“Because this is your dream – your nightmare. But I can offer you some assistance, even if I can no longer leave this perch. “To reach the Queen’s palace you will first have to pass through the maze. When you enter the maze, go south, then east, then north, then east, then south, then east, then north, to reach the heart of the labyrinth, for the quickest way through is via the middle.”
(Add 1 point to Alice’s Logic score for gaining this useful piece of information.)
“And what about after that?” asks Alice.
“I am afraid that after that you are on your own, for I have never been further than the middle myself.”
“Oh,” says Alice, feeling more anxious than ever before.
“Now you had better be on your way,” says the Dodo, nodding towards the walnut-panelled door. “He is waiting for you.”
Curious to know just who is waiting for her, Alice bids the Dodo goodbye and makes her way across the dusty room to the other door. Upon reaching it, she slowly turns the handle… Turn to 516.
506
In fear of her very soul, Alice runs from the throne room. Behind her, the Red Queen launches herself into the air to land right behind the wretched child. And then suddenly the Executioner’s huge axe is in her hands and, her muscles granted new strength by the adrenaline rushing through every fibre of her being, she swings it at the harridan. The gleaming blade describes a lethal arc through the air before hitting the Red Queen in the chest, sending her crashing to the marbled floor behind her.
Turn to 398.
507
As the Paper Tiger lays the final killing blow against Alice, she feels as if she is coming apart at every wound the cat’s card claws have opened in her pliant flesh.
As the parts of her body tumble away from each other through the mist, she sees a hideous face form amidst the clouds. It is that of an ugly woman, with a large pointed nose, and wobbly double chins, and she is wearing a crown. The eyes in the face are spheres of molten iron and fixed on Alice.
The woman begins to laugh – a booming, raucous sound that threatens to either deafen Alice or drive her mad. (Add 1 to Alice’s Insanity score.)
Just as she is feeling that she cannot bear it anymore, everything fades to darkness and Alice opens her eyes…
Turn to 9.
508
The Stag Beetle’s jaws are as sharp and as strong as garden shears. (The Stag Beetle has the initiative.)
STAG BEETLE COMBAT 7 ENDURANCE 6
If Alice wins the fight with the forest inhabitant, turn to 488.
509
“‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe,” Alice whispers as she regards the strange newt-like creatures creeping towards her. “All mimsy were the borogoves…”
Her poetry recital is cut short by a sudden squawking sound, and a pair of thin and shabby-looking birds, their feathers sticking out all round, drop down from the branches of a gnarled tree onto the path. The strange-looking fowl pluck the Slithy Toves from the ground, one each, and gulp them down whole.
Just as Alice breathes a sigh of relief, thinking that she is free of the threat posed by the Slithy Toves, the Borogoves advance towards her with curious strutting steps, and she is forced to defend herself.
If Alice is able to use The Pen is Mightier ability to resolve this battle in her favour, turn to 519. If not, or you do not want her to use that ability now, turn to 265.
510
At a right-hand turn in the maze Alice finds a blackberry bush growing and scoffs a handful of its ripe fruit to keep her hunger at bay. (Add 2 Endurance points.)
Which way should she go now?
North? Turn to 184.
East? Turn to 304.
511
“Who are you to challenge Tweedle-dum –” says the left-hand head.
“And Tweedle-dee?” asks the head on the right.
“Queen Alice!” Alice declares with greater confidence than she is actually feeling.
Take a Logic test. If Alice passes, turn to 43. If she fails the test, turn to 30.
512
And so at last the trees part and Alice finds herself standing before the ruined walls of the ancient fortress. Cautiously she steps through the open gates of the crumbling gatehouse and surveys the tableau that awaits her within.
The castle is manned by stone statues of men in armour, some of them even on horseback; an entire army turned to stone. What could have petrified these warriors, leaving them as silent sentinels of this forgotten fortress?
On the other side of the courtyard stands the keep, its walls the colour of ivory.
If you want Alice to pass between the ranks of petrified warriors in order to climb the steps to the entrance to the keep, turn to 447. If you think she should explore the courtyard first, turn to 479.
513
The Alice-Jabberwock staggers back, under the concerted attacks of Alice’s allies, coming dangerously close to the edge of the chessboard and the bottomless, lightless void beyond.
For a moment it looks like Alice might have won the battle without even having to lay a blow against the beast. But then the monster rallies, the child’s face atop the serpentine neck and dragon-like body twisted into a hideous snarl. Alice shifts her grip on the Vorpal Sword and prepares to fight for her life one last time.
(Alice has the initiative in this battle, but the Vorpal Sword will only cause 3 Endurance points of damage to the monster’s iron-hard scales, rather than the usual 4.)
JABBERWOCK COMBAT 8 ENDURANCE 9
If Alice slays the Jabberwock, turn to 520.
514
But presently the Thing began
To shiver and to sneeze:
On which I said “Come, come, my man!
That’s a most inconsiderate plan.
Less noise there, if you please!”
“I’ve caught a cold,” the Thing replied,
“Out there upon the landing.”
I turned to look in some surprise,
And there, before my very eyes,
A little Ghost was standing!
He trembled when he caught my eye,
And got behind a chair.
“How came you here,” I said, “and why?
I never saw a thing so shy.
Come out! Don’t shiver there!”
He said, “I’d gladly tell you how,
And also tell you why;
But” (here he gave a little bow)
“You’re in so bad a temper now,
You’d think it all a lie.
“And as to being in a fright,
Allow me to remark
That Ghosts have just as good a right
In every way, to fear the light,
As Men to fear the dark.”
Alice closes the book and there, in the corner of the library, is a phantasmal presence.
“What are you?” the child asks the spectre, trying to keep the quiver from her voice. “Phantom, goblin, elf, sprite or ghoul?”
“Ghost will do,” says the spirit, “and I should thank you.”
“What for?” asks Alice.
“For freeing me from my bookish prison.” The Ghost makes a small bow. “But now I must bid you adieu.” And then it is gone.
Alice may now also use The Pen is Mightier ability a total of four times, rather than three. Make a note of this and write down ‘Phantasm’ on Alice’s Adventure Sheet and the number ‘466’ next to it.
As Alice closes the book, ready to slip it back onto the shelf, something slips out from its hiding place within the spine of the book. It is a complicated-looking Skeleton Key. (If you want Alice to take it, note it down on Alice’s Adventure Sheet.)
Alice sees no reason in lingering within in the library any longer and so returns to the passageway.
Turn to 454.
515
As the mutated humanoid hedgehogs bound towards her Alice has the presence of mind to arm herself, sprinting for the bench and snatching up the
croquet mallet.
If Alice chooses to use the Mallet in battle she swings it like a mace. Every time she lands a successful blow with the Mallet, roll two dice (or pick a card). If you roll 2-10 (or you pick an Ace up to a Jack), Alice’s strike causes 3 Endurance points of damage to her opponent. However, if you roll 11 or 12 (or pick a Queen or King), Alice’s blow knocks out her opponent, removing them from the fight.
“Shall we play?” says Alice, Mallet at the ready.
Turn to 28.
516
The door opens and Alice enters a snug study. Sitting behind a leather-topped writing desk is the master of the house – the White Rabbit, who looks up in surprise at her unexpected entrance. A Lizard, wearing the cap and clothes of a gardener, and a Mouse, dressed very smartly, after the fashion of a bank clerk, are just as startled to see her.
“In this house we knock before entering a room,” the White Rabbit chides her, “but I suppose I should just be grateful that you’re here at last.”
Turn to 135.
517
In defeating the Paper Tiger, Alice has gone a long way to overcoming her own fears and will be all the better prepared to tackle the nightmare that is consuming her dream world. As the Tiger dissolves back into the mist, the fog of confusion starts to clear…
Subtract 3 from Alice’s Insanity score and turn to 9.
518
As Alice is backing away from the advancing Stag Beetle she hears a cicada-like hissing behind her and spins round to see a second giant Stag Beetle approaching from behind. Darting out of the way, she watches as the two males begin to battle for possession of the clearing and the tasty meal that Alice might provide.
Not waiting to discover the outcome of the battle, Alice hurries on her way as fast as she can – turn to 488.
519
“‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe; all mimsy were the borogoves,” Alice begins.
The shadows either side of the path take on a glutinous solidity and long-fingered hands snatch Alice’s enemies from the trail.
“And the mome raths outgrabe!” finishes Alice.
And then they are gone again, and the path ahead is clear.
Turn to 286.
520
Alice plunges the Vorpal Sword through the monster’s soft underbelly, piercing the Jabberwock’s chest cavity and the heart within. Withdrawing the blade again, she brings it round in a sweeping arc and lops off the monster’s head. Decapitated, the Alice-Jabberwock’s body immediately starts to dissolve into mist. And as it does so, Alice’s mind is flooded with memories long suppressed, of a previous visit to Wonderland.
Panting for breath, feeling light-headed from the rush of recollections, Alice watches, mouth agape, as the last wisps of mist are dispersed by a breeze that seems to blow up from nowhere. At the same time, the circling mirror-portals fracture again and again, into a thousand-thousand fragments, which scatter to the depthless reaches of the void, where they become twinkling pinpricks of starlight.
Alice looks around her at the cracked and chequered plain, but she is utterly alone. “And what happens to me now?” she asks the wind.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” comes a familiar voice, speaking from a grinning mouth that has materialised in mid-air in front of her.
“Cheshire Puss!” Alice exclaims, and the rest of the Cat quickly coalesces around its smile.
“So where is it you want to get to?” the floating feline asks.
“I don’t much care where –” Alice begins.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” says the Cat.
“– so long as I get somewhere,” Alice adds, by way of an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that.”
And then the Cat too is dissolving into mist, only this mist swells and roils like massing thunderclouds, and other faces appear before Alice’s eyes, formed from coiling tendrils of vapour. She sees a serene blue face smoking a hookah pipe, the brightly-coloured beak and blue-grey plumage of a dodo, and the mechanically blinking eyes of a stuffed white rabbit – and a myriad voices seem to whisper to her on the breeze, “Thank you, Alice, and goodbye.”
The nightmare is over, Wonderland is saved, and, most importantly of all, Alice has saved herself from oblivion.
She feels the stress and strain of her adventures ease, the weariness in her bones melting away, and a smile spreads slowly across her face as the fractured chessboard arena and the midnight gulf beyond fade to white…
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream —
Lingering in the golden gleam —
Life, what is it but a dream?
THE END
Acknowledgements
What started out as one person’s crazed vision has, once again through the power of Kickstarter, become a crazed vision shared by a host of like-minded individuals – that in this day and age of digital apps and console RPGs, in the 150th anniversary year of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, there is still room for one more pencil and paper adventure, published in the form of a traditional, processed-tree-carcass gamebook. (Although a zeroes-and-ones eBook edition is also available.)
There are, however, some individuals who have joined me at this Mad Tea Party that I would like to single out for particular attention and recognition.
First of all, Emma Barnes of Snowbooks, for being so open to this new model of producing gamebooks and supporting Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland from the start, and Anna Torborg for doing such an excellent job of laying it out.
Secondly, I must give special mention to Kev Crossley, for bravely following in the footsteps of Sir John Tenniel et al and helping to bring my warped vision of Wonderland to life – and at very short notice too! Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland simply would not be what it is without his wonderful illustrations.
Thirdly, I must mention all of those people who helped with the Kickstarter rewards. So thank you to Jonathan Oliver, David Moore and Ben Smith of Abaddon Books for allowing me to offer my novella Pax Britannia: White Rabbit as a reward to backers; thank you to Lydia Matts of Broken Geek Designs for making the bespoke Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland necklaces; thank you to Fil Baldowski for making the All Rolled Up game rolls; and a special thank you to Saskia Powys, who designed the unique deck of Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland-themed playing cards.
But most of all, I would like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you everyone who pledged their support to this project. Without them, Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland could not have happened at all. So here’s to you, all of you.
And just remember, in the immortal words of the Cheshire Cat, “We’re all mad here.”
Kickstarter Backers
Gryphon
Martin Gooch • PJ Montgomery • Michael Hartley • Geoffrey Bertram • Michelle Edmunds • Dr Mike Reddy • Black Chicken Studios, Inc. • Pang Peow Yeong & Family • Tamsin Bryant • PD Dr Oliver M Traxel • Marc Thorpe • Michael Johnston • Kevin Abbotts • Rebecca Scott • Aaron Tyrone Utting • John Edward Kirk • Maria Walley • Ed Brenton • Rms
White Knight
Stephane Bechard • James Catchpole • Chris Trapp • Alice Cruickshank • Thomas Dan Nielsen • Alan Tannenbaum • Vin de Silva • Robert Schwartz • Jordan E Carey • Hayley Allen • Phillip Bailey • Andrew Wright • Kathryn Berghold • Louie Reynolds & Zoe Harrison • Vanessa Pare • Gwendlyn Drayton
Unicorn
Frans Buddelmeijer
Dodo
Amy Winchester • 林立人 Lin Liren • Don Alsafi • Mark Myers • Nicki Gray • Steve Dean • Xymon “Awesome” Owain • Colin Oaten • Mr Smiler • James A Hirons • Raj Rijhwani • Steven Pannell • Tiago Vieira Perretto • James Aukett • Amy-Jayne McGarry-Thickitt • Fabrice Gatille • Paul Windmill • Felipe Espinoza Yentzen
Queen of Hearts
Anthony Myers • Jeremy R Haupt • Graham Hart • Franck Teixido • Meryne Gray • Judy Kashman • Keith Tollfree • Mark and Catherine Richards • Alexander Ballingall • Luke Niedner • María Ariza • Christopher Blakely • Rhel ná DecVandé • (Dave!) David Stringer Archer • Zwolfondu • Nicole Jane Mcleary • Mr Jay S Broda • Happy Xmas Mandy, Love Matt.
Red Queen
Y. K. Lee • Shyue Wen • Ong • Jonathan Caines • J J Malpas • Robin Horton
Going Back Down the Rabbit-Hole:
Reimagining a classic
By Jonathan Green
Alice and the Dodo
Lewis Carroll is celebrated throughout the world and regarded, quite rightly, as a literary legend. However, behind the famous pseudonym was the bookish, intensely clever, complex, obsessive, mild-mannered, eccentric Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a lecturer at Oxford University and Church of England deacon, with remarkably diverse talents. As well as being a skilled mathematician, logician, amateur inventor and pioneering photographer, he also devised an array of games and puzzles which are still popular to this day. And of course he was a prolific writer; as well as his many books, he produced a wide range of other published material in the form of pamphlets, papers and articles that appeared in academic journals.
Born in 1832, in Daresbury, Cheshire, Dodgson spent his early life in the north of England, before moving to Oxford as an adult. He finally passed away in 1898, less than two weeks before his 66th birthday, whilst living in Guildford. However, he is most well-known for the stories which arose from his association with the second daughter of Henry Liddell, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University and Dean of Christ Church.
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