11/26/2018

3/15/2026 10:22 AM

946

6

6 wins / 0 losses

Marauder

Clearstone

Clearstone was a peaceful place where a man could forage his own path in life, but that was before Mad Dog Roberts took it over. Now Clearstone is owned by the Roberts Mining Co. and the people are little more than cogs in Roberts golden machine. This traveling cowboy isn't a part of that machine, and he isn't about to leave without a fight.

Day of the Dead--One Soul's All Souls Procession

Matthew Mercia had never believed in the Day of the Dead the way his mother did. He didn't get excited to wake up on November second to celebrate the lives of relatives who had passed--until he was one of those relatives. Now he can only wake up on the day of the dead, so he only has tonight to walk among the living. How did I die? Who killed me? Why? These questions may just keep Matthew from celebrating this Dia de Muertos.

Authors Note:

This story was written in four hours for Ectocomp 2019 with 4,500 words, 7 unique endings, and one epilogue. It is based on the All Souls Procession Weekend in Tuscon Arizona. No additional knowledge is needed to read the story, but if you want more information on anything look up the event! 

Edited on 12/06/19: the tense switch on the first page was fixed. Everything else was left the way it was for the contest.

Image from: http://clipart-library.com/day-of-the-dead-clipart.html

Inheritance House

A suspense/horror story. It is about a cabin you inherited from your creepiest uncle (yeah you know the one). There are two possible endings. Good luck.

Tips:  Use the link at the end to go back to the beginning, even if you die you can continue to play. Hit "Drive to cottage" after each play through and look for the room that changed. You will face a choice in that room that will decide if you live or die, again.

Note: A special thanks to Chris113022 and Gower who play tested, and proofread this story.

Leroy and Mika's Organic Poetry

Let's write a poem together,

about nature or the weather.

Alternating lines, you and me,

 writing in perfect harmony.

I will write a line, you the next,

our lais is a river of text.

Leroy and Mika are parting ways for two years. They have signed up for the Peace Corps and are going to opposite corners of the globe to make a difference in the world. Their shared loves are poetry and the environment. This lais is the perfect poem to remind them what they mean to each other; they just have to write it.

Authors Notes:

A 1,000-word story written for a contest with the theme of nature environment. The game is a craft your own poem game. A lais is a poem written with octosyllabic couplets (8 syllable lines that rhyme in pairs). You get to craft the poem that expresses these two characters' love, and you get to decide if their love is strong enough to survive two years apart.

Actual word count is 936.

A special thanks to  Ogre11 and mizal for proofreading and play-testing! Their feedback was instrumental in making this game what it is.

Merlin: Origins

Merlin Ambrosius was just an electrician working in Britain. His last job was on an archeological site doing the lighting for what was believed to be the home of Merlin the Magician. He accidentally got himself sent back in time to the days of King Arthur, where Merlin Ambrosius became the sorcerer of legend. Did he serve King Arthur well as a trusted advisor? Was he a feared but well-respected as a sorcerer? Or did he get caught trying to fool the medieval prince?

Author's Note:

This game was made for the Year's End Contest - Choose Your Own Prompt II. The theme was "8) This story has an original and sensible magic system, built from the ground up. The plot is up to you."

Magic is defined as the power to influence reality by using mysterious or supernatural forces. Rather than having characters learn to shoot fire out of their hands, my magic system is based on having limited technology in the past.

There are two main branches, which focus on different types of "magic." One caution is that some of the smaller pathways are similar, differing only by the puzzle you have to solve and ways you can fail. Also, when choosing between the "Lady of the Lake" myth or the "Sword in the Stone" myth, please note that these tales both involve Excalibur, so the story remains the same until after you make the sword of legend. After that part, these two branches have a different (second) puzzle, which can lead to various endings.

An answer guide is provided for electrical puzzles. For an added challenge, do not use it. Additionally, there is a walkthrough here if you want help finding all 12 endings. Good luck!

Special thanks to Reader82 and poison_mara for proofreading and play-testing for me. Without them, this story would have a few million more errors. Reader82 fixed most of my bad grammar, and poison_mara thought of adding the guide for the electrical puzzles.

The Chronomantic Adventures of Professor Gower: Office Hours

Professor Gower sits in his big, big oak desk, glasses perched precariously on his nose. He lays a fountain pen down atop his grade book and steeples his hands with something of a patient sigh.

He has warned his students:

The purpose of this thread is to have a place to talk about smallish issues of language, style, syntax, grammar, word choice, paragraph structure, or whatever. This is for microlevel issues, not big stuff like "what should I write about?" or "how do I make interesting choices?" or "is that mole bigger than yesterday?"

Bring a piece of your work-in-progress, and let's all discuss it together.

It's worth 40% of your grade, and you may not have an extension.

Alas, no one has come to his office today. This is not an issue though: Professor Gower has better things to do.

Authors Note:

Time travel story-game requested by Microblue with permission from Gower.

Special thanks to TheChef for play-testing and proofreading.

The Description was mostly written by Gower, and the rest is the author's original account of the real adventures of the English professor that travels in time to ensure the safety of literary classics. While you can read this story on its own, it's recommended that you have some familiarity with the classic authors Homer, Marie de France, and Euripides. It's also recommended that you read The Iliad, Lanval, Medea, and Beowulf before reading this story. General knowledge of those works will be accepted for this story but will do nothing for your grades on Gower's quiz to follow.

There are two possible endings. There are also four authors to meet, four literary gems to save, and four historic items to frame in Gower's office; however, there is only one epilogue.

Please enjoy as you travel to the past to meet Gower's favorite authors.

Dark Master

unpublished

Todd, a master of dark magic in a world that forbids it, has a chance to prove that dark magic can be used for good; unless he becomes the dark lord that everyone fears. Will Todd become a hero, or is he destined to be the villain?

Notes:

More of a story with multiple outcomes than a game.

There are no right or wrong answers, although you have the option of getting yourself killed many times, and choices matter.

## unique epilogues are available. 

On the first page, there is a link to background information on the world and how it is structured. This link is for people that like to have the basic understanding and context that the main character has at the start. It is completely optional.

Deep Space Asteroid Mining Mission

unpublished

Applicants wanted for an exciting and challenging position as the captain of a deep space mining mission. No former space exploration experience is necessary. We are looking for candidates with common sense and natural leadership skills. Press the button below to apply!

Job Summary:

Responsible for all decisions made aboard the Endeavor mining shuttle.

Location: Outer Space

Job Type: Contract

Salary: 10% of any profits made. All losses will be deducted from base salary.

Drops of Jupiter

unpublished

Space is harsh. Habitable planets are few and far between. Even the most advanced races have trouble navigating the heavens between them. When a new planet is found, it’s worth fighting for, but some aren't vacant.

Earth is an ideal planet with its open spaces, reasonable gravitational forces, and abundant natural resources. Maybe that’s why two of the galaxy's biggest superpowers sought it out. The primitive natives aren’t much of a problem for the Drevril or the Bunqirs; however, they might be a problem for each other.

The battle for Earth is starting, and humans aren't a part of it. Intergalactic war is an unpredictable and violent sport. Will the brawn of the Drevrils or the cunning of the Bunqirs prevail? Or, is the galaxy counting the natives out too soon? Only time will tell, but time is relative. 

This game is written for End Master's Prompt Contest 5. the prompt was 19) A story involving a war between two galactic superpowers fighting over planet Earth (Humans are the “primitives” caught in the middle).

Furthest Star: Icarus

unpublished

Every billionaire wants to get in on the space-race these days, and William C. Harrington is no exception. With an extraordinary budget, an abundance of passion, and an intense desire to never lose, he set his sights on colonizing the farthest star known to mankind--Icarus.

Traveling through space can be a dangerous ordeal; fortunately, the crew bound for Icarus has you to guide them. Will you gamble your life to fulfill the vision of your eccentric financier, change the mission to increase the chances of successful colonization, or explore space in humanity's first mobile colony? We are waiting on your orders, captain!

The Imagination’s Lullaby

unpublished

I wrote this story for my daughter, nieces, nephews, family and friends. This was an idea I had for awhile to make a bedtime story where the kids get to make the choices. The idea is that this story can be read every night, but change from night to night to keep it magical.

The imagination is a wonderful thing, and no matter if you are using magic or super powers, every kid should get to be what they want to be in their dreams. Choose your path and enjoy your adventure before you get to sleep!

U-Cloud Human Cloud Computing: Unplugged

unpublished

The year is 2075. Eyron is the city that serves as the worlds leading technological center. It has expanded to encompass 70% of the U.S. population. Anyone who matters is in Eyron as part of the U-Cloud.

U-Cloud is the worlds first cloud computing network that includes androids and humans. A new microprocessor developed by Volpere, the largest technology company in the world, allows human minds to be linked to computer information networks, but it comes at a price. Like any machine on the U-Cloud, admins can take total control of people on the network.

The government and wealthy elite serve as admins to maintain order on the U-Cloud. They can monitor the thoughts, memories, and actions of any device on the network to ensure all rules are adhered to. All devices have no choice but to play by the rules, with a few exceptions.

Alexander Kertchen is one of those exceptions. His blue collar background means he is one of the chipped members of the working class, but Alex's job is to modify and fix broken microprocessors. When his chip needs a repair, he manages to unplug himself from the U-Cloud. What this young technician does with his new found freedom is up to you.

If you just joined or stumbled upon the website here are some tips to help.

I am grateful for the extension as well! Thank you, End. I’m hoping I can turn in the story that I originally planned rather than the one that was shortened to make it to the deadline. At the very least, I will get more sleep while turning in my longest story yet.

I could use one, but I have enough written and enough motivation to finish something. Some branches might get cut… but it’s mostly going to be fine.

I’m glad it helped! Hopefully you can do something fun with it. No one knows exactly how long radiation would last after this type of event, so it’s pretty open. You could also make it so one country used nukes that allowed for the radiation to dissipate faster while another used more devastating ones that will virtually never clean up. This could be determined by a choice as well. Do whatever is best for the story. Also, I will be upgrading to the best titanium armor before going out there if it’s a choice. Can’t have your brand new armor scratched up by a giant cockroach!

Sounds like an interesting story, and I excited to see how it turns out! It sounds like you are having fun and have a lot to figure out. A couple things popped into my head as I read this, and I hope you don’t mind if I mention a few. If you didn’t want the advice, just disregard the rest of my response. 1. Radiation can last a really long time. It decreases over time, and environmental factors determine how fast the cleanup can go. It also depends on the concentration of radiation and types of isotopes. Basically, you can choose how long the radiation lasts because there is an argument for a fast clean up with isotopes with short half lives vs a long with more stable (still radioactive) isotopes. I’m pretty sure there are areas in Japan where people were still getting sick from the radiation a decade after… especially children who are more sensitive to it. I think the book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” is about this topic. However, the area is considered safe now. Other places like chernobyl are still not clean 40 years later and counting. 2. A robot might be more capable of withstanding radiation than a human. It could still affect your man character, but robots are also made from various materials with cool gadgets. It’s possible to make the outside world unlivable, but still have your robot go there. Perhaps more fantasy can take over and there can be mutated creatures and the like. Fallout is a good example of this.

Well done! Two stories before anyone else submits one is pretty good. I haven’t looked at them (there is barely enough time for me to write), but I also see the comments that they are well written. Keep up the great work!

My story is coming along well! I am going down one branch to establish the story, and then writing the variants after. This is on pace to be my longest story yet, but I'm worried about finishing on time. This might be too ambitious for my first game in 5-6 years…

It would make a lot of sense if it's a special character or something. However, here is a test that I am typing without copy-paste. @V__V

It could just be everyone mistyping your name. Tags are usually very touchy to spelling errors, and it’s not obvious to me how many underscores are in your name. V__V and V_______V look similar to us (this specific example is an exaggeration), but it’s very different to the computer.

My word count has stalled a bit, only getting to roughly 15,000 words so far; however, the story is coming along well. I have been able to make some branches and choices that lead to death, yay! I still have not finished any branches (except for the abrupt death scenes), but I think I am getting to the climax of the story. I do need to decide where to end it and start wrapping up branches. The 15,000 words are all on one main branch with several offshoots that have nothing written on them, yet. It will be a huge story, but the risk of not finishing grows as I make more choices, branches, and parallel paths without a plan or outline. I hope that after I decide on the main plot points in my first branch, every other branch is basically a variant that shows how your decisions change the events that happen afterwards. This would give me a structure to follow and an idea of how long every branch might be. Everything should come faster after that first path falls into place. My idea is to have the setup before the alien invasion as the main story. Once you make some choices and are finished influencing how the aliens (or humans) are preparing for the invasion, there is a time skip to what unfolds during the invasion. There will be several endings based on how much you changed the plans of whatever group you were with before the endgame. Yes, there will be a "fuck it, join the aliens to kill all humans" branch (for those wondering).

I’m glad to be corrected! I think Latin was used when I was a kid, so it always sticks in my mind as the “original language” despite not being accurate. I’m not a bible scholar, but I can try to give more detailed information if give the verse… it’s not exactly my strong suit, but I could try.