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Arcane Rites - A Deadly New 700 Paragraph Fantasy Gamebook!

Created by Simon Birks

Face the Cult of the Pajoli to rescue your ward; use your abilities to fight monsters, detect traps and survive the perilous adventure!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Early-Bird Rewards Now Active for Monuments gamebook!
5 months ago – Wed, Oct 25, 2023 at 04:42:39 AM

Hi,

I hope you're well.

As a backer for one of our previous gamebooks, I wanted to let you know we've just launched our next campaign for Monuments - A Branching Narrative Gamebook. We've hit the funding goal (in under an hour), and are ticking off stretch goals rapidly!

I'm an avid gamebook fan and creator, who got hooked at the age of 12 and never looked back. Fighting Fantasy was my go-to, but I'm a fan of a range of titles, including Lone Wolf.

It took me a while (okay, 35 years) to complete my first book, Arcane Rites: Cult of the Pajoli, a 700 section dungeon crawl. I followed this with Innsmouth: The Stolen Child, a 600 section Lovecraftian creeping horror.

Monuments is my third gamebook, and once again we're returning to Kickstarter to help raise funds for printing.

For the last couple of years, I've been running a newsletter entitled A Branching Narrative, where I create and share interactive fiction adventures.

Cover Art by Lyndon White

Monuments collects the first three of these adventures. If you've played one of our previous gamebooks, you will recognize the rules instantly. All you need to play is a pencil and two six-sided die.

Each reward tier comes with digital adventure sheets you can print out and use so you don't need to write in the book.

To back the project, click or tap on the image above or the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/simonbirks/monuments-a-branching-narrative-three-adventures-in-one?ref=2bbzff

Speak soon and stay safe,

Simon

A New Derilion Adventure
11 months ago – Sun, May 07, 2023 at 08:10:38 AM

Hi,

I hope you're well.

I've just started a new online, ongoing Derilion adventure over on 'A Branching Narrative'!

Every 2 weeks you get to read the latest section and choose on Derilion's next action - all for free. 

Sound interesting? The introduction, first section and poll for choices can be found below:

https://abranchingnarrative.substack.com/p/derilion-assassination-starts-here

There's only a couple of days left to make your first choice - it might change everything!

I look forward to seeing you!

Speak soon and stay safe,

Simon

Do you know about A Branching Narrative?
11 months ago – Fri, Apr 28, 2023 at 02:13:01 AM

Hi,

I hope you're well.

I just wanted to drop you a line in case you weren't aware of my Gamebook Newsletter 'A Branching Narrative'.

A Branching Narrative logo, showing the words laid out in a choice tree way
This is quite a large image, isn't it?

We publish new adventures, some set in the Arcane Rites world, every three months. There is a free tier, which gives you a taster of the adventure, and a paid tier which gives you access to the longer adventure. This month's adventure, 'Webs of Death', runs to 268 sections. Get a paid subscription today and get access to the previous 3 full length adventures, 'The Watchtower', 'Vents!' and 'Entombed!' immediately.

I've also just started a two-weekly series, 'From Mind to Page - The Journey of 1000 Choices', where I go into my methods of creating the books, step-by-step, so that it might demystify the process, and help you write that adventure you were always itching to write!

To subscribe, click or tap on the image above or the link below.

https://abranchingnarrative.substack.com/

Speak soon and stay safe,

Simon

Another incredible gamebook to check out!
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jun 02, 2022 at 09:01:12 AM

Hi,

I hope you're well.

I wanted to hop on and let you know about another great looking gamebook which has received some fantastic reviews, funding now on Kickstarter!

Unravel Your Destiny #2 - Framed

"Framed" is a tale where YOU are the hero, or rather the victim, having been found beside the body of your employer with a gun in your hand. YOU don't know how YOU got there but if YOU're going to avoid jail then YOU'd better find out, and sharpish!

This gamebook is a mix of murder mystery and action adventure gamebook as you explore the island of Dr Flavius Munroe, now deceased, and try to find out which of the invited guests has landed you in the frame for his murder.

I've backed it (and bought the first book), and thought you'd like to grab it, too. Early-bird deals run out soon!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grjordan/uyd2-framed?ref=cnoggg

Speak soon and stay safe,

Simon

Derilion Returns this December on A Branching Narrative!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Dec 07, 2021 at 01:37:00 PM

Hi,

I hope you're well.

I write a monthly interactive fiction adventure called "A Branching Narrative".

For the December adventure, I’m returning to the world of Arcane Rites, to continue Derilion the Lightbringer's quest to save her ward.

Set after the events of Cult of the Pajoli, Derilion finds herself under attack in a tavern on her way to Tombin. I’ll be sending out the setting and the first paragraph later this week.

We’ll also be adding an attribute or two to continue building our game mechanics. As well as Power, which you may have seen in other adventures, we’ll be introducing Agility.

As with other adventures in A Branching Narrative, the first 25 or so sections will be free to everyone, whilst the whole adventure will be for paid subscribers only.

If you'd like to receive either version of 'A Branching Narrative' click or tap the image above or the link below and sign up!

https://abranchingnarrative.substack.com/

Speak soon and stay safe,

Simon