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Tuesday 2 June 2015

The start of the Frankenstein wars



In 1827, a terrible secret that has long stayed hidden is finally unearthed. The life-generating techniques discovered by Victor Frankenstein are seized by the radical Zeroiste faction, who raise an army of lazarans - resurrected men assembled from the bodies of the dead. As the tide of this unstoppable force sweeps across Europe, lives will be changed forever.

This is the gamebook I've wanted to do for over a decade. It's a true blockbuster that weaves the lives of ordinary individuals against a backdrop of hellish war with the soul of humanity at stake. And now, with the help of writer Paul Gresty, artist Rafa Teruel, and the unholy design and code talents simmering in the vats at Cubus Games, The Frankenstein Wars is about to burst into the light of day on Kickstarter.

I call it a gamebook, but this is no ordinary choose-your-own text. Cubus and the team are promising a raw, bloody, uncompromising epic of gritty 19th century sci-fi and face-clawing body horror in which you get to explore interactive maps, direct rival brothers through branching non-linear storylines, pit yourself against ever-shifting goals, attempt time-sensitive missions (the longer you take, the better prepared your opponents will be), direct whole battalions in strategic battles - all of it made nail-bitingly immersive by full-colour artwork and a movie-quality soundtrack.

Even if you're a gamebook fan, you've never seen an interactive blockbuster like this. It's a story with the sweep and scale of a whole alternate-history universe. It seems like the guys at Kickstarter must agree, because as I write this the project has only been live for a few hours and already it's been awarded a Staff Pick. And with your help this is only the beginning.

11 comments:

  1. New gamebook from Dave Morris? Interactive mappy appy thingy? Backed!

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    1. Thank you, James. This is a project I've been planning since about 2000, so I'm really excited that it's finally coming together.

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    2. Then that's fifteen years of Morrisy goodness, distilled like Cognac in interactive fiction form. So something to look forward to (if it gets backed, fingers crossed!). Still got the new Way of the Tiger to play while waiting, as well as the world's first Blondie gamebook, Heart of Ice! And saving my brother from the Necklace of Skulls of course.

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    3. My fingers were twitching there, all ready to Google "Blondie gamebook" :-)

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    4. Once I had a love, and it was quite nice.... soon turned out... had a heart of ice... :) Something to look forward to in the summer months when it's hot out and I'm eating ice-cream!

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    5. If we ever Kickstart the Heart of Ice novel/CRPG/movie, 'll make it a stretch goal to have Debbie Harry sing the end credits theme.

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  2. This looks awesome. I may have to get an IPad or something just to play it.

    Meanwhile, you might want to check out http://www.ultrasylvania.com/ especially the archives.

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    1. I'd recommend getting an iPad anyway, John, if only because you can then get my Mirabilis app:

      https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id405743224?mt=8

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  3. I have always wanted to make a contribution to visual art but have always been hampered by my complete lack of anything even faintly resembling talent. But now you seek models whose faces will be convincing as those of monstrosities stitched together from the dead?

    One glance in the mirror convinces me: My Moment Has Come!

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    1. You've seen the lazarized pic of Paul Gresty, I assume:

      https://twitter.com/JamieTgamebooks/status/606730822717198337

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    2. Looks good. Well, effective...

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