None Player Characters

Chapter One is getting ever closer to releasing a fully playable Beta. The first half of the module has already had some extensive testing, while the latter half has had none, so it seems wise to get some playtesting done before releasing an official final version, particularly as it is part one in a series and I won't want to put people off from looking forward to future episodes.
Although I envision the Beta being fully playable, it will be missing a few things anticipated for the final release. The town of Oasis will need some more townfolk to make it feel more alive. It will also need at least an end movie as the module will end on a bit of a cliffhanger and will feel odd finishing without an accompanying movie. A start movie would also be nice but not essential, so I suppose that will depend on how easy I find making the end one. Some of the scrolls I intend implementing might be missing but won't be a game breaker. There will also be something present that will be removed in the final release. At the moment the player gets feed
back when their rep with their henchman gets adjusted so I can get feedback if an adjustment feels out of place.

So, just to wet your appetite I'm going to talk about some of the NPCs present as that currently seems to be the most requested news in my poll here. As already discussed, "The Relbonian Chronicles" draws from a rich mythology that makes for a somewhat political setting where the Gods play an active role. As such, several of the NPCs are quite interesting. In some cases, they will play more active roles in future episodes and will only have cameo appearances in Chapter One, Zannaram being a classic example...

Zannaram was a once powerful Sorceror cursed by the Gods for his arrogance to assume the form of a Raven. As such, he roams the land in search of spell books to replenish the spells in his head. It's possible to have a very brief encounter with him about half way through the game, and again nearer the end where he might provide some assistance.

Math Skinnyfin is a Lith, a proud race of fish like people specific to Relbonia, being the earliest race known to exist (other than the "Ancients"). They are generally disliked by the other races, but there are some who recognise their loyalty and sense of honour, giving them the respect they deserve. We meet Math early on in the game when seeking passage on a boat. Later it's possible (but not essential) to rescue him, resulting in a reward that has consequences later in the game should he survive the rescue attempt. There are other conditions to the reward, but I don't want to post too big a spoiler here. Suffice to say it's good, and if the player doesn't like it, they're sure to be able to buy something they do like in Oasis after selling it. ;)

Gailin Both is much more in depth, being a henchman acquired at the halfway stage of the game. A runner for the Chronicle, he is initially annoyed with the PC for having his initiation ceremony into becoming a fully fledged Druid interupted by the arrival of the PC. Win his trust to increase control over him, otherwise you'll find him telling you to mind your own business when you suggest he changes his tactics. He's quite detailed now, to the point that even his posessions can cast light on the life of a runner.

Thon is a Half Orc met about halfway through who is initially sided with some bad guys the player can stumblle across who mistakenly presume the player is the help they have sent for. It's possible to have him switch sides, after which the player can either take him out too, or simply bid farewell. If you go for the latter option, he can turn up later, having been good enough to take out some other bad guys for you.

Another cameo appearance in Chapter One will be made by Allivanril, an Elven Sorceror due to make an appearance as the player character in a later chapter. Keep an eye out for him to gain a better understanding of what he's been up to when you come to play him. One of the main things that pleases me about this project is the politics involved despite the presence of magic and Gods. As an NPC Allivanril is clearly implicated in something bad, but that's because of his political motivations and an ignorance to the bigger picture. Sorcerors are frowned upon by those who derive their magic from the Gods, and to begin with, Allivanril is setting out to discredit the main body within Relbonia being representatives of the Gods, the Druids, by creating forgeries of the newsletter created by them, as he feels the ones penned by Druids offer a one sided perspective of world news. It is simply an unlucky coincidence that the man he hopes will distribute the forgeries for him is driven by far more worrying motivations that will later have our Sorceror acting on behalf of the Druids. Of course, his cameo appearance in Chapter One barely scratches the surface of this, but it does hopefully give you idea of the scope of the story.

Right, that's it for this post. Stay Tuned. :)

So what's it all about?

Well we've successfully moved, but still have boxes strewn around our new house. For ages I thought I'd lost my Neverwinter disks, but recently found them hiding inside my Printer box which was a huge relief as my laptop had to be re-formatted a while back. Our son was a little unsettled at first, but he now regularly calls the place "Mummy and Daddies new house", so we are settling slowly but surely.

It's been a relief that I have this project to work on when I want to escape the drudgery of organising our house, and I'm pleased to say that as a result good progress has been made in the past week. The henchman is really beginning to shine as a character now, with numerous branches in conversations dependant on the reputation of the PC with him. I'm also close to preparing the final location of the module, although I should point out that as a castle it's a fairly large area to populate and prepare, and there's also a cutscene needed for it. So, we're a little way off yet, but there is most definately light at the end of the tunnel.

Followers of this blog should know by now that I've been priding myself on the level of detail within the module. If you're unaware of how such detail is incorporated then shame on you for not becoming a follower by clicking on the link to the left! ;) You're in luck however, for, as promised in my last post, it's about time I talked about the object of the series.

What has become apparent, as I'm sure any playtester will testify, is that "The Relbonian Chronicles" will succeed in becoming immersive. This is something I set out to do from the beginning. I didn't want to make a purely hack and slash module. I wanted to tell a story where the player becomes connected with the characters involved, to the point that they can experience being part of another world, and from different perspectives too.

The intention has always been for the Chronicles to be a series, with each module having the player roleplay a different character within the same world, thus gaining a different perspective of being a part of a whole. For those of you who fear the word "roleplay", it won't be as daunting as you might at first think. In order for the overall story to unfold the player will have to play set characters of a pre-determined class and alignment. As such, dialogue choices will not offer extreme choices, but instead feature options that fit with the character. Notice I said "Options" there. Not only are they present, but they can influence the game. None feel out of place, yet in some cases can make the game easier or harder to play. So, although the story is on a set path, the manner in which you get to the end of the path can have subtle differences. The henchman I've been taking so much pride in is a classic example of this at work, in that there are many instances of his dialogue changing dependant on their feelings toward the player.

NPCs too benefit from attention to detail. In at least 2 instances you can meet someone further on in the story in a different location. Meeting them again is not guaranteed as it will depend on the paths chosen by the player, as does the outcome of meeting them again. In some instances there are even NPCs that will feature in future chapters in larger roles, indeed, one of them is even going to be the players character in a future episode.

So, to summarise, it's a story, told in multiple parts, from the point of view of a differerent character, all of whom are connected in someway to the bigger picture... a series of events threatening the very existence of the Relbonian world.

It's getting late now, so I'm gonna have to sign off. Before I go, if there's anything you'd like to know about the module please ask here, and I will do my best to provide an answer.