Faerie's Bargain: The Price of Business

About

Run a magical shop under Victorian London where you buy and sell impossible goods. As a goblin merchant, you trade in memories, bottled time, and whispered secrets while navigating a web of rival traders and political schemes. Every decision shapes your path, hoard riches, manipulate the monarchy, or exploit magical loopholes. The story unfolds entirely through text, relying on sharp dialogue and branching choices to drive tension and momentum. With 291,000 words and over 100 possible endings, the game leans into Choice of Games' strength for dense, branching narratives. Players praise its intricate worldbuilding and the weight of every transaction, comparing it to classic text adventures with a fresh twist. The mix of commerce and court intrigue keeps the plot shifting, and community ratings highlight its replayability. Available on multiple platforms, it’s a slow-burn strategy for those who enjoy moral dilemmas wrapped in Victorian fantasy.

Storyline

Become the greatest of the goblin merchants in a magical market beneath Victorian London that trades in memories, wishes, secrets, and more. Will you line your pockets, defend the Queen, or plot to put a puppet on the Throne? Faerie’s Bargain: The Price of Business is a 291,000-word interactive fantasy novel by Trip Galey where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. You are a merchant of the Untermarkt, the goblin market that has existed beneath London since High Queen Elizabeth first forged the Treaty with Titania, Queen of Faery. You are skilled in dealing in all manner of impossibilities: new faces and voices, silks spun of starlight, bottled time, twists of fate, and other stranger things. Devote yourself to growing your wealth, or use it for political, social, and magical advantage. If a rival merchant threatens you, fight back with wits and wisdom, or ruthless, underhanded tricks. It’s all in a day’s work. When a mysterious business opportunity takes you by surprise, you have the chance to deal in something new: political intrigue! High Queen Victoria sits upon the Throne, but there are many who would prefer to rule in her place. Do you defend the status quo or use your newfound wealth to fund a little revolution? Your fellow merchants certainly won’t allow an opportunity for profit to slip away. Do you undercut their efforts at the Merchant Conclave, or ignore all the politicking in favor of growing your wealth? Whatever you decide, one thing is certain: It’s time to get down to business!