[The Simurg] It is said...
C. Edwards:
After about an hour and a half spent wrestling with technical difficulties I finally got my game uploaded to Google Docs. Foul weather and mobile internet don't play nice together. Anyway, I had planned on adding a page of design notes, like which ingredients I used and how, plus the parts of other games that I requisitioned. But amid all my cursing of the internet, technology, weather, etc. I completely forgot. So I'm going to put that stuff here.
I also just realized this very moment that I forgot to add one fairly important sentence to the very end of the game. Isn't that always the way?
THEME: Last Chance
The Simurg is about you last chance to relive or revive childhood dreams and memories.
For the physical format of the game I envision making a box out of the actual hardback book that I have also called "The Simurg". All the components and game booklet would go inside this book box. I already had this sort of craft project in mind when Game Chef started, so it felt natural to blend the two together.
But what does this have to do with the theme? Well, the secondhand store I go to has books. Many of the same books sit there on the shelves, unread, ignored, for months and months. I'm sure some of them have been there for years. So I see the physical format of the game, which also integrates some of the book pages into the game, as being a sort of last chance for the forgotten dreams represented by these forgotten books. A last chance to escape those dark shelves and maybe affect people in a positive manner.
INGREDIENTS
Lantern
My only word ingredient, it is represented by an actual candle. This candle transforms into a sort of magical lantern when you enter the dreamworld. Whoever bears the lantern becomes the Guide, and "illuminates" the dreamworld for their companions. If the candle burns out you've taken too long and without your lantern you'll never find the Simurg's lair. So it serves as a sort of talking stick, crude pacing mechanism, and a wonderful bit of color.
[Gamblin' Men] A possible new system: http://indie-rpgs.com/archive/index.php?topic=13623.0
From this thread I took the concept of gambling (surprise!) and, through a link in the thread, the idea of player voting. The gambling is presented in the game through being able to accept risk for increased odds of success, a la Ghost/Echo. As for player voting, at various points in play all the players must vote on each other's performance according to simple criteria.
[d8 system] Using a playing card pool instead of dice:http://indie-rpgs.com/archive/index.php?topic=20174.0
The main thing I took from this thread was adding cards to the game. The Simurg doesn't use standard playing cards but it does have cards that are an important component of play.
Ember [game concept]:http://indie-rpgs.com/archive/index.php?topic=16542.0
This is the thread that really gave me the seed for the entire premise of the game.
Quote
"The world was a paradise that has suddenly become a shadow of its former self, much like a fire that has been unexpectedly extinguished, but a small spark of hope does remain."
From that I grasped on to the idea of fading childhood dreams, with some hope of being able to recover them. That idea, along with elements from the myths of the Simurg, pretty much outlined the game for me.
I also took one other element from that thread: ember. I use the imagery of fire, flame, and embers throughout the text. Fire is also used during the game as under certain circumstances some of the game components must be burned. Ember can also refer to the fading remains of a past emotion. So that got folded in with the similar ideas I already had going on. In that thread someone says that ember also means "human" in Hungarian. That felt very appropriate for what I wanted to convey with the game.
UNDER THE HOOD
Mechanics-wise the game is very simple. The bulk of which I borrowed from Ghost/Echo, Archipelago, and Apocalypse World. With just a few things thrown in to integrate the mechanics with the color of the game. Given more time to tinker and ponder, I'd like to find a way to integrate the Simurg feathers and make them more central to play, and probably remove some of the borrowed stuff.
SUMMARY
It's been fun and interesting so far, but I'm way done with thinking about my game for now. Sick of it, actually. But I do look forward to getting some of the other contestants' games to read and review. I also want to thank Jonathan for handling all the madness around the deadline scramble. I'm sure I'm not the only one who had difficulties and unforeseen disasters.
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