Fan-girling COG's and WIP's haaaaard...

Soooo…I frequent the forums and am hooked on interactive fiction (as you all obviously are :heart: cheers!) And have found many a great Cog and Wip based on forum recommendations…but was wondering what the writers of our fav tales like to read?! I would love to hear what Cog/wip’s have delighted folks such as @Seraphinite @Samuel_H_Young @jeantown @ThomB @Carawen @Dae-kalina @will etc. Etc. Etc. If you have written something, please state what it is, and what YOU have enjoyed reading so your fans can follow suit! :heart:

7 Likes

Thanks, Jender!

I have written four Hosted Games: Trial of the Demon Hunter, Captive of Fortune, Foundation of Nightmares, and The Magician’s Burden. I am also working on several WIPs: Mass Mother Murderer, The Enchanter’s Misery, The Twisted Village, and Winter of the Bovine.

I don’t read or test a lot of WIPs myself, but I do find myself going back to Guenevere quite a lot over the years. My favorite CSGs include Choice of Rebels, Fallen Hero, Zombie Exodus, Choice of the Star Captain, and The Grim and I, among many others. I know, real original. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

7 Likes

I haven’t read half of those, so thanks man!

2 Likes

@Jender I’m curious about your opinion, given your status as a professional theater actor… do you think any COG or HG games could be rewritten as plays? If so, how would you rate their commercial viability?

4 Likes

Holy shit THANK YOU for asking this…I actually performed a SCOOBY DOO typed play several years ago where the audience determined several pieces if the script (and ending ) and it was a definite audience fav, so I think it would be a definite success if the writer penned the play and if the theatre performed several in a row ( aka the theatre or troupe became known for such audience participation) in my experiences (and I have been an actor for long enough that it will age me to express how long ;p) audience participation if well written is ALWAYS a win! I read all of these stories as an actor, so as scripts per my training, and i feel there is a DEFINITE new market here. Thank you for.making me not feel insane!

7 Likes

Oh and I dont mean to frighten anyone…as an artist I would never perform a work without permission or paying for rights :heart:

3 Likes

That reminds of The Mystery of Edwin Drood! It’s based on a novel that Dickens never finished, so instead of “finishing” it, the audience gets to decide how it ends. It’s really fun!

Speaking of IF theatre mash-up, there’s A Midsummer Night’s Choice, which was pretty fun. Are there any other plays you think would make good adaptations to games?

2 Likes

Anyway, it’s off topic BUT any cog/wip could be adapted but I would only trust it if the writer was involved. I know of several companies in DC that might produce such if interested, so pm me when you have a script And i will give you their contact info OTHERWISE back to topic…what are our author’s fav reads???

2 Likes

Don’t have a ton of time to play them, but I am a fan of CCH, Day Off Work, and Choice of the Cat. Looking forward to trying Missing Wings since I bought it already.

2 Likes

Looking forward to your feedback, Matt. At your leisure, of course. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I’ve written 2 Hosted Games - Evertree Inn and The Grim and I. I’m also about to submit the Evertree sequel, Sordwin.

I don’t read many WIPs but it is my mission to read the entire COG and HG libraries.
I’m a huge superhero nerd so I love basically everything in that genre (The Heroes Rise Trilogy, Community College Hero, The Hero Unmasked, Psy High, Fallen Hero, etc.)
I also think the Samurai of Hyuga series is fantastic and I cannot wait for part 2 of So, You’re Possessed!

My all time favourite though, has to be Creatures Such As We. It was so different and original. My whole philosophy in writing IF is ‘Video Games as Art’ and CSAW is such a perfect example.

This was a fun question, thanks for asking :smiley: I can’t wait to see how other writers answer!

9 Likes

I am currently writing four games, two of which have a WiP on here:
Curious Cuisine (cooking and superheroes)
And
Beggar’s Luck (pirates)

I might be very picky with what I read but I greatly enjoyed most superhero stuff (especially Hero Unmasked, CCH and Superlatives) and Heart of the House

4 Likes

So sorry @Jender, I don’t think I got the notification for this or I was being forgetful but I didn’t mean to ignore it :sweat_smile:

I haven’t read that many CoGs, but the ones I have enjoyed the most have been “Guenevere” and “The Grim and I”. I love the role you get to play in Guenevere and the bittersweet tone of The Grim and I.
I’ve read my fair share of visual novels though and one of my favourite ones ever in that category would be “The House in Fata Morgana”. It’s actually one of my favourite stories ever, period.

It’s been a while since I read a book that really drew me in, but I generally like stories with darker tones where your views get challenged and heavy character focus is included. Some non-book stories in general that I enjoy are “Enderal: The Shards of Order”, “Dragon Age: Origins”, “Demonheart” etc.

Forgot to mention but I’m currently reading “The way of kings” series by Brandon Sanderson and though Im not completely and fully drawn in by it yet I still really enjoy it!

5 Likes

Dragon Age Origins is my fav game of all tiiiime!!! #AlistairForLife and HOW is Guinevere Book 1 not a published game!!! It is so freaking good!!! Anyway, thanks fpr the reply…I will surely check your suggestions out. Cheers!

2 Likes

That sounds really fun re: Scooby Doo plus the audience affects the outcome.

I watched a performance of a dnd game (yes that’s a thing) where the characters were Not Velma, Not Fred, and Not Shaggy. It was hilarious. They played Fred as this terrifying psychopath obsessed with “solving mysteries”, reminding me of like one of those toys from that evil kid’s room in Toy Story, mixed a bit with Jigsaw, mixed a bit with Overly Attached Girlfriend. His thing was pulling off people’s faces. “You again!” he declares triumphantly to the exposed muscle and bone. “You would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for us meddling kids!” A man is dead. Velma and Shaggy entered a pact where the other was not allowed to commit suicide to end their immortal suffering in the service of this demon without the other dying as well.

1 Like

Super. W.I.N.!!!