imago podcast #1: How to play gamebooks and why they're fun

What if you don't like books, but you love games? Then a gamebook is exactly for you. It's a book where you decide the story yourself, and instead of reading the whole thing, you only read the path you choose. In the first imago vidcast, Jitka Podroužková, who has never played one before, asks about gamebooks. She is joined by Jiří Zahradníček, author of the gamebooks Havarrské kobky and Lovec artefaktů.

Jirka doesn't just write gamebooks; he also proofreads them for the Mytago publishing house before they hit the shelves. He estimates he has played around 140 of them. In the vidcast, he explains how he went from reader to author, why gamebooks hook even non-readers, and which titles he recommends.

How a reader became an author

Jirka didn't get into gamebooks until 2020. He had started reading more, and a friend suggested he buy one. He says he reacted like most people: What even is that? He tried a few and was completely hooked.

He had always wanted to create his own game. He didn't know how to program for PC games, and he considers board games a long-term commitment. A gamebook seemed like the ideal path because "you just have to write it." However, he soon realized it wasn't that simple. An author must ensure the text flows well, the story makes sense across all branches, and the references link correctly. We break down how to do it in our series How to write a gamebook without going crazy.

Jirka's first gamebook is Havarrské kobky, and his second, more extensive work is Lovec artefaktů. Both are fantasy. He has already finished his third gamebook, Zkáza na Sorcanu, which ventures into sci-fi. You can find all these books at imago under Jiří Zahradníček.

What a gamebook proofreader watches for

Before a gamebook reaches your hands, it goes on a long journey where things can go wrong at every step. Jirka checks Czech editions of foreign titles. Authors can leave errors behind, translations can create inconsistencies in terminology, things can go missing, or rule versions can get mixed up in series. Proofreading sometimes "fixes" things that were actually correct, and more errors can occur during typesetting.

That's where proofreading after typesetting comes in. Jirka checks the language, consistent terminology throughout the book, the accuracy of references, and the logic of the story. He even uncovers errors that slipped past foreign authors and their editors. He says it involves hundreds to thousands of tiny details per book and requires full attention. According to him, no major errors have appeared in the books he has checked over the last three years.

Why gamebooks work even for non-readers

Jirka knows this from personal experience. He has many hobbies and doesn't have much time for books. When he looks at his list of read books, gamebooks dominate. Partly because of work, but mostly because they take less time. You read by following references, so you might only read a third or a quarter of the total text.

He has another perspective as a teacher. His students followed along as he wrote his first book, then played Havarrské kobky themselves and wrote about it in their reading journals. He recently met a former student who had already finished elementary school. The student told him he doesn't read at all, but Havarrské kobky is one of the few books he actually finished. He enjoyed being able to influence the story. It's because of feedback like this that Jirka believes reading and writing gamebooks is worth it.

Gamebooks have nothing to do with computer games, even though they have the word "game" in the title. On the contrary, they can pull kids and adults away from screens. It's a typical solo game, but nothing stops you from playing with a friend, partner, or kids and making decisions together. Jirka played gamebooks this way with students in his board game club. Jitka summed it up perfectly in the vidcast: a gamebook is basically a D&D for one. Unlike role-playing games, you don't need a Dungeon Master; the author has prepared the story for you.

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Old vs. new gamebooks

The history of gamebooks dates back to the eighties. The famous Fighting Fantasy series was created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The book Muži s kostkami, which Jirka mentions in the vidcast, describes how they came to it. Another classic is Lone Wolf by Joe Dever, a series with dozens of volumes.

The end of sudden death

Older gamebooks were often very difficult, sometimes even frustrating. A typical pitfall: you reach a crossroads, don't know what's left or right, choose, and die. The author expected you to play the book over and over until you found the right path. Jirka says nobody enjoys that today. Newer gamebooks have learned from this and almost always give you a chance to avoid sudden death. Jirka tries to stick to this in his own books so that even the biggest disasters can be solved.

It's not always easy, though. Many gamebooks feature combat where you roll six-sided dice and add them to your character's stats. After a fight, you lose health, which you then replenish with potions or medkits. Dice bring randomness into the game, just like in board games, so it's possible to lose a fight. You won't find a difficulty rating on the cover, which is why Jirka recommends reading reviews and comments from other players before buying.

You record everything you need on an adventure sheet, often called a character sheet: health, strength, items, code words. If you don't want to write in the book, you can print or copy the sheet. Authors even think about playing on the train when it comes to dice. At the end of the book or in the margins, there is often a random number table that you can just poke with a pencil.

Replayability and cheating

There are fewer linear gamebooks with one main path today. Most new ones have high replayability. You will always pass through the main story nodes, but the paths between them change, and there are often multiple endings. The book is different every time.

And what about flipping ahead? No one can stop you, but Jirka doesn't recommend it. You'll spoil the surprise, and the alternative paths won't be as rewarding during your next playthrough. Stick to the references and enjoy the whole story and the suspense.

From illustrations to ciphers

Illustrations are an inseparable part of gamebooks. In the past, they mainly helped you visualize a monster or an environment. But even in Lone Wolf, hidden clues to puzzles appeared in the pictures, and today's gamebooks even work with complex ciphers. A big step forward is represented by open-world gamebooks, where you move freely between books as if on a map. More on those in the tips below.

There are many genres. Most gamebooks are fantasy, but you can also find sci-fi or horror, such as Klinika smrti.

Example: Freeway Warrior

Jirka demonstrated what such decision-making looks like in practice using the gamebook Freeway Warrior: Masakr na dálnici. It is the first part of a four-part post-apocalyptic series by Joe Dever, the author of Lone Wolf. You play as Cal Phoenix, a highway warrior leading a colony of people with a tanker truck through a devastated land.

This is exactly where the beauty of a gamebook lies, according to Jirka. In a regular book, the author would decide for the hero. Here, you intervene in the story. And if you don't have binoculars, it tempts you to play the book again to see what you would have seen. You can find more about the series in our Freeway Warrior review.

Jirka's tips: what to play

At the very top of Jirka's list is Zázračná kněžka by Czech author Jiří Mikulík. It is the first part of an eight-part series Gabriel Knox, which is now completely published. The rules are more complex, but Jirka managed them as a beginner.

He also really enjoyed Drákula: Upírova kletba by Jonathan Green. It was one of the first books he proofread. It has a thousand references and offers a novel element: you can switch between main characters and, in places where their paths cross, continue as someone else. You can find details in the Dracula review.

But he was most excited by open-world gamebooks. In the Bájné země series, each book is one piece of a map. You can start with any of them, and you can move freely between the books. Jirka even wrote his own article about Fabled Lands.

Even more sophisticated is the Legendární království series, which opens with the gamebook Údolí kostí.

Among other tips, he mentioned the Lone Wolf series, whose new volumes are still being published in Czech, and Beowulf: Zabiják příšer by Jonathan Green.

You can find more inspiration in our selection of the best gamebooks for 2025.

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A gamebook as a gift

Jirka often gives gamebooks as gifts, both his own and extras he has. He believes they are among the best gifts ever. Jitka summed it up at the end of the vidcast: you don't need a table or a group of people; all you need is a book, a pencil, and sometimes dice. And the story can take a different direction every time.

If you are buying a gamebook for someone who has never played one, our simple guide will help you. You can find the entire selection in the Gamebooky category.