I'm creating a gamebook and, having played a few, I noticed there appear to be a couple of basic rules to make the difference between a good read and a poor one. I'd like to know:

1. How soon should you plunge the player into the adventure? Is it ok for them to see the action (a murder, for example) in the first page, or can you get away with a whole load of quests before getting to the nitty gritty that just helps the player understand the character and the landscape? Will they lose interest if you do this? In my first draft the player witnesses something macabre within the first page, but is that too soon?

Also is it acceptable to introduce characters who assist you on a page or too but aren't seen again? I understand it's time wasting to introduce chatacters or objects that aren't relative (or aren't curveballs) but will the player expect to see the character again? In my book I wanted to introduce a taxi driver who provides light relief but doesn't add anything else.

2. How important is it to have conversations with other people? In the games I've played the player is conversing within the fist page with other characters. Is this a recognised trick? Is it more impactful for other characters to be there at the start? In my first draft the protagonist is taking in views, maybe seeing things, but doesn't actually have a conversation until, say, page five.

Any other 'basic' rules for creating a game that I should consider?

First off, I have never seen anyone discuss this kind of thing here before, so I would suggest that there are no rules.

I would guess plunging the player into the adventure will work best; you want to grab their attention from the start, make him or her think your game is worth sticking with.

With regards to characters, whatever seems most natural in the context, in my opinion. If the player is to go treking across a desert, I would not expect her to meet the characters she said goodbye to at the start. Good characters can certainly bring a game to life, but if this is interactive fiction the player can presumably choose not to speak to them.

If you want to find rules, I would look to what authors of non-interactive fiction do. There are plenty of web sites that offer advice, and most of your questions are applicable to novels and short stories as much as to interactive fiction.

Depends if you want to create a world or just the bare bones of one. It is surely more interesting to look in several places and meet various people before finding the objective of your quest. If you are riding in a taxi, it seems quite likely you may speak to the driver, even if he has nothing useful to offer. He may even offer advice which sounds useful but is no use at all. Nothing wrong with that. You can't beat a good red herring. After all, in real life, everyone you meet does not have a profound influence on your destiny.

1. You need to get the person's interest, and to keep that person's interest. You need a "hook" to catch the person, and then more "hooks" to keep that person caught. Interest is everything, whether we like it or not, it's all about marketing, you need to get and then keep their interest. It doesn't do any good to have a great end, if they take one look at the beginning and then never again. It doesn't do any good to have a great beginning, and then it goes flat for the rest of the game.

Thanks for the replies, appreciated.

(Can't believe I wrote 'too' instead of 'two'. I promise my gamebook will be more thoroughly edited ;) )