Musclin' in!

GangsterFiction · Post by **GangsterFiction** » Sun June 10th, 2012, 5:15 pm

Hi everyone,

My name's Bob Middleton, a systems / games designer (not the gambling type, I hasten to add!) with a penchant for writing--although probably 90% ambition and 10% actual talent . . .

I'm a keen history buff, with a diverse range of interests from ancients (esp. Greeks, Romans and Celts) to the Prohibition Era. My main problem, in fact, is that I often enjoy researching my various projects more than actually working on them! Oh well.

At present I'm working on a "interactive fiction" novel (i.e. a 'multiple choice' story-game) called Vendetta: Rise of a Gangster ('M' rated, not kids' stuff), set during the Prohibition Era, in which the reader assumes the role of the protagonist and the story unfolds according to the decisions made.

Well, it's different!

-Bob

Edit: Apparently I'm allowed to post a link here so if anyone is interested enough in this concept to provide some feedback / constructive criticism, that would be very much appreciated. The Demo (first two of nine planned chapters) is available here:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/82562041/web/ve ... index.html

P.S. It should run fine in most browsers, no downloads or such required.

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Sun June 10th, 2012, 5:51 pm

Welcome, Bob. I must say, you have cut yourself out a project. Doing those 'choose your own ending' books is hard enough when the plot is simple. But for grown-up fiction (one hesitates to call it 'adult', with the porn connotations that implies) it would be like writing several books at once!

I too love the research almost as much as the writing. But my favorite part is oral storytelling. I like to see my listener's reactions and maybe even get a laugh.

sweetpotatoboy · Post by **sweetpotatoboy** » Sun June 10th, 2012, 6:12 pm

Welcome to the forum, Bob.

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Mon June 11th, 2012, 2:30 am

Nice to meet you Bob!

GangsterFiction · Post by **GangsterFiction** » Mon June 11th, 2012, 11:18 am

Thank you for the warm welcome.

[quote=""MLE""]Welcome, Bob. I must say, you have cut yourself out a project. Doing those 'choose your own ending' books is hard enough when the plot is simple. But for grown-up fiction (one hesitates to call it 'adult', with the porn connotations that implies) it would be like writing several books at once![/quote]

It is indeed a massive undertaking, and a serious challenge, but I find it very rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm up to somewhere in the region of 70,000 words in just the first two (of nine planned) "chapters" alone, with so many different possible routes, but the playtesters on the ChoiceScript forums (the development system I'm using) seem to really enjoy it and rate the replay value, so I have high hopes for the end result . . . By the year's end it should be available on Kindle and as apps for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.) and Android devices, then we'll see if it was "worth" my time & trouble.

[quote=""MLE""]I too love the research almost as much as the writing. But my favorite part is oral storytelling. I like to see my listener's reactions and maybe even get a laugh.[/quote]

I'm afraid I'm cursed with shyness face-to-face (so my particular 'hobby' suits me perfectly!) but I do admire--with a touch of jealousy thrown in--a gregarious nature in others.

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Mon June 11th, 2012, 4:44 pm

Hi Bob. Welcome to the forum! My daughter writes LARP games which, I take it, are similar to your efforts. She has to account for her various characters making multiple decisions. Luckily she doesn't have to write each story line, just allow for the various choices in the lead up to the climactic ending!

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Mon June 11th, 2012, 5:03 pm

Welcome, Bob!

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Mon June 11th, 2012, 5:33 pm

Welcome, Bob! I hope you enjoy it here.

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Mon June 11th, 2012, 7:49 pm

Hi Bob and welcome.

Shield-of-Dardania · Post by **Shield-of-Dardania** » Tue June 12th, 2012, 2:18 am

Hi & welcome, Bob. Your job sounds interesting. If you're a history enthusiast as well as a writer wannabe, like me, you'll like this forum.

Now then, just trying my luck here. Drawing on your expertise as a games designer, you wouldn't be able to give us a sample battle scene or two, would you? You know, something that might give us a bit of inspiration for our next potential battle.