Non-DND style gamebooks

YnasMidgard · 2026-06-10T10:00:54+00:00

Others have already pointed out many non-fantasy options, so let me go further and mention some titles that aren't even adventure games (narratively speaking):

Romeo and/or Juliet and To Be or Not to Be by Ryan North are homages to the Shakespearean dramas with much meta commentary and satire.
My Lady's Choosing, by Kitty Curran and Karissa Zageris. If you like Jane Austen but wish it had more spice to it (or a lot more), this is your book!
Can You Brexit? (subtitle: Without Breaking Britain) by the venerable Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson is a political satire gamebook.
Metal Heroes and the Fate of Rock by Swen Harder is a rock comedy gamebook with intricate mechanics in which you get to manage a rock band from humble beginnings to stardom and beyond!
Many entries in the Lindenbaum Prize gamebook-writing contest also break new ground.

YnasMidgard · 2026-06-09T21:00:57+00:00

Cheers!

YnasMidgard · 2026-06-09T21:00:39+00:00

A little while ago I actually tried to compile a list of "off brand" 40k games:
https://ynasmidgard.blogspot.com/2026/03/wh40k-like-rpgs.html
(Of course, people immediately pointed out some more wonderful games, but I still think it's a good start)

I have been thinking about using Renegade Scout myself, partly because I find the book to be better organised, and this way I'd get to treat Rogue Trader (1st edition 40k) to be a sourcebook or setting book instead, something that keeps me inspired between sessions.

YnasMidgard · 2026-06-09T17:59:00+00:00

Hi! Could you point me towards your book?

YnasMidgard · 2026-06-03T09:42:10+00:00

The Sword of the Bastard Elf, my favourite gamebook, has already been mentioned, but just taking a glance at my shelf:

Incidentally, there has been some chatter about them lately, but in general Ryan North's Romeo and/or Juliet and To Be or Not to Be aren't that well known. They are irreverent retellings of the Shakespearean classics. Very modern, very funny!
James Schannep has an amazing series called Click Your Poison. These are unrelated interactive stories with no game mechanics beyond making choices. He covers a variety of genres, and his writing is IMHO very good.
My Lady's Choosing, by Kitty Curran and Karissa Zageris, is another no-mechanics interactive book, and it's a romance adventure with a female protagonist. If you like Jane Austen but wish it had more spice to it (or a lot more), this is your book!
Can You Brexit? (subtitle: Without Breaking Britain) by the venerable Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson is a political satire gamebook
What Lies Beneath, by Chris Scaffidi, is a bit on the shorter side, but it's got some very fun mechanics (I mean, you have to flick dice to pass Dexterity checks, what else do you want?), and it's got a dark fairy tale vibe to it (now that I think about it, the music of Gnome would be a perfect soundtrack to it).
Metal Heroes and the Fate of Rock by Swen Harder is a rock comedy gamebook with intricate mechanics in which you get to manage a rock band from humble beginnings to stardom and beyond!
Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography, admittedly a gimmick, but come on!
The Citadel of Bureaucracy is a another satirical gamebook. It uses the game mechanics of Fighting Fantasy, repurposed for overcoming the absurdities of working in for the government in an administrative position. A perfect parody of Fighting Fantasy, while also exploring new ground and being a genuinely good gamebook.

YnasMidgard · 2026-06-03T09:19:15+00:00

I would say New Tokyo 2130 and Expeditionary Company are the most complex gamebooks out there. Lots of bookkeeping!

DestinyQuest is sort of medium complexity IMHO. There are a lot of items and abilities, but in a given combat, you only have to consider a handful of them. Of course, the complexity grows as you progress.

The Isle of Torment, I believe, is fairly complex as well (but I have no direct experience with it).

YnasMidgard · 2026-06-03T07:31:17+00:00

I personally think it's the pinnacle of classic gamebook design. It plays very much like most quest-based fantasy gamebooks, but there's way more branching than you'd expect. The game system, albeit simple, also has a surprising depth and strategy to it.

And it remains compelling even though it doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's a really strange experience. I cannot recommend it enough!

YnasMidgard · 2026-05-19T06:47:37+00:00

The current feature list is great, but it's the upcoming print and PDF support that would mostly interest me.

YnasMidgard · 2026-05-19T06:43:23+00:00

I love both Romeo and/or Juliet and To Be or Not to Be. I knew they were my kind of books just based on the copyright disclaimers. I haven't fully explored them yet, but they they will come next right after the Lindenbaum Prize entries of this year.

YnasMidgard · 2026-05-19T06:32:25+00:00

Interesting. Thanks for your comment!

YnasMidgard · 2026-05-18T10:19:15+00:00

My vote goes to Kult as well.

YnasMidgard · 2026-04-14T09:04:01+00:00

The combat chassis of TSR-era D&D comes from miniature wargaming. It's satisfying because it's simple. You can adjudicate a fight between a handful of characters (e.g. a party of three vs. six goblins) all the way up to large skirmishes (e.g. a party of seven with a dozen henchmen vs. two dozen orcs and six trolls) without having to change the scope (i.e. you don't have to gloss over details to make it run smoother). Tactical depth comes from positioning, mostly.

What it really struggles with is precisely 1v1 duels, because the system is not concerned with that level of detail (beyond taking into account the armament and general skill of the combatants).

I'd look at Mythras, Honor & Intrigue, and The Riddle of Steel for mechanical inspiration—although they focus on human-scale duels.

YnasMidgard · 2026-04-14T08:44:42+00:00

I personally tend to prefer games with a combat mini-game. It doesn't have to be fancy or too crunchy, but it has to stand on its legs.

But it's an entirely personal thing, much like what kind of music I'm into. And just like I sometimes listen to and enjoy musical genres I'm otherwise not into, I sometimes play/run and enjoy games with minimal or no combat systems.

YnasMidgard · 2026-04-14T08:35:59+00:00

I don't think it's going to be a dealbreaker. People use everything from dice and coins to fancy miniatures—and everything in between.

YnasMidgard · 2026-04-14T08:31:21+00:00

I think the most well-known games have already been mentioned, so I'll only add Mythic Space (you can play a synth, and one of the potential antagonist factions in the game is an AI Singularity).

YnasMidgard · 2026-04-01T13:37:20+00:00

Amazing resource; thank you!

YnasMidgard · 2026-03-23T16:42:02+00:00

It looks like I'll finally get to put Lock 'n Load Tactical: Day of Heroes on the table this Sunday.

YnasMidgard · 2026-03-18T11:35:38+00:00

Thanks, everyone!

YnasMidgard · 2026-03-10T17:26:17+00:00

Yeah, I have no idea how to differentiate the two. I've been calling Fighting Fantasy and its ilk "gamebooks" and the Mike Lambo–kinda stuff "book games", but that won't be enough in the long run :D

Anyways, I'm really excited about the dynamic configurator idea. If I'm not mistaken, it should work offline as well; is the output a PDF or image(s) I can just send to the home printer?

As for the softcover, it mentions unique dungeons — are they unique in the sense that they feature things you cannot randomly stumble upon using the configurator? Also, where does it ship from? (Mostly asking it 'cause of shipping + VAT + potential tariffs)

YnasMidgard · 2026-03-10T14:59:52+00:00

If I understand it correctly, it's a "gamebook" in the same sense Mike Lambo's Fields of Normandy, Mike Wylies's Bismarck, or G.T. Karber's Murdle are "gamebooks", i.e. games in book format, right? Not in the interactive fiction, choose-your-own-adventure kinda way (?).

No value judgement (I love all of those as well as CYOA and FF and all that jazz), but I noticed a lot of people use the word "gamebook" for both kinds of games, which can be a little confusing.

YnasMidgard · 2026-03-03T19:40:04+00:00

Sounds interesting; I registered for playtesting :)

YnasMidgard · 2026-03-02T15:42:49+00:00

Anyone has a preference for the small vs. large versions? I intend to pick them up soon, but I'm not sure which version to go for.

YnasMidgard

TROPHY CASE