Provisions

Provisions are the most commonly used items for regaining stamina in gamebooks, with the player typically beginning the adventure with 10 of them.

General Rules for Provisions

Except for the very first gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, where the player can only eat Provisions where instructed in the text, the player is able to pause and eat as many Provisions as they wish, restoring up to 4 lost stamina for each Provision consumed (although they may not exceed their maximum score by doing so) as long as they are not engaged in combat.

Possibly as a remnant of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain's limitation, some books retain a weird rule: "you may eat only one meal at a time"; in this context it is not clear what "a time" is, particularly since the first part of that sentence states "You may rest and eat at any time except when fighting". Given also that a section of the gamebook may encompass any stretch of time - from a split-second to days on end - there is no underlying game mechanism that could regulate such restriction. In essence, the player may stop to "rest and eat" several times in the span of single section.

Obtaining Provisions

Provisions are often found scattered throughout the adventure, usually in the form of foraged berries and nuts, or more nourishing fare taken from slain game animals such as Boar or Deer, or looted from the homes of more intelligent beings like Goblins - although it is rare that their food is fit for Human consumption! Another way of restocking Provisions is by buying them, the usual rate being one Provision for every Gold Piece spent, although - if certain offers such as 5 Provisions for 3GPs or suchlike are excluded - the exchange rate is different on occasion, primarily dependant on the prosperity of the area, with poorer regions charging more.

Variations on Provisions

In most cases an alternative for Provisions appears in gamebooks with a non-fantasy setting (although some fantasy gamebooks do also use something else).

• Both The Citadel of Chaos and Scorpion Swamp allow the use of spells to restore stamina and so consequently Provisions are not given in either book.
• Instead of Provisions in Space Assassin there are Pep Pills which restore 5 stamina at a time.
• Provisons are replaced by Med-Kits in Freeway Fighter, which restore 4 stamina each.
• Pep Pills replace Provisons in The Rings of Kether, which restore 6 stamina at a time.
• In Seas of Blood there are no Provisions or Potions to restore stamina, but for every day added to the log the player can restore 1 stamina point.
• Robot Commando uses Medikits which restore 1 stamina point each.
• The opening paragraph of Crypt of the Sorcerer sees the player given a Healing Potion by Gereth Yaztromo which has five doses which restore four stamina points each dose.
• Sky Lord uses "Provision Tablets" that restore 4 stamina each.
• Siege of Sardath features "Bundles of Herbs" that restore 4 stamina each.

Without Provisions

Not all gamebooks have the player start with Provisions. Those without any at the start are:

• Starship Traveller
• House of Hell
• Appointment with F.E.A.R.
• Rebel Planet
• Demons of the Deep (although 10 Provisions are gained in the "Background")
• Trial of Champions
• Creature of Havoc
• Beneath Nightmare Castle
• Star Strider
• Phantoms of Fear
• Armies of Death
• Master of Chaos
• Black Vein Prophecy
• Legend of the Shadow Warriors
• The Crimson Tide (although 2 Provisions are gained in the opening paragraph)
• Return to Firetop Mountain
• Knights of Doom
• Curse of the Mummy
• Bloodbones
• The Port of Peril