Text-based or gamebook-style RPG

[VHS9000]

What text-based RPGs can you recommend? Text-based or specifically designed as a gamebook. I like the concept that the game doesn't waste my time on unnecessary animations, walking back and forth and presentation in general, and I like the space for CnC that this format probably provides. However, I recently tried Fabled Lands and the game frankly strangled me with its brutal randomness and controversial balance decisions. On the other hand, I used to have a great time playing text quests in Space Rangers, and some of them were full-fledged RPGs with fairly deep mechanics.

I also bought the entire Sorcery! series, will try it too.

 

[Habichtswalder]

Don't know if they exactly fit what you want, but:

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante

or

Vagrus - The Riven Realms

 

[lukaszek]

get this

 

[Sotomonte]

On Steam you have a lot of gamebooks with more or less RPG elements. Some are versions of real gamebooks, some made from scratch, some directly "imitating" the interface of a book, others presenting attempts to be more... "interactive?", etc:










This is from a fellow codexer and it's free:






And this is a kind of "launcher" where you have a handful of gamebooks:

 

[__scribbles__]

King of Dragon Pass

Darklands (to some extent)

 

[0sacred]

Only buy Sorcery if you like the grindy "rewind your last decision" design. It's a bad gamebook/adaptation because you can't plan strategically (I opted to stay away from a dangerous seeming route because I didn't have many provisions to rest back up, then had my food and gold robbed by some fucking grass).

 

[Humanophage]

King of Dragon Pass
Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind + Lights Going Out
Suzerain + add-on
Alter Ego

maybe Sir Brante

 

[Alex]

Only buy Sorcery if you like the grindy "rewind your last decision" design. It's a bad gamebook/adaptation because you can't plan strategically (I opted to stay away from a dangerous seeming route because I didn't have many provisions to rest back up, then had my food and gold robbed by some fucking grass).

I like these gamebooks despite this dumb design. It was fun to die because you ended up learning stuff about the gameworld even so. I think the second book is less annoying about following the right path, though.

 

[MerchantKing]

King of Dragon Pass

 

[VHS9000]

Thanks for the recommendations! I tried KoDP a long time ago and something went wrong with it, I can't even remember what exactly. Sorcery, Warlock and Darkwood that I will try to play in the near future.

 

[Alex]

You can play the Lone Wolf gamebooks online here.