Geek

Geek is a fantastic piece of interactive fiction! I really loved this story, and had a great time.

This story is a perfect example on how to do a faction story well. The story starts off with 5 factions: Midgets + Ajax + Charley, Pervus and the clown posse, Randall and the Normals,Pinheads, and finally the Ringmaster and his/her freaks(also the use of alternating pronouns in this story was brilliant, it really added to the mystery of what the Ringmaster was, and in the endings where someone inevitably checks what gender the Ringmaster was, and goes "What the hell!" were funny. I like that Endmaster never really tells us, this is an example of a really well done bit).

Our hero gets the chance to ally with 3/5 of these(Charley's team, Normal team, Ringmaster team) and based on the individual characteristics/personality of the leader, gets an appropriate ending. This choice gives us the chance to do multiple stories while also setting boundaries clearly delineating how 2 of the groups(pervus and the clowns, pinheads) are too far gone for you to join. They also don't really plan to take over the circus(except in that one ending where you inadvertently give the clowns the power to). I love the twist of the pinheads being super intelligent manipulators who act as children and also compete with the Clowns because both of them target the same demographic(except one of them merely views the target demographic as a demographic to entertain via circus tricks, the other group views the demographic as a target in other, more unseemly ways)


The characters were incredibly well written and memorable. Endmaster did such a good job on the characters, that the main character was the most unmemorable. This is really a testament to Endmaster's skills, in Necromancer and Eternal, the character is the main focus and the most interesting part, while here our Geek has a really shallow story. He was a drunk and a failure who met the Ringmaster, got a second chance at life, but wasted it by eating horrible things and then washing away the memories with shitty moonshine. Now he gets a real chance to restart his life, when the carnival is in jeopardy, but will he take it or fuck it up? It's just really cool that so many side characters written with an incredible amount of depths, and Endmaster makes full use of the unique nature of a choose your own story game by allowing us to learn about the backstories of the various people involved, in a unique way that isn't possible in a traditional novel setting, or perhaps would have been done differently in a traditional novel, with each chapter maybe going more into the different characters. The one thing all of these characters have in common, is a shared dislike and disdain for the Geek, and that's precisely what gives him the advantage to spy for and recruit different members to the group he chose to support. In this respect, Endmaster displays a deep understanding of fundamental human psychology, and this story is a wonderful microcosm of how different power factions work and operate in society, all through the lens of a repulsive and universally disliked underdog.

Personal Experience: I think this story was very good, it was really sexual and violent, but that comes part and parcel with the charm of the story. Things that I thought would be too much for me, really weren't, Endmaster absolutely knocked it out of the park! The violence and sexual nature really enhances the crazy carnival experience this story grants you and what makes it more memorable, so if you have an issue with that sort of thing, like I used to before simply reading more, you may not like this story until you read more stories with explicit themes that work as sort of a stepping stone, because Geek was really well done! It was funny as hell! 8/8.

General Recommendation: This game is recommended for those looking for a surreal and campy life-or-death political drama surrounding the factional tensions of a messed-up carnival.
Preview: A surreal and campy life-or-death political drama surrounding the factional tensions of a messed-up carnival.

=SPOILERS BELOW=

General notes:
I’m a fan of works that take small situations and dramatize them into life-or-death power struggles, and this game is a fine example of this trope done well. Its factional nature keeps the game full of genuine suspense and unease, while the inherent absurdity of battle for the fate of the circus keeps the mood light and entertaining. Choosing your alliances is fun, as is choosing the best way to achieve your goal once you know what it is.
It’s tough to make a game fun to play with such a pathetic main character. However, the Geek never indulges in self-pity, and has his own brand of cleverness when dealing with circus politics, becoming an unlikely catalyst in the carnival’s future. The player is forced to work to achieve their goals with limited resources, making the game’s choice of protagonist an asset rather than a hindrance.
The Geek’s lack of power is really a tool in this game, as the Ring Master realizes. As an unaligned character loathed equally by just about everyone, only you have the true power to determine the fate of the carnival. It’s an interesting take on the character archetype.

Specific notes:
-Yikes, that’s one heck of an info dump. I’m not fond of informational links in games, and this one starts off with a lot of them.
-Not a big fan of characters using more than one set of pronouns, it tends to make the writing choppy and confusing. That said, it’s less jarring here, since the Ringmaster is meant to be a choppy and confusing character. I still prefer “they” as a term for gender-neutral characters.
-“Prevus” the clown, lol. Subtle.
-After playing paradise violated, ground zero, and alpha wolf, where the narrator is surrounded by incompetence, it’s an interesting change to be playing an underdog surrounded by people who are stronger than he is, and being used by people who are smarter than he is, like the Ring Master. It requires a different style of play, and gives the game a unique feel compared to these other works.
-I find it amusing that Madam Orbec always seems to know what you want from her when you visit.
-This is a game that could very easily become overly campy or ridiculous, given the nature of the situation (particularly how easy it is to die at a carnival), but the writing style and the way in which the story is presented prevents the story from becoming too over-the-top.
-Successfully siding with Charlie still gets you killed if you don’t have extra protection, as well it should. I like that choosing with whom you ally is just as important to this game’s outcome as how well you do it.
-The secret behind the pinheads is amusing and logical.
-Huh, Madame Orbec really IS magic.
-I like the way the occult is handled in this story. It’s never really explained or made explicit, and you only really learn things about it in the bad endings. Magic is used to cause problems in this story, not to solve them, and it fits well with the tone of the work.
-I like the Ring Master character. They seem like one of the few genuinely clever and reasonably well-meaning people at the carnival.
-This game is a nice dip into a strange world. Concepts and characters are explored lightly, in a way that intrigues without going into too much detail. I think the short scope of time covered by this game helps, the player is thrust into an unfamiliar situation and must orient themselves. The shortness of the game prevents the player from becoming really comfortable with the world, and keeps them on the edge of their seat, as intended.
-Like Alpha Wolf, the concept for this game is quite unique.

Grammar
All good!
Mastery of Language
There are a number of sentence structure issues, but overall it’s not bad in this one.

Branching
The first time I played this, I assumed variables were used, but I realize now that this is in EndMaster’s traditional cave of time style. There really are a lot of different ways this situation can play out, and the player has a lot of control over the game’s outcomes.

Player Options/fair choice
Though it’s very easy to die, it never feels random or undeserved.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
On my first play through I got the ending where you convince the midgits to rebel against Charlie and unite under Salina. Probably the best ending, after reading through all of the others.

CONCLUSION: A surreal and entertaining game.

This is probably the second time I have read Geek, and just as I remembered it, it is a great and hilarious story, although not my favorite of EndMaster’s works.

There is no re-joining of branches in the story, but there are a few different ways to get to certain paths. However, the reader does not have to re-read anything unless he wants to, and he can still reach all endings. The endings themselves are quite varied for all having the same set-up: It’s a moonlit night after a show, and shit goes down. The premature endings are often quite entertaining as well.
Some endings are definitely better for the Geek than others, and the first ending I got in this playthrough was probably the best one, but they are not marked as wins or losses, and all are equally worth reading.

There were enough run-on sentences in some places to make the story seem a bit more rambly than it would otherwise have been, but the story was never less than easily readable.

The characters were all pretty great, which is especially good given the sort of story this is. The fortune teller lady was definitely a favorite of mine, and her relationship with Randal was amusing.
It’s easy to miss at first, but the pronouns used for the Ringmaster change back and forth between male and female constantly. That must have been a pain in the ass to write, but the results were pretty funny once I noticed them.
It was also entertaining to re-read the story with the knowledge of the Ringmaster’s true nature and see all the signs of that throughout.
It’s pretty fun to play as the disgusting loser of the carnival too, not going to lie.

“Aw hell. Hey guys! Someone get me another Geek! This one’s dead.”
Is a good line for summarizing the general tone of the story, and it made me laugh.
While I wasn’t laughing non-stop, Geek is hilarious and still among the top comedies on this site, by far. Who knew a story about carnie factions would be so funny?
This line in particular was one of my favorites: “Look Geek, I ain’t gonna lie to ya, not many of us like Charley, and sure, he’s a fucking tyrant, but he gets things done, I dunno he’s kinda like that guy in Germany, except shorter.”
My favorite scene was probably when he exposes the pinheads while telling them all about his act. Seeing them gradually lose patience as he talked about disgusting things he had eaten was pretty hilarious.

Overall, Geek is a story that I would definitely recommend to you faggot who reads reviews before stories for some odd reason…Unless you are ten years old and have a love for clowns you would like to keep. Then maybe don’t.

Geek is a grim, gritty, fascinating delve into a thoroughly imagined world of carnival intrigue and conflict. I was absolutely captivated, and I loved reading about the wild variety of characters.
This is phenomenally structured and developed. In order to find fodder for constructive criticism, I had to dig pretty deep (nitpick). I hope it helps.
Some specific praise and criticism:
This story has a killer opening. I don’t think I have ever been so intrigued by the first three pages of any other Storygame.
The dry, staccato sentences about what a ‘terrible thing’ it is to be sober were funny and well-executed.
The vagueness surrounding the protagonist’s act was also a cool plot device, but I felt like it was never capitalized upon. Maybe a scene during the show that night where the gruesome act is described in more detail would add a lot to the story.
I often noticed sentences which were poorly structured, a flaw which could be fixed by reading them aloud to hear the rhythm, for example “I’ve done all I’ve can” and “more than they might normally would”.
The alternating pronouns was a very clever way to handle the mysterious ring-master.
Placing the action in the midst of the dialogue by putting it in parentheses is kind of lazy writing, for example, “Of course…(Sniff sniff) you really…” That is more at home in a script or screenplay than in this format.
The story didn’t do a lot of justice to the female characters. They were relegated to an abused girlfriend, a tattooed hooker, a crazy gypsy, and a bearded lady.
I would say my greatest complaint was that the intriguing setup was truly excellent, but the content did not deliver from there. The climax was exciting, but the tension was not well built-up beforehand. One moment the reader is running errands, and the next everybody is killing one another. More description of the scene and gradual building of the excitement would make the conclusion more satisfying for the reader.
All told, this story is really exceptional. I gave a 7/8.
Cheers

Brilliant. I had a brilliant time.

Not only did I want to dropkick most of these characters (cough cough charley cough cough ajax cough cough cough clowns), I also managed to become informed on what a Geek was. It was fun! Would recommend.

It was certainly something. I endured it, and the writing is good, but not my taste. Your grammar and especially your punctuation could use a little work.

It was completely disgusting, which is great

Good story, made it out alive. Was hoping I'd end up in a bit better situation than I started but maybe that isn't one of the ending options.

Odd and interesting. Enjoyed it though.

I really enjoyed this. The setting and the cast of characters were wonderfully fleshed out and brought to life. Descriptions of a 1930s carnival seems to be well researched. The different plotlines are all interesting and surprising.