I was going to edit this question by adding a tag for Fighting Fantasy, because I noticed that he had missed it, but then I found out that there isn't a tag for it. That seems odd, given that Fighting Fantasy books are basically a gateway drug into the world of tabletop/pen-and-paper roleplaying games.
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2\$\begingroup\$ related: Are the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and contents on- or off-topic? \$\endgroup\$– daze413Commented May 20, 2017 at 1:53
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2 Answers
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We don't have a tag for them because they're off topic.
From the FAQ What kind of questions can I ask here?:
We do not include[…]
- Choose Your Own Adventure–type books, even if they have dice mechanics3
And from the question revisiting the issue five years later, Are choose your own adventure questions on topic?:
CYOA books, a.k.a. gamebooks, are not RPGs and are off topic.
RPGs based on a gamebook line (e.g., Advanced Fighting Fantasy) are on topic, since they're RPGs. Questions about using gamebooks in some way for an RPG are also on topic.
Basically, if it's just about gamebooks, we're not the relevant experts. If it's about using gamebooks in an RPG context then we can help, just as we can help with other things (like music or computer hardware) being used in an RPG context.
Gamebooks could need a tag if the community decided they should be on-topic
Although we don't need a tag for them because they're currently off topic (and what there are tags for is one of the ways to hint what's on-topic on a given Stack), they could in theory be made on-topic by community discussion.
Until that happens though, they're off topic and don't need a tag.
answered May 20, 2017 at 2:28
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You could always add the tag yourself, which will get reviewed after some time has passed. But...
I think the question would be better off in sci-fi&fantasy.SE
It's a question about a book with some decisions to be made by the reader, the same reason we deem MUDs off-topic, it lacks the interactive element of tabletop RPGs, where soft skills and rules-clarifications are inevitable in the game. With interactive books and RPG-esque games, the soft skills and rules-clarifications are moot, as it is limited by not having an actual Game Master person.
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3\$\begingroup\$ Solo rpgs are on topic, though, and self-describe as RPGs. Not all self-describing RPGs have GMs, and not all self-describing RPGs have interactive elements. \$\endgroup\$ Commented May 20, 2017 at 6:27
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\$\begingroup\$ @thedarkwanderer yes, that's correct, I may have stepped on solo-RPGs in the answer, sorry about that. I'm struggling to find a better word for the difference... Question of ignorance though, because I am not at all familiar with solo RPGs, wouldn't you yourself be the GM- making it still have a GM? \$\endgroup\$– daze413Commented May 20, 2017 at 6:37
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\$\begingroup\$ Not usually. Usually, the module book does the GMing. \$\endgroup\$ Commented May 20, 2017 at 6:46
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\$\begingroup\$ @thedarkwanderer huh... Then I'm lost as to the difference :) Maybe I should just try one of those solo RPGs, and compare it to the Give Yourself Goosebumps books I read as a kid. Then maybe I'll be enlightened. \$\endgroup\$– daze413Commented May 20, 2017 at 6:49
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\$\begingroup\$ Good idea! You can look at a bunch of classic ones for T&T here. In my opinion the biggest difference is that solo adventures identify as RPGs, whereas CYOAs don't. I don't think that difference is necessarily material, though. \$\endgroup\$ Commented May 20, 2017 at 6:56
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1\$\begingroup\$ Should self-identification truly matter though? Because if the case; any self-identifying product as RPG would risk being deemed on topic here even if they obviously are not. \$\endgroup\$ Commented May 23, 2017 at 7:17