A solo role-playing campaign in a gamebook format, SNAKES and GESTAPO, Act 1: Consumed from the Inside incorporates a complex game system to appeal to a modern, mature audience. Translated from the French gamebook Dans le nid du mal – Acte 1: Rongé de l’intérieur, created by Guillaume Gagnon and written by Patrick Boulanger, SNAKES and GESTAPO is a 3-act series of interactive adventures set during World War II.
Follow Friedrich Beck, an officer wounded during the September Campaign. Despite the fact he lost an eye during the Brest-Litovsk assault, he refuses to be a burden. Forced to stay away from the front lines, he dedicates his time chasing down deserters. In June 1941, after a series of murders in Leipzig, the Gestapo requires his services. Quickly, Beck and his partner, Captain Hammerstein, who is probably more Nazi than Hitler himself, are dragged into a sordid tale of serial murders. Be part of a Germany at war with the world.
Discover the Nazi’s totalitarianism culture from an officer’s point of view, and that of a father who will rapidly learn that monsters are more human than they appear. Enjoy a story written in the purest horror tradition, Howard Phillips Lovecraft-like, with some elements from such classics as The X-Files, in the day-to-day life of World War II.
Consisting of approximately 344 pages, SNAKES and GESTAPO, Act 1: Consumed from the Inside can be played as a gamebook (either following the full rules or simply making choices without rules) or read as a novel. The 3D10 game system features Characteristics (innate physical and mental abilities) and Competencies (acquired skills and abilities) used for calculating rolls when choosing and deciding actions. Integrity Levels are formed from specific Characteristics, determining Physical and Mental Integrity, and Adrenaline – these values increase and decrease during the game, and an Adrenaline point can be ‘burned’ to strategically aid the player. If the Physical or Mental Integrity level of a character drops to zero, they die or become completely insane, and the game is over. Zero Adrenaline points does not result in the character’s death, however, the chance of survival in following chapters is greatly diminished.
The SNAKES and GESTAPO system gives the player the choice of using a pre-built character or determining their own starting values by allocating points as they wish. The gameplay also incorporates Experience Points, which can be used to increase a Characteristic or Competency, or to gain an Adrenaline point. A pdf of the full rules and the first section of the game can be downloaded from the Kickstarter campaign page.
The Kickstarter for SNAKES and GESTAPO, Act 1: Consumed from the Inside includes numerous add-ons and stretch goals, including a separate Prelude document, Custom Dice, a Propaganda booklet, and other enhancements. The campaign ends on September 22nd.