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Thursday, 9 July 2015

Take another kick


You don't need to be Clint Barton to have spotted the new Kickstarter tab in the sidebar. Under licence from Fabled Lands LLP, Megara Entertainment are looking for backing for a new Fabled Lands book. See, it only took nineteen years.

The Serpent King's Domain is being written by Paul Gresty (pictured below with me and Jamie). I've just been reading the 127-section playable demo that he's already finished. Take a look at that demo and you'll see that Paul's writing style achieves the perfect blend of modern, up-to-date immediacy and prose quality (something the old '80s and '90s gamebooks were always weak at, to be frank) while retaining the authentic feel of classic FL-style encounters and characters. The best parallel I can think of is the Battlestar Galactica reboot: a thoroughly fresh and exciting new take that still manages to show warmth and respect for the original.


The Kickstarter page itself is here. It's not running for a whole month like a lot of KS campaigns; the last day is August 3. If you're interested in backing it, then, it's probably best to get over there sooner rather than later.

So is the money being raised to pay Paul? Not really; he's working on this mainly as a labour of love. So is it for typesetting? No, Mikaël Louys at Megara will be doing that. Mostly the Kickstarter is centred around the 'art meter' which is a nifty little financial instrument that Richard S Hetley has devised so that you can see how your pledges go towards funding a magnificent colour cover by Kevin Jenkins (that's his work above from Guardians of the Galaxy) and of course maps and interior artwork by Russ Nicholson. There's a pie chart on the Kickstarter page on which Megara Entertainment set out exactly how they are going to spend every dollar raised. So here's hoping that 7 is a lucky number.

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28 comments:

  1. Kilian9 July 2015 at 10:54

    I've played the demo a couple of times, and you're quite right, Dave: Paul's writing style (not to mention his imagination) is a major asset to the Serpent King's Domain. He knows how to draw readers into his story, both by vividly describing surroundings and by creating interesting and believable characters.
    So I'm doubly happy: the project has been funded (more than doubly, now), and I can rest assured that I'm going to have an excellent reading experience.
    Looking forward to the entire adventure and also to the accompanying artwork!

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    1. Dave Morris9 July 2015 at 12:03

      Thanks, Kilian. We've got Paul doing The Serpent King's Domain, The Frankenstein Wars, and he's even talked about wanting to work on a revised Blood Sword 5, so we'll keep him busy, you can be sure of that. He ain't getting away!

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    2. Unknown9 July 2015 at 12:21

      Dave - is this an indication that the revised version of Blood Sword Book 5 is a possible thing?

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    3. Unknown9 July 2015 at 14:20

      I just finished the demo on Dunpala, and the Fabled lands feeling is still there, and even more ! If the whole book is like this one, it will probably be my prefered part (along with book 1 and 5).
      My only concern is that Dunpala is more than 100 sections... is it not overgrown for a so big land ?
      And Dave (or Jamie) did you plan to write some sections too ?

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    4. Dave Morris9 July 2015 at 14:41

      Michael: well, it's possible. I actually spent while talking Paul out of it, on the grounds that a writer should never allow their passion to get in the way of earning a crust, and I couldn't see how a revised Bloodsword 5 could pay for his time. But maybe that should be next year's Kickstarter?

      Jeremy: all credit is due to Paul there. Jamie and I have contributed ideas and notes, and may end up writing a few sections in the finished book, but this demo is unadulterated Gresty.

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    5. Jonathan9 July 2015 at 16:12

      A Blood Sword 5 Kickstarter might be feasible, Dave, given that there is likely an overlap between the Fabled Lands and Blood Sword fans....at least more so than it appeared with Fabled Lands and Frankenstein Wars.

      Or maybe a Kickstarter for the "rules lite" version of Blood Sword you had mentioned here ages ago. And turn it into a "Zombie Steampunk" theme while you are at it...:)

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    6. Dave Morris9 July 2015 at 16:32

      That'd be an instant success! Jamie should just do it without telling me. It's the only way.

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  2. Anonymous9 July 2015 at 12:37

    > he's even talked about wanting to work on a revised Blood Sword 5

    Gasp! Don't let him escape. And if you treat him well, he might even do Fabled Lands 8 in the end... ;-D

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    1. Dave Morris9 July 2015 at 14:41

      And 9, and 10, and...

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    2. Robert Drake11 July 2015 at 22:15

      Dave - speaking of the future books, what were your plans for book 11? Was it intended as a single giant city or was it some kind of adventure in the clouds?

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    3. Dave Morris12 July 2015 at 11:22

      Hi Robert - Dangor is a huge city at the top of impossibly high cliffs. So it is often enveloped in clouds. The idea is that most of book 11 would take place in the city.

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  3. Infyra9 July 2015 at 15:32

    I backed the kickstarter as well (or rather had a collegue back it for me since it is still impossible to kickstart anything without a credit card), but I must say... that movie it is doing the kickstarter campaign no good in my humble opinion.
    Its a bit too.... whimsical, Paul seems like a great guy, but this might be a bit weird of a first impression of The Fabled Lands for potential backers (him huffing and puffing behind a plant).
    The movie doesn't match the tone of the series at all, I would have gone with the music and the still pictures / informational texts.

    Just my two shards.

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    1. Dave Morris9 July 2015 at 15:39

      That's the problem with Kickstarter, Infyra - now authors have got to learn to be marketing experts too. You'll notice I stayed out of it, so I'm not going to start criticizing Paul and Jamie. It's tricky because you hope you're giving backers something to relate to, but of course we can't please everybody, and after all there's the free 127-section demo to help explain the idea to newcomers.

      Maybe there'll be new movies later in the month. I'm sure we'd all be willing to do updates and talk more about the project. And just to reassure you that Paul can be serious too, I think his video for The Frankenstein Wars is still out there. It's not all fun and big game.

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    2. Unknown10 July 2015 at 14:57

      Hi Dave, are you, Jamie , Paul attending any events this year? i.e Dragonmeet ?

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    3. Dave Morris10 July 2015 at 15:02

      I haven't been to Dragonmeet in years. That's not a policy, especially, just that I'm usually out of London when it's on. I can't speak for Paul, though.

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    4. Paul Gresty11 July 2015 at 16:45

      Hi! I've never yet been to Dragonmeet. I was really tempted to go last time around. But I'm based in France, and getting over there just proved too difficult, for a few reasons. I went to Jon Green's Fighting Fantasy Fest in November, though. That was great fun.

      I'll sometimes make it to events in Paris, either for fun or interpreting for guests. I met Steve Jackson at the Salon du Livre, the big French literature trade show, a couple of years ago. I gave him a copy of my book Arcana Agency: the Thief of Memories. I couldn't say for sure that he's actually read it yet. Really nice guy, though.

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    5. Unknown13 July 2015 at 10:44

      Would be great to meet you all ! :)

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  4. Anonymous11 July 2015 at 03:06

    Yes, the response has been great! I'm glad that fans of the original feel confident in us enough to back the project, and also I'm surprised at how it has gone for finding new people. Something about pitching an "open-world book" has struck a chord with many.

    For the video: I'd say it matches the original just fine. One could never play in the Fabled Lands without finding the whimsical aspects. In addition, there are plenty of worlds out there that take themselves seriously internally, yet are treated with whimsy on the surface. E.g., the classic Shadowrun RPG was near the forefront of "grim things happen in alleyways with punks who think they're tough," and their initial Kickstarter video for a new videogame was joking throughout.

    For the size of the demo: compare the size there to that of other cities. Go to Yellowport, section 10 in book 1, and you'll find 20 sections unfold before you immediately. And then you know there are all the entrances, exits, expansions on religious locations, and actual plot events! So Dunpala matches other areas and the book is on-track to feel right.

    Last, Dave, don't downplay your importance in the new book: however much you contribute to the paragraph count in the end, none of this could happen without your words and those of Jamie.

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    1. Unknown11 July 2015 at 09:26

      hi richard, I should say I'm totally confident in your ability to manage this project. And regarding my comment on the number of sections, this is just a complaint of a hardcore fan who would like to have more and more sections 😄. I have to go, I'm just going to create a new character in Sokara !

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  5. James12 July 2015 at 02:08

    I thought I saw this on Kickstarter before, but the campaign wasn't officially open. Was there some kind of pre-release demo of the page up before? Anyway, I saw this post, checked Kickstarter again, and not only is the campaign open now, but it's already roughly tripled its funding goal! Congratulations! While I'd kind of prefer a paperback that matches books 1-6 that I already own, I realize that supporting this now is important to gauge current interest in new books (and to hopefully get more of them!). So I pledged for a copy of the hardcover book. I could get paperbacks in the future to match, if they're released, but if not, I know I'll have a copy of the book. Although I haven't gotten very far into the Fabled Lands yet, I will be glad to add another book to the series! :)

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    1. Dave Morris12 July 2015 at 20:23

      Hi James - yes, Megara had a pre-launch page on Kickstarter to tell people about their campaign. And it is indeed now live and doing well.

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  6. James O'Grady13 July 2015 at 08:19

    I'm in. Been waiting for an excuse to give money to Dave, Jamie and Russ for years :) Thinking of getting FL 1-6 for my mate David for his birthday as he's intrigued by the concept. And Mr Gresty's Thief of Memories is excellent. Still need to finish it during Gamebook Summer :)

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    1. Dave Morris13 July 2015 at 08:33

      Thanks, James - although the money goes to Megara Entertainment, who are running the Kickstarter. Maybe Jamie and I will run the next one, now that we know there's gold in them thar hills :-)

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  7. James O'Grady13 July 2015 at 10:41

    At least you'll get some Silver Florins if I get David the FL books, along with Mr Thomson :) After finishing Fabled Lands, I want you to bring Firefly back as a stretch goal!

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    1. Dave Morris13 July 2015 at 11:15

      Joss is going to have to run his own Kickstarter :-)

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  8. johntfs13 July 2015 at 22:02

    I'm expecting Falcon: The Renegade Lord to show up at my house tomorrow. Did I miss the "coming out" announcement here because apparently it was released in January?

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  9. Dave Morris13 July 2015 at 23:19

    It has been out for quite a while, John. There were a few posts about it at the time, but I guess you missed them.

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  10. johntfs13 July 2015 at 23:42

    The last thing I remember was that it was going to be released in early 2015 with Blood Sword 5. I know I never saw the "It's out now, go get it" post, but it's all good. Better late than never.

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