Player Comments on 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.

This seems to be Endmaster's older work. I'm really glad that in his later stories the large info dump in the beginning is mostly gone, because this one was particularly egregious. As for the story, it feels a little too mean spirited for me to really enjoy it, but I'm sure that die-hard Endmaster fans would appreciate it. Reading this story makes me really appreciate how much his writing has evolved over the years and that's honestly pretty cool.

This is a short choose your own adventure about turning a small community on it's ear from the very bottom rung. Maybe you climb up to be the second maybe you get tossed out or killed. It's all about the choices you make much like the name of this website implies. Give it a read.

Geek was a pretty fun game. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite out of the endmaster games, though it still is a EndMaster game, meaning that this is one of the best games on this site. I have always been a fan of the way endmaster does his little background pages, and while this game only has one, or three depends on how you count it, it is quite lengthy, and I would agree that it is necessary to enjoying this game. While I am giving advice you should take, and before I go into spoilers, I think this is a perfect time to address you people. I am putting the deplorable people who read reviews before playing the game center stage. If you are not bothered by mature content, THEN READ THIS GAME. Don’t read any other review, or anything just read it now. Now that all of them are gone, let's get into the main event.

First off, I liked the branching in this story, though some things put me off. As with any of endmaster’s stories, the branching is great. This one is mainly split up into three paths, the Ringmaster path, the Randal path, and the Charlie path. They are all good, and if I’m not mistaken they all contain 2 “epilogues” of sorts. These were a problem for me. With a story this short, having six endings that revolve around an event that changes with your choices up to this point, it makes it seem like there is less branching. Still an amazing game, though it made it feel more liner because of them all ending up on the same event with death scattered around in between.

Besides the branching there isn’t much else I can say I dislike about the story. I love the main character as he just feels great. He reminds me of the protag of TRASH in a lot of ways. I also hate Charlie, though I don’t think he is a bad character, just someone you are supposed to hate. I also like the RIngmaster. Their character interested me, and it was sort of a gut punch to never know their true gender.

In conclusion, this game is pretty good. I hold it in high regard, though not as much as some other games, so I can’t give it a perfect score. It is one of the best horror games on the site however, and I think that if anyone can stand mature content, then they should read this.

7 out of 8

It's a testimony to EndMaster's skill that a concept that would otherwise be my last choice for a choose-your-story -- being a geek at a circus -- turned out to be very entertaining and engaging. I'm a fan, what can I say.

it was fun, confusing but fun

just kinda blue since i didn't get to do any fighting. it might be based on my choices, for i do not really read the opportunities at the beginning, for i believe it ruins the story for me. but i must admit, you are quite an author! i wish you luck on your future pieces.

Wow. What an inappropriate, awesome story! It was hard to get a good ending. I enjoyed and was repulsed by it!

The fact that this is only rated a 5.84 is a travesty.

Pretty good, original plot, cleaned up fairly fast. The clowns horrified me though.

All of the endings were odd and very unsatisfying. Odd game.

I liked this book. It was short, and there wasn't as much romance or action involved of how your other games had. Still it was pretty good. Nice job.

Oddly satisfying yet disturbing at the same time.

It was good but it needed some work on spelling and grammar

I died on the first decision. I really wanted to kick a midget today lol.

I quite enjoyed this storygame, and it's among my favorites on the site. It has a good length for the idea behind it and it has certain qualities that create a unique and interesting tone set by the author. It is one of the reasons EndMaster is my favorite writer on the site, because of the way he writes and the effort, quality, and time he puts in. I deeply respect him as an author and recommend his stories be read for educational purposes.

Geek is perfectly paced, with different scenarios flowing into each other by the great skill the author has. The first page of the story hooks the reader in, captivating them with the way each situation is introduced. Everything is nicely placed.

A few bits of the story could have been improved, starting with how the story progresses. I think that more background could have been placed before hitting the climax. I don't agree with how the killing scene played out, and could have been worded differently.

The story is very thorough in the matters of descriptive writing, (as are all of EndMaster's works) so I don't have much to say here, besides that I love it. It's the perfect amount of detail for a story along these margins.

Each character is nicely introduced, and End is very masterful at developing them so that us as readers can relate to them on a more deeper basis. This is one of the reasons it makes him such an excellent writer, and I look forward to his next work.

I've only played through one of the two main paths, so I can't say much about the linearity of the story, but I can say that on the one I chose, more options could have been available. Throughout the story, I only noticed one error in spelling ("of" should have been "off") but it did nothing to affect the story overall. Excellent writing, EndMaster.

7/8

good stuff

I ended up being fucked by drunk-ass clowns.
Lol, nice work 6/8.

I love the characters, all of 'em, even if after I read the description which made me thinks that I don't like anyone, and no one likes me too...

I did like it. I loved the originality of playing a geek.

Really good story. You put a lot of effort into it, I can tell.

i thought it was great i think you should do a squeal of it a\nd make it longer if you can and with some more options. :) :) :) :) keep up the good work.

I think i got the best ending :)
Played through all of them x3

Nice short and fucked up

Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed this messed up story. Nothing against the Author, on the contrary, This story was written quite well and the Author did a good job of evoking the degradation of the messed up carnival characters.

I never liked seeing clowns at the circus, They were always... weird...

I do wish the story had an epilogue, since there is some background of the past in that other story" Soozies strange saga" Would be interesting.

This was a really fun yet dark and disgusting games that only worsened my fear of clowns. I'm a fair bit annoyed I didn't get to find out the Ring Master's gender and the vampire thing was only mentioned in one of the endings, but I found it really fun with an interesting setting and characters.

Ok

I got the good ending rather quickly.. which disappointed me. I expected more of this game than I actually got.

I wonder what gender the ringmaster was. No matter the ending it didnt say

Well written, dark, disgusting, wjat more could I want. Great job, only wish it was longer with a bit more choices.

Shorter than most Endmaster stories, but still enjoyable. I got a good ending (yay!). Keep up the good work!

Blah. This sucks

And they all lived happily ever after.

I like that no specific timeframe is mentioned. Leaves it open to interpretation. I see it as a '50s type carnival, personally... We just don't have that type of thing these days.

Great read as always.

It's a lot shorter than I'm used to. By the way, Pervus and his clowns were my go to guys for dirty work

STAY FAR AWAY. THE PINK HAS SPOKEN.

Nice

I liked it and I got a happy ending

I really enjoyed it! It was dark and enjoyable. Certainly one of your best! 7/8

I thought the game was okay. The writing was pretty good, with minor redundancies and errors; a lot better than some of the stuff on here.
The plot seemed interesting, but I wasn't really a fan of the ableism (I thought that the ableism was actually pretty minor considering the subject matter, but using the r-slur definitely messed that up) or the rampant transphobia regarding the ring master.
The story was pretty interesting, though, and well-written!

Good

The writing was brilliant and involving. Making tactical decisions is straight forward if you take the time to read the side information. I especially like the writing that involved the ring master, it was well done and imaginative. Though the game was short the characters were really fleshed out. Well worth taking the time to read this master piece.

I love carneys!

Lame

it was good. but a bit quite short compare to your other stories.

Trying to find the right factions to side with to get the best possible ending was fun.

Salina is the worst

Its a stepup

This is a rather humorous read. I liked it.

Dont know what to say..

Awesome story, I liked the whole carnival theme, the only thing I could be negative at is the grammar.

8/8 gave me the reason to live.

Lol. When you get more featured stories than me, be sure to let me on the secret!

Um... what the hell?

Screw this game. Seriously. You've got a lot to learn about what makes a story compelling instead of repelling.

On the side lines Pervus and the clowns are masturbating to the carnage..... Okay please spare me 7/8

huh, neat little game, enjoyed how you could infulence events, enjoyed the political struggle that went on, the description of the people was great, found all the endings and I personally liked the Demonic Clown Circus the best. Very convincing.

F**k clowns.

Dark, entertaining and interesting as usual from Endmaster!

Interesting Premise, shows a deep knowledge of the Circus World. I liked the characterizations. All in all a good job!

One of the best I've played, so many endings.
It's really addictive! Love it!
(Lost my damn password so I'm commenting like this, and my rating probably won't count as much, but y'know)

I really do enjoy the storygame. I think I got one of the shorter endings(I still want to see the other endings)I have yet to explore more of this story...but I truly enjoyed this storygame. Wonderful work.

Here's the thing with your story- I am afraid that some people will be offended by this.

this has some nasty language I wouldn't read if you don't like cussing.

those clowns are so twisted.

did anyone else notice that on the second or third page the ringmaster is a woman... she swivels her chair... then at the bottom of the page hes a man? he swivels his chair... just thought i'd point that out.

A very dark, macabre world, but interesting. I liked having to 'discover' more about the factions as I played. The relatively short length of a single playthrough also made it helpful for me, since the tone would have been too much for a longer sitting.

Weird weird weird. I didn't like it, for the weirdness. 6/8 because you're Endmaster and you are good at provoking feelings.

urh, dude, where do you pull this shit out of
you must have been one damned paranoid kid, thinking all clowns were rapests and perverts.
Good writing though, and not very menny spelling mistakes at all.

I hate clowns, but good work.

one re great story by endmaster ! made me lol and keep me reading i recomend Geek for anyone looking to kill time

boooooo its too short

Amazing plot,but minor grammar errors the characters were amazing and i felt IMPORTANT another of Endmasters great works of text art.
9.999 out of 10

i love the characters in this story and how well they are defined i also also wanted to say how i always imagined charley as hornswoggle from the wwe

think of something better

Okay...

EndMaster's stories have real writing. Tremendous work!

This is...not bad.

Interesting game, but too wordy

hjfhf

Very interesting and entertaining. Took quite a lot of work, without a doubt. Lots of respect. A great story all round.

lol cool

I enjoyed this! BOOYAA! XD

good.

I really liked this, it was a long read and it was nice to get all the separate endings. I finished with every outcome possible! Nicely done, the only qualm I have is I wanted a happier ending, but the 2 nicer endings fit. Very Good job!

I loved it.

I like games that end in random death. The more unbeleiveable the death the better. The whole carnival theme set up a lot of gory, freaky, and hilarious deaths. I am saddened that you just get beat to death. I was searching for a good death like choking on cotton candy or getting eaten alive by giant mutant circus rats, at leas something along those lines.

Epic game. I like how you actually added a decent plot, unlike most games. I could visualise the 'carnival' world you made. Interesting characters, too.

Interesting, but I like some of your other stories more.

Bo dissaproves, bask in the shame

This game was good, alot of language, bu good. i got a good ending. also like the part where salina killed the dwarfs

Fuck you "?"

so... that was, well i dont really get it and uh... yeah

I strated the game, clicked 1 link and died.

normally this would suck, but it had a lot of detail it was funny, and by endmaster

An original concept that tells an interesting story. Id love to see this in an rpg like Fallout.

disturbing.

I made the wrong choice every time, but I don't mind, because that was the best ending yet!

Huh... a slightly better ending, but I think I'll try one more time. And again, this is a SUPERB game. The clowns are very creepy.

Yikes... what a way to go. I will definitely want to play this again, and see if I can get an even remotely happy ending. Another magnificent story, everything done well, especially characters! I give it two thumbs up.

Wow, I never knew carnivals were like that (except for the clowns)

I saw a History Channel show - Wild West Tech - about Carnie shit, and there was a part about "Geeks". Great story based on a weird subject!

This is great. It's the same story for each scenario, except you're on a different side. It follows a formula for whose side you choose, and it just feels right, you did an excellent job of characterizing everyone, and creating a demented perverse world, everything was set up to put you in the perspective of the geek, a goal not attempted by most storytellers. It's exactly what it needs to be, and what it is....is messed up.

I just explained this in another comment...in fact its mentioned in the damn story. Nobody knows what the hell gender The Ring Master is! Hence the deliberate chaotic use of he/she when referring to her/him!

Other than the she/he inconsistencies that was a great game.

Perverse and awesome. 7/8

its was an ok game, although the carnival setting is kind of weird for a CYOA game and the clowns seriously freaked me out...

Not a typo, I deliberately interchange the pronouns when it comes to the Ring Master. His background info mentions that nobody knows what gender she is exactly.

"the Ring Master orders from behind his desk. She’s siting in his chair, but has her back turned to you." thats a typo of He/She. other than that, a great read. I really enjoyed it. not the best you have, but a good one.

ah, respect...

Brilliant game Endmaster! Brilliant!