One of the elements most emphasized and given attention to in our dungeon crawler is its narrative.
You have heard us state its importance and how its branching affects the development of the campaign, depending on the decisions players make along the game.
The narrative element is one not to take lightly, for building a solid foundation that supports the variations of a story takes more than meets the eye.
Today we want to introduce you to the narrative creation process and explain a bit some of the steps we take.
We opted for a branching narrative system within a defined story.
After all, the story of Warcrow Adventures is the threshold to the events of the future wargame.
This means the events and encounters need to adapt to a series of specific requirements to be coherent with the universe itself and the starting point of the wargame.
In case you did not know this, yes, Warcrow Adventures is a narrative prequel to Warcrow the wargame.
One of the most important elements when building a narrative, any kind of narrative, is coherence.
It is tempting to follow the white rabbit of “just because”, given that we are in a fantasy setting and sometimes we can allow ourselves to be indulgent with explanations and logic. “A wizard did it”, right?
We try to avoid as much as possible the “wizard did it” resource when creating Warcrow Adventures, and here is where the next point starts.
Lindwurm is a world created for these games with a rich, vast, and solid idiosyncrasy.
Every nation, every race, and every territory responds to a series of characteristics that were created for them.
Of course, there is always room for individuality and our characters are living proof of that but follow me for a moment.
Narrative coherence helps us stay grounded when confronting our characters with different situations, or when offering the players different choices when facing a particular encounter.
For instance, say we are speaking to a resident of Hawthorn Point, and then we are playing with Ludivine.
She would never consider, not even for a second, harassing this person for no reason; she would not be rude out of the blue.
Therefore, the options we offer to the player will require to be in coherence with Ludivine’s personality.
Our characters are not plain canvases; rather, the decision in-game ought to be connected to the narrative we have given them in their biographies and relate to their attributes and their backgrounds as a member of different communities of Lindwurm as well.
The narrative of this game navigates a particular situation: there is an established story since the wargame will follow the events of Warcrow Adventures.
However, there is always room for variation and diversity in the development of the scenarios, which act, if you may, as chapters to this story.
Here is where the “branching system” comes to life, and we’ll see how it works with some examples.
Our scenarios have a starting and ending point, and occasionally these vary depending on how the campaign is evolving.
This is already branching, but we will focus on scenarios this time. Here you can see discarded structures for two of the Core campaign scenarios.
We use an online free tool called Twine to create these “trees” or “roots”, and in case you are initiating yourself in the narrative world, I recommend you try it.
It is particularly useful! In the picture, you can see how the different stages lead to different outcomes depending on what the players decide.
Sometimes they will meet the same end, sometimes the result might vary.
I know, it looks a bit hectic at first sight, but it has its logic, trust me!
What can alter the results and lead to separate outcomes?
Players’ decisions are a big element to take into account when crafting a narrative episode.
There are also our testing sessions, which will indicate not only where the scenarios should be adjusted mechanic-wise, but also reveal crucial information:
Are the scenarios boring?
Are the narrative bits evocative enough?
Are they plain?
Are they too long?
Are they too short?
And many other subtleties we take note of.
Also, let’s not forget this is a board game, and dice rolls also have their say in the branching narrative.
Whether you have already experienced our demo scenarios or not (you can download it for free on TTS and enjoy the ride!), you must know that the result of your rolls will also vary the narrative.
Perhaps you open a door so elegantly that you dismantle the trap in the process; maybe you were not that eloquent talking to that NPC and they were reluctant to give you information; possibly you could have perceived there was something off in the water with a better roll…
The story in Warcrow Adventures and the events at Hawthorn Point represent microcosmos that encapsulates the bigger picture.
This game introduces Lindwurm and the universe of Warcrow, true, and we are doing so by reproducing on a smaller scale the relationships between the different nations and people in our favorite coastal city.
The narrative of Hawthorn Point and its encounters is a window to the world, an introduction to the dynamics of this rich universe in which we are welcoming our players.
Those to wish to discover more about the nations and their subtleties will be able to do so by interacting with the NPCs, exploring the town, and asking the right questions.
To support and manage this vast narrative (over 150,000 words!), having the app is both useful and immersive.
Thanks to the support of the digital text, our narrative can be richer and expand to areas otherwise we could not get to, realistically speaking.
The narrative is pivotal for our dungeon crawler, and thus we are dedicating great effort to its creation and incorporation into the game mechanics during the development process.
We cannot wait for you to experience first-hand the wonderful story we are crafting for you, travelers.
