Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[sunrise089]

Just checking in to say I loved the awards a few pages back. I got busy and have fallen behind in the thread but am endeavoring to catch up.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Part 1


"You're rolling through the wealthy part of town on your scooter.  It's early and you can race along the wide empty sidewalks as the high fences of the rich and famous flash by, their houses hidden from prying eyes".


The Deadline Delivery player character would probably mug their Movie Mystery Madness counterpart to get the scooter.  This You Say Which Way installment is written by Kevin Berry instead of repeat offenders Peter Friend and Blair Polly.  So who knows how high quality it will be?


I see a mansion with trailers in front.  A "teen girl with a long blonde ponytail" greets me when I ask what's happening.  "It's the first day of shooting a movie here and lots of cast and crew have called in sick.  We urgently need extra help.  Are you interested?"  Whatever the disease may be, it's never lupus.


Blonde Ponytail gives me a suspicious vague contract, which I sign because otherwise there's no story.  She tells me to "report to the second assistant director".  


"From somewhere in that direction, the smell of frying bacon hits your nostrils, and you feel hungry".  Our ambiguous player character doesn't keep kosher or halal, I guess.  Then a "short, bespectacled man in a yellow jacket climbs onto something so everyone can see him".


This guy then gives a speech:  "I'm the director of this movie, and there's only one rule on the movie set:  mine!  We have a tight deadline, an unfinished script, missing extras and PAs, the budget got cut last night, and the catering van has already run out of burritos!  But this is the movie business, and we're going to make the best kids' movie possible with what we've got!  Now that we've all landed, for those of you who weren't here for rehearsals yesterday, I'll fill you in.  The working title is Murder Mystery Party.  It's a murder mystery themed birthday party.  It's going to be awesome!"


No it's not!  The murders aren't going to be nearly as interesting with a PG rating, or whatever the New Zealand equivalent is.  Although it could be a kids' movie by the depraved standards of Midsomer County, England, and that means all bets are off.


Our director promises that the best extra will get a more important role.  The 2nd assistant director calls himself George, and immediately assigns me a nickname:  "You look like a smart, cool kid.  I'll put your name down.  I'll call you Scooter".  "That's not my name', you say.  'It is today.  It's a showbiz name.  No one uses their real names in this business.  Do you think my real name is George?"


George, if that is his real name, gives me CHOICE #1:  Become an extra, or a production assistant.  Well, the former promises more action. . .

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Part 2


I sign up as an extra, and George tells me I likely won't have to memorize lines:  "The scriptwriters were fired a couple of weeks ago due to budget cuts.  The director says he wants to 'wing it'.  Apart from some scripted lines at the start of the first scene, he wants to let the story unfold naturally.  Just act in character for your small part.  That's all you have to do."


Are we dealing with a self-styled auteur?  This story will be much funnier if this low-budget schlock has a pretentious director. 


As for my part:  "Murder Mystery Party is a movie in which the main character, played by star Alicia Tomova, has a murder mystery game set up by her parents for her birthday party.  And all the guests go in costume.  You're a ninja".  I knew picking the extra job was the right decision! 


I eat some food and then notice the wardrobe trailer when a "ghost and a superhero" are leaving.  Two people with the stage names Bonnie and Clyde help me get my ninja outfit, but tell me that the plastic shuriken is lost and that Clyde stepped on the plastic katana and destroyed it.  However, the costume at least looks convincing in the mirror.


Now it's time to go to the mansion.  Boys and girls alike wear fedoras, and suggest that filming in the front of the mansion costs $8000 per day, plus penalties for broken objects.  The mansion has 3 stories, a "drawing room" to the left, a ballroom on the right, a library right of the main staircase, a bathroom behind the main staircase and opposite the servants' staircase, and a dining room next to the drawing room.


Wait, this place has a drawing room?  I thought those only existed in the times of Mary Elizabeth Braddon and Emile Zola.


Our first scene is in the dining room with a chandelier that's not going to be foreshadowing, right?  (Even the first Laura Bow game did that. . .)


Alicia Tomova, the star, has been in several other movies the player character has seen.  She's now wearing a "prima ballerina" outfit. 


The director appears and makes another speech.  "As you know, the script is complete.  The scriptwriters are no longer with us.  We have extras performing the roles of the other kids in the movie rather than professional actors.  We're going to ad lib, make it up as we go along, keep it natural.  And we're going to make it one long, continuous shoot.  That will give it the really authentic look I want".


I thought I was kidding when I made the comment about the director being pretentious.  Kevin Berry must have had me in mind when he was writing this CYOA. 


My fellow extras include "a kid in an alien suit", "someone dressed as a traditional cartoon white-sheeted ghost", a "girl knight", a "boy wizard dressed in a full-length purple robe and tall hat decorated with stars", a "girl dressed as a nurse", and finally a "superhero".  Are the knight and wizard really Tina Warrior Princess and Wizard Zim from Dungeon of Doom in disguise?  Maybe they work on movies when they aren't playing cursed video games.


The food at the table is real, probably because they couldn't afford props.  The man playing the father says one of us will be the victim, one will be the murderer, and the rest will be "ordinary guests" who try to solve the crime.  The mother says we're supposed to take an envelope from the center of the table, read it privately, then do what the note inside says.


My envelope says YOU ARE AN ORDINARY GUEST.  The ghost says "dang", and she wants to switch envelopes with me.  The wizard says "Hey, Ninja, swap with me instead.  And, no, I'm not telling you what I've got either".


CHOICE #2 is of course which envelope to take:  my own, the ghost's, or the wizard's.  For comedy purposes, I may pick the wizard because we all know what happens when we trust them.  (Although if the player character IS the wizard, things can go well, as seen in La Extraña Niebla Roja.)


But the next post will wait until tomorrow.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Part 3


Against my better judgment, I swap envelopes with the wizard to entertain the Peanut Gallery.  This is the result:  YOU ARE THE VICTIM.  I told you trusting wizards was a bad idea!  Earlier today, I read a Spanish novella called "Al Borde del Abismo" where the main character trusted a witch and was tricked into being imprisoned in Hell.  So all magic users should be regarded with suspicion.


"There are further instructions telling you where to go and what to do when the game begins.  You skim through.  They're rather short."


The father begins his performance in an auspicious manner.  "Kids, it's time to start the murder mystery game.  you've all got your instructions. . .and. . .and. . .um. . ."


"Has he forgotten his lines?  Or is this where the script runs out?" 


The mother saves the movie by saying "So, let's have fun!  Remember to follow the instructions in your envelopes".  My destination as the murder victim is to go to the library.  The room is filled with curtains, leather sofas, chairs, desks, tables, and a stepladder.


My cue is to look at the books, so I do so.  Some of them might be 200 years old.  None of them are organized.  "An almanac of cricket matches in the 1800s is next to Jane Austin's [sic] Emma, which is next to a travel guide for Copenhagen, which is next to Duel at Dawn. . .hey, that one looks interesting".


It seems the Mark Twain spelling for Jane Austen is used here.  And Duel at Dawn is another You Say Which Way book by Kevin Berry.  Does this library have Creepy House style teleportation?


The ghost from CHOICE #2 is of course the killer.  We get our CANONICAL ENDING here.


"You jump and spin and face your murderer.  It is the ghost.  She has a pistol.  It looks real, but it must be fake.  What if it isn't?  What if this whole thing has been some sort of elaborate-The ghost fires.


The gun makes a loud pop.  Something wet and squelchy hits you in the chest, spilling onto the book you were holding.  Luckily it was Harry Potter and not the old cricket almanac.


Now it's time for your big scene.  Your death act.  You groan and stagger backwards, clutching at your chest with one hand, sticky red goo spreading between your fingers.  You keep a shocked and puzzled look on your face.  The book topples from your other hand as you pretend to lose balance, partially falling onto a leather sofa with an airy oomph! and sliding onto the floor.  After a last gasp, you lie still, listening as the ghost slips out of the room.


Bare feet.  That's how she snuck up on you.  Nice.  'Cut!' the director shouts.  'Check the gate'.  The camera operator checks something.  'Yeah, we got it'.  'That's a take, then.  Ninja, remember your position.  You're needed for the scene in which someone finds the body.  Great work, by the way.  Your death fall was so natural.  You couldn't have done any better if you'd actually died.'


'I think I twisted my ankle'.  'Even more realistic.  What was your name again?  Scooter, wasn't it?'  'Yes', you grunt as you raise yourself painfully onto the sofa.


'You've got a future in the movies, Scooter.  My PA will pass on your details to an agent friend of mine.  You're going to be a star."


Surprisingly, my role as the victim does NOT result in Death.  No swapping the blanks with real bullets Triunfo del Amor style.


This is actually a Good Ending, as the epilogue text indicates.  The director "predicts you'll become a star", but that's a stretch.  He's the sort of person who lets everyone else do all the work and then take credit for it after the fact.


But the epilogue text also points out how the day was memorable and I at least got free food.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Alternate Endings Part 1


It's time to get even with that wizard and switch envelopes with the ghost in CHOICE #2 instead.


As predicted, the envelope says YOU ARE THE MURDERER.  And the instructions are as follows:  MURDER WEAPONS ARE IN THE CABINET TOP DRAWER.  CHOOSE ONE.  YOUR VICTIM WILL BE IN THE LIBRARY.


"How realistic are these weapons going to be?  They're not realistic.  It's not a real murder movie, it's a kid's party game in a movie. . .First, there's a black plastic water pistol preloaded with some red gunge, next to a novelty egg timer labeled BOMB, and lastly a yellow rubber chicken".


My character ponders how the rubber chicken could possibly kill the victim:  as a club, or a "missile weapon".  I would propose shoving it down the wizard's throat, but that would probably kill him in real life.  Not that I would mind.


CHOICE #3 is obviously what weapon to go with.  How inventive can "Scooter" be with a rubber chicken?


Here's how the deed is done.


"Out of the corner of your eye, you see the director grinning as you place the hollow head of the rubber chicken over one hand, then pull back on its legs with the other hand as if you're wielding a hand-held catapult.  When it is stretched tightly, you aim. . .and then let go.


The rubber chicken sails across the room.  For a moment, you think it's going to go well above the wizard's head, but then gravity does its work and pulls the missile down in a perfect attack parabola.  It lands on the back of the wizard's head, sending his starred purple hat flying.


He's taken completely by surprise, but to his credit immediately plays the part of the unfortunate victim and falls to the ground, dramatically pulling a few books from the shelves as he does so".


It's the perfect crime!  And somehow Kevin Berry managed to sneak the word "parabola" into a story about a ninja flinging a rubber chicken at a wizard.


I head to the drawing room because that's reasonably far away from the library.  The nurse hopes the victim is Alicia so the rest of us will get better parts.  My cynical Scooter says "I think if the star of the movie got killed off, they'll want to start the filming over again".


The ghost has this to say when she sees us:  "Murder!  Murder most foul, as in the best it is, but this most foul, strange, and unnatural!"  The nurse responds "The ghost has read Hamlet".


We all look at the wizard's body, and then I realize that the ghost knows I did it because I switched envelopes with her.  The mother tells us we're allowed to ask 2 questions, and then make an accusation.  Whoever solves the mystery gets a prize.


"Everyone nods, including the dead wizard.  That will have to be edited out of the final cut, you think".  Anyone who's watched La Rosa de Guadalupe knows that sometimes they leave goofs like that in.  Whether this studio has better production values than Televisa, I'm not so sure.


Alicia and the alien waste some of their questions on sentences like "Does that count as a question?" and "Why do you think it's not fair?"  Don't feel bad, kids.  At least you didn't waste a magical wish on "Don't call me Tami!"


The superhero suspects me when I give a phony alibi about eating sandwiches in the dining room.  The nurse uses up her final question on "Ninja, did you do it?"


CHOICE #4 is to either confess or say I didn't do it.  Notice how few people in murder mysteries stay quiet and let a lawyer like Johnny Cochran do all the talking?


Confessing isn't the correct option:


"Yeah, I did it', you say.  'Cut!' the director shouts.  He smacks his forehead with the palm of his hand, knocking his yellow cap backward off his head.  'What are you doing, Ninja?  That was a question, not an accusation!  You shouldn't have confessed!  Now we have to shoot it all again from the beginning!'


George looks at you with a stony expression, his shoulders slumped.  'Scooter, the whole point of the mystery game is the kids have to work it out.  It needs to have more action and suspense than this.  Don't confess.  Just lie.  Or think what a ninja would do.  That's your character.  Do something clever or dramatic.'


It would have helped if there had been a script, or some direction from the directors, you think, but you keep those thoughts to yourself.  'Can I get up now?' the wizard asks.  'I think my right arm has gone to sleep because I'm lying on it'.


'If we're going to shoot again from the beginning, maybe we should replace the ninja.  Do we have any other extras in the holding area?' the first assistant director asks.  'No' George snaps.  'We used all of them to replace the actors you fired because of budget cuts'.  The 1AD clicks her tongue.  'Oh yeah'.


'Okay', the director says.   He's calmed down.  'Everyone, back to the dining room.  We'll go again.  And I don't want any confessions this time'.


Maybe if the director didn't insist on filming the entire movie in one take, we wouldn't have these problems.  This is technically a Bad Non-Death Ending, but a minor one compared to some others featured in this thread.  I'm a bit disappointed about the lack of any mention of the rubber chicken, but that may only occur in the routes where I conceal the truth a bit better.


Results So Far


1 Good Endings

0 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Alternate Endings Part 2


Saying I'm not the murderer has better results, and I even manage to pin the crime on someone else.


"There's a servants' staircase too, opposite the bathroom.  You could have come straight down that way and into the library without being seen, killed the wizard, then back up the servants' staircase, and down the main one past the alien again.'


'Wow.  That's clever', the nurse says.  'That sounds like something the murderer would do to give themselves an alibi', you say, trying not to smile at the irony of you suggesting the ghost is the murderer when the ghost knows that you are because she swapped envelopes with you.


'We're all out of questions now', Alicia says.  'It's time for some accusations'.  'I think the murderer was the ghost', the nurse says.  'Me too.' The alien.  'Same here.'  You add your vote.  It's hard to keep a straight face.  'The ninja', the ghost says.  The sheet over her head conceals her expression, but there's an edge to her voice.


'The knight', the superhero says.  'The ghost', the knight says.  'And I vote for the ghost too', says Alicia.  'So that's a clear overall vote for the ghost.  You're the murderer, Ghost'.


'But. . .but. . .'


The mother character reappears.  'Excellent game, everyone.  I'm so glad it was a success.  But let's find out who the real murderer is and if you're right.  Wizard, you can get up now.  Tell us who killed you'.


The wizard stiffly gets up to his feet.  'It was the ninja'.  The others gasp in astonishment.  You grin.  'Splendid!' the mother character says.  'What fun!  There'll be more party games later, and maybe even another murder.  But it's back to the party food now'.


'Cut!' the director shouts.  'Ninja, that was ingenious!  You're a natural!  How do you feel about having a bigger role in the remainder of the movie?  Maybe co-star with Alicia?  We could write you into something-'


'Except we can't afford scriptwriters any longer', George reminds him.  The director is unperturbed.  'Even better!  The ninja's performance in this scene demonstrated that a script isn't required!  Well done, Ninja!  You're going to be a star!'


George mimes clapping.  Under the sheet, you're sure the ghost is scowling at you".


Still no reference to the rubber chicken?  Does the murder weapon have any effect on the story other than a change to the "death" scene?  Whatever the case, Scooter is now a movie star.


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

0 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Alternate Endings Part 3


For fun, I'll include a bit of the scene where I pick the water pistol instead of the rubber chicken.  It has no effect on the ending.  No Hamlet reference either.


"Across the room, browsing the bookshelves, stands your victim-the wizard.  Presumably he won't cast any spells on you.  Silently, you tread across the room until you are standing behind the wizard at arm's length.  There's no indication he suspects anyone else is in the room.  You truly are living up to your role as a stealthy killer.


You raise the pistol.  At that moment, the wizard farts loudly.  Phuuft!  You catch a lungful and almost give yourself away by choking.  He's not casting spells-he's casting smells!  What a fetid fug!  Time to perform the execution.  You say ominously:  'I knew I'd find you here'.


The wizard turns to face you, a look of consternation visible above his lopsided beard.  You make a double shot point-blank at his chest, assassin-style.  Two red splotches of gunk spurt onto his costume.  He groans, drops to his knees, then keels over and lies still".


The word "fug" gives away the New Zealand dialect, I guess.


My character's a bit squeamish about guns and bombs when I pick the egg bomb.  I set the timer to 2 minutes and take it out of my robe "with a flourish for the camera". 


CHOICE #5 is to either run away or watch the wizard's death performance.  Running away is another route to CHOICE #4.


"Nothing obstructs the direct path between you and the book-browsing wizard.  You bend down and roll the plastic egg timer across the carpet at a steady pace as if it's a tiny bowling ball.  It comes to a stop a couple of paces behind the wizard, who's completely unaware of it".


In that route, I have a brief conversation with the nurse to provide an alibi.  Still no Hamlet.


As for watching the egg timer "explosion":


"You decide to deliver the egg timer bomb and stay to watch.  You'd like to see how the wizard performs his movie death.  Nothing obstructs the direct path between you and the book-browsing wizard.  You bend down and roll the plastic egg timer across the carpet like a tiny bowling ball.  It comes to stop a couple of paces behind the wizard, who's completely unaware of it.


Mwahahahaha!  You grin malevolently, waiting for the 'bomb' to detonate.  That'll look awesome for the camera.  You're really getting into this killer role.  After the two minutes is up, the little egg timer emits a loud boom.  Wow, it must have been hacked to produce a noise like that.  Usually they just buzz a little.


The wizard keels over onto the floor with a dull thud.  His hat falls off.  The noise of the 'explosion' alerts everyone in the house.  Voices and footsteps are coming your way.  Panicking, you start moving.  'Hey, Ninja!' a voice calls from further down the hallway.  It's Alicia.  You recognize her voice.  Unfortunately, the star of the film has seen you.


You duck around the corner behind the stairs.  If you can get away, maybe you'll be able to convince her it wasn't you whom she saw.  However, dressed in the ninja outfit, that's unlikely.  The dining room is two strides away when the nurse character steps in front of you.


'Going somewhere?' she says, crossing her arms.  'Um. . .that explosion-'  'It was that way'.  She points behind you in the direction of the library.  'You came from there'.


Alicia comes around the corner at that point.  You're trapped between them.  There's no getting away, no chance of them believing you're not the murderer.


'Got you!'  she says.  'Mystery solved in record time.'  Behind her, you see the camera man frowning.  The director throws his hat on the floor.  George stands there, his head in his hands.  Looks like they'll have to start the filming over again".


Another "Bad Ending" with no worse consequences than restarting the movie.  Everyone in the epilogue texts laughs it off and treats it as a rehearsal.



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

0 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Alternate Endings Part 4


When I keep my envelope in CHOICE #2, the ghost says she's going to swap envelopes with someone else, but I won't see who it will be.  This is probably meant to prevent metagaming if you previously tried the murderer and victim routes.


The father still forgets his lines, and then I have CHOICE #6 as to where to go next.  My selection will determine whom I see and can eliminate as suspects, and maybe what my alibi will be.


Nothing much happens in the drawing room, except the nurse snickers at me when I ask where the "paints and easels" are.  She says "But the term 'drawing room' came from withdrawing room, a room to withdraw to.  It has nothing to do with artists".  Maybe if Scooter had read The Fortune of the Rougons, maybe they'd know what a drawing room is.  Emile Zola is sometimes a better history lesson than actual history books.    


The nurse briefly taunts me that she may have poisoned my apple juice, but I reveal to her that I'm an Ordinary Guest. 


When I move to the ballroom, I notice the alien on the stairs.  Alicia Tomova "pirouettes on the polished wooden floor of the ballroom".  She's such a talented ballerina that I realize she must have trained for it for a long time.  Maybe this movie is just an excuse to show off ballet, with the "murder" thrown in to trick kids into coming to see it?


The superhero's in the bathroom, and shouts "This damned costume!" as his spandex snaps when trying to relieve himself.  This is a unisex bathroom complete with cubicles, which seems odd to Scooter, because the mansion is a home as far as they can tell.


Then I wander upstairs, which is supposedly off limits.  Not much is there except for the alien who says "Yeah, that's me.  Homesick.  Just waiting for the next flying saucer out of here".  It takes time for Scooter to realize he's talking in character, and that "Aliens either want to eat your brains, or they want to go home".


There's an office upstairs with bookcases, files, and a computer desk.  Then I finally have to go to the library to investigate.  CHOICE #6 is nothing more than a way to eliminate suspects.


Unfortunately, I'm the first to see the dead wizard.  The murder weapon was clearly the gun instead of the egg timer or the rubber chicken.  But I salvage the situation by saying other people saw me before the murder. 


The ghost claims that she was in the bathroom at the same time as the superhero, which I doubt.  The knight also says she was in the bathroom.  Nice try, girl who may or may not be Tina Warrior Princess!  The ghost's alibi is that her costume's wet.


CHOICE #7 is obviously whom to accuse of the murder:  Superhero, Ghost, Knight, or Alien.  We know the superhero and the alien didn't do it, so let's convict them first to see what happens!


"You decide the superhero must have slipped out of the bathroom, killed the wizard, and returned.  'I think the murderer was the superhero', you say.  Everyone else makes their accusation.  Most of them disagree with you.  You're wrong.  Where did you go wrong with your thinking?


The ghost must be telling the truth about being in the bathroom because her costume got wet.  She heard the superhero in there, struggling with her costume, the entire time".


The consequences for this are so mild that it has to be a Neutral Ending.  I don't solve the mystery, but the director still likes my performance and tells me to return.


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

0 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Alternate Endings Part 5


I accuse the alien:


"You decide the alien must have slipped away from the stairs, killed the wizard, and returned.  'I think the murderer was the alien', you say.  Everyone else makes their accusation.  None of them agree with you.  You're wrong.  Where did you go wrong with your thinking?


You saw the alien on the stairs yourself, and Alicia, the ballerina, confirmed she saw the alien on the stairs while she was dancing.  He couldn't have gone anywhere without her noticing".


Almost the same as the last ending, down to the epilogue text.


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

0 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Movie Mystery Madness Alternate Endings Part 6


Accusing the ghost:


"You decide the ghost must have slipped out of the bathroom, killed the wizard, and returned.  'I think the murderer was the ghost', you say.  Everyone else makes their accusation.  Most of them disagree with you.  You're wrong.  Where did you go wrong with your thinking?


The ghost must be telling the truth about being in the bathroom because her costume got wet.  However, the superhero said she heard the bathroom door open once, not twice, so the ghost must have entered and not slipped out to kill the wizard".


Third verse, same as the first.


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

0 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

3 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings