Fourteen books read, played and reviewed, and well done to all of this year’s Windhammer Prize entries! (If I somehow missed your entry, then please yell at me and this will be fixed.)
So! Let’s review the experience.
Firstly, a massive thank you to all of this year’s authors. Writing a gamebook is tough – I know (this is why the gamebook authoring tool exists). But not just technically, it’s also a massive creative challenge. So if you managed to get an entry out then this is a fantastic achievement. Please carry on writing for us, because you’re great.
Next, my opinion counts for nothing (apart from the three votes I get to cast later). Please don’t be upset if I reviewed unfavourably or over-enthustiastically. I tend to enjoy stories, words and puzzles over dice rolls, treasure hunts and clever rules. This is partly due to the true magic of gamebooks – not only are the genres endless but so are the mechanics. With so many variables, what appeals to one person won’t appeal to the next. So again, whatever people say, write more.
Let’s take the time to give a small applause to http://www.arborell.com/ and its sponsors, without whom we would have nothing to talk about right now. The site has been running the Windhammer competition for six years now and the prizes are getting better each year. The gamebook revival is due in part to lovely movements like this.
Finally, a message for you, gentle reader. Gamebooks are back, and there is no better time to be a consumer of the gamebook. We have kickstarters to revive the old books we love, and several companies producing gamebooks in formats we never thought possible. I have a small computer in my pocket and on it I can find infinite worlds.
So support and make noises about the authors you discover and the books you find! Read the Windhammer entries and get your votes in before the 30th of October.
Now I have the terribly difficult task of choosing just three entries to nominate for this year’s prize…