Julius Caesar: Stayin' Alive!

Julius Caesar: Stayin’ Alive is a good showcase of CYS’s changing standards over the years. I had it in my reading list for a while because I happen to like the source material very much, but it certainly had much to be desired for a story that was once featured.

To start with, the story structure itself was probably the biggest flaw. Many of the choices made simply did not matter. Even choices that seemed as if they would matter, such as being directly warned of the conspiracy by Brutus, were completely forgotten on the next page. A particularly annoying example that made me a bit surprised this had been featured was when Caesar has a choice to go watch the races ir speak with Brutus. If he speaks with Brutus, the page after where he goes to the races is written just as if he never had anyway.
The big attraction to CHOOSE Your Story is just that, choosing your story. If a choice is forgotten by the next page, then what was even the point of having it?
Another, different bad example of choices was when Caesar is taking a bath and gets a knock on his door. If he asks who it is, it is Cassius in disguise, but if he does not, it is a servant. Ain’t that amazing how that works.
Because of this all, there’s no real branching, just some early end links.

There were also some confusing things about the story itself, or rather, some things that showed perhaps some confusion on the part of the author.
The senate is said to be almost empty, but literally dozens of senators were in on the assassination. Add that to those who were not, and you have a full house there. Also, why were hooded men caught wandering the senate with daggers. They ARE the Senate and don’t need disguises.
I also want to point out that yond Cassius has a LEAN and hungry look, not a MEAN and hungry look, and such men are dangerous.

I did like the subject, and I thought the title was very catchy. However, this story just did not live up to my ever-smaller hopes. Check it out if you’re one of those freaks who reads reviews before story-games and are interested in an artifact from the past that, while not bad, will make you ever more grateful that CYS has EndMaster and higher standards in this season.

Seems like a pretty cool game, I just didin't like how the game's choices seem to follow no logical; the deaths are random. I mean, isn't it logical for someone especially like a recently-crowned king to ask who's coming in before alotting them passage? And if you have all these signs from various people like your wife and soothsayers to stay home, shouldn't you probably stay home?

On top of that there's inconsistencies with the story; if you don't ask who it is, the guy doesn't kill you (as one ex).

That's really the only thing that irks me about this story. When playing a CYS, it should be strategic and logical and your choice; not like attempting to traverse a minefield.

It is kind of hard when you are speed running it though but it is good

I won, but it was ok. It should be longer.

unhhhh

The expirence was nice and all you got to do is be smart

I'm alive!!

good, wish the outcomes were longer tho

While there is a proper amount of early choices, they all lead towards the same branch and the conclusion feels too summarised. While the setup of a plot is there, act 1 is about your personal leanings and personality, which affects how the assassination will take place in act 2, it doesn't work for me. Act 1 has too little impact on the following story. Act 2 has too little groundwork to feel anything more than random, and act three is only a short paragraph leaving the reader little to work with.

The writing also clashes with the subject matter. There's a serious plot, the last days of one of the most (in)famous persons in history, but the yadda yadda's, BIG WORDS, and other immature word choices cheapened the impact of that plot. It made me not care about the world and the characters in it.

All in all, there's a good story hidden in there; it just needs a bigger wordcount and change of atmosphere to come out.

This was good.