Gamebook Friday - Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come

There are just 11 days to go until Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come launches on Kickstarter.

Because you are a faithful reader of this blog, you can check out the preview of the project page here.

If you are thinking of backing the Kickstarter, here are some of the rewards you might want to consider.

And even if you're not thinking of backing the Kickstarter, you can still play your part by sharing the Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come project page far and wide.

Thank you for your support.

Gamebook Friday - Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come is coming to Kickstarter on 23 April 2024

In the eighth ACE Gamebook - Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come - YOU are William Shakespeare, taking on the forces of dread Cthulhu.

“That is not dead which can eternal lie,

And with strange aeons even death may die.”

Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come is a brand new interactive fantasy novel, inspired by the Bard's greatest plays and the eldritch creations of the American pulp horror writer H P Lovecraft. In this adventure gamebook, you choose the course of the story, deciding which route to take, which perils to risk, and which of the monstrous creatures you will meet along the way to fight.

Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come, which will be illustrated throughout by Argentinian artist Heraldo Mussolini, who contributed illustrations, including backer portraits, to Heorot: Roleplaying in the World of Beowulf Beastslayer.

Rewards on offer to backers include signed limited edition collector's hardbacks, custom dice and playing cards, and the chance to appear in one of the illustrations in the book.

I first announced Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come back in 2016, after funding the Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu short story anthology on Kickstarter. At the time I was going to use Patreon as the crowfunding platform for the project but in the end felt that the regular commitment it would have needed would have put me under too much pressure at the time.

Artwork by Nic Wykes.

Fast forward eight years, and here we are, just a few short weeks away from the launch of Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come on Kickstarter. Not only has it been a while since I first announced the adventure, it's also almost three years since I ran the last ACE Gamebooks Kickstarter. I've not been idle in the interim, however, having written several other gamebooks, a couple of RPGs, and YOU ARE THE HERO - An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come launches on KickstarterIf on Tuesday 23 April 2024. If you are able to support the Kickstarter, I would really appreciate it if you could back it on Day One so that it gives the project as strong a start as possible. That way, the Kickstarter platform is more likely to give it additional support as well, which will help spread the word. And the more people who get to hear about Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come and support it on Kickstarter, the more impressive everyone's rewards will be.

Gamebook Thursday: Beowulf Beastslayer on Twitch

Tonight, Julian Sparrow will be playing through ACE Gamebook #4 live on Twitch on his channel Babel_17. You can join the fun, and help choose what happens next, at 9:30pm BST here.

Gamebook Friday: Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu is coming to Kickstarter

Coming soon...

 

Warhammer Wednesday: Sticks and Stones

I haven't done one of these for a while - a Warhammer Wednesday post.

However, with the news that the Orc & Goblin Tribes Arcane Journal is soon to be released for Warhammer: The Old World, it seemed as good a time as any to remind you* that my Empire vs. Orcs short story Sticks and Stones is available to download as an eBook from the Black Library.

War against orcs and goblins is never easy for the soldiers of the Empire. Their foes and savage and brutal and revel in battle. and never more so than when a mighty idol of their gods marches to war alongside them, fuelled by magic and the power of the Waaagh! In the midst of battle, it falls to Rutger Erlang and his pistolier comrades to deal with the manifestation of Gork (or is it Mork?) and prevent the total destruction of the Empire army.

The Bretonnian Grail Reliquae was recently featured on the Warhammer: The Old World home page. I also wrote a story about one of these back in the day, entitled Sir Dagobert's Last Battle, which can be found in Issue #9 of Hammer and Bolter .

 * Or let you know, if you're new to this blog.

Gamebook Friday: The Darkness Over Arkham - the first reviews

The first reviews are in from those people who have had a chance to read the ARC* of The Darkness Over Arkham via NetGalley, and they make for pleasing reading. Here's what three reviewers had to say about the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook.

"This was... my first introduction to Arkham Horror and I enjoyed the vibe of it. It's very Lovecraftian and atmospheric. The storyline was really engaging; I ended up playing a bunch of times and I loved that each of my endings was a grim one. The Darkness Over Arkham was such a cool experience, I highly recommend reading this when it comes out in May!" ~ 5/5 stars

"An enjoyable addition to the Arkham Horror universe. Fun to play through and a cool investigation in a book." ~ 4/5 stars

"Recommended for people going on trips, who like the world of Arkham, or really enjoy playing gamebooks. The story is good, the plot really moves, and there are plenty of different ways to do things for a bit of replayability." ~ 4/5 stars

The Darkness Over Arkham is released by Aconyte Books in the US in paperback and as a global ebook on 7 May 2024, and in the UK in paperback on 18 July 2024.

* Advance Reader Copy.

Gamebook Friday: Marvel Multiverse Missions Bundle

If you have yet to pick up Moon Knight: Age of Anubis, you can now do so as part of this gamebook bundle, courtesy of Aconyte Books.