' he says, 'but. . .'  His voice trails off, and you sit helplessly watching the freighter pass out of sight over the horizon.


As the days pass, your hopes fade.  Your supplies and water are soon gone.  No other ships or planes pass by.  You and Pete grow weaker and weaker, until one day you know you just aren't going to make it.  That night you dream that a Coast Guard ship has anchored near the wreck of the Serena.  The sailors on the ship launch a boat and row to the wreck.  The wreck is deserted, except for two skeletons lying on the deck.  You wake up in a cold sweat, certain that the dream will come true.  THE END"


Not only do I get the rare Inconclusive Ending as a CANONICAL ENDING, but it's the bleakest possible conclusion in that category.  The only hope our hero has is that they AREN'T psychic, and that it's an anxiety dream.  Since the protagonist doesn't actually die on page, I haven't ruled this as an official Death.  No illustration here.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 1


What happens if I let Pete play with matches in CHOICE #5?  I move the supplies onto the raft as Pete scorches the "old wooden timbers under the foredeck".  The freighter still seems to be moving in the same direction, though Pete believes it's turning.  When I stand up to wave at the freighter, "the raft tilts dangerously and water spills in". 


If Survival at Sea is a consistent CYOA, then I killed Dr. Vivaldi, Jack Maiko, and Eric Zindel back in CHOICE #2.


"Sit down!' Pete laughs.  'You'll sink us!'  An hour later all that's left of the Serena is some charred driftwood, but you and Pete are on the deck of the freighter Valencia, drinking cold soda and telling the captain about your adventure.  'That was pretty brave of you, setting that wreck afire,' he says.  'It's a lucky thing, too.  There's a storm coming that would have carried the Serena right off the reef.'  You're grateful to have survived, and sad about your friends that didn't.  THE END"


So it's official that Pete and I would have died in the CANONICAL ENDING?  I may change its category to Death if the other paths have this amount of consistency.  The fact that 3 crew members are dead makes this a Bad Non-Death Ending.  The illustration shows the Serena ablaze as my character and Pete paddle towards the reader on the raft.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

0 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 2


Let's drink the salt water in CHOICE #3 for a quick Death.  You can't say you don't have it coming if you try this in a blind playthrough.


"The water tastes cool.  You gulp first one handful and then another.  Soon you feel worse than ever, and thirstier than you could imagine possible.  You splash the cool water on your face, but it doesn't help.  You're burning up inside.  Pete stirs.  'How are you?' he asks.  You try to answer, but your throat is too parched to utter a word.  Half conscious now, you listen to the sloshing of the waves as the sun sinks lower in the west.


'A ship!  A ship!' Pete is shaking you.  But you are too weak to answer him.  The sea has already claimed three of the Allegro's crew.  You will be the fourth.  Your last thought in life is that Pete, at least, will be rescued.  THE END".


Not necessarily if that ship is the wreck of the Serena!  Dr. Vivaldi and friends dying in the "set Serena on fire" ending isn't a one-time event, as this conclusion confirms.  No illustration.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 3


Pete says he doesn't notice any barracuda when I go fishing in CHOICE #4.  It takes a couple of dives to accomplish this, but I eventually catch a sunfish and notice the barracuda just in time for Pete to save me.  We eat rice and fish that night, and we hold out until next week with my spear fishing skills.  "The barracuda give you a few anxious moments, but after a while you almost feel used to them."  Pete's recovering from his injuries, and we now have a seashell collection, probably to keep from getting bored.  The drawing on Pages 46-47 shows me impaling something that isn't a sunfish, while the barracuda is charging towards my backside.  Despite the error, it's a good picture.


"You're proud of your ability to survive at sea."  You had to reference the title at some point, Edward Packard!  We're now down to a half gallon of water, and Pete asks if I want to catch as many fish as possible, and then look for help in the raft.  CHOICE #6 is whether to take his advice on Page 80, or stay on the Serena on Page 53.  Apparently the Valencia never passed by in this timeline.


"You and Pete decide not to risk taking the raft out to sea.  Early the next morning, you are sitting on top of the cabin house, hoping, as always, to see a ship on the horizon.  This time, you do see something.  A small vessel is headed straight at you!  You shout to Pete, and a moment later he joins you on deck.  You both cheer and jump for joy.


'It looks like a Coast Guard ship,' says Pete.  As the boat gets closer, you shout and wave.  Sailors on deck wave back.  Soon the boat comes alongside.  You greet the sailors with hugs and cheers.  'We had no idea anyone was here,' says the captain, as you climb aboard his ship.  'The crew of the Serena made it to Etuk in their lifeboat, and we came to see if we could pull their trawler off the reef and tow it back to port.'


The captain holds a memorial service for your lost crewmates.  You'll never forget their friendship.  A few days later you and Pete are on a 767 jet, flying home.  You don't know it yet (though you'll soon find out), but in your duffel bag is one of the rarest and most valuable seashells in the world.  THE END"


If this weren't the "three fifths of the crew is dead" timeline, this would be a Good Ending.  Unless the other characters die in every route, and this early CYOA is actually the true end of the Dr. Vivaldi series, this is still a Bad Non-Death Ending.  The storm that supposedly destroys the Serena for good in the "set Serena on fire" ending never comes in this timeline.  The illustration doesn't look like a duffel bag, and instead looks like a large sack with ropes at the opening.  "This duffel bag needs a duffel bag tag!"


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

1 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 4


The Page 80 route in CHOICE #6 makes Pete and the protagonist leave the Serena and explore on the raft, with a sail salvaged via a "tarpulin" from the wreck.  Edward Packard included a map on Page 13 with the various islands "Somewhere In The South Pacific Ocean".  Bariba Island, where the story began, is on the south edge slightly to the east of the center.  Kitt's Reef is to the north-north-west of Bariba.  Bari Rama is near the southeast corner.  Carina Island is well to the west of Kitt's Reef.  Dangerous Reefs are in the north central part of the map.  Etuk Island is in the northwest corner, and Katar Atoll not too far east of that.  Volcano (New Island), where the tsunami of CHOICE #2 occurred, is slightly southeast of Katar Atoll.


There is a scale on the map that you can use to measure the distances with a ruler.  I won't mention the specifics here, but I may use that to find my way around.  (Then again, this doesn't have the grandeur of the maze at the end of Warlock of Firetop Mountain, so it should be easy to find all the Alternate Endings even making random CHOICEs.)


CHOICE #7 is North on Page 96, or Northeast on Page 118.  A fishing boat is 1.5 miles north of us, and that it's going southeast in the direction of Bariba.  Since it's twice as fast as our raft according to Pete, I now know that we're traveling at 2.5 knots per hour.  So it seems best to go Northeast to intercept it?


I was right.


"You steer northeast, hoping that your path will cross the path of the fishing boat.  The wind picks up a bit, and the raft moves nicely along through the water.  You keep your eyes fixed on your goal.  Very slowly the fishing boat grows larger.  You're getting closer.  You can see men on the deck.  You wave.  The boat changes course.  It's headed right at you.  'Pete', you shout.  'We're going to make it!'  THE END"


Unfortunately for Pete and our hero, it's a cannibal crew looking for castaways.  More seriously, this reads like an Inconclusive Ending that has a 99% chance of survival.  I'll still have to put this as a Bad Non-Death Ending since it's on the "3/5 of the Allegro crew is dead" timeline.  No picture even though most of the page is blank.  This is also the last page of Survival at Sea for some reason.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

1 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 5


This is what happens when you don't lead your shots. . .er. . .boats in CHOICE #7.


"You steer north, but after fifteen or twenty minutes, you can see that you're not getting any closer to the fishing boat.  You adjust your course, but the boat keeps moving away from you.  'We'll never catch it', says Pete.  You nod sadly as you scan the horizon, hoping to spot another boat.  But there are none in sight.  Nor do you see anything during the rest of the day, or the next, or the next. . .


As the days go by, you grow weaker and weaker, until you realize that the fishing boat was your last hope for survival.  THE END".


The last line slams the door on Inconclusive Endings.  No illustration, but you can imagine the despair well enough.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

2 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings



And that's the last ending on the "go parallel into the tsunami" branch.  If I can write tomorrow, I'll try out the 45 degree angle path.  Can we surf the tidal wave on a sloop?

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 6


45 degrees is the correct decision in CHOICE #2, as the crew lives and proceeds to the "main" timeline of Survival at Sea.  What happens if you charge straight into the tsunami instead for a quick ending?


"Holding the wheel tightly, you keep the Allegro on course, straight down the face of the wave.  Sheets of white spray fly over the deck, filling the air.  The boat plunges as if it had plummeted over a cliff.  Then, through the spray, you see a wall of water rising ahead of you.  Another wave breaks from behind.  Tons of water crash over you as the Allegro plunges down, down, into the depths of the sea".


They'd better hope they live on a Hollow Earth so they can at least star in The Mole People and be mocked on Mystery Science Theater 3000.  There is a sequel to Survival at Sea called Underground Kingdom, after all.  We do get an illustration this time of the tsunami curving high into the air.  All parts of the Allegro below the sails are below the rough water.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

3 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 7


Now we get to the part that's actually different from the rest of the CYOA series.  After sailing past the CHOICE #2 tsunami at a 45 degree angle, "the boat rolls and pitches in the lumpy swells".  I fall to the deck, and Dr. Vivaldi takes my place at the ship's wheel.  She says "A volcanic eruption is usually followed by aftershocks.  The next one might finish us off.  On the other hand, these disturbances might bring the Arkasaur to the surface."


It's time for the Page 13 chart!  "You know that you passed Kitt's Reef at the same time yesterday.  You calculate that the Allegro has been heading northwest and traveling at about seven knots.  The radio reported that the volcanic eruption took place about 200 miles east of Etuk Island".  I'm supposed to turn to Page 27, but I'll have to decide beforehand?  "CAUTION:  Do not turn to page 27 until you have firmly decided which way to tell Dr. Vivaldi to steer".


CHOICE #8 has both specific and vague options.  North is Page 7 and Northwest is Page 25.  To go Northeast, East, or Southeast, pick Page 20.  South, Southwest, or West go to Page 22.  I have a suspicion that North and Northwest lead directly to endings, while the less specific options go to more CHOICEs.  Oh well, I already flunked Survival at Sea in the CANONICAL ENDING.  Northwest it is.


Dr. Vivaldi takes the helm for a while, and then I relieve her.  Pete and Maiko "trim the sails".  "As the hours pass, the wind freshens, and the Allegro flies through the blue-green seas.  A wandering albatross swoops down to inspect the boat".  Albatrosses were bad omens in Rime of the Ancient Mariner, though they were just amusing birds in The Last Grain Race.  The illustration is a closeup of Pete looking through binoculars, which does correspond to the text:  "Smoke on the horizon dead ahead.  It's an island!  It's a volcano!"


Captain Eric Zindel insists there's no island on the chart, so Dr. Vivaldi confirms it's Surtsey II.  Maiko snatches the binoculars from Pete and says "That island will be worth a billion dollars someday".  I don't know the private island futures market well enough to confirm Maiko's statement.


Maiko plans his political career:  "Have you thought of this, mates?  That island has never been there before.  It doesn't belong to any country.  The first people to get there will own it.  We could start our own country, make our own laws, run it any way we like."  At least until the navy of a major country begins gunboat diplomacy.


Dr. Vivaldi points out a geological flaw in Maiko's plan rather than a realpolitik one:  "It might not be wise to think along those lines just yet.  If that volcano lets loose again while we're ashore, it could wipe us out before we elect you president, Maiko."


Eric anchors the ship off Katar Atoll since it's too late to sail farther.  The volcano still seems to be active because I still see its smoke through the binoculars.  "Suddenly, Maiko is standing next to you.  He's holding a duffel bag in one hand and a spear gun in the other."  He's not going whaling.  "I'm taking the sailing skiff in to shore.  I'm going to be the first man to stand on the new island.  It's going to be my country!"


Wait.  Is the Allegro a sloop or a skiff?  I'm confused!  (The Moshulu in The Last Grain Race was a barque, if you're curious.)  My character threatens to wake up the rest of the Allegro's crew, but Maiko says "No, you're not, unless you want to be speared like a fat fish."  Maybe killing off Maiko in the raft route was the true Good Ending after all due to preventing a dictatorship on Surtsey II!


CHOICE #9 is whether to go with Maiko on Page 37, or remain on the Allegro on Page 39.  Will our "hero" be Vice President of this new nation, or will they be betrayed?


Okay, the skiff is a smaller boat that can explore away from the Allegro.  Surprisingly, taking this route does NOT immediately lead to an ending.  "Maiko rants about his new kingdom, the big hotels he will build, and how rich he will become."  Does he have the capital and resources necessary to build those hotels?  Sure, the book threatens another eruption with "a rumbling from the shore", but I'm too focused on the economic and logistical difficulties.


"Maiko spins around.  Even in the pale light of the moon, you can see the gleam of madness in his eyes."  He must be a reincarnated conquistador.  CHOICE #10 is whether to demand to return to the Allegro by taking the spear gun from the bilge on Page 50, or "bide your time" on Page 55. 


I was hoping biding my time would kill me so I could finish this long post already!  "The air smells faintly of sulphur."  Sulfur with a "ph"?  Since when did Edward Packard become British?  The impending eruption does not deter Maiko:  "His eyes are fixed on the island like a thirsty desert traveler staring at an oasis."


I grab the spear gun anyway and point it at Maiko, who shouts "You little rat!"  The weapon is "designed to pierce the heart of an 800 pound shark", and eventually deters Maiko from attacking.  "Someday you will regret that you kept me from my island, my kingdom!"  Is he the monarch of the Underground Kingdom?


Pages 56-57 are an impressive drawing of the erupting volcano, with lightning flashing in the black clouds overhead.  The Allegro is sailing away from us, and the skiff isn't fast enough to catch up.  "You cringe as a hurricane wind strikes the boat with a fury that takes your breath away."  But cringing is a habit specific to people in the 2010s-2020s!


We have a full jug of water and one day's rations, but we have slim hopes of getting anywhere.  CHOICE #11 is whether to go for Etuk 200 miles west on Page 74, stay in the sea close to Surtsey II on Page 77, or look for a way to land on Surtsey II on Page 78.  Let's find a way to kill off these characters already!


"There's some risk in landing on the island, but there are risks in staying at sea, too.  Besides, you'd love to be the first person to set foot on a brand-new island.  The sun has just shrunk behind the peak of the volcano where your skiff glides through the waves and onto the beach.  Could it be true?  You own a whole island?  And could you be its ruler?


But what an island it is.  It looks more like an alien planet.  There is no trace of life, only gray rocks and gray sand and ash.  The thick smell of sulphur hangs in the air.  An island newly born, yet dead.  You start up the rough mountain slope.  From the ridge above you'll have a better view.  You notice a small pond.  There are lots of fish swimming in it.  They must have been deposited by the tidal wave. 


You'll be able to catch enough fish to live on.  When it rains you will have water from hollows in the rocks.  The weather is warm enough so that with fish to eat, water to drink, and overhanging rocks for shelter, you'll be able to survive for awhile.  Search planes are sure to pass over the island.  You feel certain you will be rescued. 


As you wait, you wonder what rights you will have to the new island.  As the first human being to discover it and live on it, will you really be declared its owner?  Or will your country be the owner?  Or will it be like Antarctica, which is owned by no country?  Maybe the island will be named after you.  At the very least you'll be famous.  THE END".


Maiko had already fallen off the skiff on Page 68, never to be seen again.  Is this an Inconclusive Ending, since it's never confirmed that you get off the island and live, despite the high likelihood of rescue?  Can't be a Good Ending in the traditional CYOA series tone because Maiko is dead.  No illustration.


Our hero should remember the first rule of property:  you can only keep whatever you can defend, or what other people are willing to defend for you.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

3 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 8


Maiko is still dead in the CHOICE #11 ending where I don't land on Surtsey II, but still remain close.


"Deciding to stay within sight of the island you sail back and forth, keeping a few miles offshore.  You want to be near enough to the island to be spotted by any plane flying in to investigate the volcano, but not so close as to risk being wiped out if the mountain should blow.  Several hours later you hear a sound overhead.  Jets.  Navy fighters!  They swoop low.  They're dipping their wings.  They see you!  Within hours you are rescued by a helicopter from the aircraft carrier Ranger.  The pilot tells you that the Allegro is safe, and that you will soon be reunited with your friends.


'Who will own the new island?' you ask the helicopter pilot.  'Well', he says, 'I hear that if it doesn't blow its top and sink into the sea, the United Nations will own it.  It may be years before it's safe to build anything there.  In the meantime, scientists from all over the world will come here to study it.'  'I like that idea,' you say, as you stand on the deck, looking out over the azure blue sea.  THE END"


If Maiko dies in every route in the book, I'll retroactively remove the Bad Non-Death Ending category from those conclusions where he's the only one who perishes.  The illustration shows the skiff labeled Allegro sailing almost perpendicular to the volcano in the distance.  My character is looking at Surtsey II.  Maybe Maiko should have gone into the scientific expedition toll booth business for his private island plans rather than hotel management.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

3 Deaths

4 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

2 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Choose Your Own Adventure:  Survival at Sea Alternate Endings Part 9


My character thinks they're clever when they "lash the tiller and adjust the sails" to put the skiff on autopilot after CHOICE #11.  "You are eating a breakfast of two squares of chocolate, when you realize your boat is off course!"  Oops.  The wind had changed directions in the meantime, and now I don't know if I'm on the way to Etuk.  CHOICE #12 is North on Page 87 or West on Page 91.  The only clue is that there's a cloud to the north, and "you've heard that clouds form over islands".


The protagonist thinks the cloud is a mirage, at least until they see Surtsey II.  They're right back where they started.  There's hope of rescue, but you can find desperation between the lines:  "Surely the Navy will be investigating.  Scientists will want to study it.  Maybe a plane will spot you".


At night, the stars "quickly vanish".  Are the constellations going to attack me, like those unfortunate enough to be born in the world of Drakkhen?  My character has a nightmare about lava flows.


"You are awakened by a crash.  Your skiff has drifted ashore.  You jump out and pull the skiff up onto the dusty shore.  You are on the new island.  Maybe you are the first person to set foot here, but all that means is that you are the only person here.  You are too weak and exhausted to do anything but lie in the beached skiff and wait.


The hours pass.  You hear a faint rumbling.  Looking up, you see one plane and then another.  One plane swoops low and dips its wings.  They've seen you!  A rescue helicopter should reach you within hours.  As long as the volcano holds off, you're as good as rescued.  THE END"


Inconclusive Endings are born from doubts like those expressed in the last line.  My compliments to the illustration showing my character lying face-down in the beached skiff with one arm hanging out.


Endings So Far


0 Good Endings

3 Deaths

4 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

3 Inconclusive Endings