Pickles: A TG Choose Your Own Adventure

By Melanie E.

Page 4

"You enter McGrue's Adventuring Paraphernalia..."

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A quick rifle through the bag in your hands reveals a quantity of large, awkward coins. What could these be for? You briefly consider using the bag to brain the next person you meet on the off chance that this is all some horrid prank perpetrated by an unknown party, but instead decide to use the coinage in a much less creative way.

Looking at the shops around you, one in particular catches your eye. A large white house with a badly scrawled sign reading "McGrue's Adventuring Paraphernalia," there is something about it that calls to your pocketbook.

The door is boarded up, but it bears a sign as well: "Door broken -- use window," and a large red arrow pointing to the window directly next to it. You shrug, and climb through the window. Perhaps your pocketbook was wrong after all.

Inside you find a robed figure standing behind a large table and eating a sandwich. "G'day," he says, in a gravelly voice. "Welcome to McGrue's, what can I do you for?"

"Adventuring paraphernalia?" You ask.

"Right ho. Take a look around," he says, then goes back to his sandwich.

Looking around, you find a number of interesting items, from climbing gear to clothes, wooden crates, knapsacks, and numerous other goods too varied to mention. In the end, though, three items in particular interest you more than any others.

The figure seems to track the direction of your gaze, and begins to cackle. "Got a taste for the finer things in life, eh?"

"What are they?"

He gestures to a belt-like object made from an ornate silver material. "That's a girdle I bought off some daft fellow named Minsc. Wouldn't stop yabbering to his damn rodent, but he seemed a decent sort. Supposed to be magical, don't know what it does, though."

Next, he turns to a floppy looking green felt hat, sitting haphazardly atop a pile of books. "Dunno much about that. It's magical too, though. I nabbed it from Arwen's one day when she weren't looking, I did." He cackles. "Right off the top of some snot nosed brat's head, too!"

Finally, he turns to the last object that you seem drawn to, a crystal flask filled with a glowing white liquid. "And that's what we in the bis'nis call a 'Charm Potion.' Supposed to make you so attractive won't no one be able to resist." He nudges you in the ribs painfully, and you watch one of the milky orbs beneath his hood disappear briefly in what could only be a wink.

"So, what will it be?"

Feeling that by now it would be far more dangerous to buy nothing, you study the objects carefully.

What do you do?

---Buy the belt... err, girdle, that is.
---Buy the hat. What could go wrong with a hat?
---Buy the Charm Potion. Bring on the hotties!

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The voting begins...NOW!("Page 4" posted on 1/20/2011, voting to close at noon CST on 1/21/2011)

NOTES: Alright, by this point anyone with an interest in RPGs, adventure games, or, well, any combination of the two, will see where this is going. And if you do, then please, don't spoil the surprise for everyone else!

It's pretty obvious that the choices taken have lead to an outcome of "Fantasy Adventure," no? So, I hope everyone's fine with that. I'm not planning these things out more than a handful of moves in advance, either, so like with my more normal stories, while I know the general plot of what's possible, a lot of this will be as much an adventure for me as for you!

Also, if anyone has suggestions on ways I can improve the "game," let me know. I'm getting a much better response than I had expected, and, well, if I'm getting user response anyhow, I might as well know what they want to begin with! So, if you feel up to it, in addition to your votes, let me know what you think of things so far, what works, what needs changed, and what you'd like in the future!

Melanie E.