Paolo Garelli
We start this review by thanking Acheron and Moreno Pollastri for allowing us to start a great adventure with the gamebook Gli Ossessi Sposi.
That branch of Lake Como, which turns towards south
I don’t think there is a better way to start than with this sentence, which will make it clear to almost everyone what we are talking about. Whether it was read for pleasure or for scholastic imposition, I Promessi Sposi left a mark in its own way. Imagine my expression when I found a gamebook in my hands that allows me to play a darker reality than the novel.
If you can’t resist throwing yourself into the frantic search for your beloved any longer, know that you can purchase Gli Ossessi Sposi on the Acheron website for the price of €15.
A First Look at Gli Ossessi Sposi
We find ourselves in our hands a game book of 350 paragraphs, with which Moreno Pollastri transports us into this alternative version of The Betrothed.
The “Ossessed Spouses” in question are Fosco and Lucilla. They are about to get married, but here too bad luck or evil will try to have a hand in it. As per the novel, the two lovers will be separated, however giving us a story that is at times horror, with the plague taking on a decidedly supernatural role. We, in Fosco’s shoes, will have to try to find Lucilla and stop the dark machinations that led to her disappearance and other much more devastating threats. The tones are decidedly less delicate than the reference work, quickly taking on disturbing traits.
To top it all off, there are a good number of valuable black and white illustrations created by Circecorp, which allow us to immerse ourselves even more in the events of the game book.
Review of the Regulations of Gli Ossessi Sposi
This gamebook has a really simple rulebook, which is based on the use of the sacred morra. This system similar to the classic “paper, scissors and rock” adds two more symbols that multiply the possible combinations. To be precise, the available options are Grigna, Resegone, Seta, Furbeseta and Corni di Canzo. For specific combinations, you can satisfy your curiosity by consulting the image below.
Every time we are asked, we will choose one of these signs and then open the gamebook to a random page. In fact, one of the signs is drawn on each page and all that remains to be done is to understand if we have won or lost. This system manages both trials and combats, with a fixed damage quota that depends on the type of weapon in our possession.
Just in case you don’t want to use this method, the author has thought of a possible variation on the rules. Instead of the morra, you can roll a 10 die and consider results ranging from 1 to 4 successful.
Finally, if the result does not satisfy you, you can always ask for the help of divine providence. These limited-use aids will allow you to reroll of the dice or a new hand of the sacred morra.
Conclusions of the Review
Gli Ossessi Sposi is a very interesting gamebook that will put us in front of several difficult choices. A smooth gamebook with simple but effective mechanics.
In the first pages there is a disclaimer to warn of strong horror overtones and possible scenes of murder or suicide. An attention that I definitely appreciated.
The part I appreciated most was researching the differences between the original work and the gamebook, having fun discovering how the author distorted “that branch of Lake Como, which turns towards midday”.
