Interactive Fiction
Castle of BonesMy longest piece so far, aside from the in-progress, "The Good, the Bad and the Undead." This is a full length gamebook novel, approximately 70,000 words, featuring nasty monsters, a one-man siege, a seductive sorceress, a deadly maze, and a quest for vengeance and redemption. Not to mention at least one terrible secret. This is one of my earlier works.
Baron Arkoneth has been deprived of land, family, warriors, and--in the ultimate humiliation--his own castle. Aided by a powerful wizard, he must find a way to pierce the defenses of his own former stronghold, where he must kill the terrible Witch-Queen, before the tide of destiny tips the world into darkness and evil forever.
Legacy of the Zendari
This was my third and final merit award winner in the Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. I am leaving it unposted here, as Tin Man Games has promised to publish the winners from that year. However, you can find it on the Windhammer Prize site, here: http://www.arborell.com/windhammer_prize_2012.html
Peledgathol - The Last FortressThis was my third and final merit award winner in the Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. I am leaving it unposted here, as Tin Man Games has promised to publish the winners from that year. However, you can find it on the Windhammer Prize site, here: http://www.arborell.com/windhammer_prize_2012.html
In a distant future, the world has been ravaged by all-out war with a powerful alien race. But legend holds that the Zendari, after burning our world to the brink of destruction, planned a powerful Geo-Cure that could restore ecological bounty. With new threats on the horizon, can the Geo-Cure be found in time?
My second prize-winning entry for the Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction. This was an exciting (and ambitious) entry because I introduced some pretty substantial civilization-building game mechanics. Once you lead your dwarves to their new settlement, you have to gather resources, accumulate refugees, and grow your fortress in order to be prepared for the final battle. This story also landed me the Dwarf King gig, working with Micabyte in Norway to turn it into a full-length Android game (see the Dwarf King page for more!)
A fresh assault by their enemies has left the dwarven race vulnerable and weakened. With the last of their fortresses falling, the only recourse left is to lead the survivors on a dangerous journey south across the mountains, in hopes of rebuilding.
The Gates of Heaven and Hell
Winner of the 2010 Merit Award in the Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction! My first real gamebook, this is what kicked off my writing spree of the last seven years. In retrospect, it has some neat ideas, but some real design weaknesses. I'd like to come back and revisit it someday, now that I have a better idea how to write a good gamebook.
Winner of the 2010 Merit Award in the Windhammer Prize for Short Gamebook Fiction! My first real gamebook, this is what kicked off my writing spree of the last seven years. In retrospect, it has some neat ideas, but some real design weaknesses. I'd like to come back and revisit it someday, now that I have a better idea how to write a good gamebook.
Young Katie Munroe has a secret: strange powers that she has always had, but never been able to explain. When she awakens one morning to find her parents dead and her sister kidnapped, she is thrown into a whirlwind journey that will end with her making a choice that could change the world forever.
The Grimlock's Cave
I wrote this (very) short piece under the pen name "Richard Knight" in just 3 days in March of 2010. This was for the Kakhabad Sorcery! Adventure Competition, hosted by the official Fighting Fantasy site.
Mars 2112
The shortest piece of all, this flash-fiction gamebook was written as part of a sequence of posts designed to illustrate some of my ideas on choice-theory in interactive fictions. Every choice in Mars 2112 is deliberately designed to illustrate a specific type of interaction players run into. The story itself is followed with a lengthy discussion on each of those choice types, breaking down the story into a pretty nuanced analysis, if you have time to read it. Also, I fell in love with this world while writing it, and definitely want to come back someday to write a longer piece in this universe. Perhaps even a full length novel.
When down-on-his-luck detective Mike Durham is called to the scene of yet another "android rights" terrorist plot, he finds that the android behind it all is the same model as his own housekeeping model. In this thriller, he will have to choose sides one and for all.
This is a jrpg style game I created in RPG Maker VX. I've probably put more hours into this than into any other single project--ever. In fact, I eventually stopped work on it due to how time consuming creating a game solo turned out to be. However, I'm still extremely proud of this first long chapter, which includes a story close to my heart and a customized battle engine. (Note: I thought I had lost this in a stolen laptop incident, but was delighted to recently rediscover a saved copy!)
To play this game, you must download the rtp file (the game engine) here:
http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/download/additional/run-time-packages
Install that, then download my story module here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ODM0C0gB6oMTJGNTIwRjJCRDBBMjMyNDowLjE/view?usp=sharing
Once both are unzipped and installed, just click Game.exe in the Lost Cavern folder to play. If the runtime environment is installed, it should find it automatically.
Arcadian LARP
This is a 15 person LARP I wrote to play with friends. I've run it three times now (once at a convention and twice for friends), and each time had more fun than the last. Here are all the documents. Try it out yourself if you'd like!
The Core Book: This contains everything the GM needs to know about the game.
The Public Book: This flavorful, one-page pdf introduces players to the world and scenario.
The Character Sheets: This zip file holds all the detailed character sheets.
Supporting Documents: This zip file holds items, special descriptions, handouts and more.
Carpet Warriors
I have a weakness for miniatures games, and this was my attempt to create an extremely accessible one. Heavily inspired by Mordheim, this was designed mostly during my two week trek in Nepal, as something to occupy my mind while I hiked the Himalayas. I'm pretty pleased with the result. The idea of this game is that you could play this with any models you have on hand, using simple household objects as terrain pieces.
Carpet Warriors Rulebook
The Will of Krecithrak
This fun adventure is a 3-part campaign designed for 1st edition Descent, which is still one of my favorite board games. It is designed so that heroes keep their skills, equipment and advances from one level to the next, without the grueling duration of the official campaign expansions. Each level is more challenging and complex than the last, and both levels 2 and 3 have cool gimmicks that the players have to deal with.
Level 1 Darkness Under Deepwood: While traveling, the heroes come across a scene of carnage on the road. Venturing into the dark forest to seek the source of the evil, will the heroes prevail? A short adventure for beginning characters.
Level 2 Temple of Howling Winds: A mysterious map found at the site of their last adventure leads the heroes to an eerie temple high on a desolate hilltop, with howling winds all around. What darkness lies within? A medium length adventure for characters who have already completed Darkness Under Deepwood.
Level 3 Into the Hell Caves: The final battle to quell evil and save the world takes our intrepid heroes into the burning caverns of hell itself, where they must fight a nearly invincible demon. Can they survive!? A long adventure for characters who have already completed the Temple of Howling Winds.
I wrote this (very) short piece under the pen name "Richard Knight" in just 3 days in March of 2010. This was for the Kakhabad Sorcery! Adventure Competition, hosted by the official Fighting Fantasy site.
When the terrible Grimlock makes a resurgence, kidnapping several local children, a young wizard must undertake a dangerous journey into the foul beast's cave.
Mars 2112
The shortest piece of all, this flash-fiction gamebook was written as part of a sequence of posts designed to illustrate some of my ideas on choice-theory in interactive fictions. Every choice in Mars 2112 is deliberately designed to illustrate a specific type of interaction players run into. The story itself is followed with a lengthy discussion on each of those choice types, breaking down the story into a pretty nuanced analysis, if you have time to read it. Also, I fell in love with this world while writing it, and definitely want to come back someday to write a longer piece in this universe. Perhaps even a full length novel.
When down-on-his-luck detective Mike Durham is called to the scene of yet another "android rights" terrorist plot, he finds that the android behind it all is the same model as his own housekeeping model. In this thriller, he will have to choose sides one and for all.
Games and Game Design
Lost CavernThis is a jrpg style game I created in RPG Maker VX. I've probably put more hours into this than into any other single project--ever. In fact, I eventually stopped work on it due to how time consuming creating a game solo turned out to be. However, I'm still extremely proud of this first long chapter, which includes a story close to my heart and a customized battle engine. (Note: I thought I had lost this in a stolen laptop incident, but was delighted to recently rediscover a saved copy!)
Young Fiona is an Esper living in the Cavern Towns deep beneath the earth's surface. But the Caverns are growing too dangerous to survive, and Fiona must spearhead an effort to find the surface of the world, before her society completely collapses.
To play this game, you must download the rtp file (the game engine) here:
http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/download/additional/run-time-packages
Install that, then download my story module here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5ODM0C0gB6oMTJGNTIwRjJCRDBBMjMyNDowLjE/view?usp=sharing
Once both are unzipped and installed, just click Game.exe in the Lost Cavern folder to play. If the runtime environment is installed, it should find it automatically.
Arcadian LARP
This is a 15 person LARP I wrote to play with friends. I've run it three times now (once at a convention and twice for friends), and each time had more fun than the last. Here are all the documents. Try it out yourself if you'd like!
The Core Book: This contains everything the GM needs to know about the game.
The Public Book: This flavorful, one-page pdf introduces players to the world and scenario.
The Character Sheets: This zip file holds all the detailed character sheets.
Supporting Documents: This zip file holds items, special descriptions, handouts and more.
The Skyship Arcadian is the first of its kind, and its maiden voyage is an auspicious occasion. If the skyship flies as promised, this could change the balance of power in Europa forever... but who will claim this potential weapon? The barons of the Wulfsmarcken Empire? Or Her Royal Majesty's agents from the Isle of Brittania? When the Crown Prince of Brittania himself shows up--in the name of Science--the stakes become even higher. And the real mystery has yet to even reveal itself...
Theatre Noir
This is an urban fantasy roleplaying game I designed, hoping to fill a niche need. The idea is that in most games, the nature of the world is apparent in the title. If you play "Zombie Mall" you can be pretty sure there will be zombies, and probably a mall. But in Theatre Noir, the "real" mythos of the world can vary from game to game. The man calling himself a vampire hunter may actually be a vampire hunter, or may just be a serial killer. The "ghost" in that old abandoned house, may just be a prank, or it may actually be a ghost. The only way to find out is to play the game.
Theatre Noir Basic Rulebook (Beta): This is the abbreviated rules handed out for playtesting. I still plan on releasing the full game when I have time to get back to it, so I'm only posting this brief quickstart guide for now.
Theatre Noir Character Sheet
Goblin Kite Racers
I designed this board game with a friend for the Rio Grande Games Design Competition. We didn't win, but the renowned game designer Tom Lehmann advised that Rio Grande was the wrong market, and we should try submitting it to other game publishers. I wanted to make a few more tweaks, and we never submitted it, but I still keep the prototype around and sometimes pull it out to play it now and again.
Goblin Kite Racers Rulebook
Theatre Noir Basic Rulebook (Beta): This is the abbreviated rules handed out for playtesting. I still plan on releasing the full game when I have time to get back to it, so I'm only posting this brief quickstart guide for now.
Theatre Noir Character Sheet
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| Playtesting GKR, with Tom Lehmann giving advice. |
I designed this board game with a friend for the Rio Grande Games Design Competition. We didn't win, but the renowned game designer Tom Lehmann advised that Rio Grande was the wrong market, and we should try submitting it to other game publishers. I wanted to make a few more tweaks, and we never submitted it, but I still keep the prototype around and sometimes pull it out to play it now and again.
Goblin Kite Racers Rulebook
Carpet Warriors
I have a weakness for miniatures games, and this was my attempt to create an extremely accessible one. Heavily inspired by Mordheim, this was designed mostly during my two week trek in Nepal, as something to occupy my mind while I hiked the Himalayas. I'm pretty pleased with the result. The idea of this game is that you could play this with any models you have on hand, using simple household objects as terrain pieces.
Carpet Warriors Rulebook
The Will of Krecithrak
This fun adventure is a 3-part campaign designed for 1st edition Descent, which is still one of my favorite board games. It is designed so that heroes keep their skills, equipment and advances from one level to the next, without the grueling duration of the official campaign expansions. Each level is more challenging and complex than the last, and both levels 2 and 3 have cool gimmicks that the players have to deal with.
Level 1 Darkness Under Deepwood: While traveling, the heroes come across a scene of carnage on the road. Venturing into the dark forest to seek the source of the evil, will the heroes prevail? A short adventure for beginning characters.
Level 2 Temple of Howling Winds: A mysterious map found at the site of their last adventure leads the heroes to an eerie temple high on a desolate hilltop, with howling winds all around. What darkness lies within? A medium length adventure for characters who have already completed Darkness Under Deepwood.
Level 3 Into the Hell Caves: The final battle to quell evil and save the world takes our intrepid heroes into the burning caverns of hell itself, where they must fight a nearly invincible demon. Can they survive!? A long adventure for characters who have already completed the Temple of Howling Winds.
Isles of Mist Online Strategy/RPG
This was a wonderful game I designed and ran with ten or so players for almost two years. We had a blast, and the game turned out very good, but a little too intensive to maintain indefinitely. Here are the rules we played with, just for reference. Once I finish Skies of Beleria and Theatre Noir, I want to come back and turn this setting into a tabletop RPG.
Isles of Mist Rules
Isles of Mist Public Book
