Welcome to Tavern Talk Thursday! We are expanding. What started as a column dedicated to chatting with members of the TTRPG community is growing to talk about all things TTRPG and board games. We aim to continue sharing everything we love about the community and all the content within. So, consider this a little peek into our favorite worlds and creators as we explore everything we love.
As kids, we loved the idea of a create-your-own adventure book. Choosing the fate of the characters felt like a huge rush. These types of books led us to create our own adventures through tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. But those books don’t have to be left in the past! Readers can still enjoy these styles of books across multiple genres, making it something everyone can enjoy. With so many to choose from, we have compiled a list of our favorites.
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Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure
We know this one doesn’t scream dungeon adventure or saving the world, but sometimes we need a good romance. Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster puts readers into the shoes of Austen’s favorite heroines. It starts in Pride and Prejudice, but as choices are made and the world expands, readers will find themselves interacting with characters from Emma and other Austen works. Can you solve the mission? Or will you find yourself on the wrong side of a Jane Austen novel?
Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
Tavern Talk Thursday’s next pick is the undead action with Max Brallier’s Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?. You have one simple rule when cracking this book open: to survive. It’s gritty and horrifying and will have you making strategic decisions that may not fall into the moral category. This isn’t a book for the faint of heart. It features some pretty grotesque and gory horror that helps take this story from a fun choose-your-own-adventure book to a bone-chilling every choice matters and is the difference between life and death kind of read.
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Five Nights at Freddy’s Interactive Book
The Five Nights at Freddy’s interactive book series from Scott Cawthon and E. C. Myers is an excellent read for those transitioning from children choose your own adventure to more teen/adult series. The long-beloved franchise has always had a way of connecting with the younger and older generations, and the novels continue to help bridge that gap. While there is a physical copy you can buy, we love the ebook version that makes you feel like you are in the video game. There are currently three books within the series, with the second book written by Adrienne Kress.
Van Ryder Games’ Graphic Novel Adventures
We know that including an entire company’s list of books here might be cheating, but we love Van Ryder Games’ graphic novel adventures. They cover everything from pirates to Sherlock Holmes to superheroes and more. The stories read like other graphic novels but include the choose your own adventure portion, as choices must be made. They also take them a step further with puzzles, hidden numbers, challenges, and more that create a whole new level for the game. They have a list of which games are rated for which audiences to help ensure the right reader is on the right adventure.
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Who I Am: A nerd by the strictest definition. I enjoy diving straight into my favorite fandoms without a care in the world. I live on video/board games, fantasy movies and TV, and all things geeky.
