On the occasion of the International Games Week the “G. Carducci” Public Library proposes a small trip around the web among the best pages and most important sites dedicated to the librogame, a particular form of narration, more interactive than a normal book.

What is a librogame?

It is a narrative that allows the reader to actively participate in the story. The reader can decide to follow personalised paths or to choose different alternatives within the development of the story.
Through the use of paragraphs or numbered pages or by rolling dice, one is confronted with choices that end up influencing the development of the plot.
Developed especially in the 1980s, almost at the same time as the great success of videogames and role-playing games, the librogame is halfway between traditional storytelling and the interactivity of videogames.
In Italy, the genre was particularly successful in the second half of the 1980s, thanks above all to EL editions.
Numerous series of gamebooks were published, in the most diverse genres: fantasy, horror, mythology, detective stories, science fiction.

Some Italian and international reference sites

One of the most important Italian portals on gamebooks is Librogame’s Land. It is a real multimedia encyclopaedia created with the ambition of collecting a bibliography as complete as possible of the various gamebooks published in Italy. The site is a fundamental starting point to learn more about the subject.
The other reference site in Italy, Librogame Plus is also just as exhaustive but dedicated exclusively to the volumes released by EL editions. For an overview of the international scene, please visit gamebooks.org.

The World of Lupo solitario (Lone Wolf)

One of the most popular and influential gamebook series was the one created by Joe Dever‘s imagination in the 1980s.

Dever was an English musician with a passion for fantasy literature who created the character of Lone Wolf, the protagonist of a highly successful epic.

The world of Lone Wolf (Magnamund) closely resembles the world of Tolkien in the meticulousness with which customs, folklore, geography, myths and languages have been reconstructed, and is reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons type role-playing games in its figurative imagery and dynamics of identification.

Lone Wolf Italia: An online bible on Lupo Solitario

A veritable mine of bibliographical information and references not only to books but also to games related to Lone Wolf’s exploits can be found on www.lonewolfitalia.com.
In addition to a detailed bibliography, the pages offer various materials such as images, maps, videos, in-depth information and interactive content. It is a fundamental starting point to move into the universe of the game-book created by Dever.

Playing online with Lone Wolf books

For those who are good at English, there is a whole portal where author Joe Dever has allowed many of his books to be published free of charge. Books that can be played directly on line on AON’s portal.

A version in Italian also exist, that does not offer the chance to play online though, but provided with a lot of interesting stuff, including a beautiful illustrated guide in pdf on Magnamund.

Joe Dever interview and short history of the gamebook

Rai Radio Tre broadcasts an interview with Dever by Andrea Angiolino, journalist and game inventor, author of numerous articles and books on the subject.
Available as a podcast, the episode gives a quick excursus on the history of the librogame, also recalling its possible precursors: Juan Luis Borges and Gianni Rodari.