My very first, somewhat terribad CYOA

I figure, since I'm posting my work to this profile, I might as well post where it REALLY first began. Story time.

So, I got my first introduction to CYOAs on /v/. I like to think that /v/ and /tg/ share certain parts of their culture and interests, considering that they're both filled with a bunch of nerds. Anyway, on /v/, from time to time circa 2015, there would be off-topic threads where people would just post a bunch of different simple choice games or CYOAs. Since /v/'s got a small filesize cap for uploads, most CYOAs that you could post HAD to be simple, otherwise they wouldn't fit (the way PNG encodes data makes text bloat filesize like a motherfucker).

Probably the first CYOA that I took a serious interest in was the "/v/ superpower game," which is still a fun little thing with a rudimentary point system and like 30 powers with 5 distinct levels each to choose from. It was fun to make builds and think about the implications of each option, but I found myself getting a little irked at some of the design decisions and lamenting that I hadn't made it, since I couldn't exactly edit it. Then, one day, I came across what was known as a "jumpchain" CYOA, which is its own can of worms that I'd rather not get into (but you can find out more about on /tg/ if you want). It was a Pokemon-themed CYOA, and I was enjoying it pretty thoroughly, but I felt that my adventures were severely limited by a rather oppressive point total, nickle-ing and dime-ing me for things that I thought were absolute necessities and, thus, were essentially useless point taxes. Around that time I had noticed a rash of CYOAs that had the same problem of less being, "choose your own adventure," and more, "salvage your own adventure," putting players in situations that were basically just un-fun to think about for me, due to a low point total or bizarre drawbacks to some of the better options.

I had had enough of that, so I decided I would make my own CYOA, with the proverbial blackjack and hookers. I set about constructing something that I thought was simple, effective, and, MOST OF ALL, left you with an enjoyable situation no matter which option you picked. No point totals (I wasn't advanced enough for that yet), and no fancy graphics (made this shit in Paint). Looking back on it, I still think that there's a kernel of good design in this one, though obviously it deserves a FULL remake someday (though it'd mostly be just aesthetic). I'm basically just putting it here so that you can see where I started out, as a paint-wielding newbie with nothing but a computer and a wish to do what nobody else would.

ALSO, SINCE THIS ONE'S SO SIMPLE, HERE'S A STRAWPOLL TO COLLECT YOUR ANSWERS, IF YOU WANT: strawpoll.me/5287711/