I’ve been working on the novel, adding stories that flesh out the mechanics of the game as well as the relationships among the actors. I’m not done; I still have yet to cover all the relationships, but I’m getting there. Meanwhile I’m having fun inserting elements from my own experiences. I’m using a light hand here; I don’t want to burden the story with material that obfuscates or digresses. It’s a useful inspirational device.
I’m also using bits and pieces from human history. I have adapted a number of tales from Erasmus to this purpose; only Erasmus scholars will recognize them. Hey, Shakespeare cribbed a lot from Erasmus; why can’t I?
Skodokott is shaping up to be my most complex character. He was in the original Trust & Betrayal, as a sort of fierce macho type, perhaps like one of Star Trek’s Klingons. Now, however, he’s much more interesting. His hard shell has a soft spot for little children that he carefully hides. He is an omnivorous reader, even teaching himself Srol in order to read the Srol books in the library. Yet he is hot-tempered and fiercely protective of his privacy.
Another idea that hit me earlier today was to provide buttons in the style of the buttons I made for Trust & Betrayal. These were pin-on buttons in bright colors with the image of the character and the words “I {emotion} {character}” Thus: “I trust Zubi” or “I fear Skordokott”. This time I could print the character images in full color and possibly use red, green, and blue backgrounds as appropriate. These buttons would be rewards for my Kickstarter campaign.
I have been writing quite a bit, and have added a number of stories to the novel. I have also realized that I need not confine the player to the role of Caronycoorck (previously Nynub, previously Vetvel). I can let the player take any of the roles. That’s how I get some replayability out of the game. You play with exactly the same characters in exactly the same relationships, but as different characters.
Why didn’t I think of that sooner?