The Donner Party

Knowing the history of the Donner party, and knowing the history of Will11’s games, I am prepared to be mortified, disgusted, and depressed by this story! Then again, it may be much nicer and appropriate for this site with good inferences only. Surely this will have some good historical data as well.

I like the setups and the descriptions. The author really puts you in the story and you get a feeling of being on the adventure with the rest of the group. I like the details and accuracy, too, with the individuals clearly named and at least a little described as you venture into the story and down the path.

I also really like how the author really gives great choices in a game like this with a historical basis. You would think that you’re just going to read a history lesson, but with the choices you can see the history lesson from different points of view. You get to decide which parts you would choose and then see how those choices would have likely ended up if you had been in that situation so many years ago. I also really like how it includes such detail that give reasoning to what happens – it is not random and it is clear that the desert is taking a toll on the party when you go through it.

This was an absolutely excellent story and great addition to this site. It tells this story in a very good way and still allows the reader lots of options during the story, making it a great CYOA story as well. Excellent job, Will11, thank you for sharing this story with the site!

I keep telling myself I need to read more of the featured stories here, so I started with this one.

The Donner Party really is one of those morbidly fascinating little snippets of history and so it was a good choice to base a story on it. Though the writing style was a little dry--not helped by the problem with this kind of historical story, being that since it so closely follows actual events you know going in that nothing you choose is going to change anything, which is a big part of the appeal of a CYOA in the first place. (I've actually considered writing a 'game' about the Legion Valley Massacre because Matilda Friend has always been an inspirational figure for me, but ran into the same issue...)

So instead my character got to tag along with various real life people and take a completely hands off approach just observing a straight reenactment of events. Which to be fair, are interesting enough in their own right.

I ran into a couple issues with how some of the links looped (PMed you about the biggest one where the char somehow teleported from California to Nevada), but there were a couple of other minor issues, like the game assuming my character had been with party and resorted to cannibalism when in fact, the first time through I sat out pretty much the entire thing chilling at Sutter's Fort.

But all in all this was well worth a read, especially considering the scarcity of decent historical writing on this site.

Informative, lets you see and feel like you really are a part of the Donner party, and it lets you explore different paths too :)

“Always recognize that human individuals are ends, and do not use them as means to your end.

so funsss

I did in 5 sec's

ThE dOnNeR pArTy Is stUpId

great job!

It was fun. Though I am upset that there weren't any more selfish options. I'm just kidding I believe an option to live at the first and never leave would have been better though.

Eh, it's okay, but it could be better.