Brian the Dark, at your service.
Growing up, my favorite books were the Give Yourself Goosebumps books, in which my choices determined the outcome of the story. Well, I was too afraid of getting bad endings, so if I was reading with someone else, I would make them choose. The neat thing about these books and other Choose Your Own Adventure style books is that you can actively take part in the story. When I was planning my birthday party, I thought it would be fun to bring one of these stories to life. It was I think the most enjoyable party activity I've ever tried and I hope to have a chance to do something similar again. If you'd like to try hosting your own interactive Choose Your Own Adventure game, here are some tips to help you get started. While in many ways it would be easier to choose a book that has already been written for your party, if you're interested in writing your own story, like I did, I'll have some tips for that in next week's post.
Help, my guests are turning into plants!
*Choose a book to enact that takes place in one location. That way you won't have to worry about changing scenery partway through the story.
*Pick a few key decorations to use to set the scene. Your guests will probably get the idea and it will help them feel like they're part of the story, but it won't be as exhausting as going all out.
*Choose your props wisely. Props can really add to the story, but Choose Your Own Adventure stories generally have many endings. Since you probably don't have the time or energy to make props for every path, stick to the paths your players are most likely to encounter. For example, at the beginning of my story, the players drink a mysterious punch and start turning into plants. I had a punch bowl available for them and artificial vines they could drape around their shoulders to signify that they were turning into plants. In one of the choices in my story, the players turn into cats. I wanted to make some cat eared headbands for that storyline, but there was a small chance that they would actually pick that ending, so I decided not to. Indeed, they did not pick that ending, so I'm glad I didn't go to all that extra effort.
*Get into character. While this might not be applicable to all stories, some involve a central character or villain the player is constantly coming into contact with. If you dress up as and act like this character, it can enhance the game experience for your players. If there are multiple villains your players are likely to encounter, you may want to enlist some help. Brian ended up playing a key role the game I hosted.
*Decide in advance who will make the choices. If you have multiple players, the odds are that they won't all want to make the same choice at every juncture. At my party, we used majority rule to decide. However, if you're hosting the party for someone, you may want to task them with making the choice (or choosing who will make the choice).
*Use copies of the book as party favors. You won't be able to get through all possible endings in one party, so giving players a copy of the book could help sate their curiosity. This option may help alleviate any potential complaints from players who did not get to pick the ending, as it gives them the option to experience their ending at a later time.
Planning on trying your own Choose Your Own Adventure game? Let me know how it goes for you. You can tell me in the comments, or send me an email at hathaway.amber@gmail.com.
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