Gamebooks vs RPGs: what’s the difference?
Hi everyone, as the title says, I've been pondering a lot on the difference between gamebooks on the one hand, and RPGs on the other. The reason is this: to experience some of the thrill of the gamebooks of my childhood, I made a game (Greymarsh) that I really envisioned as a gamebook, only in digital format.
When I started writing (this was four years ago, that's crazy!) I hadn't really given a thought to what makes the gamebook format unique. That question became gradually harder to ignore as I progressed with the game, and as one gamebook became two, and then, recently, three (I just launched Champions of Chaxia).
So, here's my take (I'm not saying it's unique or anything).
Gamebooks, because of their format (physical books made of paper), can only handle limited information regarding the STATE of the surrounding world. The reason is mainly that the PLAYER is the one responsible for registering any state changes. In books such as Heart of Ice this is achieved by using code words, retaining an element of surprise, while in the Lone Wolf series (at least the first nine or so) the player just had to note down events, to be able to later act accordingly whenever past events affected the story.
As the player becomes the administrator, you don't want a game state that is too massive. Actually, most of the game state lies in the protagonist's stats sheet and inventory list. The player thus carries around most of the world state.
When I designed some parts of Greymarsh and Bloodwood Dungeon, without thinking much about it, I included some puzzles that relied heavily on the game keeping track of things (where the troop of guards was located at any given moment, for example, or how a light beam was reflected in a dungeon).
In my latest game, Champions of Chaxia, this became even more pronounced as most of the game between the gladiatorial battles takes place in a shantytown, where you are supposed to revisit places and tend relations and the like. Even though I'm happy with the result, there is a part of me that resents the resulting complexity, so far removed from, say, City of Thieves' charming simplicity of design. My conclusion is that there is much power in simplicity, and that's why we love gamebooks.
To sum up: In this age of Crimson Desert and Baldur's gate 3 with their overwhelming complexity, I think the efficient and concentrated narration of gamebooks is needed more than ever. Therefore, for my next gamebok project I'll probably revert to something simpler and more gamebook like. Or even take the full step, as some in this community have done, and actually go full analog. :)
I'd be very interested in your thoughts on this.
