Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 6


"You carry Henry and lead the other children to the boat deck.  The deck is crowded with confused passengers.  Officers are shouting orders.  The ship seems to be tilting.  There is no sign of Mr. or Mrs. Charles.  'Women and children!' shouts an officer.  He sees you and the children.  'You there, into the lifeboat!'  'But their mother isn't here!' you cry.  'We must wait for her!'


'Get in', a familiar voice says in your ear.  Mr. Charles is standing behind you with a grim expression on his face.  'I'll see to it Mrs. Charles gets into a lifeboat.'  Mr. Charles and the officer help you and the children into the lifeboat.  'Papa!' Agnes screams.


'Don't worry', Mr. Charles says, smiling.  'Mama and Papa will see you very soon.'  Agnes buries her head in your lap as the lifeboat is lowered into the water.  The two Titanic officers aboard row away from the sinking ship.  Before long, Titanic's stern rises high into the air.  People onboard are thrown into the freezing ocean.  You coax the children into singing songs.  You hope it will distract them from the terrible screams of the dying passengers.  Soon the ship slips below the surface of the sea.


Once the sea is quiet, the children sob themselves to sleep.  The night seems to last forever, but the sky gradually begins to brighten.  One of the people on the lifeboat gives a shout.  A rescue ship is coming!  You don't know if you'll ever see Mr. and Mrs. Charles again, but at least you and the children survived.  THE END".


That's the last governess ending.  Looks like Mr. Charles suffers either a Death or Inconclusive Ending every time.  But a completely happy outcome wouldn't fit a Titanic story well.


Results So Far


6 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings



Rather good odds for being a passenger on the Titanic!  If you're forced to bet your life on Can You Survive the Titanic? for some reason, pick the governess.  The only way you can die is to go past the partially flooded staircase, and if you don't realize that's a trap, then you deserve to lose.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 7


Chapter 4:  Be Prepared and Survive


"On April 10, 1912, you and your father boarded Titanic in Southampton, England.  You are headed to New York City.  Father has a new job there, and you will get to meet your uncle for the first time.  This trip is the first time you've felt happy since your mother's death a year ago.  Father has been busy, so you've spent your time discovering every part of the ship.  You've met two other boys near your age and have become good friends.  All of you are Boy Scouts, which is a new organization in England and the United States.  You also like to get into mischief".


On April 14, my 1st class friend William Carter and my 3rd class friend Billy Goodwin, tried to get into the 1st class dining saloon.  But Billy and I were caught and thrown out.  Probably because nicknames like Billy are too vulgar for 1st class.


My dad is playing cards in the 3rd class smoking room.  William and Billy want to have some fun.  Billy complains about how hard it is to sneak away with 2 parents and 5 siblings.  William says "Mother and my sister Lucile went to bed hours ago.  Father is probably in the first-class smoking lounge".  Imagine his voice as the snootiest Received Pronunciation accent you can conceive.


This 12-year-old boy's idea of fun is to sneak into the boiler room, and William wants to check on his dog in the kennels on the deck.  CHOICE #8 is between these two options.


William's dog is fine when we go to the kennels, but something else is happening.  "Directly in front of the ship is an enormous iceberg.  Titanic is heading straight for it!  The ship starts to turn away from the iceberg, but bumps against it.  A shudder goes through the ship.  Huge chunks of ice break off the iceberg and fall onto the lower deck".


William wants to play with the ice for a while, so we start throwing it.  Billy notices the ship has stopped.  William's father "sternly" tells us to come with him and get on a lifeboat.  But Billy refuses because he wants to find his family in 3rd class.


We're ordered to move between the promenade deck and the boat deck multiple times, because 1912 disaster survival protocol makes no sense.  I see the distress signal rocket and shout "I must find my father!"  Mr. Carter grabs me and says "The officers aren't letting men on the boats, but they are loading women and children.  If you go look for your father, you will likely not survive".


My character is 12, the same age as James Charles, the boy who was considered too big to go on a lifeboat as a child.  But then again, this is a 3rd class boy, so maybe he's smaller due to malnutrition or something.


CHOICE #9 is to look for my dad, or stay with William's family.


The latter is probably the best ending I can get in Chapter 4.


"Finally the officers get the windows open and Boat 4 in position.  They stack deck chairs next to the windows so people can climb out into the lifeboat.  Officer Charles Lightoller helps you, William, Lucile, and Mrs. Carter into the boat.  They wave tearfully to Mr. Carter.  Lightoller orders the boat to be lowered.  By now Titanic has sunk so far that the lifeboat only drops a few feet before it hits the water.  Two crew members row as hard as they can to get away from the ship before it sinks.


You don't know how you make it through the terrible, cold night.  You and William take turns pounding on each other's feet and legs to keep warm.  About 3:30 a.m. a ship appears on the horizon.  It's the Carpathia.  You're hauled up to the ship with a rope.  An officer takes your name.  'Go into the dining saloon.  There's hot soup for everyone there', he says kindly.


You are stumbling toward the dining saloon when suddenly you're caught up in a bone-crushing hug.  'Father', you gasp.  'When the ship went down, I climbed onto some wreckage.  A lifeboat picked me up', Father explains.  Later you find out that Billy's family didn't survive the sinking.  So many people died.  You and Father are two of the lucky survivors.  THE END".



My dad survives even when I don't look for him.  You'd expect this option to kill him off.


Results So Far




7 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 8


Looking for my dad in CHOICE #9 doesn't sound promising at first.  3rd class is now waterlogged.  But my Boy Scout training comes in handy when I "finger" my pocketknife and conclude my father is on the boat deck.


My father says our best hope is to stay on the ship as long as possible, but there's a risk of being sucked underwater if we wait too long.  CHOICE #10 is to either jump now, or wait until the Titanic sinks.


"Let's go now', you say.  'All right.  When I tell you to go, jump with me.'  You stand at the railing with Father as the ship tilts further upward.  Soon you can't keep your footing.  The seawater is rushing toward you when Father yells, 'Take a deep breath, and jump as far as you can.  I'll be right with you!'


The cold water tears through you with a pain you've never felt before.  You barely hold your breath long enough to get to the surface.  The water is filled with wreckage.  There's a tangle of ropes and heavy wooden doors in front of you.  Your frozen fingers somehow open the pocketknife.  You saw at the ropes until they loosen, and one of the doors breaks free.  Painfully you climb onto it.


'Father!' you shout until you become hoarse, but you can't see him.  Some time later a lifeboat appears, and several strong hands haul you up.  You feel frozen, but not just from the cold.  You've survived, but Father is gone forever".


If this were a different book, this would be a Bad Non-Death Ending.  But the normal ranking system may not apply here.  Remember the governess endings where at least one supporting character dies or is unaccounted for no matter what you do.  So I'll put this in the Good Ending column, if you think of it as "Survive" instead of the player character being better off after the adventure.


The father dies directly because of the player's advice too.  Notice how he survives in the ending where you go with the Carters instead of looking for him, because he jumped late.


Earlier, I read several of the 12-year-old boy's storylines out loud to my friend, including this ending.  She thought the book was interesting, but noticed how short the paths were.  I told her this was probably because of Capstone's rules for writing these books.  Can You Survive the Titanic? is about the same length as Can You Survive in a Dystopia?, but has to account for 3 player characters.


Results So Far


8 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 9


Waiting until the ship goes down before jumping generates a short ending, but not for the reason you may expect.


"The stern rises higher in the air until the ship is straight up.  Screaming passengers tumble past you.  The ship balances for a moment.  Then it begins to plunge into the water.  'Take my hand!' Father yells.  Father jumps and pulls you with him.  The water is unbelievably cold, but you manage to hold your breath.  You're pulled under.  You fight your way to the surface, still clasping Father's hand.


Together you start swimming, hanging onto floating wreckage.  A lifeboat appears in the darkness.  With all the strength you have left, you paddle toward it.  Rough hands grab you and pull you up.  Someone throws a blanket around you.  'You and your father are lucky to survive', a voice says.  'You'll be fine now'.  THE END".


Haste makes waste when you're jumping off the Titanic.  My dad survives too if I take his advice, unlike the other CHOICE #10 option.


Results So Far


9 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 10



Going with my character's entertainment suggestion in CHOICE #8 takes us to Boiler 6 instead of the kennels.  We don't have much time to enjoy it.


"Suddenly a metallic tearing sound fills the air.  Water starts pouring into the room.  An alarm sounds, and a red warning light above the watertight door flashes.  Firemen are scrambling around, trying to figure out what's happening".


One fireman takes us up the ladder just before Boiler 6 floods.  He immediately thinks it must be an iceberg, though he assures us the Titanic has 16 watertight compartments and probably won't sink.  He does recommend that we return to our families.  I explain to him that a Boy Scout should observe before reporting. 


CHOICE #11 is to either go to the main deck, or look for my father.


William wants to talk to Captain Smith about what's happening.  We go to the bridge, but we don't see any dialogue from the captain.  Thomas Andrews, however, says "We struck an iceberg, and the forepeak and both forward holds are flooded.  The mail room is flooded.  Boiler Room 6 is flooded to a depth of 14 feet.  Water is coming into Boiler Room 5".


We then try to warn are families, after shaking hands for what may be the last time.  Dad is still playing cards.  One old man says "Nonsense" when I tell him about the iceberg.  But my father says the engines stopped.  He still thinks the Titanic is "practically unsinkable" though.  A steward appears and orders us to put on life preservers and go to the boat deck, and we don't have time to do anything else.  But my father still wants to get his stuff.


CHOICE #12 is to either go with my dad, or go to the deck.


When I reach the deck, J. Bruce Ismay, BENEDICT ARNOLD OF THE SEA, is telling everyone to put on their life preservers.  Ismay is sometimes cast as a villain in Titanic stories, including the zombie novel Deck Z:  The Titanic.  So it's surprising to see him presented as a normal person trying to save the passengers here.


(The BENEDICT ARNOLD OF THE SEA epithet comes from a The Denver Post article from April 18, 1912.)


Ismay compliments me for my Boy Scout obedience when I put on my life vest, and I tell him I want to wait for my father.  My father won't be permitted on this lifeboat because an anonymous officer says only women and children are allowed.  CHOICE #13 asks me to pick either this lifeboat, or try to find another one.  Picking the latter results in this ending.


"Several boats are being loaded, but none of them are filled.  'Why aren't they filling the boats?' you ask Father.  'Maybe there are so many lifeboats that they don't need to fill these', Father replies.  'Actually, there are only 20 lifeboats', you reply.  'That means that there aren't enough boats for everyone on the ship.'


One of the officers spies you and Father.  'You there', he calls.  'Do you have any experience with boats?'  'Yes', Father responds, surprised.  'I sailed in my youth.'  'Get on this boat', the officer says.  'We need experienced sailors to guide the lifeboats.'


You and father jump into the boat.  After several more passengers are loaded, the officer gives the order to lower the boat.  Once you're on the water, Father takes charge.  He shows the others how to row the lifeboat.


There's nothing to do now but watch the great ship sink.  It's a horrible sight as hundreds of people are thrown into the freezing water.  Titanic finally slides into the ocean and is gone for good.  After about 30 minutes the screams grow quiet.  Now there's nothing to do but try to stay warm and wait for rescue.  At least you and Father have survived.  THE END".


My father never mentioned he knew how to row a boat before this ending.  Will this skill be ignored in other paths?



Results So Far


10 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

 

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 11


Maybe my dad doesn't mention his rowing skills in the alternate CHOICE #13 path of going on the lifeboat immediately.  It's certainly more depressing.


"I won't leave without you', you say.  Father shakes his head.  'I'll get on the next boat, son.  I'll see you in New York!'  Father hugs you tightly.  Reluctantly you climb into the lifeboat with about 20 other people, all women and children.  As the boat is lowered, you wave at your father and try not to cry.  He smiles and waves back.


The next morning when the ship Carpathia rescues you and the other survivors, you search for your father.  But you know in your heart you won't find him.  You'll be traveling to New York alone.  THE END".


Results So Far


11 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 12


CHOICE #11 seems to be meaningless, as both options lead to CHOICE #12.  But going with my father in CHOICE #12 brings two last branches for the 12-year-old boy playthrough.  It's difficult to walk in 3rd class because the ship is tilting.  We put on several layers of clothing.  I'm enthusiastic when I grab my pocketknife:  "Boy Scouts are always prepared!"  My dad takes money and a photo of my mom.


Stewards are knocking on doors and telling us to put on life vests, but some seem to ignore them and lock their doors.  Thanks to my mischievous ways of sneaking around the ship, I know how to get out of 3rd class.  There is "water trickling down" a staircase.


CHOICE #14 is to either go up these stairs, or go through a hallway.  The 1st option leads to CHOICE #13 with Ismay and the lifeboats after a short scene of Billy panicking and asking if we've seen his sister Jessie.  Going through the hallway reveals the only Death for this player character.


"Father follows you down the hall, which is starting to fill with water.  At the top of the stairs is a locked door.  Several other third-class passengers are there too.  Everyone yells for someone to come, but no one does.  The water is coming in faster now.


'I don't think we're going to make it, son', Father says, taking you in his arms.  'Don't be afraid.  We're together.'  You close your eyes and hug Father tight.  That's where you are when the water rushes through third class, drowning everyone.  THE END".


A boy from 3rd class has a surprisingly good chance of survival considering their high mortality rate on the real Titanic.  5 endings where you live and 1 Death.  And there is an alternate route to 2 of those survival endings.


Tomorrow, I'll begin the surgeon's assistant playthrough.


Results So Far


11 Good Endings

2 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 13


Chapter 2:  Serving and Survival


"You stand on the deck of Titanic and breathe in the cold night air.  It's Sunday, April 14.  This is the first time you've had a moment to yourself since the ship left Southampton, England, on April 10.  You're one of Titanic's medical crew.  You are an assistant surgeon to Dr. William O'Loughlin.  When you took the job, you imagined an exciting voyage on the most famous ship in the world.  Instead, you've been busy every day tending to the minor hurts and sicknesses of the passengers.  You're disappointed that you haven't had more free time.  But tonight it seems that everyone is well and safe.  You can finally enjoy the amazing ship".


So begins the final character's story.  The surgeon's assistant gets to eat in the first class dining saloon.  The food includes "filet mignon, lamb in mint sauce, roast duckling, and chocolate éclairs".  You know it's fancy when the menu options include an accént márk. . .in English.  Everyone at dinner talked about how fast the Titanic was.  I explore the decks until 11:00 p.m.  When I fall asleep, I notice a "strange bump" and wake up.  My pocket watch says 11:40 p.m. 


"Even if the ship has hit something, you're not too concerned.  Titanic is believed to be unsinkable, after all".  CHOICE #15 is another case of the author begging me not to metagame in a historical simulation.  The options are to either go back to sleep, or get up.


My next nap doesn't last for long.  Dr. O'Loughlin tells me it's midnight, and that the Titanic hit an iceberg.  I should put on some more layers of clothing and a life vest.  Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall confirms we've hit an iceberg, but he says he didn't notice any damage.  He then goes to the bridge to give his report to Captain Smith.  Dr. O'Loughlin says "Gentlemen, I have a bad feeling about this", like the 1912 equivalent of a Star Wars character.  The surgeon orders his assistants to check on first and third class.  (Nobody cares about 2nd class!)  This is CHOICE #16.



The hallways in 3rd class aren't as confusing for me compared to most 1st class passengers because I've treated several patients there.  It's difficult to warn the 3rd class passengers because many don't speak English.  (The real Titanic had passengers from China and the Ottoman Empire, among other countries.)


One man says he heard about flooding in the boiler rooms.  CHOICE #17 is to tell the 3rd class passengers to either go to the deck, or to stay where they are and condemn them.  The latter results in perhaps the worst ending in the book.


"Don't worry, we'll be fine', you reassure the passengers.  But minutes pass, and no officer arrives.  Finally you decide it's time to get the passengers to the deck.  You lead the crowd through the halls to the first exti.  To your horror, the door to the upper deck is locked!  Several men try unsuccessfully to break open the door.  The panicked passengers rush back through the passageways.  But no one seems to know how to get out of the third-class area.


By now the ship is tilted to one side.  As the group turns a corner, a wall of seawater roars toward you.  You have no time to react as the wall of water rushes over you.  It sweeps you and everyone else in the hall to their deaths.  THE END".


Not only do I die, but I take everyone in 3rd class with me.


Results So Far


11 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 14


Let's try to save the poor people in CHOICE #17 instead of drowning them.


John Hart, a steward, tells us that he will take women and children to the boat deck.  He asks me to organize them.  We take 30 women and children on a "zigzag route" past the 2nd class library and the 1st class dining saloon, because 3rd class is separated from the rest of the ship and doesn't have a direct path to the deck.


Many of the women and children jump out of the cold lifeboat and return to the Titanic where it's warm in spite of our efforts.  Shortly afterwards, I get a more positive ending.


"You walk toward a lifeboat that's nearly full.  'Doctor, get into the boat', an officer calls to you.  'These people may need medical treatment for the cold.'  You step into the boat, and then it's lowered into the water.  You and the other men, including a couple of passengers and an officer, grab oars.  When you get some distance away from Titanic, you look back.  The ship's electric lights are blazing.  Orchestra music carries across the water.  Few people seem to realize the terrible danger they're in.


Over the next hour, Titanic sinks faster.  People finally realize the danger, but it's too late.  There's nothing anyone in your tiny lifeboat can do but watch in horror as Titanic's stern rises higher and higher.  Finally the mighty ship breaks in two and falls with a crash.  Hundreds of people are thrown into the water.  You know people can last only a few minutes in such cold water before dying of hypothermia.  Sure enough, in less than an hour the screams and moans grow quiet.


You spend the night keeping the other survivors warm.  You try not to think about the bodies floating in the icy water just a few feet from the boat.


About 3:30 a.m., the rescue ship Carpathia appears on the horizon.  Tears of relief fill your eyes as you help the people in your boat board the rescue ship.  You're grateful that you all survived, but sad that so many died.  THE END".


There's a picture of people in lifeboats watching the Titanic sink here.  Can You Survive the Titanic? has many illustrations relative to its length.


Here I'm a hero who saved much of 3rd class, instead of an buffoon who told them the ship was fine.


Results So Far


12 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Can You Survive the Titanic? Alternate Endings Part 15


When I go to 1st class in CHOICE #16, my character is "shocked to see a game of cards going on in the first-class smoking room".  Most of the wealthy passengers stay inside to avoid the cold, and some even try to go back to their cabins.  It takes more time than it should to get them onto lifeboats because of this.  I get on a lifeboat because my "survival instincts" are better than theirs.  But this ending is the same as the one where I tell the 3rd class passengers to go to the deck.


There are even two links above the ending text saying "To tell everyone to go up to the deck" and "To volunteer to go to first class", hinting that some placeholder mechanics remained in the final version due to lack of editing.


So I must return to CHOICE #15 and go to the deck instead of staying asleep.  I see kids throwing ice around on the deck, which concerns me.  I head up a staircase and am forced to decide on port or starboard for CHOICE #18.


At first, there are few people on the starboard side.  First Officer William Murdoch tells us Captain Smith gave the order to send out lifeboats.  CHOICE #19 is to get into a lifeboat, or stay on the ship.


Murdoch launches the lifeboat before it reaches capacity, in spite of my character's protests.  Chances are this is meant to avoid being sucked underwater when the boat sinks.  I fall off the lifeboat when the ropes are released, and some people pull me back in and give me a blanket.  But there are women who may die if I don't give them the blanket.  CHOICE #20 is to either sacrifice myself and save a lucky woman, or keep it and be known as a coward until the end of history.


My heroism is not rewarded.


"Here', you say, draping the blanket over the shoulders of one of the women.  The cold air hits you like a slap.  'God bless you, sir', she says through her chattering teeth.  'The most important thing for us right now is to stay as warm as possible', you say to the other passengers.  Soon everyone is stomping their feet and rubbing their hands. 


Everyone in the lifeboat stares in shock as the stern of Titanic rises higher and higher.  Hundreds of passengers fall, are thrown, or jump into the freezing black water.  The music stops and the electric lights go out for good as Titanic pauses, groans, and plunges into the water.  The air is filled with the screams of people in the water, begging to be rescued.  'We should go back to get some survivors', you say to the officer.  'There's plenty of room in the lifeboat'.  'No!' the officer snaps.  'If we go back, they will overtake us and cause the boat to capsize.  We'll all die.'


Finally the sea is silent.  You're still wet and shivering.  Soon you start to feel sleepy.  'I'll just rest a few minutes', you think as you sink to the bottom of the lifeboat.  You don't realize that you're suffering from hypothermia.  When you close your eyes, it's for the last time".


As my dad always used to say, "No good deed goes unpunished".  The surgeon's assistant has the worst odds in the book if he can die in a lifeboat.


EDIT:  If the cold air hits me like a slap, is it like a Mexican telenovela?  Actresses in those shows know how to slap better than anyone else in the world.


Results So Far


12 Good Endings

4 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings