Bum Rush the Titan

Did a blog header for Bum Rush the Titan. It was fun.

Mythender

Mythender cover concept (for fun)

Dungeon Mistress Trials

Queen Tyrannatrix's originally intended the Game of Suitors to comprise of different trials every year, to keep the contestants guessing and the spectators interested.  However, over the course of the competitions history a few events became so popular with the crowds that they've become a permanent feature of the Games.

Pit 6 -  Arrows & Worms

Local children take pot shots at contestants while they make perilous leaps across a pit of carnivorous gulp worms. Whether slain by an arrow or swallowed by worms it's fantastic family fun. Also inspired a popular boardgame.

Gnome innovation: Herbal remedies

On the material plane of existence perpetual war rages. Religious/racial factions squabble over scarce resources, political ideals or who has the coolest flag. Wouldn't it be nicer if we all just got along? Gnomish chemical relaxants could be the key to world peace.

(WARNING: Highly addictive. May cause infertility, incontinence and have an adverse affect on your core attributes)

The Dungeon Mistress - and the Game of Suitors

Forget Dungeon Master... meet Dungeon Mistress (a.k.a Queen Tyrannatrix) the despotic ruler of City Twinge and surrounding lands.

The much revered Queen has long been unfortunate in matters of the heart. The Queen has suffered a string of matrimonial disasters, her newly wedded husbands have all met unexplainable and premature ends. One court adviser pointed out that these untimely deaths coincided with the night of consummation but, before he could elaborate any further, he was prematurely ended.

With the region exhausted of noble suitors the Queen now seeks a champion, a specimen capable of enduring her affections. She devised a grand contest to find a suitable mate, a series of stern trials designed to separate the wheat from the chaff or, more accurately, your head from your shoulders. And so the Game of Suitors was born...

Anatomy of the Mysterious Path hypercomic

I have identified the core interactive components for Mysterious Path (again!).

Mysterious Path will switch between several modes of play

Playing the Mysterious Path hypercomic will involve more than just navigating a path through the adventures branching plot lines. While making 'dramatic' choices is likely to be the primary focus of the Mysterious Path experience there will be several other play modes. Including modes enabling you to fight battles, converse with NPCs and a play a selection of skill based mini-games.

NB: I am still contemplating how (and if) I should include any game elements as they could be seen as an obstacle/distraction to the story. I am hoping game elements will enhance the core experience, by changing the pace and adding tension, where success or failure will lead to interesting consequences for the player. One gamebook enthusiast has identified a difference in purely narrative focused interactive fiction and ones that are fused with game elements - I think I'd like to blur this binary distinction a little.

My design challenge will be to get these disparate modes to gel seamlessly together. Ok, so what are these play modes...