GoDungeon - a web engine to create and read digital interactive story with incorporate dice rolls and inventory

[alepito (Alessandro)]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on an engine to create digital choice-based interactive fiction/gamebooks, in a simple and fast way, with a light RPG layer (screenshots at the end).

The main difference from other engines is that with GoDungeon you can add challenges to your choices. For example, you can set a Strength check, and to pass it the player must roll higher than a target value with the dice, or you can require a specific item to unlock a choice (items that can only be obtained by following specific paths).

The idea is to let anyone create book-dungeon style stories where:

• you read the story like a book

• set choices to proceed with different path of the story

• choices can require items (give / remove / use objects to unlock paths)

• some choices require a dice roll (d20) to succeed (automatically done by the app), in case of failure you can redirect the player to another path.

• stats, items and randomness add a bit of game + dungeon feeling, without turning it into a videogame

The platform has two main parts:

• an application to read, play, and soon rate other writers’ stories

• a builder / engine to create them visually using nodes and links (branching paths, items, checks, multiple outcomes) and publish them for others to try

I’m really interested in feedback and advise from people who enjoy interactive fictions.

You can:

• try playing one of the available stories (unfortunately I’m not a writer, so current stories are generated just to test the system)

• if you want, you can try creating your own story using the builder and publish it

This is an early alpha, but I would like to validate the idea.

You can try the player without an account, just open the website click on "catalog” and choose a story.

For the builder I’ll ask you to register (you can delete your account whenever you want) to be able to create, save and publish your adventures.

There will definitely be bugs and rough edges, but I’d really appreciate honest feedback from you.

If you want to try:

• play stories here: https://play.godungeon.com

• try the builder here: https://studio.godungeon.com

Here some screenshots about the engine:

Builder:

Player:

Initial stat roll (to increase RNG and add more dynamism to the stories)

Choices (challenge are marked at the end with )

Dice roll to pass some challenges:

Where you can win and go for a specific path, or lose and go for another path (maybe difficult):

[Draconis (Daniel Stelzer)]

Hello and welcome to the site! We’ve seen a lot of new platforms advertised here recently, and it’s great that you already have a clear vision of what yours offers compared to others: it looks like you want to emulate the old Fighting Fantasy-esque gamebooks, with the computer handling the stats, dice rolls, and inventory tracking?

It’s also great that you have some demo games available, since good demos are the main thing that draws people to a new system.

I imagine you’ve also looked at Twine, from how the builder is laid out; is your goal to basically be “Twine but easier” in your particular niche, not requiring any JavaScript or fancy macros for things like items and dice rolls? And have you looked at Ink, which does something similar?

I tried playing one of the demo games, but even on my very large (2880×1800) screen, the choices are squished into a small rectangle in the middle. I can’t even see two of them at the same time!

I always appreciate big text, but I think in this case the text is rather too big. (The horizontal margins, on the other hand, are fine. Short line length is good typography.)

[Hituro (David Donachie)]

It’s interesting to see you approach what are essentially paper-based Gamebooks in this way. Most of the choice-based game tools (such as Twine), hide stat requirements and rolls from the player (or at least, require the author to explicitly show them if they exist), whereas you are making requirements explicit by default.

I quite like that, and I’ve done it in my own games. I also write actual gamebooks on paper, where of course the conditions must be explicit because the player has to process the options themselves.

There’s a surprisingly big community of people still writing and playing gamebooks on paper, and a huge community of people who love choice-based games, so I’m interested in the intersection you seem to be exploring here.

[alepito (Alessandro)]

@Hituro

It’s interesting to see you approach what are essentially paper-based Gamebooks in this way. Most of the choice-based game tools (such as Twine), hide stat requirements and rolls from the player (or at least, require the author to explicitly show them if they exist), whereas you are making requirements explicit by default.

I quite like that, and I’ve done it in my own games. I also write actual gamebooks on paper, where of course the conditions must be explicit because the player has to process the options themselves.

There’s a surprisingly big community of people still writing and playing gamebooks on paper, and a huge community of people who love choice-based games, so I’m interested in the intersection you seem to be exploring here.

Thank you so much!

I think paper gamebooks are really fun to play, and I’m happy there is still such a big community that enjoys them.

I don’t want to replace paper books at all. My goal is to offer something that’s easy to play wherever you are, especially when you don’t have dice or sheets with you.

I think that stats, dice, and items add a nice dynamic to reading, and can make the experience more engaging even for people who don’t usually enjoy reading that much.

Since you’re a writer, I’d be very happy to read one of your stories on GoDungeon one day!

[alepito (Alessandro)]

@alepito

Hello and thank you for the welcome! First of all, thank you very much for the feedback, it’s extremely valuable to me!

Yes, the idea is exactly to create a digital version of classic gamebooks, where the computer automatically handles stats, dice rolls, and inventory. The goal is to make these stories easy and comfortable to play anywhere (for example on a train, while traveling, or during a short break), without needing physical dice or sheets.

My objective is not to replace paper books or all existing gamebook systems, but rather to create a community and an ecosystem where people can enjoy this genre in a very accessible and convenient way, even for quick sessions.

I’m familiar with Twine and other similar builders, and GoDungeon is not meant to replace them or position itself as a “better” tool. My idea is to build a simple and focused ecosystem specifically for this type of gamebook (with integrated RPG mechanics), handled in a straightforward and intuitive way, without requiring scripting or technical knowledge.

Regarding the layout issue with the choices, thank you for pointing that out. I’ll fix it as soon as possible. I’m actively working on improving the UI and responsiveness, and feedback like this is exactly what helps me understand what’s not working well and what needs to be improved. So thanks again for reporting it!

Hello and thank you for the welcome! First of all, thank you very much for the feedback, it’s extremely valuable to me!

Yes, the idea is exactly to create a digital version of classic gamebooks, where the computer automatically handles stats, dice rolls, and inventory. The goal is to make these stories easy and comfortable to play anywhere (for example on a train, while traveling, or during a short break), without needing physical dice or sheets.

My objective is not to replace paper books or all existing gamebook systems, but rather to create a community and an ecosystem where people can enjoy this genre in a very accessible and convenient way, even for quick sessions.

I’m familiar with Twine and other similar builders, and GoDungeon is not meant to replace them or position itself as a “better” tool. My idea is to build a simple and focused ecosystem specifically for this type of gamebook (with integrated RPG mechanics), handled in a straightforward and intuitive way, without requiring scripting or technical knowledge.

Regarding the layout issue with the choices, thank you for pointing that out. I’ll fix it as soon as possible. I’m actively working on improving the UI and responsiveness, and feedback like this is exactly what helps me understand what’s not working well and what needs to be improved. So thanks again for reporting it!

[alepito (Alessandro)]

Hi Daniel, just for info. I’ve changed the font size for bigger screens, I hope you like it now!

[HanonO (Hanon Ondricek)]

I will say I do really enjoy game systems that have a dice roll interface. It’s very satisfying.

[alepito (Alessandro)]

I’m really glad to hear that!
Do you have any advice on how I could improve my dice roll interface and make it more satisfying?

[HanonO (Hanon Ondricek)]

I don’t know if you want to deal with sounds, but an optional (can be disabled) “clickety” dice roll sound and a victory/loss bell or buzzer is always cool. Think of the chest-opening sound in Zelda.

[Draconis (Daniel Stelzer)]

Mario Party’s dice-rolling animation is also fun: an image of the appropriate polyhedron with a rapidly-changing number on the front (rather than actually animating a rotating 3D object), which slows and stops to show what number you rolled.

[alepito (Alessandro)]

That’s a good idea, I can work on that! Thank you

[alepito (Alessandro)]

That’s a great example!
Improving the dice animation is definitely one of my goals, since it’s a key feature, and Mario Party’s dice is a really good reference. Thanks for the suggestion!

[alepito (Alessandro)]

What do you think about adding images to the story?

[jkj_yuio]

I played some demos on mobile, everything worked well. It might be cool to have pictures just of the objects rather than the whole scenes. Maybe they could have clues on them, writing, signs, marks etc.

[alepito (Alessandro)]

That’s a really good idea, thank you!
Letting writers add clues and images for items is a nice way to improve immersion.

[alepito (Alessandro)]

I’ve make an update focused on making discovery and play-start much faster.

• Homepage: https://godungeon.com the homepage now surfaces the full catalog, so you can browse stories right away without extra navigation.

• Feauture “My List”: you can add stories to your list directly from the homepage, making the and see it on your player (You must be logged).

• UI improvements: overall layout and interactions are cleaner and more consistent across the catalog/list views.

• Light/Dark theme: added a theme toggle with Light and Dark mode in the player, so you can pick the reading style that feels best.

Next I’ll work on adding animations and sounds to improve the overall experience.

[gfaregan]

Check out Dicey Dungeons. I thought they had an interesting dice mechanic.

[alepito (Alessandro)]

I’ll check it, thanks!

[alepito (Alessandro)]

Hi everyone!

Thanks to all your comments, I’ve been working hard to improve the general suite. Here is a breakdown of what has changed:

Homepage Catalog

https://godungeon.com

• New Homepage: A centralized place to discover all stories.

• Enhanced Info: See descriptions, covers, and ratings at a glance.

• Save for Later: Add stories to your list to play them directly in the engine.

• Discovery: Sections for “Most Recent” and “Popular” stories.

Player

https://play.godungeon.com

• New Menu System:

  • My List: View stories you’ve added from the catalog.

  • My Stories: Access all your own stories (published and unpublished). Perfect for testing before you go live!

  • Catalog: Browse all available stories in the community.

• Login & Sync: Added login functionality to sync your progress and access your stories anywhere.

• UI/UX: Added Light/Dark theme support and general UX improvements for a smoother experience.

Builder

https://studio.godungeon.com

• Publishing Info: You can now add Genre and Language to your stories.

• Full Image Support: You can now upload covers and images within your stories (images for items coming soon!).

• Story Metadata: Easily manage covers and descriptions.

• Deep Linking: When you publish, you’ll get a direct link that takes readers straight to your story’s first page in the player.

Note: GoDungeon is still in Alpha, so you may encounter some bugs. Any feedback is incredibly helpful!

Hope you like it! Let me know what you think.

[BadParser]

I’m playing one of the demos and have encountered a behavior which is either a bug in this particular game or in the system’s inventory handling / choice elimination behavior. Basically, after I’ve taken the bronze key (I’m not given any other option but to “pocket it”), the room’s description remains the same: “Your torchlight catches something in the rubble…” and I’m still presented with the option to search the rubble. Upon searching again, I find the bronze key, again. Also, in that and another case (the amulet?) I noticed that the item appears in my inventory before I actually take it.

Overall, though, I like the look and feel of the game and the way you’ve handled the dice-rolling. I haven’t tried the builder yet, but intend to do so.