An Archaeology Adventure in Montana

I finished playing and mapping Expedition to the Frozen Lake, another Select Your Own Timeline adventure by Chuck Tingle.

We had played this one several times previously as a fun read-aloud, and we thought we had seen everything. Turns out, the folks I was letting make the choices kept choosing the same thing because it seemed right. If you quit meta-gaming for a moment, turns out there’s really a lot more in here.

• an underwater temple
• hypothermia in the woods, or being eaten in the wilderness
• a hideous tentaculous leviathan in the lake
• being abducted by Void cultists who want to harness your meta power as The Reader
• an underground cavern and a giant wolf

It’s not a very complicated book – the SYOT series don’t have mechanics other than inventory – but it’s a fun one with a very low difficulty toward finding one of several equally valid successful endings. Depending on how your expedition goes, you could become the mayor of Billings, Montana for your contributions to ancient Montanan history. Or you could join the anti-Voidal task force keeping the infinite Void at bay. Or you could become so sexually appealing that you’re a celebrity and hero. Or maybe you’ll just get eaten by something awful in the woods. There are a lot of ways to get eaten.